Here Come the Girls

Silent Sunday

2012-02-26T07:18:00.000Z

Saturday is Caption Day!

2012-02-25T06:30:00.000Z

Wotcha! Here's a little picture to get your caption juices flowing. What are these cheeky twins up to?

Art I Heart - Monet

2012-02-24T21:04:00.000Z

There was a new display when I went into my daughter's school this week. They had been painting watercolours of my favourite painting: Monet's

Le Pont Japonais a Giverny. This is a series of paintings of his gardens and the water lilies.

When I was a teenager I visited the house and gardens at Giverny. It is a beautiful tranquil place and you can see why it provided such a wealth of material for the artist to paint. It is very strange to be in painting. Seeing people dressed in modern clothes and cameras was particularly incongruous. The main surprise is how vivid the colours are in real life. Monet's palette of colours is very muted. The colour of the bridge was a bit of a shock. I'm not sure if this is because Monet suffered from cataracts and so the colours he saw had a reddish tinge.

picture credit

I couldn't take a photo of the watercolour my daughter painted at school - although I hope it will be sent home when they've finished with it as I would definitely put it in a frame. As she wanted to make a collage I thought it would be a good idea to try to make a version which she could take in to school to show.

We used strips of tissue paper in different shades of blue and green.

The twins enjoyed playing with the lolly pop sticks.

We made the bridge using lollypop sticks and matchsticks.

Then stuck on some more tissue paper for the water lilies.

After we finished my daughter wanted to make her own rather more modern version. Apparently E.T. is on the bridge, although I don't remember seeing him when I was there.

I am linking up to Art I Heart and Flashback Friday and Family frolics

Justin Fletcher 'Hands up' album - giveaway

2012-02-24T13:34:00.000Z

Hands up who would like to win a copy of Justin Fletcher's debut album 'Hands up'? Do you see what I did there? Clever huh?!

This is a fun album from the CBeebies presenter which is perfect for the car, a party or just for dancing around your living room. It is packed full of classic children's songs which have been given a dance beat. The twins love the single 'hands up' which is a highly addictive dance number. Before it's even finished they shout 'again' and stand next to the CD player expectantly.

For a long time I've been looking for a workout I can do during the day with the children. Walking is good, but they don't like being in the pram for long. This CD may have the answer. Children love to dance, and what better way to get fit than with them. Steven Teasdale, a personal trainer whose celebrity clients included GMTV presenter Fiona Philips, has put together a fun exercise program to go with the album. He says that if you danced to the CD for the full forty minutes this is equivalent low-impact aerobic exercise to a brisk walk or dancing. For a 200lb adult would generally burn off 350 calories which is equivalent to a bag if kettle chips or a glass of wine. If you follow his exercise program then it would burn 420 calories which is equivalent to a pain au chocolat and a skinny latte. Result!

Steven has Vlogged about this here. Find him on twitter @thestayathomept

Here are his ideas to make the Album more high impact:

"Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush"

The key to making this song more high impact aerobically is for adults to keep fit together and "jump" around the Mulberry bush to the beat of the music, rather than just "walking around". This would make the motion during the song, similar to skipping, which if carried out for 3 minutes (the duration of the song), is a GREAT cardio work out.

"The Hokey Cokey"

I suggest holding light weights while doing the actions to give the arms a work out (you can use wrist weights orthere are objects all around the house you can use as weights) while making a punching action for the left and right arm "in/out" sequence.
Also, when you do the Hokey Cokey, you should be jumping, legs together, into the middle, rather that just walkingforwards and backwards.
The "knees bend, arms stretch, rah rah rah" part can incorporate a squat.
For the part where you put your left leg in and take your left leg out, adults could perform a lunge, which works the Glutes.

"The Laughing Policeman"
Marching on the spot during the verses with high knees is an excellent cardio work out, but the key to this song is holding a plank position for the duration of the policeman's laugh. Four 15second bursts of laughter, which is a great core, work out and the kids will love seeing you trying not to laugh.

