IS FEBRUARY THE NEW JANUARY?

Each year I think as someone who is self employed, a parent, works from home, the list is endless, I feel January is the longest month in existence. It impacts all of those roles in different ways, but especially because of the ebb after Christmas, January just feels, well honestly, a little bit rubbish. Last year we can all probably remember that every month had thirty or thirty one days bar January which seemed to have roughly three hundred and thirty, it lasted forever, so I was secretly relieved when this year it seemed to pass just like every other month before and after it. However, I think something has taken it's place - February, every time I sleep I'm sure I wake up in the day before, February is fast becoming the month that never ends.

THE WEEKLY LIES

You know we go through parenthood telling our kids not to lie, to be honest and tell the truth and yet here I am sharing the lies that I most definitely tell on a weekly basis. I think telling little sneaky lies as parents is pretty standard and so I'm sure I'm not alone. There are so many pointless alternate facts that are weaved into childhood as almost unwritten rules, that eating crusts will make your hair curly, and carrots make you see in the dark - it just seems part and parcel that sometimes, we have to tell untruths to basically get what we want. Let's not sugar coat it, it's out and out blackmail and I don't know if I'd get through the weeks as easily if I didn't use some of these classics.

UPDATING YOUR HOUSE ON A BUDGET

We naturally all get a little tired of our surroundings from time to time, I think as new seasons come and go, trends fade in and out, it's pretty normal to want to redecorate parts of your home. However it's not always as easy done as it's said, redecorating can be incredibly pricey and I don't know many people that can afford to keep switching up their home to be in tune with the latest Pinterest craze. I score through my Instagram feed daily, searching hashtags and pondering over houses I'll never own and decors that I will never achieve, but a girl can dream right? I'm pretty sure if I had my way, and a wallet size I dream of, I'd have painters in every other week changing up my house, last year alone I wandered the paint aisle of b&q more times than I thought was humanly possible. But whilst redecorating your house every month isn't realistic, making small changes that give big differences is.

ESSENTIAL INTERACTIONS YOUR BABY NEEDS

So you’ve brought the most amazing little human into the world, and the love you have for it is unconditional. You can’t help but look at your baby in amazement, and wonder how you created something so small and delicate, and so beautiful. You feed them, change them, watch them sleep, and listen out for the slightest noise that they make in case something is wrong with them. As a first time parent, or any parent at all for that matter, you become a little hyper sensitive to the noises they’re making and wonder if the slightest thing you’re doing is going to hurt them. After all, they are so small and precious, and you just think that the tiniest of knocks is going to hurt them. But what you will find is that babies are actually super robust, and all of the things you’re worried about are most likely going to be thoughts in your head. What you do really need to worry about, is the interactions you’re giving them. They’re literally essential to development, which is why we want you to have a read of the tips we’ve got below!