We are huge fans of vertbaudet and really enjoying reviewing for them. They have again sent Erin the most gorgeous summer outfit.  This time we are reviewing a short sleeved cotton top that has an embroidered neckline.  I love the detail and it really hangs lovely on Erin.  The sizing is generous and fits Erin really well, it currently costs just over £11 which is a great price.  Erin is wearing it with a taupe tulle skirt also from vertbaudet.  It is zip fastening, has an adjustable waist and is adorned with beautiful flowers.  The skirt costs £21 and is so versatile.  I can Erin getting plenty of wear from this.

I would love to see what you have been buying or reviewing this week so do grab the badge from my sidebar or link back here so I can see what you’ve got!

This post has been prompted after chatting on twitter (as you do) about whether primary school children should be taught about pornography, the debate was started on Radio BBC5Live.  I didn’t hear the broadcast but it did raise questions about what is taught to our primary school age children. 

I have a nine year old boy.  He is into WWE and loves watching it on the TV, many of his friends are also big fans.   Dyl understands the wrestling is staged and it is entertainment and I saw no real harm in it.  Until my husband picked up the iPad and checked the browsing history as he does.  There it was – someone had searched for ‘wwe sexy ladies’ the following search was simply ‘sexy ladies’.  We were shocked and when my husband checked the content we realised we had been naive and had let our son see things that we are not happy about him seeing.  We had a chat about it with him and I don’t think he will search again – well he can’t on the iPad due to a new parental control app.  As teachers we thought we were on the ball with all this stuff, we thought we knew what are children were doing.  We are secondary school teachers and I honestly didn’t think we needed to educate Dyl about images of women.  We want our son to grow up with a healthy, respectful understanding of the genders.  I do not want him believing that the images he saw are a true representation of women.  However I don’t think it is the schools remit to cover this – it is my job as a parent.  Too much seems to have become the responsibility of the school and of teachers, parents need to step up.

The bigger question though is how much has changed since we were that age.  Childhood has changed, the innocence has disappeared.   Dyl is a product of an technological age, born into an era like his teenage sister where having the internet at their fingertips is the norm.  They have grown up with owning a mobile phone as the norm.  Dyl doesn’t own a phone and has no desire to but my teenagers blackberry rarely leaves her hand.  We have a no phones rule at the table but still it invades family time.

As a teacher I see the addiction of mobile phones, although the school has a no phones policy many have them and use them constantly.  They are at the mercy of instant messaging and social media.  I have witnessed the fall out of friendships via social media and messages that are sent that hurt and bully others.  Again this technology has compromised childhood.  It is making children grow up too fast. 

Globalisation and consumption are an ever growing challenge for tweens and teens.  I do believe that this is eroding childhood as it is blurring the boundries.  Girls are pressurised to look a certain way, the magazines encourage the obsession with a celebrity culture and celebrity lifestyle.  Ask many girls who their role model is and it will be someone young and rich.  I want girls to have aspirations but the aspiration should be about being successful in a chosen career. 

In one way childhood has been extended, young people are staying longer in education, they are reliant on their parents for longer financially.   We have become boomerang families where after university young adults often come home through lack of jobs and the high cost of living.  Yet at the same time teenagers are under more pressure than ever.

There has been a rise in mental health issues for teenagers, anorexia has been in the news again with it beng claimed that 1 in 10 teenagers having an eating disorder.  Therefore it shows how much childhood has disappeared and as a society we need to do what we can to give children a safe, secure and happy childhood.   

Now is the time to get out and make time to play with your child, it is so important.  Children learn best through simple playtimes which enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity therefore if we want happy adults we need to provide happy childhoods.  Childhoods where play is encouraged and healthy relationships between children and parents are fostered.  It will help keep the communication channels open and then parents can parent and children can be children.

Enjoying playtime.

With the weather in the UK being somewhat unpredictable to say the least, parents with younger children understandably look for family holidays in UK that will not be completely ruined should the weather start playing up. Indeed, what is normally considered foul weather can actually add to the excitement in an area like Cumbria – provided you take the right clothes with you and there are other activities and attractions close by to keep the kids in the party pleasantly occupied.  

Lake District

The English Lake District has been a firm favourite with native holidaymakers for many decades now, and whether it’s bucketing down, as often happens, or the sun is shining, the kids always love it here.

Even if you have no intention of tackling the summit of Helvellyn and neighbouring peaks to take in the view, just a short boat trip on the likes of Lake Windermere will be more than enough to fully appreciate the vastness and breathtaking beauty of this unique corner of Britain with its glacial lakes, soaring peaks and legendary fells.

