Time flies - so treasure your children while you can

I know Harley is still so young, but it feels like that time has flown – she’ll be two, five weeks after Christmas, and that feels so close that the prospect of her turning another year older frightens me to death. And to make up for it, I’m spending as much time with her and soaking her all in to make sure I experience our bonding time to the full.

On Tuesdays she goes to Matt’s mum’s, Jackie’s, house. Instead of bringing her back home, or doing something that we usually would like such as heading to the park, I decided to take her down to Southsea for some mummy-daughter late afternoon fun.

We marvelled at the curious creatures of the Blue Reef Aquarium, where Harley was less interested in the fish and way more excited about getting soaking wet in their outdoor splash park. As the sun set on the waterfront and the warm sea air floated around, perhaps I got a bit nostalgic about my own childhood. Or more plausibly, I may just be an emotional wreck when it comes to Harley. I have serious Fomo (fear of missing out). However, I let her splash around with all her clothes on and relish the freedom while she could as it was starting to get darker in the evenings and mornings, and definitely colder (the heating has come on more than once this week).

Chris Nicholls taking part in the Potty in Portsmouth challenge

Later, we ventured to the beach, and again, I watched in awe of her as she frolicked in the wet sand, picking stones up and hurling them into the sea. I didn’t want it to end, but dinner time was creeping closer and I contemplated heading home so I could give her dinner. But I considered what would have happened when we were children – there was no way my mum and dad would have taken us home for tea, so I took Harley to the Beach Club, Southsea, the former venue for Mozzarella Joe's and we munched on dinner together, just the two of us. Though at times hard work, it was perfect, and I vow to make the most of all these little moments with her. I’m sure in a blink of an eye, that time will pass me by, and I don’t want to miss any of it.

I’M SO THRILLED TO BE SEEING CHRISTMAS FESTIVITIES AGAIN

Have you been to the shops lately? There are Christmas decorations, gift boxes lining the shelves, and food (including advent calendars) in some stores and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Is it a bit early? Possibly…especially as most people don’t feel like they’ve had a summer.

The prospect of Christmas and all that it brings is a little daunting but I am so excited this year.

I was like a child last year because it was Harley’s first Christmas, but I’m even more excited this year because she’ll be nearly two and has so much more awareness and understanding about the world around her that I cannot wait to see how she soaks it all in this year.

I intend to go big!

Raising cash for veterans stuck in a portable toilet

If you need any inspiration on how to raise money for charity just ask Chris Nicholls – my brother-in-law Shaun’s dad.

As an ex-veteran, Chris and three of his friends took part in a five-day and five-night event at Southsea where they each stayed in a portable toilet and never left.

They stayed in their loo breaking an unofficial record and raised more than £10,000 for Forgotten Veterans UK, a charity which helps those who have come out of the military get their lives back on track. I have no idea how one stays in a cubicle for that long, but big congratulations to all involved and kudos to L&S Portable Toilets for supplying them with the means to take on the challenge.

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Time flies - so treasure your children while you can | Cheryl Gibbs