To the Parents Raising Boys

I am Momma Bear to two boys, two very different yet very similar boys. Before I became a parent, I had no idea about raising boys. I am, well I was, a girly girl. I loved all things pink, glittery, and Barbie (sad I know). Then BAM, I was given two boys, and my gosh are they different to anything I have ever experienced in my whole entire life. Gross has been given a whole new definition! I’m also an only child so I have no idea about sibling reationships either, so this has been a big learning curve for me!

Some days I look at my little boys and swoon over them, and other days I am ready to fly kick them through the window (joke)! This mothering gig is hard, and if you say otherwise then we can’t be friends! Just kidding, well kidding a little. I thought I’d share some of the things I have discovered over the last 5 years.

Boys like to wrestle! A lot! Well, mine do, and I am assured by my husband that this is normal, despite my panic. They wrestle when they’re happy and they wrestle when they’re mad. A simple board game always results in wrestling of some form. Puzzles end up in someone being sat on. train track building results in someone in a headlock. watching a DVD ends in someone being thrown onto the sofa, tea time ends in someone being dragged onto the floor, and retrieving the post from the postman always end up in a death grip around one another. They wrestle from sun up, until sun down. And you now what? It’s normal! Don’t beat yourself up thinking you’ve raised wild animals, they’ll grow out of it. (I hope!)

Boys like to play with their ‘winky’! Winky, tiddler, privates, tail, willy, penis, whatever you want to call it, it doesn’t matter, they will play with it, squeeze it, pretend it can talk, grab it (even in public), and sometimes put things around it (A friend of mine caught her boy putting a Hula Hoop (brand of English chips) on his!), dance naked proudly shaking it, and will think nothing of talking about it very loudly. This is still something that shocks me, but I better get used to it!

Boys like to climb! My boys climb on everything, it doesn’t matter if it’s two centimetres or two metres. They climb on walls, fences, fallen tees, standing trees, benches, tables, chairs, ledges, rocks, curbs, the sofa, stools, tv units, and generally anything that you’re not supposed to climb on. They also enjoy climbing on people. This climbing gives me heart palpitations, especially with y 3yo who does not see any danger. I am not sure they ever grow out of this need to climb either?!

Boys find trumping hilarious! Trumps, farts, botty burps, wind, whatever you call it, it all stinks the same! What is it about wind that boys find s funny? I will never understand this one. The louder, the funnier, apparently!

Boys get their pee everywhere! Pee in pants, pee on the bathroom floor, pee on their hands, pee on the toilet seat, pee on one another, pee everywhere, even in the bath. Little boys have a very hit and miss aim!

Boys eat bogeys! (and enjoy them!) This is self-explanatory. Vom!

Boys are hoarders! My boys pick up anything they find and assume it’s treasure! Old raisins, pennies, elastic bands, beads, hairpins, ear buds, anything. They are sneaky about it too, my 5yo especially. They shove it  in pockets, or hide it in their toys. They are like little pirates hiding their treasure!

Boys can wreck a room in under 60 seconds! I never remember this either until it is too late. I have no idea how a room can be trashed in such a short space of time. It is a record in itself! Rest assured if you have boys you will know this already! Sixty seconds to trash it, 3 hours and drive-mummy-insane-moaning to tidy it up!

And last but not least
Boys LOVE being loved!
Hats off to all the parents out there raising boys (and girls of course!)

BrickHats

My seven year old is totally obsessed with Lego. He breathes, eats, and sleeps, and talks a bit more, Lego. Our house is full of Lego. It is absolutely everywhere. So can you imagine what an excitable morning it was in our house when he opened one of his birthday presents and it was his very own Lego Snapback! He didn’t even know they existed. And straight away he customised it…

BrickHats is the UK home of Brick Brick Gear and is a patented brick system hat that is compatible with Lego and variouos other toy bricks. You can create scenes, build your name, and show off your master builder skills for all your friends to see.

