- Sarah 3 Comments

The Last Day: Returning to work after maternity leave

the last day

This is it. After over 13 months of maternity leave I return to my job as a Modern Languages teacher tomorrow (we go back to school crazy early here in Scotland!). Although I’ve been off work for over a year it feels like the time to go back has come round so quickly. It wasn’t helped by the fact that a month ago I still didn’t have a job to go back to – it was only two weeks ago that I interviewed for and was offered a new job in a new school and with a different council, so the end of maternity leave hasn’t been entirely stress-free!

I have such mixed emotions about going back to work – on the one hand I’m looking forward to going back to work. I enjoy my job (most of the time!) and I’m looking forward to doing something that involves using a bit more brain power for a change. And I got to buy some new clothes too. But on the other hand, I’m going to miss Toby so much. It makes me so sad to think someone other than me will be looking after him. And because he’s going to nursery full-time he’s actually going to be spending more time with the people at nursery than he is with me and Barry. I know though, that he’s going to get so much out of being there and playing with all the other babies. He’s had three settling in sessions this week; we went for an hour last week and I stayed with him and then he was there on his own for two hours on Monday, three hours on Tuesday and then a full day (7am-4:30pm) on Wednesday as a proper practice for what we’ll be doing next week.

And I’m relieved to say he seems to have taken to it remarkably well. I was quite worried about it as no-one has ever looked after Toby except me and Barry (apart from a couple of times when we’ve been out in the evening but that’s always been after he’s been in bed). He’s been fine at nursery though – we did pick up a very tired and slightly grumpy boy on Tuesday when they couldn’t get him to have a nap but he managed two naps on Wednesday (albeit much shorter ones than he would have at home) so I’m hopeful that he’ll settle into a routine soon enough. He’s been eating well at least and they managed OK with his cloth nappies too, although I might have to give them a few more fitting lessons yet!

So, it seems Toby is going to be all right at nursery so that just leaves me. For the fourth time in five years I will be starting the new year at a new school. I really wish I was going back to the school I was at before my maternity leave. It was a small school and I knew most of the kids and had fitted in well with all the teachers and other staff too. It’s always hard to start a new job but as a teacher you don’t get any time to settle in and find your feet. Fortunately the first day is in-service day so at least I’ll have chance to see what classes I’m teaching and find my way about a bit but from Tuesday I have to be on it. I need to at least pretend I know what I’m doing from the very beginning or it’ll take months to get the kids to accept me. There are so many things to learn going to a new school. Every school seems to have a different way of doing things, from where the pencils are kept, to what you need to do to get a brew at break time! I know it’ll all be fine in a couple of weeks but for now, I’m really not looking forward to that aspect of starting my new job.

The only other thing then, that I’m trying not to worry about, is that my new job means that both me and Barry will be working on the other side of the Forth Road Bridge to where we live, and more importantly on the other side to Toby’s nursery. In severe weather the bridge can be closed, or if there is an accident or breakdown this can cause massive delays so I’m really worried in case we both get stuck on the wrong side of the bridge and we can’t collect Toby. Not having any family near by means there isn’t anyone we can call on in an emergency. At a push my friend Claire could probably get him but she has her own twins to look after too. Hopefully it will never come to that, but it doesn’t stop it being something that is going to sit at the back of my mind. Before having Toby I never would have thought that going to work could involve so much stress and worry.

So anyway, it’s going to be a big change for us all over the next few weeks, and I have a feeling that blogging is going to have to take a bit of a back seat for a while. Don’t worry though, I’ll still be around and I’ll try to post a few updates when I can. If anyone has any tips for combining a full-time job with being a mum then please do let me know, I think I’m going to need all the help I can get!

- Sarah 2 Comments

Review: Konfidence sun protection suit

It seems I might be a bit late with this review, seeing as the lovely sunny weather seems to have deserted us in favour of a hurricane at the moment but you never know, we might get some more sun before the summer’s out, or maybe you’re lucky enough to still have a summer holiday abroad to look forward to! As part of our role as Konfidence Swimologists we were asked if Toby would like to try some of the Konfidence range of sun protection clothing and even though we had already been on our summer holiday I knew it would come in useful for those sunny days in the garden and we recently put it to the test when Toby had his first ever experience of a paddling pool!

Konfidence Sun Protection Suit

The Details

We were sent the Konfidence sun protection suit and hat to try out. The suits are available in sizes to fit from 6 months to 7 years – we chose the 1-2 years size for Toby. The hat has sizes from 0 to 6 years. I chose 0-1 year, as although Toby is very tall he has a tiny head! The suit is £17.50 and the hat £8 but currently you can buy both together for £22.95. The sun protection clothing (separate shorts and vest are also available) comes in Blue Palm or Pink Hibiscus.

