THE IMPORTANCE OF OUTDOOR PLAY

We love being outdoors, in fact, try and keep my boys inside for a day and we all go a little stir crazy, they're just happier with dirt under their fingernails and muddy puddles beneath their feet. For me if we didn't get out and explore at some point over a weekend, I'd feel like I'd done not only them but myself a disservice, because everything just feels a little less stressful when we're outside. They can run, jump, scream, stomp and it doesn't feel half as alarming as it does when we're stuck inside the confines of four walls with the theme tune of peppa pig in the background. Outdoor play for us isn't an option, it's essential.

A YEAR GONE BY

It feels like the cliche statement to make as we get closer to the end of the year but my oh my has twenty eighteen flown by. It truly feels like moments ago we were in the depths of winter with crazy snow that never seemed to go away, and yet here we are headed straight for the colder months again, seemingly in the blink of an eye. I've found myself looking back this week on photos, very much giving my own take on Facebooks 'this time last year' pop up, and I can't quite believe the difference. Sure it doesn't feel like a hot minute since we were donning woolly hats and wellies, but the photos show me just how much life has changed it that time period. My boys are most definitely boys now and really shaking away the last elements of babyhood - it's bittersweet but I just love reflecting back and seeing how much they've grown.

PARENTAL WORRIES

I think from the moment you see those two blue lies, the word 'pregnant' or a little red cross on that stick, you're saddled with worry. It's natural, and I think I'd be worried if I didn't worry which is every bit as silly as it sounds. It can vary drastically, from worrying if your kids will eat their lunch at school that day - maybe they'll be hungry, what if they don't drink enough and feel super thirsty? Then there are the bigger things, the stuff that creeps into your mind at three o'clock in the morning to keep you awake at night, what happens to my kids when I'm not around? Will they have their own family, house and life? The scale of worry is a vast one, but it's never ending as a parent, you can't escape it from the moment you're aware of their existence.