Connected Kids Club

An old family favourite game- brought back to life by a special friend’s challenge. is celebrating a 4 year anniversary on Insta and we’re celebrating too because we ❤️ her content and we ❤️ her!

Join the fun and snap a pic of your favourite food game because games are a great way to connect with your kids. ❤️

As he doesn’t have Facebook, Caleb has asked me to share his Go Fund Me page here with a little note: https://gofund.me/ac97728f

Dear Everyone,
I’m really excited to be raising money for Scouts and the World Scout Jamboree next summer!
I know that not everyone can donate or might have other causes they support; but I still wanted to share it because Scouts is a great organisation anyway and they offer lots of opportunities for young people to develop all sorts of skills and friendships.
Even if you aren’t able to give financially, please take a look and share with others who might want yo get involved with their local Scout groups. They run with volunteers and only charge £10 a month for kids to take part, but less if that’s too much.
Thanks!
CJ
PS: I’ll also be doing lots of fundraising activities and sponsored events all year and will share those too just as updates!

Anyone feeling trapped indoors by the rubbish weather? Over here in the UK the rain has cancelled quite a few plans and sometimes we feel like we’re going a bit stir crazy! Thankfully we’ve got a few games to keep us from being bored... what are you doing, playing, reading this week?

KID COOKING DILEMMA: Are they allowed to cook it if they refuse to eat it? 🤔
Do you make them eat it if it's on the menu? Are they not eating it on purpose just to pick a fight today? 🧐😳🤭😝

She was SO into the process! Loved the sticky fingers & slippery fish. Enjoyed the drama of the roll and the special time with her dad (while I drank wine, stole scraps and worked on my website 😜).

But the eating bit? Nope. Notta chance. And she's our 'good eater'.

So... this could be a battle worth having, or is it? Is it really?
My answer to all of the above is... Nah.
It's A: Not gonna work and
B: Not gonna help them develop a positive relationship with food or with us!

Over the years I've learned a lot about kids and eating and 'encouraging' kids to eat and threatening kids to eat and then sometimes throwing the bowl of whatever in the sink (so hard it splattered on the wall - not a proud moment).

And the biggest thing I've learned?
That I was wrong. About. All. Of. It.

Wrong about food for starters - a balanced diet can actually come from fewer foods than I thought.

Wrong about the fun of food: let kids play with it, don't over encourage, threaten, bribe - it only causes more issues. The more 'chill' I am, the less of an issue it is.

Wrong about the battles and the motive - my kids are not 'trying to manipulate me'. I've never thought that, but oh how many well meaning parents tried to advise me on how impoartant it is for my kids to 'have good manners when invited to dinner'.
(We don't accept these invitations any more 😁). .annlouise.lockhart has brilliant advice about engaging in kid-battles. I'll repost to my stories this week.

parenting has some great scripts for talking about food with kids. For example: why did I just write up there 👆 that she's our 'good eater'?! What's that even supposed to mean? How is that label helpful?

I'm not saying we're doing all the right things. I still have to stiffle my sighs and work reeeally hard not to roll my eyes or point, prod and sometimes (Gulp)! threaten...

But mostly we're better at helping our kids connect with food in healthy ways.
Because Connected Kids are Kind Kids.

SANITY SCREEN SAVERS: Yup. Sometimes my sanity is Saved-by-the-screen - and guess what? Screens are great connectors too! Need positive Sanity Saving Screen Ideas?

👉First: Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that screens replace all those connected parenting moments of play, reading, outdoor adventures.

However.. What I AM saying...

👉Is that 'Screen time' is really not inately bad or wrong or some form of 'reduced, lazy parenting'. Well timed and well managed screentime can have lots of benefits starting with just plain, old, simple calm time.

☝️Remember:
-SO many shows, films, games are created to be educational or create connected communities. I can't tell you how much this guy has learned from or !
-Kids need chill out time too. Yes, they can read books, do Lego or draw a picture, but sometimes watching a show or playing a quick game is so perfect to just veg out a bit - for us too!
-Kids connect via screens these days! We were dead set against him having a phone until secondary school. But guess what happened in his final year of priamry school? Ummm - a pandemic! Yeah - have you heard of this one? Suddenly the only replacement for playdates and park fun seemed to be building new Minecraft worlds and 'sussing' out the imposters Among Us (Which I have actually become quite a pro at too...).
-Screens sometimes save a parent's sanity. The kids might be fine and fabulous, but some days I'm just tired or stretched or in need of extra down time too. I think that's okay and there's no shame in letting everyone find a suitable screen adventure while I potter about or do finish something or check my own screen ...

