“Role-playing and dressing-up is a constant – there’s forever a storyline happening or a skit going on.” Rachel Fletcher (on Instagram: oh_merde) talks free play, art galleries, breakfast brioche and the ‘six-month rule’…
Rachel Fletcher, 29, lives in a small village just outside Cardiff with her boyfriend Adam and their children: Edie, three, Rudy, two.
Our mornings are… yet to find a routine. Edie started pre-school this September so we’re still trying to work out how to get everyone from-bed-to-school/work in the right order. I’m always the first up, getting that early coffee in before the demands for brioche, the ‘right’ type of apple and several bowls of cereal begin.
My kids mainly wear… better clothes than us! It’s high street mixed with the odd designer piece and finished off by small boutique items. I’m very lucky to have talented friends who can make the coolest kids clothes – check out Sophie (@sophieandcoshop), Fiona (@nor_folk) and Carrie (@mre.soeur) – so there’s no excuse for them not to be well-dressed.
‘Actual Clothes’ have recently had to take a back seat to their beloved and well-worn superhero costumes, though. You try explaining to a two-year-old why he can’t wear a full Batman suit in the bath…
I cope with clutter by … never having it! Our home is very white and very compact, so any mess is instantly out of place. We combat hoarding by having a six-month rule; if something hasn’t been used/worn/played with in six months, then it’s gone. The same cannot be said for my car, however. It’s like a coffee cup graveyard.
I never leave the house without … spare pants (for them not me), car snacks, phone charger and a back-up plan.
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When no one’s looking I … swig wine straight from the fridge because sometimes getting a glass is too much like hard work.
I encourage creativity … by making the tools readily available. Adam is a musician so they have easy access to lots of different instruments. Art supplies are dotted around the house where they can use them freely – we like to do art on a BIG scale so most of the surfaces in our house are wipe clean… (a huge tub of white paint is always on hand for wall touch-ups). Role-playing and dressing-up is a constant – there’s forever a storyline happening or a skit going on.
We also visit as many interesting exhibitions, museums and galleries as possible. I try to let them explore as much as they can (and security will allow!).
I’ll never be able to part with … the iPads. An iPad is everything: an educational tool, a place to draw, a book, a way to contact family, a way to make the kids sit mute on the sofa for 30 mins while you try to recoup…
When all else fails we … buy doughnuts.
Follow Rachel on Instagram: Oh_Merde
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