What inspires you?

I hope you have read that up there ^ beautiful isn't it? Another great Pinterest find!

It made me think of this post straight away...what inspires you? Do you find words uplifting? Do you live your life by a mantra? I would love to hear from you if you do.

I must admit there I certain quotes I adore, some I am inspired by, some I just relate to. A friend once said to me 'If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.'  I remember thinking 'Wow!'  At that time it hit the nail on the head for me. So now if I am fed up with something, I let myself have my moment and then pretty quickly I think of that saying. If I don't do nothing, nothing is ever going to change.

So when I found this on Pinterest I instantly thought of my children when I had finished reading. It got me thinking that this should be a Mother's Prayer shouldn't it? Isn't this everything a Mother could possibly want?

I think there is a whole lot of emphasis put on children becoming successful adults. Yes, I get that. No parent wants their child to be an unsuccessful adult. But just what is successful? Surely it's different things to different people?  Perhaps your version of a successful adult is one that has achieved good grades? One that has gotten a degree? Has a well paid job?

Over my 4.5 year journey as a parent I have often thought of what I want my children to be, what I wish for them when they are grown. It finally hit me...I think somewhere amongst the paint, the mud, the sand, the mess...the LAUGHTER... Aha! That's it!

I want them HAPPY. I want them HEALTHY. That's it..that's all.

We all know how tough adult life can be so, ultimately, this is actually everything?

If my child is an academic who loves and embraces school life, who wants to go all the way in terms of education and is HAPPY to do this, then so am I.

If my child is a creative individual, who wants to sing, dance, make music or paint...if they are HAPPY. So am I.

If my child loathes structure and wants to shake off everything and go travelling....gaining experiences, meeting people and coming back home a bit smelly because they haven't washed in months...but they are HAPPY. So am I. (Providing they take a bath)

I know as an adult, I will admit I have had painfully unhappy times in my life. I know my children will go through this at some point too...a minimal amount I hope. However, when I am happy...there is no feeling that matches it. I want my children to feel that.

What do you want for your children? What inspires you to achieve this?

Thanks for reading!


Love OMM xx

Making Memory Bottles!

This idea came to me through always being a discovery bottle enthusiast! Discovery bottles are wonderful things...and not just something for babies. They involved taking a bottle and filling it with something and gluing the lid on. So for example: Water, food colouring and oil makes a great little lava lamp style bottle for babies. I will write a seperate blog post all about Discovery Bottles and their brilliance and link it back to here soon.

When children are older they can create their very own discovery bottles. Here we are making a memory bottle. We went for a walk in the woods and collected woodland 'treasure'.  All of this makes a great talking point too. Where should we look for special things? Why have you chosen that? What does it mean to you? Why is it special? When we got home we printed out a picture of the day, stuck it on the outside of the bottle and then tidied a little ribbon around it.

Now we always have a very tangible memory of that day, and something great he made all by himself.

Try it the next time you are walking, makes a great present for someone too :)

Have fun!

Love OMM xx

The importance of 'Free Play'.

Having 'free play' time as a child is exceptionally important. This type of play is also known as child-led. This form of play builds confidence and self-esteem in your child, increases their use of language, imagination and creative skills.

Your child might often have free play already, they might have access to all their toys, or they might have a particular favourite thing they like to do if given the choice.

My children are not quite like this, and it's probably my fault. I give them lots of invitations to play (based on their own interests largely so not all bad) and so I guess they don't really have to think for themselves. As a consequence when I NEED to get on and do things (like housework, admin and general monotonous tasks) they can often seem a bit lost. They are used to me preparing and leading play. Having realised this of late I have made a promise that this Summer I will pull back a bit and let them take over the play..even if I do think 'Cars again! Really?!'

Take this morning for example. My 4 year old had requested his cars AGAIN. I have to fight with all my being to stop myself saying 'Really?!' Instead I let him loose. As a consequence he has been playing beautifully the whole day with his cars, adding things to them from his varying collections of things, using his imagination to make up stories, characters and plot points. No doubt his learning from this is so abundant...and for once I had nothing to do with it, and it's probably because I had nothing to do with it.

My little one, nearly 2, then decides it's a perfectly fun thing to do to run through the washing and squeal with delight. Who am I to argue? He's getting plenty of physical exercise...he is a very physical child anyway so he clearly knows what he needs too.

Funny really, I actively encourage education through play, and yes family should be involved absolutely. However what I am learning, after having forgotten really, is that play IS education...so no matter what that play is (even if it's repetitive or running through washing!) is important, it is valuable.

Some rather special things happened today when they had free play time. My 4 year old insisted he didn't want any help with his chosen activity. My 2 year old played entirely on his own without badgering me or his older brother. And me? I am actually getting some things done.

So maybe this is the way forward. Maybe some invitations of play are snubbed because there is a definite and REAL NEED to have that free play.

It's a lesson that most of learn slowly as parents, and as we evolve as parents but maybe we need to TRUST that our children know what they need, that they will learn what they need to learn when they feel they are ready within themselves.  That decided, free play is actually vital to development.

So next time your little one wants to play with something (and I am not talking the TV or the playstation!) let them. If they want to paint, let them and actually even if after 10 mins they walk away here's a crazy thought...LEAVE the paint there. Let them have that open ended play. Chances are they will probably return to it and create something rather beautiful ;)

Running through the washing, a game he created and loved!

Love OMM xxx

Open ended play invitation: LENTIL PLAY!

LENTILS! Healthy, certainly, but also a very cheap and fantastic sensory play resource. We put ours on the tuff spot and I added lots of scooping/pouring/filling utensils and they are loving it, been going back to it for the past 2 days now!

Something old, something new!

So the lovely Charlotte from 'Caring for your children in their own home' offered me a proposition. She was attending a wedding fair for her business and thought my SensoryDough might make a great child's favour at the wedding table. So below are the first examples and I have had my first enquiry, the same day as the fair! Quite exciting! So if you or anybody you know is getting married soon, please do mention that my SensoryDough, Creative Crayons and Sensory Craft Packs are now available to buy for your wedding/party/special occasions! Contact me for an individual quote, I try to accommodate all budgets :)

Rainbow Gloop and Ice Play!

How perfect is this for a hot day! Mix together cornflour and water for the gloop. Start with a carton of cornflour to a cup of water. You are looking for a runny mixture but one that you can pick up with your hands and squeeze to a firm ball before it turns runny again. If it's too runny add more cornflour, stirring well as you go. Swirl in some different food colourings to create the rainbow. Throw a few ice cubes in, and play outside preferably...no concern about any mess then!

Have fun!

Love OMM xx

Sticky Table Art!

This is so easy but so much fun. Cut a length of sticky backed plastic. Attach to the table sticky side up. Add some bowls of fun things to stick: pompoms, lolly sticks, shredded paper, stickers, glitter. No need for glue as it sticks straight onto the plastic creating a gorgeous, sensory work of art! When finished you can take a picture, then peel everything off and reuse again!