19.2.14

Keep your dog and your child safe

I started the day ranty and as usual it's caused by Radio 4. I really need to set some sort of 'parental' block on the radio before midday.

I'm ranting but I'm ranting with a 'we must stop this happening again and again" hat on, not with my "judgey" hat on...even if it sometimes sounds like I stray into the Judgemental Tattooed Mummy zone.

This year already I have heard of too many children killed by dogs. Let's face it, one child killed by a dog is too many.

A dog and her child
And it's preventable in almost all cases. I read an online article that clearly spelled out why you can never child-proof a dog. No, you can't. I know people will be reading this and saying 'oh but my dog is good with children." "my dog is a big softy" "my dog would never hurt anyone" and you are all wrong. You are misguided. All you know is that your dog has never done anything wrong yet. Hear me out. You may be lucky, your dog may live it's whole life and never harm a soul, most dogs live lives like that. But it's not because they are magic soft dogs, it's because they are nice dogs with sensible owners.

One thing from the article really hit home " Even parents get annoyed and yell at their children, but we expect 100% good-nature from a dog?!" and that's the thing, we get annoyed, frustrated, angry, we can walk away, yell, send kids to their room, do all sorts of stuff that a dog cannot do; and a kid can annoy a dog in many ways! A child doesn't have to be cruel or naughty. They can fling their arms around a dog, put their face right up in the dogs face, they may wake a dog, squeal, jump, make a loud noise any of a thousand things that children do, can and do, annoy dogs.

Children need to learn to behave well around dogs, and all children should be supervised by an adult that has control over the dog at all times. Children are children until they are in their early teens. Many rescue centres won't rehome a dog to a family with children under 12 for this reason.

New parents need advice on dogs. Not just "introduce the baby carefully to the dog" that's just vague and wishy-washy. New parents need clear firm advice. NEVER leave a dog and baby alone, not even for a few seconds. Don't allow a dog on the furniture (at the very least not near the baby/child and never unsupervised) and yes this means your 4 year old can't snuggle on the sofa with Fido while you are in the kitchen making dinner. Yes it's inconvenient. Not as inconvenient as a trip to A&E and a trip to the vet to euthanise a pet. Babies make odd movements, feeble movements, they squeal, they may smell like food, they are not something that many dogs have experience of, they can look like prey, or a toy or just a puppy that needs a shake to make it shut up! Dogs and babies need their own space. Get stairgates, they fit room doorways too! Get a playpen (for either dog or baby!) get a dog crate/cage. Keep either dog or baby with you.

I got angry with the BBC this morning as they went down the route of 'dangerous dogs' and 'banned breeds'. While a bigger dog can do more damage faster than a small one, apart from that they are all still dogs. And before you tell me a staffie...or a lab, or a spaniel, is better than a terrier or a chihuahua  etc etc that is just as dangerous a propaganda! Because you are telling those silly irresponsible owners (oops judgey hat!) that a breed of dog is safe to be left with a child, and no dog is 100% safe. I hate photos of babies astride pitbulls with captions telling me the dog is a big softy. No child should be taught it's OK to clamber over any dog, its not fair to expect a dog to put up with that sort of treatment, you might get away with it for a week, a month, a year but why risk the day when your dog might finally snap.

Here is an excellent article on best ways to interact with a dog , and what not to do! If you have children and dogs, have a read - even if you think you know it all! I had two dogs for 15 years and I didn't know much at the start, there is always loads to learn. I didn't realise for years that dogs tolerate hugs, they don't like them! (see pic below - my daughter got away with a lick rather than a bite when she hugged our dog, we were lucky!)

No dog is 'safe' to be alone with a child or a baby. Any dog whether a particularly silly and friendly one or a slightly grumpy one needs to be under control and in almost all cases only the owner has that sort of control (even an adult can be attacked by dogs they have no authority over) And while it goes without saying really that a dog you have owned since it was a puppy is more likely to obey you, it's worth remembering that all dogs need to be trained! So Rule 1 is ensure you can control your dog and Rule 2 is ensure you are there when it's with a child. If you can't be there, keep them apart.

Dog gets in a sneaky lick 
I love dogs, and I love children and I think that dogs are great fun to have in a family. Enjoy your dogs, look after your kids, have fun but play safe.

I really really don't want to read about another child or baby being killed by a dog, not this year, not any year.


14.2.14

Valentine's Day Poetry for you

A bit of culture on the blog today

To his Coy Mistress
by Andrew Marvell

Had we but world enough, and time,
This coyness, lady, were no crime.
We would sit down and think which way
To walk, and pass our long love's day;
Thou by the Indian Ganges' side
Shouldst rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber would complain. I would
Love you ten years before the Flood;
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conversion of the Jews.
My vegetable love should grow
Vaster than empires, and more slow.
An hundred years should go to praise
Thine eyes, and on thy forehead gaze;
Two hundred to adore each breast,
But thirty thousand to the rest;
An age at least to every part,
And the last age should show your heart.
For, lady, you deserve this state,
Nor would I love at lower rate.

        But at my back I always hear
Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
And yonder all before us lie
Deserts of vast eternity.
Thy beauty shall no more be found,
Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound
My echoing song; then worms shall try
That long preserv'd virginity,
And your quaint honour turn to dust,
And into ashes all my lust.
The grave's a fine and private place,
But none I think do there embrace.

        Now therefore, while the youthful hue
Sits on thy skin like morning dew,
And while thy willing soul transpires
At every pore with instant fires,
Now let us sport us while we may;
And now, like am'rous birds of prey,
Rather at once our time devour,
Than languish in his slow-chapp'd power.
Let us roll all our strength, and all
Our sweetness, up into one ball;
And tear our pleasures with rough strife
Thorough the iron gates of life.
Thus, though we cannot make our sun
Stand still, yet we will make him run.



