Families VOY March / April 2011

39

mar/apr2011 issue

The useful magazine for families with young children in York, Harrogate, Tadcaster, Wetherby and Selby

�������������������� ��������������������� The Little Gym is a place where children develop their co-ordination, balance, confidence, listening and social skills whilst having heaps of FUN! The Little Gym provider of the world’s leading gymnastics based development programme is now open in Harrogate.

Contact us now for more information on 01423 701560

�������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������

Water Babies are the UK’s leading baby swimming school offering multiaward winning classes in your area.

classes held across Yorkshire including York and surrounding areas

Our fun, innovative classes teach life-saving water confidence skills from birth to four years.

To find out more and Join in the fun call...

01943 872 556 2 Families Vale of York

waterbabies.co.uk

contents

welcome

Tomorrow I shall, against advice, be putting my daughter on the stage for the first time. At the tender age of three she’ll be treading the boards in a dance show dressed as a flower.

I’ve been watching her closely for the last six months, from the moment she first put her ballet pumps on to the dress rehearsal last week where, along with over 200 others, she bopped away to the finale song: ‘The Greatest Love of All’ – a sure-to-make-the-mums-cry number. Not that she’s been singing that. We’ve had ‘the Great Big Glove of All’, but the sentiment is there.

I’ve been watching her determination to get it right, embracing all the new moves, learning how to behave in a class and making new friends. It was the same spirit my son showed as he stepped up to the challenge of learning to ski. Children are rarely daunted by new experiences – they just get on with it.

We’ve been busy embracing change here at Families too.

We’ve altered the layout of a few pages and we’re changing our online homepage to include our fabulous new blogger Rob White who’ll be telling us all about life as a stay-at-home dad. You can read his first entry on P16 and after that catch up with him weekly online.

As adults we’re often resistant to change, preferring the comfort of the familiar – we could learn a thing or two from the children. I suggest you perhaps find that finale song online – be sure to have the tissues handy.

Editor

familiesmagazine Contact us: PO Box 201, DN14 9ZW Tel: 01405 860831 editor@familiesvoy.co.uk www.familiesvoy.co.uk Front cover: www.mariechantal.com Circulation: 17,000 Deadline: The deadline for the May/June 2011 edition is early April 2011 Designed by: MOOIdesign Tel:01405 869045 Printed by: Bishops Printers www.bishops.co.uk

in this issue p3 news p6 p7 p8 p9 p10 p14 p16

the parent business what do you do at…tennis tots books competitions early years education holidays – skiing in france it’s a dad’s life easter gifts

p17 easter what’s on p19 beta mum

what’s online • Enjoy quality time with your kids this Easter Lots of ideas for inexpensive quality time.

• Choosing a Nursery - Childcare and Early Learning – nursery, pre-school, playgroup? How to decide.

• The cost of paid work - Having a job when your children are young just got more expensive. Find out why.

• It’s a Dad’s Life - Join our new blogger Rob. • Beta Mum - Everyone’s favourite column – now online too!

• Competitions - Enter our competitions & giveaways online.

Copyright Families in the Vale of York March/April 2011. Colour transparencies and any other original materials submitted for publication are sent at owners’ own risk and, while every care is taken, neither Families nor its agents accept liability for loss or damage. Families in the Vale of York is part of a group established in 1990 and headed by Families South West. All franchised magazines in the group are independently owned and operated under license. We take care preparing this magazine but the publishers and distributors cannot be held responsible for the claims of the advertisers nor for the accuracy of the contents nor for any consequence.

Families Vale of York

3

news

Easter Monday Fun Day At Hopscotch Shoes It’s all go at Hopscotch Shoes in Wetherby, Harrogate and Ripon as plans are well underway for their much anticipated Easter Monday Fun Day. On Monday 25th April between 10.00am and 4.00pm Hopscotch will open its doors for a very special day of fun, games and shopping.

With Face painting, Balloons, Competitions, Prizes and special promotions on their fabulous summer shoes and sandals, it’s a family day you won’t want to miss. There may even be a special visit from ‘Magic Geox’ With summer just around the corner, Hopscotch is already looking bright and cheery as their new Spring/ Summer stock is arriving – we particularly like these funky converse baseball boots!

Whether it’s the sparkle of Lelli Kelly, the breathable Geox or the trusted Start-rite you’re looking for, you’ll definitely find it at Hopscotch this season. And with all shoes professionally fitted you can be sure your children’s feet are in the safest hands. www.hopscotch-shoes.co.uk

Call for community involvement in York Mystery Plays The Journey to the York Mystery Plays in 2012 will be an exciting one which aims to get as many people as possible from the local community involved. To do this there are a number of events planned along the way.

Firstly ‘Two Planks and a Passion’ will be performed at York Theatre Royal. A 50strong community cast plus community production team will help the Theatre Royal and Riding Lights Theatre Company produce a professional production of Anthony Minghella’s story about the York Mystery Cycle from 1-16 July. On 9/10 & 16/17 July ‘York Stories’ will be launched in Celebration of it being 800 years since York received its Royal Charter. This initiative will bring all aspects of the York Community together by getting people talking and listening to one another.

To find out how you can be involved, e-mail: mysteryplays2012@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

Bonjour Boston Spa Twinkles!

Twinkles Day Nursery in Boston Spa have just started French for Fidgets classes and they’re so keen that the teacher is coming in twice a week so all the children can benefit. The classes are being run by native speaker and mum Caroline Alexandre.

“It’s truly amazing to watch little children learn languages because they do it so fast – their brains are like sponges. They can learn heaps of words in one go and can copy accents perfectly,” says Lucy Amos, founder of Little Fidgets. “If all children started at 2 or 3 they’d be nearly fluent by the time they reached secondary school. There’s also research to show that if you learn a language when you’re young you’re less likely to suffer memory problems in old age”. www.littlefidgets.co.uk

4 Families Vale of York

ow?es Mobile Crèches which have proved n K u o Y Did provid nts.

Childcare group eve innings

eg ilor it innings anising ys Bright B ilable space and ta Bright Beg hit with people org venue,” sa va y a at least n t a le a ve b t re a a g h ita e to be a in any su e able to b rary crèch p o u to p it t m orate t n a te rp se o w a e can d and rovide found c “We can p ristine Henderson. “W you’re getting marrie eches. We’ve also Having s. e tr n e c e Ch ference n o It’s great if ng the meal and sp c co-owner r s. r teamo d o e ls e rs n ren’s y duri nts at hote ing training semina sa ve – e e g re in to the child -f ld o attend ’t worrying e time child they are h rents aren d of those a in p m some of th sing crèches when se e u th a n with a c ff eight o su ance be ain childre businesse che can be a real w her attend can entert rials. It keeps ig d h n n a a d e e m c crè ften xperien d mate an onsite and can o staff are e all toys an xercises – kids. Our supplying e s, th ft r ra e c building e ft a d the agine.” ’s looking games an r York and about who f activities including ss than you might im n service fo rs, supply staff, tio c o le u t d e o g lo n tr are in ysitte wide ra nd costs a ality childc nnies, bab happy - a a good qu f full or part-time na s e everyone d vi ro p o to innings als recruitmen Bright Beg reas including the visit: a . g 3 2627 or in rs surround he worke r 0782 33 c o rè 8 c 9 r 6 o 1 9 rs e 904 6 parent help ontact 01 rmation c fo in re o For m o.uk hildcare.c www.bb-c

Competition Winners

Swim Clinic

As you may have read in our last issue Olympic & Commonwealth swimming champion Kate Haywood is currently working with Splish Splosh Swim School. Whilst she is back in England for the World Trials She’ll be running a swim clinic at The Mount School in York on the 12th March from 3pm to 5pm.

For more details go to www.splishsploshswimmingschool.net

Winners of the Jo Jingles competition were Helen Green of York and Rebecca Colby of Harrogate.

FREE Castings with Make an Impression If you have a newborn baby, Make an Impression are offering FREE castings for your little one. If your baby is up to a month old, go along to Zak & Flo in Bishopthorpe on the first Wednesday of each month. Be sure to call to make an appointment first – 01751 430927 / 07872 329926

Poppleton Pre-School Now Open Poppleton’s newest childcare facility opened its doors for the first time in January. Parents and children arrived to have a look at the new facility at York Business Park and whilst the grow-ups enjoyed a chat with owners Gemma and Charlotte, the children were able to explore the new play equipment and get creative with craft activities.

Gemma and Charlotte wanted to create a pre-school that would be remembered by not only the parents but the children themselves many years after having progressed to full time education.

“We really want the children to be excited about going to preschool,” says Charlotte, “and parents to be happy about leaving their little ones here. With this in mind we’ve created somewhere that would be remembered by not only the parents but the children themselves many years after they’ve moved on to full time education.

“Everything has been created with each individual child in mind, from the personal coat pegs and slipper drawers down to the teddy bear shelf where each child can sit their special cuddly friend for the duration of the session.”

It is not only pre-school sessions that take place in this lovely new setting. They also run ‘Laugh and Learn’ baby groups, ‘Messy Play’ for 0-4 years and Craft Club for 4-8 years.

For more information about Poppleton Pre-School and the various sessions that they run go to www.poppletonpreschool.co.uk or call 01904 782047.

The Little Gym Harrogate is One! Following a hugely successful first year The Little Gym Harrogate celebrated its first birthday in style on 13th February with a party attended by local MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Andrew Jones. Members enjoyed an action packed, fun-filled afternoon of activities, free play and an enormous cake!

