Hollybobb's

Messy Play For Matilda Mae

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:17:00 +0000

As we are currently away on a little break I have not had time to write this week's messy play post, however I wanted to put together a little one to share the fun we had. Ths week's theme set by Edspire was Pink & Purple.

I put together our water table and froze some pink & purple ice cubes with some little peaks inside. I added these to the water and gave them children some cups, spoons and a sieve for fishing and off they went.

They are quite familiar with water play now, in fact it's all I can do to stop Baby J jumping in before it's all set up! Although it did also see him standing on his own for a few seconds - a proud mummy moment!

I added some pink & purple food colouring to some shaving foam and gave them paintbrushes, just to add another element to the play. Here are a few photos from our fun.

The Last Few Months

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 15 May 2013 09:24:00 +0000

The last few months have been challenging to say the least. We moved house in November, Little H turned two in December, Christmas, New Year and Baby J's Christening in February.

But by far the hardest months have been the last three - my dad noticing his raised lymph nodes, waiting weeks for a diagnosis, and finally told two weeks ago was stage 4 skin cancer.

In the meantime I have been finding things harder and harder. All of the above on top of managing two young children eighteen months apart. Children who do not know boundaries, do not know how to share, how to play, how to be 'good' and 'nice'. It has been frustrating to constantly say over and over and OVER 'put that down' 'give it back' 'stop doing that'. I know it's all part and parcel of being a parent, but when you are trying to manage two babies behaviour it is relentless. By the end of every day I am completely drained with nothing left in me.

All this had led to me being diagnosed with depression, starting anti-depressants and the beginning of counselling. This isn't the first time I have had depression, but this time it is different. If I get into a really bad place it doesn't just affect me, it affects my two little ones and I don't want that. Instead I've found myself cutting off from those emotions and often feeling like I'm just waiting. Waiting for a change. Waiting for a happiness. Even waiting for those tears that would normally fall so easily.

I am fearful that I will look back in a few years and have missed my babies growing up. I am so tired it is all I can do to get us dressed and fed most days, let alone trying to split myself into two continuously trying to play, settle disputes and educate them the way I hope to.

I guess there isn't much point to this post apart from to record how I feel at the moment, and maybe look back in a few weeks or months so I can see how I've progressed. I just hope most of all that this time does not have a negative effect on my children.

A Mile in Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sun, 12 May 2013 07:28:00 +0000

Yesterday had been a few months in the making. We had planed, visited, sourced, tweeted, packaged and hoped that the day would be all it should. And it was.

Yesterday we walked a mile in memory. Memory of Matilda Mae, a beautiful nine month baby who tragically passed away three months ago to SID's.

Yesterday we donned our raincoats and wellies, brought our families together and met up as friends, to remember and to walk.

Yesterday we blew bubble kisses up to the sky.

Yesterday we remembered.

We are raising funds for The Lullaby Trust, previously FSID's, in memory of Matilda Mae. Please take a few minutes of your day to donate, or simply just text MMLT79 £1 to 70070.

The Matilda Mae Auction is now live - there are already some amazing things to be won and more prizes will be added every day!

I'd like to make special mention to Susanne at Ghostwritermummy who has worked tirelessy for many hours to bring all this together. It was beautiful.

Dino Land

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 11 May 2013 12:58:00 +0000

Over the bank holiday we took the opportunity to include Mr H in some messy play. A while ago I bought some rubber dinosaurs and have been meaning to give some small world play a try. So I brought in the Tuff Spot and set it all up.

Firs too all I coloured some spaghetti for the grass and mud. Then I added the mountains and trees from the dinosaur set and brought in some stones and leaves from the garden to make it a bit more authentic. I set it all up and added the dinosaurs and Dino Land was complete!

In the other side of the table I put some blue waters and set up the water creatures - the children both love water play so this always go down well.

Daddy and the children jumped in. I think H was quite awestruck by it all and held back a little bit.

As always Baby J dived right in and started throwing the spaghetti around. Soon there was more spaghetti in the water than with the dinosaurs.

Then play turned to the water.

As I expected the children ended up spending most of their play in the water. So much so that Baby J decided to climb right in and have a paddle!

H thought this was a great idea and quickly joined him!

It was a bit of a squish for both though, so H ended up in the sink having a paddle whilst doing some cleaning.

