Issue 6
Yoga, tape and journalling
Hello, all. I hope you’ve had a good week, whatever tier you find yourselves in.
Inside this book
I saw this in the library this week and borrowed it for my son. I think he may have first heard of yoga via the yoga badge in Hey Duggee. We’ve previously had a go at it using poses I remember from attending classes ages ago and we specifically taught him downward dog for bum-wiping purposes during potty training! He has said he likes it so I thought he would enjoy this book.
He did. Mostly the excitement of something new and then turning the pages. This morning we tried it again and he did do some of the poses. He then opted to just crawl under and over me while I did them. I chose to see this as a form of goat yoga and appreciate the pseudo-massage of having a toddler knee me in the back.
I enjoyed the stretch so much! I’ve realised I have hardly moved my body since lockdown and I tend to sleep in weird positions, so this was an amazing way to start the day. I am going to try and do the sequence each morning, with or without goat-boy.
So I recommend this book, but also just using a book to learn something together with your child. It’s fun, it’s educational and you might just find your new favourite thing.
Outside the house
Autumn is a great time for picking things off the floor. You can collect a rainbow of leaves and all kinds of seeds. If you’re looking for something to do with these riches, go and buy some double sided tape. With this you can make anything into a display or collecting point for forest treasures.
Put a piece on a strip of card and staple the ends together to make a leaf crown.
Cut out animal shapes, add tape and use leaves as fur and feathers.
Wrap some around a stick and find sycamore seeds to be the wings of your dragonfly.
Place some strips on a card next to different coloured dots for your child to do a colour hunt. You can also use paint colour charts from a DIY shop - look for brown and orange tones.
Stick half leaves to paper and draw the other half.
Inside your head
After a particularly shitty day on Sunday, I was relieved to have a great time with my son on Monday, exploring the Thames and Trafalgar Square. When things are hard, it’s so easy to fall into the spiral of “I’m a rubbish parent”. I’m not. You’re not.
Something helpful I did this week was write in my journal. I made a list of all the ways I am a good mother. I will add to this when I think of new ones, and try and remember to look at it when I feel rubbish again. When you feel low, it’s hard to remember that things are often good. And vice versa. So while you are feeling good, after a particularly great day with your children, write your own list. Then make sure you get it out when you next wobble.
Out of the blue
If you do have a crap day, rescue it by having Nigella’s crab mac n cheese for dinner. It’s all salty, rich and comforting and looks lurid American cheese sauce.
Thank you for reading. Please forward to a friend who would like to read it too. And if it was forwarded to you, why not subscribe?
Have a good week,
Molly x
