Favourite Christmas Presents

This week's #shareitsundays is a tough topic in The Smith household!

Favourite Christmas Presents...

Magic of Christmas 

Santa's delivery

Well if the look on Carson's face for each and every present opened told you anything, it's that EVERYTHING was his favourite on the day!

Let me tell you, Carson is so well mannered and an exceptionally grateful child. I knew that he'd have no issues with his haul from Santa, but felt sure there'd be a warm favourite by now. 

Well, no, not really! He is still buzzing over his new play things and everyday so, short of listing everything down, I'm not really sure what presents to write about.

Alongside goodies from within his fave TV shows; Spongebob and Monster's Inc, I can say that I was conscious of ensuring he had a few 'retro' style gifts this year. Possibly a selfish act, because it made me feel all warm and nostalgic, but they were greeted with as much awe as everything else. 

Top trumps, yo-yo, stocking bursting with fruit/chocolate coins/a few pennies, the flashing wheel on the metal rod thing - you know what I mean. I bet you had one yourselves!! #Addictive

Flashing Wheel on Metal Rod-thing!

I'm a great believer that children should remain children so when I see the very young (aged 4-6yrs old) getting brand new adult tablets for Christmas 'from Father Christmas' it makes me sad. Elves don't make adult's tablets!!

Don't get me wrong, tablets made and specifically aimed at children are excellent. They have great educational value as well as entertainment value too.

Carson has an Innotab 2 that Santa brought last year for him, one of the best investments ever made. So this year warranted a few new cartridges to re-new that past gift that no-doubt would have been forgotten all about after receiving all these new goodies this year!

Connect 4, Spongebob Edition, was a retro-ish game choice this year. Although I don't like the 'modern twist', it seems pointless to me, we just play the original version and it brings hours of fun for us both.



I guess, in summary, to not have a fave christmas present is more a testament to what was actually received this year as opposed to not having anything worth talking about!! Classic, timeless, loved all year round gifts.

I doubt I'll be as lucky every year but I'm deffo as chuffed as Carson this year :-)

14 comments Tags: #shareitsundays, christmas, favourite, parent, presents, son, spongebob

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I couldn't answer this question! Could you have?

So I'm lying in the bath trying to relax after a long day, and Carson comes in (as he does - scared of missing out on anything he is!).

CARSON: "Mum, How do I love you?"

Ummm... I wasn't too sure what that meant so pulled a funny face and made him laugh.

CARSON: "I'm serious mum! Please. How do I love you?"

Again... silence from me, pondering on what exactly he was getting at. I didn't get the context of his query!

CARSON: "You know, when you had me and I was a baby, you loved me - how did I love you?""

I kind of asked in a round about way if he meant how did he come to love me and I seemed to have nailed his quandary. My answer...??

ME: "I guess you just appreciate what I do for you and know the bond we share as mum and son"

CARSON: "Everyone loves their mum, mum. But HOW??"

I was stumped for an answer and before I had the chance, he looked at me in a pitiful way and quipped "Anyway, I do love you mum. Night" and off he toddled to bed.

So profound for a 5yr old!

What's the toughest question you've had landed on you by a little dude, and how did the situation end?

1 comment Tags: answers, child, how, love, parenting, question, son, why

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Measles and GP's

Having already had a week of being a lot more sleepy, gooey eyes, generally worn down, great lack of appetite and very hot & sweaty nights resulting in waking and nightmares - My lovely little 4 year old Carson awoke on Bank Holiday Saturday, with a red/brown rash that wouldn't disappear with the glass test.

The scariest thing was that no-one would come to the house to check on him - I was refused by the out of hours GP (it came on, on the Saturday) and NHS Direct told me the same thing:

"GP's do not visit sick children at home any more for diagnosis. Go to the walk-in centre"

Given that I'd put together the previous week of him not being himself, and the type of rash that had appeared, I assumed measles. He had all the signs and symptoms. To make you aware, the rash comes AFTER the initial symptoms - much like chickenpox too.

I very much doubted any walk-in or A&E would thank me for taking a poorly boy with probable measles in to their facility - already filled with weak and vulnerable people (and possibly pregnant women who could be totally oblivious to the fatal dangers of contracting measles during pregnancy.) 

However, following instruction, Carson was taken to the local walk-in centre (Victoria Central Hospital) where (as we suspected) he was whisked off to an individual room upon arrival - staff terrified of creating an outbreak. 

But guess what?

No swabs here, you'll have to go to A&E at Arrow Park Hospital instead. Well, I'm sorry but Carson is in no state to be traipsing half way round the Wirral - when we don't drive either - just to have a swab to confirm it was, as suspected, the measles. When, in the grand scheme of things, they'd already said there is  nothing to treat measles with anyway. 

Simply keep an eye on him, help keep him cool, provide him with some Calpol and plenty of fluids. The other alternative was to wait until Tuesday and if he did still have the rash, which would back up the suspicion of measles, contact our own GP's surgery.

So that's what we did. 

