Thursday 31/1/2013 Smile! (92/365)
The UK Baby and Toddler Show
I have been invited to attend the UK Baby and Toddler Show at the Liverpool Echo Arena this weekend. The show promises pregnancy advice and support, baby development and shopping and toddler guidance and entertainment. Over 200 experts will be on hand.
As well as lots of shopping opportunities there will be seminars with advice and guidance for parents,and toddler entertainment.
I'll be attending the show and blogging about it. I'm looking forward to a good day out and some shopping for some treats for Little Miss.
If you would like to attend the event it takes place this weekend, Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd February at the Liverpool Echo Arena. You can buy tickets online or on the door.
Wednesday 30/1/2013 Babyccino (91/365)
Bud, Little Miss and I went out for coffee and cake with Grandma today. I decided Bud could try his first Chocolate Babyccino as he's been interested in hot drinks lately. He claimed to like it but his expression, and the fact that he didn't drink most of it said otherwise!
A Sad Farewell
Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere but we had some bad news today. Ten days ago we were just settling down to watch a film and we heard a knock on the door. Red Rose Daddy opened it to a very nice, and very sorry, man who confessed that he had just crashed into our car parked outside our house. He left his details and rushed off to work. RRD went out to look at it and we thought it was just a bit of bodywork damage. He tried to move the car away from the icy side street that had caused the issue but realised he couldn't steer at all and the car could not be driven. The damage was much worse than first thought. We could clearly see that one of the steering struts behind the wheel was broken.We phoned the insurance company who agreed to get the garage out to come and move the car and to supply us with a courtesy car. The garage were finally able to take the car on Friday, prior to that our street was too icy. The call finally came today, our car has been written off. This innocuous little crash caused over £2000 worth of damage! As our boiler has also been struggling recently today was the day that we got someone round to look at that too. It needs a new pump, it is more economical to buy a new boiler. Car and boiler written off in the same day! That's quite spectacularly bad luck for one day!
So, goodbye to you, our Renault Megane. I have so many happy memories attached to you. You were the car we went on our first date in, that we moved my things back to Bolton in when I came back here to live after meeting RRD and then the car that we moved into our first home in. You had so many hospital trips, to scans and antenatal appointments, to the labour ward, including that one dramatic night when I woke up bleeding heavily at 14 weeks pregnant with Bud. You were the car that Red Rose Daddy drove us to hospital in to give birth to Bud and Little Miss and then safely transported them home in the same soft grey car seat. It seems silly to me to be saying goodbye to a car but I need to. This feels like a goodbye, you are intrinsically tied up in our early story as a family. When I think of these days I'll see us loading Bud and Little Miss into their car seats and all your little foibles - like the broken drivers' door window and the way you used to grumble in wet weather. We will miss you.
Tuesday 29/1/2013 Shape Sorting (90/365)
Monday 28/1/2013 Cold (89/365)
Our central heating is broken. It won't heat the downstairs of our home at all. We've all been a bit cold today and when I got Little Miss changed and dressed this morning I put her back in her sleeping bag to keep her warm. This was what I saw when I checked Bud's room just before bedtime. I've never seen our Gro-egg Owl blue before!
Happy Birthday Elite Magazine!
Elite Magazine is a free bi-monthly magazine published in Greater Manchester and distributed throughout the area, or you can read it online by visiting their website.Yesterday they celebrated their first birthday by holding a fantastic party at The Styling Academy in the Corn Exchange, Manchester and we were lucky enough to be invited!
There was cake, which I can confirm tasted just as good as it looked, sweets, face painting, food and drink and lots of fun. They had a fantastic photo booth where you could have your photo taken using various props. One was a full head Zebra mask that Bud got quite attached to. Face painting was available but Bud won't entertain this The highlight of the afternoon was a display put on by the wonderful Crocodile Joe's Wild World. Joe is a conservationist who works with some of the animals he has rescued to educate and inform children about caring for their environment. He brought along an Emperor Scorpion, two Bearded Dragons, four Corn Snakes and, the Pièce de résistance ,a 13 feet long Burmese Python. I think everyone at the party was enthralled by Crocodile Joe and it was wonderful to see so many really tiny children engaging with him and the animals.
Elite Magazine held a raffle to raise funds for KidsCan and I was lucky enough to win a wonderful facial with Skin Health which I'll be booking soon.
We had a lovely afternoon at the party, great company and a fantastic show from Crocodile Joe. I'll be ensuring I pick up future issues of Elite Magazine too.
