Say Hello to Rupert Richard

Welcome to the world Rupert Richard! You weren't the easiest baby to carry and you've certainly not been the easiest little one since being outside, though that's no fault of your own (more on that to follow). My first birth experience was quite traumatic- birthing a back to back baby that needed an episiotomy and forceps wasn't pleasant but despite my bad experience with Iris I was fully prepared to try a vaginal birth with Rupert but his positioning led to other plans and a C section was booked for a Tuesday when I was 39+4 but as we all know birthing babies rarely goes to plan...

Most Used | 3-4 Years

Every time I write these Most Used posts I feel a mixture of sadness and a sense of purpose. The sense of purpose comes from using my parenting knowledge to inform other parents or those buying gifts, what the most useful things are for this age group. The sadness comes from realising my little girl is growing up and when I look back over these old posts they remind of the things we used to own, things full of memories and nostalgia- who'd have thought you'd miss a travel potty?? Parenting is weird like that. Here's this year's list of the things we used most between the ages of 3-4.

Gift Ideas For A 3 Year Old

We're back again with another collection of gift ideas, this time for 3 year olds. It's been a year since Iris's 3rd birthday and throughout the year I've kept a note of the things we used the most in order to create this gift guide. Prior to having a child of my own I'd always struggle with what to buy children of certain ages. My hope is that posts like this can help you to purchase something useful, that will be loved and is age appropriate. 

Living Arrows | Paw Patrol Movie

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Iris loves Paw Patrol. Most kids have phases where they enjoy different characters but Paw Patrol seems to have outlived all previous phases and has been going strong for over a year now. Her birthday party Paw Patrol themed, her presents were all Paw Patrol based and she's asked for a Paw Patrol bedroom when her room gets painted next month so what better way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon than a trip to our local cinema to see the movie.

Days Out | Bassetlaw Museum

I live in an ex mining town in the district of Bassetlaw- I've lived here all my life and I grew up thinking it was boring, bland and there was nothing to do. I couldn't have been more wrong. Bassetlaw is a district steeped in rich history, from the cave drawings nestled deep in Cresswell Crags to Robin Hood's rumoured residence, Sherwood Forest and The Major Oak. It's the district that birthed the Pilgrim Fathers and is home to The Harley Gallery and the untouched Mr Straw's House. There's walks galore at Clumber Park, Rufford Abbey and Idle Valley and action packed attractions like Sundown Adventureland and Yorkshire Wildlife Park are on the outskirts. I've lived in the centre of a hive of activity for many years and really didn't appreciate it. 

Living Arrows | Getting Dressed Up

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Well I completely overestimated my ability to keep a regular blog schedule throughout the summer holidays! We packed so much into the holidays, we had a trip to London, days out at Sundown Adventureland, sleepovers at Grandmas and trips to the seaside. It was fun but actually kind of exhausting, I'm very glad to be back to the daily grind. 

Days Out | Graves Park, Sheffield

Graves Park was our first destination on our mission to complete the Sheffield Bear Hunt. The bear hunt is a charity event in which individually designed bears are placed around the city. You can sign up on the website to track your progress or collect a paper trail map from various places. We chose Graves Park as our first stop as it has so much more to offer than just bears.

Accommodation | Skippers Rest Apartment, Scarborough

Skipper's Rest is a one bedroom apartment in the North Bay area of Scarborough. It's located close to Peasholm Park and The Open Air Theatre. It's set one street back from the seafront and has access to the beach via the main road with pavement or via coastal cliff path. The cliff path has beautiful views and is easy on the way down but a bit tough on the legs on the way back up!

Living Arrows | DRFC

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

It's back! The football season has official returned. I'm not a fan of football and have only really attended matches under duress but Daddy has been a lifelong fan of  Doncaster Rovers so it kind of feels like our year starts when the football does.

