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Moments Like This: Ready for senior school
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
Filed under: Secondary school, Moments Like This
When you have two girls eleven years apart you can't help noticing how quickly life whizzes by.
I look at Dolly, clapping, waving and staggering a couple of unsteady steps (these are her only three party tricks) and I have flashbacks of her older sister, Flo, as clear as yesterday. The baby is a daily, noisy reminder of how fast the ... Continue reading Moments Like This: Ready for senior school
Achtung Baby or Calling you Parents of Experience
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
Filed under: Achtung Baby
Since my imminent meltdown was appeased by your comments regarding Finje not yet being able to write her name, I was wondering if I could be so bold as to call on your wisdom again?
Last week, we enjoyed the hospitality of two wonderful friends who live "Down South" in Nürnburg, I'll call them Mr and Mrs O. Mrs O is a Kiwi and Mr ... Continue reading Achtung Baby or Calling you Parents of Experience
Co-sleeping: Why I love sharing my bed with my baby
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
Filed under: Babies, Parenting dilemmas, Opinions and debate
I'm going to come right out and say it: I co-sleep with my baby and I love it. My husband does too, and we both feel that the pros outweigh the cons.
The interesting thing about it is that when you mention in conversation that you are a co-sleeping family, people can look at you strangely. Or, other parents will then admit to you that ... Continue reading Co-sleeping: Why I love sharing my bed with my baby
Only 32 out of 2000 schools take up 'academy' status offer
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
Filed under: Latest news, Secondary school
Just 32 schools are set to open their doors as independent academies this week, with only 110 more due to follow suit in the coming months.
... Continue reading Only 32 out of 2000 schools take up 'academy' status offer
Ffion Hague's miscarriage hell
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
Filed under: Latest news
As William Hague was forced to vigorously defend himself against allegations about his private life last night, he also revealed that his wife Ffion had had a series of miscarriages, the most recent having happened over the summer break.
In a statement issued by Mr Hague to end speculation about the nature of his relationship with his ... Continue reading Ffion Hague's miscarriage hell
Long haired lovelies: Why do boys with long hair STILL upset polite society?
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
Filed under: Kids+, Opinions and debate
'He'll get picked on!'
'He looks like a girl!'
'It's so scruffy on a boy!'
These are just a few of the comments levied at my seven year old son in the past couple of weeks, and throughout his life, really. All because he has (and always has had) long hair.
William's mane is his crowning glory. It is thick, wavy and abundant, and ... Continue reading Long haired lovelies: Why do boys with long hair STILL upset polite society?
Runaway lorry crashes feet from baby's bedroom
Thu, 02 Sep 2010
Filed under: Latest news
A 15-month-old baby has cheated death after a lorry ploughed through a warehouse adjoining her home, missing her bedroom by just a few feet.
Taryn Alcroft and her parents, Andy and Ruth, were sleeping in their home when the incident happened at 3.26 this morning.
Mr Alcroft heard the vehicle smashing into the building adjacent to ... Continue reading Runaway lorry crashes feet from baby's bedroom
Mum of ten begs for more room in council house
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Latest news
A mum who lives in a three-bedroomed house with 10 children and her partner is asking for a bigger house.
Donna Harrison, from Bradford, says she has been asking social landlord Incommunities to allocate her family a bigger house for five years, to no avail.
Donna has six children and also looks after another four, one of whom is ... Continue reading Mum of ten begs for more room in council house
How to find out what your child gets up to at school
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Kids+, Primary school
Continue reading How to find out what your child gets up to at school
Female teachers are letting down boys in the classroom, says survey
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Primary school, Latest news, 101 Uses for a Dedicated Dad
Sexism is alive and kicking in the classroom, says a new report.
A study carried out at Kent University suggests that primary school teachers, 90 per cent of whom are female, are unwittingly holding boys back by reinforcing gender stereotypes in the classroom.
Boys are expected to conform to a more 'feminine' style of play instead ... Continue reading Female teachers are letting down boys in the classroom, says survey
Double take! Two sisters give birth to baby boys at the same time in the same hospital
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Siblings, Latest news
The chances were slim. In fact, they were just 125,000 - 1. But a pair of sisters have both given birth to baby boys - on the same day, at the same hospital, on the same ward.