The Pros

  • UV protection clothing is such a good idea – I remember wearing a normal t-shirt in the pool on holiday when I was a kid and it just got heavy and in the way. There are no such problems with this suit, and as a parent I am happy knowing Toby is protected from the sun, and I only have to get sun cream on the exposed bits rather than all over a wriggly baby. The sun protection suit has full length sleeves and 3/4 length legs so there isn’t too much skin left exposed.
  • The material of the suit and hat is soft and stretchy, meaning Toby looked very comfortable.
  • The 6-12 month and 1-2 years sizes have poppers along the legs making for easy nappy changes (along with the zip on the back the poppers also make it much easier to get the suit on and off).
  • The suit and hat both have clever UV colour-changing technology – the logo on the front and stars on the sleeve (and on the back of the hat) change colour to blue or pink when the suit is protecting your little one from UV rays.
  • The hat has a large peak and flap to keep the neck covered. The stretchy lycra means the hat is less likely to fall off and it must have been comfortable because Toby actually left it on, whereas he normally whips hats off within seconds!
  • The 1-2 years size fit Toby well with some room left for him to grow, and the stretchy fabric means it should last a while longer yet.

Konfidence Sun Protection clothing

The Cons

  • None! I actually can’t think of any negatives to this sun protection clothing.

The Verdict

We loved the Konfidence sun protection clothing. Toby was very comfortable wearing it and as a parent I was happy knowing he was protected from those harmful UV rays. Everyone knows how painful (and potentially dangerous) sun burn can be and I will do everything I can to make sure Toby doesn’t have to suffer it. And with Konfidence my job just got a lot easier!

**Disclaimer: I was sent a Konfidence Sun Protection Suit and Hat as a part of our role as Konfidence Swimologists. All opinions are my own.

We're going on an adventure
- Sarah 3 Comments

Living Arrows 32/52

We’ve had quite a busy week this week. On Monday we went to our swimming lesson – I swam nearly a whole length (of admittedly a very small pool) with Toby holding on to my back all by himself! It was awesome. He’s ridden on my back before but I’ve never let go, and I didn’t expect him to keep holding on while I kept swimming. He’s been quite clingy at swimming lately though so perhaps it actually helped him for this one!

On Wednesday we had Toby’s first settling in session at nursery – it was only for an hour and I stayed with him but he seemed to enjoy it. He just spent the whole hour crawling round the room and picking up all the different toys! He didn’t really seem to notice whether I was there or not and only came back to me a couple of times so hopefully he’ll be OK when it comes to staying there on his own. He’s going again today for two hours and then three hours tomorrow and I’ll leave him there (I’m planning on going shopping for some new work clothes while I have a chance!) and then on Wednesday he is going to do a full day. I don’t start work until next Monday but we wanted to do a proper practice run (for us as much as for Toby) to make sure we all know what we’re doing and can get up and out of the house on time. Getting up and being dropped at nursery at 7am is going to be a massive shock to the system of my wee boy who normally sleeps until 8 or 9!

We also saw a couple of friends from our NCT class on Wednesday who we’ve not seen for a while – Toby is definitely massive compared to them! It was lovely to see them though – I can’t believe our babies are all one now.

Wednesday’s busy-ness finished with Toby getting his one year immunisations – he doesn’t seem to be having any ill effects so far but I know a reaction to the MMR can come later so we’re still keeping an eye out.

Thursday and Friday were fairly quiet. On Saturday we went for a walk along part of the Fife Coastal Path near where we live which was very pleasant. It’s not somewhere we’d been before but I’m sure we’ll be going again.

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This weekend also brought more teething with it though – I am so fed up of these teeth now (and I’m sure Toby is too!). Both the top first molars are half through now and I’m fairly sure it’s one of the bottom first molars that is really bothering him too. Teething just makes Toby really grumpy and whiney. He’s not been eating very much either – he keeps putting food in his mouth, chewing it a bit then spitting it out again, which is very frustrating (and messy!). It’s really hard though, because although he’s clearly miserable he rarely wants to be comforted with a cuddle. He moans if you put him down but just wriggles like mad to get away if you try to pick him up. Anyway, it hasn’t been affecting his sleep too much this time so fingers crossed that continues at least.