These hats are such good quality too, and definitely worth the price of £25. You can also add a little selection of bricks for an extra £2.50 which is a nice little add-on. If you have a Lego fan at home then this is definitely worth putting on the list for Santa! I have even managed to get an extra 20% for my readers, so look out for the promo code below!

We’d love to see your photographs of your kiddies (or grown ups) in their hats with their own creations! Take a look at some creations in the video below.

The discount code expires on 24th November, so be quick!

 

Your Child Does Not Have Autism

My eldest child is 7 years old, and received his official Autism diagnosis within the last 12 months. It has been a very long 7 years full of battles against the system and against ignorant people, especially within the education system of the UK. It has worn me down over and over again and I have had to fight for support for him every single step of the way, and am still going to have to, but now I’m armed with an official diagnosis so things are that little bit easier.

I’ve often written about my boy and his additional needs, he also has Sensory Processing Disorder, and I like to share our journey to encourage others and help them feel less alone. I guess this is what this post is about, not feeling lonely in your fight for a diagnosis.

I’ve been told so many times that my child definitely doesn’t have autism. He can maintain eye contact, he can speak, he notices if something is removed from in front of him, his reading and writing skills are above average, he has friends, he eats ok etc etc. I’ve been told by GP’s, paediatricians, and school SENCO’s that he is absolutely fine, that he doesn’t need support, he definitely is not autistic and that they just don’t see what I am talking about and he will grow out of it. Do you know how this makes you feel? Horrendous! On top of the guilt you already feel for knowing your child is struggling but you cannot help him, hearing people basically say you’re making it all up is really disheartening and leaves you feeling pretty hopeless. BUT do not give up. If your gut is telling you something is not right then keep on keeping on until you get the answers your child and your family so desperately need.

I’m not one for sitting back and taking no for an answer, I never give up where my kids and my family are concerned I fight their corner every inch of the way, but boy is it hard hen you’re dismissed over and over again. You soon start o question yourself and your sanity, but don’t let it do that to you. Remember your focus, and that’s your child.

To cut a long story short we eventually got referred to a child mental health service after 5 years, and upon his initial meeting the doctor said to me that they think my child is on the Autistic Spectrum and has anxiety, and would be assessing him for this. After a few assessments they reached the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and anxiety. I was so relieved. I didn’t think this would be my initial reaction but it was. Years of battling other people for support for my child had been worth it and now this little piece of paper confirmed what we had suspected all along and now this little bit of paper meant that no longer could I be scoffed at by education professionals. My child and his needs would now be taken serious!

Don’t let people push your concerns away, don’t let them silence your worries, stand up for what your heart is telling you, it will be a huge battle, but worth the fight. If I’d have listened to processionals and let them override my gut instinct my boy would be classed as neurotypical and would not get any extra support at all, and this would be detrimental to his emotional and mental health as well as his academic progress.

Never let anybody tell you your child is fine ‘because they’ve seen children much worse than them’, never let anyone dismiss you or your concerns. As a parent your gut instinct is usually right, follow it, and don’t give up. There is light at the end of the tunnel, the tunnel just may be longer than you had hoped.

Keep fighting.

The Snowman Tour 2017

Who loves Christmas? You do? Then we can be friends! I love this time of year so much, I’m like a big kid still, and my children share my excitement too, my husband not so much. I’d put my decoration and tree up in November if my husband agreed, sadly he doesn’t! He does agree to Christmas movies though, and one of our absolute favourites is The Snowman. I’ve always loved it so much, even as a little girl. It makes you feel all warm an fuzzy inside don’t you think?

This year we are going to watch The Snowman Tour, and we are SO excited, it looks amazing! Take a look at this little promo video;

How wonderful does it look? The live orchestra sounds amazing.

There are several venues in various areas hosting The Snowman, they include Blackpool Tower Ballroom, Chester, Derby, Liverpool, Hull, and various others. Take a look here to find your nearest venue. Tickets are already selling like hot cakes so book yours asap!