"Heads Shoulders Knees And Toes"
A classic song for bending, stretching and touching your toes but we could make it a bit harder by doing dynamic squats.

Finally, the title song “Hands Up” is such a good dance tune that you can do all kinds of high impact dance moveswith jumps etc that will really get the heart and lungs working!

How many calories extra calories will dancing with a
duck on your head burn?

You can get a copy of the album at Amazon where its priced at £8.99 or if you prefer HMV
Or even Sainsburys It is available from March 5th.

Enter Here:

To win a copy of the album all you have to do is leave a comment below sharing a tip for how you get fit with the kids.

For an extra entry: tweet the following message and leave a comment below to say you've done it:

"I want to win a copy of Justin Fletcher's album with @1978rebecca and @_JustinFletcher http://1978rebecca.blogspot.com/2012/02/justin-fletcher-up-album-giveaway.html #handsupjustin #win #giveaway"

The competition closes on March 5th to celebrate the album being released.

Good luck!

Here Come the Girls, An Introduction

2012-02-21T20:06:00.000Z

Yay I'm going to blogcamp! A whole child-free day to learn about blogging and eat cake. Here is my introduction.

Name: Rebecca

Blog: Here Come the Girls

Twitter: @1978rebecca

My Blog’s About: Having three girls under 5 (Hence the title Here come the girls) including one year old twins. Whatever we get up to

Likes: Everything I shouldn't.

Dislikes: the school run, housework, having a cream carpet, talking on the phone and being told I have my hands full,

Tuesday Tea and Sympathy

2012-02-21T07:30:00.000Z

I had a break from this linky last week as I was away and wouldn't have tim to promote it. There is the slight scent of Spring in the air and I'm starting to feel a bit more cheerful. I love it when the days are longer and we can spend more time outside. It's also pancake day! Hurray! Any day which gives you an excuse to have a plate full of warm sweet pancakes is good for me.

However, I'm sure there are some folks out there who are feeling less than cheerful and even a delicious pancake with a thick layer of nutella can't solve every problem. So if you've written a post about having a bad day, week or even life then link away. Or write a comment if you just want a bit of a moan.

Remember to grab my badge. Then others can find this little friendly corner of the Internet. Together we'll set the world to rights.

Get The Code

Blogaholics Blog Party

2012-02-20T07:07:00.032Z

Last week a few fellow bloggers out there saw themselves in my description of a blogaholic. Turns out it's not just me struggling to achieve a blog/life balance. There are 27 other people out there who neglect their family in the desire for a better blog. Shame on you. I mean us. Think of the children. The poor neglected children who have to live in dirty homes, eat fish fingers every night and who crave five minutes of the time you devote to your favourite baby: blogging. Then again if it wasn't blogging it would be something else (for all those mummy bloggers it would probably be gin). I do realise that this link up is exacerbating the problem. However we need a place where we can be ourselves, where we can stand up and say "I too have blogged until three in the morning, fueled only by coffee and comments."

So if you want a task for next week then you can write your own twelve step program, as suggested by MidlifeSingleMum. What do you plan to do to stop blogging completely taking over your life? Please tell me, I need to know, I mean the readers need to know. You can of course just link up your homepage.

All you have to do to become to join the blogaholic club is link up your homepage below. Try to visit a few other blogaholics. Grab a badge and tweet using the hashtags #blogaholics or #twitterholics to let others join the cause.

I thought it was only fair to include a hop for all those twitterholics out there (not just because I want some more twitter followers, honest). This is for those people who love to converse in 140 characters or less. Who write lol, wtf, and tbh as if they were real words. Who update their status before they text their family. Who only do something if it is enclosed in *'s. It is for those of you who have been sent to twitter jail or who have two twitter accounts because they find they regularly tweet more than 100 times an hour. I know you're out there people. No need to be ashamed anymore.

Link up your twitter homepage and grab the badge below. I'm sure no one will judge you for it. After all there are worse things to be addicted to. And speaking of facebook, shall I add that next week?