I loved the Dino Land and was quite proud of my set up. I think Mr H concluded I was a bit mad, and the children enjoyed splashing more than playing in the world, but I am happy whichever way they choose to play. As long as they are having fun!

Walkers Hoops & Crosses Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 09 May 2013 07:51:00 +0000

We are currently attempting to utilise a reward chart to encourage some nicer behaviour from H - she has been really struggling with sharing and gets very angry with Baby J so we have bought a few small toys and some stickers to try and encourage her to control herself a little better.

For those little moments of good behaviour we tend to give a little treat - a mini egg or piece of chocolate. We have recently been sent a packet of Walkers Hoops & Crosses to try out so they fit the bill for a little snack every now and again.

Each bag of Hoops & Crosses has only 85 calories, so they are a good healthy treat for the little ones, as I do try to be careful how much junk I give them. They are also made from wholegrains, have no artificial colours or preservatives and they come in three flavours – all suitable for vegetarians (prawn cocktail, roast beef, salt and vinegar). We received the roast beef flavour, which when I had a try I found to be a similar taste to Monster Munch roast beef, but obviously a lot healthier!

They certainly went down with Little H, who kept demanding more, and Baby J of course had to have a taste! I felt a lot happier giving them the snacks knowing they were a lot better for them than other crisps.

Our packet came with the very cute Monty the monkey, who has now found a new home with H and her many toys in her bed!

*I have been sent this product for free to review, however all opinions are my own.

Fallen Logs

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sun, 05 May 2013 18:53:00 +0000

Today we had a lovely time just enjoying the outdoors. We visited our local National Trust property, Dunham Massey and armed with a blanket and a few nibbles we set out.

H loved the freedom of being able to roam where she wanted and we saw lots of lovely nature as we ambled along, including ducks and deer.

There were lots of fallen logs that had been left in inviting piles so of course we had to have a little play amongst them - even Pops couldn't resist a climb!

We enjoyed our little picnic in the woods and Baby J enjoyed some buggy-free time. I am looking forward to the next few months when he begins to walk as he hates being strapped in and I can sense how much he would love to be running alongside his sister.

The sun only popped out behind the clouds for a minute here and there but it was relatively warm and it was great just to get outside.

A Messy Cake Smash for Matilda

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 04 May 2013 07:30:00 +0000

On May 2nd Matilda Mae should have turned one year old. Instead her heartbroken parents wish her farewell and sent her ashes out to sea in a little balsa wood boat.

This week's messy play post was inspired by this little girl. The day before my mum helped me bake some buns and buttercream (I am such a tragic baker that I can't even makes cupcakes) and I bought some pink frosting, marshmellows and star sprinkles.

I set them all put on the Tuff Spot and let my little ones loose.

H thought this was the greatest thing in the world! She didn't really get the play part and instead set to work devouring the marshmallows before turning on the frosting!

Baby J however got stuck right in. First of all he had fun with the sprinkles, pouring them from one pot to another, spreading them about and generally making a lovely mess!

My mum then showed him how to dip the cake in the buttercream, and once he'd discovered even could make even more mess this way he wasted no time pouring it everywhere and rubbing his legs in it!

The children were thoroughly covered by the end of it all and a big sticky mess! They had a great time and we remembered Baby Tilda as our inspiration.

Happy Birthday Matilda Mae

You will remain in our hearts and in our play.

Happy Birthday Little Star

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 02 May 2013 06:17:00 +0000

Today a beautiful little girl should be turning one. She should be celebrating an amazing year. Her family should be having a party, buying balloons and eating cake. Instead her family will be saying goodbye as her ashes as sent out to sea. It is a terrible tragedy; it is so unfair.

Today I would like to send all my love to Jennie and her family. We will be remembering Baby Tilda today and I will be holding my babies tightly.

Sometimes life is far too short.

Happy Birthday Baby Tilda, you have inspired us in so many ways.

On 11th May until 20th May an auction to remember Matilda Mae's will be held. All funds raised will go to The Lullaby Trust in Matilda's name and there have been some amazing prizes donated. Head over to Edspire and Ghostwritermummy for more information.

Review: Polarn O. Pyret

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 01 May 2013 12:13:00 +0000

I am always on the look out for new brands to try out so when I heard about Polarn O. Pyret I was excited to give them a try. We were sent a lovely red cardigan and matching leggings for Little H and Baby J received a polo T-shirt.

