family Archives - Page 24 of 30

This is my first gallery post and this week the theme is Dad, in honour of Father’s Day. I haven’t done a post about my Dad as yet, so this is a great opportunity!

A few things you don’t don’t know about my Dad!

Dad also goes by the name Snertspop. For those of you scratching your head, he calls me Snert (Snotty Nosed, Egotistical, Rude, Teenager). I’m no longer a teenager by a long shot, am a respectable married woman, and am rarely snotty-nosed having now mastered the art of using a tissue, but Snert I remain. He is my Dad or Pops, so Snertpops it is.

Dad has an MBE. (Very proud moment for us all!). Having been in service in the Royal Air Force pretty much all of his adult working life, his hardwork and dedication were rewarded by HRH. Dad calls her Lizzie, they are best buds now apparently, she shook his hand, the hand he said he wouldn’t wash therefore dishes were out of the question….. *Ducks*.

Dad (who is Irish) once caught a leprechaun. I know this because he told us when we were little. If I remember the story correctly Dad was granted a wish for letting him go, and his wish was for gold. Every year, the little man promised, Dad would receive gold, and he did. Chocolate gold coins. This is a true story, it must be as I remember being told to go and look in the garden for the gold and finding the coins hung all over. This taught me an important lesson… when catching a leprechaun, get him to sign a contract as they are sneaky little beggars.

Dad has a terrible condition called MustMessAboutWhenSomeoneIsTakingAPhoto-ism – symptoms include making bunny ears, silly smirks and fake nose picks. This is not apparently a curable condition but a certain look from my Mum can help quell the symptoms.

Dad is a writer. He has written children’s stories and a cracking fantasy novel. He is infuriatingly modest however and doesn’t believe he has the talent he does.

Dad use to fly planes, not Red Arrow’s but that sort of stuff, and gliders too. Even after being in the RAF for so many years, he can’t understand why people would want to jump out of a plane with little more than a silk hanky.

My Dad used to play football down the street with George Best when they were kids.

Something else you don’t know about my Dad which all his kids do, is that he is a fantastic Father.

Happy Father’s Day Snertspop!

To read more about the Gallery and see other fantastic entries, click below!

I have two good sleepers. Kieran slept through the night from three and a half weeks, Taylor from seven weeks. When I attended baby clinic when Kieran was small I felt I almost had to hide this fact, as if I’d done something wrong. I remember being asked once, after a group of Mums were talking about how tired they were, what little sleep they were getting, how many times I got during the night. And I lied!! “Usually only once, sometime twice” just rolled off my tongue. It felt mean / potentially dangerous to tell this group of sleep deprived ladies that I’d slept uninterrupted for weeks!

Those I did mention it to, and the same goes now even, usually respond with:

Humph!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am NOT saying you are a bad parent if your child isn’t a good sleeper, far from it. Is it not possible though, perhaps just a little that both of mine have slept well in part due to my being able to work a routine that works well with their natures? No? Ah, clearly flukey then!

Own space. Both Boys went into their own cots, in their own bedrooms from day one. This was partly due to a space issue initially but worked so well with Kieran we did exactly the same with Taylor without thinking about it.

The right environment. Nurseries in our house are simple, unfussy, comfortable & dark! We have blackout blinds so regardless of the time, sleeptime is dark time. Each boy liked some music or a light show on briefly before they nodded off.

Routine. I’m a stickler for routine! I need it for me, and the Boys thrive on it. Our bedtime routine is the same every night, after tea a bath, cuddle, story and down to sleep (awake usually, this meant for mine that they could fall asleep/settle themselves down by themselves if they woke early, without needing to be rocked etc).

Sleepwear. Both were swaddled from birth, securely wrapped, feeling safe and warm. My two wrigglers didn’t wear this for long as soon swaddles were exchanged for sleeping bags, fantastic for babes with active legs that just love to kick the bed covers off!!

Most parent’s do the same, or similar, I’m sure, but these work for us, they compliment the Boys’ easy-going & settled nature. Fluke? Maybe… but I like to think I’m doing what’s right for my lads!

Were/ are yours good sleepers? If a baby is an unsettled sleeper, I’m guessing you can’t “fix” this, but perhaps other “flukey” (yes, this label does annoy me actually!), Mums & Dads have hints and tips that might help?

ADDITION: I’m adding this in because one of the comments left by someone I think a lot of, has struck a chord. It appears I’ve come across as a bit of a snot-bag, I just want to re-iterate that I don’t think in any way that someone whose little ones aren’t good sleepers aren’t cracking parents or not as good as me (trust me on THAT one lol). This is important enough to me, for me to add an addition (which I have never done before). Parenting is hard enough without ever being made to feel you are being told you are wrong or crap. This is partly why I’ve written the post, after being made to feel wrong and crap because my two have slept through (damned if you do, damned if you don’t). x

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The Gallery #1 – Dad!

Good Parenting or Fluke?