Four Magpies

Decisions decisions...

2011-02-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

I've been umming & ahing lately as to what to do & where to go with this blog.

To be completely honest, I just don't have time to do it justice. At the same time though, I don't want to dump it altogether, because I enjoy sharing the little dude couture love!

So, here's what I've decided. From now, I won't be posting here anymore. Instead, I've incorporated everything back into my other blog, so if you're not following, go get on it to keep up to date - Little Dude Couture even has it's very own page & post tag - woo! You might like the Parental Guidance tab too?

Of course it won't be ALL about the little boyshapes over there, but if you're not interested in my shameless self promotion & crafty babble, you can always just skip those posts - I won't mind... honest ;)

I hope you'll decide to come follow, if you're not already, and thanks for putting up with me & my neurotic ways - tis appreciated!

Bargain Alert!

2011-01-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

On my never ending quest for super cool little dude couture, I came across a great site called My Little Corner - they're currently working on a new look site, and while they do, everything in stock appears to be on sale for crazy cheap prices - got to love that!
For example, there are oodles of brilliant tees for under a tenner, such as these beauties from Smafolk:

Or this adorable retro effort from Tea Collection:

What are you waiting for?
I'm guessing at these prices there won't be a lot left for long... Go Go Go!!

We're back!

2011-01-21T10:35:00.000-08:00

Hello!
Hope you're all having a fabulous start to the new year?
Ours has been... less than perfect if I'm honest - we've been battling coughs and colds for what seems like forever!
Fingers crossed though, we seem to all be on the mend now, and with any luck, that'll be us done with germs for the rest of the year.
(Well, I can hope, right?)

So instead of braving the cold and wet high street, we've been loving the sales on all our favourite websites! These gorgeous blue elephants from Smafolk have been on my wants list for the little dude for a while now, and the lovely people at Pink Milk have it reduced to just £11.99 - bargain-o-rama! Lots of other great stuff to look at too - go have a peek! (but don't blame me if clicking costs you money!)

What's been your best bargain so far this year? Share the link in the comments if you like :)

Taking a break...

2010-12-30T00:53:00.000-08:00

Hello there! Hope you're all having a super duper festive season?

In our corner of the world, it's been wonderful, but manic. So quite in-keeping with the rest of the year really!

The general busy busy of the last month or two has helped me make a decision though - I'm going to take a break from this blog, for a few weeks at least - just to catch up with real life & what not.

So don't panic if we don't pop up in your reader for a while, we haven't disappeared, just having a rest. Be back before you know it with allsorts of gorgeousness for your gorgeous little boys :)
Thanks for reading up til now, and I hope you all have a fabulous 2011!!

A little early Christmas present for you...

2010-12-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

The very lovely Helene at Barnyard Kids, is offering Four Magpies readers 10% off all orders for the rest of this month!

They have loads of new lines to drool over too - such as the DUNS Sweden & Smafolk winter collections (am loving the DUNS smalltown bodysuit, pictured on the left), plus some gorgeous Name-it Denim (the 'Pasto' jeans are my favourite!)

To claim your 10% off, simply quote IntroOffFM at checkout.
Happy Shopping!

Review: cBeebies Song Time!

2010-12-07T03:21:00.000-08:00

We're big cBeebies fans in our house - particuarly when it's as cold as it has been lately! So we were delighted to be sent this new CD to review.

I must confess, although singing along to the various theme tunes throughout the day is a bit of a guilty pleasure (admit it, you do it too!), I wasn't convinced that a whole CD (two, actually, it's a double!), of just theme tunes would be a hit with the little dude.

I was wrong.

I put it on while we were playing with play-dough one frosty morning, and for the first few 'tracks', he did look a bit puzzled, glancing at the TV expectantly, waiting for his favourites to start, but by the time we got to 'Something Special', he was more concerned with modelling a dinosaur, while happily bopping away to the tunes.

