2018 where are you?

Hello spring are you there? Sure we are almost at summer and I’ve heard a lot of people say it doesn’t even feel like the year has even gotten started. I for one feel the exact same.

2018 was always going to be a year of change for the Felton’s. Ian started a new job, Josh would be starting school and we would be changing up our childcare as a result. We planned to get savings underway to finally get a chance to clear some small debit and look to getting a mortgage maybe next year. The world had other plans…and I’m not even talking about the snow that set everyone back a little.

In January we got news of Josh’s teeth, this had a knock on affect on a lot of things. I also found a lump on my breast that after several weeks of monitoring/doctors visits it turned out fine, thank god. I had also been struggling with my anxiety since later last year and these 2 events along with a number of small things going on in the background made it become unmanageable. I cant put my finger on the exact trigger but it also started to affect my mood/outlook and as much as I hate to admit it I think Josh picked up on a couple of things too and that was what spurred me to head back to my GP. I have been taking a low med for a few years now but decided to up my dose, my concern was Max is still feeding once or twice a day and I didn’t want to contend with stopping that too so the GP assured me that the % was so low that the benefit outweighed the ‘risk’. The cliché is a cliché for a reason-happy mama, happy babas so I went this advice and I’m slowly seeing the benefit. If something is not working try and change it for the better..

I am a real believer in if you have a positive mind, positive things will happen. In this crazy world we live in it can be hard to not let a bit of negativity drip in. However I have found more often than not that if you wake in the morning, you have a bright outlook suddenly even small things start going your way-‘you catch the bus, there is a place for you to sit in the coffee shop, the thing you hoped would be left in the shop is…there is a parking space’-you know the drill. With kids the predictability of life is challenging, the lack of sleep, the tantrums, the sickness that you can contend with on a daily basis, but this is stuff that all parents deal with on some level so moaning and groaning about it doesn’t help anyone it only puts you into that negative mind-set….and on the flip side you have kids that bring you daily joy and love and that is hard to beat. I have had to adapt my ways as most parents do, go with the flow a lot more-let go of the little stuff, focus on what is really important at any given time and that has been good for me-that’s what kids do-they ground you.

I wish for security for our family, I work part time but even looking at returning full time would not pay the dividend required to secure a home. We would love to grow our family at some stage in the future but right now that seems like a big mountain to climb. I think hope has to return, I read a quote recently-dreaming is a form of planning and as a natural planner this quote sticks well with me..but right now over planning ain’t for me!

So here’s to dreaming, here’s to positivity and here’s to the rest of 2018 kick starting the way so many of us thought it should!

Alternative Easter Treats

Well Easter hols have begun, Josh won’t be in pre school on Mondays and Tuesdays like he normally is so we will be finding things to do over the few days and I’ve some nice things planned for over Easter weekend too.

However this year we’ve had to be a bit more mindful about what is predominantly the main focus… Chocolate!!

So we have plans for a hunt in the garden, albeit a less chocolate filled one, some easter crafts and a few non chocolate treats from the Easter bunny too. Of course there will be a little chocolate-the poor child loves the stuff so he will get some, I’m not that cruel but it’ll just be more limited and I’ve had to become a little more inventive.

Luckily I’m working with Dealz this easter and picked up some amazing bits in store for crafting and small little easter themed gifts for the boys. There are colouring books, bonnet making kits, egg cup painting, partyware and also plenty of chocolate treats too in store.. At €1.50 it makes it easy to buy some bits to keep the boys entertained without breaking the bank.

So if your stuck for things to do or want to pick up treats, Dealz is the place for you!

The Dreaded Dentist 😬

I kept meaning to book Josh into the dentist and had brought him for a very quick consultation when he was about 2 but then over Christmas I spotted what I thought looked like a hole in his tooth so made one ASAP.

My suspicions were right but far far worse than we could have ever thought. Before I delve in anyone who has read my blog will no my children eat sugar, at Halloween/Christmas a little more than they should. We don’t have juice in the house so water and milk are their regular drinks of choice. Josh does eat sweets and honestly probably has something with sugar in it daily over the last 18 months or so..

