behaviour – the joy of five

Children, Chocolate, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Food, Uncategorized

Keeping The Magic Of Christmas Alive With Thorntons Cheeky Elf

December 5, 2018December 5, 2018by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment

I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Thorntons Cheeky Elf academy last week for a lesson in how to keep the magic of christmas alive with the help of their new Cheeky Elf.

I didn’t know what to expect before I arrived at the Elf Academy and I was more than presently surprised when I arrived at the super christmassy venue that had been covered in candy canes and pretty decorations and was filled with super friendly elves that I joined once I had doned my elf hat and christmas jumper!

I know all to well that the magic of christmas is something special, something that should be treasured and sadly something that can be short lived once the realisation that Father Christmas is a fictional character comes to fruition.

I’m not saying that christmas isn’t just as magical without the believing – I’m 38 and still get more excited about it then the children, but that pure unadulterated innocence is something special and something I always try to keep alive for as long as I can.

We are now a camp of three non-believers and two belivers with one of those already asking a few questions, so I’m on a mission to keep the magic there for as long as possible and the Elf Academy was a perfect way to pick up some great tips from Santa’s elves themselves.

We were taught 10 tricks in total, some of which I already implement at home and a few new ones I will certainly be trying this year.

It was a really hands on workshop and we moved from station to station trying out all the tricks. We learned how to age a letter from Santa and create curvy script to look authentic, we created Santa’s footprints with the help of a stencil and fake snow, we make pretty sigh bells to jingle once the children are all in bed and with the help of some coconut shells we make the noise of the reindeers hooves which I though was a brilliant idea.

We also perfected our Santa voices using the area deep in our bellies to get a low and realistic voice…I’m not to sure how convincing mine was!

For me aside from the magic of this time of year, being able to use it to measure their behaviour perfect and we were given the tip of creating our own ‘naughty and nice’ lists the we can tick for good or bad behaviour. This one is definitely something I will be using.

If you need a hand with keeping an eye on the little ones behaviour then this is where Thornton’s Cheeky Elf can lend a hand. He can be place all over the home to keep an eye on what the children are up to and report back to Santa with the news…good or bad! And once Christmas Day is over the chocolate treat can be enjoyed by all.

I’m not really a fan of the ‘elf on the shelf’ craze so this is going to be the perfect alternate for us that tastes a lot better and requires a lot let work.

I would love to know what traditions you have as a family to keep that magic alive and if you need some help then take a look at all the Elf Academy Tips right ‘HERE’.

*collaborated post

Behavioural Problems, Children, Families, Family Life, Imagination Play, Learning, Reviews, Reviews

Getting Rid Of Anxieties With ‘The Worry Plaque’

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017by thejoyoffive2 Comments

Number four started school in September and amazingly he has settled well and has come on absolute leaps and bounds in terms of his learning and behaviour which is something I never expected.

He is however a complex little thing and he is extremely hard to work out. He bottles things up and is a real closed book.

When he is worried or anxious he tends to lash out and problems are usually masked with aggression.

It is so frustrating and upsetting for all of us when he reacts this way and although it is an outlet for him it never really gets to the crux of the problem.

When we were asked to try out The Worry Plaque from The Irish Fairy Door Company I didn’t really hold out much hope in it working for us.

The plaque is battery operated and can be mounted to the wall. We are yet to find the perfect place for it so it is currently on number four’s chest of drawers.

The idea is that the child places their hand onto the handprint. The handprint appears red whilst they tell the fairies their worries and when it turns green all their worries are taken away by the fairies and the negative energy they create is then turned into good energy to grant lovely new wishes.

Number four is an extremely pessimistic child for someone of the tender age of five but he has been complexly encapsulated with the magic of this and has been a firm believer that all his worries will be safely taken away for him.

I couldn’t be happier with this fabulous idea that is perfect for little ones that find expressing their feelings hard.

Their are also a whole host of short videos online that show the fairies talking about worries such a bullying, falling out with friends, fears of spiders and many more.

A little bit of fairy magic has done the trick for us and I highly recommend giving it a go for yourselves.

*we were given this plaque for the purpose of this review and they are all my own, honest opinions.

