When I was pregnant with Amy I was incredibly ill and my employer, Doctor and I came to the agreement that I should be signed off work until I gave birth. I was no use at work because I was vomiting a lot of the time, taking a lot of days off sick and wasn't able to work from home because of company security issues. That was June 2009 and that was the last time I worked. I was made redundant whilst on my Maternity Leave in March 2010 and since then I have been a full-time Mother to mine and Aaron's two wonderful children, Amy and Liam.
But I've become restless recently. I love being a full-time Mummy, it is the most incredible (but also tiring and emotional) job I could ever do but I've been finding myself struggling with the total consumption of toddlerhood and parenting. It has become a little like 'Shay' gradually disappeared somewhere in there and I became just 'Mummy'...which is okay, but I'd like to gain a little bit of my life back now that the children are getting older.
That's why, after almost exactly 4 years away, I'm making a return to work! I'm working from home and will be doing 16 hours a week. It's pretty perfect for me as it means I can fit the work around the children without it interrupting our time together. I'm also working for the same employer as Aaron which just happens to be his Dad, my Father-in-Law! He owns and runs a web-based copyright infringement company and the work is reasonably interesting and suits my skills (I was a snr administrator before having the children).
So far I'm really enjoying it and I'm liking having something 'for me' to do each week. Even though it's only a few hours a week I feel like I'm starting to claw back a little bit of me and a little bit of confidence in myself which is something I've been struggling with a lot lately. It's good, for all of us, mentally and financially and it's a massive step forward in finding my way back to work.
Our Sunny Bank Holiday Weekend & The Importance of Outdoor Play
We've been rather lucky lately and have been having some beautiful weather. The end of last week, the Bank Holiday Weekend and a couple of days this week have been sunny, warm and lovely. We played in the garden for the majority of the days, went to the park and visited our local Marina for a run around with a friend and his dog. Even today, when there's drizzle and mud, my two have been rushing around, puddle stomping and enjoying the outside. In fact, it's hard to get them to come inside some days which is wonderful!
Outdoor play is so important for children and there are so many advantages to taking play outside. Come rain or shine, wind or snow there is always something to do and explore.
My two really enjoy messy play. Let's face it, messy play is brilliant inside but the "I'm going to have to clean all of this up later" voice inside of our parent-heads can stop us from really going for it sometimes. Taking messy play outside is a fantastic way to let your kids get as messy as they want without worrying about the cleaning afterwards - I've found a big bucket of water and/or a brush tends to get rid of most things! Digging is among my children's favourite things to do in the garden, as is water play, puddle stomping and blowing and chasing bubbles. If you have a bit of patio giant chalks are a lot of fun to draw with..if not, a bucket of water, some big brushes and a bit of wall or fence make for some good 'painting.'
Playing outside is fantastic for practicing all those physical skills that are emerging; running, jumping, hopping, climbing, kicking, throwing, catching and all of the things there just isn't the space for, or it's not safe enough to do, indoors. It's a great place for them to expel all that extra energy they seem to have (I'm almost certain they drain it from us throughout the day, hehe). They can rush around, shout and be messy and noisy to their hearts content which, if your children are anything like mine, is all they seem to want to do!
Playing outside also makes a great platform to start learning about nature. My children have been helping Aaron and I sort out the garden over the Bank Holiday Weekend and they really loved getting involved. They had a lot of fun digging, turning the soil over in the flower beds and weeding and they can't wait to plant new flowers and care for them. My two also love to collect things and we hear "what's this Mummy?" and "look what I've found Daddy!" throughout the day. They are on constant watch for bugs, creepy-crawlies and an array of animals and playing outside really helps to develop all of their senses. There are lots of things to see, to listen to, to smell, to touch and feel and, from time to time, to taste (yuk!).
I've found that taking my two into the garden and further makes them more likely to invent games of their own and play how they want to play. There are no real 'rules' in our garden except, be kind, be safe and share which makes for much more imaginative play. They really explore their surroundings and learn a lot about the world around them each time we go out of the kitchen door. Perhaps the best bit, as I'm sure a lot of Parents will agree, is that playing outside physically and mentally wears children out. My two always sleep really well after they've had a good run around!
What have you all been up to this Bank Holiday Weekend? I hope you've all had some lovely weather where you are too!
Outdoor play is so important for children and there are so many advantages to taking play outside. Come rain or shine, wind or snow there is always something to do and explore.
My two really enjoy messy play. Let's face it, messy play is brilliant inside but the "I'm going to have to clean all of this up later" voice inside of our parent-heads can stop us from really going for it sometimes. Taking messy play outside is a fantastic way to let your kids get as messy as they want without worrying about the cleaning afterwards - I've found a big bucket of water and/or a brush tends to get rid of most things! Digging is among my children's favourite things to do in the garden, as is water play, puddle stomping and blowing and chasing bubbles. If you have a bit of patio giant chalks are a lot of fun to draw with..if not, a bucket of water, some big brushes and a bit of wall or fence make for some good 'painting.'
