Chart your Childrens height

All across the land make-shift  height charts .

Kitchen walls all across the land have the etched markings of your little ones development over the years.  These modern day hieroglyphics help parents and children chart the development of your child.  We started ours as soon as our first born reach toddling age.

Ever since then we have charted the height growth up to age 5.  But why did we stop at 5.  Re-decoartion.  The time finally came to give, a much negleted home a sprucing up with a lick of paint.   Shame really.  I had grown to like these markings.  And I think there in lies the reason for using such things.  It is purely sentimental.

Stickers for your wall

Despite the new paint work, i still wanted to continue with the monitoring of my children’s height.  Instead I’m using something a little more practical.

A removable vinyl height chart cuts down in the messy look of the old height chart and turns it into something pretty.

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What will the future be like for your school children

I am very guilty of thinking”…not in my day…”

I try not to say it out loud, as I worry that I will end up sounding like my Dad – but I do think it…a lot.

Whether it is a sign of age, I’m not really sure. But I do wonder what life would be like for my children.   So here are some thoughts of my vision for the future.

Life expectancy.  Boys can expect to live until they are 78 and girls have got an extra 4 years and may live until they are 82.  Both have an increased chance of living to 100.

Religion.  Church attendance has been on the decline for years.  It simply conflict with the busy lifestyles of modern day living.  It is especially true of the following groups, men, young people and the poor.

Extinct Animals. The World Wildlife has a catalogue of animals that are on the endangered species list.  So, 12 species of wildcat, hedgehogs, red squirrels and our lovely harvest mice may not be around by early adulthood.

Marriage. The institution of marriage is on the decline and divorce is on the increase.  It doesn’t take a genius to look at the following graph and map out the trends.  Shame.  Statistics are supplied by the ONS.

Food. The world at the moment seems to be in the grip of a food price inflation spike.   This happened back ion the 1990′s.  But with a rising world population and longevity of life increasing it fair to assume that greater pressure will be placed on resources and subsequently prices.  So our children will see a world with increase food prices and less meat and fish.

Commuting to work.  Factors such as oil prices and much improved connectivity might encourage more employers to use homeworking more and more.  This lack of commuting might fan the, already high, obesity levels in the UK.

Gadgets.  It is hard to imagine an even more increased appetite for all things techie.  Companies with huge cash surpluses like Apple and Google and not going anywhere soon.  But if you think of the gadgets you used 15 to 20 years, they are not around at the moment.  It’s fair to say that the Apple iPhone will clearly be very different in the future.

I also wonder whether Wi-Fi and mobile phone mast might be held under greater scrutiny.   This technology has relatively few studies conducted to test it’s health implications.

Smoking.  I would dearly love smoking and smokers to be extinct by the time my children reach early adult-hood.   The following infographic illustrates that it is on the decrease amongst children.  But I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

So, now over to you.  What are you visions of the future.   Whnat advances and moves backwards do you think we shall see.  Do you think it will be a Blade Runner styled metropolis or a marvellous Utopia free from crime and hate?

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Spruce up tired wrapping paper with some Birthday stickers

Back in January I talked about Birthday Party season commencing and how it basically equates to a very busy 5 months.

Having a wide circle of friends is just terrific for a child’s self-confidence, but it does make for a busy time.

I always try and get the children to help and take ‘ownership’ of he whole present giving process and that involves wrapping and writing names onto the birthday stickers.

In our house https://www.simplystuck.com/Shop.aspx?pid=66 give a child the oppportunity to practice writing names.  The ‘to’ and ‘from’ space will never be big enough, but that’s not the point.

Birthday Stickers

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Stay away from my ruler!

In school things go missing.  It is one of those universal facts of life, and as a parent,  it is immensely frustrating.

With every new term brings a new set of rulers, books, set squares, pencil and and so on. And the hope is that these items will stay in your child’s possession for a whole year.  I know it sounds optimistic.

Large name labels are a good way of ensuring that even if little Timmy looses his ruler, it has the possibility of finding it’s way back to you – eventually.

As a rule I will label-up most things.  Clothes, shoes, bags, pencil cases and rulers.  I know it’s a bit of an effort, I know it takes some times.  But I much prefer spending times than money is repeat purchases.

Large Name Labels

Our large name labels cost £7.50 for a pack of 12.

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