5 Reasons We Love Having A Larger Family

With four children we are now considered a larger family. Most people (probably the sensible ones) seem to stop after two, but we managed to fit four babies into a rather busy five years and most of the time we love it. It isn’t the right decision for everyone and I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the phrases ‘you have your hands full’ and ‘don’t you have a TV?’.


Here are my top 5 reasons why I love having a larger family.

1) The kids always have a friend. I think this one is especially for families like us with smaller age gaps. Most often my children play in pairs with the big two going off into an imaginary world and the smaller two finding something very noisy to entertain them. Living in close quarters means that of course they all fight, but having a larger family means they can go and find someone different to play with when it all gets too much. When the big two can’t agree, one will go off and play with Cora and the other with Finn which keeps things a bit more harmonious.


2) They learn to share. My sister works in childcare and she told me that her favourite children usually come from larger families. The children learn to share and take turns at such an early age because they have no choice. Mine have all learned to play pretend from very young and they are usually good at turn taking (most of the time anyway).


3) We get lots of use out of toys and clothes. We have clothes that have been worn by all four children and the beautiful wooden walker that my parents bought for Dylan’s first birthday has helped all four of my babies learn to walk. We see toys played with in so many different ways and I love seeing things being handed down.

4) Hopefully lots of visits as we get older. It’s a bit of a scary thought to think that one day we may be grandparents or even great grandparents but I hope that we always have a big family around us. I was brought up surrounded by aunts, uncles and cousins and I want my children and their children to be too. Should the worst happen to us, we’ve made sure we have life insurance in place so our children have the protection in place that they need if we can’t be there to look after them.


5) The perfect chaos. It may sound like an oxymoron but our home is loud, chaotic, messy and perfect. I love the constant babble, the different sounds of laughter and the colour that fills our home. Sometimes all I want is five minutes of peace but really, I wouldn’t have it any other way!

What is the perfect number for you? And if you have a larger family then what do you love about it?

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The Graco Featherweight review

The Graco featherweight is the latest stroller from this innovative brand and is designed to be lightweight and practical for busy mums who are always on the go.  We have been putting it through its paces  in the car, on public transport and most often on our walks.

For the past two weeks, I have walked Dylan to school for 9am, taken Archie to school at 12:45 and picked Archie up at 3:15 followed by Dylan at 4:15.  On two of those days, Finn has nursery from 12:30 until 3:30, making a total of six different drop offs or pick ups on a Wednesday.  Graco did some research and discovered that new parents spend an average of nearly 8 hours a day on their feet and I think they are definitely right!

In fact they sent me a fitbit to record my daily steps and more often than not I had completed 6,000 by lunchtime with my daily steps usually around 15,000.  After the school runs I find myself walking to the park, chasing small tots around a soft play or walking around the house putting things back in their place, sweeping up mess and collecting washing.

On an average day, parents can carry up to 6kg (easily if you have two in nappies) as well as the inevitable child on the hip or in the sling.  I remember the days of carrying just a small handbag with the essentials in and it feels like a lifetime ago!

The Graco featherlight has been a brilliant stroller to accompany me on my many miles I walk every week.  It weighs less than Dylan did at birth (3.6kg) and can be folded and unfolded one handed.  I have had other buggies that claim this but it always baffled me however this featherweight really is the easiest thing to fold and unfold.  I made a little video to show you quite how simple it is.

The easy fold means for parents like me that are on and off public transport, you can hold your child on one hip and fold the stroller with no problem.  The featherweight still has a generous basket and can lie flat too with the simple release of a clip on the back.  

I did find that as a tall parent the handle was a little short for me and I would love it if Graco could make an extended handle, but I know that this would add to the weight of the stroller.

Life Coach Tanith Carey has been working with Graco on some tips for busy parents which include ditching bulky handbags and going for an easy backpack, wearing comfy shoes so you are always ready to chase a runaway toddler and making friends with your postman and local delivery driver so they know where to leave your parcels!

There were a couple that I hadn't thought of and will now be doing too, like taking a picture on my phone of the inside of my fridge before leaving the house so that I know exactly what we have 

 and getting an app that tells you when the next bus is due!

The Graco Featherweight is a perfect companion for busy parents who are overloaded with children and the 'stuff' that comes with them and don't need a heavy pushchair adding to their daily work out!

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Me and Mine in September

September is coming to an end and it definitely feels like Autumn. Dylan is back at school and Archie is ready to start full time on Monday.  My boots have come out of hibernation (although my sandals are not yet packed away) and I have a blanket on the sofa for when my feet get chilly in the evenings.

