So I have been thinking about the best way to blog about my girls birthday, and then someone did it for me!
Please read Jennifer Burch Photography's A very special family, its a very beautiful, honest and touching account of my girls first year from the outside.
My family is lucky to have met this amazing photographer and I cannot express how much this posts means to us.
Happy 1st Birthday baby girl xoxo
Monday, 14 January 2013
Monday, 7 January 2013
So I dropped her off at day care today...
Yikes.
Yup I could actually stop right there, yikes.
Its funny though my anxiety about Matilda heading off to childcare today wasn't actually about how Matilda would react. She is such a social butterfly childcare will be heaven for her. It was more about being prepared for her, having everything she could possibly need in her bag so that her day could go to plan.
Lets hope that's what I have done! I've probably packed enough food to feed Matilda, all the other kids and the staff!
Sitting talking about today's activities last night, Matilda's Dad said to me "Now remember tomorrow, conscious parenting" Ha! Easy for him to say he was off to work and could be as anxious as he liked away from home...
But actually he was right. We don't believe in teaching Matilda to be afraid or to pass on our anxieties to her. So this morning we had a great time getting ready for school, we talked about it on the way there, sung songs and then sung the "My mummy comes back" song.
We walked into the centre happy, said good morning to everyone one we met and then she was off!
Yup I could actually stop right there, yikes.
Its funny though my anxiety about Matilda heading off to childcare today wasn't actually about how Matilda would react. She is such a social butterfly childcare will be heaven for her. It was more about being prepared for her, having everything she could possibly need in her bag so that her day could go to plan.
Lets hope that's what I have done! I've probably packed enough food to feed Matilda, all the other kids and the staff!
Sitting talking about today's activities last night, Matilda's Dad said to me "Now remember tomorrow, conscious parenting" Ha! Easy for him to say he was off to work and could be as anxious as he liked away from home...
But actually he was right. We don't believe in teaching Matilda to be afraid or to pass on our anxieties to her. So this morning we had a great time getting ready for school, we talked about it on the way there, sung songs and then sung the "My mummy comes back" song.
 |
| Come on Mum lets go! |
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
Friday, 28 December 2012
The apps we love
Matilda doesn't really spend much time in front of the TV, she probably has only really 'watched' TV a handful of times in her life.
Sure, of a morning the TV is on in the background and if there is a music act on she will sit up and bop along to it, but otherwise its the very rare (and only recently) ABC for kids show that she has seen.
But she does have a few favourite apps. Well it is the technological age after all.
They are all educational (well they aren't games anyway) and frankly they can be great fun. So I thought I would share our top apps with you.
Matilda's favourite would have to be a three way tie between Willbee the Bumblebee, Dear Zoo and The Wonky Donkey so I will chat about those first :)
All of these books can be read to you or you can read along yourself. The two books by Craig Smith also have a song version which are the current favourites in our place at the moment. For the older kids there are also some games and other activities in each of these.
Willbee the Bumblebee
Matilda just loves Willbee, she bounces around and shakes her maracas as the story unfolds. It's a great little story about a bumblebee working in the garden until his jersey comes unravelled. It's then up to the other animals, Monica the butterfly and Spider Steve (who reads the Women's Weekly!) to help him out. It's a great story, catchy song (probably too catchy) and the environmental message in there makes me a happy mum.
I definitely recommend this one :)
Dear Zoo
We add in a few extra words on the snake story (the snake is too scary for Nanna) as I don't believe in bringing Matilda up to be afraid of any animal, but otherwise this one is definitely a huge favourite in our house.
The Wonkey Donkey
This one is by the same guy who does Willbee and its just as great. Actually, this is the original but for now Willbee is slightly ahead in the favourite race.
Again you can have this one read to you, sung to you or you can read along yourself so plenty of choices there. The song is the current favourite in our place and there is a lot of bopping along as the story unfolds.
It's also good for a giggle as Wonky gets more and more interesting and traditionally unattractive but then turns out 'quite good looking' - gives Mum and Dad a laugh anyway!
Baby Karaoke
This is another lifesaver. Matilda loves the songs and its great for that much needed quick distraction. It would be great if all the songs on the Raising Children Network site were available, but its a free app so these five are great!
Baby's Music Box
Its annoying, like really annoying but... it instantly calms a screaming baby so, well, it's also handy.
We don't use this one so much any more but as a small bubba Matilda loved it. If she was ever a little distressed we would pop it on and the soothing (lets be clear - soothing for a wee baby not for you) sounds of this app would help nine times out of ten.
Thank goodness we don't have to use it much any more!
ABC for Kids
I am pretty sure every parent has discovered this one - but just in case you haven't its got a handy little selection of songs and videos for that urgently needed short distraction. We like Elmo's videos at the moment, particularly the one where he makes Baby Bear sing for his porridge. Again, this one is a little too catchy and I find myself singing it hours later!
Warning: anyone one with a Mummy-crush on Mr Laga'aia - this will not help matters. Take it from someone who knows ;)
The Wonder Weeks
This is one for the Mummies and Daddies out there. This app is a great summary of the information in the invaluable Wonder Weeks book. I cannot believe none of the mainstream education (that I experienced anyway) talked about these wonder weeks. We hear so much about the growth spurts at 10 days, three weeks, six weeks, three months & six months but in my experience these wonder weeks are much more obvious and amazing!
Do yourself a favour and get this app and sign up for the the reminder emails on the website. If you can find the time to read, get the book as well. You will learn so much about your little one!
The Wonder Weeks is even available as a chapter by chapter eBook so if your little one has passed some of the milestones you don't have to buy the whole book. I love that!