Children, Families, Family Life

Wicked Wednesday:This One Brought Me To Tears

July 7, 2016July 7, 2016by thejoyoffive8 Comments

As many of you know until number four came along I was a pretty smug Mum with three children that were no angels but knew their boundaries and with a stern look would normally conform.

When number four arrived he turned my world upside down and would do things the others would never have imagined. Over the past six months I felt we had really turned a corner until Saturday night!

Number three had a friend round for a sleepover and he didn’t take kindly to being shut out of her room so decided to redecorate the majority of the upstairs rooms with a pot of emulsion paint!

Birthdays, Children, Families, Family Life

XBox Wars

March 26, 2016March 29, 2016by thejoyoffive10 Comments

Number two was absolutely desperate for an Xbox One for his birthday at the end of last year.

With the hefty price tag my husband and I were reluctant but he agreed the whole family would chip in and this would be the only present he would receive.

His face was a picture as he opened the box and for a normally emotionless teenager this was so lovely to see.

Little did I know this moment would be completely life changing for us all! This probably sounds pretty extreme to most but the Xbox entering our home has caused nothing but dramas.

First came the arguments of how long he was allowed to spend on it. We are apparently the only parents in the world that implement a time schedule and I’m totally unreasonable for not allowing him to spend hours on end stuck in front of a screen.

Next came the sneeky sessions where he thought we wouldn’t notice late at night and he was trying his luck by going back on when we were busy with the other children.

He turned into a child that’s one and only interest was gaming. In days out it would take him ages to engage with us as all he wanted to do was be at home playing on his console.

The breaking point for us though was XBox Live. This allows them to play games online with others. He would get so into the game and massively aggressive when I would go into his room to get him off. If anyone dared enter his room whilst he was engrossed in a game you would get his full wroth!

After countless bans due to unacceptable behaviour and homework not being completed the straw that broke the camels back happened and he managed to rack up a bill of over £500 by buying points online.

I felt completely sick that over a few months he had managed to do this without any thought for us. He denied all knowledge and blamed his younger siblings for sneaking into his room and pressing buttons.

The console has been removed and thankfully Microsoft were fantastic and refunded me the full amount.

After the initial week of pleading to have it back and trying every trick in the book to get on my good side I finally have my son back.

He’s engaging happily with the family, enjoying time out together, getting on with his school work and getting up without a struggle in the morning.

The problem is where do we go from here? Every part of me wants to get rid of it for good and there is then my soft side on my shoulder telling me it’s awful to completely remove something he loves so much.

Reading back through what I have just written would easily suggest there is only one option but I have always been to soft of the children and want them to be happy, what would you do?

Behavioural Problems, Children, Families, Family Life, Parents, Sons

Not So Smug Anymore!

October 26, 2015October 27, 2015by thejoyoffive10 Comments

After a day filled with meltdowns over magazines, tantrums about the wrong colour grapes and cleaning up a pot plant that had been launched across the bathroom I sat back tonight and reflected on all those sideways, judgemental looks I have thrown to other parents over the years.

With my first three I will now openly admit that I was a super smug Mum. They were far from perfect as no child is but with a stern talking to or one of those looks only a Mother could give they would more than normally fall into line and do as they were told.

I would get remarks from people on how polite and well behaved my children were. There was in fact one occasion when a stranger came over to let me know what a well mannered child number three was.

I would sit at soft play areas and chat with friends while the children all happily played. We could go to the park and I would know they could wander around happily safe in the knowledge they would never be to far from my side. A meal out was always a good experience as long as we didn’t drag it out for to long.

I would see a child throwing a tantrum and would throw the mother a judgemental look and wonder why she was allowing this to happen, I would watch programs like Super Nanny and would be astounded as to how people could let their children behave in such a way and then number four came along!

This little bundle of joy completly turned my world upside down in more ways than one.

I became that mother that got a look as we walked into toddler group, people stop and stare as he screams and hits out in the middle of a shopping centre, I am continually on edge when we are in the playground as I never know what his next move will be. My home has become a destruction zone of ripped wall paper and discarded toys.

He is the only one that has resorted me to tears, I’ve had so many trips to the health visitor for help I have lost count, I’ve dragged him kicking and screaming from soft play areas with silenced crowds staring at me.

