Toy fads may come and go but dolls have been around for thousands of years, and the benefits of playing with dolls are well documented. Here's what I've learned after 6 years in the toy industry.

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Small businesses are an important part of the community, whether they are online ( like us ) or in your local neighbourhood.

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My grandfather must have saved lives, but he rarely spoke of his time as a 16 year old ambulance driver during World War I.  I cannot image what he went through: I look at my son who is 16 and it breaks my heart to think of him on a battlefield. I can't even begin to comprehend what my grandfather - and so many others like him -  sacrificed for their countries...

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Coping with childhood stress can be difficult - for the children but also for the parents. Finding the right tools to help your child get through those difficult periods is really important and can help them learn to navigate tricky situations as they get older. Find out here what simple tools you can give your kids to help them deal with stress and anxiety.

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Sometimes you need a change to make you re-focus on your ‘why'... 

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National Cancer Survivors Day is celebration of life after cancer diagnosis held on the first Sunday in June.

Cancer is a scary word. I don’t think I will ever forget the moment I heard my own diagnosis. It was the week that I launched A Girl for All Time® at the London Toy Fair in 2012. I was running on adrenaline that whole week, excited about finally launching the biz after 2 long years of development and hard work.

The day after the Toy Fair ended I found myself in the doctor’s office, hearing words I never thought I’d hear.

It’s hard to describe what it felt like to be told you have cancer. To me, it felt like being caught in a tidal wave. I knew I did not want to be there, and I knew I wanted to get out of there – quick - but I just couldn’t seem to escape the undertow that was dragging at me…

Everyone reacts differently to a cancer diagnosis. I know people who have gone onto extreme cleanses or trained for marathons. Others have thrown themselves into work or big house projects. And I know others who have quietly retreated from the whirlwind that can surround you once diagnosed, opting for a bit of respite and healing time to cope with what can often be an overwhelming situation.

For me, getting stuck into the new business was relief from the stress of treatment and the worry about diagnosis. It took my mind off all the things I was struggling to cope with in the present and helped me focus on what the future might hold.

There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to cope with cancer – every situation is different and everyone’s reaction will be unique. Moving forward at your own pace and in a way that feels right for you is the best way to deal with a diagnosis, whether it’s your own or that of a loved one.

For me, National Cancer Survivor’s day is about celebrating the amazing progress in cancer research and celebrating all of the lives positively affected by that. Hopefully one day, everyone who is diagnosed with cancer will be a survivor.

xFrances

St. Patrick's day is one of those holidays that everyone loves but might not be quite sure how it all started.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig - or the Day of the Festival of St. Patrick - is a cultural or religious celebration which is on the 17th of March, which is the date notes as the traditional death date of St. Patrick (ad 385-461) , the foremost patron saint of Ireland. But the day not only celebrates the arrival of Christianity into Ireland, but celebrates Irish culture and heritage in general.

St. Patrick's Day in London emerged after the end of World War II and it was through St. Patrick's day that members of the Irish Country Associations would meet up with their fellow county ex-pats and walk behind their county banners, celebrating their Irish identity.  So it's very likely that Clementine would have enjoyed the first of the St. Patrick's day parades, or even Sam as a toddler!

It's from this tradition that our Irish Day Parades today have evolved. I am from Chicago originally, and the city dyes the Chicago River green to celebrate the day. It's the one day of the year when we are all a little Irish !

Happy St. Patrick's Day !

x

 

I often wonder if our female history makers from the past, knew and understood the impact their actions would have on the rest of the timeline. For people such as our grandmothers, our mothers, you and I, our children and even their children....

For example, Anne Boleyn did what was expected of a Tudor lady and endured a marriage to a ruthless King Henry VIII and gave birth to Elizabeth I. Without that act of her conformity, Queen Elizabeth I wouldn’t have been born, nor what she had gone on to help Britain build a strong economy and national identity...

Another example is Emmeline Pankhurst, who found herself cut off from ‘modern society’ because of her belief that women were equal to men, she was imprisoned and out-cast over the duration of her life.  I wonder how she would have felt about the  female Prime Ministers, Presidents and Politicians inspired by her?  I like to think it would have reinforced her reasons for such determination! 

Mary Ellis, another worth a mention, a WW2  pilot who took the plunge into a heavily male dominated world. She tells stories of how the ground crew would often come and search for the ‘missing pilot.' It was her love of flying and adventure which helped her to deliver some of the most important WW2  air crafts during dangerous times.

Of course these are just a small portion of the many amazing women who helped to shape our history.  With all of the up- rest going on around the world currently, sometimes it can feel as though these women did it all for nothing! However, we only have to remind ourselves and actively look for the Teachers, Scientists,  Artists, inspirational speakers and writers and others who are dedicated to carrying on the teachings of our previous history makers to see our voice still stands strong.

As A Girl For All Time celebrates International Women’s Day, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to these women and many like them, who’ve helped to shape today’s society for the better. Whether they were aware of their impact or not, they’ve inspired generations to stand up for what they believe in.  

With the help of modern technology, we can constantly remind ourselves and our children of these amazing women throughout history and remember we can too make changes. 

History is something that is constantly happening and one small action can make a difference but as Amelia Earhart said ‘The most effective way to do it, it’s to do it!’

 

Happy International Women’s Day from us all At A Girl For All Time

I was lucky enough to get a piece posted on the Huffington Post recently about how our children are already learning about gender equality - or sometimes the lack of it, as the case may be - through their toys. I do feel strongly that the toys children play with can send a strong if subtle message to them about their perceived place in the world. Which is why we want to tell our girls - and our boys - that being a girl is not 'second best' , despite what today's pay gap tells us...

Anyway, have a read - the link is here.

x