Lake walk raises €70000 for cancer charity – The Clare People
|
Lake walk raises €70000 for cancer charity
The Clare People Organizers of the inaugural Pink Ribbon 'Walk by the Lough' in aid of Action Breast Cancer in Ballina-Killaloe have expressed their delight over the event, … |
Putting best foot forward for cancer – Irish Independent
 Cumberland Courier Newspapers |
Putting best foot forward for cancer
Irish Independent Already two Pink Ribbon Walks have been planned — one in Killaloe, Co Clare, tomorrow; and one in Kells, Co Meath, on September 11. … Walk by the Lough for breast cancer |
Co Clare holding averages €10000 per acre – Irish Independent
|
Co Clare holding averages €10000 per acre
Irish Independent PRICES averaging €10000/ac were achieved last week at the auction of a 102ac residential holding at Gurtnagee, Killaloe, Co Clare. … |
Now offering…art and minding sessions!
In the past I always found it popular to offer flexible sessions which incorporated a little arts, crafts, gardening or baking just as part of the normal routine in my home so I am going to begin to offer these again. In fairness to the children who are here full-time (both my own and others) this is going to be at times that fit around the rhythm of our normal day of daily care, naps, and feeding.
The sessions are going to run from 9.30am to 11 am and from 3.30pm to 5pm. These sessions are ideal for parents who have an errand to run but do not need to avail of full time care. These are times when other children can take part in some of our activities in the company of the full time children, and part take in a snack.(10.30am and 4.30pm)
A session costs €8 and includes art materials and snack.
In line with other RIE services(and a family home!), as they say ‘the curriculum is what happens!’ so activities are not set and often child led, but always fun!
Contact me for further details.
finally, a chance to relax?
After a looong week, struggling to keep the baby’s temperature down, struggling to keep him hydrated with home-made isotonic drink - half and half orange juice and water with the tiniest pinch of salt, (similar to the preparations you buy in a pharmacy for children who are vomiting or have diarrhoea) I was literally fit to collapse myself!
Of all weeks, hubby had to stay away on the worst possible night, I had to stay awake all night that night as it was impossible to keep his temperature down, and after three nights in a row already of not sleeping properly through worry, I was really in no fit state for anything more strenuos than lying like a starfish on the bed.
On the first day that he began to show signs of improvement, after having been on an antibiotic finally for two days, I was due to attend a childminding network meeting. I didn’t want to give in and miss it as I knew I would regret it afterwards and knowing that baba would be fine with his Dad for a couple of hours I just had to work myself up to getting ready for it. Just when showering and changing my clothes was beginning to seem a little too much like work, a delivery van pulled up outside and I nearly rant out to meet him as I knew what he had for me, a lovely box of goodies from Neom organics.
Now, allow me to explain, I love bath and body treats, perfume, candles, all that stuff. If I was to choose between €200 in my favourite clothes shop and the same to spend on body creams and potions, I’d choose the potions every time!
I worked in a pharmacy for four years so I know a thing or two about what I like in perfumes and body creams. I prefer natural ingredients and natural scents but in my experience, these are often too strong and almost medicinal in scent, not something you would opt to use every day. The Neom products are the first time I have come across an organic range with real natural fragrances that are pleasant enough to use all the time.
The cream and body wash I got were from the real luxury fragrance range and the first time I opened the bottles it took me right back to my honey moon in the Caribbean. I think that’s why I love fragrance so much, few items of clothing have the power to recapture a memory or a time and place like a beautiful perfume will.
And for any other mums or minders out there who’s idea of a night off includes a bathroom, candles and hot water, I must also recommend their treatment candles. I got one called pure indulgence which I loved. It contains Brazilian orange oil and is reputed to help with optimism (we all need a little of that at the moment), well the smell is gorgeous and I maybe its a co-incidence but I am feeling much more laid back about my worries at the moment!
So, after the a rushed but enjoyable freshen up with my new smellies I was just about human and ready to set out for the network meeting feeling at least a little calmer!
Kiddie Cocaine
I try to take a moderate approach in my parenting and childminding practice, but this is often difficult. For instance, like all other mums, I try to ensure the children have a pretty healthy diet. But rather than ban any food type, or force feed them brocolli (as was done to me by a childminder when I was a child) I just don’t buy certain foods, I leave the fruit in easy reach and cook vegetables into their meals. I guess you could say I’m just more sneaky about it !
The one that’s really foxing me at the moment though is that old chestnut, television. About 6 months ago I thought I had it sorted, but as we all know the golden rule with children is that once you think you have it sussed, things change.
Since I am still on maternity leave after having no.3,(just coming out of that now) the only little lady at home during the day is my own 3 year old. So it was quite a simple task to wean her off the little tv she was used to seeing through distraction, setting up other activities, walks etc and the tv was never turned on at all for months.
Now, just as we finally succeeded in having it switched off (they really don’t want you to go) my little lady is demanding her fix again. What changed? Well, I think that its down to an accumulation of moments when my resolve and that of other family members was weakened and we gave in.
For instance, it has happened twice in the last three weeks that we (hubby and I) have been doing a big clean up of the house say on a Saturday morning and have fallen into the trap of getting out of our swing pushing, doll carrying duties by turning the tv on. I can see from her reactions that when it comes to kiddie cocaine, moderation is not possible. You just can’t get away with turning on one program, maybe thirty minutes of it, as soon as she gets a taste, she wants more.
Part of this is of course down to how the children’s channels are set up. Most of the ones for pre-school children have no ad breaks. I’m sure if we asked them they would have us believe that this is so that our little ones are not exposed to advertising, but a nice little added bonus to this from their view point is that there is no break, no natural point at which the child will get bored and want to turn it off.