I don't feel ready to say goodbye to summer yet but the beautiful reds and browns that are covering our walkways are forcing me to embrace everything that comes with October.  September seemed to pass so quickly, too quickly for us to manage a family picture but there is nothing like last minute and we asked Ed's brother to take one whilst we were at my niece's soft play party this morning to make sure we get one taken! The photos are far from perfect, but then so are we.

This month Mummy is loving buying Autumn clothes for the children, doing my daily steps by lunch time thanks to all the extra school runs, getting into our new routine now that we are back to school and the rich colours in the park.

Daddy is loving his new desks, settling in to the house more, listening to Archie's singing and watching Black Mirror.

Dylan is loving being in year two, seeing his brother in the playground at lunchtime, playing 'pets' with Archie (they pretend all their cuddly toys are their pets) and planning Halloween.

Archie is loving starting school, collecting Autumn things from the park,  his taster school lunch session last week and snuggling under blankets on the sofa.

Finn is loving his two afternoons a week at nursery, wearing a backpack, watching Dinotrux and playing outside in the rain.

Cora is loving shoes (wearing them, carrying them, rearranging them), playing with her wooden bobbins, walking in the park and having naps in her own bed.

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Pacca Alpaca

Children that grow up in bi-lingual families tend to find it easier to pick up new languages for the rest of their lives and studies have shown that there is never a ‘too early’ to introduce foreign languages.  It was something I always meant to do with Dylan but didn’t find the time so I have been enjoying learning alongside the children thanks to the Pacca Alpaca You Tube channel.

Designed for preschoolers, the Pacca Alpaca channel helps children learn colours, numbers and songs in a variety of languages including Arabic, French and Spanish and the colourful characters capture their imaginations.  I have been watching the videos with Finn and Archie, and Cora can’t help but get involved even though she has never shown any interest in the television when it is on.

The videos aims not only to encourage children to learn a new language, but also to teach them cultural awareness to help raise a more accepting and inclusive future generation.  We love Pacca Alpaca because it is so much more than just a You Tube channel. There are two apps - Travel Playtime and Language Learning, which have come in very useful for entertaining Finn out and about, and a website,  making it a wider experience for preschoolers.  The series is aimed at children from 2-6 years and having three in this age group I love how they all get something different from it.

As Dylan learns more about other beliefs at school and through new friendships he has become naturally more curious about other languages and the Travel Playtime app is perfect for giving him an insight into different cultures.

Archie is still settling into school with half days and the videos have been a great way to keep his brain active in the mornings before he starts his afternoon sessions.

Finn is still a very young two, but the catchy music and the reinforcement of things he is still learning in his own language is great for him.  The exposure to other languages isn’t yet aiding him to speak them but listening to them and watching them so early will increase his capacity to pick them up as he grows older.

As a mother, I am enjoying learning with my children.  I have been watching the arabic videos with the younger two as it is a language that I wouldn’t know where to start with if I was to learn myself.

Designed by a mother and academic, Sarah Faisal Al Saud has a unique insight into how technology can be used for good and we love the loveable alpaca character, the easy to use videos and the opportunity to learn something new.

I have 10 goody bags to giveaway and entry is really simple, just subscribe to the Pacca Alpaca YouTube channel (it’s free!) and leave a comment below with which language you are looking forward to learning!

T&C: UK entrants only.  The 10 prize goodybags consist of a bag, bottle and set of stickers.  The giveaway ends at 11:59pm on Sat 7th October 2017.  To enter you must subscribe to the Pacca Alpaca you tube channel and leave a comment below.

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One and a Quarter

15 months, one and a quarter.  That is Cora's age today and it is such a fun (and difficult) age.  I am reluctantly giving in to the fact she is now a toddler and 75% of the day she really is.  She walks around the house, usually with a shoe in one hand.  She walks out and about sometimes.  She climbs, she attempts to run and jump and she stands on things she shouldn't.  The other 25% of the day she is still very much a baby still.  She snuggles up close, she likes to be carried everywhere in my arms, she wants to fall asleep safely tucked up on my lap and she wants milk on tap throughout the day (and night).

At 15 months she still doesn't really talk, or rather she is efficient with her language and uses 'uh' to communicate a multitude of words.  She can say mama, dada, hiya and bumbumbum though - all very important! She understands so much though, is learning where her body parts are and she tries to keep up with the actions of her favourite nursery rhymes.