Polarn O. Pyret have actually been around since the early 1900's and have specialised in baby clothes since 1975. They focus on making quality items, with their signature look being the striped top. They have now more than 130 shops in 11 countries as well as retailing online.

Little H's clothes were a little on the big size as we were sent 3-4 years, so it was hard to judge the fit, but there was no questioning the quality. I particularly loved the cardigan - it was lovely and soft and had hearts embroidered around the collar and dotted around the top. It is 100% cotton so nice and breathable and whilst the weather is still making it's mind up a cardigan is a must to keep arms warm when it gets a bit chilly. The floral leggings have an adjustable waist which I think is a great idea as children are all different sizes so being able to ensure a good fit means they can be used for much longer.

Baby J's little t-shirt was very cute and fit him really well. It has splits at the side to make it flexible when he crawls around and again being 100% cotton it is nice and breathable - he does tend to get on the hot side. It has washed pretty well, with only the collar needing an iron running over it, which is always a plus as my ironing pile is big enough!

Of course any excuse to take some piccies of my little ones is always welcome so here they are posing as best I could get them!

For more information you can visit their website, or find them on Facebook.

*I have been sent this product for free to review, however all opinions are my own.

Family Time

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 15:24:00 +0000

This weekend my sister and her boyfriend came to visit. After a night of a few drinks, some fresh air was just what we needed to brush the cobwebs away, so we donned our coats and shoes and head outside.

Because we often have the children plus buggies when we go for a walk, we are quite limited to where we can go, but today H walked and we put Baby J in his carrier on Mr H so we could do a bit of exploring.

It was really great as there are lots of fields near us when we manage to get off the beaten track, and it was nice and quiet.

H loved the freedom to run but I think she loved having her Auntie L to run after more. They played chase, hide and seek and piggy backs and it was lovely to watch. I'm looking forward to the future years when both children will run after each other and we can all go on these walks more often.

As my family are over the Pennine's I don't always see my sister as much as I like, so I do cherish these moments together.

Sea Creatures

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 06:47:00 +0000

I seem to have had water beads sat on my worktop for weeks now! They have so many uses and I have been reluctant to throw them away. However I think Mr H has got sick of seeing them, so as one last playtime I picked out all the water colours (which took ages!) and created a little ocean scene for H.

I added her sea creatures to the beads, along with some shaving foam for effect and away she went.

H is still at an age where she needs showing to play sometimes, so I got into it myself and we made a story where the baby seal had gone missing and mummy seal tried to find it, encountering sharks and such along the way. She thought this was great fun and once I had taken my turn she was quite happy to reenact the story herself, with different animals.

She wasn't so keen on the shaving foam at first and wanted her hands wiping, but once I showed her that it didn't matter if her hands got a little messy she seemed to forget about it and got carried away in her play.

This was a very quick playtime to set up and kept her entertained for quite a while. It was also fun for mummy to join in!

Today Ghostwritermummy is hosting Messy Play for Matilda Mae, so head over there and give her some love!

Kiddy Guardianfix Pro 2 Review

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

As Baby J is now ten months and quite a little chunk, I decided it was time to set about getting him a new car seat. He hates being strapped into anything, but the car seat in particular has been a fight for quite some time now, he tends to go rigid and screams, refusing to let me strap him in. He has never been a fan of rear-facing, I'm not sure if its because he can't see anything, or because H is forward facing, or maybe it's just car seats in general, but I decided to change him to forward facing.

After looking around for advice I found most parents seemed to highly recommend the Kiddy. It is not a brand I had heard of before, but as I wanted something lightweight, forward facing and preferably isofix, I found their Guardianfix Pro 2 fit the bill exactly. At first I wasn't sure about their innovative impact shield, over the usual 5-point harness, however when I read further I decided to give it a try.

Kiddy have actually been around for over 30 years. They are a company that pride themselves on their innovative products, and the impact shield is just one example of this. The impact shield is made of highly shock-absorbing materials and offers impact protection in the event of a head-on collision. The risk of dangerous neck injuries is reduced by the fact that the impact forces are directed into the impact shield, and this prevents the baby's head from being abruptly thrown forward or backward, as in a child seat with a conventional shoulder harness.

