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I wrote a post a few days ago about things my mum used to say when I was growing up but she has a particular saying that she uses more often than most. "It is a moment in time". I have said it before and I will say it again but this saying drives me a little bit bonkers.

When my eldest daughter refused to give up breast feeding, I was told "it is a moment in time"

When my youngest daughter wouldn't sleep through the night, I was told "it is a moment in time"

And then I heard her say it to my sister in law yesterday about my new baby nephew being a little fractious, "it's just a moment in time"

Unfortunately that moment is usually all consuming and feels never ending.

But what about the good moments?

The memory moments?

Those picture perfect moments that you want to capture forever but usually don't have a camera to hand at that precise moment. Those are the moments I want to freeze frame.

My daughters now know that if they are doing something the slightest bit cute, I will suddenly be armed with my camera or smart phone ready and waiting to capture them, which usually leaves them running in the opposite direction. I think I must do this quite often these days as even my two year old gets my phone and says "take your picture mommy" .... ooops!

There is method in my crazy determination to capture the perfect moment as it is coming up to Christmas and I always create a photo calendar for my Nan as a Christmas Gift. She loves to have big images of her grandchildren and great grandchildren that she can enjoy for the whole year, so "thats" why I always need to create the picture perfect moment, for our memories and for the family.

I just hope that as my mums legacy is "it is a moment in time", my own children don't say mine is "smile at the camera"!

This post is brought to you in association with PhotoBox but having used them every year for the past 5 years, it is also a genuine and natural recommendation.

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I have this strange relationship with the Onesie, I think they are great, I think they can be practical, I think that they are warm but I also think they would look silly with heels, so they are not really for me.

That said, they seem to be in all the shops at Christmas time and I love to buy them for all my friends and relatives. Shopping is a big thing for me (this is clearly not a secret), and it is always about the "right" outfit or in this case the right "onesie" but finding a good selection is always part of the challenge, so when I was introduced to Mary Jane Fashion, I knew I could find something the perfect Christmas oneside for my friends (plus dresses, shoes and accesories for me).

The kids love them and a new onesie is definately on my eldest daughters Christmas wish list (and she wears hers all year through) but is it on yours? Or will you be coveting a Bridget Jones style Reindeer Christmas jumper this year instead?

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Potty training is big news on the Lilypad at the moment and whilst toilet habits are not usually the focus of our blog posts, when we were told this week about about World Toilet Day and how 40% of the population don't have access to a toilet, we wanted to get a little more involved.

Firstly, I cannot imagine not having access to a toilet. It seems ludicrous. To be honest, I am sure my children think that access maybe revoked at any time as you can guarantee the minute I go into the bathroom, one of them will need the toilet. Mums are not allowed to go to the bathroom alone. (Someone should write that into the expectant parents handbook).

Although, I suppose it is a fair assumption because through our potty training adventure, the little one is never allowed to go to the toilet alone.

There is always celebration and there is always an audience.

Despite those celebrations, there is the occasional mishap too and unfortunately for the Man on the Pad, it was on his watch! I was taking my eldest daughter out to gymnastics and he was relaxing at home with the little one, unfortunately she was relaxing a little too much and "forgot" to go to the toilet. She moved on the sofa (I am so grateful for the leather sofa) and my other half wondered where the melted chocolate had come from ...... now we all know that it wasn't melted chocolate! He has no sense of smell, so thank goodness he realised before he went to taste it! <<shudder>>

This post is part of the World Toilet Day promotion and I am part of the #Blog4Sanitation movement setup by Splashdirect to raise awareness of the importance of global sanitation. Learn more about World Toilet Day here

World Toilet Day - An infographic bought to you by the team at Splashdirect

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I remember as a child my mum saying “if you eat carrots you will see in the dark” and another favourite was “if you eat your crusts, you will have curly hair”. Now I have worn glasses since the age of 9 so there is as much chance of me seeing in the light or dark as there is knitting fog and given the fact that my brother had no hair by his late twenties, let alone curly hair, it kind of blows these parenting theories out of the window.

I had to laugh at this video created by CANparent, who are a new Government (DfE) initiative aimed at providing high quality parenting classes to support the parenting skills of both mothers and fathers. The video even mentions the carrots ….. they must have spoken to my mum!!

As a parent myself, I now know that mums and dads will do almost anything to convince a child to “eat their greens” or other such good things but parenting myths have a tendency to become folklore through the generations.

Parents love to categorise and one of the most renowned myths is “The Terrible Twos”.  The "twos" -- or more accurately, a period in time that falls somewhere between 18 and 30 months of age -- are terrible only if you're unprepared (speaks she who is riding the wave of a determined two year old). 

Now anyone who has had a 2 year old will find that sometime during that 12 months period, it's almost certain that your beautiful pleasant mild mannered baby will be replaced by a stubborn, argumentative and tantrum-prone toddler. Familiar anyone? I was having a chat with some fellow mums only yesterday and the general consensus was that toddlers are essentially little people and they are just learning to exert their personality. 

We have found that praising often works wonders, like  “You did a wee wee on the potty! Well done!” (followed by clapping and some dancing) But when a tantrum erupts, it seems the best thing to do is ignore her, as long as she isn't hurting anyone. Shouting or similar attempts to subdue—even with affection— can sometimes make tantrums last longer. (trust me, I know). 

So are the terrible two’s a myth? In my opinion, there's no denying it, 2-year-olds are totally cute! Their curiosity about the world is infectious and as parents it is our responsibility to encourage their character, not crush their personality. Trying to get a toddler to conform is the only terrible thing about it! 

For more information about CANparent and expert parenting advice visit and “Like” the CANparent Facebook page.

What are your favourite parenting myths? 

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