Good Manners on Monday # 6 Table Manners

table manners rhyme sourced here

This week at Nurture the Little People headquarters we've been tackling the issue of table manners and dining etiquette. We are not overly strict in our house when it comes to dining. I don't mind if we eat lunch in the living area, but you have to be sitting down and using a plate. I do insist that we all sit at the table together for dinner and that the tv or radio is off.

As the children get older, I have found it more important to enforce dining etiquette like;

• setting the table with both a knife and fork, 
• waiting until everyone is sat before starting your meal, 
• taking your time to eat and chew, 
• not talking with your mouth full of food, 
• saying excuse me or pardon me where necessary 
• and the BIG one at the moment is staying at the table until everyone has finished, even if you are not going to eat your dinner. 

This has been particularly challenging of late with our nearly four year old. He is going through one of those phases where he is quick to decide that he doesn't like his dinner, pushing his plate away in disgust and promptly leaving the table. I know he will grow out of it, just as his older brother did, but gee it does urk me. 

Sometimes we insist he rejoins the table until we are all finished. And often he will dig in his heels and refuse. Other times we will just let it go and continue enjoying our meal together as a three, whilst the fourth member of the family plays at our feet, occasionally sneaking a carrot or pea off his plate.

So, what do you do? How do you enforce table manners and staying at the table in your family? 

Be Happy,
Nicola

Things I Know - Pregnancy and Birth

image courtesy of guerrillanerd.blogspot.com

Today Mini Hoges and I caught up with a dear friend who is 7 months pregnant. It is her first pregnancy, so naturally, she is excited and anxious all at the same time, depending on which directions her hormones are taking her. We talked about how she was feeling physically and emotionally and about the exciting stuff, like how much baby bonus you get these days, how many grow suits is too many and painting baby's room. 

Two comments that did get me thinking though was how this amazing woman said that she was going to feel quite anxious at the time of the birth, and that she doesn't like not being in control. Her mother is a midwife and supports her so well. Her husband is loving and wants the best for her and their baby. The second comment was that her doctor has told her to slow down on the eating because she is gaining a bit too much weight. This clearly is not true. My friend looks healthy, and is by no means one of those HUGE pregnant women that everyone gawks at and is worried that they are about to have the baby at their feet. No, she is healthy, with a moderate baby bump. It got me thinking. 

What could I say, as a friend and a fellow mother who has had two healthy and normal pregnancies and births? What positive encouragement could I offer?

Things I Know - Pregnancy and Birth

• Trust that your body can do this. Women have been birthing for centuries. It is only in the past 50 years that we have medicalised a natural process. (that is not to say that I think intervention is wrong...thank goodness for medicine, and choice)
• Having an emotional release each day is good for you (even if it is prompted by drama tv, like Grey's Anatomy). It allows you to let go and release unnecessary worries.
• Doctors should not tell pregnant women to slow down on their eating, unless there is a genuine concern about the health of the mother or baby. A woman who has gained 10kg during pregnancy is totally healthy and within the norm. I gained 26kg in my first pregnancy.
• First labour can be scarry, but it is also exciting, energising and empowering, provided you have the right positive support people with you.
• It is ok to change your mind about what you want during labour. Whilst it is nice for you to prepare a birth plan, chances are, you might leave it at home or abandon it altogether in the throes of labour.
• Life will never be the same after baby arrives

 What friendly and positive advice have you given to first time mothers to be? 

Don't forget to check in and see what everyone else knows this week at Yay for Homes' Things I know linky.

Be Happy, 
Nicola
 

Things I know - it's great to meet you!

there is nothing as refreshing as new friends

I've been blogging around the traps for about eighteen months now in various forms here and here and here. I love the connections and bloggy friendships I have made on the journey. Nurture the Little People is my newest blog, being only 6 (ish) weeks old and I have met even more fabulous people that I would not have met had I not started this latest creation.

This week I know, it's great to meet you!

1. Lizeylou from shhh...it's lizeylou. She's also having a great giveaway too!
2. Emily at The Beetle Shack
3. Anna Ranson at The Imagination Tree
4. Courtney from Nobashake
5. Lee from, Mummy Issues: Part 2


These are just a small handful of the blogs I've discovered and connected with over the past few weeks. And of course another favourite is Yay for Home! Why don't you stop on by and see what other people know this week.

Be Happy, 
Nicola

Nurturing Big People - listening to body talk

a day of rest...just what the body ordered!

As a mother, I spend a lot of my time nurturing my family, building my nest and feeding my brood. All of which I love. As a Massage Therapist, I dedicate an hours time to nurturing another and channeling energy. As a Hospitality Manager, I spend a lot of my work making sure people are having a good time and ensuring that my staff feel supported and encouraged, nurtured. 

So you see, there is a lot of Nurturing going on in my life. It is a busy life, as you will find the story with most mothers and parents. However, when we are busy, we often forget to nurture ourselves and we find it hard to hear when our bodies are talking to us.

I've been having some restless sleeps of late, and waking up feeling a bit stiff and cloudy in the head. Generally a big cup of Peppermint and Green tea lifts the cloudiness and some Sun Salutations stretch out the bed aches and stiffness. 

But there has been something lurking in the background. A little voice as barely audible as a whisper has been calling me.  

 "Rest. Stop. Breathe. Sleep".

And so today I awoke feeling even more cloudy and foggy than usual. My body feeling heavy, tired. And over that cup of tea this morning, as I noticed a feather floating down from a tree outside, I heard my body loud and clear.

"Rest. Stop. Breathe. Sleep".

This morning, I took the boys to school. I purposefully left my bag at home, so as not to be tempted to one of the cafes in town. I wore my bed socks and daggy tracksuit bottoms, so as not to be tempted to meet up with the school mums and engage in school politics. Today I will rest, stop , breathe and sleep. My body is telling me I am tired. It's been a busy three weeks since moving house, and it's caught up with me.

It is so important to look after yourself and give yourself the time to recharge your energy. Being a nurturer, you have got to listen to your body talk, and pay attention to the messages it sends. 

When you really listen, what does your body talk say to you? How do you nurture yourself?

Be Happy, 

Nicola

image source