Traditions

At the age of 25 I still love Christmas just as much as I did when I was younger, if not more! And now I have my own child it has got so much more exciting!

Aside from the obvious of it being Jesus’s Birthday, to me Christmas is all about traditions that are anticipated with joy each year. As a child I knew it was Christmas when I started to see the Coca-cola advert on TV, the music and the bells bringing me so much excitement. Or the tradition of carefully finding then ripping open the doors on the advent calendar each day and  tasting that little bite of sweet chocolate that seemed to be much tastier than chocolate at any other time of the year. And, of course, the lead up to our Christmas nativity plays at school. Weeks of practising our lines, singing the same few carols over and over and then hurriedly getting into our costumes on the big night! There is just something so magical about it all!

I know lots of people think that Christmas has become a time of over-consumerism and a complete waste of money but most of the traditions that I most enjoyed and still enjoy involve little or no money at all.

Since last Christmas, when I was pregnant with Sophia, we’ve been thinking, “what will be our family Christmas traditions?” We’ve come up with a few which are important to us and we hope they’re things that our children look back on and cherish.

The Four Gift Rule

We both think it’s important that we limit the amount of presents we give Sophia. We don’t want her to associate Christmas with getting mounds of presents and for that to be her main focus. This year we are entering the new year with uncertainty about my job and money. We have already tightened our belts in preparation but this is something we would’ve done anyway no matter how well off we were.

Here are the four rules we’ll be using for our children…

I think, when it comes to children, they’d much rather do things with their parents and create memories rather than have lots of toys they’ll soon grow bored of. I’m not in any way bashing what other parents do as every family is different; this is just what we believe will work best for our family. With the money we’ll save from giving only four gifts we’ll be able to spend on going to different places together.

This year we have got Sophia:

Something she wants: A soft dolly. We used to see this looking around Sainsbury’s and every time I showed Sophia it she’d get so excited and try to grab it!

Something she needs: A hammer bench. She needs something educational to extend her development. This toy will teach her lots of practical skills such as hand-eye co-ordination, colour distinction and motor skills.

Something to wear: A wintery top. James chose this pretty little top for Sophia. It’s so sweet with different textures and little snowflakes and I love the peter pan collar.

Something to read: A lift the flap book. Sophia still loves flap books and this one has some beautiful illustrations in with lots of things to point to and talk about – I can’t wait to read it to her! It has three stories inside, all of which rhyme so will help her language development.

24 Books of Christmas

Sophia will be too little for a traditional advent calendar for a while so I was in search of an idea that she would enjoy instead. I saw this idea floating about on the internet and thought it’d be perfect for us! I am obsessed with children’s books! I think I could open my own library with all the ones I have. I’ve read to Sophia since day one and it’s something I’m really passionate about.

The idea is that you collect 24 Christmas books and wrap them up. Each night we’ll unwrap a book together and read it. The last book on Christmas Eve will always be ‘The Night Before Christmas’ as I think it’s such a special story.

We don’t actually have 24 Christmas books at the moment, we have about 11. I’m going to borrow some more from the library to bulk out the selection.

 

A Decoration Collection

Something that we’re doing for Sophia (and will do for future children) is making a collection of decorations for her. Every year we’re going to buy her a new tree decoration. It doesn’t have to mean anything special or fit in with any particular theme, just a lovely decoration that Mummy and Daddy have picked for her. Then when she is grown up, has left home and has her own Christmas tree we’ll give them to her.

She won’t get the full benefit of this tradition until she’s much older but we think it’ll be so special for her to receive.

This is the decoration we chose for Sophia this year. We both liked it and thought it was sweet and smiley; just like her!

Christmas Eve

Not really that special, as I’m sure it’s what most people do, but Christmas Eve evening will be a time for new PJ’s, yummy treats and watching a Christmas film together under blankets.

 

Some of our traditions might sound a little cheesy but they are all about love and family, which is the most important part of Christmas (and life for that matter!). I’m looking forward to our first family Christmas together and making happy, magical memories.

Recently

Some recent pictures of little Sophia.

Enjoying her food as usual!