The classic film is shown on a big screen accompanied by a live orchestra playing the original score. A young local soloist will also sing the classic “Walking in the air” and there will also be a visit from the Snowman himself. How exciting! I’m not sure who is going to be more excited out of me and children!

Photography © Tom Bangbala

 

Photography © Gareth Widdowson

And not only do you get to see this performance of The Snowman there is also a short animated film being shown too, this varies from venue to venue but will be The Nutcracker, Cinderella, or The Bear and the Piano. Double whammy!

Go and book your tickets today and add a little extra magic to Christmas this year! Look out for us!

#SnowmanTour17

 

 

Secrets of a momma’s Google search history

I love Google. You can search for anything, at any time. It’s helped me out countless times, and has made me think I’m about to cardiac arrest on several other occasions.

Google is not judgemental. You can ask it anything and it will never disclose your identity (if you have it set up correctly!). This is an amazing invention.

I have asked Google some pretty crazy things over the last 4 years and 8 months; some personal, some hilarious, and some hilariously personal. I do not believe for a second I’m the only one with a funny search history, but the only way to tell for sure is to share (some of) mine with you.

These are in chronological order from February 2010 when I became pregnant up until October 2011, D1’s first birthday. I’ll share my search history from 2012 until now when I am brave enough!

Why is my period late?

Reasons a period can be late

Are cheap pregnancy tests accurate?

Are Clear Blue tests accurate?

What to do when you find out you’re pregnant

Clear jellylike substance

What does your first scan involve?

How big is my baby at 6 weeks?

Is it normal to have an increased sex drive in your first trimester?

Why do my boobs hurt?

Why do my boobs hurt at 8 weeks pregnant?

Morning sickness

Morning sickness and afternoon sickness

Why are pregnant women sick?

Why do pregnant women crave lager?

Does sex when pregnant effect your baby?

Smells make me vomit

What can go wrong with 12 week scan?

Can you eat nuts whilst pregnant?

Why do I keep crying?

Pregnancy hormones

Pregnancy and feeling crazy

Nursery designs

Moses basket mattresses

Sudden high blood pressure in pregnancy

How can blood pressure effect my baby?

Inspiring quotes for pregnant women

Do hot baths hurt your baby bump?

Why have my nipples tripled in size?

Is it normal to not want your husband anywhere near you in bed?

Why am I peeing every 15 minutes?

Why is my belly itching?

Will I love my baby?

What if I drop my baby?

How accurate is a gender scan?

Blood pressure readings during pregnancy

Dummies

Which bottles do I use for a newborn?

Caesarean section

Caesarean recovery

Growth scan at 32 weeks

Have I got thrush?

Why am I still throwing up week 32?

Is Cow and Gate milk ok?

Catheter

Should my newborn cry constantly?

Do newborns sleep at night?

Colic

Why am I a rubbish mum?

I feel crazy

When does a baby roll?

Weaning

Are exploding nappies normal?

Should baby poo look like korma?

Baby injections and reactions

Can a baby have calpol?

When does teething start?

Sleep deprivation

No sex drive post pregnancy

When will my caesarean scar stop being numb?

Bark cough in baby

Nhs direct

Can my Caesarean scar pop open?

Bumbo

When do you need to take a baby to dentist?

Baby puree ideas

Is it safe to take 10 month old abroad?

Baby bumped head

Signs of concussion

Baby fluid intake

Why is my period late?

Two under two

Coping with a toddler and a newborn

Do you love your second child as much as first?

Tandem buggies

Am I a terrible mum having a small age gap in children?

Morning sickness remedies

Will my 17 month old ever sleep on their own?

First birthday party for boy

Jungle theme first birthday

And there we have the highlights of my first year of motherhood from the view point of Google.

Share some of yours with me below or on Facebook.

Happy Googling folks!