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Rachel McFedries

Occupational Therapist | play educator

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Tag: mothering

Posted on September 27, 2019

A Way to Ask For Help

You're in the throes of motherhood, overwhelmed by the job of raising little humans. You might be heavily pregnant, or just had another baby. "The…

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Posted on February 17, 2019February 17, 2019

Mindful Moments Easing my Days

Mindfulness; the small act of taking notice, of being present, of becoming grounded. I’ve been practicing this this lately. Because I've been having some hard…

Continue reading → Mindful Moments Easing my Days

Posted on September 22, 2018September 22, 2018

Increasing Your Daily Joy

I’ve been on a “Joy Spotting” mission lately. Joy Spotting is intentionally seeking out and taking notice of small pockets of joy. A few months…

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Posted on November 19, 2017November 19, 2017

A Home Birth Story – part two: baby’s arrival

In my last post, I wrote about preparing for a home birth. I left that post being taken straight back to feeling heavily pregnant - 38…

Continue reading → A Home Birth Story – part two: baby’s arrival

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“I could fit inside your tummy I think, if I curled up really small” ~ Mr 6 😳 Errrr I don’t think so dude! . Seriously these guys are so intrigued by the whole pregnancy and birth process. It’s been really neat to involve them in the journey. It’s a very different experience having older kids this time - our age gaps are small so the boys were only 2.5 and almost 4 when their little sister was born! Seriously, the things they come up with are rather amusing 😆 . One of the reasons I’m looking forward to another home birth is so that these guys can experience it alongside us. I know it’s an entirely personal thing, but for our family (and me) as long as they have a support person alongside, I welcome them to be part of their siblings’ birth. It’s a pretty magical thing to witness and helps to normalise birth for them! Our eldest still remembers snippets from his sister’s birth and talks about it with us occasionally ❤️ . Did you have your older children at a sibling’s birth? . #homebirth #family #mumofthree #threekids #soontobefour #siblings #birth #birthwithoutfear #empoweredbirth #pregnancy #35weeks #midwivesareawesome #kidquotes #funnythingskidssay #sixyearolds
I don’t really care about certificates or reading levels. I don’t really care about where my kids are “up to” on the curriculum. I don’t really care about those things at all. . THIS is what I care about. THIS is what makes me proud. . That they made their own mud pit. That they made up imaginary games in it for hours. That they crafted a bridge out of a perfectly formed muddy sandy clay mix. That they helped each other and worked as a team. That they invited their little sister into play. That they helped wash her down after she got all muddy. That they had a water fight, laughed with each other, and gave little sister a lick of an ice block after she fell and grazed her knee. . That they can play for hours on end. That they care about one another and show empathy. That they are creative, happy, and settled. . THIS is what I am proud of. . #freeplay #letthembelittle #playallday #playoutside #natureplay #backyardplay #mudplay #mymagicalmoments #mytinymoments #childhoodunplugged #parenting #schoolholidays #brothers
Wet chalk painting 🎨 a relaxing Friday afternoon creative session for the three kids at my house this afternoon 💖 They loved colour mixing and creating masterpieces. The wet chalk is a beautiful smooth texture, lovely to draw with and mix! . The best thing about this is you can start off with dry chalk, extend that to making the chalk wet💧then extend it some *more* by introducing different textures/things to draw on 🙌. I added some large flat stones when they were almost finished colouring the wood and it kept them engaged for a wee while longer 🌟 . They were so proud of their masterpieces. Ages 5, 3, and 2 years. . Have been dying to try this since seeing it on @naturallycuriouschildren’s account in the middle of our NZ Winter 😆 finally getting outside more now that it’s Spring ☀️