If you watch these channels for awhile, you will notice that everything about them is designed so that the children want to keep watching. there is no boring end part with a roll call of the people involved and the theme. Now, even the end of the program is interactive so they stay watching and no sooner do they get to this part of the program than some other ‘fun’ character pops up and tells them whas coming next!
More than once in the last few weeks I have found myself reminiscing about my childhood and the way that children’s programs only came on for an hour or two each evening and on Saturday morning. There was something in the fact that you knew that it was finite that broke the spell it holds now, it wasn’t possible turn on another channel and get 24 hours of your favourite program, you had to wait till next week and our lives had much more freedom for that.
So I think that these children’s channels may be their own worst enemies to some extent. The solution we have reached in this house is to turn off the satellite channel and so rid ourselves of these ‘always on’ children’s channels. On terestrial tv, children’s programming is still limited to a few hours in the afternoon.
Am I looking at my own childhood through rose tinted specs and trying to create a utopia for my children? Of course I am but it became clear to me that moderation would not work here. Like any recovering addict, she would not be able to have a few minutes of tv and walk away and where distraction worked 6 months ago, its having less impact now that her memory is better (she’s nearly 4).
So we went cold turkey on her and this is how it panned out:
day 1 – wailing, crying, nashing of teeth, refusal it do any other activites
day 2 – large breaks in wailing
day 3 – today – ahh, peace! no noise, blanket over the ‘you know what’ (as its referred to here) and the only request so far today was to un-cover the sand pit.
If you aren’t convinced of the impact of tv on children, read some wise (and funny) words from a wise man who really understood children, Roald Dahl: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/television/
Baby fever, day 3
I didn’t sleep a wink last night. It’s so worrying having a baby with a temperature and it doesn’t get any easier when you’ve had three children, you feel just as frightened, just as confused as to what is the right thing to do. It feels like I’ve gone right back to being a 21 year old new mum.
Thus far, I have not taken him to the GP as I know what they will do, I will be given an antibiotic prescription I don’t want to use. This infection comes literally with every new tooth so why give another antibiotic?
But this morning, as I was lying beside this hot little body, clinging to me as I was trying to keep him cool, stripped down to his vest, I considered it.
And yet now, I have a happy little man, still dressed in just a vest which is covered in Holle organic baby muesil from Siopa beag. I think we’ll hold out for another few hours.
Monday, and another bout of infection..can I go back to bed?
The weekend was wonderful, until about half way through yesterday…
It started so well! On Saturday morning I did a training course run by Clare county childcare committee on manual handling. The course was well run and useful and it was, as these courses always are, a great chance to meet other childminders. The fact that I had to be at a course early Saturday morning and go straight on to the christening and then west clare meant that I had to buy, shop and pack for the whole weekend on Friday, leaving a detailed instruction list out for hubby.
Packing stage one – double buggy and fleeces for chilly coast walks
Packing stage 2 – first of two weekend bags!
Packing stage 3 – laid out kids clothes for Saturday morning, just in case hubby took them to the christening naked!
All of this went to plan anyway and we made it to the christening of our friend’s lovely little girl and the day, from weather right through to food and craic was wonderful. We found it hard to tear ourselves away, the children were all enjoying each others company in the garden while the parents were enjoying the food and the chance to catch up but we had yet another invite for that day!
We travelled across to the west coast to stay with friends who were renting a house in a small village called Liscannor by the Atlantic ocean. The next morning was another glorious one and though we now numbered 4 adults, 2 children and 2 babies, we attempted to load the car up for a day of sightseeing – and managed to get moving before night fall!
We started with a visit to the Cliffs of Moher.We all found it strange to be there when it wasn’t lashing rain and we got some wonderful photographs though it was exhausting pushing the double buggy up and down the sides of the cliffs.
Another slight drawback to the long steep paths became aparent after a laborious trundle up the summit on one side to see the viewing tower. After we got to the tower, the three year old decided she needed to pee and I was informed that we needed to go back down the side of the cliff to the visitors centre at the bottom! I left the baba and buggy with my friends and set off down the cliff with herself in tow building quickly to a wail that almost came bouncing back off the cliffs on the other side! I thought we’d never make it to the bathrooms but make it we did. We then headed back up to the summit to rejoin the others, enjoying a relaxing gaze out at the view but isn’t it worth it? The 12 year old got his pics of the cave which was used for filming an episode of Harry Potter and we decided to pack up and head for the beach.
It was around this stage that it began to become apparent that something was up with the baba. He was off-colour and irritable and I soon realised that he had another ear infection building. We stopped back to the house, had lunch and relaxed there for awhile, after a dose of pain relief he perked up and we decided it was best to get him out in the fresh air so we went on to the nearest town, Lahinch, and spent some time on the beach. We had dinner in a little cafe there and got to take some wonderful photos on the beach against the sunset before hitting for home.
A lovely weekend, but the baba’s temperature stayed slightly elevated today and he was still off colour and thrown down so it was stressful, worrying and hard to get any unpacking or tidying done. He brightened significantly by bedtime so hopefully he will be out of it tomorrow.
Best useful thing I’ve found in ages! – offer alert!
As you will know if you are also a childminder, there is this fine line you walk, you want to keep your home a home, with things you enjoy looking at and using, but you also want to run a professional practice as a childminder.
Sometimes, these two are at odds, like in the kitchen. I know that not everyone will want to go into this kind of detail but I did a hygiene management course and learned about the different colour coded chopping boards and knives and what they should be used for and how they should be cleaned etc. But where are you supposed to store all of these chopping boards in the average kitchen?
Well take a look at this little cutie, its a knife and chopping board index from Instore.ie
I fell in love immediately! It looks good, the quality is amazing and I can justify it as a work purchase! Just to make it even sweeter, the first ten readers to purchase one of these with this code: Mum01 will get €19.50 off the price!