Now bad parent altet, I was concious of his sweet tooth like every parent is. He certainly doesn’t have refresher bars hanging out his mouth and from observing wouldn’t have eaten much more than most of my friends kids BUT and there is a big but.

5 cavities needed, 1 root canal, specialist treatment required and all under general anaesthetic-I was floored.

As the news and the approx 4K bill sunk in, I just felt like a dreadful parent. We had assisted in this happening to our child. Both the intake of sugar and the delay in bringing him back for a proper consultation. My dentist had assured me that due to my weak teeth, Josh has probably picked up this genetically as it’s pretty unusual at his age which is why he would not have pushed for us to bring him in. However here we are, he needs surgery and we are just coming out of recovering from unpaid mat leave with a now 4K bill ahead of us!

We luckily got a cancellation as the next appointment wasn’t available until March. We explored a few avenues but went ahead with this consultant and her findings were similar but she laid out all options and suspected the cause was more to do with regular snacking on fruit alongside a weaker than normal tooth enamel.

We have another appointment at the end of February to determine the next steps and how he handles a fisher seal and take it from there..

He has been great about it, gone are the Friday treats and he has a full understanding that we need to be extra careful of sugar consumed. His resilience and maturity to it all he made us so proud.

So some tips, you probably know a lot already but based on what we have just learnt a quick refresh is no harm!

Obviously the quantity of sugar needs to be monitored but it is the frequency that causes the real problems. Anything that takes longer to consume-lollies, jellies etc
Washing teeth day and night from an early stage creates the habit so when it becomes more important it is just part of the routine.
Use a child friendly toothpaste with fluoride in it.
Regular snacking on fruit, especially-apples, bananas and high sugar content can be so bad for little teeth. We live in a snacking culture but fruit if possible should be given with main meals.

Josh showing his bro how it’s done… 💙

Parenting through Food

I read a recent quote from a nutritionist I much admire, Orla Walsh about how we tend to reward children with food these days and I have to say I winced, I am completely guilty of that at time or using it as a keeping them entertained too. Hashtag-bad mama Hashtag-tell me a person who doesn’t from time to time. BUT based on my last post and small goals-the boys eating better is on the longer list but very important for many a reason. Max eats pretty ok but I am convinced since his first taste of sugar on his first birthday his palate has altered and I am no sugar nazi but his reach for the bold things and his refusal for items he would have eaten with glee has wained. Josh is a really poor eater, oh how I would love for him to dip some houmous, eat parma ham, veggie based muffins but nope fish fingers are his gig. I really try to stick to 3 good meals a day and breakfast usually starts well but depending on the day lunch can be affected and dinner is usually something they will eat and I feel I can pass as nutritious. More time dedicated to meal times I think is important. We don’t eat with the boys but focusing on the time they do making it an event as opposed to a passing activity is something I really want to focus on.

You will see recent and upcoming posts about snacks and a new range of chilled food in Aldi and to me to highlight this was a no brainer and I already almost always have a pack of rice cakes, their biscotti and a fruit pouch or two in my bag as a quick go to for snacks on the run. I am a big fan of their Mamia range of chilled food produced by Pip & Pear so I am looking forward to trying the new Goodness range. I try and get the boys eating what we eat but it is handy to have good prepared dishes in the fridge for a busy weekend day and when Josh is insisting that pasta or fish fingers are the only thing he will eat and I don’t have the battle quite in me! Some days it’s about the easy left eh and knowing they are not eating rubbish helps too…

An update since I wrote this post later last week is Josh’s visit to the dentist, we’ve had some very unfortunate and worrying news about his teeth but that’s a whole other post and a whole new outlook and learning…

New Year Old Me with a few tweaks…

We are just shy of 2 weeks into 2018 and so far so good in that I am managing to keep upright, implement a few small changes and my children are still alive and happy.

Like every change of year nothing drastic has changed just as you wouldn’t expect it too and I had posted recently about just being happy with my lot so that is what I am focusing on day to day.

