Last weekend my husband had to physically drag me out of bed on Sunday morning for our daughters swimming lesson and according to many experts, the earlier you start your child in the water the better (although I am guessing this means in age rather than the time of the morning). 

There are genuinely few activities that are quite as life enhancing as a morning (or afternoon) in the swimming pool. It’s one of the cheapest ways to get plenty of health and psychological benefits and is also a great way for children and parents to socialise. Swimming delivers a complete activity package that provides great fun and important physical exercise, something we could all do with little bit more of (especially after the Christmas excess). I know I have said it before, but it really is great for both children and parents, can improve bonding, develop self-confidence, improve health conditions and provides an ideal opportunity for mums and dads to destress and relax in safe surroundings.

Social and Parental Bonding

New and challenging environments are brilliant for parents and children. The swimming pool is a place of great excitement for kids with plenty of opportunity to splash around and play with other children. Not only that, swimming brings an important opportunity for mum and dad to develop stronger bonds of trust and love with natural skin-to-skin contact as well as bunches of fun.

Great for Physical and Mental Health

Swimming is perfect for both your physical health and your state of mind. There’s nothing more natural than teaching your kid how to love and trust water, from the time you step into the baby area to that momentous occasion when you take them into the big pool for the first time. According to a lot of research, swimming is one of the top activities that creates a better overall sense of well-being. Parents love it just as much as the kids.

Better Breathing and Coordination

Learning to swim comes with all sorts of value added extras. I have blogged about my daughters asthma previously but children with breathing problems such as asthma actually find swimming makes a big difference – you might think the opposite but actually the warm humid air can often make breathing a lot easier. Swimming also helps to develop coordination and build muscle strength without being high impact and is one exercise that your children probably won’t moan about as they grow older. (My oldest daughter is testament to this as she is now part of a swimming club)

Boosting Confidence for Later Lessons

How early you get your baby or toddler involved with baby swimming lessons could have long term effects on building their confidence. Toddlers are usually happy to splash around in the water and if you keep it up until they are ready to swim properly then learning to do the crawl or the breaststroke should be breeze. Getting in the swimming pool not only benefits the kids, it’s good for parents too. 

 Did you know ....?

A study back in 2009 found toddlers that went into the swimming pool early developed better motor coordination and had improved balance over those that didn’t go in the water?

Another German research project showed that toddlers who were introduced to water at a young age exhibited more intelligence and better social skills later on.

If you need any other reasons to get your kids in the water as soon as possible, then how about the absolute fun you can have splashing around in the pool? We are planning a swimming birthday party for later in the year, so we hope that everyone else is as enthusiastic as we are about swimming!!

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Well, it’s practically all over. The presents have been ripped open, boxes played with, chocolates eaten, cuddly toys hugged tight and fought over. The New Year celebrations have come and gone, heads have cleared and the future beckons. Before you can get back to normal, of course, it’s time to deal with those pesky decorations.

Time to return your home to normal.

After all the festivities, it’s tempting to throw them all in one box, lug it up to the loft and forget about decorations for another year so if you really want Christmas 2016 to be the occasion you spent three hours unravelling the lights, then go right ahead.

A little time and preparation now can make next year a breeze and also help you keep control of all those trimmings. If you’re like me, your collection can grow, from bespoke baubles and oversized glittering beads to a crazy singing reindeer.

Sometimes it’s a good idea to declutter, throwing out the old and in with the new, as the saying goes. To do this you have to show a good deal of resolve but it can also be a pretty cathartic process. It can also make sure you stay in control of your Christmas decorations.

• Sort your trimmings into like for like piles (stars, baubles, tinsel, lights etc).
• Decide which you are going to keep and the things that have seen better days and need to be let go.
• Keep your baubles for the tree in one box, your more intricate decorations for the mantlepiece in another.
• Make sure your lights are wound properly (if you don’t have something ready-made then how about an old strip of stiff card?).
• Dismantle your Christmas tree carefully and repackage it properly rather than throwing it in the box.
• If you had a real tree, then take it down to the recycling depot before the pine needles start to fall off.
• Throw away/recycle any decorations that have lost their sparkle or have seen better days.