This week’s Living Arrows picture does capture Toby in a rare moment of peace (and it’s actually a bit of a cheat because it was taken last Saturday). He does like cuddles sometimes, and when he does they really are lovely!

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living arrows
- Sarah 6 Comments

Review: Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy

It was Toby’s first birthday recently and we had a (sort of) party just for his grandparents and a couple of our friends. If you are planning a first birthday party though, Fisher-Price have a whole section of their website dedicated to helping you plan the party and find the perfect gifts. There are loads of tips as well as printables; from invitations, to gift cards, place cards and even bunting and goody bags. There’s also a handy check-list so you can make sure you haven’t forgotten anything!

FP_1stBirthday_Logo_Lockup

Even though we weren’t really having a party for Toby the lovely people at Fisher-Price sent him a fantastic birthday present: the Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy.

The Details

The Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy is an interactive soft toy suitable from 6 to 36 months. It has two modes of play: learning and musical games which are activated by pressing different parts of the puppy. It has an RRP of £19.99 and is availale from a wide variety of retailers. Prices can vary depending on the retailer – it is currently £14.99 at Argos.

Fisher-Price

The Pros

  •  The puppy is a great size – big enough for easy cuddles but not too big to be overwhelming.
  • All the buttons are very easily activated making it very easy for Toby to play with the puppy by himself.
  • There are lots of different sounds and songs – in learning mode the puppy says the name and colour of the body part being pressed, the music mode has lots of familiar songs and rhymes such as heads, shoulders, knees and toes and pat-a-cake.
  • The sounds can be turned off  temporarily by pressing one of the feet (although this is easily switched back on by pressing again) or can be completely switched off using a switch hidden by velcro on the back of the puppy.
  • The switch also gives two volume settings.
  • The red light up heart is great for younger children as they can see and hear when press it.

Love to Play Puppy

The Cons

  • From a child’s point of view there aren’t really any downsides – from an adult’s point of view the only problem is that all the sounds and songs can get a bit annoying after a while, but I think the same can be said of all these kind of toys (and you can always switch it off if it gets unbearable!)

The Verdict

The Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy really does make an ideal first birthday gift. Toby’s face lit up when we first gave him the puppy and showed him how to press the different parts. At the moment he especially loves the songs and pressing the heart to make it light up. I am sure when he gets a bit older though he will enjoy learning the words for the different parts of the body and singing along too. This is a toy that I can really see Toby getting a lot of use out of for a long time to come.

**Disclosure: I was sent  a Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Love to Play Puppy in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

- Sarah 7 Comments

Living Arrows 31/52

Another reasonable quiet week for us. We were back at swimming on Monday enjoying the Turtle Tots summer school. Toby was a bit clingy in the pool but we didn’t have any crying. I’m still holding out hope that he will actually start enjoying swimming soon! On Wednesday I left the boys at home while I went off for my job interview (and I was offered the job, which means I’ll be going back to work and Toby off to nursery very soon), and then at the weekend Toby had his first experience of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (in the rain, as is typical for Edinburgh in August!)

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It’s another picture of Toby’s cheeky face that I’m sharing with you for this week’s Living Arrows. He is such a little boy now, always chattering and babbling away – I do wonder if he is actually trying to communicate yet, or just practising using his voice!

There is another picture I wanted to show you this week too though – Toby is a happy and smiley boy most of the time…but not always!

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- Sarah 4 Comments

Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall at EdFringe

In 2009 I went to something like 37 shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The following year Barry and I stayed in Edinburgh for three days even though I only live half and hour away, just so we could fit in more shows. The two years after we didn’t go to quite so many and last year Toby had just been born so we didn’t make it to any Fringe shows at all. But with nearly 3,000 different shows there is something for everyone so we decided this year we would make sure we ventured over the bridge with Toby and see at least some of what the Fringe has to offer for children and families.

It was a rainy day – not always ideal for a day at the Fringe, but nevertheless we made our way over this morning and headed for the Assembly George Square Gardens and the famous Spiegeltent for Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall.

Monski Mouse

We parked up the buggy and then spent a very enjoyable 50 minutes boogying away to some fantastic tunes – including a bit of Beyonce and that old favourite Nelly the Elephant! Monski Mouse was up on the stage spinning the decks while her assistants Britt and Jason got everyone moving on the dance floor. There were songs where we were all encouraged to be cats, rabbits or dinosaurs, as well as plenty of time for freestyling too. Toby was a bit unsure what was going on at first but then he seemed to really enjoy dancing with us and watching all the other kids and their mums and dads too.

