Littlemummy.com

Following on from ‘Socially Recognised Mothering Standards – Pregnancy, Birth & Newborn‘.
9. One should purchase the most expensive pram and swan about like a modern ‘Yummy Mummy’ during the entire first year.
10. One should lavish the child with gifts and expensive clothes, but the child should not become ‘spoiled’ in the toddler years to follow.
11. Under no circumstances should you accept ‘hand me down’ or ‘gently used’ clothing or equipment. Everything must be purchased new, at great expense to one’s pocket and the environment.
12. …

Welcome back from the weekend, we went out for a chinese with the family on Saturday night, I ate way too much! Erin was well behaved (if a little hyper) considering she is teething.
Manicmama who has just given birth to her third, posts Labour Bag Essentials (and she should know).
There’s been a lot of hype recently surrounding a book entitled The 4-Hour Workweek, I intend to read it myself soon, in the meantime Trent at the The Simple Dollar has a good honest sounding review, even with the constructive …

What is it about parenting and public transport that doesn’t mix?
The day before yesterday, I took the bus down to the village, I’d like to say that this was in an effort to be more green, alas, it was more to do with hubby’s 4.45am start time (he needed the car), who just so happens to be a bus driver and was caught up in my frustrations.
Anyway, so I’m on the bus, after an hour or so of waiting. Don’t get me wrong the buses are frequent, every five …

Socially recognised mothering standards eh? Yeah, you know, all that stuff that as a mother you are expected to do and the unsaid standards you are expected to keep [at all times].
1. One should work until they drop (literally) before beginning maternity leave, you should be so tired you can barely stand up and proceed to give birth the very next day. You should brag to other mothers about said martyrdom.
2. One should have a natural birth which should involve rose petals, water and classical music. …

This week has seen a broken oven, some terrible teething and the news that Alex’ contract is changing which should see an end to the 14 hour days woohoo!
Meantime in the rest of the world;
The latest report confirms that British teenagers lack creativity. No real surprise when you consider that most teenagers spend eight hours a day studying for exams (just don’t get me started!).
Scribbit’s son has a cool book safe. This would make a good weekend craft project for boys and girls!
Littlemummy Retro: This is one …

Sorry, no photo this time, camera batteries were out, which is a shame because this was Fun (with a capital F).

Erin was given these paint wands by her Aunty, they are really, really good. You simply leave them in water for 20 seconds the first time (the next time they should work quicker) and paint away. Erin was able to have full control of the painting experience without my worrying about her ‘overdoing’ it with the paint, the thin handle and weight make them suprisingly easy for her …

I have been asked to take a look at the BabySock and give my opinions (I’m pretty good at that!).
I have been paid a small fee to do this, however, it’s the kind of site/product/business I like to champion. Why?
I’m fascinated by Mums, who, through the journey of motherhood come up with products and ideas that help other mums, or help them to support their family and still spend lots of quality time with the kiddies (somethingelse I champion!).
A bit from the about page;
“After moving to the Seattle area …

I’ve been fascinated and curious about homeschooling for a while, how it works, and why some parents choose to abandon the state system altogether.
A blog I found just today and am currently delving into provided me with a link to this article from the Guardian.

School’s out, for ever
For all the pitfalls and complaints we have about the education system the crux of the problem can be found in the following two qoutes;
She added that, “Common to all families involved was their flexible approach to education … Children benefited …

My new blog theme (thanks Dave) saw the death of the link blog, so here I am with the alternative, a quick roundup with some special link love (non bloggers – it means highlighting worthy articles and blogs in a bid to make friends!)
This article about the price of toys gives a thumbs up to long lasting, well made wooden toys that I very much agree with.
The Carnival of Family Life is at Digital Rich Daily, the alphabet theme really appeals to my love of all things educational. Nice …

I finished reading this book a little while ago and to be honest I wasn’t going to bother doing a review because I didn’t really know what to say.
I wasn’t really sure what I got out of the book, although I’m in the perfect demographic that it should help – a worrier that carrys around a lot of emotional baggage. The byline is ‘How to Get Rid of Your Emotional Baggage and Live the Life You Want’, and as I read that byline again now I think perhaps I …