Silent Sunday

2012-02-19T07:41:00.001Z

Saturday is caption day!

2012-02-18T10:32:00.002Z

Oh no it's that cheeky rabbit again. What's he up to now?

The Worst Parenting Advice I've received

2012-02-17T07:31:00.001Z

The whole world is an expert at parenting. Everyone has an experience of it so you find wherever you are they will give you an opinion, most of the time an unsolicited one. I try to take advice in the spirit it's given - as in trying to be helpful. It's useful to find out what other people have experienced with their children - and good to get a second opinion now and then. Sometimes advice just isn't helpful - no matter how well intentioned!

These are the things I found the least useful.

1) Leave the housework and just cuddle your baby
Ok I know you have to let your standards slip a bit when you have children. And I am constantly amazed just how much they can slip without everyone catching serious diseases. But all the advice seems to be don't do any housework for weeks and weeks. For me that just isn't practical. If it builds up for too long then it gets out of hand and you can never catch up.
I have a tendancy to leave the washing for days once it's clean. It's the ironing and putting away I never seem to get round to, mainly because I have to wait until evening to do it because hot irons and toddlers don't mix. I leave it so long it takes a good 3 hours to get it all done. Ok I'm never going to be so organised that I do a little a night but if I didn't leave it so long then it wouldn't be such a huge chore.
So I would say don't worry about the tasks you can't achieve but try to keep on top of everything.

2) There is a right way to parent
What works for one person won't work for everyone. Whenever someone giving me advice I just try to remember this is just what they do with their family. I try it, if I think it will work for me. This time around a lot of people I spoke to were very passionate about baby led weaning. They were adamant their children were not going to eat mush. For me a mix of finger food, family food and home made purees worked best (with a few jars when we were out and about or I hadn't defrosted anything). I guess I'm a bit of an advocate for the middle ground.

3) Always have help
Now I do think you need to accept help wherever and whenever you can get it. However, sometimes I think you have to learn to do things on your own and this goes for both parents. If you are used to always having help to do everything and then when you do have to do it on your own you completely panic.
I wish I had practiced doing the bedtime routine on my own a few times before my husband went back to work. Then if I got really stuck he would have been there. I would have got a plan. As it was the first night I was on my own putting all three to bed was a complete disaster. They were all crying for hours and hours and so was I by the end of it.

4) Pinch a babies toes when they are crying.
Erm... no.

5) Sleep when the baby sleeps
To be fair I did this when I had my daughter. I didn't need any excuse to go back to bed. She always had a morning nap at around ten in the morning so I would too! It was pretty lovely actually. However this advice is totally useless if you have more than one child. If you have twins they rarely nap at the same time when they are little. If you have an older child then you need to give them some much needed one on one time. That's not including all the million and one other things you need to be doing. It's a lovely idea - yes, but please don't say this to parents of more than one child. In their sleep deprived haze they'll probably just lamp you.

The one occasion I did try to nap they decided not to nap! Typical.

What was the worst piece of advice you had? How did you react?

Questions and Answers

2012-02-16T19:06:00.002Z

I have been tagged by Emma from A Matter of Choice to answer 11 questions of her devising. I was also tagged by Bambinos and Bumps. They're great questions. There are a few rules so here they are:

You must post these rules.
Each person must post 11 things about herself on their blog.
Answer the questions the “tagger” listed for you in her post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
Choose 11 people to tag and link to them in the post.
Let each blogger know that you have tagged them.