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| Going for a walk at Priory Marina |
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| Amy and I at Priory Marina! |
Playing outside is fantastic for practicing all those physical skills that are emerging; running, jumping, hopping, climbing, kicking, throwing, catching and all of the things there just isn't the space for, or it's not safe enough to do, indoors. It's a great place for them to expel all that extra energy they seem to have (I'm almost certain they drain it from us throughout the day, hehe). They can rush around, shout and be messy and noisy to their hearts content which, if your children are anything like mine, is all they seem to want to do!
Playing outside also makes a great platform to start learning about nature. My children have been helping Aaron and I sort out the garden over the Bank Holiday Weekend and they really loved getting involved. They had a lot of fun digging, turning the soil over in the flower beds and weeding and they can't wait to plant new flowers and care for them. My two also love to collect things and we hear "what's this Mummy?" and "look what I've found Daddy!" throughout the day. They are on constant watch for bugs, creepy-crawlies and an array of animals and playing outside really helps to develop all of their senses. There are lots of things to see, to listen to, to smell, to touch and feel and, from time to time, to taste (yuk!).
I've found that taking my two into the garden and further makes them more likely to invent games of their own and play how they want to play. There are no real 'rules' in our garden except, be kind, be safe and share which makes for much more imaginative play. They really explore their surroundings and learn a lot about the world around them each time we go out of the kitchen door. Perhaps the best bit, as I'm sure a lot of Parents will agree, is that playing outside physically and mentally wears children out. My two always sleep really well after they've had a good run around!
What have you all been up to this Bank Holiday Weekend? I hope you've all had some lovely weather where you are too!
The Kids Are Growing Like Weeds!
Amy and Liam seem to be growing like weeds at the moment! Maybe it's all the sunshine we've been having lately? They've both suddenly shot up and trousers that fitted just right a week ago are now far too short and those that needed to be turned up fit perfectly. I've had to go through their clothes drawers and remove around a third of what's in there as they've grown so much in the last few weeks!
Liam, although a little shorter, has caught Amy up in terms of weight - they now both weigh 2 stone and my gosh doesn't it feel like it when you carry them any distance! They are so similar in size that if I didn't know better I would swear that they were twins; I'm starting to understand how people mistake them as such when we're out. It's only when you hear them speak that it becomes obvious Amy is a bit older than Liam.
Whilst I've managed to keep up with their sudden growth spurts in clothing their shoes are another story and after both of them seeming a little clumsy in their current shoes Aaron and I took them to have their feet measured at our local Brantano. I must admit I was pretty shocked at how much their feet had grown in the last few months; Amy has gone up from a 6.5 to a 7.5-8 and Liam has gone from a 5 to a 6.5!
They were both very good whilst having their feet measured in the shoe shop and enjoyed choosing some shoes that they liked and trying them on. They both ended up in a size 7 although the difference in styles mean Liam's are a smaller 7 whilst Amy's are closer to an 8 (I still don't understand how sizes can vary from one shoe to another!). Amy instantly fell in love with a purple pair of trainers and thankfully they fitted her perfectly! Liam wasn't sure between a couple of pairs but eventually decided on a black pair of trainers with green dinosaurs on. They've both been stomping around in them all day and enjoyed walking to Granny's house this morning to show them off.
Aaron and I were both very pleased with the price; the both of them cost us just under £30 which is fantastic!! Especially at the rate they're growing at the moment!! I was also happy to find some good supportive trainers with straps; they were in canvas 'converse' style shoes with laces and whilst they are nice and cool when it's sunny and good for running around in they aren't very supportive of their feet or ankles and they're both struggling at Pre-School with getting their shoes on and off. These should mean they find it a little easier and we'll keep the canvas ones for playing in the garden :)
Shay & Family is 1 Year Old!
Happy 1st Birthday Blog!
Shay and Family is 1 year old today! In just a year of blogging we've shared a lot together; the kids have started Pre-School, we've tackled potty training, Aaron and I got married and we've made a couple of trips to A&E with Liam. Aaron had a car accident, I ran a 5k race with my Mum, joined in with World Prematurity Day 2012 and became a Tots100 Good Read when I opened up about my history of Self-Harm. We've had a visit from the Olympic Torch, had lots of fun trips out as a family (to places like Whipsnade), celebrated Amy and Liam's Birthday's, had a wonderful Christmas and so much more!!
We've come rather a long way since our first, rather tentative, post back on May 1st 2012 and we're looking forward to sharing more of our Family's adventures with you throughout the next year and beyond!
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