The Guardianfix Pro 2 is a group 1, 2, 3 car seat, suitable for children from the ages of approximately nine months to twelve years old (weight: 9-36kg, approx 20-80lb). It comes in 13 different designs, we chose a neutral colour of Denim. The breathable fabric is lovely and soft, plus it can easily cleaned when Baby J inevitably drops biscuit crumbs all over it!

Both babies having a try

First of all I found the Kiddy unbelievably light. As we will be swapping it between my car and Mr H's on a weekend, this was great as it makes transferring so much easier. Because it is isofix there is no messing around with seatbelts or trying to figure out complicated fixings. It is simply a matter of clicking it in place and go! What unnerved me a little at first was the impact shield. As it was a completely different way of strapping them in - you simply put the impact shield in place, fasten the seatbelt over the front and make sure it is strapped across the impact shield properly. And that's all folks!

Baby J was, and still is, not completely sure about the shield. It is quite bulky and he sometimes looks like his arms are stuck out awkwardly. However despite this he has fallen asleep every time he has been in it.

Even Little H had a turn and she too was in land of nod after a short time. I think as it is so different it will take a bit of getting used but I feel confident that it provides the best safety and fits our needs exactly.

The Guardianfix Pro 2 grows with the child and lasts from nine months to twelve years, which means that although it may seem a big cost up front (aren't all car seats?!), it is one you will not have to do again for a number of years. The seat adjusts to fit the child, from the head restraint that can fit to height and width, to the leg extension which can be adapted as the child grows.

All Kiddy car seats are EEC approved, and comply with the latest European safety requirements. They also meet British Standard 5852 which affects fire retardency of the fabric covers, so you can feel safe in the knowledge that these seats have been thoroughly tested.

I am more than happy with this car seat and would definitely opt for a Kiddy again. It is lightweight, easy to use, stylish and most importantly it is safe. Check out their Facebook page for more from Kiddy.

*I have been sent this product for free to review, however all opinions are my own.

My First Book Club

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:51:00 +0000

I have always been a huge reader, when I was little we used to take five or six books on holiday for me, only to be hunting through whichever Spanish town we were visiting for an English bookshop as I'd finished them all. There are many a holiday snap of me, nose deep in a book. As I've got older I've not found the same time to dedicate to a good book, however I do find once I've started one I have that same addiction to the written word and can often read a book in a day, neglecting my household chores and often meals!

Of course with two small children I do have to prioritise so my reading has been put on a very noticeable back burner - I have dusty piles of books my mum has passed on to me, yet to be touched. So when I heard about Britmums Book Club I thought it would be a great opportunity to make some time for me and find a few minutes here and there to explore a good book.

March's offering is Honour by Elif Shafak. It is not a book I would have chosen for myself, but that is the beauty of a Book Cub - those unexpected treats. I have to say it pulled me in from the word go - "My mother died twice" - an intriguing opener.

A tale of culture, shame and family it twists and turns, taking us through the journeys of each character and travelling from a small Kurdish Village in Istanbul to London in the 70's to a small prison cell. The book centres on a Kurdish family, in particular twin sisters Jamila and Pembe, and their upbringing in a strong Muslim community.

I found the narrative jumped around a bit, which was a little confusing at first, however once I got used to it I found it helped me distinguish one story from another. The book follows several characters from their family and gives each individuals perspective on the story, which helps you empathise with each one despite their actions. The theme of family was one I felt was a key part to the book and I often found parallels to my own life. Issues such as how a mother raises her son, feelings of being an outsider and how that is dealt with we're particular poignant to me.

I finished the book in a few days, which I only do when I really enjoy something. Although I felt that the end was left a little bit open and some characters I would have liked to hear more about, it gripped me from the beginning and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.

*I have been sent this product for free to review, however all opinions are my own.

Oatso Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 09:49:00 +0000

The other day my friend came by with her little girl, so I decided to use our Tuff Spot to set up some playtime fun. I had bought a bag of value porridge oats a while ago so I dragged it from the back of the cupboard and opened the packet out onto the Tuff Spot. And it was that simple - I added a few cups, spoons and trains to interact with and left them to it.

Baby J of course, had no reservations about getting stuck in. I stripped him down to his vest and let him crawl about. He generally snacked on them, whilst H enjoyed spooning them all over his head!