Sunday 27/1/2013 Stepping Stones (88/365)
Saturday 26/1/2013 Cuddles with Daddy (87/365)
Friday 25/1/365 Snow Redux (86/365)
Thursday 24/1/2013 Kisses (85/365)
Bud and Little Miss in January
It's been a little while since I've posted a decent update on what my two little people have been up to so I thought I'd share.
Bud is now very nearly 34 months. I can't believe my baby boy will be three years old in April. Where does the time go? It seems like mere weeks since was the size Little Miss is now! We've been in the jungle of potty training recently. That has been a slow process and deserves it's own blog post. I'll be writing that soon. Other than the potty training adventure, and my goodness was I not prepared for it, we have been experiencing Bud's take on the terrible twos.
Bud has never been bad tempered. Yes we've had the occasional rage but he has never been a child who throws themselves on the floor or screams and wails. However, recently he is behaving a bit oddly and it is starting to bother me. He is big for his age, already in size 3-4 clothes, and he is constantly trying to impose himself physically on me and his sister. He throws himself at us and sprawls on us. Lots. Another favourite is using knees, elbows, ankles, toes, shoulders or head to push his weight against me even more Can you imagine someone putting a bent elbow against your arm or leg, then pushing all their body weight into the elbow, or placing their head against you and pushing forward with all their might? It would hurt wouldn't it? It does! I'm covered in bruises from the constant battering I get! It isn't done in a violent or angry way. The best way I can describe it is that he is physically imposing himself on me.I suspect it's hormonal, especially after reading The Boy and Me's excellent post on toddler boy hormones, either that or he is trying to assert his position in the family. It is interesting that he doesn't try this behaviour on his Daddy. I wonder if any of you have experienced this with your boys? Do you have any tips for dealing with it? At the moment I just move away from him. He follows me around the room as I move each time he starts, it is worse when I am holding his Sister, another explanation may be jealousy. I'm hoping that refusing to tolerate it and removing myself from his vicinitywill do the trick.
My boy is growing up a lot. His speech is wonderful and he has an extensive vocabulary. I love that he knows the meaning of words like delicious and fantastic and knows how to use them in a sentence properly. I'm so proud of his manners. He says please and thank you without being prompted now which impresses most people who are on the receiving end. It just goes to show that children are never too small to learn good manners. He chats and sings constantly and I love to just listen to him. His interest in art and craft has improved immeasurably and rarely a day goes by when we don't paint, draw, stick or cut. I'm on a mission to get some real projects on the go and I'm hoping to start some different activities too. I've been pinning lots of toddler craft ideas for inspiration and we've been pulling together a box with lots of different materials in it. He loves his baby Sister and often 'strokes her gently' (his words) and tells other people that they have to be gentle with her too. I know he has found sharing me difficult but I'm very pleased with how he is adjusting (apart from the earlier problem mentioned).
Little Miss is doing so well. I can't tell you how much she weighs as we don't go to the clinic very often. She is thriving though, and growing every day! She has such a happy, sunny disposition and is quick to smile and laugh. Her favourite person is her big Brother. She watches him move around the room and smiles faster for him than anyone else. She loves to be held and doesn't like going to bed on her own. She would rather sleep next to me, or on her Daddy in the evening. We're going to be putting a stop to that soon hopefully. We will be getting her cot set up at the weekend as she is filling her Moses Basket and I intend to use this transition to impose bedtime upon her. We will see how that goes! Last night I tried twice to put her down to go to sleep, both times she was quiet for about five minutes and then started crying. When I went in to see her I was met with a great big grin so she is clearly doing it because she doesn't want to be alone. I want to address this sooner rather than later. It's hard not to indulge her when you have that smile looking back at you!
My Daughter is very similar to her Brother in many ways and I am consistently being told how alike they are. I understand why people say it but, to me and their Daddy, they are quite different. This is a photo of each at around four months. I think there is a similarity, but also a strong difference too. What do you think?
Fancy Dress on Parade
My extended family love fancy dress. We are often invited to fancy dress parties and that starts the round of questions; 'what are you going as?', 'what is the theme?', 'are you buying or making your outfit?'
We have a family New Year's Eve party every year and fancy dress is compulsory. I always find it difficult to come up with ideas and was quite disappointed this year when the theme was originally announced as 'comic book characters'. This is great for men and boys but more tricky for women and girls. Thankfully the theme was expanded to book characters so I had more to work with!
