7 Circumstances that will Brighten Your Day As A Parent

1. Waking Up to Find it Isn't 5am.

Nothing beats that blissful feeling when you open your eyes for the first time that morning and see actual daylight. It changes your whole perception of life, filling you with an exuberance that could conquer the world. You may even go so far as to make actual breakfast, instead of settling for yesterday's pizza leavings. Whatever age your baby stops waking at night, there is nothing more joyful than the inner triumph of having acheived a 'normal' person's sleep. Celebrate the moment. I don't care what anybody says; if it isn't daylight, it isn't morning. Fact.

Hetty Feather at Bristol Old Vic!

Last time we went to Bristol Old Vic it was the very last day of the show, and, although it was lovely to write about the theatre and our experience, it was a shame we couldn't write the post early enough to let people know it was happening, so they could book their own tickets. So, on Friday, we are going again, this time to review Hetty Feather, a drama production of one of Jacqueline Wilson's popular novels for young people. We have been offered free tickets, so that we can let everyone know what we thought of the the show, as it continues it's tour around the country.

You Never Know What's around the Corner.

A Guest Post by Phil

After a long story I found myself a divorced single dad, to my 12 year old daughter, who had been emotionally and mentally broken by her mother and stepfather. Apart from a couple of disasters I had been single for five years and had accepted life on my own so I made a conscious decision to put all my energy into bringing her up and trying to give her a happy life. 

Tackling the Future with Nutmeg

Like a lot of parents at this time of year, I have been singing the praises of my daughter, who has just finished college. She has completed a Level 3 BTEC in Computing with brilliant grades and has secured a place on a university course. I know we are all biased towards our own children and I will be one of many writing similar posts, but I am so proud of everything she has achieved.

It's a Blogger Thing; Five Unique Bloggerisms!

Bloggers will photograph anything. A lamppost, a streetsign, a really ugly fleece on a stranger (from behind, obviously). Bloggers have even occasionally been spotted staking out the sausages in the local supermarket. Nothing is off limits, because who knows when you will need a colourful picture of a milkshake or a man's hat. Many a perfect post has been ruined for the lack of an ideal photo, and it is also secretly kind of fun. Along with some of the crazy photographs I've collected over the years, I've also listed some other strange things that are perfectly normal, if you're a blogger.

Win a Child-Proof iPad Mini Case worth £45!!

Ok, I can't really guarantee child-proof-ness, as some children are more, um, thorough than others! I saw this, though, and thought of all the parents forced to entrust their shiny tablets into the sticky hands of their offspring. There are so many fun and educational apps for little ones these days, a tablet case like this one is a really good idea! This particular example is not called 'The Survivor' for nothing. Meeting, or exceeding, US Military standards, the enclosed iPad Mini was shown to withstand a drop test of no less than six feet in tests. You need one, you do. To protect your mini from your minis, it's an essential piece of kit. Enter below and it could be yours!

My Sunday Photo; Typical British Weather!