Would you like to live in a different country? Why would / wouldn't you?
No. I love visiting but I'm an English girl in name and heart. I did Camp America and one summer was long enough. I missed my parents and proper tea and Cadburys too much.
Are you doing what you thought you would be at this age when you were a teenager?
Pretty much, although I thought I'd be a famous published author by now. I also didn't expect to be doing quite so much housework.
What is your biggest addiction, and does it worry you?
Sugar. I have. A very sweet tooth. It tricks me into buying sugary things. Yes it worries me.
Do you speak a foreign language?
~~Je parle un petit peu de francais.~~
No.
What is your favourite holiday destination? (either past or a 'dream destination)
My parents house. I would love to go somewhere really exciting like Malaysia, South America or China.
Failing that, I've heard Cyprus is lovely...
What most annoys you?
Intolerance
What is your dream job?
Writing the great British novel
What are you looking forward to this year?
The summer. Being able to get out more and let the children burn off all their energy.
How upset would you be if you woke up tomorrow morning and the internet had ceased to exist?
Like, oh my god, seriously. Epic meltdown.
What day / period of your life would you like to re-live?
University. Not for long but all that blissful sleep.
If you could travel in time (you know, without buggering up the space/time continuum thing) would you go forward or backwards?
I would have liked to have lived in Austen time. Unfortunately I think I would have been a scullery maid.

My second set of questions are from Bambinos and Bumps:

1. If you could change one thing in history what would it be?
The winner of the Pelopponesian war, as it was my husband's dissertation and I'd like to know if he was right about what would have happened.

2. If you were a colour which would you be and why?
Blue because it's my favourite. I'd like to think I'm calm and serene just like it. Hmmmm....

3. It's nearly valentines so what's your ideal date?
A nice meal, the cinema, wandering round a beautiful city chatting.

4. If money was no object what is the one thing you would do?
Go on a looooong holiday. I might take the children.

5. How would your best friend describe you in 3 words?
Clumsy, forgetful, understanding

6. What 3 things would you take with you on a desert island?
iPad, books, swimming costume.

7. What would your last meal be and why?
A curry because it's yummy with peshwari naan.

8. Who was your teenage crush?
One of the stars of Bill and Ted. Not Bill

9. What is your favourite movie of all time
Bill and Ted.
Haha. Or maybe

10. What music makes you happy?
Sad music.

11. Who would you most like to meet (alive or dead)?
Stephen Fry or George Elliot

12. Where is your favourite place?
Stokes Bay

My questions are:

What would your superhero name and power be?
What is the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?
What do you wish for your children?
What qualities do you hope your children will inherit from you?
What do you hope they won't inherit?
What would you do differently about your time as a parent?
What was the best advice you received on becoming a parent?
What was the hardest thing about becoming a parent?
Who would play you in your life story? Why?
Who would play your onscreen partner?
What music would be on the soundtrack?

I tag:

A Squash and a Squeeze - Coping with 3 children

2012-02-15T19:35:00.003Z

A few years ago I was constantly complaining I never had enough time and my life was too difficult. I worked hard in an inner city school as an Assistant Head. I felt I never had enough time to do the things I enjoyed - to read a book, to write, to exercise, to take long baths and my favourite of favourites - to sleep all morning.

So I decided to have a child, a lovely daughter. For some bizarre reason I thought then I would have some time away from work and I would be able to do all the things I wanted to do while she slept. Ha! What I found instead was my life was an endless round of domestic tasks. Very soon I was constantly complaining I didn't have time to do any of the things I wanted to.

So I decided to have two more children, lovely twin girls. My day was packed full - with scarcely time to make a cup of tea or take a shower. With three girls in the house demanding constant attention I definitely didn't have time to do all those lovely things.

I wish I had appreciated my life for what it was.

Today I had an hour with just one of the twins. You wouldn't think that in an hour you would notice the difference. We had to get yet another tyre fixed at the garage and then we popped to the retail park to get a present and meet her big sister. Walking about with one child was so much simpler than herding three. I could just pick her up when she was grumpy.

I'm not saying having one child is easy. It isn't. I''m not saying having two children is easy. It's all relative I guess. if I had six children and three were out for the day I'm sure I'd feel that having three children was a sinch. It's the comparison that's the thing.

What it did do was make me realise I need to take one out on their own more often. It's a treat for them to have a mummy who is two thirds less stressed and with two thirds more attention and with a pair of hands just for them to pick them up if they fall over. I also need to appreciate what I've got.

