Life: The good, the bad and the ugly bits!
The nice weather over the last few days has meant we have spent plenty of time down the allotment. O loved helping me dig holes for our corn plants, he learnt to be “berry gentle” with the gwreiddiau (roots in Welsh and yes he can say gwreiddiau better than very!) although a toddlers version of gentle involves tossing the plant in the vague direction of the hole they are being planted in!
Here is shot from the paint party at the start of the Ty Hafan Rainbow Run the girls and I took part in last weekend. Expect plenty of colourful images when I update you all about it soon!
Remember it’s not too late to donate!
With five children we have had our fair share of the usual children’s diseases and the odd longer term health issues, but I really can’t imagine how hard it must be to raise a child with a life limiting illness. These parents really give their entire energy and being to care for their children, making sure they live full, happy lives knowing that they are unlikely to reach adulthood.
Tŷ Hafan is the only children’s hospice in Wales and are a source of comfort, care and support for these families. Not only are they a safe haven during the darkest hours, providing expert comfort and assistance during the end, and beyond. Tŷ Hafan are also there to offer advice, support and assistance to ensure each child lives their life to the fullest. Providing care at home, school, in the hospital and in the hospice. They are often the only people able to care for children with serious medical needs to allow parents and siblings a chance to relax and recharge their batteries.
It costs over £3.7 million each year for Tŷ Hafan to provide their specialist one-to-one care and outreach services to life-limited children, young people and their families but because they are a charity and not part of the health service they get a very small amount of statutory funding a year. This means that Tŷ Hafan depend on donations to carry on their fantastic and much needed work. The Tŷ Hafan Rainbow Run is just one way people can raise the funds.
One of the hardest parts of looking after children is coping alone while you are unwell. Throw a couple of sick kids, or really energetic healthy ones, into the mix and life can really start to get on top of you!
But there are some simple things you can do to make life a little easier to bear and also let you try and recuperate.
At the end of last year we were asked ifwe would like to review the Toddlebike2 before it’s launch in November. I have to be honest in that I had never heard of the Toddlebike before but when I looked into it I found that the original version had some fantastic reviews so I jumped at the chance to be able to try the new and updated one out for ourselves!
Last year I shared my Welsh cakes recipe and I’ve had many compliments about them. If you have never heard of these tiny pieces of heaven, I strongly urge you to take a peek at the post to find out more about them and their history. Of course, I now have to alter most of my favourite recipes to make them safe for my gluten free, dairy free and soya free toddler. So after many alterations and plenty of taste testing, just in time for Saint David’s Day, here is my gluten, dairy and soya free Welsh Cakes recipe.
This is LM:
LM is your typical pre-teen. She is silly, stroppy, giggly, shouty, loving, stubborn and very silly (seriously that needs to be there twice). First impressions most people would make is that she is small for her age, very slight in build, active, happy and healthy. And yes she is all of those things, but those first impressions are where the problem lies.READ MORE »