I now wish I could turn the clocks back and offer a sympathetic look or reach out a much needed hand to all those mothers I have judged in the past. It just goes to show that no matter how you bring your children up and what coping mechanisms you put in place life can always throw you a curve ball that completly messes with all your best laid plans.

His character makes him the little boy he is but boy had he been a challange!

Allergies, Behavioural Problems, Children, Families, Family Life, Large Families, Memories, Parents, Sons, Toddlers

Just Me And Baby

September 3, 2015September 7, 2015by thejoyoffive3 Comments

You would have thought that by child number four I should be hardened to that ‘first day’. As today proved I’m clearly not!

It was number four’s first day at nursery and all of those mixed emotions came flooding through just as they had with the others, but with a few more thrown in.

Number four has without doubt been my most challanging child. He is massively strong willed, extremely boisterous and is hugely outgoing.

This has driven me to the edge over the past three years yet I wouldn’t have him any other way. I just worry now how his character is going to go down in a nursery environment. Play areas and toddler groups have always been a challange for us and I would be on guard the whole time. In a large nursery with lots of children I am worried he will realise he has a bit to much free reign as there are plenty more children that need to have an eye kept on them.

There is also the worry that I’m not there to watch what he is eating and as he has not reached a level yet where he understands his allergies I am in a real panic that I am going to be getting ‘that’ phone call!

The upside to him getting some much needed structure to his day is that I get to have a few hours on my own with number five. He is such a placid child that has really been a little pushed into the background being the last in a long line of little ones. It’s his time now and I am going to make the most of trips to the park, toddler sessions and cuddles on the sofa with my little baby for those precious few hours of the day.

Children, Families, Family Life, Kid Bloggers, Parents, Sons, Toddlers, Wicked Wednesday

Wicked Wednesday’s:Proud Of His Art Work

July 15, 2015July 18, 2015by thejoyoffive30 Comments

Only number four could stand there covered in chocolate, rubbish all over him after drawing over nearly every inch of the wall up the stair case and still smile at me!!!

Children, Education, Families, Family Life, Learning, Parents

The Horror Of School Performances With Toddlers

July 9, 2015July 14, 2015by thejoyoffive30 Comments

So your school ages child comes bounding out of their classroom after school clutching an invitation to their much rehearsed school play.

You are of course so proud and can’t wait to see their performance, yet the whole experience it going to be one full of stress if you have toddlers in tow!!

This is of course my own experience and I’m sure lots of you have wonderful little ones that sit there watching intently as the play is performed. In fact I have sat through many a performance jealously looking on at a well behaved toddler sitting with their box of raisins taking everything in without moving a muscle. After five children however I am still longing for that day.

I always start out well prepared with non messy/crunchy foods to pacify for as long as possible, drinks that can’t be easily tipped over the poor person we are sitting next to, toys that will keep them amused without being massively noisy or can be rolled into the audience with no hope of getting back; which will obviously cause mass hysteria!

Through experience though even with my military precision planning nothing will stop me from having to fireman carry them screaming and shouting from the hall.

My sweaty palms start the moment the headmaster introduces the children followed by the same sentence about removing noisy children that I can’t help but think is always aimed at me.

After this point they usually spot their older sibling on the stage and from there continue to bellow their name whist waving furiously. Once this is over and the singing begins we usually get a rendition of a beautifully sung nursery rhyme at the top of their voice which has no connection to what is going on on stage.

This causes uproar from the audience and the hundreds of children which just adds fuel to the fire as they are loving the attention.

If we make it this far every toy, set of keys, bit of rubbish is then emptied from my bag in a bid to keep them quiet.

Lastly boredom really kicks in and they need to be removed. Usually before their sibling has got to do their main part which in turn then sends a massive wave of guilt as I am bundling a screaming child through the door whist looking at a forlorn face standing on the stage.

I then have to congratulate my poor performer and try to convince them that I could hear every word through a fully closed fire door!

I am sure that a free classroom and a classroom assistant keeping a watchful eye on bored toddlers would save a lot of stress on everyone’s part and would leave parents to enjoy their offsprings performance and I will be taking this suggestion to out PTA soon.

How do you cope with little ones in the same situation?

Please let me know if you are in the same position as me as it would make me feel so much better!!