Joyful Parents Blog

Love Wedding

WOW! What happens when two wedding celebrants decide to get married? What happens when they dedicate their love and relationship to world peace? What happens when we are so lucky to know them as friends and neighbours? [read more]

Island Life

We’ve been living on Erraid on the west coast of Scotland for over a month now. I just left the Island temporarily for a couple of weeks and being away makes me appreciate the natural beauty and raw health of our lifestyle change even more… [read more]

Grandparents

Joyful Grandparents – celebrating my mum and dad as they came to visit us on the Isle of Erraid where we are living and homeschooling for a year…they enjoyed the Erraid taxi service (tractor and trailer) [read more]

Goosie

Animal communication with one of the longest standing residents of the island – Goosie is a force to be reckoned with ! [read more]

Sheep Round-Up

Gathering in the flock takes on not just a metaphorical meaning – but actual experience as we did the sheep round up on Erraid [read more]

Travel Lightly

Travelling Lightly as we set off on our journey and adventure to Erraid on the west coast of scotland. [read more]

decluttering

Decluttering is especially hard when children are at home, making more mess as you tidy up…and there is a gem to be found in the process [read more]

Homeschooling Begins

Today it’s official, we embark on being homeschooling parents for a year. I wonder whether we are doing the right thing…I am trusting all will be well [read more]

Money Money Money – Talking Money With Children

Money is a taboo subject in many families, instead of it going underground and never being talked about, maybe it’s better to share with our kids about money with openness and awareness. [read more]

Holidays for Parents

Maybe holidays for parents don’t actually require going away anywhere. Perhaps what we need to do is change our state of mind to be able to have a proper break. [read more]

The Royal Baby

What will he be when he grows up? DUH – He is going to be a King, or will he? It’s a strange paradox of life: we can predict a lot and we cannot be sure of anything… [read more]

Shipwrecked!

Arrived on the island of Parenting? Feeling shipwrecked? You know there is a wonderful treasure to be found …. [read more]

Baby Shoes. Never Worn

When I came across Ernest Hemingway’s six line short story I started to cry. For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn. The biggest event of my life was the death of my son Ben. He was stillborn after a very normal pregnancy and I went into labour at full term spontaneously. He just didn’t make it.… [read more]

Runaway Children

There are approximately 100,000 young children  under the age of 16 who run away from home each year in the UK. What happens to these children as they face a life on the streets is unpleasant if not life-threatening.  Many of the children leave home without realizing that although things at home maybe bad, what… [read more]

Erraid a Paradise for Kids

As we consider a move to a tiny island off the west coast of scotland, I wonder what will this paradise offer the children? Will we be able to homeschool? [read more]