There you go, I've learnt my lesson. I really don't need a forth child to ram the message home. Let's just get that one clear.

I am not comparing my children to farmyard animals
- they're more feral!

Valentine's Day Sensory Box

2012-02-14T07:38:00.000Z

My Sister In Law gave us a huge bag of red feathers which were just perfect for a Valentines Day sensory box. The supermarkets also had lots of things which were perfect. My best buy were loads of scented petals, which added another dimension to the box.

Here are some of the things we used. The glitter pens were there because we used the materials to make Valentine's Day Cards afterwards.

The twins loved exploring the different textures and it was a good way to introduce learning a colour. I'm going to keep this for in a few months and have different boxes with different colours.

I have linked this to: Red Ted Art - Kids Get Crafty

Multiple Mummy - Family Frolics

The Imagination Tree

Blogaholics Blog Hop

2012-02-13T09:09:00.002Z

I think it's time to admit I have a problem. I've known it for a while but I've been avoiding it, pretending it's not there. But the time has come to speak out. To end the stigma. I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm sure there are other people who are suffering this compulsive behaviour. If we band together we can support each other.

For the past seven months I've been suffering this addiction to blogging. I will step forward and admit to being a blogaholic. Some people binge blog. They spend one whole night blogging three or four posts until they're engorged. My own habit is less noticeable. It's a little drip drip throughout the day. A blog post here, a few minutes on twitter. It's amazing how quickly that adds up. Soon I'm posting twice a day and spending most waking moments blogging, or thinking ago blogging or talking about blogging.

I finally admitted I had a problem last week when I spent the best part of an hour cutting and pasting little pictures of spoons to make a header for a blog post. Yes it looked pretty but I had lots of other things I should have been doing. It was so unbelievably geeky I had to switch blog pages quickly when the husband came and pretend I'd been looking at an "adult site" so he didn't realise the extent of my problem.

So what are the symptoms?

A compulsive need to blog anything interesting.
Only doing something if it's likely to provide material for a blog post.
Checking social media while you are supposed to be doing something else.
Dark sunken eyes from staying up too late.
Neglected housework, partners or children.
Your first and last thought each day are what you're going to blog about.
Knowing your blog stats but not your own mobile number.
Taking photos of dinner before anyone can eat it.
Your family begging you not to put someone that has just happened in a blog post.
You turn down opportunities to go out because you have a post to write.
People only know what you're up to because they've read it on your blog.
You get the jitters when you can't access a computer for a few hours.

How can Blogaholics help?

It's easy. If you identify with any of the symptoms then add your blog to the linky below. You don't have to write a specific post, though you can if you want to. Just link up your homepage. Go and visit a couple of fellow Blogaholics. Support them in their hour of need. If you want grab the badge, to highlight awareness of this problem then the code is below. If you can share this with you blogging friends do it any way you can. If you're on twitter use the hashtag #blogaholics. Let them know they're not alone.

Something I love - twin cuddles

2012-02-12T13:34:00.001Z

I was never one of those people who got gushingly sentimental about having twins. Some people hope and pray for twins but it was never something I thought about. I was never one of those people who would stop mothers of twins and say how lovely they are. I wouldn't even have noticed.
That is until I had my own. Now see twins everywhere and I'm far more interested in them. So the twin bond thing wasn't something I ever thought about it. But it is definitely the best thing about being a multiple mummy. I love watching them develop a special relationship.
My girls already have a physical closeness. This is mostly a good thing, although not when they are biting each other or pushing. They touch each other a lot. When one is poorly the other will sometimes pat them soothingly. When they were tiny they slept head to head. It must have been reassuring. They have something most people will never know. Their speech is developing quickly and they are trying really hard to say each others names.
This photo sums up their relationship for me. They've been feeling poorly this week so were having some quiet time on the sofa. They were having a lovely giggly time, cuddling and kissing each other and feeding each other Pom Bears as a special treat. I hope the cuddles continue to be more frequent than the kicking.

This is my favourite photo from my 366 project this week. I will post the others next time.

