Thursday, 28 February 2019

Our Family in February

February is coming to an end and two of the boys have celebrated a birthday this month.  With that and a week off for half term, I am pretty sure February has sped by at double the speed of January and March is arriving with daffodils, the lovely/dreaded world book day and the promise of Spring (although the last few days have tricked me into thinking it has already arrived).  February was tiring, if you can describe a month in that way and I am ready for something new.

This month's photo is a classic last minute one taken in our garden which is still very much a work in progress.  The children were bribed with a 'sweetie' (otherwise known as a chewy multivitamin) but they still were not in a particularly co-operative mood and this was the best I could hope for. 


This month I have loved a child free lie in thanks to my amazing mum, walking outside without a coat on, planning fun things for the rest of the year and eating all the Easter eggs!

Ed has loved his first trip to Ikea, being outside in the sunshine, using his chainsaw gardening and having a child free evening.

Dylan has loved starting Karate club at school, lots of playdates with his friends in the half term, watching the The Kid Who Would Be King at the cinema in London and having a sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Archie has loved having a big party with all his friends, his new Mini SNES game console, going to the park after school and going to the beach.

Finn has loved telling everyone he is four, opening presents, playing with his new water toys in the garden and seeing his best friend at nursery.

Cora has loved getting new puffin wellies, going for walks in the wagon, playing in the swings until Mummy's arms ache and morning cuddles in bed.
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Tuesday, 26 February 2019

A Beach Clean with Frugi

I am trying my hardest to teach my children about how to look after their world.  We talk about reusing and recycling and they know about the problems with single use plastics and why we use alternatives when we can.  I think one of the most important things I can do is to give them the knowledge they need to do better and to lead by example.  

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

We spend a lot of time at the beach, especially in the summer and we are always disgusted at the amount of waste we find left by other people so a beach clean at the end of every trip has become part of our routine. Dylan worries about the turtles confusing plastic bags for jellyfish and Archie gets very cross that people can't put rubbish in the many bins and leave things next to them instead.  Finn and Cora aren't particular vocal about it yet but I always discuss why we are doing what we do and they love taking part.  We use our buckets to collect up little bits of rubbish that we find and empty them into the nearest bin.  

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

We headed down to the beach over half term with our friend Becky and her two small people and as always, the fun in the sand was followed by a walk around the local area looking for things that shouldn't have been left on the ground.  It wasn't as easy as usual thanks to the crazy fog but we made enough to make a picture with (before it was deposited in the bin) and the boys loved making a plastic crab. 

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

All six children wore Frugi puddlebusters or coats which as well as being 100% waterproof, are also made of recycled plastic bottles.  I made sure the boys knew this when we first put them on and they were really amazed that the coats were so soft when they were made from plastic!  The coats had handy reflective prints on the front and back which we really noticed in the fog and they kept the little ones protected and dry all day. The wellies are all PVC free and flexible for growing feet. We love how something so bright and practical can be made from waste and Frugi are all about sustainable fashion.  Finn's coat is age 4-5 and would have used roughly 10 plastic bottles to make which would otherwise be clogging up a landfill.  The unisex nature of this design means Dylan's coat will hopefully see us through all 4 children too! (we have some Frugi items that have been worn by three children already!).  

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

I am hoping that over the summer as the beach gets busier that our actions will inspire others to do the same and of course remind people that their rubbish needs to be taken with them! I won't pretend that we are perfect with our actions but we are constantly trying to do better and I love how involved the children are and how educated they are becoming about environmental issues.

There are so many pictures from our day at the beach that I wanted to share, partly because the kids look amazing in their bright blues and yellows!

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com


Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com

Frugi puddlebusters, Frugi kids clothes, kids beach clean, themummyadventure.com


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PIN ME!



Frugi provided us with the children's outerwear for the beach clean but all thoughts and opinions are completely my own.
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Sunday, 24 February 2019

Tomorrow You Are Four

Oh Finn, there is so much I can say about you as a three year old, you are just overflowing with personality.  There is nobody quite like you and I can't believe we have been lucky enough to have you in our lives for four whole years as of tomorrow.  

Nothing about you has been easy since those difficult few weeks in special care when you were born.  The challenges are always changing but we know we have you and you definitely keep me on my toes! You are happy, enthusiastic, full of life and a born performer.  This was the year you developed 'The Finn Show' where you sing, dance and do tricks for us, the year you realised you can sing and shout louder than anyone else in the house and we joke that you would be a great back up tannoy system for a large supermarket.


