Saturday Night In

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Once upon a time there was a gal called Louise who spent her Saturday nights in high heels, sipping cocktails and dancing til the small hours. Then, with love and joy, things changed. 

Our Saturday nights are spent in a land of cosy blankets, Disney films, story books and juice cups and I'm so OK with this. 

What do you Saturday nights look like at the moment? 

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

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Playdate Tips

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Having a little one around is a hoot and a half, but seeing your little one playing with other tiny people is even better.

Playdates are a great opportunity for social development, fun times and one Mama (in this case my gorgeous neighbour) having a rest. To ensure playdates run as smoothly as possible, here are some tips and tricks I try to adhere to. They might not float everyone's boat, but they work for me!

Photography

Since I like to snap everything that moves, I always check with parents if a) it's OK to have their children in pictures and b) if it's alright to put them anywhere (Facebook, Instagram etc). If they say no, respect their wishes and abide by them. Fortunately, my neighbour is a good egg!

Set Activities and Free Play

Before guests arrive, have a few games/ideas up your sleeve to encourage structured play. This provides ready made entertainment and a little bit of focus. Once they tire of that (and that really depends on age and character), leave them to their imaginations. Darcy and Becca spent more time playing in her bedroom with princesses and dolls than they did painting with me. Time just slips away when they're in play mode. It's lovely. 

Expect and Allow Mess

In my books, making a mess of your bedroom whilst playing is entirely fine. There's little point getting in their way and tidying up behind them so as long as the chaos in confined to one room, I'm gonna let them go for it. It might feel unnatural to let destruction rein but for the hour or so they are playing, I like to see children be free spirits. When Darcy is a little older, I'll expect her to clear up herself but for now, it's a pleasure to put it all away knowing she's had a good time. 

Offer Drinks and Toilets

But not at once, heh heh. Offering regular drinks is obvious but when you're little and you're caught up in the moment of play time, it's easy to forget you need a loo break. Just a bit of gentle asking here and there is worth it. 

Love Love Love

The way I look at it is this- if Darcy were at someone else's house, I'd want her to feel loved and cherished there. With this in mind, I like our miniature guests to feel looked after and wanted too. I'm not saying go wild and squish them to bits, but encouraging words and a few cuddles (if they don't mind!) don't go amiss.  

And that's about all we do. What are your top tips for smooth running play dates? I'm always open to learning more. 

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

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Motivational Monday #8

Aloha Sprinklerinos,

Merry Monday you little munchkins of motivation. Too much? Yeah, maybe.

I hope your weekends were delightful and that you are ready to face the week with a glad heart and a happy face.

(Source)

I saw this quote last week and thought it was excellent.

For the mostest of years I have struggled with who I wanted to be. Or, moreover, who I thought I should be. Some people wanted me to be clever, some people wanted me to be a career woman, some people wanted me to be a stay-at-home-mummy/wifey, some people wanted me to be quiet and pretty to look at, some people wanted me to be this, that, the other and everything else. It was exhausting.

I found myself trying very, very hard to please everyone. Once, about 10 years ago, I had a male friend who I regarded far too highly, say to me, 'I think girls are these lovely creatures who are hairless and pretty and smell nice and that's just perfect to me'. I heard that as, 'Louise, to be perfect you need to shave everything to within an inch of it's life, change the way you look and wear perfume 24/7'.

In reality, this probably wasn't the message he was trying to give me (I actually think he was just being nostalgic about the girlfriend who had just split with him!) but it's what I took from it. I never stopped to think that his view of perfection was only one view or that his view of perfection was as valid as my own view, I just took it as gospel and proceeded to spend plenty of time with a box of veet and feeling substandard. Not cool.

Frustratingly, I still do this a bit now. I'll hear someone say something about somebody else and feel I need to live up to the same standard in order to be as attractive as them, as successful as them, as whatever as them. It's such wasted effort.

Coco had it right. A girl should be two things- who and what she wants. If I want to let my leg hair grow with free abandon, why shouldn't I? If I'm not as pretty as Uni Guy's ex, have I failed? If I forgo a spritz of perfume, am I not as worthy as those who smell like all the delights of a summer meadow?

NO.

 It's funny because when I'm going about my life, just plodding on, I am REALLY happy. BUT, it only takes one person to say one thing and I find myself having a little wobble of self resolve. This week I am going to focus on this quote and when I find myself self doubting or questioning who I am, I will remind myself that I am who and what I want to be and that I am proud to be that person.

I'm going to focus on living up to only my own standards and not bending or shaping myself into being something other people want and encourage you to do the same. It's a classic but I think that as long as you are doing your best, that's all you need to be.

Am I the only one who feels this way or do you ever find yourself having a little wobble too? Want to work on it together?

Toodlepip!

xx

Contributor - Louise

To find new ways to stalk me or learn about my disclosure policy, click HERE. 

Ultimate Advertiser -Amy Lauren. Click HERE for more info.