I am sharing an image of something I love with Loveallblogs and Albelli

I have linked this to the lovely link up - You're beautiful from Cheetahs in my shoes.

title="Beautiful" target="_blank">
alt="Beautiful" style="border:none;" />

Hearts and Crosses Flapjack

2012-02-11T18:58:00.000Z

Flapjack is probably the most simple and economical things to bake. It's very easy to do with young children, although they will need help with the melting. There are infinite recipes but I like this one because it uses so few ingredients. The flapjack itself is quite plain and not that sweet, so it goes well with the white chocolate which is very sweet. We chose to decorate it with hearts and crosses so it's suitable for Valentine's Day.

Melt the butter and oil in a pan.

Stir the mixture into the porridge oats.

Grease the backing tray or line with grease proof paper.

Put the mixture in the tray and flatten down.

Bake for 25 mins

Cut the flapjack into squares while it's still hot

To Decorate you need:

1 large bar of white chocolate

red writing icing

Melt over a pan of boiling water.

Decorate the flapjack with white chocolate.

Draw hearts and crosses onto the flapjack.

This looks pretty just decorated with hearts on a cake stand.

For an alternative flapjack use 50g or 2 tbsp of mixed nuts and decorate with dark chocolate. I liked this one even better because it wasn't very sweet at all so the children didn't like it. More for me!

Saturday is caption day!

2012-02-11T07:35:00.001Z

So there were some great captions last week and I though I would share a few in case you missed them. My favourite were from Multiple mummy, mammasaurus, A Mummy Too and Actually Mummy. I hadn't realised it was such a vision of the future.

It's a bit of a hard one this week. My camera is filled with pictures of the snow. Which while very pretty is hardly funny. I spent most of the time holding a very grumpy twin so missed out on any snowball fights. Anyway thought this picture might raise a good caption.

Whitestep Bath Toys - Review and Discount

2012-02-10T13:52:00.000Z

Flexibath bath toys £13.95

Buying presents for children is hard these days. They have so much already that it's hard to get them something unique which won't clutter up the house. I often plump for bath toys because they do need replacing fairly often to keep them clean and they can be tucked away upstairs. I also think that water play is so much fun for children that any new toys which keep them amused is going to be a hit with them and their parents.

These Flexibath toys from Whitestep are definitely on my present list for any children with birthdays this year. It is a simple design but one which children will get a lot of pleasure from. You get two cups a funnel a lid and a table. the plastic they are made with is surprisingly soft and colourful. The toys have no labels on them so the children are free to play with them as they wish. It makes a great cup of pretend tea! You can also put them in the dishwasher so they will not get mouldy like some bath toys.

Innovative shelf design

The main reason you would buy this is because it is environmentally friendly. This is great if you are ecologically aware as you can feel secure that the company do not use uncool chemicals. So good for the children and the environment. I wish I had found these products when the twins were little because their baby bath is a genius idea. It folds up for easy storage and the bath toys attach to the side. You can use it up to four years of age but then it would be great for other forms of storage. Whitestep is definitely a company to keep your eye on if you're looking for innovative products.

Her tea making skills need a bit of work

The twins love to play with these toys in the bath. They really like being able to put them on and off the little shelf. This is the best bit about these toys. It has suction cups which attach to the side of any bath. It is a great way to store the toys when they are not in use. As it has been so cold, we also used the Flexibath toys for a bit of inside water play. The twins loved splashing about with the bubbles and making some imaginary tea. it wasn't so nice drinking it though.

Water play with the Flexibath toys

Wondering what to do with the Flexibath toys when the children are not actually bathing? Well I found it does have another use. On the very rare occasion I get a bit of me-time I've found the shelf is a great place to put my book so it doesn't drop in the water when I've finished. Bliss.

A handy shelf for your book!

The best part of this review is I have a special discount code for all my readers. It is SPLASH15 and gives a 15% discount off all the products on the website.

For more information find Whitestep on facebook and twitter, or sign up to their new monthly newsletter with competitions and discounts from other companies.

