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Would you hesitate before helping a child?

by with 34 Comments ParentingUncategorized
We were at the Wales National air show in Swansea at the weekend.  We had a fab time, playing on the beach and watching the amazing air displays.

And on the Sunday Rhys and I went and explored all the ground displays as well.  One of the attractions was a bouncy-castle-style assault course, put on by the army recruitment team.

Rhys asked to have a go as soon as he saw it.  I explained that he would have to go on without me and that it wasn’t the same as the bouncy castles he’s been on at birthday parties and he decided he still wanted to give it a try.

Well, he loved it.  He raced through the course, bounced off the end and asked straight away to have another go.  So off we went to join the queue again.  This time round though he had a bit of trouble.  He got stuck on one of the obstacles.  I was the other side of the barrier and couldn’t reach him to help.  There were no staff members nearby to give him a hand.  So a young woman who was doing the course grabbed him and helped him over the top of the obstacle and safely down the other side.

I made a note to thank her if I could catch her once they were off.

After Rhys had made it off the course we were busy getting his shoes back on, when the woman appeared next to me and said:

“He was having a bit of trouble so I helped him.  I hope that’s ok”

I HOPE THAT’S OK.

How sad that we live in a society where she felt she had to check that it was ok that she had helped my son.

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I immediately replied that I was so grateful for her help.  That I’d been unable to help him myself so was extremely thankful that she had been there and given him a hand.

But I can’t shake this uneasy feeling that she must have questioned whether or not she should help him.  Whether or not she should put her hands on a small child that was having difficulties.  It worries me that there may be situations where children are left helpless, sad, afraid, because adults are too scared that the parents will react badly if they step in and help.

There’s been chat in the news recently about whether or not we should step in and discipline other people’s children.  Well that is an entirely different matter.  That depends on the exact circumstances that surround a child’s wrong-doing.

But, as far as I’m concerned, a child in difficulty, a child who is lost, a child who is alone and crying always needs our help.

Please, if you see my child needing help and you can’t see me nearby, do step in and help him.

I will always be grateful.

Even if he’s actually fine and doesn’t really need any help.  I will always appreciate the fact that you cared enough to approach him.

Mummascribbles
Modern Dad Pages
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Let your pile of good things grow.

by with 10 Comments QuotesUncategorized

I love quotes.  The fact that I have a category on this blog just for quotes kind of tells you how much I love quotes!  I could browse the quotes part of Pinterest for hours, reading, laughing, welling-up.

And I really love it when I come across quotes I haven’t heard before that really speak to me.  This is one of those quotes;

“What if, instead of thinking about solving your whole life, you just think about adding additional good things.  One at a time.  Just let your pile of good things grow”

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So often, when we’re not entirely happy with our lives, or just have a nagging feeling that it’s not as amazing as it could be, we look to change everything.  We thing about making radical changes.  We end relationships.  We quit jobs.  We spend hours browsing estate agent’s websites looking for a new place to live.

Maybe what we should do instead is be grateful for what we do already have, and then just slowly add good things to it.  Rearrange our schedules to fit in a date night with our partner once a week.  Spend time exploring hobbies that make our hearts sing and see if that leads to a change in career.  Buy a lovely bunch of flowers to brighten up the home we already have.

Sometimes radical changes are what we need. Sometimes we need to take a huge leap and make major changes.  But more often we end up overwhelmed and paralysed when we thing about changing too much at once.  Maybe if we just add good things to our lives, one by one, they’ll build up to the big change that we were after.  Or maybe all those good things will make us realise that we didn’t even need a big change, we just needed to nurture and add to what we already had in our lives.

Either way, I really like this idea.

Just let your pile of good things grow!

Cuddle Fairy
Carrot and apple cake recipe

Carrot and apple cakes

by with 5 Comments RecipesUncategorized
I mentioned the other day that Rhys has been asking to make carrot cake a lot recently, so we’ve been experimenting with a few different recipes to find one that we really like.  And I think we’ve got a winner!

This takes a little bit of work in that you have to grate the apple and the carrot, but other than that it is a simple recipe and definitely one you can make with kids.

Carrot and apple cake recipe 

This recipe made about 15 little cakes.

What you need:

  • 150g self raising flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon mixed spice
  • 125g softened butter
  • 125g brown sugar
  • 1 medium carrot, grated
  • I bramley apple, half grated, half chopped into tiny chunks
  • 50g raisins
  • 2 eggs

For the cream cheese icing (if you fancy it!)

  • 100g full fat or low fat cream cheese
  • 2 tbsp icing sugar

What to do:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 (gas mark 4)
  2. Put about 15 cake cases on a baking tray (or in a bun tray if you’re feeling fancy!)
  3. Sieve the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and mixed spice into a large bowl.
  4. Add the butter, brown sugar, carrot, apple, raisins and eggs. Beat together with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
  5. If the mixture seems a little too wet (sometimes you get loads of liquid from the carrot and apple), then add another tablespoon of flour..
  6. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake for 20-25 minutes until they spring back when pressed.
  7. Leave them to cool completely.
  8. They’re really tasty just as they are, but if you want to make the icing then just mix the cream cheese with the icing sugar in a bowl then spread on the cakes.
  9. Enjoy!
Carrot and apple cakes recipes 

Looking for more recipes to bake with your children?
Check these out!
Simple chocolate biscuits
Chocolate banana bread
Cuddle Fairy
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A letter of thanks

by with 7 Comments PersonalUncategorized
Today is my Mum’s birthday.  It’s one of those days when I miss home a little bit, and wish I could see my parents a bit (ok, a lot) more often than I actually do.  But, in lieu of a teleporter to take me to Kent today, I’ve written this little letter to express how much she means to me and how thankful I am for everything she’s done for me.
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Dear Mummy,

Thank you.