Monski Mouse Baby Disco

Monski Mouse’s Baby Disco Dance Hall is suitable for under-5s and I would certainly recommend it if you are looking for something to do with little ones at the Fringe this year. Although Toby did enjoy himself (and so did we!) I would say it’s probably more fun for kids who are walking so they can throw their own shapes on the dance floor!

There’s still plenty of chance to go and dance with Monski Mouse yourself – there are shows on 3rd, 7th – 9th, and 14th – 17th August at 11am. Tickets are £6 each or you can buy family tickets (2 adults & 2 children, or 1 adult & 3 children) for £5 each.

**Disclaimer: We were kindly given tickets to attend the show – all opinions are my own.

- Sarah 4 Comments

Me & Mine: A Family Portrait (July 2014)

Here I am, a little late with my July Me & Mine post. July was a busy month with Toby’s birthday and visits from family but despite plenty of opportunities we didn’t manage to get a single photo of the three of us together! This month’s picture then was hastily taken on our bed at home – the camera was on the tripod and Toby was far more interested in that than sitting with us for a picture. As it happens though I really like the way this shot has turned out!

July

- Sarah 4 Comments

I’m going back to work (and my worries about nursery)

I’ve been on maternity leave for 13 months now – I’m a teacher and a conveniently timed pregnancy meant I started my maternity leave at the beginning of the summer holidays last year. It was always my intention to return to work after a year but I was only on a temporary contract before my maternity leave and unfortunately, although I was successfully interviewed there were no posts available for Modern Languages teachers in the council where I was working previously. In this council everyone has one interview with the council and then they allocate people to the available jobs, rather than the decisions being made by individual schools.

Staffing requirements can often change over the summer holidays which means a job may come up once the schools start back in a few weeks (and this is what has happened to me every other year I’ve been teaching) but this year, with childcare to organise, just hanging around and hoping something came up wasn’t ideal. I can go on the supply register, but again I wouldn’t be able to make myself available at short notice because of having to arrange someone to look after Toby. We don’t have any family nearby so it’s not like I can just ask my mum to pop up the 250 miles to look after Toby so I can go to work for a day!

Anyway, it was starting to look like I might not be going back to work after all. We told the nursery we wouldn’t be able to take up the place we’d reserved for Toby and after doing some sums we worked out that although we wouldn’t have a lot to spare, we could manage on just one wage. But then I saw jobs advertised in two schools in a different council. They were a bit further away than I’d like ideally but I had to take a chance and apply for them. I was selected for interview for both jobs and had the first one today….and they offered me the post!!

I’m very pleased to be going back to work – I love being at home with Toby but I’ve been surprised just how much I’ve missed my job over the last year. But it’s really scary to think that in two and a half weeks I’ll be back at work full time (Scottish schools go back mid-August). And even scarier is that my little baby boy is going to have to go to nursery full time in a couple of weeks too. Luckily the place was still available at the nursery we had chosen so he’ll be going there. He’ll be doing some settling in sessions very soon and I really hope he manages to get used to it quickly. miss him I know, when I think about it logically, that nursery will be really good for Toby. He’ll get to socialise with other children, he’ll get to do so many more activities than he would if he was at home with me all the time…but but but…..I wish he didn’t have to go. Nobody has ever looked after him apart from me and his dad (apart from a couple of times when we’ve had babysitters while he’s been asleep) and I can’t imagine him spending more time with the nursery workers than he does with us. I feel so sad that someone else might witness his first steps, or his first proper words. I’m so worried that he’ll get upset and I won’t be there to comfort him. I feel like he’s too little to understand what’s going on, and I can’t explain to him why I can’t be there.

Toby woke up from his nap just after I got the call this afternoon to say I had got the job and I went upstairs and gave him a cuddle and I cried for all the cuddles I’m going to miss. I know, really, that I’m doing the right thing, and I’m sure Toby will love nursery soon enough. (And if our plans work out the way we hope it will only be for a year and then, hopefully, I’ll be on maternity leave again…and after that, who knows.) For now though I need to start organising and working out how I’m going to fit in all the chores around a full time job. And I’ve got two and half weeks to fit in as many cuddles as I can!

