Playdate Tips

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Having a little one around is a hoot and a half, but seeing your little one playing with other tiny people is even better.

Playdates are a great opportunity for social development, fun times and one Mama (in this case my gorgeous neighbour) having a rest. To ensure playdates run as smoothly as possible, here are some tips and tricks I try to adhere to. They might not float everyone's boat, but they work for me!

Photography

Since I like to snap everything that moves, I always check with parents if a) it's OK to have their children in pictures and b) if it's alright to put them anywhere (Facebook, Instagram etc). If they say no, respect their wishes and abide by them. Fortunately, my neighbour is a good egg!

Set Activities and Free Play

Before guests arrive, have a few games/ideas up your sleeve to encourage structured play. This provides ready made entertainment and a little bit of focus. Once they tire of that (and that really depends on age and character), leave them to their imaginations. Darcy and Becca spent more time playing in her bedroom with princesses and dolls than they did painting with me. Time just slips away when they're in play mode. It's lovely. 

Expect and Allow Mess

In my books, making a mess of your bedroom whilst playing is entirely fine. There's little point getting in their way and tidying up behind them so as long as the chaos in confined to one room, I'm gonna let them go for it. It might feel unnatural to let destruction rein but for the hour or so they are playing, I like to see children be free spirits. When Darcy is a little older, I'll expect her to clear up herself but for now, it's a pleasure to put it all away knowing she's had a good time. 

Offer Drinks and Toilets

But not at once, heh heh. Offering regular drinks is obvious but when you're little and you're caught up in the moment of play time, it's easy to forget you need a loo break. Just a bit of gentle asking here and there is worth it. 

Love Love Love

The way I look at it is this- if Darcy were at someone else's house, I'd want her to feel loved and cherished there. With this in mind, I like our miniature guests to feel looked after and wanted too. I'm not saying go wild and squish them to bits, but encouraging words and a few cuddles (if they don't mind!) don't go amiss.  

And that's about all we do. What are your top tips for smooth running play dates? I'm always open to learning more. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

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Motivational Monday #8

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Merry Monday you little munchkins of motivation. Too much? Yeah, maybe.

I hope your weekends were delightful and that you are ready to face the week with a glad heart and a happy face.

(Source)

I saw this quote last week and thought it was excellent.

For the mostest of years I have struggled with who I wanted to be. Or, moreover, who I thought I should be. Some people wanted me to be clever, some people wanted me to be a career woman, some people wanted me to be a stay-at-home-mummy/wifey, some people wanted me to be quiet and pretty to look at, some people wanted me to be this, that, the other and everything else. It was exhausting.

I found myself trying very, very hard to please everyone. Once, about 10 years ago, I had a male friend who I regarded far too highly, say to me, 'I think girls are these lovely creatures who are hairless and pretty and smell nice and that's just perfect to me'. I heard that as, 'Louise, to be perfect you need to shave everything to within an inch of it's life, change the way you look and wear perfume 24/7'.

In reality, this probably wasn't the message he was trying to give me (I actually think he was just being nostalgic about the girlfriend who had just split with him!) but it's what I took from it. I never stopped to think that his view of perfection was only one view or that his view of perfection was as valid as my own view, I just took it as gospel and proceeded to spend plenty of time with a box of veet and feeling substandard. Not cool.

Frustratingly, I still do this a bit now. I'll hear someone say something about somebody else and feel I need to live up to the same standard in order to be as attractive as them, as successful as them, as whatever as them. It's such wasted effort.

Coco had it right. A girl should be two things- who and what she wants. If I want to let my leg hair grow with free abandon, why shouldn't I? If I'm not as pretty as Uni Guy's ex, have I failed? If I forgo a spritz of perfume, am I not as worthy as those who smell like all the delights of a summer meadow?

NO.

 It's funny because when I'm going about my life, just plodding on, I am REALLY happy. BUT, it only takes one person to say one thing and I find myself having a little wobble of self resolve. This week I am going to focus on this quote and when I find myself self doubting or questioning who I am, I will remind myself that I am who and what I want to be and that I am proud to be that person.

I'm going to focus on living up to only my own standards and not bending or shaping myself into being something other people want and encourage you to do the same. It's a classic but I think that as long as you are doing your best, that's all you need to be.