We spent all bank holiday weekend indoors together. His mood changing at the flick of a switch. He could go from being OK to talk to and even smile or giggle with you, to very irritable and tired. It breaks my heart to see such a usually bouncing boy, just sitting there/lying there in a quiet, uninterested and sadly agitated manner.

Tuesday came and the GP surgery denied that we could take him there, as the walk-in centre had advised. They asked us to go there - without Carson - collect mouth swabs, take them home and swab Carson's mouth, then take them back. The results would be with us in a day or two.

Bit of an effort, but well worth it given that Carson was still poorly so we needed to know whether it was just a viral infection or the measles so that the school could be notified.

Well it's now a whole week later and he still has the rash but it has faded an awful lot. His appetite is back and he's himself again! However, as the GP surgery didn't bother sending the swabs until Thursday meaning the lab in Manchester hasn't tested yet - we are STILL none the wiser as to whether we can call it measles or still go by "suspected measles" #FUMING 

** For anyone local, this bad GP's surgery is the old Martin's Lane one now at Mill Lane. Every time I've ever had to provide urine at that surgery they lose it, and once the GP prescribed Carson a sedative meant for 5yrs+ at the 8yrs+ dosage -when he was just 18 months old and it was the pharmacist that refused to abide by the prescription. The"apology" received was simply that 'it's the pharmacists job to check these things over so no harm done' **

Oh but on the bright side, he can go to school on Monday as we quarantined him for 6 days as advised.

Have your children ever had the measles? What did you do, how did you cope?

Have you ever been let down by your GP either? 

Loadsa love

Jo

xxx

3 comments Tags: GP, illness, measles, mummy, NHS, poorly, son

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Carson's 4th Birthday is Tomorrow!!

I am getting super duper excited for my little mans birthday tomorrow. I think I'm a tad more excited than he is!!

We decided not to go with a party for him this year, I felt the cost wasn't justified if I'm honest. For example, there is a great indoor soft play house local to us and it's usually a real value for money jobby. £3.20 for 2 hours and juice is 20p a beaker. Coffee for the adults is only about a quid so it's a really good 'break' especially if there's bad weather. *I already apologised for my rain-jinx okay?!*

We've been to other childrens' parties there before and Carson has loved it, but when I enquired I discovered it was £11.95 per head and a minimum of 10 children!! The only thing extra they get is a choice of sausage/fish finger/nuggets with chips and beans/peas but eating that also eats in to the 2hour play time they have. Sorry, but what a rip! Then you've got the party bags on top etc.

I have to work in the morning but Hubby and Carson are coming to meet me near my office in Liverpool City Centre and we're going to go to Pizza Hut for lunch - which, strangely enough, I've never visited - odd!! Then we're going to go home and have a tea party in the afternoon with family and friends. Frankly, he sounds more excited by Pizza Hut and Tea Party than a proper kids party, ooo he's his mummys son alright!

I'll be posting lots of pictures of our day, and I'm sure we'll have lots of his toys to review together :-D - I am sooo a big kid at heart!

What did you guys do for your kids' parties and what ages would you say are important? I'd love to hear your stories - if not to reassure our decision this year, then for inspiration every year to come!

Thanks matey's :-) xxx

1 comment Tags: birthday, mum, party, pizza hut, softplay, son

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Fun for Free!

Now, there's just nothing like a bit of fun that doesn't break the bank, but if you're anything like me (unimaginative and unable to drive) then you'll struggle to come up with something new.

Here are my top 2 fun for free mummy-toddler things to do (which also happen to encourage healthy living... happily coinciding with my life mission!!):

1. Strawberry picking.

OK, granted you can't do this at any opportunity; it can't be chucking it down, strawberries are only in season for a select couple of months per year etc. But let me tell you, Carson LOVES it!
We go to Claremont Farm in Clatterbridge every year *Even when i was a child* and they are usually ready from beginning July to end August. Offering several different varieties, you get to taste the difference and find your own preference (most people aren't aware that there are different flavours/textures to strawbs). Claremont farm also has gooseberries, raspberries and blueberries - of which I don't usually bother. Not that they aren't tasty, just no-one else like them in my family other than me and I'd be scared of having eyes bigger than my belly and having to chuck 'em away! OK so I say it's free, if you want to bring some home with you it's charged at a rate or £2.50 per kg.

Here is a picture of Carson today on our return from strawberry picking.

Best way to get him loving nature is to get him involved!

2. Making/Baking.

It doesn't have to be something super lovely or a mega treat for Carson, just as long as he can help me and has an input as to what goes in the bowl/pan. Homemade soups are fab at the moment as he gets to put in all the veg he loves and at the end we eat it together for tea/lunch.
This is free despite needing ingredients, as you just use what you have in.

Here's one we made earlier:

What are you're favourite things for free to do with your littlun? I do wish I could drive though, it would be sooo much easier to do things if I could!

For now.... toooodle-ooo :-) xxx

6 comments Tags: free, Fun, health, home cooking, mum, son, soup, strawberries

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