- Sarah Leave a comment

Review: SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe

In this fantastic hot weather we’ve been having lately keeping Toby safe and happy in the sun has been my main concern. SnoozeShade is a product designed to do just that! We already had a SnoozeShade Original which has had lots of use over the last year but as Toby is now a very inquisitive one year old he does like to be able to see what is going on when he’s out in the buggy. The lovely people at SnoozeShade gave us the opportunity to try out the SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe to see if it could solve our nosy baby problems!
SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe

The Details

The SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe is designed to fit on any pram or pushchair. It has elastic loops around the edges which allow you to attach it to the frame of your pushchair. Whereas the SnoozeShade Original has a vertical zip opening on the front for checking on your baby, the SnoozeShade Plus as a panel on the front which your baby can see through, but which still keeps them protected from the sun. This panel can be zipped either partially or fully open. It also has another layer of the full SnoozeShade fabric which can be poppered over the top if you baby is sleeping. The fabric the SnoozeShade is made from blocks up to 97.5% of harmful UV rays (or 80% through the viewing panel). It is also breathable so there is no danger of your baby suffering from lack of air. The SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe has a retail price of £34.99.

The Pros

  • First and foremost the SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe is fantastic at doing the job it is designed for – that is providing shade and protection from harmful UV rays. I still use suncream on Toby if we are going to be out for a while but I am much happier knowing he isn’t going to get burnt when under the SnoozeShade.
  • There are four pairs of elastic straps to attach the SnoozeShade to your buggy meaning you should be able to attach it to any style of pram or pushchair. We’ve used it both parent and forward facing on our Mamas & Papas Sola, and on our Kiddicare Deko stroller without any problems. The loops fasten with two poppers and have always stay securely attached – even with Toby trying to pull them off occasionally!
  • I love viewing panel! The main problem we had with the SnoozeShade Original as Toby got older was that unless we were actually using it for him to have a nap (and he was really ready for a nap) he would moan when we put it on the buggy so we couldn’t really use it just for shade. With the Plus that problem is solved as Toby can still see out and so he’s happy. If he does fall asleep or I’m trying to get him to nap then I just popper up the extra shade flap and we’re away.
  • There is a pocket at the bottom of the viewing panel to store the flaps that aren’t being used – a very clever feature.
  • There is a horizontal zip opening above the viewing panel so you can check on your wee one, or you can leave it open for extra ventilation.
  • Because the viewing panel zips completely open I can get Toby in and out of the pushchair without having to remove the SnoozeShade. Both our pushchairs can fold with the SnoozeShade still attached as well.
  • The SnoozeShade Plus is a bit bigger than the Original so Toby’s legs don’t get squashed by the fabric and it should last as he gets bigger.
  • We have been using the SnoozeShade a lot in the sunshine these last few weeks but they also make great windstoppers in the colder months as well. They will keep off light rain and can also be used underneath most raincovers.
  • A small mesh storage bag is included (although if I’m honest I have never put either of our SnoozeShades back in their bags!)

SnoozeShade Plus

The Cons

  • Getting a good fit is a bit tricky on some pushchairs but should be possible with a bit of playing around. On our Sola with the seat at its most upright and the hood fully open the SnoozeShade is quite baggy – giving Toby a lot of spare material to pull at! By pulling the bottom down and attaching some of the straps further along the frame we have achieved a good fit though so it’s worth persevering. There are also some great videos on the SnoozeShade website that show you different ways of attaching the shade to your pushchair.

The Verdict

I already really liked our SnoozeShade Original and we’ve had loads of use out of it over the last year, it was fantastic when Toby was younger, not only on the pushchair but for putting over his car seat too. However, the SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe is even better! Although this is the most expensive of the SnoozeShades for prams and pushchairs I would say the extra features definitely make it worth the money and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

**Disclosure: I was sent SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe in return for this review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.

We're going on an adventure
- Sarah 5 Comments

Living Arrows 30/52

At the beginning of this week my brother and sister-in-law were up visiting from London. They haven’t seen Toby for months and apart from a brief wobble (and some tears) when we first picked Mark up from the station Toby got on great with his uncle and auntie. On Tuesday we went to visit the Kelpies – massive horse head statues that have just opened in a new park outside Falkirk. We had a look at the horses, a lovely picnic lunch and very melty ice cream. I managed to set the camera up on the timer on a wall and get this photo of us all (Claire and her twins came too).

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In the evening we went for dinner to a new pub that has opened recently near us. Toby is so good when we go out, as long as I keep him topped up with breadsticks until the food arrives! I can’t actually take credit for this week’s Living Arrows picture – my sister-in-law Becca took it while we were waiting for our meals to arrive. She’s a photographer by trade and always takes such great pictures, even when it’s just an iPhone snap!

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Toby has been a bit happier and sleeping better this week too. I was definitely right about the teething though – both his top first molars have cut this week. We’ve only got a tiny corner of each one so far though so there’s still plenty more upset to come I’m sure!