The Little Gym’s ‘themed’ programmes combine a variety of curriculumbased gym activities, music and games that evolve week-by-week. Under the guidance of a team of qualified instructors, and at their own individual pace, youngsters learn new skills that enhance each stage of their motor-skills development. Activities promote co-ordination, balance, rhythm and flexibility, giving children vital skills for life and an all-round physical grounding.

Kate Henebury, Gym Director commented, “We have an excellent team in place and it’s mainly due to their hard work that the take up of programmes has exceeded expectation. The amount of interest we’ve had has been amazing - 400 local children now attend every week at The Little Gym and we look forward to welcoming many more!”

Situated at 1 Cardale Park, off Beckwith Head Rd, the purpose-built gym offers educational-based gym programmes, for children from 4 months to 12 years, as well as holiday camps and children’s parties. For further information, contact The Little Gym Harrogate on tel. 01423 701560 or email harrogate@thelittlegym.co.uk

Yummy Mummy We ek

This year’s Yummy Mu mmy Week runs from Saturday 26 March to Sunday 3 April (Moth er’s Day) and as always invites mums to have whilst raising money for fun CLIC Sargent.

Dee Tyler of CLIC Sa rgent told Families: “There are lots of ways you can support Yumm y Mummy Week - wh organise your own fun y not draiser such as a pamp er night, a coffee mornin or hold your own spo g nsored walk in your we llies? All the money rais will help CLIC Sargent ed continue to provide clin ica l, support for children and practical and emotional young people with can cer.”

Last year mums from Yorkshire pulled out all the stops as part of Yu Mummy Week. Fundrais mmy ing events ranged fro m sponsored ceilidhs cookery evenings, hel to ping to raise nearly £3 ,500.

“That money”, says De e, “could be almost eno ugh to pay for a CLIC Sargent Social Worke r to support families for a month. Our social wo help the whole family, rkers including siblings and grandparents, to unde and cope with the em rstand otional, practical and financial affects of can from the very moment cer, their child is diagnose d.”

If fundraising is not for you then you can sup port the campaign by purchasing gifts from the fantastic Yummy Mu mmy product range.

Getting involved is easy, just visit www. yummymummy.org.u call 08451 206 658 to k or register for your fun draising pack.

Handcrafted jewellery capturing your children’s footprints fingerprints, handwriting or drawings in pure silver!

Happy Birthday Peekaboo

Peekaboo Shoes & Clothes in Tadcaster are celebrating their first birthday.

Peekaboo pride themselves on providing footwear at reasonable prices whilst getting the best fit for each customer. Alec & Katie are both trained shoe fitters with Alec now a qualified member of the Society of Shoe Fitters.

One year on there are many changes for Spring/Summer with canvas shoes and trainers from familiar characters including Peppa Pig, Disney Cars, Toy Story and Hello Kitty. Other new arrivals include MISS SIXTY and boys sandals by GOLA. Peekaboo continues to provide a lovely selection of FAIRTRADE clothes made in India from baby clothes upwards. Plus they now stock a wide range of accessories including bags, wallets and writing sets.

Peekaboo can be found at 21 Kirkgate and can be accessed from the central car park which has free spaces - ideal for families. www.peekaboo-shoesandclothes.co.uk

Invite your friends, host a coffee morning or party, and receive a discount!

Order online at www.fingerprint-jewellery.co.uk or call Kristie on 07778 448022

‘Yes I feel like I spend my life inside a tumble dryer…’ ...It’s a dad’s life - p16.

Read what our new dad blogger has to say about life at home with two young children.

Families Vale of York

5

theparentbusiness Jo Conway lives in Selby with her husband Sam, and two children, Bella who’s 3 in July and Lewis who’s one and a half. She sells beautiful handmade gifts at fairs and online.

Notice My Name ‘I was due to go back to work after practically two years off on Maternity leave when I was made redundant,’ says Jo. ‘It was just what I needed because I’d been thinking about running my own business for a while.’

Most of the things Jo sells are handmade, original (sometimes bespoke) and can be personalised or adapted to suit a theme in a child’s bedroom or parent’s kitchen.

‘I sell fabric door plaques, memo boards, hair accessory holders, football sticker holders, dinosaur photo frames and all sorts of other things to busy mums through parent and toddler groups and baby fairs.’ She also sells on-line through her website www.noticemyname.co.uk which went live in February.

‘I’d made a few gifts for friends and family,’ says Jo, ‘and I kept being asked to make more. So after lots of market research I decided to use some of my redundancy pay to fund the website and my start up costs. Since then I’ve been busy fulfilling orders, coming up with new designs and promoting and maintaining the website.’

So what’s the best part about working for yourself?

‘It’s an amazing feeling waking up and knowing you don’t have to be anywhere at any time or answer to anyone. But most of all it’s great being able to leisurely get ready with the kids in the morning. We can spend the hour we would normally be sitting in traffic having breakfast together as a family.

‘Of course it’s not always easy. The overwhelming question of “Am I doing the right thing” can play on the old stress levels - but I believe in myself and my products and as a very determined and strong minded person, I won’t let anything get in my way. I have absolutely nothing to lose. The housework has suffered a bit but we don’t talk about that!

‘I’m also really lucky that I have a supportive family and as my husband also works from home we can both muck in on nursery days and be flexible when the kids aren’t at nursery. Grandparents also have the children one day a week so they get the best of all worlds and it’s all very structured. Both my husband and I then work until midnight most nights of the week in order to build our businesses so we put the hours in – they’re just different hours to most people!’

Jo advises anyone thinking of starting out in business to research thoroughly first.

‘I’d say don’t do anything without researching, planning and sorting out finance.

Read, “Kitchen Table Tycoon” (Anita Naik) which is a fantastic resource for all ‘mumpreneurs-to-be’ out there and have a look at the mumpreneurUK website.

There is an abundance of support and fellow mums out there in similar situations who are making it working for themselves. They’re inspirational and have been there and done it! I’d advise on getting a mentor too - I have a fantastic one who has helped me tremendously during these early stages.’

In the future Jo will be concentrating on her current products and bringing new ideas to life.

‘It’s still very early days so the next 12 months will be spent showcasing and selling the products I make and focusing on creating new designs such as children’s personalised headboards. Over the next three to five years though I hope the business will grow– I may even look at franchising it!

www.noticemyname.co.uk

jo@noticemyname.co.uk 07725 351025

Tel:01904 691698 Email:info@bbchildcareuk.com www.bb-childcare.co.uk

• • • • • • •

Nannies Maternity Practitioners Nursery Staff Babysitting Parents Helper Mobile Creches FREE REGISTRATION

For all your childcare needs contact the agency with a helping hand ������������������������������������������� ����������������������������

6 Families Vale of York

What Do You Do At…

Tennis Tots

Early one Saturday morning Families editor Belinda Maunsell ventured out to Harrogate to meet Matt McTurk who runs Tennis Tots.

The venue was Westcliffe Hall in Harlow Terrace and I arrived before the class to chat with Matt about the business and find out what had lead him to begin tennis coaching for little ones.

‘I’m a tennis coach,’ says Matt, ‘and dad to a three year old. So inevitably we began playing tennis games. Soon my daughter’s friends were joining in and the whole idea for the business began to fall into place from that.’

I’m not quite sure how a tennis class can take place in a church hall but soon it becomes clear that Matt brings everything with him; nets, racquets, balls – and everything is child-sized.

Soon the hall is a –buzz with small children and their parents arriving for the 11 o’clock class and they’re all very keen to see Matt and start their lesson.

I’m intrigued to find out what a three-year-old can do with a racquet and ball –I have one of my own and I’m certain she’d just be wanting to do her own thing rather than following a class! I’m about to be very impressed though, as in no time the children are warming up with circuits to music, working on jumps, balance and foot positioning. The parents are all joining in – and I soon see that this is a very hands-on class for the parents who play lots of the skills games with their children. There are ball-rolling & chasing games, side-stepping like a crab and lots of bouncing and catching – even before the nets come out.

Once the nets are out the children practise first with bean bags and then with soft balls placed on a stand to work on positioning.

Soon they’re playing games over the net with partners putting into practise all the skills they’ve been working on.

I ask Matt why children should be playing tennis at such a young age.

‘Scientifically it’s been confirmed that tennis is not only the best sport to play for a lifetime, but that it is also the best first sport for children to learn as well,’ he tells me. ‘It makes a great deal of sense for parents to encourage their children to select a first sport to learn which will develop the greatest number of skills required by the greatest number of other sports and activities.’

The 45 minute class seems to fly – Matt never spends too long on any one activity and soon we are cooling down with some colour recognition games and being butterflies.

Then it’s time for stickers – always a hit – and home time.

A group of pre-schoolers can be a bit daunting as anyone who has tried to entertain more than one at once will know, but Matt was brilliant with them. They all worked so hard and listened carefully – I could tell they’d had a great time.

It’s always lovely too see how kids’ social development is working in the classes I visit and here was no exception.

Different children were given chances to demonstrate to the group and there was lots of praise, rounds of applause and high-fives when difficult tasks were tried and achieved. Matt certainly stretched them – there were some really tricky exercises – but none seemed deterred which is obviously great for building determination and stamina.

‘This class is spot on,’ said one mum whose son Oliver had first tried out Tennis Tots during summer taster session. ‘I teach PE and I can’t fault it – Oliver loves it here.’ I asked her why she chose tennis – ‘it’s a bit different,’ she says,’ he goes to other sports classes too – it’s good to get them involved at an early age.’

Freddy’s dad agreed. ‘Freddy is 3¼ and he’s very physical.

We think it’s a brilliant way to channel his energies, pick up great skills and his listening has improved too!’