For always letting me know how much I was wanted and how loved I am.
Thank you.

For everything you’ve taught me (academically and otherwise).
Thank you.

For putting up with me through the stroppy teenage years.
Thank you.

For the tipsy Sunday evening phone calls when I was a student.
Thank you.

For knowing me so well you knew I was in love before I did.
Thank you.

For understanding my choice to have a tiny wedding, for supporting that decision and for celebrating that day with us.
Thank you.

For talking me through my decision to stop breastfeeding Rhys.
Thank you.

For always supporting me.
Thank you.

For believing in me.
Thank you.

For letting me go.
Thank you.

For letting me know that you haven’t actually really let me go and that you are always, always there for me.
Thank you,

For everything, Mummy.
Thank you.

Happy birthday!

Loads of love,
Madeline
xxx

Mummascribbles
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The alphabet project – Z is for zzz

by with 6 Comments PhotographyUncategorized

I’m a little bit sad.  Because I joined in with this project so late we’re now at the end and I feel like I’ve only just started!  I’ll have to think of a project to carry me over until this one starts again!  For now though, I give you my rather unimaginative interpretation of the letter Z.

Z is for zzzzzzzzz!

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I actually do love this photo though, taken today as Nerys napped in her cot.  Rhys never really had much of an attachment to any cuddly toys as a baby (although he’s making up for that now with half his bed taken up by characters from Doc McStuffins and Angry Birds!).

Nerys though, loves to go to sleep with her little collection of toys – Peter Rabbit, Dolly, Teddy and Snuggles.  She gathers them all up and pulls them underneath her as she’s falling asleep at bedtime, it’s so sweet to watch.

I think I’ll treasure photos like this as they both grow older!

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Our job as parents

by with 4 Comments ParentingQuotesUncategorized
I read this quote the other day and it really resonated with me – “It’s not our job to toughen our children up to face a cruel and heartless world.  It’s our job to raise children who will make the world a little less cruel and heartless”.

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It’s something that’s been on my mind since Rhys started nursery school last September.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that nursery school is a cruel and heartless place!  It’s just that him going there is the first step out into the world; away from the shelter of life at home.

A huge part of me wanted to just keep him at home with me, to protect him from all the outside influences and the hard things he might have to deal with out there in the world.  He is quite a sensitive soul and I hate the idea of him having to ‘man up’ and face difficult situations and not-so-nice people.  I don’t want him to have to change who he is to fit into the world.

So I really like this quote.  I like the sentiment behind it, that maybe he doesn’t have to toughen up.  Maybe instead he can play a part in making the world nicer, by being his true, sensitive, loving self.  I like to think so anyway.

If you like this post, you might also like these on being ourselves and encouraging our children to do the same:
What a burlesque dancer can teach us about being ourselves
Masks
Encouraging children to be themselves
Cuddle Fairy
Easy iced mocha recipe

Iced mocha recipe

by with 16 Comments RecipesUncategorized

I may have mentioned once or twice that I like coffee.  Ok, I love coffee, I need coffee, I can’t get going in the morning without my coffee.

But in this mini heatwave that we’ve been having it just feels a bit wrong to be drinking steaming hot mugs of the stuff.  So I have an alternative.

A cool, delicious, chocolatey, alternative.  The iced mocha.

Super easy iced mocha recipe

There are various recipes floating around the internet for this, but this is the way I like to do it!  It does require a little bit of planning though.

Basically, you need to make up a nice big mug of black coffee.  Then pour it into an ice cube tray and pop the tray in the freezer.

Once you’ve done this part you’re sorted.  Cold coffee treats can be yours whenever you want!

For my mocha recipe, grab a glass, fill it about 2/3 full with milk then use whatever you’ve got to make it chocolatey – chocolate milkshake powder, cocoa powder, chocolate syrup, whatever you’ve got!

Then go get about 5 or 6 of the coffee ice cubes and pop them in your chocolate milk.

Ta da!  Done.

You can drink it straight away, or leave it a few minutes for the ice cubes to start melting a bit and mingle with your chocolate milk.

Or if you’re feeling fancy you can blend the whole thing together.  Whatever floats your boat!

Easy iced mocha recipe

Looking to shake things up a bit?  Here are a few suggestions:

  • Leave out the chocolate bit and go for straight milk with the coffee ice cubes for an iced latte

 

  • Add  a cheeky splash of Baileys or Kahlua

 

  • Top it with whipped cream

 

  • On a really hot day you can make a cup of cold coffee and then just add some of the coffee ice cubes to it, to really chill the drink and get an extra coffee hit!

 

What do you think?  Are you an iced coffee fan, or are you a hot coffee purist?!