H stayed around the outside of the Tuff Spot - she's not quite gained her confidence to get completely messy as yet. She likes pouring and sorting so the cups and bowls were her toys of choice and quickly her 'sorting' resulted in my kitchen floor becoming a pool of oats!

My friends little girl took a more laid back approach of wandering around the edge, having a little play, then marching off to play with H's toy kitchen at the other side of the room.

The children played for about half an hour and at the end of it all I simply dusted them off and swept all the oats up. It was a great little activity that anyone can do to amuse the children for a while and introduce messy play to them and yourself!

The Next Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 11:01:00 +0000

As I fast approach the end of my twenties I have been having a think about some goals I would like to set myself. In the last ten years I met my husband, gained my degree, settled across the Pennines, got married, got a dog, bought our first house, moved to New York and then California, had our two amazing children, bought our beautiful home, had my eyes lasered, made some amazing friends, visited some amazing places. In fact, writing it all down, I achieved a lot!

So now it is time to set the next challenges, starting with the first. I have always wanted to do some sort of mountain walk. Watching Gary Barlow & co climb Kilimanjaro for Comic Relief a few years ago really triggered something and since then I have been trying to do my own climb. After I feel pregnant with Baby J it went on hold, but now the time has come.

So I have signed up to walk the Yorkshire 3 Peaks for Alzheimer's Society. I thought this was starting off small, but now the pack has arrived and I have seen the suggested training programme it seems it is now such a small feat. But I am up to the challenge.

I chose to support The Alzheimer's Society. Alzheimer's it is an illness that has affected my husband's family greatly. In 2000 his Nan sadly passed away after suffering from it for several years and in 2006 his Grandma was then diagnosed with it. She is doing OK and has managed to remain in her home, however it is awful to watch someone lose their memories and I know it affects my husband greatly.

Alzheimer's is a terrible illness currently affecting over 800,000 people in the UK. Whilst it mostly affects the elderly, up to 10% of sufferers are under 65.

So now I am asking you for support. Whatever you can be spare - a few pennies is enough - please donate them to my Just Giving page. Not only will you be helping me achieve my goal but the money will be helping those who suffer with Alzheimer's. Please click this Just Giving link and with a couple of clicks you can make a difference.

Phobias

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 19:59:00 +0000

The other day we went to our local reservoir to feed the ducks. It is a well-known spot for this activity and as a result the ducks are very tame and VERY huge! I chose a spot that wasn't used as the main feeding location, thinking maybe not quite so many ducks would flood to our feet and maybe they wouldn't be quite as...eager. I was wrong.

There wasn't a lot of birds to begin with, but as soon as we launched our first bread slice in their direction we were suddenly inundated. At first they kept their distance, satisfied that we were throwing it far enough for them, but when we gave H a bit to throw hers didn't land quite so far away and so they all lunged forward, battling for a crumb. Within seconds they were all heading our way, climbing the small embankment that blocked their path. Ducks, swans and pigeons, all squawking, their beaks wide open, waiting for food.

I am not one for fears, the only thing I have ever been afraid of was death - my own and those I love. My sister has always had a massive phobia of spiders, though, and still does and I have watched her loose it at the sight of the tiniest one, having to check her bed on a night before she can sleep. I am not trying to mock her in any way. For her and those who experience phobias, it is a horrible feeling to be so fearful of something.

So birds have never bothered me. However these ones freaked me out - they were huge and they very quickly marched our way, ready to peck the food from our hands. I found myself screeching a little, throwing the remainder of the bread at them and pulling the children away very quickly. As I did so, H started to cry a little and looked on in fear at the birds.

I checked myself. I do not want to encourage any kind of phobia in the children. From speaking to others they can be debilitating and I do not want the children to worry about something that is not necessary. So I told H that the ducks were very greedy and we had given them all our bread so it was time to go to the swings. I used my fallback word for anything that upsets her or makes her unreasonably angry - silly. Those silly ducks.

But the incident did made me think about phobias in our children. I have quite often heard of them being passed down from parent to child and I want to prevent this as much as I can. Recently my in-laws have had an ant infestation in their conservatory and I overheard my mother-in-law telling someone that H was scared of them. I quickly intervened telling H that they were only little ants, hurrying to their homes and nothing to be afraid of. I'm sure my mother-in-law meant no harm but I wanted to nip it in the bud then and there.