If like me you have a fear your child might be the last one picked for a team in games at school, giving them a start like this would be a great way to build their skills. Being competent at sports is not only good for health reasons but helps so much socially. It’s less likely they’ll hear that refrain of ‘butterfingers’ in the playground – but if they do, they probably have the self-confidence to shrug it off and try again.

Matt runs classes in Harrogate at Westcliffe Hall and Kidzplay and at venues in Leeds, Bradford & Ilkley. There are two age ranges: 2- 3½ and 3½ - school age. To find out more visit www.tennis-tots.co.uk where you can find classes to suit you and learn about all the different skills tennis helps to develop.

Families Vale of York

7

Books

We’ve been looking at two new and completely different books by local authors. One a great addition to any family kitchen by mum of two Tiffany Nestour, the other by York novelist and mum of five, Jane Lovering.

Please Don’t Stop the Music

Jane Lovering lives near York and is mum to five children.

She’s written three novels and her latest ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’ is set in York. We caught up with her to find out about her inspiration for the book and how on earth she finds time to write in her busy life.

“I was born and brought up in Exeter but moved to Yorkshire nearly 17 years ago when my then-husband got a job in Kirkbymoorside.

I can’t imagine living anywhere else now – I’m a naturalised Yorkshirewoman ” says Jane.

Jane had various ideas for her current book in her head whilst she was writing another novel, “and then,” she adds, “sitting at a Romantic Novelists’ Convention in Leicester about four years ago the whole thing crystalised, some major plot points came to me, and I was ready to start.”

I asked Jane how she manages to fit in writing around her job and family commitments.

“I work mornings in a school and then come home, walk the dogs, prepare the dinner and write until the children come in from school. Of course, some days things like orthodontic appointments or food shopping intervene, but mostly I’m pretty disciplined about it. I write in the evenings too, my husband and I rarely watch TV and that’s when I get the bulk of the work done. There are some shows I make an exception for, of course, but those evening hours are essentially writing time. I find it works best if I treat the writing as a ‘real job’ and dedicate set hours to it, rather than frittering away my time and always ‘meaning’ to get round to it.”

Jane likes writing about unconventional heroes and heroines: “Not the box-perfect, drop-dead gorgeous impossible people we often read about in romantic novels. Taking that as my starting point, I created two characters with flaws, baggage and secrets and then worked out what those secrets could be and how they would impact on daily life. So the real inspiration was real life and how it treats people who are a little bit ‘different’.

Jane lives north of York but I loves the city. “York, is such a beautiful city, and underrepresented in fiction. So many books are set in the glossy world Down South, I wanted to redress the balance a little, and let readers see that there really is normal life going on north of Watford.”

Of the characters in the book, Jane says Rosie was most closely based on herself: “I was a single mum for five years to five children under ten and I well remember the sheer hard work and seeming impossibility of the task. I wanted to draw attention to the differences between the mother we ‘think’ we will be before a baby is born and the mother we become through necessity. And I also wanted to put in a word about post-natal depression and the feeling of being unable to cope - it’s an under-recognised problem, and a lot of sufferers don’t even realise that they are suffering from it.”

All the action takes place in and around the city – Jane tells me one of the shops ‘Le Petit Lapin’ is, in her head, somewhere on Pertergate – “ but I hasten to add it’s not based on any real shop. I’ve never encountered anywhere quite like it in York, for a start all the shopkeepers are a LOT more friendly than Saskia!”

What our Families reviewer says: “As an avid reader I’m ready to try most books. So when asked to review this one, although the genre (chick lit) wouldn’t have been my first choice, I was willing to give it a go.

From the start I found myself connecting with the characters.They were believable and I could imagine them as real people. The two main characters Ben and Jemima both have underlying secrets, that as the book progresses, are hinted at. This made me want to keep reading to find out all the whys and hows.

I loved the other characters: Saskia, the ‘villain’ of the story, Jason the artist who’s a bit aloof, but in particular Rosie, a stressed single mum trying to juggle a new baby with work pressures. As a mother, single or not, I’m sure many of us can relate to that! As well as the secrets the main characters had, there was a sub-plot dealing with Rosie’s own secret which also had me hooked.

Without giving the plot away, I thought the issues dealt with were written in a sensitive and very humorous way. In all it was cleverly written and well thought out. I actually found it rather more ‘upmarket’ than other chick lit. Yes it was an easy read but with a great plot, really believable characters and lots of laugh-out-loud moments – I loved it! Jane Lovering is definitely an author on my reading list now – I can’t wait for her next book!”

Review by Kelly Smith You can buy ‘Please Don’t Stop the Music’ online from Amazon RRP £7.99

8 Families Vale of York

Family Food

Tiffany Nestour was born in Yorkshire, has an English and Welsh heritage and is married to a Frenchman – the perfect recipe for a delightful new cook book for families - ‘Tout le Monde à Table!’

Belinda Maunsell caught up with Tiffany as her book launched in January.

Born and brought up in Yorkshire, Tiffany Nestour was immersed in cookery from an early age. “I first remember getting interested in cooking myself with my gran in North Wales. It was with her that I made my first sponge cake, an experience I describe in the book,”says Tiffany.

“I gave my first ‘dinner party’ when I was about 15. At university I cooked all the time - for myself, for friends - even to make friends and food was one of the things my husband and I found we had in common when we met in France. When our daughter Alyssa, was born in 2003, I suddenly had another reason for cooking everything myself - I wanted to know what was going into my body to produce her milk, and later I wanted to know that the food she was getting was fresh and nourishing.”

During a career break Tiffany began baking for a local café.

“It was ideal for me as I got to have those fantastic smells in my kitchen and great feedback from those who ate the goodies, but the food wasn’t hanging around in my kitchen tempting me!”

For Tiffany food is very much a family affair and both her children are hands-on.

“Although cooking with the children can be very messy, timeconsuming and at times frustrating, it’s also great fun when you have a bit of extra time. On Sundays our carrots are often cut in a fairly misshapen way, but my son Tom is so proud to have contributed that he eats even more of them.

“I’m bringing my children up to understand balance, enjoyment and moderation in food. That good food is prepared and cooked, not just heated up. I have friends who are far less relaxed than I am, won’t give their little ones anything not labelled organic and refuse anything with sugar in it. I’m trying to find a middle way, so that my children get to enjoy sweets, biscuits and crisps as a treat now and then, but eat good food at the table with all the family, participating in its preparation and presentation.”

Tiffany’s book is full of great easy-to-cook dishes for the family.

Most can be prepared in half an hour and offer a really different slant on the usual fare offered up for kids. As she says in her book she doesn’t have ‘much time for making vegetable tool belts out of mangetout’ as life is pretty hectic. None of the food is glazed or arranged by food stylists in the photos – they are all pictures of real meals which were eaten by her family just after the photo was taken.

“I won’t win any style prizes – but hopefully they’ll give people a realistic idea of how the recipes turn out!”

What our Families tester says: “We tried several recipes and found them all really easy to follow. We love cooking and trying out new dishes and we were impressed that these were quick but very tasty: Poulet à la Harissa – a superbly easy-to-cook chicken dish – simply delicious.

Mediterranean Peppers – great also eaten as a starter with balsamic vinegar – easy to prepare & gorgeous.

Easy White Bread – simple to make – my daughter Charlotte loved helping. The whole house smelled scrumptious.

Charlotte’s verdict: ‘yummy’!”

Tested by Cath Armitage You can buy ‘Tout le Monde à Table!’ online from Amazon RRP £12.99

competitions

Win a high

definition pocket video camera with Metanium From birth to one year, babies change and grow rapidly. It’s a time when you don’t want to miss a single moment or spend time worrying about nappy rash. Metanium – Nappy Rash Experts – are offering Families readers the chance to win a pocket sized high definition video camera (worth around £149) to capture all those magic moments.

The first name out of the hat on April 15th will win a video camera and the next 5 runners-up will receive a Metanium Busy Baby Wall Planner (RRP £9-99) - so you can keep track of your busy week.

And if nappy rash does strike, Metanium Nappy Rash Ointment is licensed specifically to treat nappy rash.

Its unique, gentle formula allows the skin to “breathe” whilst protecting it from further irritation. Metanium should be used at the very first signs of nappy rash to help bring rapid and soothing relief from itching and chafing. Only a pea sized amount of Metanium is needed to treat the sore areas and it can be used from birth onwards. Always read the label.

Metanium 30g costs around £3-49 and can be bought from most pharmacies and online at www.boots.com

how to enter

Go to www.familiesvoy.co.uk/metanium and follow the instructions there. Full terms & conditions are on our website.

Closing date April 15th.

Now You Know About...

Facts and fun go hand-in-hand with ‘Now You Know About’, a DVD series that helps kids find out about artists, scientists and explorers!

Aimed at children aged five and up, each of the three 50-minute-long ‘Now You Know About’ titles introduces kids to individuals who have helped shape our world through a series of short, colourful stories bursting with fun and interesting details.

The DVDs focus on famous artists, scientists and explorers - and all three titles are now available in one great DVD multipack, along with a special activity book and colouring pencils!

The artist DVD features five 10-minute films on Van Gogh, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Goya and Gainsborough, looking at how they lived, what they painted and the stories behind their most famous pictures.

The scientists DVD tells the stories of Newton, Galileo, Darwin, Louis Pasteur and Marie Curie, whilst Explorers looks at the exciting adventures and discoveries of five of history’s greatest explorers including Columbus, Vasco da Gama and Captain Cook.

Available from www.amazon.co.uk

You name it We label it!

Lunchboxes • Water Bottles Books • Uniforms • Footwear

T: 01635 298326

www.easy2name.com

giveaway

Now You Know About have three boxed sets (each with 3 DVDs) to give away to lucky Families readers. To enter just visit www.familiesvoy.co.uk/knowabout and follow the instructions.

