“Our time now” in the Rose Petal Cottage

Last updated on November 19th, 2023 at 12:25 am

My eldest son started school at the beginning of September. It was the mark of a new stage in our lives of having a school boy in the house. A school run to do weekly both morning and night. Not only did our routines change but it was an emotional time for us all. B stopped taking naps and traded them in for full days of playing, learning, socializing, and pure exhaustion. I watched my first born run into school where he didn’t need Mommy anymore and where I wouldn’t be his provider, carer, or in control of him anymore. We are now getting our new routines down and emotions seem to be balancing out for us all now. 

Along with our new routines is more one on one time with my littlest daughter. It’s always been B and her together so it’s a luxury to now have that solo time with her as I had with B before she was born. I can already see a difference in her flying solo without her brother. No one is here to choose for her or tell her what she does and doesn’t like or to guide her. She has to figure things out on her own now. She is becoming more independent now because of it. We finally have our time now, together.

This week our time has been spent a lot playing with more girlie toys. Not on purpose but recently MM has ditched her brother’s cars and trains for dolls, babies, and pink things. I am never one to buy gender specific toys as I want them to play with whatever they like themselves. It’s pure heaven to play dolls with her and rock babies and push them around on her mini stroller and see how caring she is to her dolls and babies. She is a natural at it too. She loves cooking in her play kitchen and having our pretend picnics on the living room rug. I love watching her imagination flourish. 

We have been getting really creative with our imagination in our Rose Petal Cottage from DreamTown® which you can scoop up from Argos. It’s spacious enough that I can climb right in with her and help bake cupcakes in the oven or check if our lunch soup is ready. You should’ve seen MM’s face light up when we first put this toddler play tent up. She kept asking, “my house? my house?” over and over, jumping up and down. Kids are really so theatrical with their emotions at this age. I was her superhero for building this beautiful cottage for her. I built it while B was at school so we could have an hour of just us playing in it together and see what all we could do with it. There is a gorgeous mirror and windowsill that flaps up. There is a side door and a main wall that opens up to bring the inside really to life. The details are brilliant. I would have loved one of these when I was growing up. I love that we all can fit in it together even B. My toddlers are tall for their age but there is plenty of room to stand up inside too. What child doesn’t love their own space to play?

Our Rose Petal Cottage has been our go to place to play now during “our time”. MM runs straight for it after we get back from the school run. B always wants his bedtime stories read in it now, too. They are both lucky they have a very short Mommy that can fit in with them. It’s decorated beautifully with pastel blues and pinks to fit all genders. B loves it just as much as MM does. He has always been a great cook.  

Our time now together has really been great for both MM and I. We have music, gymnastics, and swimming classes together. It’s really made our bond so much stronger just being one on one together. I get so emotional to think I can’t always concentrate solely on both children as much as I can individually. It’s only when you do, you realize how grown up they have become and how their personalities are constantly changing and evolving. I noticed MM is more shy when we go out because she doesn’t have her brother to hide behind and take the attention off of her. I never thought I would have a shy child but I do. I almost feel guilty that she might have always been this shy and I just didn’t catch on when I had them both together. It’s little personality traits like this that are more obvious one on one. I feel blessed that I got one on one time with both my children. I know for some that’s not always an option. I am looking forward to so many more girlie play days of princesses, dolls, babies, barbies, cooking and baking. Yes, call me stereotypical but it’s been truly magical as I have all these memories with my own mother.  

Our new routines and Rose Petal Cottage play times are the best of our days at the moment. We are throughly enjoying being silly, playing make believe and getting creative. It’s great that a toddler’s play tent now almost is the mark of our new journey together just me and my little girl. 

“Mommy I baked this for you.” MM squealed with delight. 

“OH, thank you what am I eating today?” I replied.

“Cupcake soup”. She laughed.

“Is it cupcakes or soup? It can’t be both?” I asked her.

“Ok, soup cupcakes, eat it!” She instructed. 

I ate as I was told and as I was downing my last bite she grabbed the dish and threw it back in the oven.

“It’s not ready yet, Mommy.” She said, shook her finger at me and closed the door. 

This is just one of the many silly conversations we have on a daily basis inside her kitchen. I think she might be trying to poison me. She doesn’t get her cooking skills from me that’s for sure. Either way, when I am cooking breakfast, lunch or dinner she wants to mimic me and runs into her new kitchen to do the same. 
I love that our make believe time means so much to her. She tells Daddy and B at the dinner table every night what we got up to during the day. It really is cute now that she can talk full sentences. We can now carry on full conversations and I love this stage in my kids’ lives. I know it goes so quickly so I am embracing every minute I can as I know our one on one time will soon be gone and she will be in school along side her brother. I can barely say the words without getting choked up, empty nest syndrome.On days that I am busy and am rushing around I try to tell myself stop, take a minute and do something fun, silly with MM. My best memories of my childhood is that my mother was a busy parent but she always stopped to make us laugh, be silly and have a little fun together. I want MM to feel the same about our time together. It’s harder now sometimes than it was having B at home because I work full time from home so I can’t sit on the floor and play dolls all day like I would love to do. This means MM has to learn how to play independently instead of playing with her brother when I have to do some work. I think there are so many lessons for both me and her here finding balance and becoming a duo team now. I love that she can see me work hard and know you have to work hard for things in life. But I also love more than anything in the world that I can stop working to cuddle her, join her in her play tent and bake imaginary cupcake soup with her. 

*We were sent this Rose Petal Cottage RRP £99.99 for the purpose of this review, but all opinions and photos are our own. You can also get the gorgeous Tea Time Set RRP £19.99 and the Kitchen Set RRP £44.99 (not pictured) to complete the entire Rose Petal Cottage magical play tent for your little one. Suitable for children aged 24 months+

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