Have you ever wondered why an Occupational Therapist is so passionate about play? I mean, don’t OT’s just go into people’s workplaces and assess their workspaces? 🤔😆 . Occupational therapy as a whole can be a very misunderstood profession. People assume the term “occupation” is related to people getting jobs, keeping jobs, etc. And whilst that’s true in some roles, it’s just a tiny slice of OT world. . It can be helpful to think of the term “occupation” as “activity”. And for kids, their main activity/job is PLAY. . Play is how children learn, grow, develop and thrive. Occupational Therapists are experts in analysing the occupation of play! . And if something is a barrier to play, then we can help problem solve and recommend solutions. . Which is why I talk so much about screen time, which can be a major barrier to play. If parents are having to manage the resulting screen time tantrums, withdrawal, and settling their kids back into play, it can result in *less time* overall in play. Settled, child-led free play helps kids thrive. . It goes to say I’m pretty obsessed with play and helping families on their journeys to ‘less screens, more play’. I love chatting play, barriers to play, managing screens in a healthy realistic way, and thriving kids. . Play is the way. Play is a child’s work. Play is magic!
“Mum why are you always holding your tummy, does it feel like the baby’s going to fall out?” {Mr 6}. Why yes son, yes it does! . 34 weeks and I think I might go into hibernation. That way I can avoid all of the “wow, when are you due?” questions. All of the aches and pains are now full force upon me: sore hips, braxton hicks, leg cramps, reflux, ummmmm what else?! Oh yeah, swollen feet. I’m tempted to park in the accessible parking spots wherever I go just to avoid walking any distances... that would be ok, right?! . Starting to s l o w down, which is a good thing. I pretty much can’t handle a full day with the kids because it involves too much physical being on my feet type of work. Give me the couch please! . Nesting is full force with sorting out baby clothes, setting up the Moses Basket, oh and let’s not forget making a birth plan (aka “let’s just see what happens/you’ve got this Mama!). . Let’s hope the next six weeks fly by. In the meantime I’ve started a wee bit of Christmas shopping seeing as I’ll be a bit busy come December! . #whenareyoudue #sixmoreweeks #34weeks #34weekspregnant #nesting #babynumber4 #familyofsix #pregnancy #babymama #mumoffour #overit #realtalk
Just working through changing my profile over. Over the last year I feel I’ve outgrown The Stay at Home OT. My blog name has served me well... it has helped me keep my identity as an OT throughout the journey of mothering. I love blogging and will still keep it up when I can! Next year I will still be a “Stay at Home OT” with a wee infant at home buuuuut I feel like I’m leaving that name behind. . So now you get my very original personal name. Even though my last name is incredibly hard for some people to “get” 😆 No clever business name for me over here folks! . #onlineentrepreneur #occupationaltherapist #otmom #mumssupportingmums
Hitting ‘send’ on this article to Family Times Editor @kinetabooker felt scary. Why? Because for me, it was quite a vulnerable article to write. It touches on the reality of how bad our screen time was and the struggle I went through cutting it back. It’s a piece in which I put myself out there, as I truly believe that it’s a common issue for more families of young children, and aren’t we all just trying to do our best? . Have you read it yet? I popped it up onto my ‘online course’ highlights reel if you want to take a look. And of course, hit me up in a DM if you want help to do the same in your fam x . Let me know your thoughts! . #lesscreentime #moreplaytime #screentime #nomoresquareeyes #nmse #onlinecourse #onlineentrepreneur #occupationaltherapist #otmom #mumssupportingmums #preschoolers #earlychildhood #evidencebasedparenting #parenting #mumlife #momlife #nzblogger #published
That stat about two year olds is kiiiind of encouraging (be nice if it was lower though!) but that stat about four year olds 😕. . Why is this important? It’s important because: . 🛴 less screen time means less risk of obesity, Dr visits, illnesses, and hyperactive behaviour for our kids! 🏥 it means a healthier New Zealand in the long run, saving our nation’s future. 💵 it means saving our health system money in the long run. 🌳 it means setting our kids up to be healthier youth and adults as they grow! . Don’t get me wrong: I’m not advocating for perfect parenting and no screens at all *if you still want to use them*. Just try to be mindful and stick to the guidelines. . If you’re after help with managing your kids’ screentime, then check out the link in my bio x . Ref: MSD (2019) Government Report on the Effects of Screen Time and Preschoolers
Even though I had a super busy day today, it was nice to take a moment to stop and smell the roses (daffodils) with these two. Only 8 more weeks until their little sister arrives! . Super comfy maternity top kindly gifted by @mrssmithclothing. I’ll be wearing this one all summer as it’s breastfeeding friendly 🌟

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