Closing date 15th April.

Families Vale of York

9

Early Years Education Last year Yorkshire had the highest number of parents in the country to appeal against the primary school place they’d been allocated. We look at what you can do if your child misses out on a place at their preferred school, and what your chances are of success.

SchoolAppeals

Statistics show that the number of parents choosing to appeal has doubled over the past two years and in some places as many as one in every ten parents is choosing to go down that path. That’s down to an increase in the birth rate as well as more education about the appeals process. Viv Buckland, Head of Admissions at Education Leeds says the overwhelming majority of appeals fail.

“Grounds for appeal at this stage are very few and far between,”she says, “ less than 3% are successful.”

However, there are some grounds for launching an appeal. If you feel the admissions authority have made a mistake that’s cost you a place at the school, there’s the chance of a challenge.

There may also be a case if you can prove the authority has acted

LACE P L O SCHO ST I L K C CHE TES

I UTHOR A E H E T * HAV KE? MISTA A E D ontact MA have, c

hey area. think t r your If you dmissions fo a schools

E ADVIC K E E S * go ppeals

y Advisor to the k .u g r -ed.o a ww.ace ice on For adv r Education w Appeals fo School tion , Centre y n a p com sulta ichard’s an initial con 23 0887 Matt R r o rge f 0208 5 a h m c o .c ’t don ppeals choola www.s ING

WAIT A N O * GET ARLY th ay. If M LIST E the 9

unreasonably. But experts urge caution. Viv Buckland says they often see parents who feel they have a strong case, but it doesn’t meet the appeal criteria.

“If you are going to tell the appeal panel about childcare, about travel arrangements, about a little one being upset because they want to be with their friends, you are not going to be successful. These are the basis of the 97% that fail.”

The law limits class sizes to 30 children, making any appeal at a popular school a challenge.

Matt Richards is often a parent’s last hope. He runs a company called School Appeals and his team have helped families across the country get into the school of their choice.

“You need to know it’s a battle,” warns Matt.

“You are going to be asked some awkward questions – in a recent appeal one of my clients had to talk about an abusive partner. This is NOT a job interview. Someone will be there to unpick your case. That’s why people turn to someone like me.”

Nearly half of all enquiries to School Appeals are from parents looking to challenge their primary school place. However Matt Richards says when he’s heard their case, and the parent has heard what the odds of success are, only a handful go on to instruct him.

“The most common case I get is a parent who has two children at a school, and a lot of families have moved into their area,” Matt explains. “As a result, their reception age child has not got a place. The parents think that’s unreasonable, but on appeal 49 times out of 50 they will loose.”

a there’s u t yo r out, ge until b a it e a t a w n loose Don’t e passio t. You won’t unless ’r u o y l s schoo n the li offered name o e been child’s ol place you’v ho the sc sful. succes e ’r u yo FORE

DGE BE U J T ’ * DON OOKED L look YOU’VE

Matt says despite parents’ frustrations, it’s not the fault of the authorities.

Limited class sizes and rising birth rates are putting more pressure each year on the admissions process. But sometimes parents have no one to blame but themselves.

he round t ime to t o t e h n t e e e , tak en’t b d v e a r h e f u f If yo been o you’ve you! school urprise s y a m t visit. I

“The issue that causes the most distress from parents is when they have a child at a school, and they don’t think they need to apply for a

younger sibling,” says Viv Buckland. “Some parents think it’s automatic, but it’s not.”

Parents will receive their primary school decision around the 20th April. Launching an appeal that could be financially and emotionally costly isn’t the only option open to parents. You can also put your child’s name on your preferred school’s waiting list. In fact, there’s no limit to the number of waiting lists you can join, but you do need to make those decisions by 9th May. “One parent last year was on 23 different waiting lists,” says Viv Buckland. “But once again you need to be clear about your order of preference. The waiting list system is much more successful than the appeal process.”

Waiting lists remain open until the 31st December. It gives parents the option to change school after the start of the school year, if a place becomes available. There’s often movement in September with some families moving over the summer or opting for a place in the private sector. For those willing to be patient and flexible in the early weeks of your child’s education, a place at the school of your choice may become available.

For parents who feel they have grounds for an appeal the advice is, be realistic and seek no obligation, professional help.

“Don’t spend a lot of money until you’ve done your homework and take advice,” says Matt Richards. “A complex case will require hard work, but you may be one of the 3% who wins. And when we do win, we change peoples’ lives.”

Thinking Skills Clifton Pre-prep head Paula Arkley explains how children should be encouraged to think around topics and be encouraged to question.

At school I was a ‘good girl’. I remember that I didn’t put a foot wrong and kept my head down; but I also have a very clear recollection of being told to write a story in my own words - I think I was about 6 years old. I rewrote it and then was told off because I changed the ending. Another time the words ‘See Me!’ were written in my maths book. Again I can remember so clearly, reading it and thinking ‘Yes, I can’ and then getting told off because I hadn’t gone to see the teacher. (I can understand an exasperated teacher now but then I didn’t know what she was cross about!).

We were not encouraged to question our teachers - if they told us something, it must be true! As a result of all of these early experiences I am determined that the children in my school do learn to question and think for themselves (I also try to make sure that when I say something they understand what it is I’m saying!).

Which brings me to the present day. In school we have many resources and a staff who constantly want to improve what they do and the way they do it. I wanted to know what we could do to extend the children’s learning.

I wanted to encourage the children to think for themselves, to question and not just accept blindly what we tell them - as I did. So we started to look into ways of doing this. Without going into too much technical detail we found a system which was in use in a number of schools. The children are taught a series of diagrams and they learn to use them for different purposes – they’re called ‘thinking maps’ and they help children to organise their thoughts.

In addition to this, on our ‘Wonder walls’ (two display boards one for the older children and one for the younger children) we ask open ended questions just to get them thinking...they know there isn’t always a definite answer it’s just a means of getting their minds working. One of my favourite games is to ask the children to come up with a question for an answer.

So I might say: The answer is twelve, what is the question? They start off with simple mathematical questions but by the time I’ve done it a few times they start to come up with the more bizarre ones (my original question was: How many wheels on four tricycles? but hopefully all the other questions were just as valid). Today the answer was ‘A trainer’... and some of their questions were quite interesting!

I want to think that the skills we teach the children today will help them in later life. In a way, it’s easy to teach facts but giving the children skills that they can use as they move through school and beyond is so much more important. A test of whether an idea is working or not is if you see the children using the maps out of lesson time. One of the teachers spotted two of the children using thinking maps to describe each other – not quite what they should have been doing at the time, but certainly an improvement on ‘Mary loves John’ and definitely a success!

© Destonian | Dreamstime.com

and Magic Tree Day Nursery for boys and girls aged 3 months to 11 years of age.

OPEN MORNING Friday 6th May 9:30-11:45am

Bursaries available If you can’t make that day, individual tours can be arranged at any time by contacting the school office Swarcliffe Hall, Birstwith, Harrogate HG3 2JG Tel: 01423 771029 www.belmontgrosvenor.co.uk email: admin@belmontgrosvenor.co.uk

Families Vale of York

11

Early Years Education

Why choose

IndependentEducation?

So if there’s a chance you won’t get your school of choice this spring, what else can you do? One choice is to take a look at Independent Schools. It’s often assumed that they will be prohibitively expensive but some fees are similar to the nursery fees parents may already have been paying and there are often bursaries available.

Victoria Robeson of Queen Mary’s School, Thirsk answers some common questions about independent education.

What is a Pre Prep Department?

Pre Prep is for children from around age 2 – 7. Children receive a gentle introduction to education and are introduced to new challenges and skills in a safe and secure environment.

Do Independent Schools accept Government Funding?

Yes some do. You are entitled to claim for 15 hours a week for a child aged 3 and 4.

Why should I invest in my child’s education now?

Your child is entitled to the opportunity to develop his or her interests and to have these nurtured in a family unit, where each child is valued for being him/herself. The development of self-esteem, which is crucial to all learning and development, is a priority and very important if your child is to flourish.

What advantages do Independent Schools offer?

• Smaller class sizes – individual personalised attention.

• Breadth of education – academic, personal, social and moral, physical, creative.

• Diversity and flexibility – capturing and nurturing a child’s range of individual interests and talents.

• They foster a ‘culture of learning’ and inspire children through a broad education where children develop in more than just academic terms.

Local Independent Schools Information and Open Day Details Queen Ethelburga’s, Steiner School, York.

Free from the limitations of the York Next open day: 26th March

Contact: info@QE.org 01423 333330 for a prospectus & DVD www.QE.org Bursaries available: Yes the school is helped by The Martin Family Charitable Foundation which provides Awards to parents every year in excess of £2,000,000. See website for current details. In the case of there only being one Award remaining in any Category then preference for the allocation of the Award is automatically made to those parents who register their child first. The Headmaster, or Registrar may recommend parents for an Award.

• For lots of parents the continuity and stability of their children’s education is also very important. Many independent schools provide an education from the age of three to 18, giving staff the opportunity to get to know each pupil’s strengths over a number of years.

Age range: 3 months (kindergarten) – 18 yrs old.

Mixed.

• High academic standards, good examination results & sound discipline.

Next open week: w/c 10th October -but appointments can be made at any time.

• Usually independent schools offer outstanding facilities and resources, with generous budgets for equipment and staff training.

How will the provision differ from that of a state school?

Your child will be seen as a holistic child by his/her teachers who will meet all individual needs. Whilst formal learning such as reading is given high priority, so are physical activities. There’s usually a good range of extra curricular activities including ballet, tennis, swimming, horse riding and gymnastics. All your child’s extra curricular activities can be included in their school day in one venue, eliminating the need for you to feel like a taxi service. It also leaves the weekends for family time.