Catherine Morris, 34, (pictured on the left of this photo) and Dawn Potts, 31, (pictured on the right) surprised midwives at North Staffordshire's ...
Your baby's coming, ready or not!
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Pregnancy & birth, Real life stories
When Samantha Cameron was packing for her Cornish summer hols just a few weeks ago, she was probably thinking more comfy shoes and sun cream than nursing nighties, paper knickers and a going-home outfit. We are told that Mrs C woke up in the midst of her West Country break experiencing pains, and went to hospital just to be checked ... Continue reading Your baby's coming, ready or not!
Toddler comes face-to-face with escaped tiger on trip to the zoo
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Latest news
A day out at the zoo turned into a nightmare for one mum when her toddler came eye-to-eye with a tiger which had escaped from its enclosure.
The 230g Bengal tiger managed to jump over a 12ft fence and apparently roamed freely around Jungle Island Zoo, Miami, for about 20 minutes.
Mother Diana Barrett said she walked around a corner ... Continue reading Toddler comes face-to-face with escaped tiger on trip to the zoo
Health and Safety officials ban kids' garden trampoline
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
A childminder has been ordered to take down a children's trampoline from her garden - for health and safety reasons.
Sharon Farmer has had the trampoline in her shared garden in Lewisham, south London, for 10 years. It has a safety net around the sides and it is supervised at all times when children are playing on it.
Not only ... Continue reading Health and Safety officials ban kids' garden trampoline
Mums lie to their kids every day to get them to eat fruit and veg
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Eating & nutrition, Latest news
The average mum tells her child TWO fibs a day to coax them into eating healthy food, a new poll has found.
The most common lies include telling toddlers that eating fruit and veg will make them really strong like their favourite TV hero.
Millions of mums regularly wheel out porky pies such as 'carrots will help you see in the dark' ... Continue reading Mums lie to their kids every day to get them to eat fruit and veg
Five-year-old dies after mistaking dad's painkillers for sweets
Wed, 01 Sep 2010
Filed under: Latest news
A five-year old girl died of a massive drug overdose after mistaking her father's painkillers for Jelly Beans, an inquest heard yesterday.
Hanna Collins, from Borehamwood, Herts, swallowed the fatal dose of the drug, Tramadol, after taking the packet from a cupboard in the kitchen, where sweets and chocolate were also kept.
The ... Continue reading Five-year-old dies after mistaking dad's painkillers for sweets
101 Uses for a Dedicated Dad: Television
Tue, 31 Aug 2010
Filed under: 101 Uses for a Dedicated Dad
By television I mean anything that appears on the dreaded box, including videos and DVDs as well as broadcast programmes.
My wife and I are not of the school that says you have to drastically curtail TV watching or not have it all, so the boys are well versed in the spectrum of entertainment available to them, and indeed the younger ... Continue reading 101 Uses for a Dedicated Dad: Television
Superbug outbreak kills three babies at leading London hospital
Tue, 31 Aug 2010
Filed under: Medical conditions, Latest news
Three newborn babies died, and 12 others were infected, following an outbreak of a superbug in the intensive care unit at University College Hospital, London last month.
Records from an emergency meeting show that one premature baby died from a bacterial infection that doctors were unable to fight with antibiotics.
Two other babies ... Continue reading Superbug outbreak kills three babies at leading London hospital
The Newborn Diaries: 39 Weeks
Tue, 31 Aug 2010
Filed under: Babies, Pregnancy & birth, Weekly pregnancy diaries, The Newborn Diaries
I've officially self-diagnosed myself with "nappy brain".
I've never been the most organised or "with it" person, but at this stage, things are getting ridiculous. I can barely string together a sentence, let alone make it anywhere.
I had an antenatal GP appointment the other day, the one, planned leaving-the-house venture that was ... Continue reading The Newborn Diaries: 39 Weeks
President Obama's baby is all grown up
Tue, 31 Aug 2010
Filed under: Celeb parenting, Latest news
My, hasn't she grown?
President Barack Obama may still call her his baby, but his daughter Malia is catching up with her dad in height.
At the tender age of 12, Malia is believed to measure 5ft 9inches - just four inches shorter than her dad, who at 6ft 1 stands among the tallest of all US presidents.
A growth spurt over ...
