Avoiding Stressful Situations...

Bea Parry-Jones is a late thirty something mother of two. She’s author of hugely successful blog Dulwichmum, in which she documents her efforts to avoid absolute lunacy and remain on the right side of conscientious parenting. She and her husband spend a small fortune on private education, Baby Boden, Babybels and the au pairs gym membership.

Bea’s first novel “Sex Lies and Sellotape – confessions of a Dulwich mum” will be published in 2008.

A piece of advice from the childcare experts that I whole heartedly agree with is that if parents want to maintain their sanity, they should avoid taking little people into unnecessarily stressful situations, ie the annual Christmas shopping crush fest!

Yesterday a great friend and I took our respective men and poppets to lunch at the Boxwood Café in Knightsbridge followed by a trip to see Santa at Harrods. The fabulous thing about Gordon Ramsay’s Boxwood Café is that it's so super child friendly. The staff are so very helpful – they make children more than welcome with a special menu and super little activity packs to occupy them.

Once we’d finished our delicious meal, we were all invited into the kitchen where a pretty blonde pastry chef kindly allowed the poppets to sample delightful homemade marshmallows; they were entranced - my little Max is in love and darling husband James was rather taken by her too (grrr).

Then off we trotted the short distance to see Santa at Harrods; it has always been the best grotto in town. A long queue for children is the invention of the devil himself, but this year advance tickets were available online in August. Needless to say they sold out almost immediately (so be sure to pop it in your diary for next year)! Fortunately for us, the wait was only minutes, and the delightful display of tiny hidden fairies dotted amongst the book shelves kept the munchkins happily occupied as they waited.

After our chat with Mr Claus we didn’t hang around – we hailed a black cab and were home in twenty minutes! I no longer buy anything in the shops at Christmas - it’s always far too busy (and why trawl the shops in this dreaded weather when we’re so time poor?). Instead, I do it ALL online!

Lucky little Freya (my four year old) shall receive a delightful princess dressing up outfit, a sweet play house (pictured bottom left) and a vile life size pony (OHMYGOD) on Christmas morning.

I’ve also just found her the most divine Christmas Day outfit from Rachel Riley (perfect marled wool flannel pinafore and shell pink shirt – already reduced by 30% in their sale!).

And Max (my six year old handsome burley boy) will be in Caramel Baby and Child Oxford Trousers and a blue striped shirt just like daddy (James doesn’t actually buy his clothes there you understand)!

Sweet Max will receive a super Wigwam tent, a darling cowboy suit, and an appalling Transformers Optimus Prime Voice Changing Helmet (OHMYGOD!) from Santa. James insists that we must buy the cubs at least one thing each that they actually asked for... what spoilt children!

I even spotted the perfect kit for the poppets to make a bird feeder for Granny’s Christmas present (my mother always complains that Christmas has become far too commercial for her liking).

I must admit I’m rather tearful at my own thoughtfulness! Don’t you just love online shopping?!

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