How much contact do I have as a parent?

The parent’s role is crucial in a child’s education, so you will be at the forefront of communication regarding your child’s achievements.

Do the fees include everything?

In most cases, yes. It usually includes lunch, snacks, all text books and materials. Some trips and clubs will incur extra charges.

And finally: Before choosing an independent school, visit a number of schools and talk to the pupils as you go round. There is no better advert for a successful school than its happy and fulfilled students.

12 Families Vale of York

St Peter’s, York

Contact: Judy Sunderland on 01904 527361 email: j.sunderland@cliftonprep.york. sch.uk www.st-peters.york.sch.uk Bursaries Available: Yes - means tested bursaries available from age 11 upwards Age range: 3 – 18 yrs old.

Mixed.

Queen Mary’s, Thirsk Next open day: Friday 18th March 2011 9.30 until midday Contact: Mrs Tory Robeson, Head of Admissions 01845 575040 email: admissions@queenmarys.org www.queenmarys.org Bursaries available: Yes Age Range: Girls Day and Boarding School for ages 2-16 years with mixed Pre Prep.

National Curriculum and state testing.

Next enquirers mornings: Thursday 10th March & Thursday 31st March 9.30am – 12pm – phone to book a place.

Contact: Nicky Kingsley 01904 654983 www.yorksteinerschool.org Bursaries available: Fees are paid by a contribution so you pay according to your means.

Age range: 3-14 with parent & child groups from birth.

Belmont Grosvenor School, Harrogate

Next open day: Friday 6 May 2011 between 9.30am and 11.45am but individual tours with headteacher Jane Merriman can be arranged at any other time to suit individual needs.

Contact: 01423 771029 or visit the website at www.belmontgrosvenor.co.uk to arrange a visit.

Bursaries available: Yes Age range: 3 months (nursery) – 11 yrs old. Mixed.

Ashville School, Harrogate

Next open day: Tuesday 15th & Wednesday 16th March 9.30am – midday.

Contact: 01423 556358 email: ashville@ashville.co.uk www.ashville.co.uk Bursaries available: Yes from age 11. Fees start from £1800/ term in reception as early years funding is accepted.

Age range: 4-18 Years. Mixed.

Honk takes centre stage at Queen Mary’s School Feathers were flying at Queen Mary’s School, as pupils performed their latest drama production ‘Honk’.

Some 65 Key Stage 2 pupils put on the production - a contemporary version of the famous Hans Christian Andersen story, “The Ugly Duckling.” Based on the style of the Broadway musicals of the 1930’s, ‘Honk’ is the noise made by the geeky, uncool youngster at the centre of this classic tale who in time-honoured fashion wins the hearts of everyone. The performance included singing, dancing and plenty of lively action.

Clifton Pre-Prep School

For boys and girls aged 3 - 8 years ‘Academically excellent’

Director, Miss Anthea Shepherdson, explained: “It’s a well known story, but it has important truths and messages within it which are still very relevant today. For example, that we should accept people for what they are, not what they look like.

The girls really enjoyed the rehearsals. We had some stunning frogs, giant eggs, and some rather incompetent geese!”

Photo shows Ugly played by Megan Boase being “picked on” by his family

g - it’s Officiatel!d as in d n ta ts u O is lle vi Ash - have been ra - and its pupils

School Ashville Pre-Prep . recent inspection its in g” din an st “out ll educated”, their to be “extremely we be to nd fou lopment re we The pupils their personal deve ers “excellent” and ch tea racy and h lite wit on ips is sh as on ph relati e school’s em “Th d: de ad ort be rep e ca “outstanding”. Th outstanding, as n ills in these areas are sk t d in the tha an s or an rrid me co y numerac displayed in the cellent project work ex me so m fro en se classrooms.” keen to respond to as being “confident, en ildr ch the tests e rib sc rmance in national The inspectors’ de o highlights the perfo als d an e lat icu art ”. d ge questions an the national avera as being “far above the at the end of Year 2 id: “We are delighted Pre-Prep School, sa ille our hv to As er of off ad we He , re Carol Berrie teaching and ca nised the quality of og rec ve ha rs cto inspe Pre-Prep School. d how young pupils in the sitive the report is an to note just how po ud of our ing as pro ple are ibly We . red inc are “It’s ildren themselves ch the on ts g’!” en din an mm officially ‘outst glowing the co ort’s findings. We are rep the d an e the nts me achieve o inspected alongsid nior School were als Se d or an g” ol din ho an Sc tst r as either “ou Ashville Junio ing collectively rated be ee thr the h wit , Pre-Prep t of 33 categories. “excellent” in 21 ou

Pupils Learning Mandarin It is the most heavily populated country in the world with the fastest-growing economy and now pupils at Belmont Grosvenor School, are not just learning about China – but learning the language too!

Pupils at the North Yorkshire prep school are being taught Mandarin, alongside more traditional languages including French and Spanish.

And to celebrate Chinese New Year, pupils put their language skills to the test and welcomed in the Year of the Rabbit in traditional style, wearing Chinese clothes and enjoying a typical oriental lunch.

The Mandarin club is the idea of the school’s Languages Coordinator Anne Hodson, who is teaching a small number of pupils from years 3 to 6 at the school a basic grasp of Chinese.

“I am teaching the basics – greetings, numbers, days of the week. We are trying out simple phrases and learning about how the characters are formed. We are also learning about China, and a little bit about their culture,” she said.

“The pupils are picking up the language skills very well and are enjoying their lessons.”

Building the foundation of your child’s education

If you are interested in seeing our Nursery and Reception classes for entry in September 2011 please call us on 01904 527361 to book an appointment Clifton Pre-Prep School York YO30 6AB Tel: 01904 526361 enquiries@cliftonprep.sch.uk www.st-peters.york.sch.uk/clifton

Clifton Pre-Prep • St Olave’s • St Peter’s

ASHVILLE ADVENTURE

A fun interactive session for 21/2 - 4 year olds and their parents. Stay and play at Ashville Pre-Prep school. An opportunity to meet the teachers, see the school and have some fun. Children will be invited to engage in a range of activities, including story telling, arts and crafts and even feeding the guinea pigs! At the end of the session parents will be offered an informal tour of the school whilst children enjoy a snack.

Come and see what makes Ashville different.

Wednesday 11th May 2011 Wednesday 22nd June 2011 9.30am - 11.00am

Jane Merriman, headteacher at Belmont Grosvenor School, said she was delighted to be offering something a little different to pupils at the school.

“It is important for our pupils to learn that there is life beyond Europe,” she said.

“The idea of the club is to give children some basic Mandarin skills in a fun and educational environment.”

Ashville College, Green Lane, Harrogate HG2 9JP 01423 566358 ashville@ashville.co.uk www.ashville.co.uk

Families Vale of York

13

Sloping off

Paul & Francesca Eyre have been running

their family-friendly ski chalet company Chilly Powder in Avoriaz for the last 16 years.

Families editor Belinda Maunsell took her

with the

family in January for a taste of the high life!

It’s quite a long time since we skied and most of it was done before the kids arrived. Not only do children take all your spare cash, the thought of finding suitable childcare and hauling small children and skis around didn’t sound much like a holiday to me. And after a week’s horrific ski experience with our son when he was one (no childcare when we arrived) we decided to leave it well alone until he could manage the slopes himself. Now he’s nearly 9 and very ready - but with a 3-year-old in tow too we were still a bit anxious about how her day would work out whilst we were all living it up on the slopes.

We’d heard amazing things about Chilly Powder so mid-January we headed off for our first family skiing holiday to Avoriaz in the French Alps. With a transfer of 80 minutes from Geneva and guaranteed snow, Avoriaz is the perfect destination for families and beginners. Although we’ve skied many times before, it had been 7 years since we’d spent a week on snow and we wanted to be able to take Isaac off with us safely each afternoon and give him chance to practise what he’d learned in his morning lessons.

Purpose-built resort Avoriaz sits above Morzine, a traditional alpine ski town in the Portes du Soliel Area. Chilly Powder is perfectly situated between the two in Les Prodains and is just 5 minutes walk from the cable car which took us up to the Avoriaz ski area in 6 minutes every morning. If you’re much fitter and better skiers than we are then the area that can be accessed is vast – taking in resorts such as Les Gets, Chatel and Champery but for us, Avoriaz was plenty.

‘Au Coin du Feu’ is one of three Chilly Powder chalets run by Paul, Francesca, Amie and an excellent staff - and they’ve certainly thought of everything. ‘Because we are parents ourselves,’ says Francesca, ‘we’ve been there and know exactly what families need to

14 Families Vale of York

make their holiday go as smoothly as possible.’

And everything is seamlessly organised with a particular emphasis on the chalet being baby-and child-friendly. During our stay there were plenty of babies visiting along with toddlers and pre-schoolers and all were superbly catered for. And when the kids are happy, everyone knows, the parents are too.

The Chilly Powder chalet has 17 rooms of varying sizes and all beautifully themed from the Wedding Room to the Indian and Riding rooms. Ours, the Winter Room, with balcony overlooking a snowy slope, was a typical family suite with a mezzanine floor for the children. The gate locked so our youngest couldn’t ‘escape’ at night – she didn’t need a cot – but they’re available if you do. They both loved having their own ‘floor’ and we still felt close enough to them to be on hand if they needed us during the night. Most evenings India went to bed just before we went to dinner whilst Isaac played in the games room with a new friend – pool or Wii games – or he watched a movie in our room.

