Children’s Puzzles

The Diary of a Local Mum

Spending Time Together

I heard someone recently saying their 2020 New Year’s resolution was to spend more time together as a family…they hardly dared to make a resolution for 2021 after that one totally surpassed everyone’s expectations! Be careful what you wish for, eh!

Over this past year we’ve spent much more time at home than ever before, with the usually packed social schedules screeching to a resounding halt. This time has been challenging but in many ways enjoyable as we’ve had chance to slow down, be less ruled by the clock or calendar, and enjoy more time in each other’s company.

This is precious time that we wouldn’t have otherwise been afforded and it’s given us chance to find simple pleasures. We’ve found ways to make fun, cheap, easy entertainment at home; we’ve exercised together, cooked together, eaten as a family, talked, played, danced and laughed.

But, as we all know too well, this situation has continued far longer than we could have imagined whilst in the midst of the first lockdown in 2020. At first, it was a bit of a ‘project’ – entertaining everyone, creating new schedules to fit with work and school commitments, kicking off the day with PE with Joe and ending it with family board games or online quizzes. There was a certain novelty factor, helped by the glorious weather. I’ve no doubt that in the future, when we look back at 2020 with weary bemusement, we will find some positivity in the memories of the time when the world slowed down.

However, over 10 months later we find ourselves still in a very similar situation. The quizzes have lost their appeal, board games are greeted with sighs, we’ve watched most of Netflix, no one ever wants to see another banana bread as long as they live … even Joe Wicks’ infectious energy is wearing a little thin (sorry Joe, I do love you but there’s only so many times you can get excited about a burpee, fancy dress or not). Keeping everyone entertained is becoming increasingly difficult. ‘Another walk, anyone?’

I know that we shouldn’t complain. A little boredom is really nothing when compared to what others are going through. We’re incredibly grateful for our health and completely understand how vital it is to stay at home and do what we can to stay safe and protect others… but trying to remain upbeat and enthusiastic in this situation really is exhausting. We’re constantly bombarded with negativity from the media and, despite the promising news of the vaccine roll-out, it’s still difficult to envision an end to all this any time soon. To top it all off, it’s dark, cold and miserable outside. Slapping on a smile and finding something fun to do is hard.

Time together now frequently involves everyone staring at individual screens…sometimes in the same room, sometimes not. But is that a bad thing? We often feel guilty for letting kids have too much screen time, or for being distracted by our own phones, but we’ve reached the point where we all just need some escapism. Spending time together as a family is great, but it’s possible to have too much of a good thing, right? Enforced enjoyment just isn’t fun!

In this most unusual of situations, it’s time to take the pressure off. Don’t feel obliged to create entertainment, to make memories, take photos, capture moments, and fill the days with something positive when, in fact, we should probably be content to just ‘be’.

Spending time together can be just that – sharing the hours and appreciating a bit of nothingness. Enjoy each other’s company in the simplest of ways and take pleasure in having a little space when you need it. Cherish the opportunity to sit and stare at screens together, knowing you’re all safe and healthy. The exciting times will return, one day.

By Helen Young

School Information

Ambergate Primary School Anthony Gell School Belper Long Row Primary Belper School Breadsall CofE VE Primary School Codnor Community Primary School C of E Controlled Denby Free C of E Primary Ecclesbourne School Fritchley CE (Aided) Primary Heage Primary School Heanor Gate Science College Herbert Strutt Primary Holbrook C of E Primary Horsley C of E Primary Horsley Woodhouse Primary John Flamsteed Community School Kilburn Infant & Nursery School Kilburn Junior Langley Mill (CE) Controlled Infant School & Nursery Little Eaton Primary Mapperley CofE Primary School 01773 852204 01629 825577 01773 823319 01773 825281 01332 831328 01773 742537

01332 880416 01332 840645 01773 852216 01773 852188 01773 716396 01773 822771 01332 880277 01332 880782 01332 880403 01332 880260 01332 880449 01332 880540

01773 713429 01332 831471 0115 9325386 Meadows Primary 01332 840305 Milford Primary 01332 841316 Morley Primary 01332 831295 Pottery Primary 01773 823383 Richardson Endowed Primary School 01332 880317 Ripley Junior School 01773 742281 St Andrew’s C of E Primary School 0115 9324252 St Benedict 01332 557032 St Elizabeth’s Catholic Primary 01773 822278 St John’s CE Primary, Belper 01773 822995 Stanley Common Primary School 0115 9322437 Street Lane Primary 01773 742717 Swanwick Hall School 01773 602106 Turnditch CE VA Primary 01773 550304 William Gilbert Primary 01332 840395 School Terms 2021

All dates taken from www.derbyshire.gov.uk Term 3: Monday 4 January 2021 to Friday 12 February 2021 Term 4: Monday 22 February 2021 to Thursday 1 April 2021 Term 5: Monday 19 April 2021 to Friday 28 May 2021 Term 6: Monday 7 June 2021 to Thursday 22 July 2021 Term 1: Thursday 2 September 2021 to Friday 22 October 2021 Term 2: Monday 1 November 2021 to Thursday 23 December 2021

Love learning locally

Adult education courses and workshops in Derbyshire We’re still here to support you to learn. Book We’re delivering learning a little differently this year. Find out about your next our programme of online courses and what we will be offering in our course adult community education centres: now! /DerbyshireAdultEducation @DerbyshireACE Sign up to Adult Community Education News at www.derbyshire.gov.uk – “subscribe for updates”

www.derbyshire.gov.uk/adulteducation Get skilled, have some fun!