Disclaimer: I was sent a set of bath toys for the purposes of this review.

Reasons to be cheerful - Snow Days

2012-02-09T13:24:00.001Z

Snow twins

1. I know, I know, it's only snow. A few drops of the fluffy white stuff and the whole country grinds to a halt. Schools close and children through themselves down icy slopes with carefree abandon. Snow is mentioned on the news, and in a hundred facebook status updates. I'll admit I haven't added any pictures onto my profile for months but at the first sign of snow I was busy uploading. Why? Because to me there's nothing prettier than a picture of happy children playing in the snow.

Food colouring fun

I don't think I like it!

Snow ball fights are much better when you are indoors!

So I know you've seen a million photos all looking the same as these. But these photos are the ones I'll look back on all year and smile. Also there has to be some advantage to living in the midlands. Later in the year I'll be frowning in envy at all the beach shots from my friends and relatives who still live near the sea. So just for this moment I can be the one to inspire envy as the snow never seems top get as far as the M3.
This week it was perfect. Two days of lovely slippy snow, perfect for snowmen and sledging and then pretty much gone in time for the school run. For once the weather got it right. Thank you mother nature.

2. Yay my lovely hotter boots have arrived and they are gorgeous, perfect for this time of year. They are so cosy and warm I don't think I'll ever take them off. Ever. Thanks Mich for the wonderful prize what a wonderful way to celebrate a year of reasons to be cheerful. Once again proof that blogging is ace!

3. Another blogging one to end. I had a lovely email a week or so ago saying I had been given a Versatile blogger award from My Buddies and I. I've already done one of these so thought I would say thanks now. It's lovely when someone thinks of you for these things and says they like your blog. There are some super ideas for young children so take a look.

The Gallery: A Family Story

2012-02-08T19:38:00.000Z

There is nothing in life more exciting for a young child than getting a puppy. Even the word puppy is exciting. I was in infant school when we got our first dog. I don't think I talked about anything else for weeks. What made it even more exciting was that the house where the puppy lived was right next to my school. Every breaktime I would rush to the fence and try to catch a glimpse of the puppies shiny wet nose and wagging tail.

When it was time to write about our news in class it was the first thing I shared. I remember exactly the moment when I realised the power of words and writing. The teacher loved my writing so much she sent me up to the deputy head's room to get a gold star. When the deputy head read my report and found out the puppy was so close she wanted to go and see the puppies for herself.

We ran across the quiet playground, the deputy's heals clacking on the concrete. There they were, a mass of brown and white spots and wiggling bottoms. We stood and looked at them for a few minutes. Being out of class when everyone else was in their lessons was the most exciting thing ever to happen to me. There in the middle was our puppy, a small shy little thing. I pointed her out to the deputy head and filled with pride when she said what a beauty she was.

A few weeks later and we took her home and called her Chloe. Although I love dogs in theory I don't think I'll ever be a dog owner. To me they are like having a baby which never grows up. I feel the same way I do about small babies, they are cute to look at every now and then but that's it. I don't want to go back to the constant care babies and dogs need.

At the weekend my nephews went to choose their first dog, Lola. While I don't want a dog myself I can't wait to see her. I'm sure they were full of the same sense of anticipation I was as a child.

There's just one problem, from the pictures I can see Lola is just a bit too cute. Think we'll be having a few arguments when we get back. I've already had a few, "but muuuuummmy? Why don't we have a dog?"

Anyone got any good arguments to appease a four year old hell bent on dog ownership?

Puppy love

Heart shaped snow sculpture

2012-02-07T19:45:00.001Z

At the weekend we had a really good amount of snow to play with, but the forecast said it wouldn't last. I thought it would be a good idea to bring some snow inside to play with a little bit more, as the children were too cold to go outside again.

After playing with the snow we decided to get a little bit more creative. Molly wanted to make something using the heart shaped cookie cutters. We rolled the snow flat so it turned into ice. Then we cut out the heart shapes. Next we used food colouring to make a pattern on the snow. This technique made a really lovely heart shaped snow sculpture.