There’s a baby listening service via the telephone system – though I had to smile at the first evening meal when the crackle of baby monitors could be heard above the introductory conversations!

Child-friendly Chilly Powder comes into its own when childcare is needed and all but one of the families staying during our week had young

children.

‘Some weeks turn out to be very pre-school orientated,’ says Francesca, ‘and then others have lots of teens – it just sometimes works that way.

When there are more teenagers staying with us they go up into Avoriaz or down to Morzine in the evenings to skate, bowl or go to teen discos – there’s lots going on and it’s very safe out here.’

India was enrolled in the Chilly Powder crèche each day where British staff (with British childcare ratios) looked after her all day. No long trek with her across town either – just a few steps downstairs and she was there since the crèche is sited on the ground floor of the chalet. With lots of toys, arts and crafts, soft play and books, she was more than happy. She baked cakes and went on bus trips into town – she’s still telling me about the purple horse on the carousel in Morzine. She sledged, hunted for penguins in the garden and made some lovely new friends. At 3 we felt India wasn’t ready to learn to ski – although at least one other 3-year-old was having lessons.

The slightly older children took advantage of the drop-off and pickup service and, after their morning of lessons, were brought back to the crèche for activities – all with no need to disturb mum and dad’s

long lunch on the mountain!

With skiing to the door (if you chose to) most people were finding their way back to the chalet for afternoon tea at around 4pm– delicious cakes and savouries with tea and coffee – or something stronger! This was a great time to just chill out, watch the kids play and chat about the days exploits – or watch your slightly mad 8 year old jump out of the hot tub to do snow angels wearing only swimming trunks…

Kids’ tea is served at 5.30 offering favourites such as spag bol, chicken pie and home made burgers. Every night there’s pasta, ham, cheese and a

Morzine – Avoriaz • The neighbouring resorts make up part of the Portes du Soliel ski area – one of the world’s largest ski regions.

• Morzine is one of the original traditional chalet style ski resorts and has catered for skiers for over 80 years • Avoriaz sits 800 meters above Morzine & was purpose-built in the 1960s. Designs are futuristic but use traditional wood and sloping roofs to blend into the surrounding environment. With no cars allowed, travel around the town is by horsedrawn sleigh.

• Skiing isn’t the only activity going on during the winter months.

You could take a sleigh ride, try snow-shoeing, go sledging or ski joering ( skiing behind a horse!), ice skating, snow scootering or even paragliding!.

• Avoriaz is a leading snowboarding destination. There are two permanent snow parks with a superpipe, as well as tube barriers, tables and raised bends. It also has a rare special area for child ‘boarders - Village Snowboard is reserved exclusively for kids aged 6 to 16 at all levels.

kids of tipples to try out and – if you really must – watch sport on TV! With the kids tucked up in bed or occupied in their games room, dinner was an adults-only affair served at 8pm with canapés and drinks beforehand. Chef treated us to the most delicious 5 course meals each night round large communal tables. Francesca was the perfect hostess and kept us entertained with childhood stories and tales of how their family have spent the last 16 years building up their business. And with the wine flowing and skiing tales in abundance I couldn’t really imagine any other way to ski with the family. Although it might sound a bit of a cliché, by the end of the week I really felt part of the Chilly Powder family and had met some lovely new friends.

The Skiing choice of vegetables with yummy puddings afterwards. You’ll find an abundance of high-chairs, bottle warmers, sterilizers, a blender (but you won’t need to use it – chef prepares all the food for your baby)

For the grown ups Chilly Powder is most definitely adult-friendly too. I managed to sample the hot tub, nearly fell asleep in the sauna and relaxed with a deep tissue massage from in-house therapist Marica on my last night – bliss! There’s a fab chill out area for adults too in the library where we got to know each other over a lively game of charity knockout pool and a bar area with plenty

Isaac had lessons each morning with French ski school ESF and then we took him off to ski together – and to sometimes join new friends for lunch and ski with them. It was lovely to see him gain confidence and begin to show us places he’d skied on his lessons that we’d not been. At one point near the end of the week I told him to watch me carefully and fix the moment in his memory.

Why? Because it was surely the last time I’d be a better skier than him! I learned as an adult and it took me several weeks to have the confidence Isaac had in just a few days. Children learn so fast, know no fear and absolutely love the thrill of it all.

I was really glad he’d had a few

lessons with Sno!zone in Castleford before we went out – it certainly paid off and he moved up two groups after his first morning and was zooming about all over the mountain with children who had had one or two weeks’ snow experience already. This meant during his first skiing holiday he actually skied the mountain rather than spending half the week on nursery slopes.

Our fears about having forgotten how to ski were unfounded though we took advantage of a private lesson to help us find our ski legs again. In no time we’d found our confidence and despite warnings about a lack of snow in the Alps before we set off, Avoriaz had plenty. Because of its altitude the slopes are snow-sure all season. Coupled with snow-making facilities it meant there were miles of slopes to ski. We’re intermediate skiers and had plenty to keep us happy all week but I was also assured by the black-run enthusiasts and boarders staying with us that there was plenty for them too.

We ventured out to see what the town had to offer on the chalet staff night off and went down to Morzine, where to our kids’ delight, we took a horse and carriage ride around town and finished up in a traditional French restaurant to sample some customary French food - raclette, tartiflette, crêpes and chocolate mousse. Some families opted into the chalet’s baby-sitting service and hit the town – or settled for a cosy meal ‘à deux’ instead!

Summer at Chilly Powder As soon as the winter season is over in May, Paul & Francesca start the summer season at Chilly Powder.

‘Summer in the Avoriaz is one of the best kept secrets in travel,’ says Francesca. ‘We love summer here, the children play out in the garden until late in the evenings and we enjoy barbecues with our guests.

There’s so much to do here and the weather is perfect.’

In the summer months visitors can enjoy 650km of walking and mountain-biking trails, go swimming in Lake Montroind – or in the Olympic Pool. There are tennis courts, toboggan runs as well as horse and pony riding and if you’re more adventurous, orienteering, pot-holing, canyoning, white water rafting, kayaking and paragliding – the list goes on.

One thing you really get a sense of at Chilly Powder is that this is not really just a business for Paul and Francesca - it’s their life. Their children mix in with the guests and they’re both completely hands-on.

Francesca spent our first day in the crèche with the children and during children’s tea one day I watched her relish feeding one of the babies so his mum could sample a massage. It’s not only about ‘service’ although you will feel very well looked after – it’s just them being themselves, relaxed, friendly, happy – we really could not have had a better time.

www.chillypowder.com Families Vale of York

15

It’s aDad’sLife

York father Rob White is a stay-at-home dad running his own business and here at Families we’re very excited that he will be blogging for us on the Families Vale of York website. You’ll be able to find him online at www.familiesvoy. co.uk where he’ll be updating us with his family antics on a week-by-week basis and telling us how it all looks from a male perspective.

We’ve asked him to introduce himself on paper – be sure to catch up with him online!

Today was a particularly difficult day. Today was actually more difficult than yesterday, and the prospect of tomorrow being more difficult than today is leaving me in a state of panic. If it wasn’t for my depleted energy reserves and sleep deprived body I would try and do something about it, but I can’t. Instead I sit here – catching my breath and waiting for it to all start again tomorrow.

My name’s Rob, a rapidly greying 38 year old father of three, who decided to combine his child- care responsibilities with the equally daunting activity of self-employment. And by doing so I broke the golden rule when looking after children full time; don’t try and do anything else at the same time.

On paper it does feel viable that staying at home with your children could lend itself to offering some capacity for entrepreneurial activity.

Surely there would be plenty of time to take phone calls? Answer those emails? Reconcile those bank accounts? Of course in reality the available time to run a business is virtually zero; seldom does a single solitary unbroken minute present itself during the day for the purpose of operating your enterprise. And when those miniscule time slots do appear, lulling you into making that important phone call, they evaporate in a flash and without warning, normally at the point you catch your little ones trying to climb into the dishwasher.

The result is that you operate your business in fragments, small blinks of activity which feel like they need gluing together to make something coherent out of them. Everything simply bottlenecks, ready to be tackled once the children are asleep which is around the same time you find you’ve hit your wall and you’re left slumped in front of the TV with exhausted spiral eyes and a large friendly glass of red.

So why do it? Why take the most difficult job in the world and then bolt on an equally difficult job? I suppose everyone who chooses this path has their own reasons. Some do it because it keeps them in touch with reality and some do it because the entrepreneurial pull is too strong.

For me, I put the blame for my self-inflicted bewildering existence firmly at the feet of our postman. Everyday he brings me envelopes, brown ones with demands for money inside. Since becoming a parent we have said goodbye to the financially fluid days of carefree existence, with spare money these days simply soaking up as many nappies and potato waffles as the trolley will hold.

It was the harsh reality of parental budgeting that submerged me into the soup of ‘child care entrepreneurialism’. While I made tiny lunches and wiped sticky faces, while I watched Mr Tumble and planned play dates in the park, I simply couldn’t ignore the nagging need to contribute towards the family finances. I felt like I was watching a raging fire whilst doing nothing to put out the flames.

So although my life is a maelstrom of nappies, school runs and cash flow forecasting, the truth is that for me, running a business along side full time child care is a necessary evil. Yes I feel like I spend my life inside a tumble dryer, but it allows me to contribute to the house in a financial capacity, therefore alleviating those nagging money worries. My conclusion is that it would be impossible for me to be a full time Dad any other way.

Rob White has spent most of his career working as a freelance IT Project Manager but also has strong links with the motor trade. In 2009 he set up Cash4Vehicles. co.uk an ‘End of Life’ vehicle network, providing cars for other scrap car dealers and the network now stretches across York, Sheffield, Cambridge, Manchester, Ipswich and Bristol, with Reading, Birmingham and Edinburgh soon to launch.