You love nursery and do three school days a week now which you scoot to with excitement.  You are so sociable, so interested in everything and desperate to explore.  You have finally decided glasses can be worn and you are pretty good at keeping them on most days now.  When you get cross they are the first thing to be thrown across the room though so we are sticking to the bendy plastic frames a little longer!

You insist on things being on your terms and you only eat your favourite foods, you walk off if you have finished and you are not giving in at bed times without the biggest fights.  We are trying to 'pick our battles' but you are very good at creating more. That said you can also entertain yourself well, be loving and kind, share well and be beautifully behaved when you want to.  Finn, you are destined to go far and I know you will change the world one way or another.


There are only a few months now until you start school and I can't work out how you got that big when those curly haired baby days seem so recent.  You and your sidekick are going to really miss each other although you have adapted better to being apart for nursery now.  You and Cora have a special relationship and sometimes you seem more like twins. She absolutely adores you and you are always up to more mischief when you are together.  You think of anything placed out of your reach as a challenge and if the pair of you go quiet I can usually find you somewhere near a tap!

You have the biggest smile and the biggest heart, you are so excited to see people, you opened presents after your party with a huge grin and squeals of joy and you haven't stopped talking about having your friends there.  


Tomorrow I will take a moment to remember how far you have come, how you have beaten the odds, proved everyone wrong and what an amazing little person you have become.  

Happy Birthday baby boy, Happy Birthday Finn.  You are loved more than I ever knew you could be
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Monday, 18 February 2019

Half Term with Four - The Ordinary Moments

Half term has arrived and this is usually the hardest one to keep them entertained in as it is still winter-y weather and there isn't as much going on.  We seem to have hit the jackpot though as the sun was shining today and it looks set to stay for the week which means we are planning more outdoor adventures which both wear them out a bit more and keep the costs lower (so there is more money for cake!).  


These four are so incredibly different to one another and sometimes I wonder how I managed to bring up four unique characters when I like to think they have all been treated equally.  They are all so close in age as when Cora was born her brothers were only 4,3 and 1, but the age gaps seem to only get smaller as they get bigger.  One of the best things about having them so close is that there are plenty of things that entertain all four of them still, but I can see differences in what the elder two and younger two want to do and they are often split in half that way. 


We went to the park today and I was determined to stay out all afternoon as they had been squabbling at home all morning.  They spent the first 10 minutes all fighting for my attention and then they suddenly started a game together and completely forgot I was there.  The park became the Polar Express and then it evolved again and again until I had no idea what they were playing but they were all totally engrossed.  Dylan is old enough and imaginative enough to lead the play and Cora is big enough now to join in, to understand and to enjoy it too.  They seemed so close in age suddenly and I went from 'was four really a good idea' to 'I totally did something right here'.


There are so many challenges with raising a bigger family and having four so close in age but sometimes you get those moments where you can just sit back and relax as they have each other and it makes it all worth while.


I have written a few updates about having four and whether it gets easier and in many ways it feels like it gets harder, but I think really it just gets louder and more expensive.  I spend a large proportion of my day preparing snacks, there is always more washing to be done and someone always needs something.  I definitely spend more time sat on the sofa with a hot cup of tea than I ever did when there was only one or two though and my final baby starting nursery is only a few months away now which will change it all again.


We have lots more outdoors plans for half term that will hopefully entertain all four as well as a few things just for the bigger two who get less time off and are desperate to see their school friends over the holidays.  Let's hope the weather stays this sunny as it is so lovely to be out with no coats!






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Saturday, 16 February 2019

Before You Turn Six

Tonight you have been practising your six year old cuddles.  You have told me that they start becoming 1% less good from every year now, that you peaked at age 5 but I still think they will be the best cuddles ever because most people that know you agree that cuddling is one of your special skills. Tonight I put you to bed as a five year old for the very last time as tomorrow you will wake up six.


This time six years ago, I had no idea you would be arriving soon.  I was convinced I would go overdue and had no signs that you were ready.  You were born at 7:30 am the next morning and you were so laid back and easy going from the very beginning.  We were home in time for lunch and you settled on my chest and stayed there for many months.  Now you are growing up so quickly, finding your own friends and hobbies and developing strong opinions on the things that matter - like what colour shoes you need.  You are not afraid to make a choice that is a bit different and you are, as I write every year, unapologetically yourself.

Five was the year you declared that gold was your favourite colour (followed of course by pink), it was the year you discovered Minecraft and it took over your every thought.  It was a year of fun and friendships and you have such a wonderful group.  You were five when you started in year one, and even though the changes had been gradual, I couldn't work out how you managed to look so big next to the little children who started in reception.  There seemed like far more than a few months between you and them.  I saw your height, your confidence, your speed and your maturity properly.