Cora loves playing with anything with wheels, telephones (real and pretend), her wooden bobbins and the ice cream truck.  She plays in the pretend kitchen and she will follow Finn around joining in his games and experiencing life as a two year old.  She prefers throwing food to actually eating it but broccoli, biscuits and berries are all favourites.

At 15 months Cora still breastfeeds on demand although I try and encourage her not to feed so much when we are out and about now. She still wakes multiple times a night and although we did move her into her cot in Finn's room this month she still ends up in our bed for most of the night.  She loves being carried in a sling and is usually on my front still.

I took her to the health visitor last week out of curiosity and my little girl is now 75cm tall and weighs 21lb.  Her feet are a size 3E and she loves shoes (all shoes).  She wears 9-12 month clothing although we have found that the wonderful thing about girl clothing is that it fits much longer as her dresses can be worn as tunics (and she still has lots of 6-9 month clothes for this reason). Her hair is just about long enough for pigtails but it is mostly worn down with a knotty mess sticking out the back of her head.

My baby girl (and she will always be my baby) is growing up so much at the moment and I love watching the little changes as she becomes more communicative, more confident and more determined (and she is a very determined little girl!)

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Pomelody - Music for Toddlers

Finn is my musical child, he was born with rhythm and he just loves to dance.  He dances to pop and heavy metal, to the sound of Daddy's coffee machine and to his sister's heartbeat at the antenatal scans.  At two years old, we haven't started him down any musical paths just yet but new music E-learning program Pomelody could be what we have been looking for.

Professional musicians Anna and Adam have designed the world's first E-learning music platform for infants, toddlers and preschoolers designed to bring fun family-bonding music education to children and parents globally.

They recently launched with a Kickstarter campaign and have smashed their initial $30,000 target within 10 days so they are now aiming for their stretch goal of $55,000 which will develop an institutional version of the platform giving free access to underpriviledged children, such as those in orphanages all over the world.

Adam, Weber founder of Pomelody, said: 

“Music is such a powerful medium to stimulate a child’s imagination. Its benefits stretch way beyond childhood with many reports suggesting that it can boost an individual’s adult IQ by up to 18%, compared to children with no early years music exposure. Whilst this is motivation in itself, it's the sheer joy and bonding between a child and its parents that makes interacting with music so magical. With Pomelody we have a created a unique opportunity for families to bond, to learn, to have fun and to stimulate the next generation. We are very excited to bring this project to market and, fingers crossed, we can achieve our stretch goal and give free access to underprivileged children around the world.”

As a parent I know how much music can be a bonding experience.  We love to throw living room discos in the evenings, dancing around together to our favourite tunes and the children and I have formed countless bands with our collection of toy instruments.  My musical knowledge is very limited and I love the idea of something we can learn together.

What do you get as a series backer of Pomelody? (Kickstarter special price $109 instead of $149)


· Collection of 25 songs - composed, recorded and produced with 12 different bands / artists
· 10 Pomelody classes recorded
· One songbook
· 3 animated lectures with music theory for parents
· Animated stories

Do you use music as a way to bond with your children?

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These Two

These two, only 16 months apart, are much like a double act.  Where one goes, the other follows.  I worried about having them so close together as Finn's first year was far from trouble free and at 16 months he was still very much a baby.  Until she arrived he was still cuddled to sleep curled up in my arms, carried around the house as he wasn't yet walking and treated in most ways like a baby.  Cora came along and changed everything, yet he never got jealous.  He loved her from the beginning and as she has become more able and more mobile their relationship has grown and changed.

They squabble, he pushes her and she bites him, but most of the time, they can be found together.  They sit and play so well, he tries to teach her colours and show her how to do things properly.  They cook meals together at their play kitchen, stack bobbins in their bedroom and take it in turns to push each other round in the Little Tikes car in the garden.  If things go quiet then you can usually find them in the bathroom, Finn squeezing toothpaste everywhere whilst Cora dutifully holds the toothbrush in place.

When we go out, just the three of us, Finn wants her to chase him and she does it giggling as she goes.  He tries to hold her hand to help her walk  and most of the time she won't let him but when she does, he is full of smiles.

These two are so much fun to watch and I think those 16 months will only shrink from now on as Cora tries to catch up with her brothers.  

These two were sent these gorgeous outfits from JoJo Maman Bebe and I just love the co-ordination.  The dress is made of the softest cord and the trousers look so comfy and are soft and lined.  The stripy tops are going to be Autumn/Winter staples as they go with everything too.  Cora is in 12-18 and Finn is in 2-3 and both have a lot of growing room (but both are quite petite for their ages).

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