Gallery

Like this:

Like Loading...

Come see us!

No upcoming events

Instagram

#blacklivesmatter Via @talisa.tossell

Boys, girls and people ♂️♀️ Ophelia decided a long time ago, not long after she got a sense of gender, that some days she would like to be a boy and on others she would like to be a girl. Eventually she came up with a name for herself that she likes for both genders "Billie". Interchangable with Philly and Ophelia, of course. 😂 I think she was largely experimenting in these early days with what my boundaries would be with regards to her gender, and I had made the decision before she was even born that there wouldn't be any. 💜💙💛🧡 We roll with whatever her vibe is, sometimes she's Billie, sometimes she's Philly. She generally has an underlying identity of herself as female, though I don't respond to that either way. If she wants to switch up her pronoun I just use whatever she wants me to. I have been asked about whether this is confusing for her. I personally hope that this approach will be the opposite of confusing. I hope that she grows up thinking of her gender as a spectrum that she can feel comfy with wherever she sits. Sometimes gender can seem jolly big and scary, when actually it's pretty simple and innocent. Have your little ones ever experimented with pronouns and gender? @beside_the_mill

Left my sewing box out and A, who is 9, spontaneously taught Ophelia, who is 4, to sew a patchwork quilt, which she did. She focussed so much more readily on his lesson because it was so relaxed, spontaneous and explained on her level. Really learnt something about home educating from these two today. 🌺🌺

KINDNESS ❤️ It's Mental Health Awareness Week and this year the theme is 'kindness'. Of course the power of kindness is almost unfathomable, but I want to use this space today to talk about learning to use kindness on ourselves. I've specifically been on a big journey trying to look after myself better since the birth of Sybil, my youngest. I took on way too much in the months after her birth. I had an extremely tumultuous season in my personal life, but also took on the task of completing my yoga and positive Discipline training and trying to produce a profitable business out of thin air; while also striving to be the parent I wanted to be. Everyone has a different breaking point, but this was mine. I started having regular panic attacks, post-natal depression and couldn't even leave the bath for hours at a time sometimes. I know a great deal about self-hypnosis, self care, mindfulness and yoga; but I stopped caring about myself and neglected all the areas of my life which made my sould shine. Having spent years being hard on myself about everything from my creative passions, to the shape of my body and sound of my voice, I was thrust into an empowering journey of learning to treat myself with kindness. Examining the behaviour patterns which didn't serve me, thinking about how they served me over the years, wrapping them and myself in love and kindness, and letting go of them with gratitude and respect. Of course this is a journey I feel as though I'm just starting out on. I want to share this on here because it is incredibly easy to get washed away with the speed of life and forget to look after you. You may treat all of those around you with kindness but not yourself. Self care has to go further than a cuppa or a bubble bath. It has to be a love for yourself that sinks in deep. If anyone feels like this a journey that you would like to begin on, but don't know where to start. Please do give me a message. (I've also been surrounding myself with body positive content on here, my fave of which is @laurenashleygordon who I would reccomend following ❤️)

THAT MOOD. 👹 You know the one, where your little human turns into a whirlwind of destruction? You can just sense when they ball into the room that someone is going to get hurt, something is going to get broken, or some-parent is going to loose their temper. They jump around, run spin, kick, dangle and steam through your cozy little routine. If they have siblings, they may end up getting caught in the crossfire and hurt, even if your little tornado doesn't seem intent on causing harm. It can feel like no matter how much good parenting you do, it just doesn't help. It could be because your child has a genuine need for sensory input, and they're trying very hard to balance their senses out. Though you may have heard of the five main sends, many children are left seeking to stimulate their vestibular (your sense of balance and place in space) and proprioceptive (positioning and movement of the body) input. Swinging, rocking, running, jumping, rolling and bouncing are really good for helping children find a sense of sensory peace. Practicing yoga or movement therapy with them at these times is a really great way to bring a combination sensory balance and connection into your child's routine. Comment if you'd like a specific yoga routine focussed on this. 🥰

Screen Free Survival Tips 🤖 Lockdown has been going on for a while now, and I'm sure lots of you are finding this to be a huge parenting challenge (I certainly am). There's a link in my bio to a blog post about my main parenting-hacks in this time to avoid screens. Whether you use them all the time, limit them, or have cut them cut out completely, making sure your kids have time away from screens is really great for their well-being. I thought I'd also go through my fave products on here for you to have a closer look at. My top fave thing we've had during lockdown in our @yotoplay player. It's a screen free audio platform that kids control themselves with two simple buttons, and little cards representing different music and stories. I think it's really important for Ophelia's behaviour that she has as much independence and control over her day as possible. This little device means she can take control of listening to stories and music all by herself. When she is having a sensory meltdown or becoming cantankerous, she generally takes herself off to her room and puts on a story. The best feature is that you can record your own stories and put them on to blank cards, which means she can still have stories from all her friends and family during lockdown. This really is such a great tool for keeping her absorbed so o can get on with working and chores. Even Sybil (18 months) can use it. ❤️ *GIFTED*

Powered by WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

%d bloggers like this:

Share this:

Like this: