FAMILY

Acknowledging Our Youngest But mummy, where are their masks?Whilst reading through a book together, my youngest child looked at the picture and enquired  "but mummy, where are their masks?!". The characters were in a supermarket and the book published well before...

A summer staycation It sometimes feels as if no part of our lives has been left unchanged over the last few months.  Balancing work with childcare has perhaps been the biggest challenge for many families, but I’ve been enjoying some of the little perks that come...

So much has changed over the last three months, it seems we need a whole new vocabulary to express ourselves.  Shielding, social distancing, bubbles and … oh yes … homeschool.  Of course, homeschooling was a conscious choice for many families pre-2020 but,...

Keeping on keeping on At the start of our nationwide lockdown, I began watching the Harry Potter movies again, one every week.  I wanted escapism, immersion in a child’s world of chocolate frogs and butterbeer.  Now, our hero Harry has grown facial hair and...

Working on wellbeing When my four-year-old left nursery some weeks ago, to be educated and entertained at home, I was resolute that we would cope. I thought an academic diet of counting and colouring would serve him well. Perhaps a few phonics. Plenty of fun and games...

Smarts and Crafts As lockdown continues, I seem to be adopting the moods of fictional dwarves. I was Grumpy in week one, Happy in week two, and Sleepy by week three. With normal routines thrown out the window, it’s only natural to experience some peaks and troughs in...