There are quite a few themes on there we didn't recognise (Garth & Bev, for example, seems to have totally passed us by), and a few he wasn't too interested in (sorry Postman Pat), but all Dylan's favourites seem to have made the cut too - 3rd & Bird and Charlie & Lola get the best reactions :)

I think a nice addition would have been the various 'seasons' songs the presenters sing, and perhaps the 'time to say goodnight' or 'cBeebies weekend song'... but maybe I'm just a bigger beebies geek than I'd like to admit!

Overall, I'd say if your little one watches cBeebies, it's definitely worth getting, just to use as background music while you're doing other things - but don't blame me if you find yourself humming Tommy Zoom while you're doing the supermarket shopping. (Never happened. Honestly ;).)

It's on sale now, at £7.99, click here to order from Play.com, with free delivery in time for Christmas.

Thanks to Rock & Roll Baby World for our review copy.

SANTA'S COMING!!!

2010-12-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

The title of this post is a. a homage to the greatness that is Buddy the Elf (love your work, Will, I really do), and b. an attempt at humour to block out the sheer terror & panic that is settling down on me with regards to my complete lack of festive organisation.

Seriously, in three weeks, it'll all be over, and I have done almost nothing.
Oh dear.

I always thought that the whole being done and dusted and feeling smug by the end of November deelie, was a mum thing. Turns out, not so much. Personally, I was way more organised pre-motherhood. Probably something to do with not having to entertain a small person 24-7.

I've just been stupidly busy, and kept thinking 'I'll get to it... s'ages yet.' ...dangerous train of thought, that.

I ventured to town today & achieved 2 purchases in 4 hours. Uh-huh. Two. After which the little dude was bored and stressy, the big dude was much the same, and I was in need of a very large coffee.
Not playing that game anymore.

I figure if I get my act together this week, I can get it all done online & be feeling calm & smug by the weekend. That, dear friends, is the new plan.

And, incase any of you are as disorganised as me, I shall bloggity-blog my progress for your viewing & retail pleasure.

Ready... Set... Go Internet Shopping, Go Go GO!

the Gallery: Before & After

2010-11-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

This week's Gallery is goooood.
Don't get me wrong, it's tricky, but I like a challenge.

The idea, is to pick an old photo, and recreate it. After much deliberation, I picked this:

I took these when my little monster was exactly Six Weeks old. Wow. That's a looong time ago.
That tiny little bambino (look at the skinny arms!) Is now Eighteen Months of non-stop-whirlwind toddler, who looks like this:

...have just made myself do a big gulp.
The big baby blues & the cheeky grin are all the same - but where did the mop come from?! Oh right... me. Sorry 'bout that little dude.

Oh, and needless to say, it was a whole lot easier to take four useable photos at six weeks than it was today.
I want extra brownie points please Tara, thank you :)

Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with for this one.

Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy

2010-11-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

Mum's of older tots may read this and think 'duh, we knew that', but if like me, you're still pretty new to the world of pre-school literature, listen up.
Sandra Boynton is a genius.

Dylan, loves books, and to be honest, he's generally pretty easy to please (a trip to town almost always includes a whizz round the charity shops to snap up a bargain board book or two), but every now and then, a particular book will really really win his seal of approval.

It happened with The Very Hungry Caterpillar (much to mummy's delight), it happened with Time to Wash Faces! (but then Makka Pakka was always going to be a winner), and now it's happened with Fuzzy Fuzzy Fuzzy, by the aforementioned genius, Sandra Boynton.

We borrowed it from the library on Monday, and he hasn't stopped reading* it since. (*by reading, I do of course mean turning the pages, giggling & squealing. And/or slapping it down on mine or his daddy's lap to do the honours.)

In a nutshell, it's a touchy feely board book. There's no story as such, or indeed very many words, but the big bold illustrations, the different textures, and a few silly voices, do a very happy little boy make.

I'm dreading having to return it to the library, so have pre-empted it's due back day & ordered Dylan his own copy from Play.com for £5.49 (with Free Delivery) you can Click Here to do the same if you like.

(As a result, we've discovered Sandra has written a whole lot of other books too... they have been added to the Christmas possibility list!)

The Gallery: Seasons

2010-11-09T23:58:00.000-08:00

For this week's Gallery, Tara wants to see the seasons from all around the world.

Here in Blighty, we're well and truly in the clutches of Autumn, with the odd day feeling decidedly wintery.
I actually love this time of year - the bright, crisp mornings, the crunchy leaves... Not the rain though, can totally do without the rain.

We've been doing a lot of stomping round the park since the little boyshape found his feet, and taking lots of photos, so, here is our homage to Autumn:

Don't forget to check out the Linky at Tara's blog - even though someone's bound to post from somewhere that's currently hot & sunny & I shall be very jealous.
I love Autumn, but our heating's on the blink & I would love some heat even more!

We Love Build-a-Bear!

2010-11-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

Last week, The daddy had a week off work, and it was wonderful. I only had to do half the nappy changes, I had cups of tea made for me (which I actually got to drink while still hot!), and I even got to lie in bed until a civilised hour! Blissful!
Today, The daddy went back to work, and I am re-adjusting to life as a solo-stay-at-home-mummy.
And the unseasonal sunshine has officially run out. Raining all day.
Reality check much?!

Anyway. One of our super fun family days last week, was spent in Brighton, and thanks to Estelle at Publicasity we were given the chance to go check out The Build-a-Bear Workshop in Churchill Square.

I was a tiny bit worried that at 18 months, Dylan might be a little young, but he absolutely loved it.

The staff are fantastic, and Michael, who helped us through the process, was brilliant. He explained all the stages and options, and waited patiently while Dylan got over-excited and clearly had to cuddle one of everything before making a choice.
We opted to build a monkey rather than a bear, (Dylan's decision), and after much pressing of (all) the sound buttons, it was decided he would play the 'Star Wars' theme (also Dylan's decision.)
The little dude picked out a heart (we opted to donate £1 and have the Children in Need version), gave it a big kiss, made a wish, made mummy & daddy join in with the 'wish dance', and stood on the pedal to stuff his new chum.
Of course it seemed only right when it came to wardrobe choices, he should be dressed as Han Solo, and Dylan decided he should be accessorised with... a mini football. Of course.

While Dylan & his new friend Max (the monkey) got aquainted, I filled in Max's birth certificate, and our contact details, so that should Max ever get lost (shudder at the thought!), if he's returned to the factory, they can send him home - clever, huh? (And apparently, yes, lost bears DO get reunited with their owners! Michael told us they had 2 waiting to be picked up when we visited!)

Dylan, had a fabulous time - he is utterly besotted with Max the monkey - he goes everywhere with him, and I can see many return trips for costume changes (and additional critters no doubt) in our future.

We'd like to say a big thank you to Estelle, Michael & Hayley (Brighton Store Manager) for a lovely afternoon. It was, dare I say it... Pawesome! (groan)

Bears (and other critters) cost from £9-£18, outfits can cost anywhere from £5-£15 and beyond depending on what you opt for (probably best to determine a budget before hand if taking an older child!) - but in my opinion, everything is really good quality and excellent value for money as an overall experience.
Visit http://www.buildabear.co.uk/ for more information.

Christmas is coming...

2010-11-06T10:14:00.000-07:00

Yep, I said it, sorry!
Don't blame me though, blame everyone who keeps asking me what they can get Dylan for Christmas.
Which consequently reminds me that I should really start thinking about what I'm going to get him for Christmas. (Because I am so NOT one of those mummys who had it all sorted at the end of October. Not even close.)

Anyway, as this afternoon has been decidedly soggy, I've been doing a little hunting for fun potential presentage, and here is the first of probably many picks I'll share to hopefully inspire you too:

Creative Blocks - a set of 52 brightly coloured wooden pieces, offering endless opportunities to build allsorts of weird and wonderful critters.

Dylan loves blocks, and he loves animals, so i'm guessing these will go down pretty well.

£29.99 from Just Childsplay

Also, while on the Just Childsplay site, I spotted this lovely ABC puzzle - Dylan is a big puzzle fan & I've been looking for a good alphabet one with no luck till now, this one looks perfect. Nice bright, chunky pieces, with coordinating pictures underneath each letter. I like.

ABC Board, £14.99 from Just Childsplay.

And now, I think I deserve a cuppa.
Well, I've made a start, right?

The Gallery: Show Me The Funny

2010-11-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

For The Gallery this week, Ms Cain is asking us to make her laugh.
I toyed with many a drunken kodak moment, but figured that in most cases, they were only really funny if you were there... and/or if you personally know the poor soul(s) involved.

So instead, I'm relying on my little monster to make you all giggle:

Hee :D
(To clarify, these are NOT real glasses, they pose no risk to damaging his eyes, so don't tell me off!)

They are fake glasses that the Mr wore when we went to see 'The Rocky Horror Show' dressed as Brad & Janet (because you know, we're all wholesome & pure & stuff.)(Stop laughing.)

Anyway, after we got home that fateful night (only Rocky fans will get that), the glasses were left on the table when we went to bed.

Next morning, mummy & daddy were a little rough around the edges shall we say, and Dylan was an angel, playing quietly & contentedly whilst we couch potatoe'd and sipped sugary tea.

Out of nowhere, he came toddling up for a cuddle, sporting Daddy's very fetching fake spectacles, and we both absolutely fell about laughing.

Since then, the specs have lived in Dylan's toybox. He loves them, and seeing him pouring over his Night garden books while bespectacled never fails to make me smile.

Don't forget to go see the McLinky over at Sticky Fingers - sure to be full of funnies this week.

Happy Hallowe'en!

2010-10-31T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hope you've all had a spooctacular day?

I know, I know, we Brits aren't really supposed to 'do' Hallowe'en, it's so American, blah blah blah.
But Sorry, I love it.
It's fun, it's silly, it's an excuse to eat too many sweeties, make spooky crafty projects, and of course, dress up like a loony.
Or in my case, this year, dress my little boy up like a loony.
(14 hour labour. I'm entitled!)

At 18 months, Dylan is a bit too young to really care/understand to be honest. That said, he loves this mask (which he picked himself - a Poundland bargain, ohsoclassy!), and has been wearing it more or less non-stop for a week - so I suspect he'll be a fan of the spooky season in years to come. Personally, I can't wait. Fancy dress parties, pumpkin carving, trick or treating - sounds like a whole lot of fun to me! (Of course that could just be the naivety of a mummy who hasn't had to deal with it all yet speaking... only time will tell!)

So however you chose to celebrate (or not), I hope you've had a great weekend.
And tomorrow, we say hello to November.
Eek.
Not wishing to mention the 'C' word just yet, but oh it's getting close!

Rain, Rain Go AWAY!

2010-10-27T04:21:00.000-07:00

What a difference a year makes.
This time last year, rainy days didn't bother me to be honest.
The little dude & I would stay home, snuggle up, read books, listen to music, no worries.

Of course this time last year, the little dude was 6 months old.
As an 18 month old, he's not quite so content to spend a day cooped up indoors. Stories, puzzles & a dash of cBeebies are fine to fill the morning, but come the afternoon, he has more energy than he knows what to do with. The the fun really starts.

Sofa cushions, meet the floor. Puzzle pieces, let's see you fly. Puppy dog, prepare to be to be chased.
By the time the Mr gets home, I am beyond exhausted.
Making dinner (code for hiding in the kitchen & enjoying a little quiet) is actually a nice rest.

So I've come to the conclusion, the boy needs wellies. At least then we can brave the rain, stomp in a few puddles and hopefully burn off some of that excess energy. So far, these stripey ones from John Lewis are looking good, but I'm open to suggestions - any ideas?

Failing that, mummy's going to need to get a lot more creative thinking up 'wet day activities'. Preferably ones that don't involve trashing the house. Again, all ideas welcomed!

Super sorry peeps...

2010-10-25T03:05:00.000-07:00

...I did a bad bad thing.

Y'see, I've been a bit busy lately, and the dog ate my homework, and the train was delayed, and um, basically? My google reader was telling me I had 1000+ entries to read, and I panicked, and may have accidentally clicked 'mark all as read'.

Sorry.

But, to make amends, I have a super cool idea :)
I always wanted a reason to do a Linky deelie, so I have! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to add a link to your favourite recent blog post. It can be about anything you like, whatever you think I simply shouldn't miss.

And when the Dylanosaur is sleeping tonight, I shall have tea & biscuits & a ready made reading list. Super!

The Gallery: Red

2010-10-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

The Dylanosaur & I have been spending a lot of time at the park lately, partly because he loves the new found excitement of running (ish), partly because these super sunshiney Autumny days are just too beautiful to waste.

And, as luck would have it, Autumn = beautiful colours = many photos for this week's Gallery theme - Red.
(Playing it by the book *and* throwing in some trees to suck up to Ms Cain after last week's lil' cheat ;)

So, I spy with my little eye... beautiful leaves changing into their Autumn wardrobe...

And I spy shiney red berries (and many birdies eyeing them up for a treat)...

And I spy, a little boy in a red coat having a whole lot of fun:

Oh, and on the way home, we saw the red man too:

Don't forget to check out The McLinky - that's what I'm off to do now...

The Gallery: My Favourite Photo

2010-10-12T13:41:00.000-07:00

You know, she's sneaky, that Tara Cain.
She throws out what seems like the easiest prompt in the world, but it's NOT! (She has sweetened the deal with some super lovely prizes though - go check them out - gorgeous stuff.)
For me, choosing my favourite photo, is close to impossible. Much like music, it depends a lot on what sort of mood I'm in, and it changes, a lot.

So, at the risk of getting told off (not scared of you Tara, ner! :P), I'm bending the rules a little & sharing My favourite photo... of this month. So far.
And here it is:

Seriously, I know I'm a million percent biassed, but how cute is that?!
My litle mini rock & roll dude.
Love him.

This is a favourite because a. The t-shirt, is awesome, no? We LOVE Kiss, they're a frequent music choice for our daily rocking out sessions. I actually did a little squeal in H&M when I spotted it. I know, tragic.

b. I love how pleased the little monster looks to be wearing it. That there, is a face of a toddler who knows he's too cool for school.

and c. If he's ever a moody teenager who refuses to believe that I, his mother, have, or indeed ever did have any taste in music (which I'm hoping won't happen, but I might be delusional), at least I'll be able to look at photos like this & remember the days we used to spend together, dancing around the living room without a care in the world.

And when he's a little older still, perhaps he'll look at it & be grateful to his dear old actually-pretty-cool mum for giving him such a diverse musical education from such an early age. Maybe.

Don't forget, Tara's Blog: McLinky: Wednesday. Be there, or regret it forever!

The Gallery: Here Come The Girls

2010-10-05T15:01:00.000-07:00

I've been useless at The Gallery lately, sorry Miss Cain - totally bugs me too as I had a perfect record till a few weeks ago, but ho hum...

So, this week, Tara wants to meet the ladies in our lives, and I've decided to introduce you to my little sister:

(Please excuse my unusual appearance - the pic was taken on my 80's-tastic birthday mayhem night - my hair does not generally look like that, honest, but it's the only photo I have of the 2 of us on the new laptop.)

My lil sis is 3 years younger than me, and for the most part of our childhood, we were absolutely gruesome to eachother. She'd use my best pencils without asking, I'd scalp her troll dolls. She'd cut up my magazines for school, I'd give her barbie dolls creative makeovers. She'd tell our parents my 'study group' actually meant a sneaky bottle of cider at a friend's house, I'd lob her favourite toy out our bedroom window. You know, normal sisterly stuff.

But, as we both grew up, that thankfully changed and we became good friends. Proper sisters. Which is lucky really, as it means my little man has the best Auntie ever, and The Daddy & I have a free babysitter on hand who doesn't mind us rolling in at silly o'clock. She's a bit lovely really :) She's a teacher now, a really good one at that, and I couldn't be more proud of her. She's a bit of an airhead in other respects, and she has dreadful taste in music, but I love her to pieces & wouldn't change her for the world.

And the other very important little lady in my life, is Leia - my little shih-tzu shaped ball of fluff. She is utterly daft, more of an airhead than my sister & has almost tripped me over more times than I care to remember (she's like a second shadow y'see), but oh I love her. And she helps me feel slightly less out-numbered in a houseful of boys.

Don't forget to check out The Gallery Linky at Sticky Fingers tomorrow - it's always worth a peek.

Autumn Fashions at Barnyard Kids - Plus Discount Code!

2010-10-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Brrr! There's a nip in the air, the leaves are changing colour, and I already know the words to the new cBeebies song. It's official, Autumn has come!

Which isn't all bad - the trees are looking beautiful, hot chocolate is more than acceptable every evening while wrapped up snug, and we get to pick out some new cosy clothes for the little people in our lives!

First stop for me, is Barnyard Kids, who have recently added several gorgeous new designs.

I am loving the colours in this striped body from Smafolk - doesn't it just instantly make you think of falling leaves and conkers? Scrummy. It's £15.99, and available in sizes from newborn to 3 years. Definitely snapping one of these up for Dylan.

And, these adorable little Puppy Love Moccasins by Moccis, for £17.99 will certainly make sure tiny toes stay toasty as the nights get darker and longer.

Better still, Barnyard Kids have kindly offered followers of Four Magpies a discount of 10% off everything on the site - plus orders over £20 still receive free postage!

Just quote the discount code IntroOffFM to receive 10% off all your purchases - the code is valid to the end of October.

Happy Autumn, & Happy Shopping!

Review: ZingZillas - The Album!

2010-10-04T14:32:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the day, when we like to say, It's Big Zing Time!

If you're the parent of a cBeebies watching child, chances are you've heard that phrase once or twice.
And, you probably know that the ZingZillas are four funky monkeys who play in a band together, backed by some beach birds & managed by a Sloth who sounds a little like he could have managed The Rolling Stones back in the day.

But, did you know that The ZingZillas have now released an album?!
Well, they have, and thanks to Louise over at Rock&Roll Baby World, Dylan & I were lucky enough to receive a copy ahead of release.

The little dude is a big fan of the TV show - it really holds his attention, and it's adorable to watch him bopping along to the Big Zing songs at the end. So the question was, would he appreciate the music on it's own? And the answer? A big zingy yes!

The CD boasts 26 tracks (more than most non-primate acts offer!), covering just about every musical genre you can think of. To me, that's the beauty of the show - it doesn't 'dumb music down' for kids - it's not all about old fashioned nursery rhymes or songs with actions - which don't get me wrong, are fine in moderation, but I'm all for broadening my little boy's musical horizons (his 'real music' favourites already include Vampire Weekend & The Klaxons!). The ZingZillas do just that, offering tasters of so many different styles and instruments and cultures, by way of 'proper' songs that their fans can sing & dance along to. It's a great idea for a children's show.

Perhaps a little embarassingly, I was able to sing along to most of those 26 tracks, but hey, it made Dylan smile & I have no shame! We bopped along to the whole thing and he loved every minute. His favourites seem to be the theme tune (extended version!) & 'Boogie Woogie Bubbly Time' - personally, I rather like 'Let's hear you scat' - it's good enough for the legendary Cleo Lane after all!
Also, 'Drift Away' is a lovely soothing little tune, perfect to calm an overtired toddler & get him in the mood for sleepytime.

In short, we like, a lot.
Dylan loves it because he recognises the tunes & enjoys the variety, I love it because it's not the wheels on the bus. Everyone's a winner!

ZingZillas: The Album, is available now in CD & digital download formats, and in our opinion, is well worth a listen.

CD Product Information:

Cat. Number: LTDMG021
Release Date: 4th October 2010
RRP: £9.99

And the award for the most sporadic blogger ever goes to...

2010-10-01T14:43:00.000-07:00

...well, me, clearly!
Sorry about that.

In all honesty, I have no idea where the last couple of weeks went. Possibly off on holiday with my blogging mojo?

Anyway, with a little luck, October will be the month I get back in the swing of things & catch up with the quite scary long to-do list I only ever seem to add things to as opposed to cross anything off.

Thanks for bearing with me through all the white noise though, you're lovely you are :)

Funky Feet

2010-09-20T14:32:00.000-07:00

August 15th was a big day in our house.
The little dude, after months of trying & endless 2-step false starts, took his first proper toddle around our lounge. Yes, a proud mummy tear may have been shed.

Since then, there's been no stopping him, so of course we had to go buy his very first pair of 'proper shoes'.
We went to Clarks, as you do, and they were fabulous. Dylan got all measured up, had his photo taken, the whole sh'bang, and we left with a very cute little pair of denim blue 'first walkers' - in a 5F if you're interested.

And yes, they are cute. But you know me. I am now in search of something a little bit more interesting for the short one to strut his funky stuff in.

So far, I'm leaning heavily towards a dinky pair of converse, because a. they are stupidly cute, and b. he'd match his daddy (aww) - but I'd love to hear your thoughts & suggestions on the matter!

So, please do leave comments - links - pictures - whatever regarding your favourite places to buy super shoes for little dudes - I'll roll all my faves into another post & link back to your blog :)

The One Where Mummy's Feeling Old...

2010-09-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

So Thursday, was the second anniversary of my 29th birthday.

Once upon a time, in the years BB (before bambino), birthdays meant a good solid week of various frolics and festivities, whilst holding down full time job, with little in the way of repercussions other than a few embarrassing photos on facebook.

Oh how times have changed.

This year, I had two nights out planned. An 80's flavoured-fancy-dress-karaoke-fandango on Thursday, and a jaunt to Brighton to see The Rocky Horror Show on Friday. Pretty tame really. So I thought.
Don't get me wrong, I have had a fabulous time, and feel very blessed to have some wonderful (if a little loopy) friends along for the ride, but oh my goodness I am paying for it!!

I am exhausted! And I hurt! All over!
And of course the days of being able to spend Saturday lounging in bed, surfacing only for tea & toast while my partied-out self regenerates, are as long gone as my twenties!

Instead, I've spent the day chasing after the little monster (the walking is going very well now), tripping over toys, feeding and watering, mainlining coffee to stay awake and being very grateful that my birthday only comes once a year. And, of course feeling old.

And yet, I'll almost definitely do it all again next year - I might be another year older, but wiser? Not so much. The new batch of incriminating photos on Facebook are proof of that ;)

The Gallery: Back to School

2010-09-09T14:41:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning thinking 'ooh, must remember to do Gallery post!' - thinking it was Wednesday.
Of course I've since realised, it's Thursday. I'm late. Which is ironic really, given the school theme. Not that I was ever late for school, oh no. Honest.

That's how busy I've been with 'real life' lately - busy enough that days are jumbling into vague week shaped blobs & I'm occasionally having to pause to remember my own name.

So yes, a photograph.
I struggled this week, given that my little monster isn't a school boy yet, but I happened to snap a pic on Monday that does have a vaguely scholastic twist. Voila:

Dylan LOVES puzzles.

And, it seems, he loves numbers.

This puzzle is allegedly for age 3+ ...at 16 months, he's already making light work of it.

There aren't many TV programmes outside Night Garden & Mister Maker that really hold his attention - but he sits glued to the Numberjacks from start to finish.

So I'm wondering, am I going to have a little mathematical genius on my hands?

I'd be super proud, but also very scared.

I am terrible with numbers.

English, art, music - I've got all those covered - and I think I'm already passing on a deep love of all three, but numbers? Shudder.

I absolutely dread the day my little boy asks me for help with his maths homework and discovers the awful truth: Mummy needs a calculator.

My only hope, is that by that time, teachers will have realised that long division and algebra really are pointless & computers can do all our sums anyway.

Fingers crossed.

Don't forget, go have a peek at the Gallery Linky - lots of good reading & beautiful photos.