When the lovely people over at Jokers' Masquerade offered to send me one of their kids Christmas fancy dress outfits I knew that I would be able to make one work for this theme so I was happy to accept. I had a look and decided to ask for the Toy Soldier Fancy Dress costume so Bud could be Prince Charming from Cinderella. His cousin reads this story to him often and he knows who 'Pins Sharmin' is.
The set arrived really quickly and packaged in a handy carry bag. It includes a hat, jacket, belt, sash and trousers. The jacket is lovely, bright red with gold trim and a white shirt effect on the front, it also has some great gold epaulettes. The trousers are black and have a matching gold trim. The sash is a thick gold band which meets at the end to form a holster for a sword and this held snugly in place by the black belt which easily fastens using velcro. I was so impressed by the hat. Bud has a big head and I felt sure that it wouldn't fit but it did and it was comfortable for him to wear.
I requested the outfit in size small which is age 3-5. Bud is large for his age and already wearing age 3-4 clothes., The outfit fitted really well and, as it was a cold night when we finally got him to wear it, had enough room for a long sleeved t-shirt to be worn underneath. The quality is really good and I am sure that the outfit will last a while in our dressing up box.
Bud is a very strong willed toddler, especially about his clothes. He point blank refused to wear this outfit when I first tried to get him to try it out so I could review it. We had a huge toddler tantrum in response. The next dozen or so requests were met with a very firm 'no' too. In the end we managed to get him to wear it for the day of our party by getting into our own fancy dress costumes and persuading him that we would all look different! Once he was in the outfit he liked it and he has played with various aspects of the outfit since. Sometimes he has the hat on, sometimes the belt or the jacket. He enjoys wearing it.
The Toy Soldier costume costs £16:99 which I think is good value for an outfit of this quality. Jokers' Masquerade have a wide range of Christmas outfits as well as an extensive range of fancy dress so I can imagine returning to make future purchases when the next fancy dress party rolls around.
I'm a More 4 Mums Guest Blogger
Regular visitors to my blog might have spotted a new badge on my left hand sidebar (just underneath my Networked Blogs followers). I'm so pleased to announce that I've become a guest blogger for More 4 Mums who sell a fantastic range of products suitable for pregnant and breastfeeding mums.
I've now been breastfeeding, with only a five month break, since April 2010 and have shared some of my breastfeeding experiences in my first guest post over at the More 4 Mums blog.
I am one of three guest bloggers chosen by More 4 Mums and you can meet the other two there - they are Mrs Shilts who is expecting her first child anytime now, and Jay, who is a fellow recent mum of two.
Over the next few months I'll be sharing a few posts at More 4 Mums, watch out for my first review of a breastfeeding dress soon.
Wednesday 23/1/2013 Swoosh (84/365)
So, today I get to day 84 in my Project 365. That's the last day I posted a photo for my Project 366 so tomorrow is uncharted territory for me! I'm so pleased that I've managed to post each photo individually, no digests, and more or less on the day in question. I've been snapping a bit today, Bud was playing with his train set and this was a completely accidental shot. I like the movement in it though.
Sammy's Great Escape
Recently Bud's attention span has been growing and we've started to watch DVDs as a family. Red Rose Daddy and I are huge film fans and used to go to the cinema a lot before we had children so we are looking forward to Bud being big enough to take to see a film there.The new offering from Warner Bros, Sammy's Great Escape, would be the perfect film for Bud's first experience of the cinema if he was just a little bit bigger. Out during February half term it tells the story of Sammy and Ray, two Leatherback turtles who are caught by poachers, ending up in a Dubai aquarium, and their adventures trying to return home to those who love them. We'll probably wait for it on DVD when I'm sure Bud will love it.
I'm pleased to share the trailer with you, it looks like a great way to spend a half term afternoon.
Harry Potter for xBox Kinect
Red Rose Daddy was obviously a very good boy in 2012 as Father Christmas brought him an xBox Kinect for us all to play on. Sadly he only brought one game with it so he was very pleased when Warner Bros offered to send him the new Harry Potter for Kinect game as part of their Festive package.
Which house will you be sorted into?
Harry Potter for Kinect is available from all of the usual stockists and Amazon.
Disclaimer: I was sent this game for review purposes, as always the thoughts and opinions contained within are all my own.
Tuesday 22/01/2013 Line Up (83/365)
I'm a bit lacking in inspiration tonight. Crummy day and cabin fever is setting in. We've been stuck inside as I can't manage the pram and Bud on our very icy street. This is how Bud left three of his engines at bedtime tonight.
Monday 21/01/2013 Fun in the Snow (82/365)
Snow Fun!