The end of the Christmas period is also a great time to declutter other parts of your house. You don’t have to stop with the decorations. In many Eastern cultures, New Year is the perfect time to get rid of unwanted clutter. Why not try these simple tips?

• For each gift you got this year, why not get rid of two old ones in exchange. Got a new shirt or blouse, throw a couple into the charity shop sack. What about those DVDs? Try giving away the ones you don’t really watch anymore.
• Paper recycling can be fun. If you aren’t going to be using that Christmas paper again next year, then make sure you put it in the recycling. But don’t just stop there. What about those old newspapers and magazines that can go too? How about all those books which could be given to the local second hand shop?

Houses, especially with children in them, can quickly be overwhelmed with stuff and Christmas is the ideal time to get the family involved in reducing all that clutter. Get hubby to sort out his collection of unused sport equipment, the kids to tidy up and give away the toys and games they are no longer interested in, while you go through everything from the closets to the kitchen.

Once everything is put away and the house is suddenly tidier than you’ve ever seen it, the new year ahead will seem so much brighter. And those properly sorted Christmas trimmings can go up in the loft or into the store cupboard, all set for next December when the festivities begin again. 

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It has become a tradition to look at my resolutions in reverse, 2014 was a particularly good year and rather than setting myself for new year resolutions, I like to reflect on the previous year and what's been acheived.

For some reason, I have always started my post with my favourite quote of the year and so the quote for 2015 has to be:

"It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness"

So here are my Reverse Resolutions for 2015.

1. After "working" social media with my own business for such a long time, I decided it was time to get some form of recognition for my talents (ahem). I did it, got a distinction and a real sense of achievement.

2. My daughters birth story was in the national press. Admitedly some 4 years after it happened but even so, it reminded me of how amazing it was and how empowered I felt after giving birth. 

3. This lead to a couple of my articles being published in the press, not just on my little corner of the internet, printed in the paper and friends actually realising some of the things I do for a living!

4. I lost a really good client at the beginning of the year, due to the reduction of their business and it knocked me off balance for a while but they say as one door closes another opens. So that change has given me time to work with some AMAZING new companies, which has pushed my comfort zones and abilities and I am very excited where this will take us into 2016.

5. Finally, I *think* I may have mastered the work / life balance. I have spent time going out with friends and family, I have walked away from my phone and my laptop to spend time with the people I care about. I do care passionately about my work but making sure that it doesn't engulf my life has become the holy grail and for now, it is within my grasp. Maybe I shall make this my only resolution for 2016, to maintain a healthy balance throughout the whole year. What do you think?

I shan't mention my ability to consume prosecco at an exceptional rate or how removing nail polish from the carpet should be on my CV, so I shall stick to the resolutions that I am most proud of for now (although the red nail polish was some achievement). How about you? Do you make resolutions? Or would you prefer to look at your achievements in reverse too?

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5 sleeps and counting till the big guy arrives with the presents (am hoping my husband appreciates this description).

5 sleeps until the lounge is filled with excited children and an unwrapping frenzy commences.

5 sleeps until we suddenly have to house more toys .... because we obviously need more of them.

My youngest daughter wants a doctors clinic and a few weeks ago we said to her that Father Christmas might consider that she had so many toys that he may think she doesn't have room for a doctors clinic. (I realise that this may have been a slightly mean tactic but it worked) Her response was "Mummy, shall I give some of my toys to the children who don't have any?" (she melted my heart a little at this point).

But it got me thinking about getting rid of some of their old toys (without putting them in the loft when they are not looking) and I saw a post on Facebook about a mum who gets her children to select 10 old toys to put in their Santa Sacks on Christmas Eve and I LOVE this idea!

Santa then takes them back to the North Pole and the elves then fix them up to give to other children next year.

My mum has always recycled and the children love to sort the recycling out into the relevant bins ..... I am just hoping that they will be as excited about recycling the Santa way!

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