Valentines Day and….toddlers?

With the Easter holidays over, it’s back to pre-school. And that made cast my mind back over the holidays and festivals we have celebrated at preschool.

Among them was….Valentine’s Day.

The Grandparent Files: Casino Capers

I am not a big fan of the iPad for BabyBoy and BabyGirl (although I fully intend to make use of it on plane journeys – anything is better than screaming kids in a sardine tin in the sky). It tends to make both of them, particularly BabyGirl, hyper and they start displaying addictive behavior.

My mother-in-law, on the other hand, sees nothing wrong in that flashing screen.

My biggest problem with the Spice Girls was…..Baby

The Spice Girls. Insanely popular in the 90s. ‘Girl power’ etc etc.

I was still growing up when the Spice Girls burst onto the scene. And goodness, there was enough going on to freak parents out.

Those catchy, catchy songs with lyrics that you’d really rather not hear your child singing along to:

Toddlers, Tantrums and Being There

There’s no way around it, if you have a 2 year old, at some point you are going to be on the receiving end of a tantrum. It sucks, but if you are setting boundaries, at some point those boundaries will be tested in a way that is both noisy and uncomfortable.

The middle of a tantrum is not the time to engage in conversation. Nor is it is the time to attempt to distract. (I speak from experience.) No, it is the time to repeat the rule, at intervals, but otherwise just be there.

Pirates and Princesses

Wondering around toy stores nowadays, especially when looking at the 0-3 years age bracket, you’d be forgiven for thinking that there are two types of people in this world: pirates and princesses.

There’s a lot written about ‘princess culture’. But something that strikes me is….why the emphasis on pirates?

Nerdy boy WLTM attractive girl bully?

Recently, I saw the film Mr Peabody and Sherman.

Now, this is by no means a bad film. It’s quite entertaining for adults, and a great way of sparking an interest in history for children.

But….but…there is the obligatory awful plot line.

Sleep regression – nature’s birth control

For the past few months we have been seriously thinking about having a third child. No decisions made yet, and there are some rational reasons not to have number three, but despite those reasons I have been thinking fondly about being pregnant again and having another baby, probably my last baby.

Then, the 2 year sleep regression hit.

‘Earthy’ v ‘Girly’ ?

Here’s an indictment of just how far pink is now associated with girls: