Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts

Living Arrows | Blood Isn't Always Thicker Than Water

What The Redhead Said Living Arrows UK Parenting Blog Link Up Khalil Gibran Quote

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

This is Iris with my mum and my mum's husband. He's been in our lives for about 7 years now. I was an adult when he entered my life and because of that I feel like I can't refer to him as 'my dad' but in all the ways a girl could need her dad this man has stepped up. He's been there for me through thick and thin. He's held my hand throughout a fair few mental health challenges, he's listened, he's talked and he's understood but most importantly he has embraced my daughter with a love that goes beyond the boundaries of 'mum's husband'. He's her Papa...he's our Papa and we'd be lost without him.

Living Arrows | Fun With Ben and Holly

Living Arrows | Fun With Ben and Holly What The Redhead Said Living Arrows UK Parenting Blog Link Up Khalil Gibran Quote

Fun with Ben and Holly? An interesting title considering the look on Iris's face. She doesn't exactly look like she's having fun! This is one of my favourite ever pictures of my daughter purely because her grandparents had been telling me for weeks how much she enjoys 'the ride outside Iceland' and when I finally got round to seeing it myself this is what I was met with.

Living Arrows | There's A Toddler On The Loose!

What The Redhead Said Living Arrows UK Parenting Blog Link Up Khalid Gilbran Quote

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

Back to blogging and back to our favourite post, our weekly Living Arrows photograph. A link up sharing a snap shot of life as a child and what better celebration of childhood than a family party where you get to put on your best party dress, your fancy new shoes and you get to strut (and I mean strut!) your stuff on the dancefloor.

How To Write New Year's Resolutions

How To Write New Year Resolutions autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum

There is a simple answer to this. Don't write them. I never, ever write New Year resolutions in January. Why? Because it's a brand new year and with that comes a sense of a fresh start, a chance to start again, a chance to change, be different, be better. Some would argue that is the perfect time to start again but in the flurry of all that newness and excitement I get carried away and set goals bigger than I can achieve.

Me and Mine | October 2018

Me and Mine October 2018 autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum

The photo above was taken as we strolled through our home town. The gorilla was promoting a local costume and character hire company and he was making quite an impression! There were lots of children (and adults!) that were afraid of this very lifelike beast but Iris astounded me with how keen she was to get near the gorilla, squealing and laughing and reaching out for a high 5! She amazes me with her bravery, she is absolutely fearless.

Most Used Items | 0-12 Month

Image of the items we used most throughout the 0-12 month age group. Shows image of muslin cloths, mam dummy/ pacifier, mam anti colic bottles, pvc wipe clean changing mat and East Coast 2 in 1 Rocker.

As first time parents we were easily convinced that we needed so many different things for our little bundle. Despite doing my research there were things that worked and things that didn't. It's largely to do with trial and error. Some babies will take to certain things and not others but these are the things that we found most useful in our first 12 months with Iris.

Living Arrows | Finger (and face, arms, body and toe) Painting!

What The Redhead Said Living Arrows UK Parenting Blog Link Up Khalid Gilbran Quote

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

In my mind this was going to be a lovely Pinterest worthy parenting moment. In reality the photo above shows Iris gagging from the paint she just ate. It's made a good photo but ultimately this wasn't the calm, methodical painting session I imagined, partly due to Iris being a little young and partly due to my completely unrealistic expectation!  

Review | Lily and The Polar Bears by Jion Sheibani*

Image Title reads review lily and the polar bears by jion shiebani www.chatterfox.co.uk and to the right is an image of the book cover featuring a beach scene with a small girl in red swimwear looking out to sea.

Lily and Grandpa are having a lovely day at the beach but who's that floating on the ocean? 

Lily and the Polar Bears tells the tale of how Lily brings home a whole bunch of polar bears and how after some fish fingers and a bedtime story those sometimes scary and often misunderstood polar bears become part of everyday life.

Living Arrows | All The Fun of The Fair

All The Fun Of The Fair What The Redhead Said Living Arrows UK Parenting Blog Link Up Khalid Gilbran Quote

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

The fair's in town! When I was a teenager the fair was the place to be, we spent hours stood around the waltzer making eyes at boys. I have such fond (and rather cringey) memories of the fair and now I get to add a new set of memories as a parent!

Living Arrows | Welcome To The Fun Palace

Living Arrows | Welcome To The Fun Palace autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum
 'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran.

This week's post is yet another one featuring our local library. I've always loved the library but since having Iris I've discovered so much more that it has to offer and i'm astounded that it's mainly free or amazingly affordable. These photos were taken at the annual Fun Palace that tours hundreds of places across the UK.

Living Arrows | We are all so tired.

Living Arrows | We are all so tired. autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 


This week's Living Arrows is sponsored by caffeine! I am not exaggerating when I say that these last few weeks have been hellish. Iris has always been a fantastic sleeper, even in the newborn days we would get 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep at a time so it's been quite a shock to the system for her to turn one and suddenly stop sleeping!

Living Arrows | Another Day...Another Dog Photo....

Living Arrows Another Day Another Dog Photo autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 


Puppy + Child + Wash Basket = Too Much Cute.

Me and Mine | September 2018


I've seen the 'Me and Mine' link up appear on quite a few of the blogs I follow and decided to have a go myself. I love the idea that it's about sharing a photograph of the whole family as more often than not it's one of us taking a picture of the other two so it's good to be making a conscious effort to get us all in front of the camera.

Living Arrows | My Big Boy Turns 8!

Living Arrows My Big Boy Turns 8 autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

This weeks Living Arrows is a special one as it's dedicated to my other child (no, not Daddy!), this week is all about Ian. My big man is turning 8, not that he knows it! He is still very much a puppy at heart. He bounces around the house and greets all people with an enthusiastic jump, lick and fuss. He maybe looking a little grey around the edges but his personality hasn't aged since the day I brought him home.

Parenting | What Is Reflux And How To Treat It.

Image of a fire burning on a black background. Alongside this image is a title that reads; Parenting, What is reflux and how to treat it. www.chatterfox.co.uk


Reflux occurs when the oesophagus is underdeveloped and allows stomach contents to flow back up into the mouth and throat. There are two types, Reflux and Silent Reflux. Reflux tends to manifest as significant vomiting whereas silent reflux tends to be where the stomach contents flow up to the mouth and irritate the area. 

Most Used Items | Our Weaning Essentials

Image of Best Weaning Products, Ikea Kalas Plates, Bebe style highchair from Asda, munchkin soft tips spoon, Nuby Simply Grip and Sip, Tommee Tippee Comfi Neck Bib

Weaning can be scary and just like with breast vs. bottle you will be judged on how you approach it. Sad but true. We personally adopted the baby led weaning approach and it worked exceptionally well for us and Iris is a fabulous eater but it won't work for everybody. Weaning is like the entirety of parenthood, it's down to you to work out what's best for your family and the types of product you use for weaning are also very much down to personal choice but for us these are the things that have found most useful.

Gift Ideas For A One Year Old

Gift Guide For One Year Olds Featuring  Musical Instruments Bubble Mix Crayons Trolley Books


They always warn you that children grow so fast but until you've had a child of your own you don't really understand just what that statement means. From birth to 12 months old your child completely transforms from a helpless newborn that is entirely dependant on you to a feisty, independent toddler. 

At this age attention spans are short but there is so much development happening that the right toys can be instrumental in aiding a child's development. This is the age where 'learn through play' really starts to develop and it is a joy to watch. This gift guide aims to provide gift suggestions that will keep a child engaged and allow them to exercise all their newly developing skills.

Books We've Been Reading | August 2018

Image of a multi coloured bookcase full of different books, overlaid with books we've been reading #BWBR www.chatterfox.co.uk




The local library has always been one of my favourite places. A peaceful and quiet haven. A chance to get out of the house but not expose myself to too much social pressure. I have also always found comfort in reading and wanted to share this world of wonder with Iris. We read together daily and have a collection of books at home but we love heading to the library to see what new adventures we can discover. This month we borrowed...

Living Arrows | Finding My Feet

Living Arrows Finding My Feet autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum


'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

So here we are. Stood up. Putting one foot in front of the other and getting scarily close to walking independently and i'm not ready. Where did my baby go?

Living Arrows | All Aboard

Living Arrows All Aboard Great Grandparents Canal Boat autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum

'You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth' Khalil Gibran. 

What a wonderful way to spend a summer's day! Iris is so lucky that her great grandparents own a boat. This week's picture was taken during Iris's first trip aboard the boat and she absolutely loved it!


Living Arrows All Aboard Great Grandparents Canal Boat autistic and pregnant autistic mum life sharing pregnancy and parenting experiences from the autism spectrum


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