There is a lot of buzz about self care and mindfulness etc but to be honest that can put you under another pressure if you feel like you are not managing to achieve that or what is even may look like on a day to day basis. We all know we need good sleep, good food, warmth and love to survive but in our ever increasing hectic lives (with children or without) just being still is what we are probably all lacking a bit. I am taking baby steps in ‘self care’, the latter end of 2017 was incredibly busy and I have come out the year feeling slightly withered.

So for 2018 I made simple goals and here are some of a medium sized list-

No phone to bed
Read more
Get into a series
Drink more water
More family walks
Mediate daily

So far I have done 5 out of 6 so that aint bad with the rest of the list to keep working through but being mindful that doing nothing and standing still, just being fine with right now is good too. That can be harder I find as a parent, you are always awaiting the next milestone, craving more sleep and phases to pass but time shoots by so fast so its embracing the little moments and building the bigger ones from those which is what is important to me right now.

Christmas Activities and Days at Home ideas…

The month of December is mostly about Santa and Elves but there are lots of other days to be keeping kids entertained and the hysterical excitement somewhat subdued until the big day!

There is plenty to do to get out of the house and a few ideas below if you are staying put too. These events are mostly Dublin based so apologies if you are reading from further afield!

At home, coming up to Christmas I find there is an abundant ideas to do baking or crafting with the kids. Here are some of my fav finds and I do hope to try and get a couple done with Josh in the few weeks ahead. I find baking a treat then picking out a festive film on a miserable day work well!

If you haven’t already sent the letter to the big guy make sure to send it to An Post and get a response from them/santa and see your kids faces fill with joy. See below on how to do it, couldn’t be easier and the result is fab!

Be sure to write early. In your letter clearly write your (child’s) name and address. Post your letter to: Santa Claus, North Pole (using a €1 stamp). Santa’s helpers in An Post will make sure you receive a personal reply from the great man himself, just before Christmas.If you are out and about there is plent to do..

We love going to the library so coming up to Christmas we will be picking some Christmas books and films. I did take a look at what my local libraries have happening and here are some of the events they are holding on the run up to Christmas.

http://libraries.dlrcoco.ie/events-and-news/event-calendar/pyjama-storytime

http://libraries.dlrcoco.ie/events-and-news/event-calendar/christmas-crafts-children-aoife –munn-1

Kilrudderry is always a lovely spot to visit and for this month they have Christmas Markets 9am-5pm for all Weekends in December

The Ark has a lovely festive show on called Tracks in the Snow for the whole month which might be nice to attend as something different to do.

Giddy Studios is a lovely spot to create a Christmas gift for the family and a good way to escape the madness of Dundrum. They make it easy and you always come out with something lovely.

Powerscourt at this time of year has a stable set up with reindeer to visit which is a really cute thing to do. I also spotted this lovely event which looks fun! –http://powerscourt.com/events/robby-christmas-robin-dale-treadwell

Phoenix Park Visitor Centre is a great little spot with a really good playground and the cutest little coffee shop which I would say is very Christmassy at this time of year!

Airfield have a lovely initiative on at the moment to leave food donations for the Dublin Simon Community and I think this is a lovely way to show kids to be charitable at Christmas too.

Speaking of coffee Lolly & Cooks will have lots of festive treats for adults and kids this month so a nice spot to stop for a warm milk and a little cake with the kids if our and about.

A really nice idea is going pick a new decoration for tree once it’s up, allowing them choose whatever one they want could end up soon interesting and you then have a memory made for each year!

Finally one of our favourite things to do is go to the Live Crib in the Mansion House which stepped up a gear last year but is still for charity which is nice. We then usually walk around the corner to see the wonderful display of the gingerbread house that The Shelbourne Hotel put on each year, Josh just loves it and anything Josh loves Max usually gets fairly excited by too so this one will definitely be on our list.

Christmas can be so chaotic but just spending special times and moments with your family is really what it’s all about.

Mummy Moments

A New Mum’s honest experiences and thoughts