Standing up (and trying to grab Smudge!)

Off to sleep. She still has her dummy at the moment but after Christmas we’re going to take it away as her teeth are starting to really grow now.

Fast asleep in the supermarket!

Looking at her favourite book.

Christmas is Coming!

We took this little snap this morning while doing our grocery shopping and I just had to share it! 

Pinch Me

It’s a rainy, dark Monday morning. We’ve had a testing weekend; I was at training all day Saturday and Sophia has been ill for the rest of the weekend with a cold. She has been grumbly and upset and none of us have got much sleep or many of the things we had planned done.

Our house is covered in clutter, needs a good hoover and don’t even mention how badly the bathroom needs cleaning! But does it matter? Does it really matter? No, it doesn’t at all.

I try to be as positive as I can and I try to never lose sight of what I have.

Being a parent is hard work. Running a house is hard work. Even marriage is hard work! Sometimes I feel like I have no free time to do anything. Sometimes I take my husband for granted. Sometimes I despair about the endless housework. Sometimes I can’t bear to look in the mirror as all I see is a body which doesn’t seem my own anymore, ravaged by pregnancy. If I allowed myself I could get into the head space where everything was ‘bad’ and I could get really down.

When I was trying to conceive Sophia I learned a lot about being patient and being grateful for all I had. Though it was really very tough sometimes, I did my best to see things positively and to enjoy all of the little things.

I have a daughter who is an absolute joy. She’s so bright and sweet and makes me laugh and smile in so many ways. I’m SO proud of her and love to show her off or talk about her at every chance I get.

I have a husband who I love so much and who loves me. I love being partners with him as we grow older and discover what life is all about. I never feel as though I’m on my own and he’s always so supportive of me. I feel very lucky.

Yes I have lots of things to do in my house. But it is my house. I’m lucky that not only do I have a roof over my head but it’s a beautiful house that we worked hard to afford and pay for. We still have lots of plans for the place and lots of things to do but it’s a home we will be in for a long time. It’s a place of security that, as long as we pay our mortgage, it’ll never be taken away from us. I hope to have so many happy times here; Christmases, Birthdays and even bringing our future children home to.

My body is unrecognisable from what it was pre-pregnancy. It wasn’t fantastic before I had Sophia but now my tummy will never be the same! But that’s ok. There are changes I’d like to make to my body but there is no rush and I don’t need to beat myself up over it. I was lucky enough that my body was able to grow my baby! It provided everything she needed and it held her until we could hold her in our arms. And, I have to say, my body did a pretty damn good job at producing the most perfect little girl!

When I look at everything I have, I have a ‘pinch-me’ moment. I know there are so many people in the world who would love what I have; a loving family, warm clothes, plentiful food and much more. I hope I never stop counting my many blessings and knowing how precious they are. My life isn’t perfect and some would find it downright boring. But to me it is perfect.

I’ve decided to do a weekly post about all the things that have made me smile or feel grateful each week. I’ll list at least one thing each day which I’m thankful for. I think it’ll be nice to look back upon in years to come and also for Sophia to see what our family life was like.

Dear Sophia: 8 Months Old

Dear Sophia,

Yet again I’m sat here wondering how time has sped past so quickly. You are 8 months old! 8 months! How did that happen?

This month feels as though it’s been such a turning point in your development, you have changed so much. You’re eating more and being very active, soon you’ll be  a ‘toddler’ and I’m not sure I’m ready for that! As always, I just savour every moment I have with you.

Eating

You are still loving your food! You are eating more at each meal and are taking in less milk. You really enjoy the social aspect of eating. Every meal we sit at the table with you and show you that we are eating the same thing and you love being a part of everything. You are now using a glass to drink out of and are enjoying being the same as mummy and daddy. I thought you’ spill all your water at first or drop the glass but you are so clever at using it.

You’ve tried pumpkin for the first time this month and seemed to really enjoy it! You’ve tried it as soup, dipping your toast soldiers in and as a pasta sauce. You liked both ways.

