Anna Dusseau | 30th July 2020 “Mum, can we play that game again?” I raise one eyebrow from behind my coffee cup. This means: “Which one?” From behind her back, my daughter now reveals the dreaded plastic dolls who – though originally identifiable as merchandise models of Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and ChoContinue reading “The Power to Write Your Own Narrative: Imaginative Play and Well-being”
Tag Archives: wellbeing
On Being Yourself
Anna Dusseau | 15th July 2020 “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Oscar Wilde The year is 2016 and I’m sat on a riverbank overlooking the Thames. There is a boat race that takes place here and it’s fun to watch. We try to avoid the crowds; going upriver as far as possible untilContinue reading “On Being Yourself”
Ten Problems, One Solution: Chocolate
Anna Dusseau | 15th May 2020 Dark chocolate, to be specific. Because in this house, there is just one solution to a whole host of problems. Don’t overthink it. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Get involved and give yourself a brain-boosting, endorphin-soaring, antioxidant, 85% dose of ‘I-can-handle-this’ and change your parenting stress habits for life. Here’s howContinue reading “Ten Problems, One Solution: Chocolate”
Calm Parenting: Conversations with Aaliyah
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Anna Dusseau | 13th May 2020 I have been working with Aaliyah and her family for a few months now and, last week, we covered this important topic. Perhaps you have the patience of a saint, or perhaps you are blessed with children who are just really calm and easy to be around. But if,Continue reading “Calm Parenting: Conversations with Aaliyah”
Get Ready to Rumble: Safe Rules for Serious Play Fights
Anna Dusseau | 28th April 2020 Play fighting is a daily occurrence in our house. Daily? Perhaps I should say hourly. I think that’s why my kids are so happy. You see, play fighting – also known as roughhousing – releases a chemical called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) which stimulates neuron growth within the cortex andContinue reading “Get Ready to Rumble: Safe Rules for Serious Play Fights”
Dark Chocolate and Screaming Orgasms: the Not-So-Secret Recipe to Being a Yummy Mummy
Anna Dusseau | 21st April 2020 Or daddy? I feel this is a universal post. And you already know the first two items, so let’s get cracking with the rest, shall we? Confession: I didn’t bounce back at all after my daughter was born and spent the two years between my first and second childContinue reading “Dark Chocolate and Screaming Orgasms: the Not-So-Secret Recipe to Being a Yummy Mummy”
Life Hacks for Homeschooling Parents
Anna Dusseau | 13th April 2020 Mental health matters. Full stop. But where are we now with supporting families struggling in the grip of global crisis? Back in October 2019, the Every Mind Matters campaign amassed rapid public support with its 5-step mental health personalised plan, launched in conjunction with the NHS and a wholeContinue reading “Life Hacks for Homeschooling Parents”
Music is the Remedy: Show Me What You’ve Got
Anna Dusseau | 10th April 2020 We are a musical family. I dance in the kitchen for the vast majority of the time (it really pisses the kids off) and teenwolf is only very reluctantly doing a ‘real’ job having failed to make it as the next David Guetta during his 20s (I mean thisContinue reading “Music is the Remedy: Show Me What You’ve Got”
Homeschool Rules #2: Fix Up, Look Sharp
Anna Dusseau | 31st March 2020 “This is Homeschool HQ to Gavin’s mum. Put the pjs down and step away from the biscuit tin! I repeat: PUT. THE. PJS. DOWN. This is not a drill!” Hello. Are you Gavin’s mum, by any chance? Or Gavin’s dad, come to think of it? Because we are nowContinue reading “Homeschool Rules #2: Fix Up, Look Sharp”
Gettin’ Jiggy with It: Fresh Air and Exercise Homeschool Style
Anna Dusseau | 23rd March 2020 Happy Monday, guys! How’s everyone doing? Today marks the start of the official UK school closure and I hope you’re all coping okay. Believe me, even experienced homeschool families are struggling here, with cabin fever causing parents and children alike to resort to foot-stamping temper tantrums, like Big BrotherContinue reading “Gettin’ Jiggy with It: Fresh Air and Exercise Homeschool Style”