The Mummy Scrummie Blog
Welcome to my blog, it's lovely to have you here! Sit back, relax and expect a little bit of everything in terms of parenting small people! Subscribe below to never again miss a great read!
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Guest Blogs
Potty Training - Tips and Tricks To Get You Through!
29th May 2022
I am a mum of two young children. There are exactly three years, three months and twenty-three days between my two children and, as charming as that age gap may be, itâs a pain in the ass â literally â when you have to potty train a small person, alongside caring for a new-born, as I did...
Taste-Safe Sensory Play
22nd May 2022
Taste-safe sensory play seems to be very trendy at the moment, and â I donât know about you â but my Instagram feed is FULL of people sharing their âtaste-safeâ play set-ups and ideas.
But what is âtaste-safeâ play and how can you provide your child with âtaste-safeâ options?
Adult Numeracy Anxiety and How Grown-Ups and the Children They Raise Can Develop Confidence in Maths
15th May 2022
Now, Iâm going to start with a bit of a confession: Iâm writing this as someone who is genuinely awful when it comes to numbers. Iâm an intelligent woman, with a good brain, but it is just not a brain that wants to do maths!
Mental Health Awareness Week
8th May 2022
WHY âLONELINESSâ?
Over the last two years, the way in which we (and thatâs âweâ as in: âwe, the human raceâ) have maintained relationships has changed. It had to. We had no choice but to shut ourselves away from our nearest and dearest, in a cumulative effort to ride the terrible wave that was the Coronavirus pandemic.
10 Ways to Use Flashcards in Play That Donât Suck
1st May 2022
Okay, so youâve got a fab set of flashcards, but you have absolutely no idea how to incorporate them into you and your childâs play. Well, I'm here to let you know that gone are the days of âWhatâs this picture? Correct. Whatâs this word? Wrong.â Flashcards can be a fab resource to use with children and here are ten easy ways to use flashcards that are exciting, engaging and educational for your small people.
What is Open-Ended Play?
24th April 2022
Open-ended play is any type of play that has no rules to follow and no âcorrectâ or fixed outcome; play is open-ended; the possibilities are infinite; thereâs no win or lose situation and no signal to stop playing. OEP encourages children to be more imaginative and creative, it helps them to develop self-confidence and a sense of inquisitiveness and curiosity.
5 Time-Saving Tips for Parents
3rd April 2022
Yep, I see you; you look knackered. God, itâs tiring work being a parent, isnât it? I donât remember signing up for the sleep-deprivation and the go-go-go element of raising small kids.
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So, this week, Iâm going to do a speedy run down (because I know youâre time poor and half-asleep already!) and let you on some of my secrets to staying sane and saving yourself time.
Stop Scrolling for Things to Do with the Kids
27th March 2022
What if, instead of spending hours of your hard-earned family time scrolling through social media, looking and hoping to find inspiration as to how you can entertain your pint-sized people on a rainy spring afternoon; what if, instead, there was a way for every activity and resource you could possibly need to just be delivered, once a month; ready-to-go, straight to your email inbox.
Oh â wait. There is.
Talking to Children About Hard-Hitting Headlines and Having Those Difficult Conversations
13th March 2022
Itâs becoming more and more difficult to shelter the children in our lives from hearing and seeing the headlines that weâd perhaps rather they were blissfully unaware of.
So, I thought that, this week, Iâd share my thoughts on how to handle those difficult questions, not solely questions regarding war, but more broadly, questions about difficult topics.
5 Educational Toys Every Parent Should Invest In
6th May 2022
When it comes to the thinking on âEducational Toysâ, people having differing opinions. I'm here to show you that âeducationalâ definitely doesnât mean âboringâ and Iâm going to tell you which FIVE toys you need, and where to buy them!
How to Create a Montessori Nursery
27th February 2022
The Montessori Method, developed in the early 20th Century (by its namesake, Italian physician, Maria Montessori) is a way of helping children learn that is now commonly accepted, the world over, as a highly effective way to approach early years education. But how do you go about creating a Montessori environment in your own home?
Celebrating Valentineâs Day with Your Children
13th February 2022
This year, Valentineâs Day falls on a Monday; and so, for a lot of children, itâs a day in the week that they spend in their educational settings, and for a fair few of us grown-ups, itâs a day at work. So, how can you celebrate tomorrow, with your children? Here are a few last-minute ideas...
