Myself and my little lady are like two peas in a pod. When I could have my vino on A friday night before BUMP came along I used to put juice in a wine glass for her so she could be like me!And we would have a little party. The fun part of having kids is all the childish things you get to do. I thought about this yesterday as I grabbed some wipes to clean around my car. I realise how much I use wipes not even for my little girl but for everything around the house!! A quick dust wipe, a swipe over the sink, a polish over the floor to remove any stains – and so on the list is endless!! So I compiled a funny list of what I can share with my little lady and how having a little kid can take you into the wonderful world of childhood 🙂
1. The leftovers – By this I mean food. I don’t know about you but kids treats are the best. Take the Kinder Egg chocolate, yum! Now you are never going to buy yourself an egg but you can enjoy the remains left behind by your little poppet! Similarly I am not a yoghurt lover, but those little petitis filous are yum, and a little pot is just perfect, plus vitamin D and calcium-perfect 🙂 And not forgetting all the yummy treats such as candyfloss,sherbits,fizzy crackling candy- why else do we take trips to the funfair eh !!
2. The shampoo – This is happened me. Quick shower reach for my shampoo and I can’t even squeeze a blob out, so it’s strawberry scented kids shampoo for me and it truly smells yummy – L’oreal do a delicious one ! Also I have been known to use my daughters pear flavoured detangler also from L’oreal kids range. I smell like a fruity mummy all day 🙂 Plus it really does work on my mummy hair, tames all the frizzy bits and cuts through my knots!!
3. Baby oil – I still love the smell of baby oil and love how smooth it goes on after my little girl is out of the bath. Do I use it? Yes! On wet skin it just soaks in and leaves skin super soft and you can get the scent throughout the day. Who needs expensive moisturisers ?!
4. DVD – Now I know some kids programmes can drive parents crazy! But, what about when your little one finally reaches that stage where they like mum/dad friendly dvds- the ones we actually like!! Toy stories, Tinkerbells, and Disney yay!! I love when my little lady picks out a Disney princess classic like Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast. And, I cannot wait until she is ready for Mary Poppins and Willy Wonka. These are the perks of parenthood, revisiting your own childhood memories with your own kid. I love these moments 🙂
5. Playcentres – Yes they can be nosey and very busy places but when it’s quiet and you can have a sneaky dive into the ball pool or a slide down the big massive tunnel slide, how much fun is that!? It’s guaranteed to make you laugh and laughter is the best free medicine 🙂 You can be a child for a few hours and your little prince or princess will be happy as larry too.
6. The magic – Kids breathe in magic and love the mystery and wonder in so much that they see through their eyes. As adults we lose sight of this. We don’t believe in fairies, or pixies, or that anything is possible if you believe with all your heart. We did at one stage but we lose it. Children believe. They believe in everything they don’t need proof of a fairies existence, my little girl has four fairy doors in our house, she believes there is fairies behind each door, has she seen them ?! Who knows 🙂 Anything is possible with kids. They see the world through amazing positive eyes, and I try to see this too now. I try to see the world like my little girl, sure it’s not always possible but it’s wonderful to listen to her faith and belief in life. Sometimes we need to drop the adult shell and allow ourselves to believe in life again, with all it has to offer.
7. Game boards/ Family games – WHOOP – I loved board games growing up, monopoly, cluedo, game of life, even the simple ones like downfall, operation, charades. And now they are all gathering dust in the attic. But, they are going to be coming down in the near future when my kid/kids are old enough for them. For now though, I love playing the little preschool games, Mr.Pop, Hippo game and all the cute little games kids love.
8. Playdough/ Coloring – Oh I love making things with playdough. And, how far has playdough come since the 80’s. You can now buy specific sets, cake making, icecream making, it’s endless fun and a great way to help develop your child’s creative side and imagination. Who likes coloring ? Me! Myself and my wee lady sit side by side and color to our hearts content! A big chunky coloring book and markers, crayons, glitter is all you need. Kids love creativity and if you do too it’s a great way to spend fun time with your child.
9.Halloween – When you stop trick or treating yourself Halloween becomes a little bit boring. Until you have kids and then woohoo, the fun begins again! You get to buy costumes for you and your kid and go trick or treating! Even if you aren’t dressing up, the spirit of halloween is massive, the shops are packed to the brim with special halloween treats and decorations, so you have no excuse not to get spookily involved!
10. Santa Claus – The best for last !! Santa is reborn when you have kids! Let’s be honest the day you found out he eh doesn’t exist, breaks your little heart for the first time ever. Christmas is just not the same ever again!! As adults we enjoy the food, drinks, presents, catch up with friends/family, but it’s when little kids appear, that the spirit of Christmas lights up in our hearts again. Even with nieces and nephews when you see their faces light up at the mention of Santa Claus it reminds you how magical Santa Claus really is. When you have your own little kids, the belief comes back and you find yourself believing this guy is actually out there!! It’s the spirit of Christmas, and the kids belief and the fact that you must keep saying “Santa brings the toys”, for fear of letting it slip that you have to buy in the Santa toys soon!! There is so many amazing Santa places to visit the past few years in Ireland, and it’s impossible not to adore all the magic and splendor that is created at these places. They are winter wonderlands for little kids and big kids and parents 🙂