Most of the best attractions here are also completely free, with plenty of walks along the lake shores and in the surrounding hills that have been especially designed for different levels of expertise, families included. You can take pleasure boats and launches onto most of the lakes, and there are picturesque towns like Bowness on Lake Windermere for shopping and refreshments. 

Cornwall

Cornwall has long been a popular UK holiday destination because of its world-famous beaches, sublime summer climate and wonderful scenery. It’s one of the most attractive parts of the British Isles and has a range of attractions for holidaymakers, with visitors flocking to the hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, camping and caravan sites both in the winter and in the summer months.

The entire coastline is pitted with rocky coves and neat little fishing villages with fine views across the sea, and the beaches here are second to none. On the northern shoreline stretching away from Newquay it’s a veritable surfers’ paradise and as you move further towards Land’s End you encounter St Ives and other remarkably attractive seaside towns that have drawn visitors since Victorian days.

This is where many of the best beaches are to be found too, and further inland there are the wild and wonderful moorlands where scattered castles, abbeys and abandoned tin mines create a mysterious and atmospheric landscape to explore.

Scotland

Scotland has its own distinctive character, somewhat more rugged than you’ll encounter south of the border perhaps but no less welcoming, and there are plenty of things to do for families worried about the weather prospects.

On fine days you can get out and about on the roads to see the fabulous scenery of gorse- and heather-covered peaks, or stay in the great urban centres like Glasgow or Edinburgh when it gets wet and cloudy. There are wildlife parks, aquariums and zoos to visit as well as some of the best castles in the UK, and many urban attractions are free, such as Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland and the Riverside Museum in gritty Glasgow.

The Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales has a rich cultural heritage and its great range of wildlife and extensive sandy beaches attract families whatever the weather. It’s an ideal region for activities holidays, with cycling and rambling particular favourites, and there are lots of local attractions such as museums and adventure parks that don’t depend on sunshine for their enjoyment. In Dalby Forest kids can swing through the trees like monkeys, or at Bedale visit Aerial Extreme for adventure rope courses that all the family can take part in. With steam railways bisecting the countryside and a landscape with its fair share of ruined castles and abbeys, there’s plenty on offer here for everybody throughout the year.

David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.  

It is May and all three of my children have now spent time as inpatients in the local childrens ward this year, yes this year!  Chloe for breaking her ankle, Erin for grommets and now Dylan due to his hayfever and the infection it causes.  I only commented last week how we had a busy week with upcoming hospital visits and that was before Dyl threw his hat into the mix!

Friends joke that I should get a discount in the coffee shop. The nurses know my name. Only today one of Erin’s favourite health care assistants asked Dylan if he wanted lunch and looked to me, then said in a surprised tone, this is the third child! How is Erin?

It leaves me exasperated, what is it about my kids? My friends seem to avoid hospital stays and yet all three of mine are currently regular visitors. 

Dylan has allergies, as a baby he had bad eczema and had a dairy free diet which controlled it. Now he eats what he wants and hayfever is the only allergy he has. April is usually Dylan’s worst month, the tree pollen and first grass cuts are his nemesis.  Wednesday morning he awoke with tiny little bumps under his eye.  I know what these mean, I know the course they run.  After school I took Dyl to the surgery, we had no appointment but they also know that this has hospitalised Dyl twice already.  I thought we had caught it quick enough.  Yet Thursday saw no signs of improvement and by Friday the blisters were becoming infected.  I took him back to the surgery hedging my bets as to where we would end up next.  I was right and not surprised when the GP said Dylan needed to be seen by the paeds team.  Knowing the drill we went prepared we nipped home grabbed the iPad, DS, snacks and magazines before heading back.  I dropped Erin with a friend and headed to hospital. Initially the GP was concerned that the blisters looked viral more than bacterial, he suspected shingles.  As I said Dylan only gets this at this time of year but the doctors and peads don’t have a textbook answer that links this infection with hayfever.  Dyl has been on IV antibiotics for four days now and we are starting to see signs of improvement.  However no one is entirely sure what causes this.  It has been suggested that it is due to the MRSA he had as toddler (that was never actually confirmed as MRSA as they couldn’t admit that  – as he had just had an operation in the hospital – rather they have always called it a staphylococcal infection).  As this has reoccured he will now being a specialist – hopefully an eye specialist tomorrow. 

In the meantime I am yet again drinking hospital coffee and watching the clock.  This week will yet again be busy and dominated with appointments.  Erin is seeing the rheumatologist on Wednesday and we shall see what the consultant says for Dyl tomorrow.