I have no idea what to do with these next but they are very pretty. At the moment they are in the freezer, which is where Molly insisted we put them. If we get some more snow then we might make them part of the snowmen. If not I think we'll put them in water and watch them melt.

So yes, my wine rack is now always full. And yes I can't wait for a time, a long time from now, when it will actually be full of wine.

Tuesday tea and sympathy

2012-02-07T09:39:00.000Z

Baby it's cold outside. Pushing two ginormous twins in their double buggy up the hill to school was not easy this morning when there was a thick coating of ice in the pavements. We skidded and slid around, munch to the delight of all the passers by. Thanks then. Still the good thing about the school run is at by nine o clock you've got the worst part of the day over with. I can be cautiously optimistic that inks can ony get better.

So we're back in the warm and ready to shar a story of Bad days and sleepless nights, lost homework or going back to work. Whatever your post, old or new link it up and I'll pop round with a steaming hot cup of tea and a friendly bit of sympathy. If you don't have a post feel free to have a good old moan in the comment box below. The advantage of that is its anonymous so if your husband been leaving his pants on the floor or your father in law won't stop pinching your bottom, you can complain about it to your hearts content and they'll never find out.

So link away. Remember to grab my badge. Then others can find this little friendly corner of the Internet. Together we'll set the world to rights.

Get The Code

Inside Snow Play

2012-02-06T18:46:00.001Z

This morning my daughter has run into school, full of excitement to tell her teacher that we have lots of snow in the freezer and we're going to play with it later. I'm sure they're going to think I've finally lost my mind completely. However I think it's a genius idea and I wish I had known about it last year. I have to thank the internet for the idea, what would I do without parenting blogs and pinterest?

Basically the idea is you bring some snow inside to play with, a bit of sensory fun for little ones, although I have to admit that there was something really soothing about playing with it. We spent the whole morning outside and after lunch the girls were really cold and didn't want to put all their winter clothes again. Yet I knew by the morning the snow would have gone so it was perfect to bring some inside.

Doesn't everyone keep snow in the freezer?

There is something different about snow play in the house. Outside you tend to make big things like snowmen you don't really get close to the snow to investigate it. Although it is cold to touch as long as you dress warmly and use spoons or other implements to make with you don't really feel the cold.

Here are some of the things we did with the snow:

Perfect snow balls using a melon baller

used happy land figures to make a small world
make a habitat for a polar bear
added food colouring
made snow castles using bowls and plastic tubs
watched as it melted
made pretend ice cream using a melon baller
used cookie cutters and jelly moulds

The best thing is, even though the snow has melted we still have a box of snow in the freezer to play with. No tears!

Small world play

So yes, my wine rack is now always full. And yes I can't wait for a time, a long time from now, when it will actually be full of wine.

366 Project - Week 5

2012-02-05T14:29:00.002Z

It's hard to choose one favourite picture but I think mine is this one.

1. Cuddles

2. A funny way to sleep

3. Picnic tea - shame its made of wood

4. A new hair style

5. A rare moment of calm

6. Icicles on the railway bridge

7. Snow

Here Come the Girls

Silent Sunday

Saturday is Caption Day!

Art I Heart - Monet

Justin Fletcher 'Hands up' album - giveaway

More questions about meeee!

Here Come the Girls, An Introduction

Tuesday Tea and Sympathy

Blogaholics Blog Party

Silent Sunday

Saturday is caption day!

The Worst Parenting Advice I've received

Questions and Answers

A Squash and a Squeeze - Coping with 3 children

Valentine's Day Sensory Box

Blogaholics Blog Hop

Something I love - twin cuddles

Hearts and Crosses Flapjack

Saturday is caption day!

Whitestep Bath Toys - Review and Discount

Reasons to be cheerful - Snow Days

The Gallery: A Family Story

Heart shaped snow sculpture

Tuesday tea and sympathy

Inside Snow Play

366 Project - Week 5