He juggles his business with caring for Zahra (aged 4) and Isaac (aged 2).

16 Families Vale of York

easter gift Ideas Okay –so we know there’ll be chocolate involved but if you want to avoid a mountain of the stuff we’ve asked Zhara Armstrong of Treasures Wetherby and Simone Wood of Cold Bath Toy Shop, Harrogate to suggest some alternative Easter treats for your little ones – that won’t break the bank.

Zhara’s suggestions:

crafts

Top Model Design Studio – this beautiful folder has everything you will need to create your own designs, with stencils, accessory stickers and printed papers to cut your own design. Would make a wonderful present for ages 7+ £8.99 Melissa & Doug Decorate your Own Wooden Jet Plane Suitable for age 4 + this set includes everything you will need £9.99

games

Lego Race 3000 game will keep boys aged 7+ happily entertained.

Once finished you can take it apart to build again later. £14.99. Lego Shave a Sheep for ages 5+ is £7.99 and Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts for ages 8+ is £24.99.

toys

Lego City Range New Prisoner Transport at £13.99 for ages 2 – 5, for a pocket money toy also new from Lego City, Car at £3.99 suitable for 5 – 12 years.

For 18 months upwards we have new Duplo Bricks & More Set at £9.99.

Sylvanian Families have lots of new additions this year and are really popular. The Dinner Lady & Lollipop Man priced £11.99 are from the new Berry Grove School range which will be on TV soon.

Playmobil Easter Eggs There are four in the range I particularly like the Scientist with baby dinosaur! The four include – Mongolian Warrior on his horse with shield and bow, a Ghost Pirate with dagger and a firing cannon, a Fairy with her throne made of flowers, and A Scientist with a baby dinosaur and her cracked egg. RRP is £7.99 but Treasures will have them at a special offer price of £4.99.

All these gifts are available at Treasures, No8 High Street, Wetherby. www.treasurestoys.co.uk

Simone’s Suggestions: I love these four jigsaw puzzles in Rabbit, Chicken, White Rabbit or Lamb shaped boxes. £10.50 We have traditional beautiful cardboard eggs - you can personalize them and fill them with anything you like. Even chocolate!

We also have the most beautiful pull along flowery hen. £23.99 We have duck, chick & hen finger puppets, (£3.00), or black or white sheep, (£10.45), or this lovely, lovely wild rabbit hand puppet, (£12.50) all from The Puppet Company. They are gorgeous and not too pricey. And they’d last longer than any chocolate!

Gifts available from Cold Bath Toy Shop, Cold Bath Road, Harrogate. Tel 01423 709886

what’sonin March/April ‘11 Looking for Easter Holiday inspiration? No need to try too hard – we’ve done it all for you!

We’ve found lots of Easter-related activities taking place across North Yorkshire. If you’re looking for activities you can do at home read our online article by Joanna Parry – ‘Quality time with your kids this Easter’. You’ll find it at www. familiesvoy.co.uk We hope you like the new layout and that it makes finding out what’s on even easier. Remember to check before you set out as things may have changed.

2, 9, 16 & 23 March Little Acorns: parent & child workshops HARLOW CARR Series of four workshops for pre-school children & parents on seed sowing of flowers and veg. 01423 565418 www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlowcarr

5th March Jumble Sale WHELDRAKE VILLAGE HALL In aid of Wheldrake Pre School and Playgroup 2 - 3.30pm

5 & 6 March Pancake Weekend EUREKA Enjoy a weekend celebrating the pancake with fun family challenges and games in the museum 01422 330069 www.eureka.org.uk

12 March Discovery Day NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM Get your whole family hands-on and involved with over 20 workshops looking at the wonderful and strange science behind everyday living. Free. 01904 631 319 www.nrm.org.uk

19 & 20 March Record Breakers NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM Celebrate the end of Science Week with a weekend exploring the world of the fast and glamorous. Join in with craft activities, science shows and storytelling. Free 01904 631 319 www.nrm.org.uk

26 March Bird Watching for Beginners FOUNTAINS ABBEY 10.30am – 12.30pm 01765 608888 Tel:01422 844518

3 April Mother’s Day Crafts BENINGBROUGH HALL & GARDENS Make something quirky for mum 11am – 3pm 01904 472027 www.nationaltrust.org.uk

8 April – 8 May Easter Holiday Family Trail RIEVAULX TERRACE & TEMPLES Family trail and free Cadbury Egg and quiz to take away. £2 Information was correct as we went to press but be sure to check before you make plans as things may have changed.

8 – 26 April Easter Trail TREASURER’S HOUSE 11am – 4pm. Solve the clues and follow the trail to receive a delicious Cadbury chocolate egg. 01904 624247

9 -25 April Easter School Holiday Fun FOUNTAINS ABBEY 11am – 3pm. Free trail and drop in self-led activities on theme of spring flowers. 01765 608888

9 April – 2 May A Walk on the Wild Side EUREKA Grab your binoculars and go on a safari through the galleries, handle cute and scary animals and join the interactive story ‘Walking Through the Jungle’. 01422 330069 www.eureka.org.uk

9 April – 8 May Easter Family Trail NUNNINGTON HALL Special trail for families - £2.00 and participants get a free Cadbury egg and nature quiz to take away. 01439 748283

9 – 25 April 2011 Japan Festival NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM Celebrate the10th anniversary of the National Railway Museum receiving the Japanese Bullet Train with live music and martial arts every day during the Easter holidays. Free 01904 631 319 www.nrm.org.uk

9 April Selby NCT Nearly New Sale SELBY METHODIST CHURCH 11am. Bargain nearly new baby and kids clothing, nursery equipment and furniture, toys and prams. 0844 243 6257 www.nct.org.uk/in-your-area/selby

11 – 20 April Easter Camps with Tennis Tykes Kidzplay soft play area party room, Harrogate.

11 & 18 April 9.30am-10.30am, 10.30am-11.30am and 11.30am-12.30pm 13 & 20 April 2pm-3pm and 3pm-4pm 15 April 2pm-3pm and 3pm-4pm The Poppleton Centre, Poppleton, York 12 & 19 April 10am-11am and 11am 12noon 21st April 10am-11am and 11am-12noon Chapel Allerton Tennis Club (indoor tennis courts) 14 April 10-11am and 11am-12noon Ilkley Lawn Tennis & Squash Club (indoor tennis courts) 12 & 19 April 9.30-10.30am, 10.30-11.30am 13 & 20 April 9.30-10.30am, 10.3011.30am and 11.30am-12.30pm Each 1 hour class is £5 or sign up for more than one and get a 10% discount.There are also classes at all the above venues for older children (aged 5+).

To book call 07843342662, email caroline.buncall@tennistykes.co.uk www.tennistykes.co.uk

12 – 17 April Easter Holiday Club YORK BAPTIST CHURCH York Baptist Church is becoming a Yorkshire Farm complete with tractor, animals, windmill & barn - all part of their Easter Holiday Bible Club “Down on the Farm”, for primary school children.

01904 640124 or office@yorkbaptist.org

13 & 20 April Llama Walks BRIMHAM ROCKS, SUMMERBRIDGE, HARROGATE 10.30am – 4pm. Pet and stroke a llama and take it for a walk! Children must be accompanied by an adult. £2.50.

01423 780688.

9 April 2pm Spring Fairy and the Easter Bunny Visit TREASURES, WETHERBY Easter’s arriving early at Treasures this year with a special visit from Fairy Enchantica and The Easter Bunny. Go along and learn about life in the enchanted forest at Easter time and help the Easter Bunny get ready for the big day.

Enchantica will be up to her usual fairy tricks so if you wish to wear your favourite fairy dress or magical wizard cloak you will be well equipped for this magical experience. There will lots of fun, songs and prizes to be won... Don’t miss this one!

Families Vale of York

17

what’sonin March/April ‘11 14 April Messy Play & Craft Club

POPPLETON PRE-SCHOOL Messy play is parent & child session for 0-4 years. 10-11am. £4.50 per child.

Craft Club is for 4-8 years. Drop off session 2-4pm. £8 per child.

01904 782047 / 788853 www.poppletonpreschool.co.uk

14 April Fairy Secrets & Nature’s Wonders BRIMHAM ROCKS, SUMMERBRIDGE, HARROGATE 11am. Learn how to recognise animals, birds and fairies, and if you’re very lucky, make a wish with fairy dust! 01423 780688

14 April Easter Crafts Special with Smarty Art ALDBOROUGH VILLAGE HALL 1.30-2.30 p.m Age 1-12, accompanied by adult. £6 including drink & snack.

17 April Family Day & The Mascot Gold Cup WETHERBY RACES Have a great day at the races whilst supporting national healthcare charity Sue Ryder

theatre 1-5 March Horrible Histories – Awful Egyptians GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK 01904 671818

2 – 5 March Horrible Histories – Ruthless Romans GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK 01904 671818

17 March How The Koala Learnt to Hug YORK THEATRE ROYAL 01904 623568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

19 & 20 March Charlie & Lola’s Best Bestest Play HARROGATE THEATRE 01423 502116 www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk

22 – 27 March Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat GRAND THEATRE & OPERA HOUSE, LEEDS 0870 121 4901 www.leedsgrandtheatre.com

22 – 26 March George’s Marvellous Medicine ALHAMBRA THEATRE BRADFORD 01274 432000 www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

27 March The Chuckle Brothers in Barry Potty & His Full Blood Brother Paul in The Ghostly Shadows GRAND OPERA HOUSE YORK 01904 671818

18 Families Vale of York

18 April Amusing Stories

FOUNTAINS ABBEY 2pm. Meet at www.fountainsabbey.org.uk.