Am I the only one who feels this way or do you ever find yourself having a little wobble too? Want to work on it together?

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

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I Love Liverpool

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Not too many weeks ago, Matt, Darcy and I took a little trip up north to see friends, work on new projects and spend some time in our most favourite city in the world. 

In case you're new around here, Liverpool is where I went to university and Matt is from, so it's where we met, fell in love and well, the rest is history. 

Darcy's natural alarm clock is pre-sunrise but when there is a water front view, who can blame her?

It was still exciting post-bath and sunrise. Simple things. 

I mentioned before in THIS post but I adore being in the city. I feel one hundred percent at ease and myself in this place. 

Orange juice and crayons for brunch. 

And of course, croissants.

No no, I haven't secretly had another baby, this is my friend's most beautiful little dreamboat. I could just cuddle him forever and ever. Darcy on the other hand was less than thrilled with having Mama's attention shared. 

Little trips like this are what make life so very sweet and taking the time to photograph those memories makes them all the sweeter.

Do you have anything exciting planned or have you been anywhere nice recently? Tell me in the comments because I would love to find new places to explore. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser -Amy Lauren. Click HERE for more info. 

3 Happy Aims

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

March is here and my calendar is already jam packed. I do like knowing what I have on but by the same token it does leave me feeling a little tense and then I forget all the nice little things that don't take up too much time and really boost my qualify of life. 

Despite my busy month (trip to Florida, family staying, visits to London, birthday parties etc) I am committing to 3 Happy Aims to keep me sane and happy. I encourage you to do the same and see if it makes a positive difference.

3 Happy Aims

1. Use my big girl camera as much as possible, if not every day. 

- I love looking back through my memory cards and being glad of snapping certain things. It preserves my memories, inspires me to blog more and forces me to get creative. I'd love to use it every day but if that isn't feasible, I'll be happy with every other. Either way, good things will come out of it. 

2. Have a weekly Mummy-Daughter date. 

- We spend most of our days together but I want to make sure we actually go somewhere and do something especially for us and really be present in them. No screen time, no taking calls, just us.

3. Do 12-15 #GlitterGetsFitter 's. 

- January was amazing, February was a bit slack, time to stop dawdling and get on it. Naughty Louise! Click HERE if you're confused. 

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Will you be joining me in my little quest? If you are, I'd love to hear what 3 things you might try in the comments!

I'll update you on mine in a few weeks. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser -Amy Lauren. Click HERE for more info. 

Motivational Monday #7

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

"It's just another manic Monday, dooo dooo dooooo". I hope you know that tune otherwise I come across very odd!

Merry Monday to you. I don't need to say it again but I love Mondays. The perfect opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Also, I'm loving being back in a Motivational Monday series again. Series One ran for 25 weeks and I plan for this one to run almost as long. Yipeee.

(Source)

Today's image reminds me of something my Dad said to me once. For every action there is a reaction. The key to the latter is that you don't have to do it right away. Put a little space between the two.

Somebody could ask you to do something you're not sure about but your immediate response is to be polite and say, 'sure, no problem'. Fight that urge. Try saying, 'I'll just have to work out a few things and get back to you'. That way, you've bought some time and are able to decide if it really is something you want, need to or can do.

Similarly, when we are in great moods, it's easy to promise the earth. 'Yeeesss, let's book that holiday together!' etc. Don't do it!! I know it feels so great about the time but when you have simmered down, you'll see things in a more realistic light and could feel differently.

It's tricky. It can feel quite unnatural to not respond to stimuli immediately but having practised it a few times, it becomes second nature. You'll find that people don't mind at all and hopefully you'll get yourself into a lot less sticky situations. Says the woman who after a celebratory meal, told her MIL that if she ever had another Daughter she would middle name her after her. Smooth move Louise, really smooth ;)

This week, see if you can find a situation that normally you would want to jump on straight away. Take 5 minutes, a day, a week and then react. Contemplate whether it made a difference to you? Did you give a better response? Did the outcome suit you/the other person/people more? Is it something you'd like to do regularly? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Also, how did you do with last week's Creativity Courage challenge? I enjoyed seeing all your pictures on instagram. I do so love our little community. You give me the warm fuzzies in a big way. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser -Amy Lauren. Click HERE for more info.