Living Arrows | The Emotional Rollercoaster

  'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

This week we visited Graves Park in Sheffield and I took one look at this bouncy slide and thought 'Iris is too small for that', turns out she wasn't too small, she was actually quite a way over the height marker. I was not prepared for that! I think about the big 'next steps' all the time- her moving to primary school, her learning to read and write, school discos and after school clubs, playing out with friends and going to parties but it's the little things that really trip me up. Being tall enough for the bouncy slide, calling you mum instead of mummy, or 'Bruv' in Daddy's case (literally no idea where she's got that from!'), the way she likes her hair a certain way now, how she takes care of younger children. It's like she's grown up all of sudden.

Living Arrows | Sweet Freedom

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

I *think* we can safely say that Iris is glad to be out of isolation! It's been a long 10 days, you really don't realise how much kids need to get out and about until you're confined to your own house and garden- I am so appreciative that we have a garden, I couldn't imagine handling the heat of the last week without a paddling pool and some shade!

Living Arrows | Isolation

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

I think Iris's face sums up how we're all feeling about our 10 day stretch in isolation. We've done so well to get all the way through from September without the preschool bubble bursting but here we are, we made it to the last week of term without a positive case and I think that's rather impressive.

Living Arrows | Sundown Adventureland

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

It's been a hectic few weeks as we've been simultaneously tiling the kitchen and laying slabs for the new patio in the garden. It's been a dusty, messy few weeks so on Daddy's day off on Friday we made sure we had a family day and did something fun with Iris. Iris has been asking to go to Sundown Adventureland for months, pre-covid we held annual passes and visited a lot as it's only half an hour from where we live and 5 minutes away from Dan's family. 

Living Arrows | Joy

 

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

I don't really think there's a lot to say about this week's Living Arrows photograph except where can we buy a free standing hammock! This is my all time favourite picture of Iris so far as it truly captures her enthusiastic spirit and looking at this picture I can hear her enormous, roaring laugh.

Living Arrows | Local Book Benches

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Like most towns in recent years, ours has been in steady decline. The decimation of the high street, the increase in drug users and the lessening of that sense of pride in our town has led to the town centre being unkempt and honestly, unsightly. It's not a particularly pleasant place to be and that's why when the council provide something cultural, educational and exciting I want to shout about it and encourage everyone to take part. That's why I always champion using your local library because if we don't use, we lose it!

Days Out | Tattershall Farm Park

Tattershall Farm Park is a small farm park with plenty of outdoor animal pens, outdoor play areas and a small assortment of places to eat. We visited Tattershall Farm Park during the time period when indoor attractions had to remain closed under the coronavirus restrictions, due to this the indoor play areas, indoor animal barns and the cafe were closed.

Living Arrows | Cool Down

 

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Oh to be as effortlessly cool as Iris! She walks around with such confidence and has such a zest for life. We've been doing a few home renovations this week and she approaches every job with such enthusiasm (she asks to help, I'm not advocating child labour!). She's so helpful around the house and she's always coming home from pre-school with 'wow moments' for helping other children.

Living Arrows | It's Flaming June Already!

        'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

Another half term over and done with and the first week of June has been and gone. I say it a lot but isn't time flying? I don't know how we are 6 months into the year, it's gone by in a blur. Iris spent 3 nights at my Mum and Step Dad's caravan so Daddy and I had 3 child free days. Daddy went to work and in our spare time we went to B&Q. We know how to live. 

Accommodation | Tythe Lodge, Lincolnshire

Tythe Lodge is a wooden holiday lodge situated in the tiny hamlet of Howell. It's situated in the grounds of the owner's home. The owner's are on hand to help in emergencies (like when you forget ketchup for nuggets on the first day!) but the location of the property in relation to the owner's home  makes it feel exclusive and private. A lot of love and thought has gone into this holiday accommodation and it really shows.

Living Arrows | Traditional Fun

 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

What a difference some sunshine makes! Everybody's mood has sky rocketed. Life is so much easier when you get outside to walk, run and play without freezing your bits off. One of our regular walking spots, Thoresby Park, was hosting it's annual traditional fun fair and what better way to usher in the half term than boarding a carousel with all the family.