Wildlife Play Ideas & FREE Printable Activities
30th January 2022
Iâm writing this from my countryside home in rural Hampshire and, nestled in the heart of the South Downs National Park, I count myself very lucky to live in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, surrounded by medieval hunting parks, working downland farms and chalky coastal clifftops, I donât have to go far to see a red kite, or an otter, or roe deer, or even a llama! However, you donât have to live in the countryside to find the beauty in the nature around you.
5 Easy Eco-Swaps for Your Childâs Play Area
23rd January 2022
We all want to do our bit to be more eco-friendly, but in recent years, the childrenâs toys and gift market hasnât made it easy for parents to shop sustainably. However, donât despair, because Iâve dug around and found the best there is out there when it comes to making eco-swaps for your childâs play area.
How To Store & Organise Toys
9th January 2022
Having children has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. However, with children, comes mess. And that â I struggle with! So, when Catkin Toys asked me to pen a blog toy storage, I jumped to research the best options out there, and to justify to my own family, a serious reorganisation and refinement of the Scrummie household storage solutions!
12 Quirky Christmas Traditions from Around the World
19th December 2022
I love Christmas, and one of the things I love most about it is that it is a time to honour, celebrate and create traditions.
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So, with this in mind, I thought it might be fun to have a wee look at some of the festive traditions out there, and to find out how Christmas is celebrated the world over.
Festive Meltdowns: How To Deal with Temper Tantrums Over the Christmas Period
12th December 2021
âItâs the most wonderful time of the year!â
Well, thatâs as may be; it certainly doesnât feel like it come 11am on Christmas morning, as you find yourself tearing out the few strands of hair you still have left post-pregnancy, because the turkey needs turning, the catâs eaten a gift-tag and someone that only comes up to your kneecaps has decided to have a mega meltdown...
Top DIY Christmas Gifts for Your Children to Make
28th November 2021
When I was a kid, a homemade Christmas gift, made by a child, was a bit of a hit-and-miss affair, something plasticky, swathed in glitter and tinsel was probably about as much as you could look forward to in our house.
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âWeâre now in an age of mason jar gifts filled with gourmet hot chocolate mixes, of hand-knitted headbands and embroidery hoop home accessories. If youâd have handed my uncle a jam jar of Cadburyâs âjust add waterâ in 1994, he wouldnât have had the foggiest idea what to do with it, or why youâd given it to him. Times have changed!
Ten Easy Steps to a Greener Christmas
21st November 2021
I donât live in a yurt, I donât knit my own knickers and I donât have a pet goat/lawnmower, Iâm just your average mum-of-two living my life in a suburban English town, trying to embrace a more sustainable way of living: making eco-friendly swaps where I can, and trying to think a bit âgreenerâ.
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So, this week, I asked myself: is there a way to have an exciting, beautiful and happy Christmas, whilst taking steps to be more eco-friendly?
The Bedtime Routine
14th November 2021
The Bedtime Routine is the kryptonite of parents. Children are absolute rotters when it comes to sleeping. From the first night they spend at home, these pint-sized people, adorable and lovely as they are, seem determined to be as inconvenient as is humanly possible to you and your established routine!
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This week, Iâm giving you my top tips to make the bedtime routine in your household, as easy as falling off a bike...
Tray Play Fun For Your Under One: Sensory Play for Babies
7th November 2021
Does it ever feel like social media is showing you hundreds of brilliant play ideas for older children but absolutely nothing at all for younger kids and babies?
If you answered yes, then read on and prepare to feel more inspired than tired, with Mummy Scrummieâs guide to Tray Play Fun for Your Under One!
All You Need To Know About Becoming a Mother for the Second Time
31st October 2021
You love life as a mum of one, and itâs just starting to feel like you might have found your feet with it; sleeping routines have settled down, and your small person is no longer completely dependent on you every second of every day; heck, you mightâve even had a night out or a Mummy Day to yourself, or even just a few hours of CBeebies-free peace and quiet. When, into that comfortable routine comes: Baby Number Two.
Breastfeeding and Cows Milk Protein Allergy
24th October 2021
As I write this, it is the day after my sonâs first birthday. And that birthday marked the first day in 12 months that I havenât breastfed him. Thatâs it, heâs weaned and Iâve got a whole bundle of feelings about it, because this journey, unlike my breastfeeding journey with his elder sister, has been different; this baby, my Littlest Scrummie, is my allergy baby.