It does highlight how impressionable our little people are and how careful we have to be. It makes me wish for this magical parenting manual that would tell us exactly the right way to go about these problems!

Shoes for Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I don't know about you but I am more than ready for spring to finally emerge - happy flowers bobbing their heads in the breeze, children playing in the streets at dusk, and finally a bit of warmth in the air enough to tempt your calves from their denim encasement's.

However I think it may be time to give up waiting and just push forward, regardless. So when Clarks Shoes contacted me about their new Liberty range, I thought right, that's it! My sandals are coming out, socks are being abandoned and pretty shoes will be making an appearance.

For their new SS13 line, Clarks have teamed up with Liberty Art Fabrics, producing a vintage look with modern styling. The range is full of pretty patterns and bright colours, and these wedges are no exception. I chose the Propose Dress Wedges in Magenta and with their soft suede and just-the-right-height wedges they are so comfortable. I tried them out with a few outfits, starting with my old faithfuls - skinny jeans. They were a great match and for those days when I need to spruce up my tired old jeans. Because they are so comfy I can wear them during the day without even realising it, free from the usual pains of high heels that most pretty shoes come with.

After my jeans I decided to whip out a casual skirt. The shoes really completed this look and it is definitely one I will be making the most of our on our holiday in a few weeks. Comfortable yet happy and summery!

Finally I dragged out my forgotten pretty dresses. These poor things almost cried with relief, long are their days hidden in the back of my wardrobe, with barely a party to be donned for. Despite these shoes being a wedge and at risk of being too heavy and clumsy for a light dress, their bright colour and happy design makes it OK. They looked lovely with my dress without taking anything away from it.

These shoes are a really great design - they are light and I cannot tell you how comfy and yet they look great. Add to that their flexibility to be able to go from day to night, you can't go wrong. They will definitely be making the trip away with us next month and you never know, my dresses may even get an excuse to see the light of day once or twice! Even H gave them a try!

The Propose Dress wedges retail for £49.99, head over to Clarks.co.uk to see the full Liberty range.
*I have been sent these shoes for free to review, however all opinions are my own.

An Essential Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Regular Hollybobbs readers will know I was thrilled to announce that the online baby brand The Essential One are sponsoring me to attend this years UK Parent Blogging Conference, Britmums Live.

I have owned several outfits by The Essential One and have always been impressed by the high quality, super soft feel of the brushed cotton and I am yet to find a bobble on any of them yet - now that is impressive in my book!

Recently The Essential One launched their new maternity range, which has already been hugely successful. From nursing tops to super soft pyjamas, the range is practical, stylish and comfortable.

So, it is with great pleasure that I am hosting a fantastic Essential One giveaway. The lovely team have offered one Hollybobbs reader the chance to get their hands of one of their lovely new nursing tops!

The ultimate breast feeding top, they are super stretchy and designed to be worn from day one of your pregnancy. They give you comfort and discreet breast feeding and look great too. To enter simply follow the Rafflecopter instructions below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Technorati

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 12:56:00 +0000

Please ignore this everyone, this is just my Technorati code RRPGVQC5M7AN

Lullaby

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Have you heard of SIDS? Silent Infant Death Syndrome takes the lives of 290 babies every year and whilst it is most common in babies under twelve months, it can affect older children too. FSID's is the charity who support parents who have lost children to this tragic illness and fund research into further prevention. Their over-arching aim is to reduce the number of unexplained cot deaths to below 200 by 2015 and to halve it to 150 by 2020.

Today marks the next chapter in FSID's campaign - they have decided in order to encourage more families to seek the help they offer that they will now be known at The Lullaby Trust. They hope the new name will be a gentler name that will help families feel more able to access the information and services that they provide.

In honour of this event, several bloggers have written posts on the theme of lullabies (click the image above to view the other posts).

Twinkle, Twinkle is my favourite lullaby. I think the words resound so strongly about a beautiful star in the sky, watching over us all. I think it also has a lot of meaning for anyone who has lost someone.

It has been a firm favourite in our house ever since H was little. It was what I would sing to her before she went to sleep in her cot. It was also the first nursery rhyme she learnt to sing on her own. It is now one of several in our bedtime repertoire and my favourite part of the day is softly reciting it as she lays her head on her pillow.

