• featured post
When you work from home, filling seven weeks of school holidays can be a daunting prospect.
OH and I have fallen into the trap of planning all these expensive, action-packed days out, only to end up with two exhausted, over-stimulated kids who take it in turns to melt down. Not fun.
This year I’ve learned my lesson and stripped it back to basics. By that I mean I’ve concentrated on those simple pleasures – the sort of things I still remember fondly from when I was a child (yes, I can remember back that far!).
So far we’ve been DEN MAKING in our local woods, STREAM DIPPING at one of the nearby National Trust properties, and scooter riding around our local common. We’ve also stocked up on water pistols and sponges, and have a mahoosive water fight planned for later this week.
The other night I treated them to a good, old-fashioned Pyjama Party: I loaded the newest Barbie movie on to the iPad, and we went shopping for popcorn, crisps and chocolate milkshakes. Next, we tucked blankets into the sides of the bunk bed to turn the lower level into a secret den.
The girls loved it! I barely heard a peep out of them all evening (except for a rather diva-like demand for a milkshake top up) and it also meant they were nice and relaxed for bedtime afterwards.
When it comes to sleeping, the girls are chalk and cheese – Lil Sis is usually quite happy to turn in, but always wants a cuddle from Mummy to help her drift off. From the moment her head touches the pillow it’s a matter of minutes before she’s sound asleep. Then she’s like a log – barely moving until she wakes up the next morning with a smile on her face.
Big Sis, on the other hand, treats bedtime like a deadly disease – something to be avoided at all cost. She’ll stall for time with every excuse she can think of, only giving in when she’s totally exhausted or can see she’s pushed me one step too far (and even then she’ll spend a further 30 minutes making shadow puppets on the wall, or singing to her teddy bears).
The next morning she has to be prised out of bed, hair sticking out in every direction and grumpy scowl on her face.
I did worry that she wasn’t getting enough sleep, but according to official NHS GUIDELINES, an eight-year-old should be getting 10 hours and 15 minutes per night (which Big Sis is – albeit just scraping in some nights!), while five-year-old’s should be getting 11 hours (which Lil Sis definitely is).
I’m also a big believer in investing in a decent bed – after all, you spend one third of your life sleeping so it just makes sense to make it as comfy as possible. When we got the girls their bunk beds we made sure to pay a bit more for inner sprung mattresses, then I cut an old memory foam mattress topper in half to make two single layers for the girls.
The team at HAPPY BEDS understand that a comfortable sleep is vitally important at any age, and have a wide online range of bed frames and quality orthopaedic mattresses. Because they work directly with the manufacturers, they’re able to pass on huge savings, which means you can pick up great quality products at affordable prices.
Orders placed before 11am are sent out that same day, or the following business day after 11am, AND they offer free delivery for most of the UK (check their website for exceptions).
That’s enough to make you sleep well at night, right?