Development:

Oh my goodness, this month has been a game changer! You’ve hit lots of different milestones…

• Clap. Granny taught you how to clap and you love to do it all of the time! When you hear music you start clapping or when you do something you are pleased with you do it too.
• Pull yourself up. You pull yourself up anything you can and shuffle along the furniture. Daddy and I got you a push-along truck which you have a go at walking with. You’re not quite there yet but I’m sure it won’t be long.
• Tooth. You have one tooth coming through on your bottom left gum! Finally! Your gums have been bothering you for what feels like months and finally your teeth are starting to make an appearance. It’s about half way through so we’ve started brushing your teeth which you LOVE! I’m not sure if it’s the sensation of the brush you like or the taste of the applemint toothpaste.
• Dance. As well as clap to music you’ve started to move your whole body to it!

Five Favourites at 8 Months:

Favourite toy: This month you have been enjoying playing with your wooden instruments. You have a maraca and a castanet and you love shaking them.

Favourite book: You’re really interested in lift-the-flap books this month. I need to keep a close eye on you otherwise you rip the flaps right out! You love the fairy tale books by Nick Sharrat, in particular the Three Little Pigs Story.

Favourite food: This month you love oranges. I cut a big orange into wedges and you have 1 or 2 wedges at your meal and make ‘mmm’ noises as you eat it. You also love chicken. We had fajitas the other day and you loved the chicken!

Favourite activity: You’re favourite thing to do this month is to knock things over! I use your stacking cups to build a tower and you promptly knock it over and clap in delight. You’d happily do this all day long!

Favourite thing to do or say: You love to make ‘echo’ noises with your mouth. You babble and use your hand to make a funny noise, it’s such a sweet thing to watch you do!

And that’s it for this month! You are so interactive now, we laugh and smile together and when you are tired in the afternoon we cuddle up together. I’m so proud of all that you are and everything you do. I cannot believe my luck that you are mine. My daughter.

Keep shining bright sweet Sophia.

Happy 8 month birthday beautiful girl!

Lots of love from Mummy and Daddy.xxx

Life Lately

I'm hoping to post up Sophia's 8 month update on Friday but until then I thought I'd put up some recent pictures of all our goings on!

So…I’ve resigned!

I’ve been back at work for half a term now and have the scary news that before I broke up for half term I handed my notice in. It was a combination of things that made me do this.
The travelling is SO stressful! I feel like I’m racing to and from work everyday and as the roads are always so busy to get to and from Birmingham I’m filled with panic about getting there on time everyday and then getting back at a decent time to collect Sophia.
Secondly, because I work so far I am leaving Sophia at 7am and collecting her some days at 5:30pm – that’s 10.5 hours of her being out of the house, it’s such a long day for her and she is still a baby at the end of the day. My baby.
Another thing that has pushed me to resign is the fact that I am really unhappy at work now. Since I’ve been back I’ve had a new role of teaching six different classes over three days. Some days I’ll have around 150 books to mark, meaning it’s a choice between having lunch and even going to the loo or being late for Sophia. It is meant to be an easier role as I don’t have many of the usual ‘teacher responsibilities’ like planning, assessments and reports but I find it much harder than being responsible for my own class.
So…I handed my notice in! I’ve started training to become a childminder and should be up and running early next year. I’m still at work until the end of December which means we will have a month or two without my salary which is quite scary but we’ve looked at our finances and will be able to get by in the short term. We will have to give little luxuries and treats a miss for a while (not that we have many of those!) but as long as we can pay the mortgage and the bills we will be just fine. Not to mention the amount we’ll be saving on childcare and petrol.
Being a childminder means I’ll be at home with Sophia, I’ll be my own boss and also I can still do the thing I love which is working with Early Years children.
Though it was a brave, and some might say silly, decision my philosophy is that we only have one life and it shouldn’t be spent doing things that make us unhappy. I want to look back on my life and know that I’ve squeezed every bit of happiness I can from it. The most important thing in my life is and always will be my family. I’m never going to have the chance to be with my baby again so I need to take this opportunity to do so.
I think it’ll be hard and tiring work but lots of fun along the way and what a blessing to see my sweet girl everyday!