Archie, my baby boy who isn't really a baby, I can't wait to see how much fun you can have as a six year old.  I hate the idea of you growing up too fast as you are at such a wonderful age right now, but I feel so privileged to watch you becoming yourself.  

I have been re-reading the 'before you turn' letters that I write to you every year and so much is still the same.  You are still so caring, looking out for other people and making sure everyone is ok. You still are happiest naked, you burst into song at the most random moments and you come out with some fantastic comments.  You love company and would have a friend round every day after school if we let you.  You don't like being in a room by yourself and always seek out someone to be with you.  You are funny, smart and bright eyed and we all love you so much

Before you turn six, as I kiss you for the last time as a five year old, I just want you to know how truly loved you are.
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Sunday, 10 February 2019

Parenting a Girl after Three Boys

 I am not quite sure what I expected parenting a girl to be like, but at the beginning it is the same, you have a baby and babies are all a little bit similar.  It is when they start getting older that things change.  I think in many ways I am still parenting a toddler rather than a girl or boy, but there are little things that are different between Cora and her brothers already.


Whilst they have always been straightforward, she can be much more complex.  If you asked the boys at two or three why their sibling was crying, they would answer 'because I hit them' if that was the answer.  They owned up to everything and said what they felt.  Cora learned to lie so early, to blame things on others when it was quite clearly her fault and she started pushing the boundaries at a much younger age.  She learned how to get what she wants, how to play a game to get it a more subtle way if the original answer is no and how to wrap us round her little finger.  The boys were never as subtle and at seven, five and three they still aren't.


I do wonder whether this is her being the youngest, or growing up faster with having three older siblings, but at the moment it is what seperates her from the boys the most.  In almost every other way I find parenting boy and girl toddlers the same.  Both need to play free, to run and climb and explore. Both need to crawl in the mud and jump in every puddle, both need to test the limits, both love to pick their nose, both need love and cuddles.


Of course I get to buy her dresses and style her hair (well I would if she ever let me). She is the most opinionated about what she wears though and loves choosing her shoes. She has a longer concentration span for things like colouring and craft than any of the boys did at this age and she really likes pink and her babies.


I know the big challenges are still to come with the teenage years but right now I would say she is more complex in some ways than the boys were at the same age, but ultimately she is still a toddler and the same challenges still exist no matter what.  I want to raise her to be fearless, to know she can do and be whatever she wants. I want her to be kind and loving and to help those that need it but these are all the things I want for my boys too. 



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Tuesday, 5 February 2019

One on One

One of the biggest challenges with four children is spending quality time with each of them.  Whilst they are all really close in age and often the same activities and days out are appealing to all of them, I know they all need time alone too and I have been trying hard to give them that over the last few months.  They have always had little snatches of time; swimming lessons, trips to Tescos, days when her brothers are at school but they haven't had time when it is really focused on what they need and want so much.

This week I had a day out in London with just Finn and I think we both needed it more than we knew.  I find Finn challenging at times, probably because I am trying to meet his needs alongside three other children's so only having him meant everything was tailored to that and I could just get on with enjoying him.  Finn loves trains so I based our plans around that and we got the train into London and the underground to Covent Gardens for a visit to the London Transport Museum.


I had heard wonderful things about the Transport museum and it was everything I hoped for and more.  We spent about 4 hours in there in total (with a break for lunch, he requested chicken nuggets, chips and beans because he is so adventurous) and I know that with the other three as well we wouldn't have managed even half of that.  We went up and down and back to the beginning and I could follow Finn and enjoy watching the way his mind works without having to worry about anyone else.

We came home feeling more connected and it has continued ever since.

Dylan had a sleepover at the Natural History Museum, Archie had a day in London with an evening at the Avengers Exhibit and Cora had a slightly more exciting break in Budapest with me and we are back to the beginning now, looking for new opportunities to enjoy each one alone,.

It isn't something I can do with them every week and I haven't chosen the cheapest days out to have with them so far but it has been so special and having these days with them doing things that interest them completely has been priceless. I hope these are the things they remember when they are older - the special days where they got to dictate the pace, pick where we had lunch and always ended up with a treat.  I have started making plans for the next 'set' of one on one dates with them and I will be encouraging Ed to do similar as it is definitely beneficial for us all.

How do you get one on one time with your children? Are there any particular activities you like todo together?


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