The last leap of the Wonder Weeks is not until 17 months, so even parents of older bubs can get some use out of this one.
There are a couple of other books Matilda quite enjoys but is a little young to truly appreciate them just yet. Having said that she does enjoy them, and I can see them being favourites in the future so here's a quick list of them:
So that's it for the moment, there are a few others we have tried and found that they aren't so great or that they are a little advanced for Matilda at this point, but these ones are definitely the ones on high rotation at our place at the moment.
I hope if you give them a try, you like them as much as we do. And if you have any favourites I would love to hear them!
NEWS FLASH: The Wonder Weeks website has a Christmas Giveaway happening at the moment -you can download the first chapters of the eBook for free on their website, nice!
Monday, 24 December 2012
Christmas is so different on this side of parenthood
I love Christmas - always have, always will. Every year I make Matilda's Dad pop on the Christmas carols to put up the Christmas tree. I love wrapping the presents and seeing them under the tree and I love giving them out during the season :)
Most of all I love the family time. Christmas for me is all about family. I grew up in a big family (so big I still have to draw a family tree for Matilda's Dad on occasion) so Christmas was all about Mum, Dad and my sister and all of our grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, heaps of cousins and other adopted 'family members' all getting together for a massive lunch, games and presents and then doing it all over again at dinner with the other side of the family.
As we got older it was more and more about the family, the silly games of cricket or footy on the oval during the day and long nights of 'panic' or whatever the board game of the year was that year. It was about catching Christmas beetles and spitting cherry seeds over the fence late into the night.
As an adult I still love these get-togethers. Its a chance to see everyone, or almost everyone, in the same place at least once that year. It's a chance to swap old stories and laugh til we have tears running down our faces (usually thanks to the same accident prone and very funny Uncle) and its the one day a year where we can stuff ourselves silly and no one cares. Not one little bit.
But this year, well this year its different.
All of those things still matter but there is an extra touch of magic in the air.
I knew it would be different with Matilda here, but as she was so young I wasn't convinced we would see a difference just yet - not so. Matilda herself loves the lights, the trees and the decorations. Not just at home but when we are out and about as well.
Her favourite words, besides Dadda and nanna, are wow, look and that, which is lucky as we hear lots of them as we get out and about.
But it's the difference it has made to Matilda's Dad that I have really noticed.
See, my husband hates shopping centres. He also hates crowds. Christmas time in a shopping centre is therefore his version of hell. So imagine my surprise when he suggested a trip to the shops... on a day when Target had a sale... to get more Christmas decorations... whhaatt??
Then further surprises as he is itching to put up the tree and play the carols - usually its a reluctant husband helping out with this every year.
The difference? Yup its his little girls first Christmas.
And its not just us. Yes, the rest of the family are all very excited too - but so are the neighbours! Yes, that's right the neighbours. We come home the other day to find that one of the neighbours has decorated one of our boundary trees with lights in the form of 'Matti' (which is what he calls Matilda!).
Is that not the best thing ever!
Well, this is where I was going to hand over to Matilda's Dad - he was planing to tell you in his own words how he feels about Christmas, but he is waaay too busy and we will be waiting til next Christmas for that, so instead here are a few pics of Matilda and her Daddy decorating the tree for Matilda's first Christmas :)
Merry Christmas everyone, we hope its your best one yet xoxo
Most of all I love the family time. Christmas for me is all about family. I grew up in a big family (so big I still have to draw a family tree for Matilda's Dad on occasion) so Christmas was all about Mum, Dad and my sister and all of our grandparents, aunts, uncles, great-aunts, great-uncles, heaps of cousins and other adopted 'family members' all getting together for a massive lunch, games and presents and then doing it all over again at dinner with the other side of the family.
As we got older it was more and more about the family, the silly games of cricket or footy on the oval during the day and long nights of 'panic' or whatever the board game of the year was that year. It was about catching Christmas beetles and spitting cherry seeds over the fence late into the night.
As an adult I still love these get-togethers. Its a chance to see everyone, or almost everyone, in the same place at least once that year. It's a chance to swap old stories and laugh til we have tears running down our faces (usually thanks to the same accident prone and very funny Uncle) and its the one day a year where we can stuff ourselves silly and no one cares. Not one little bit.
But this year, well this year its different.
All of those things still matter but there is an extra touch of magic in the air.
I knew it would be different with Matilda here, but as she was so young I wasn't convinced we would see a difference just yet - not so. Matilda herself loves the lights, the trees and the decorations. Not just at home but when we are out and about as well.
Her favourite words, besides Dadda and nanna, are wow, look and that, which is lucky as we hear lots of them as we get out and about.
But it's the difference it has made to Matilda's Dad that I have really noticed.
See, my husband hates shopping centres. He also hates crowds. Christmas time in a shopping centre is therefore his version of hell. So imagine my surprise when he suggested a trip to the shops... on a day when Target had a sale... to get more Christmas decorations... whhaatt??
Then further surprises as he is itching to put up the tree and play the carols - usually its a reluctant husband helping out with this every year.
The difference? Yup its his little girls first Christmas.
And its not just us. Yes, the rest of the family are all very excited too - but so are the neighbours! Yes, that's right the neighbours. We come home the other day to find that one of the neighbours has decorated one of our boundary trees with lights in the form of 'Matti' (which is what he calls Matilda!).
Is that not the best thing ever!
Well, this is where I was going to hand over to Matilda's Dad - he was planing to tell you in his own words how he feels about Christmas, but he is waaay too busy and we will be waiting til next Christmas for that, so instead here are a few pics of Matilda and her Daddy decorating the tree for Matilda's first Christmas :)
Merry Christmas everyone, we hope its your best one yet xoxo
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)