Those of you who follow me on Twitter will know I have been complaining about the lack of snow we've had over the weekend. What we did have was very wet and had either frozen or melted since it fell. However, last night we went to my In Laws' house and, on the way back, it started to snow. I assumed it would have melted or frozen by the morning but we woke to a really good covering today. Red Rose Daddy had this morning off our car was being picked up after someone crashed into it on Friday night. Luckily the car was parked outside our house, we weren't in it and the driver knocked on the door to explain what had happened so we got his insurance details. Anyway, as soon as we got up and Little Miss had a nap we went out into the garden for some fun in the snow.
I love how the snow transforms our surroundings, it makes everything looks so peaceful and clean.
The bottom right photograph is our Christmas tree has been in the garden waiting for Red Rose Daddy to take it to the tip. It looks so pretty now!
Apparently we might have some more snow tonight so we might be able to have more fun in it tomorrow.
Sunday 20/01/2013 Eyes (81/365)
My Project 365 has been very Little Miss heavy recently, I can't help snapping her. She's changing so much and her personality is really coming through. I'm going to try to get a few more of Bud this week though.
Friday 18/01/2013 Painting (79/365)
All Aboard the Polar Express in 3D
The Polar Express is one of those films that I'd heard lots about on Twitter and on lists of essential Christmas films that pop up on other blogs every now and again. I know The Boy and Me is especially keen on this film and that it is an essential part of her and The Boy's Christmas viewing. I knew a little about the film but hadn't seen it so was delighted to be offered it as part of the Warner Bros festive package. A version which has been digitally remastered on Blu Ray and in 3D
The academy Award-winning team of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis reunite for 'The Polar Express', an inspiring adventure based on the beloved children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. Late on Christmas Eve night, a boy (Daryl Sabara) lies in bed hoping to hear the sound of reindeer bells from Santa's sleigh. When to his surprise, a steam engine's roar and whistle can be heard outside his window. The conductor (Hanks) invites him on board to take an extraordinary journey to the North Pole with many other pajama-clad children. There, he receives an extraordinary gift only those who still believe in Santa can experience.
This edition of the film is packaged on three discs, you get the Blu Ray 3D, Blu Ray and DVD discs. Great for a house where there is more than one player or to take the DVD with you on a portable device. Obviously you need a 3D compatible television to watch the 3D version, which we don't have, but my parents have just bought a TV and have no 3D discs to watch on their new equipment so I think we will be taking it down there to watch with Bud's cousins in the near future. For now we have been watching the Blu Ray disc.
Bud has absolutely loved this film and his excitement about it was so special this Christmas. He has really started to love trains this year and this, coupled with a new understanding of what Christmas and Father Christmas were all about, made it a great film for us to watch as a family. The style of animation, using motion capture, made the film look almost real but with the qualities of animation, if that makes sense? The scenes at the North Pole are just magical. We have loved watching The Polar Express this Christmas and Bud has continued to ask for it since we took the decorations down. I'm torn between letting him continue to watch it and saving it for December when I'm sure he will enjoy it even more. I think I will save it, I can see The Polar Express becoming an essential part of the build up to Christmas in our house in future years.
The Polar Express is available from all of the usual stockists and from Amazon
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Disclaimer: I was sent this Blu Ray for review purposes, as always the thoughts and opinions contained within are all my own.
New Year's Eve
Yes, I know. I'm about two weeks late but the last few weeks have been non-stop. In between the Christmas and New Year festivities, my Mother-in-Law's birthday, potty training and looking after Little Miss I really haven't had the opportunity to sit and watch a good film. New Year's Eve is a recent release from Warner Bros and we were delighted to receive it in our festive package from them. I adore Christmas films and will happily watch them all year round so I was hoping this would be a good one to add to my collection, or start my collection of new year films!
New Year’s Eve celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, with intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year. The cast is stellar with some of Hollywood's biggest names including Katherine Heigl, Jon Bon Jovi, Ashton Kutcher, Robert de Niro and Sarah Jessica Parker.
The film is set out in a similar style to Love Actually and Valentine's Day and features a group of loosely connected characters who are celebrating the end of 2011 in different ways. The central storyline, in my opinion, features Ingrid, a secretary (played by Michelle Pfeiffer) who has a near-death experience at the start of the film and then embarks upon a quest with Paul, a bike courier played by Zac Efron, to complete her new year's resolutions. I won't give too much away but the various stories continue throughout the build up to the Times Square ball dropping at midnight.