18 – 21 April Easter Camps THE LITTLE GYM Little Gym 3 hr camps provide children with a fabulous variety of fun, activity, learning and creativity. Stimulate physical and motor-skill development with games and gymnastics, all in the care of qualified and dedicated instructors. Open to members and nonmembers. Harrogate www.thelittlegym.co.uk

19 April Royal Party CRAZY TYKES Crafts & buffet. £6 adult or child. Ticket only.

3-6pm

20 April Easter Activities HIGH LOW QUICK SLOW Holiday sessions at Osgodby Village institute with a ‘Colours’ theme. £4.50 per child and £3.50 for siblings. Sessions at 10am, 11.30am & 1pm including drink, sticker and certificate.

More information or to book call Anne 01757 611234 Sarah 01757 707743 www.highlowquickslow.co.uk

5 – 9 April Goodnight Mister Tom WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE 0113 213 7700 www.wyp.org.uk

11 & 12 April GRUFFALO’S CHILD HARROGATE THEATRE 01423 502116 www.harrogatetheatre.co.uk

12 - 16 April The Slipper and the Rose: The Real Story of Cinderella YORK THEATRE ROYAL 01904 623568 www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk

13 – 16 April Peppa Pig’s Party WEST YORKSHIRE PLAYHOUSE 0113 213 7700 www.wyp.org.uk

14 – 16 April Curtains The Musical JOSEPH ROWNTREE THEATRE UK Youth Premier of this intriguing romantic comedy, murder mystery! www.flyingducksyouththeatre.com

16 April How the Koala Learnt to Hug DONCASTER CIVIC THEATRE 01302 342349 www.doncastercivic.co.uk

18 April The Chuckle Brothers in Barry Potty & His Full Blood Brother Paul in The Ghostly Shadows ST. GEORGE’S HALL 01274 432000 www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

26 April Fireman Sam Live ST. GEORGE’S HALL 01274 432000 www.bradford-theatres.co.uk

22 – 25 April Mad Hatter’s Easter Weekend

HAREWOOD HOUSE Don’t be late for this very important date!.

0113 218 1010 www.harewood.org

22 - 25th April Easter Traditional Fair and Shire Horse Experience CASTLE HOWARD Traditional Victorian fun fair including children’s Carousel, Train-Ride, Swing-Boats, Chair-OPlanes, face painting and candy barrow. All activities and rides are included in entry ticket.

01653 648529 www.castlehoward.co.uk

24 April Easter Egg Trail BRIDSTONES, RAVENSCAR 10am. Follow the clues to win a tasty prize.

Including craft and gift fair, refreshments on sale. 50. 01723 870423 / 01947 885900

24 & 25 April Next Stop Paddington NUNNINGTON HALL Meet Paddington Bear - he may even be joining in with the family Easter trails and activities! 01439 748283

25 April Family Day WETHERBY RACECOURSE Family Package - £22

Saturday 23 April Easter Trail BRIMHAM ROCKS, SUMMERBRIDGE, HARROGATE 11am – 4pm 01423 780688

23 – 25 April Easter Hunt and Olympics BENINGBROUGH HALL & GARDENS Eggtastic races, egg and spoon, bring your thinking cap for the infamous Easter trail, sponsored by Cadbury! 12pm – 4pm.

01904 472027 www.nationaltrust.org.uk

25 April Easter Egg Eggsploits FOUNTAINS ABBEY 2pm. Take your decorated hard boiled eggs for the annual best decorated egg and egg rolling competitions. 01765 643166 www.fountainsabbey.org.uk.

29 April An Invitation to the Royal Wedding NUNNINGTON HALL Nunnington is hosting a very special royal garden party and you are invited! 9.30am – 5pm. Watch the wedding of the decade on a giant TV screen in the walled garden and join in the celebrations. 01439 748283

30 April – 2 May Red White and Blue MayFair!

BENINGBROUGH HALL & GARDENS A traditional English nostalgia fair, with period vehicles; cars, trains, scooters, plus cream teas and red white and blue celebrations!

01904 472027 www.nationaltrust.org.uk

30 April Bank Holiday Fun – Pond Life FOUNTAINS ABBEY 11am – 4pm Free trail and drop in self-led activities in Swanley Grange. 01765 643166 www.fountainsabbey.org.uk.

classes Yoga In York 7 – 26 April Easter Treasure Hunt THORP PERROW Treasure Hunt for all the family 01677 425323 www.thorpperrow.com

22 – 25 April Easter Fun Days NEWBY HALL & GARDENS On the woodland trail costumed characters will be helping families discover clues and find their way through the woodland in search of the Newby Treasure 01423 322583 www.newbyhall.com

1 & 2 May The Children’s Festival HAREWOOD HOUSE Bank Holiday fun for little ones...meet all your favourite children’s characters 0113 218 1010 www.harewood.org

Pregnancy Yoga in York at the Friargate Friends Meeting House, Central York Tues 7-8pm to 11 Aprill & 9 May 1 Aug 2011 £6.50 for first class £1 off for concessions, usually then pay for 7 in advance (£45.50) or an extra £1 to drop in Mum and Baby Yoga from 6 weeks post natal.

Tues 11am - noon (includes crawlers) at St Clements Ch, Scarcroft Rd, South Bank from 22 Feb 2011 Fri 11am- noon (6 wks - pre crawlers only) at Healing Clinic, Museum St, City Centre from 25 Feb 2011 Prebook at £38.50 for 7 wks. With Anna Semlyen British Wheel of Yoga Dip 01904 654355 / 07891 989310 www.yogainyork.co.uk anna@yogainyork.co.uk

YogaCo

Yoga for Pregnancy Wed & Thurs 6.30 - 8.15pm at Jacob’s Well, Trinity Lane, central York. £7.50 per class.

Sophie Carr www.yogaco.co.uk info@yogaco.co.uk 01904 733752 Mum and Baby Yoga Mon 10.30 - 12 noon at St Columba’s Church Hall, Priory St, central York. £6 per class. Alison Goodwin www.yogaco.co.uk yogawithalison@yahoo.co.uk 01904 799097

beta mum

My friends, I tried to go Alpha. I know, I know. No good can come of that kind of behaviour.

If you’re a dyed in the wool BetaMum, trying to be the perfect AlphaMum is as doomed as Mubarak’s RSVP to the 2011 World Leaders’ Annual Cheese and Wine Party this July.

attention to the screen and speakers of the laptop. I navigated my way deftly to YouTube. Still ignoring their questions with the calmness of a 21st century Mary Poppins, I typed “Pink Perfect” into the search bar.

My elder son (nearly 9) hadn’t been feeling all that great about himself.

Detail here will only embarrass him so nuff said. However, I was pondering this bit of primary school low self esteem when I heard a lovely song on the radio by Pink.

This lovely song was entitled ‘Perfect’.

Well. What can I say? I am now more familiar with the concept of a ‘Radio Edit’ and my two sweet children are more familiar with a word that begins with F and ends with a severe ticking off from their mother if I ever hear them saying it.

If you’re what my nan used to confusingly call ‘mod’, you’ll have a horrible idea of where this is going.

If you’re as out of touch as I, then you might like to find out more about this lovely song.

As I pootled along the North Yorkshire country lanes, Radio Two blaring into my middle-aged ears, I was struck by the life-affirming lyrics of this lovely song, including ‘Don’t you ever ever feel, Like you’re less than perfect....If you ever ever feel like you’re nothing, you’re perfect to me.’

That, I said to myself, is a lovely song I must play to my nearly-nineyear –old son. That lovely song will boost his self-esteem no end and thus I will be an AlphaMum who has a confident and well-rounded nearlynine-year-old son. And because I’m me, I made a right performance of it.

On the way home from school, I gleefully informed both nearly nine and (to make matters worse) nearly seven that I had something to play them on YouTube when we got back.

They bounced about excitedly, full of questions but I remained serenely tight-lipped. You might even say I kept mum. (If you wanted to make a bad pun. Which I generally do if I get the chance.)

Plus, we are all more familiar with the idea that that nice Pink has a filthy potty mouth and if she wants me to get her party started, she’d better get round here and do some explaining about the overuse of that particular word before I’ll so much as defrost a sausage roll.

Talking of potty mouths, the English language is a strange thing. We have a swear jar in our house – mainly aimed at my bloke. He’s keeping much more change in his pocket these days but if riled, will stomp into the kitchen and toss a pre-emptive 50p in the jar, which he reckons buys him two mild swears and a pretty hearty obscenity. Out of junior earshot of course.

But, oh the hilarity enjoyed by nearly seven year olds giggling about ‘bloody noses’ and ‘blue tits’. I’m not sure whether last night’s comment was one of these or whether it came from some inappropriate programme that they’ve managed to watch during their many hours of unsupervised TV. Maybe you can shed some light?

Shortly before bedtime, I asked my nearly seven year old what he’d like for supper. I was expecting to be asked for ‘toast’ or ‘cereal’ or even trying his luck with ‘sweets’ or ‘chocolate’, but no.

‘What would you like for supper I gathered my boys around me on darling?’ the sofa, directing their full and quiet ‘A dead cock.’

Jacey Lamerton juggles motherhood with running her own dress agency and style coaching business Get Your Frocks Off!. Some days the juggling goes better than others. Her shop sells nearly new clothes and accessories from brands including Diane von Furstenberg, Joseph, LK Bennett, Hobbs, Mulberry and many more. It’s now at 43 Goodramgate and open Mon – Sat 10 – 5.

Families Vale of York

19