So today we decided to recreate Twinkle Twinkle in our messy play. Inspired by Jennie at Edspire, I have bought a tuff spot and we set up our activity on there. I made glow in the dark water beads by emptying out a highlighter into some water

I had to break down the plastic pen of the highlighter as pull out the spongey part inside, and a poor pair of scissors paid the price!

I then left the beads in the water over night.

I also made some moon sand by mixing 4 cups of flour with 1 cup of baby oil, and added some glitter for a sparkly effect.

This is our first time using moon sand and I thought it was a great material - nice and soft and smelt lovely.

I set up a beach scenario on our new tuff spot, with the water beads as the sea and the moon sand as the beach, with shaving foam as a wave and some twinkly lights hidden underneath. I added some figures, a spade, cookie cutters and animals in the water and then to fill up some of the space (the tuff spot was a little larger than I anticipated!), I added some ball pool balls.

For a final effect I set up some fairy lights above the tuff spot, strung across our kitchen cupboards, then shut all the curtains. So here is our starry lullaby scene:

Please do support The Lullaby Trust by heading over to their website or by tweeting them. Any support of their new name is hugely appreciated #lullabytrust!

This post is written in memory of #MatildaMae, gone too soon.

Garden Envy

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 12:37:00 +0000

Yesterday we visited our good friends who moved house not long after us so are also in the throws of settling in. Unlike us their house is about five years old and reasonably established - it also came with a good size, mature garden filled with flowers, a pond, a summer house, a vegetable patches and even frogspawn! Jealous? Moi? Yup, more than a smidge.

Frogspawn always makes me smile

The sun came out again and it was a degree or two warmer than it has been all week so the husbands took the older children outside to play whilst the smaller ones had their naps. Baby J refused the go down so in the end I put his rain suit on and let him crawl about.

Baby J's first time in the garden

With the recent cold and snow it was the first chance he had to go outside and play but he didn't even bat an eyelid and proceeded to try and pick up some stones the children had left in a sledge and just generally crawled about exploring his new surroundings.

Little explorer

It was lovely to see the children finally outside enjoying the fresh air. It has made me long even more to sort our mud-bath of a garden out as soon as we can. I think I will go even more stir-crazy if the weather warms up and we are still stuck inside!

What's this sunshine???

A must-have garden toy - bat and ball

Counting the steps, and pulling an odd pose!

Think we're getting the seasons mixed up!

The was topped off with a slide!

Rainbow Spaghetti Play

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 07:49:00 +0000

Since I found my inspiration via The Imagination Tree, I have been meaning to give this one a shot for quite a while and had high hopes as its looks so fab.

I cooked some value spaghetti and used my food colourings to make blue, pink, yellow, green and purple. I didn't want to use them that same day, though, as I wanted the colouring to dry a little so the kids weren't coloured in a rainbow of food colouring. however this may have been my downfall as when I did get the spaghetti out some of it had gone a little slimy and I had to throw most of the blue away. Never mind.

I set up the spaghetti in H's water table, added a couple of beakers and let the children loose. H wasn't sure what to make of it at first and was quite tentative.

At ten months J has no inhibitions and dived right in.

He is going through a throwing phase so his main focus was to throw all the pasta out of the table onto my floor!

H is quite a neat freak so she got quite angry at this and tried to clear it all up. I took the chance to show H that sometimes a mess is ok. I encouraged her to get her hands into the spaghetti and move it around, and then let her join in J's pasta throwing.

She had fun picking it up and putting it back in the table too, although she couldn't beat J's throwing speed and soon it was everywhere!

I was surprised that neither of them tried to eat the pasta, although if they had done it would have been perfectly safe for them, which is why this is great for smaller ones. None of the food colouring came off onto their hands either, which is a problem we've had with food colouring activities before - J has had blue hands for several days when, despite much scrubbing, it refused to budge!

On the whole this was a fun activity but it didn't seem to keep them entertained for very long. I was a little disappointed as I had such high hopes, but I think maybe adding some small world creatures would maybe encourage a little more interaction. I have recently bought some figures for this kind of play so keep your eyes peeled for those to feature!

Today I am linking up with Jennie at Edspire's new linky, Messy Play for Matilda Mae - have a look at the other posts, there is so much inspiration out there!

