Top Tips When Preparing For A New Baby!!

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So........YOU'RE HAVING A BABY!!!! Congratulations!!! Finding out you're expecting can be exciting and scary all at the same time! 

You might be left feeling unprepared and wondering just what you need to do in order to get ready to welcome the new arrival. Even if you have a family already and are expanding or if this is the first child you have ever had, it will always be a big change to your life. 

Here are just a few top tips that should help you to prepare for your new arrival.

A Parents' Guide To A-Levels

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A levels are a big jump up from GCSEs, and can also be quite complicated for parents who often feel out of the loop. Ultimately, your child can be thrown into the deep end due to the jump from their last exams. But fear not, as this guide from this A Level College will show you all you need to know about A levels and what to be prepared for.

The Benefits Of Extracurricular Activities For Children

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Extracurricular activities are hugely beneficial for children, with multiple advantages and ways a child is improving their personal development, as well as preparing children for the challenges they could face in the future. For some key benefits extracurricular activities have on children, read this guide from an independent school in Hammersmith to help you understand its importance in schools.

Helping Your Child Become More Confident

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Being confident in all you do is part of a child’s personal development. It’s a great way of building their communication skills, build ways of being a part of an effective team and have the chance to form new friendships. In this guide from a boarding school in Hertfordshire we take a look at some ways you can boost your child’s confidence.

The Silence Of Back To School

Do you hear that? No? Nope? Not a peep? That's because those little people in your house have gone back to school!!!!

A Guide For Buying Gifts For Kids This Christmas!!

Keeping up with my organised Christmas posts, I shared a tip a week or two ago for when you're buying for your kids this Christmas and as promised here's another post to explore it a little more!

The Toy Companies Letting You Recycle Your Toys

Just a few years ago old toys were often destined for the landfill. Recycling was kept to household items and the life of toys didn't go much past passing them on as hand me downs or to charity shops. 

But now if your toys aren't quiet right to pass on, maybe a little rough round the edges or to tatty for the charity shop, you can pass them back to their creators.

Wondering who's part of the toy recycling movement? Here's the toy companies letting you recycle your old toys!

5 Places To Donate Old Toys

Lots of you are loving the recent toy posts, so I thought it was time to share another! So, far I've shared a summary of what to do with old toys, as well as where to sell them.

Next up is 5 Places To Donate Old Toys.

5 Places To Sell Old Toys

Many of you loved the last toy related post, 5 Things To Do With Old Toys, and after sharing on my socials I got a couple of DM's asking if I could share some ideas on where to sell them! So here goes! 

Here's 5 Places To Sell Old Toys!

5 Things To Do With Old Toys

Toys. Toys. Toys. And a few more toys. That's what piles into your home when you have a child. Soft toys. Wooden toys. Plastic Toys. Toys bigger than your baby. Toys that are noisy and need batteries. Toys that hurt when the little apple of your eye throws them at your head!!

These things start to pile up. Birthdays and Christmas come and bring more, as do grandparents and anyone else that likes to treat your little ones. 

But what can you do with them when it's time for a clear out? Time to put the baby toys away? Switching Duplo for Lego? Not sure what to do with the old toys?

Here's 5 things to do with old toys...........

Self-Care Ideas For Busy Parents By Guest Blogger Merry Sari

It’s necessary for busy parents to take breaks from the hustle and bustle of life — to pause and recharge.

When I talk about self-care tips for busy parents, it can mean something different to each individual, but the whole family benefits when parents take care of themselves. Especially during the current situation. Consider making your mental, physical and emotional well-being a priority this year.

Preparing Your Family For A Photoshoot

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Family photoshoots can be a lot of fun. It is an opportunity to capture the dynamics and love in a family and spend some time with the ones you love. It can also be stressful, especially if you have children. The pressure to get good pictures to share and display can dampen the mood of the photoshoot. If you prepare beforehand, you can mitigate some of the stress and enjoy this time with your family.

5 Homeschooling Must Haves!!

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Who'd have thought a few months ago that nearly everyone in the country, if not the world, would be homeschooling!! There's a lot to take in and there's a lot to learn, and that's just for us grownups.

There's also a lot to think about at the moment and you may feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders and a lot of plates spinning. Let's try and make homeschooling something you can control and simplify with a few must haves.

Here's my must haves for homeschooling.......

Why I'm Going To Stick To A Routine Whilst Homeschooling

The news is out and so is school!! From now until who knows when school is cancelled and with support from teachers and a host of online resources we will now be homeschooling for the foreseeable future. 

Lots of people have been sharing what their approach will be, with many saying they will hold off for a few weeks and think about school later. My approach will be a little different though. This was probably clear from the night that the announcement of the school closure came through. With others chatting online about it, I was already in Poundland buying more crayons, paper and workbooks, ready for the challenge. 

A few people have asked why I'm sticking to a routine whilst homeschooling and not taking a do maths in your PJs, try phonics if you can be bothered or wait a while approach, so I wanted to share why I'm going to stick to a routine whilst homeschooling. 

5 Tips To Ensure Your Family Stay Friends When Stuck Inside

So, if you're reading this you're possibly stuck inside with your family, or face being inside with them, for a long time. Be it a snowstorm, a virus or a hurricane, you're in your home for a long period with those you love the most, but will you like each other by the end of it??

Here's 5 tips to ensure your family stay friends when stuck inside!

30 Crafts & Activities You Can Do If School Gets Cancelled

There's lots in the news right now about the possibility of schools closing for a few weeks, with recommendations that people stay home. For those with children this could cause a bit of a gasp!

Two weeks indoors with children can he hard. My son had chickenpox last year and we were stuck inside for weeks. It was hard keeping him entertained, not being bored or going stir crazy.

So, from experience and as a 'crafty mum' here's 30 craft and activities you can do if school gets cancelled.

6 Lego Essentials For When Your Kids Love Lego

So, your kids love Lego! Great!! It's a toy that encourages creativity and imagination, plus if your kids can play independently you might find that they'll happily play with Lego for hours on end.

Our son became a fan of Lego during the Duplo and toddler days. He would build all manner of different things and when the time came for him to move onto to Lego, his creativity and imagination just grew and grew.

Now 5, he continues to be a huge fan of Lego. We've been incredible lucky to have been handed down a huge stack of Lego and we've bought a few extra sets along the way, mostly superhero themed!!

But, with so much in our house we've learnt there's a few items that are essential if you're kids love Lego!

Sorting Through The Baby Clothes With Sweet Pea Clothing

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Saying goodbye to baby clothes is hard. Last year I realised how hard when I decided to take the first step in sorting through our son's baby clothes.

Now 5 years old, we have collected a stack of baby and children's clothes. Vest, babygros, cute outfits, we had storage bags full of them! Probably around 12, if not more! 

It was time to have a clear out and say goodbye.

Solving A Childcare Crisis With Childcare.co.uk

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Childcare. It’s something that might not be on the top of your to do list when you find out your expecting. You browse prams, buy a cot and pick a cute coming home outfit for your new bundle of joy, but childcare might be on the back-burner until you think about going back to work or, gasp, have a night out!!

Teaching Your Kids To Respect Other Cultures

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If you want your child to respect and celebrate diversity it’s important that you help them learn about different cultures. The more they understand about traditions, religious beliefs and other customs, the easier it will be to appreciate that all people are different. Our 5 year old son has asked a lot about who does and doesn't celebrate Christmas recently and I've felt it's important to know that not everyone does. 

Here are some useful tips from a Catholic Girls’ School on how to help your youngsters accept and respect other cultures.