New Year's Eve is really enjoyable viewing. Not a typical romantic comedy as there are so many different stories but they do link up well and I enjoyed how the day rolled out. Some of the stories were slightly superfluous - like the race to have the first baby of the year - but the strongly interlinked stories worked well. It is perfect viewing for the Christmas and New Year period.
The film is available on DVD and Blu Ray from the usual stockists and Amazon
. Both versions feature an Ultraviolet version of the film which allows you to download it and watch it on your mobile devices.Disclaimer: I was sent this Blu Ray for review purposes, as always the thoughts and opinions contained within are all my own.
Thursday 17/01/2013 The Offending Article (78/365)
Wednesday 16/01/2013 I See You (77/365)
A Day at Chester Zoo
We were sent a family ticket to visit Chester Zoo as part of MoneySupermarket's quest to find Britain's Best Family Days Out. I was confident that we would have a great day out there as Bud is animal obsessed, we weren't disappointed.Red Rose Daddy was off work for a week but the weather forecast was wet. We scoured the forecasts and worked out that the Thursday might be dry. It dawned fine so we crossed our fingers and set off for the Zoo.
The Zoo is very easy to find. Brown heritage signs, complete with elephant, directed us in from the motorway. Parking is free and plentiful and next to a Park and Ride station which would get you to or from the centre of Chester quickly.
Admission to the zoo is simple. There is a large ticket office to buy tickets on the door and then manned turnstiles for access. It is possible to pre-book tickets online and I would recommend this. Anything that makes admission easier is always a bonus with children! As we already had a ticket we sailed through with no queuing. You will be offered a map and a list of animal talks, I suggest you take them as, although lots of maps are scattered around the park, it is always easier to have your own to refer to. If you are interested in the keeper talks the leaflet is the best way of getting this information.
The main concourse has a gift shop, restaurant, toilets and guest services. I popped into guest services and found a variety of leaflets including one which gave you a route to use in the rain. Handy if you aren't confident about the weather. They also have wrist bands that you can write a parent's mobile number on and put around your child's wrist. I picked one up for Bud. I'm glad to say we didn't need it but it is a really good solution for lost children.
The Zoo is really large and I think, with toddlers, it is difficult to try and see it all in one go. We decided to take it easy and see what we could. Enclosures are arranged, loosely, in areas themed around habitat. The first animals you meet after entering are the elephants and, from there onwards you can find your own route around the park.
The animals are usually easy to spot. Many of them can be seen both indoors and outdoors which is useful if in bad weather. There is a mixture of animal houses and outdoor enclosures and we were able to see about 75% of the animals (we didn't try for the rest as we were short of time). We weren't left disappointed as you sometimes are by fruitlessly looking for animals that are indoors or hiding.
Something I took notice of on this visit was the amount of art and variety of plants around the Zoo. It was really pleasant to see a mixture of plants which added to the colour of the Zoo and were clearly designed to work throughout the seasons. Some of the art is really striking, from a bronze baby elephant with a polished back from thousands of small bottoms sitting on him, to a beautiful sculpture in the sunken garden. Clearly the Zoo wants to make every part of the park interesting and they succeed. There are lots of ways for children to engage with their surroundings too..
Chester Zoo is firmly on a mission to educate their visitors about animals, especially endangered species. The Zoo has informative and educational displays attached to most of their exhibits, from posters showing the names of the elephants, to a large display about the Palm Oil industry. The Monkey House had blackboards showing the menus for that day and tubs of the actual food they would eat. We could talk about this with Bud even though he is so little and even the smallest children will be able to learn a lot.
We took a picnic with us which we ate at one of the seating areas dotted around. Bud was very excited that we were visited by a few ducks who knew that they could expect a snack from us. They are his favourite animals and, when anyone asks him what he saw at the Zoo, are ahead of elephants, giraffes and meerkats on the list. If you choose to eat at the Zoo there are two restaurants open all year round that offer a wide range of food at reasonable prices. There are a number of smaller food sellers too but they were closed in low season. The large gift shop by the entrance offers a wide range of souvenirs at different prices. We escaped lightly with the purchase of elephant and penguin grabbers. Bud was very pleased with his new toys. Admission prices are reduced in low season, as are the opening hours so check out the Chester Zoo website to plan your visit.
Disclaimer: We received a free family ticket to visit Chester Zoo as part of a project with Tots 100 and Money Supermarket. The thoughts and opinions contained within are honest and unbiased.
Tuesday 15/01/2013 Investigating (76/365)
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