The Light

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:02:00 +0000

I'm not really sure how to write this. Like my mind, this post is sure to be a confused, addled mess. But I feel the need to record some things.

Like shame. Shame that today I screamed at my two year old daughter because she refused to put down J's juice when I had asked her to what felt like a million times. Shame that I cannot hold back my frustrations and anger when I have battled with two hungry, tired, over-excited, demanding babies all day.

Guilt. That I cry in front of the children, leading H to ask with sad eyes, 'what's wrong mummy?' Guilt that I do not appreciate the blessings I have been showered with. Guilt that I do not cherish their short baby days enough.

Fear. Of the dark cavern that awaits me. One I have trodden before and that I know what lies within. One that I swore I would never ever let myself fall into again.

And hope. Hope that I don't scar my children. Hope that I can still be the best mum the I can be. Hope that I do not fail my husband; my strong, supportive, ever-loyal husband. Hope that I can hold our family together despite anything that comes at us. Hope that I will one day, in the not-so-distant future, be free of all the ropes that hold me back so tightly every day of my life.

Each and every day I hunt for the light - a small chink of happiness peering through the cavern. I hold onto it like an anchor, keeping me true. Keeping me sane. Keeping me me.

Kiddicare Aintree

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:48:00 +0000

Last Thursday I was invited to attend a bloggers event at the latest Kiddicare store. After opening several branches down south, I was beginning to wonder if we would ever see one up north, so I was excited to hear about the new store in Aintree, Liverpool. Many moons ago I went to university in Ormskirk, not far from Liverpool, so the journey there was like a trip down memory lane!

The store is pretty impressive. Originally an online brand, Kiddicare have recently joined forces with Morrisons and are now making their presence in several stores across the country. Their aim is to be the place to go for all your baby needs - from buggies to bedding they have it all!

There are some great features inside the store - at the car seat zone helps you select the right car seat, will make sure it fits in your car, weigh your child and there is even an E-Queue system where you can leave your mobile and go off shopping until its your turn to be seen!

In the toys zone there is a great selection of toys laid out for the children to try - this not only helps you seen what the children like, but also keeps them entertained during your trip.

Trying out the toys

The highchair zone has floor to ceiling highchairs, where you can test out any you want. There is also a table laid out with various booster seats which is great to see how they work and fit onto a chair.

In the buggy zone you can take a nice walk in the park, and road test a buggy whilst you do. There was a huge selection of one of my favourite buggy brands, Cosatto, and they looked so lovely and colourful all lined up!

A walk in the park

Over in the nursery zone you can see how the furniture will fit in your smallest rooms, as well as visit the Very Important Baby room where you can sit and relax whilst the advisers help you decide what you need and even being it to you. There is even a kiddy cinema to keep your little ones entertained.

The best area for me was the cafe. It was lovely and spacious with a choice of table and chairs or comfy sofas, with the largest supply of highchairs I have seen - I think between our group there were eight children, yet we didn't hog all the highchairs in the place, there were plenty for the other shoppers. There was also a fantastic little play area which had a lockable entryway so you didn't need to worry that your little scamp was running riot in the store whilst you sipped on your Starbucks. With a great selection of food for you and healthy meals for the children, it was a very well thought out place to sit and have a rest.

Kiddicare seem to have thought of it all - toilets wide enough to fit my ridiculously wide and awkward double buggy, along with a mini toilet in each cubicle for those small bottoms; wrapping paper as you leave, just in case you're a bit last minute with your present buying; an event room which can host parties, baby showers and runs differ baby classes such as Time For Ted which was a fantastic music class put on for our little ones.

Enjoying the class

Bubbles!

I only wish the was a little closer to me and I would be a regular visitor. We had a fantastic day and I would definitely recommend a trip to Kiddicare Aintree to anyone. I would also like to make a special mention to Jennie, Rachael and Matt who looked after us so well on the day.

The Hunt Begins...

noreply@blogger.com (Lisa) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Today we had a mini Easter egg hunt for H. Baby J was supposed to be joining in but he refused to be woken from his nap. In the end it was probably a bit too cold for him, and to be honest H was so fast he would barely have had time to get off the starting block!

The hunt begins!

Found one!

The gnomes are good hiders

A chicken!

Searching with Grandma

The ultimate reward