So these are just a few of our quick Sanity Saving Screen Options (Age 7 and 12):

YouTubers we ❤️:

Games we ❤️: Among Us, Minecraft, Monument Valley, Sago Mini Friends, Zelda Breath of the Wild, MarioKart (Never old), Terarriah, Slither.IO

Shows we ❤️: Horrible Histories, Operation Ouch, Octonaughts (still love them!)

What have we missed?
Drop your ideas in the comments below - any age and stage welcome!

MORNING MISSION: Independent cooking session! My favourite way to start a long weekend is to leave the messy worktops as they are, sit across the room on the sofa with a coffee and magazine, as let my little Miss cook up a storm for us in her personal restaurant!

I tell myself that this is intentional parenting at its best!

I’m raising independent, confident, capable kids here 😂 (Who know just how to make their mother a perfect cup of coffee, eggs to her liking and pancakes fit for a queen!).

Comment below and share your kid cooking ventures! What do your kids Cook? How old are they?
How old were you when cooked on your own? What was your first meal?
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BEST CLASSICS: To keep, or not to keep? I have a theory on these...

Should I keep this old game? That was my question- until of course I was overruled by boy, sister and doggo! (Yes, the older one pushed his way in for a turn too!)

What is it about these oldie-but-goodie classic games that make it so impossible to take them to the charity shop along with the oldie-but-rubbish ones we have lying around taking up space?

I have a theory:

We keep these things because we somehow think they'll help us keep the memories they made for us better, longer, crisper... and then we can re-live and reconect to those old feelings of fun.

We're so nostalgic for the memories we had that we have to hold on to the boxes of plastic pop-ups for like, ever. I suppose this isn't any great reveal... but I'm not overly nostaligic when it comes to declutering... I can be ruthless!

STEM projects anyone? Someone is captivated by building things and was lucky enough to have access to a 3D printer to create and make his own designs. Any guesses of what he’s working on? What will you be making, playing, doing with your Easter weekend people?
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So this happened today! Looks impressive? Let me tell you...
It took me MONTHS to set up this account and I’m still working out the kinks! 😂
Yes- you can still buy Classm8s direct from our website, (link in bio),
And now it’s also available on Amazon- Hooray!
I still have to take and ad more photos.
I still have to test and perfect the key word searches.
I still have to build up reviews (Open now for all happy customers! 😉).
But for now... just this next hour... I might just put my feet up and pour myself a glass of something sparkley, because this was hard work!
Anyone else set up an Amazon account? Drop your best tips below!
Today’s Action: Add your reviews to the Amazon page!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classm8s-Educational-Development-Friendship-Confidence/dp/B0917QR288/ref=gp_aw_ybh_a_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=C3B9NN51QDEQEHP8BW81
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Two more days til schools open!
How are you and yours feeling??
Lots of kid’s are THRILLED- but some are feeling a little bit... nervous.
⁉️Yes! Really! Why?
Well... lockdown and remote learning has certainly been challenging for all sorts of reasons, but for some kids, remote learning has felt... calmer, less stressful and more relaxed.
Some kids have benefitted from more sleep, less social anxiety and more focused work due to having fewer distractions.

⁉️ So how can you prepare kids for returning to school when they kinda feel safe and comfortable at home?
Try these tips:

1️⃣Make a List: of the top 5 things, people, places or times they are least looking forward to.

2️⃣Ask: What are the key issues or concerns about the specific areas things they aren’t looking forward to?

3️⃣Make a Plan: equip your kids with tools and strategies to feel safe and experience some success. If they’re worried about break time: come up with three ideas to greet an old friend, start a new game or join in with others.
Worried about forgetting things? Set up a new checklist and get books and equipment organised at home for safe packing!

4️⃣ Make another List: Top 5 thjngs that could be great! What things are they most looking forward to? Lunches? Science labs? PE? A particular friend they haven’t seen in ages?
What’s the best thing that could happen?

5️⃣Review regularly! For kids who are feeling anxious about going back to school, one conversation will help them feel understood. But to ensure that they’re really doing okay, check in and revisit their lists.

Listen without judgement and don’t feel like you have to agree or disagree.
Ask if it’s okay to ask questions? Try these:
-Was it as scary as you thought it would be? On a scale of 1-10...?
-How did you handle that?
-What went better than you expected?
-Anything you think you might try differently tomorrow?

*Then have a snack, hug, play a game and know that it’s a journey that may continue, but that’s okay!
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