I'm Waïki! I'm a lifestyle blogger living in London. I write about my life as a mum to three children navigating family, marriage, career, side hustling and many other passions. Join me as I explore these different areas of life, the ups, the downs, the beautiful and the ugly!
Happy Pancake day 2021! Crepes are a staple in our house. We make them pretty much on a weekly basis, and always honour Pancake Day in the UK. For an occasion like this, we prefer the traditional French crepe recipe. However, we do also enjoy American pancakes, and I’ll post a recipe for that soon too.
A few days after the very first lockdown was announced at the beginning of this pandemic, I looked at my husband and said “Academically speaking, this year is pretty much void, right?” He just sighed. We both had a feeling that we’d just have to erase this year from our children’s academic journey and start over next year! Being a teacher, he knows all too well the struggle to keep children’s interest in learning alive. He knows how hard it is to stimulate their young minds to keep learning at a time like this.
This past year, every time schools closed, he almost singlehandedly took care of our children’s education, home schooling them to the best possible standard and supervising them while they took their online classes. And all this, on top of having to teach from home himself. We have a routine, but let’s be honest – being at home with all the distractions just simply isn’t the same.
In times like these, that feeling of dread for your children’s future is normal. But you don’t have to do it alone, you don’t have to struggle. If you’re a parent who is finding it hard to give your children the additional academic support they need in their school journey, or if you’re simply looking for an affordable tutoring service of great quality, I’d like to tell you about Joy Learning (Click here to visit the website).
Our kitchen is white! Ok, I’ll admit – It’s not much of a revamp, apart from the colour. Everything else is pretty much the same, and a work in progress, as we’re going to change some of the furniture and flooring too…
I value the beauty of communication and dialogue with my children. The questions I’m about to suggest came to me completely randomly as I sat down with my sons for our daily ‘chit-chat’ – a mother-and-son moment we have every single evening, where we talk about their day and anything else that’s been on their mind: from “Mum, how are trains made?” to “Mum, I have this spot on my chin…” That evening, I decided to have a bit more of a structured approach to our chit-chat, and introduced a set of questions. I didn’t think they’d be so useful in making the conversation flow, and I’m surprised at how much the boys enjoyed answering them! N.B.: These questions are specifically aimed at pre-teen/teenagers. However, parents of younger children (and dads!) feel free to tailor as necessary.
One thing I absolutely love about this time of the year is using my imagination to transform our living space into the perfect festive setting. I usually do this indoors with our Christmas decorations, our tree and all the other festive touches that put us all in the mood for Christmas. This year however, I decided to do something different by creating a Christmas enchanted garden – an adventure that my children, especially my 2-year old daughter, would remember for a long time.
No matter the size of your garden, there are many different ways to encourage your children’s curiosity and sense of adventure. From creating a mini winter wonderland, to turning your outdoor space into a small campsite, you’ll find that a little bit of imagination can go a very long way. So get into the spirit and dress for the occasion – we are wearing Barbour’sgorgeous new Father Christmas collection, which is inspired by Raymond Brigg’s Father Christmas, available here.
I’m proud to embody different versions of what it means to be me. Throughout my adult life I have blossomed professionally, creatively, gained confidence in the workplace.
But I can’t celebrate ‘me’ without mentioning my more domesticated side. I take pride in my love for homemaking just as much as I take pride in my career journey.