Time with Just One

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I feel like she missed out on the final months of having me to herself.  She had waited three and a half years for it, always with brothers around and then that final stretch before school when it should have been just her and I was taken over by home-schooling and living through a pandemic and she probably got the least attention as I tried to balance the educational needs of her three big brothers.

She won't be the baby of the family forever, so getting out with her now, just for little walks is important. She is absolutely dog obsessed (which can get interesting when we are out as the big two are completely petrified) and our local park has a little nature area with some dog statues that she loves visiting and petting. She managed to find some friendly real dogs to throw balls for and play with too.  

Our walks usually involve her picking up any stray snails that may have wandered onto a path too so she can move them to safety and stop them getting crushed and I always have to check her pockets as she likes the idea of choosing herself a pet.  She also likes directing the photos she wants me to take of her, demanding extras if she doesn't like my first efforts!

I couldn't resist this Molo dog dress for her and I think it is going to be a real favourite.  Childrensalon have a brilliant selection of girls dresses from lots of our favourite brands and she has had a bit of a growth spurt recently (I think she is still the shortest in her class though) so there is an excuse for shopping!

My plan over the next few months is to carve out as much one on one time as I can with these four little individuals because I know how consuming having a new baby is, and that it will be a while before I can take them out alone again.  I want to let them know that they are loved and special and unique.  I have something booked for Dylan and I, but I am still thinking of ideas for the other three.  Hopefully the summer holidays will provide us with plenty of time!

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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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Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N at London ExCel

Archie and I were invited to the preview event of a new exhibit outside London ExCel, the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N, an interactive Avengers experience for kids and adults that will be there until the end of March 2019.  Archie is a big superhero fan and was hoping to see more about Hulk and Thanos and was excited to see both were featured.

At 5 years old, he doesn't have the longest attention span and isn't keen on reading but there was plenty to keep him entertained and his favourite part was a virtual reality game where you become Iron Man and fight off the baddies.  We loved the photo opportunities and the life size models of the different Iron Man costumes.  The exhibit focuses mostly on the big players but there is something to see about all the characters that form the avengers team.

I loved spending some time with just Archie and I couldn't resist the games, especially a quick response one where you have to shoot only the baddies and not the Avengers.  As we went on a press night it wasn't as busy as normal so we spent about an hour in the experience.  You are able to do it all at your own speed and you can go back to the beginning at any point too.  Once you go into the final zone however for a big battle, you can't go back.  I liked that you can do it at your own pace as it meant that we could flit back and forth.

I would have liked to see more information and maybe more details on some of the lesser known characters.  Archie loved it though and would happily visit again! He enjoyed getting his ID card at the end and getting a photo with the avengers and both were taken into school the next day for show and tell! 

Tickets are from £25 per adult and £14 per child and if you have children that love superheroes, it is a great experience. You can find out more on the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N  website

Thanks to the Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N team for inviting us along!

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The Ordinary Moments // My Cora Day

I love having a big family, I spend all week looking forward to the weekend and having all four of my babies at home with me, but I love my 'Cora day' too.  I never had much time with just Archie as Dylan was at home full time and as he started preschool, I started looking after a friend's son.  I try to spend some one on one time with them as much as I can though, and I have been lucky to have one day a week set aside for just Cora and I.

We usually meet our friends and go somewhere, either out for lunch, to the park or the beach or somewhere else.  All of the babies are the same age (there are only a few days between them) and I love that Cora has friends her own age.  Each of the boys has a set of friends outside their school or nursery (lots of them are siblings too) and I like the balance it gives them.  We still see the friends they all made as babies most week and I am happy that Cora has her own set of buddies.

As a parent, it means I have others to share the milestones and troubles with.  We all went through the weaning stage together, crawling and cruising and now planning first birthdays.  It means that I can talk about these moments as much as I want without people getting bored (I hope) and I am loving watching Cora start to interact with her friends.  

It gives me a bit of a break too, only having one to deal with, and one who isn't nearly as mobile as the others.  We get to go for walks together, to cuddle up close without being pulled in other directions and to take the day at our pace.  My Cora day is a special one.

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Him and I

We had 9 months together, every day and then another 9 months of him being my number one little guy whilst I juggled part time work with being a full time Mum.  At 18 months he became a big brother, and things changed.  With a baby determined to be physically attached to me at all times, my little guy became closer to his Daddy as that was the natural split when it came to some one on one time.  We still had our moments, but they were not as easy.  With a third baby set to change things up yet again and school on the horizon, time with my biggest little guy has become even more precious than ever.

He is in a period of change, with new influences at Preschool and more independence with it.  He wants to do things his way, he wants to learn and grow and he can't wait to be big.  At the same time, he can change from a little boy back to my baby in the blink of an eye, and when tiredness kicks in, he cuddles in the same way he did three years ago, he sucks his thumb and he needs me as he always has.  His body is growing up, and his limbs get longer as those parts that are so sweet and chubby on a baby get slimmer.  He is more aware, yet still delightfully naive and he is still sensitive and still mine.

Dylan and I took a day to ourselves at the weekend, just him and I, and I loved rediscovering what a wonderful little companion he is.  He was so excited about having a special day together, and as we sat playing memory on the train together, I realised how much I missed spending proper time with him.

The day I had planned didn't involve nearly as much water as the sky seemed to be throwing down, but three year olds do not seem to be put off rain (in fact he asked if we could play in the rain).  We saw the huge Christmas tree at Covent Garden and the big silver reindeer, we shared a shake and talked about our favourite things and we wandered the streets and shops, enjoying life at a preschooler's pace.

We were lucky enough to be invited to see the Paddington Movie by Warburtons and our special screening in the West End cinema was a great afternoon treat.  We both loved the film (I already want to go and see it again!), and it was lovely to share a popcorn and watch my little guy's face light up as he watched the big screen.  

We held hands, ate cake, laughed together and enjoyed our day, we came home exhausted and happy.  I miss spending every day with Dylan now that work and preschool have got in the way, and I know that he won't always want to spend his time with me, so I am hoping we can find more time for just us, for him and I.

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