Diary of an (ex)London mum

For a few years now I have been able to plan my work around the weekend such that it was rarely necessary to head to the office even if there was work to be done- the internet makes working from home incredibly easy.  This weekend was one of those rare occasions when I had to do the commute, and on one of the days I did the commute with Baby as my husband was not available for childcare.  In my experience, the location of work and the availability of entertainment via the internet make all the difference.  I used to work very near the Natural History Museum  so we visited the museum at lunch on the weekends when I had to take Baby with me.  The advantage was that we had a quiet place- my office- to escape from the madness that is the museum area, where we can sit down and have a snack on the sofa in the coffee space or use a clean toilet without having to queue for ages. Work is now by  Wormwood Scrubs Park  and the park is a fantastic place for a l...

This is a fantastic book and a must have for anyone with kids that love animals-which is possibly just about anyone with kids.  I first saw the rave reviews of this book when I was shopping for children's Christmas presents, put it on a list of items that I would like to investigate further, forgot about it, and then it caught by eye while I was browsing the shop at the Museum of Childhood (which incidentally is a great place to visit if you are passing through London and fancy something a bit off the beaten track).  The pictures are brilliant and Baby is absolutely fascinated by the tree of life at the start of the book.  A great way to start a deeper discussion about us and how we relate to the other living organisms on the planet.  Baby instinctively brings up things we have read in the book when he spots a creature while we are out or if he sees something on TV which maps on to something we have read in the book.  Good for adults and kids, totally recomme...

When I went back to work after Baby I was determined to find a work life balance so that he would not feel neglected.  That meant being focussed at work so that the tasks that needed to be completed were done on time and there would be minimal work taken home.  To avoid working at home altogether was impossible but making sure that home time was time focussed on family is important.  This took away some of the guilt from leaving Baby in nursery from 6 months of age- I get to do my career things but when I am home I am totally there for him and my husband.  To a large extent that has worked well as I knew my job quite well, knew what to expect and was able to plan ahead. However, I felt that I needed a bit of challenge at work to spice things up a bit.  Familiar things are easier to manage but can get a bit stale.  So I recently took up a bit more responsibility at work and have been taking work home a bit more than usual.  So far I have managed to s...

The sun has come out to play and the city has come alive with outdoor activities galore.  There are numerous free outdoor art events around town- e.g. we went to a choir performance at a park near us this weekend and there will be a performance by the London Philharmonic in the coming week.  A quickly prepared home-made picnic, sun cream and then just the desire to sit outside and enjoy the performance with other good people. The sunshine does bring out the best in London and the atmosphere at these events is congenial. Children get together and play while parents watch on.  For an only child this is a great opportunity to practice social skills amongst peers that are not available at home.  This kind of relaxed, outdoor life is what I love best about being in the U.K., truly summer at its best.  

The school organised a stay-and-play session a couple of weeks ago.  We thought it was a brilliant idea as it was a relaxed way to introduce Baby to a new environment.  As far as he was concerned he was going for a play session at big school.  When we arrived, we saw the current crop school children on their way out for a day at the beach for their school summer outing.  Baby was naturally excited and looked really pleased as he said he might be going with them another time. The teachers made a good effort of laying the room out nicely so the kids, who would be in the same class come September, just took their time to explore different parts of the classroom, meeting and engaging with other children and eventually settling in to little groups to play while the parents chatted amongst themselves and with the teacher and teaching assistants.  Baby enjoyed himself so much he didn't want to go.  All in all a good introduction to school life. We were invite...