Education & Skills Funding Agency

Parenting

Genius inventions to help your baby sleep

Gifts and gadgets to make parenting just that little bit easier

Apparently, babies sleep for fifteen to seventeen hours a day. Try telling that to a sleep-deprived parent. We can’t wave a magic wand to make your baby sleep better, but we can recommend some new innovations that might help you to get a bit more shuteye.

Sneaky nappy changes

“Ah 3 am nappy changes. What fun,” said no one, ever. Being wrestled out of an awkward sleepsuit is pretty much guaranteed to turn a half-asleep baby to a wide-awake one. Enter the SnüzPouch. Unlike most baby sleeping bags, this one has a curved zip on the front. Open it up, slip a travel changing mat under your baby’s bottom and get to work changing that nappy. You don’t need to lift your baby out of the cot or battle to prize their legs back into a Babygro. And zips are a lot easier than poppers. The SnüzPouch is made from 100% cotton and available in lightweight 0.5 and 1 tog versions for summer and a snuggly 2.5 tog for the rest of the year. There are two sizes available and ten designs to choose from. £29.95, see www.snuz.co.uk.

Baby radio

Babies tend to love music. If you’re fed up of listening to the same songs or scrolling through Spotify for something different, try Rockabye Radio (www.rockabyeradio.co.uk). It plays non-stop music around the clock, with tunes chosen to suit the time of day. So you’ll hear relaxing, calming lullabies at naptime and bedtime, and upbeat fun melodies to bounce around to at other hours. There’s even a daily disco.

The station is the brainchild of Karen and Mike. Between them, they’ve composed music for the likes of CBeebies, worked on West End Shows like The Lion King, trained music teachers and set up The British Academy of New Music. In other words, they know what they’re talking about.

Good vibrations

I wish the NapNap sleep mat had been around when my daughter was a baby. I may have fewer grey hairs and yawn-induced wrinkles. She was a bit of a nightmare sleeper. I don’t think she slept for more than a couple of hours at a time until after her first birthday; it was exhausting.

The NapNap combines gentle vibrations with white noise to comfort and calm a baby. Basically, it’s designed to mimic a womb environment. You can use it in a cot or pram and it rolls up into a bag so is handy for travelling. You can also use it on the floor for tummy time (it might help to ease colic). There are six levels of vibration to choose from, including two that mimic a heartbeat. And it’s waterproof, with a machine washable cotton cover. All in all, it’s a genius idea. At £120 it isn’t cheap, but when I was sleep-deprived I’d have probably sold a kidney to get more shuteye. See www.napnapuk.co.

Local & national deliveries. Established for over 35 years. Order now for Valentine's & Mother's Day (14th March) 14 King Street, Belper DE56 1PS T: 01773 825772 E: belperfleurflorist@yahoo.com www.fleurfloristbelper.co.uk Open Mon to Sat 8.30am to 5pm

PC Tips from your ‘Local’ Computer Tutor Creating Space on your iPhone

Trying to back up to the cloud and it’s grumbling that there’s not enough space! Here’s an idea.

When you receive a photo in WhatsApp it’s stored in three places; WhatsApp, WhatsApp Album and Recents Album. These take up space. Depending on how much space you need to gain, choose one of the options below. 1. Delete a photo in WhatsApp message & it remains in the Recents & WhatsApp Albums 2. Delete a photo in Recents Album it will delete from the WhatsApp Album but remains in the WhatsApp Message 3. Delete a photo in the WhatsApp Album it will offer Remove from Album or Delete? If you choose Delete it will remove from both Recents and WhatsApp Albums & remains in the Message

For Help, Advice or Training call 07810562532 email computertutor4you@icloud.com

Advertiser Information

Whilst every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for loss, damage or omission caused by error in the printing of an advert.

All artwork is accepted on the strict condition that permission has been given for use in the publication. Adverts are accepted on the understanding that descriptions of goods and services are fair and accurate. All Things Local does not officially endorse any advertising/editorial material included within the publication.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted in any form – electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise – without the prior consent of the publisher.

Advertiser’s details (other than those provided for inclusion in advertisements) are confidential and will not be given to any third party.

Publisher: All Things Local Limited, 74 Woodhouse Road, Kilburn, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 0NA T: 01332 882882 M: 07977 272770 E: karyn@allthingslocal.co.uk W: www.allthingslocal.co.uk

Graphic Design: Digital Bear Design Printer: Warwick Printing

Deadlines for April /May 2021 Edition:

Advertisement Bookings, Editorials, Cancellations and Copy Amendments: Wednesday 24th February 2021 New Advertiser Copy: Monday 1st March 2021