I love this poem, always have. The power of love and lust that is shown in all that the writer suggests he would like to do, follwed by the realisation that there just isn't time so...well we may as well just get on with the sex! So macho, so traditional, always makes me smile. Would it work for you? Would you cave in? 

13.2.14

I don't want to sound ungrateful but...

Gratuitous Picture of Mr Tumble
Things I really don't want for valentine's day.

Have you noticed that much like Christmas, Valentine's day is now a marketing dream? "perfect for valentine's day" scream adverts for anything from a compilation Chas and Dave CD, to a set of socket wrenches.
A set of bathroom scales? Perfect for Valentine's, a car wash kit? Perfect for valentine's...

Well you know what? No, no it is not perfect for valentine's day. Neither is a bouquet of overpriced imported roses that will wilt by the 16th. Nor is a box of Milk Tray, or Terry's All Gold..neither is a piece of cardboard with a picture of a kitten holding a rose that mysteriously costs £4.99 (the card not the kitten or the rose)

What would be nice would be some time, a meal cooked, a chance to be in charge of the TV remote for an evening, a snuggle on the sofa, an early night, a lie in, an afternoon to go shopping alone...
Maybe I'm missing the point, maybe I've lost the romance. Or maybe a gift should be what the recipient actually wants.

What would you like for Valentine's day?

12.2.14

Life, the final frontier

DD and I just sat down and went through her 'options' booklet from school. She is 14, and suddenly her life is moving from fun and papier mache animals for homework,into the realms of serious study, exams...work.

It's exciting, a leap into the world; but it's scary too, what if she makes the wrong choice or hates what she chose?

And even if she gets all the results she needs...what next? Things have changed a lot since I left school, and the careers advice I received was terrible anyway.

Which is why I was excited to hear about vInspired.

Vinspired is a charity dedicated to helping young people from all walks of life reach their potential. In the past 5 years vInspired have created over 1 million opportunities for young people to volunteer, laying the foundation for future enterprise and employment. A way to get that vital experience that many employers look for.
Over one in five young people aged 16-24 is out of work. So it’s no longer good enough just to have good grades to get into further education or get a job – young people need to get experience in the workplace. vInspired can help; but that's not all, they have put together a Job Jumpstarter Pack.


The vInspired Job Jumpstarter Pack gives simple but effective tips from how to make an application, to practice interview questions, all based on insight from businesses across the UK and what they are looking for from prospective applicants.

http://jumpstarter.vinspired.org/
The FREE pack contains:

  • CV templates and tips to make a great first impression.
  • An interview checklist, test questions and answers to come across as confident and competent.
  • Application form advice to get noticed for the right reasons.
  • Advice on building a LinkedIn profile to build networks
  • How to get voluntary experience through vInspired, giving you the experience to get your dream job
  • Plus inspiring real life stories from people who’ve been in your shoes, plus online awareness advice and more

Simply Visit http://jumpstarter.vinspired.org/  to get a copy. (and I'll be honest - lots of adults will find this really useful too! )

While DD doesn't quite need to worry about a job yet, I can see it's going to happen very very soon, so it's great to find stuff like this is out there,especially free!

Have you had to face this with your kids yet? Do you have a plan? If you have any other suggestions or links to useful information, do add them in a comment. Thanks

4.2.14

The News. Sense and Sensitivity

*trigger warning for rape on the news link

I should be proud, I suppose, to have a sensitive, caring, teenage daughter. She's not perfect, she shouts and stamps and argues like any normal person, but she is very empathic. (remember the whole Finding Nemo incident!) and so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when I went into her room to find her in tears because she had heard about this news story on Radio 1 this morning. She told me what had happened and just seeing the tears running down her face was enough to set me off too. There we were, 6.30 am weeping in the dark. She asked me why I was crying, was it because of the woman's story or was it because she was crying? I told her truthfully that it was mainly seeing her so upset, seeing that bad things affected her so strongly. She hugged me. We sobbed more.

As a parent its hard to think that you cannot always keep your child safe, and the realisation that they can be hurt by sad news even in the home seems so cruel.

How do you deal with bad/sad news stories? Does your child care? Do you keep them from them? (difficult once a teen listens to radio, surfs net, tweets, reads news etc)

I feel sad for a world that continues to be filled with hurt, and for the children that have to learn to 'toughen up' just to be able to cope with living in this world.

Sorry for the gloomy post today. Cheery comments welcomed.

1.2.14

iPad Pillow - review

I was asked to review an iPad accessory. Well actually I was asked to review a smart phone product at first but amazingly I don't own such an animal! I have no iPhone, no iPod and while I have an android tab I only have a tiny 'normal' phone. I know, you are shocked!

And as you are probably aware I only have an iPad because I won one! But enough. I was sent a rather odd item, the iPad Pillow. It looks like a normal cushion (and the one I was sent is particularly funky in its design) but it has a pocket for pen/stylus/glasses etc and some little corners (like photo corners - remember them!?) to hold the iPad in place. Thus your iPad becomes a cuddly item with a screen, perfect for bed, the couch etc


The iPad I have (4th Gen) fits nicely if it's in its clip case though it's slippery if not cased. I imagine that the newer iPad Air (all shiny light and skinny!) would need a smaller area.

The pillow ensures that you don't let the iPad slip off your lap if you fall asleep while on Pinterest (I've product tested that for you!) and it holds it high enough in your lap that you don't miss part of the screen behind your mummy tummy when slouched in front of the TV (again, I have tested that!)

So while my lovely other half claims I look like a 'granny' with my pillow (a geeky granny I assume) I'm rather pleased with it.

I was sent the iPad Pillow free of charge for the purposes of this review.


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