7 Ways Of Getting Rid Of The Dummy

So we have come across that tricky subject of when to take the dummy away, and this has been one of those little areas of parenting that I really have been dreading! Darcy is wellllllll, very, extremely, attached to her dummy and right now there really is no getting it off her. Whilst it is her comfort which makes me feel a bit mean, I know that she cannot have it forever.

I scoured the internet for all the hints, tips, tricks.. you name it for the 'best' way to take it away. I mean, there really is no 'best' way is there? Either way she is going to be really upset/ I thought I'd list below a few tips on things i'm going to do to get rid of this dreaded dummy in the hope I can at least help someone else in the same boat as me, and I'll let you know how I get on.

1. Firstly, get the dummy down for just naps and bedtime (stage one complete) we've done this for a few months now. I think this is a good way of just phasing it out to begin with and slightly easier than I thought too.

2. In the UK we have a place called Build A Bear workshop where you can make a bear add the fluff in and take it home. Cute idea right? Welllll what you have to do is take them there with dummy in tow and pop the dummy inside the bear, that way they feel involved... I really like this idea and think I'm going to go for this sort of approach.

3. Give it to Santa on Christmas eve in exchange for Christmas presents, this again is a good one as they're going to be distracted by it being Christmas, however do you want your sleepless night to be Christmas eve.

4. The Dummy Fairy. Tell them that the dummy fairy is coming to collect it and in the morning there will be a gift from her in exchange for it. This is a bit like the above one but obviously you can do this all year round and you don't have to wait until Christmas.

5. Going cold turkey. I mean I praise you if you are strong enough to go in this hard but man I can't imagine it be easy but it probably is the easiest way in the long term.

6. Hide all but one and say if you lose this one thats it, they're all gone. I mean, eventually you're going to lose that last one surely.

7. Read books about it, I think if you discuss that the dummy is going to be taken soon, they're going to expect it. Reading books about it helps, and I know there are a few on Amazon.

Please let me know if you have any other tips of how to get rid of the dummy!?

Thanks for reading.

Amelia

xxx

How I Stay Motivated

So like a lot of people in this country and I am not speaking for everyone a lot of us aren't in the job they want to be in forever. I am certainly one of those people and I don't want to work where I do for rest of my life, that's no secret though. 

When I had Darcy I was in a position where I had to go back to work, again like a lot of people. I was however, lucky that I only had to go 16 hours a week so I could spend the majority of my time with her. I'd love to have a job that I really enjoyed especially now that Darcy is 2, it is a case though that my hours fit so well around her childcare arrangements that unfortunately I have to stay put for the time being, at least until she goes to school, which is why I'd love a job where I could be flexible. I would love to write and blog from home as it really is where my passion lies but that seems like a far away dream right now, I do tell myself that if I work hard enough it could happen.

I have found though that I have days where I really can't be bothered with blogging and all the admin that goes with it and sometimes think I should pack it all in as it just isn't going anywhere. I thought I'd put together some tips that I think about where I need a bit of motivation:

• Take a couple of days off. It's okay to take a little break to refresh your mind and get some new ideas. We all need a day off everynow and again to realised that we really enjoy what we do! Else we'd end up resenting it. Even if it is just a couple of hours, go for a walk, this can really inspire me.
• Refresh your work space. A bit like above, but think about where you work best from and just refresh that area, add a couple of inspirational quotes to the wall if that floats your boat. Just do anything that excites you to get working again.
• Drink plenty of water and fuel yourself healthily. This is something only recently I've focused on and really noticed the difference, making sure I am drinking plenty of water and eating lunch ect has made me much less tired and groggy.
• Get organised. This is actually something I really enjoy doing. Get your dary and your notepad out. (Even treat yourself to new stationary if it helps!) Just get organised and jot down any ideas. This is my biggest motivation right here. 
• Remember why you're doing what you're doing. What are your goals? Is this really your passion? This here, can remind you the success you're actually gaining and motivate and inspire

I hope these tips will help you. 

What motivates you?

Thanks for reading

Amelia

xxx

Darcys 2nd Birthday | Peppa Pig World

Last month on the 22nd June my little Darcy turned two. Which like most parents has made me very sad in the fact that my little girl is growing up way too fast for my liking... :( 

With a bit of umming and arrring on what we were going to do on Darcys birthday (we always like to go on a day trip or just generally go away) we decided to go to Peppa Pig World. This kid is obsessed with Peppa and George so this seemed very fitting, we woke up very early, so that we would have enough time to open presents and just generally get ready with out rushing, I hate rushing.  We live roughly two hours away from Peppa Pig world and we wanted to get there for when it opened so made sure we had left by 8am.

 As we were driving up the little road towards the park, the signs were showing that we were definitely visiting Peppa and Darcy could see that. She was getting really excited in the back and to be honest I was too. Luckily we had visited on a day where it wasn't too busy, the weather was pretty overcast but I was kinda glad about that as the heat can make a grumpy toddler. We walked straight to the Peppa Pig area of the park which was a little walk actually which I was surprised about, I didn't realised Paultons Park was so big!! I was so pleased about how much there was to do in there for her, I was slightly worried that as she is 2 she would be too little for most of the rides but this certainly was not the case. You really could just spend the day in this part of the park as there is so much to do.. We did however, take a walk over to The Lost Kingdom which is for the dinosaur fanatics when we were all Peppa Pig'd out! We'd really like to come back here she is slightly older so we can enjoy the whole park. When we had been on enough rides, and had a bite to eat, it was time to make our way to the hotel. We'd made the decision to stay at a hotel in Southampton as we'd never been before and it was only 15 minutes away. We had a little look around the shopping centre there which by the way is amazing! We ate some lovely food and on the Friday it was time to make our way home. The next day we arranged for a small garden party with the whole family which was one of the highlights, it's nice just to celebrate and be with family. Enjoy the photos.

Amelia

xxx