Crafts on Sea

Family Things

How changing one word improved my relationship with my kids

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Have you ever lost your rag with your kids? Been bad tempered? I know that I’m far from the perfect mum. That’s not to say that I don’t try, I know that I’m doing my best and sometimes I am pretty great too, but with several years of sleep deprivation behind me there have been days when I couldn’t manage great behaviour with anyone. Then last Christmas I spoke to my son and started to say something so stupid, so amazingly bad that I made me question how I talk to my kids entirely. The good news is though that by just changing one word I instantly improved how I see my kids and how I cope them and nearly a year later this one little word change is still working.

how changing one word improved my relationship with my kids…

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How to cope when your baby has reflux

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Has your child got reflux? Then mama, you have my sympathy. My daughters reflux is one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with as a parent. If you haven’t dealt with reflux that can sound daft, it’s just a bit of vomit, right? But if your baby has reflux you’ll know the seemingly never ending sleepless nights, how it feels to see your child being ill again and again and of course you’ll also have the added joy of being out in public in clothes splattered in sick. Yep, I’ve been there. For a long period of time I was only getting four hours of sleep a night and to be honest I kind of lost the plot a bit. Actually I lost it quite a lot, there’s a reason why sleep deprivation is used as a method of torture. As my eldest child was never sick as a baby (true fact, we never even used a muslin with him) I had no idea what reflux was or how we could help our daughter so I’ve put this together as a little guide for parents who are going through it at the moment. Obviously I am not a doctor so do speak to your GP, consultant or paediatrician but hopefully this will help some parents that are looking for some advice on reflux from a mum who’s been there.

how to cope when your baby has reflux…

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How I Got My Whole House Tidier by Moving One Thing

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Are you a tidy person? I wish I was, but sadly I find tidying a little bit…boring. At the end of a day I know that I need to clean up or the house will be a mess tomorrow but all too often I just haven’t had the energy and after my husband and I have both finished writing in the evening we’ve often wandered into the floor to realise it’s still occupied by a small town of superheros and all their arch enemies, plus their appropriate houses, robots and snacks. But then two weeks ago we moved one piece of furniture and suddenly our home is significantly tidier every single day and we don’t have to dodge all the mess.

How I Got My Whole House Tidier by Moving One Thing parenting hack…

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What I did when my baby couldn’t breathe – and what I should have done

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I am the mother of two children. My son, my eldest, has pretty much had a clean bill of health. I think the worst we’ve had is a sickness bug. My daughter, my youngest, well…she’s been different. I’m ‘lucky’ that all she’s had is asthma, I know there are many worse things. However my husband’s younger brother died of an asthma attack in his childhood so I also know how serious it can be. What I didn’t really know was how to treat it, or what to do when my eleven month old daughter couldn’t breathe properly.

What I did when my baby couldn't breathe - and what I should have done parenting first aid advice…

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Tips for preparing your child for starting school

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Somehow the impossible has happened, this is my son’s last ever week at playgroup. I’m not quite sure how this can be the case since I’m fairly certain he only started a few weeks back but come September he’ll be starting school. That’s particularly crazy as it’s just taken me three attempts to write school, I’m not sure I’m ready for this! Like most mums I’m not super panicking about him starting, however I do want to make the transition as easy and enjoyable for him as possible, so with that in mind I asked the super wise ladies over on the Crafts on Sea Facebook page for their advice on preparing your child for starting school as well as the advice of some of my blogging friends and there’s a few things we’re doing thrown in here too!

tips for preparing your child for starting school…

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