Chasing Butterflies Daily

I think I need to start by explaining how the Scottish school system works in the early years. Firstly your child becomes eligible for a state funded nursery place at a school nursery the term after their 3rd birthday. Our eldest is born in February so she started nursery after the Easter holidays the year she turned 3 (she did go to a private nursery a few mornings a week for the year before but we had to pay that ourselves, it was hardly cheap, not a luxury we've allowed ourselves since), our middle child is born in May so she isn't eligible for a nursery placement until August 2019, while children born in the autumn get to start nursery in January. School starts when they are somewhere between the age of 4.5 - 5.5 years old, depending on whether they are born before or after the cut off point for every new grade which is the last of February/first of March. Our eldest's birthday is at the end of February which would have made her 4.5 years old when she started and ...

I've not gotten much written on here lately, I've been tired and it feels like life's been busy. Sure that our eldest turning five last week hasn't helped my motivation to write despite having quite a few half written posts to finish. But this is a massive milestone for our wee Elis. If you don't know him he probably looks about the age an average child sits at (our older two were 6 & 5 months old when they first sat unsupported) but he'll be turning one next week! He has had the most common form of dwarfism, achondroplasia, since birth and due to their disproportionate growth, larger than average head and spines that are susceptible to both kyphosis curvature of the spine and stenosis (pinching of the spinal cord). The former can result in not just back pain and bad posture but hunchback as well while the latter is far more dangerous as it means either loss of feeling and function of the lower half of the body and/or immense pain. Because of...

Both the girls have got birthdays on their brains. There's been quite a few parties already this year and we're about to hit birthday season in our family. Our eldest turns 5 next week, and then we've got a family member's birthday every month up until June. Our eldest is of course beside herself with excitement now in the run up to her party. But I'd say it's the toddler who's the most obsessed (she's also having a difficult time understanding why so many friends & both her siblings have their birthdays now - May is a long way away for a 2 year old).  Lately she's been using empty egg cartons and turning them into birthday cakes by sticking pens into them like the picture above. The problem is that the pens usually start falling through the holes whenever she walks around with them so she tends to get angry and abandon the cake (often after ripping it to shreds). Well this morning I was feeling surprisingly pro-active (I can rarely be b...

I've been trying to find a good coconut and lemon blondie recipe for months now but none I've tried have been what I'm after. Then, last night, I had an epiphany and realised I had the basis for the perfect recipe in my brownie recipe. Tried it today and I was right it's just what I'm after: it's gooey, lemony, coconutty and so tasty. Best thing it doesn't need icing (something all the other ones I tried needed to complete them at all) and it is super quick and easy. I hate baking with the kids so I rely on things that are easy for them and me but still tastes delicious. Hope you enjoy it too! Oven temperature is 170° celsius. This recipe is perfect for a round 23 cm (9 inch) pie dish baking time is about 20 minutes but do stick tests towards the end.  OR make double measures for a rectangular tray measuring 23x30 cm (9x12 inches) and bake it for approximately 25 minutes, again make sure to do regular stick tests towards the end. Ingredient...

Let's talk about bribes... Because let's face it: call them what you like we all try to bargain with our children in different ways at times. When I was little I legitimately thought that all "smarties" and "m&m's" were actually called " muta " (the Swedish word for bribe). Only once I'd learnt to read did I find out they were in fact called something else. My mum would have them with her and I would loudly ask for "bribes" in public, the looks she must've gotten! But if you ask me she was just a normal parent, wanting a little bit of peace from the madness of spending time with their child. I also have a tendency to get hangry : I do now and I definitely did as a child so I don't blame my mum for having little "pick-me-ups" with her for when my blood sugar levels dropped. In fact I wish I was better at carrying around bribes for myself now I'm an adult. I'd probably be an infinitely happie...