Keep Up With The Jones Family

THE BBQ BLUES: NAUTICAL INSPIRATION FOR SUMMER

2016-07-26T13:29:00.002-07:00

It's Birthday BBQ time for Hero, our favourite summertime event! In honour of his party, here are a few of our favourite pieces for me and the mister, and for the big day itself! I had to try really hard to resist the urge to go for a crab and lobster theme again, and tried to keep it more nautical with blues and greys.

a] Vintage Aviator Shades
b] Radley
c] Tommy Hilfiger Shorts, House of Fraser
d] Warehouse
e] Jones Bootmaker
f] Merci Maman

BIRTHDAYS AND BAKING APPS.... THEY'RE A BING! THING [BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY]

2016-07-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hero had a very Bing Birthday this year. Me and Gav bought him a slide for the back garden, a big one that everyone could share, and then we took all of the boys to Toys R Us so that they could pick something out each to give to their little brother that he actually wanted. The plan was to trail him around the shop and decide secretly so that he didn't see. It actually worked! The boys chose him his favourite bunny toys and wrapped them carefully for him in Olaf's summer paper, because there had to be some Disney in there somewhere.

We already had My Friend Bing from the review we did, and Father Christmas bought us Brenda Blender and Bing's Phone. And so together they chose carefully and bought him a cuddly Bing and Flop, the Bing House and Gilly's Ice Cream Truck. He was beside himself when he opened it - and then even more happy when in the post arrived Hoppity Voosh and a talking Bing from Acamar Films to say Happy Birthday to him! All of the boys got Bing! shirts and since then I've had to physically strip them off their bodies to wash them. Hooray for drippy ice cream cones... I'll bet they're a Bing thing, too. I didn't have Soggy Froggy handy, and so into the washing machine they went instead.

We were SO excited to learn that Bing Bunny and Flop have also now released their very own Bing Baking app! The boys LOVE apps which involve cooking - Lyoto tells me on a daily basis that when he grows up he will marry me and be a chef. I downloaded the app and left Jensen in charge, to see how they got on. You can see their little video review this week on our YouTube channel!

The very lovely people at Acamar films have also given us a Talking Bing to give away! We all love different Bing! characters in our home - my favourite is Flop, because I wish I had his patience - and we'd like to know who your little one's favourite is - or yours if you have one because you've watched as many episodes as me... You can tweet us, comment below or on our Instagram! There's also a twitter party in the near future where you can win more Bing! prizes - we'll keep you posted on that too.

Birthdays.... They're a Bing! thing.

This is a collaborative post

THE NEW PEPPA PIG TOYS: LAUGH WITH ME PEPPA

2016-07-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

When you live as close to Paulton's Park as we do, you love Peppa as much as my boys do. Hero is completely besotted by Georgie Pig and after his birthday present from Granny and Grandad of the Peppa Pig treehouse construction set, he was even more excited when Laugh With Peppa popped through the post for us to review.

Laugh With Peppa is just under 30cm tall with her legs stretched out, and when tickled on her tummy she giggles, falls backwards and talks to Hero, saying, "I'm Peppa Pig" and "I'm your best friend". Hero loves this and refuses to let other people tickle her at the moment. We know he loves her, even though she isn't George Pig, his favourite, as we caught him today sharing his little snacks with her [in Mommy's bed, because he knows just how much I love crumbs].

We Love...

That Peppa is ready to go. No unscrewing and battery rustling from remote controls!

It sounds and looks just like Peppa.

Her little arms and legs wiggling about when she flips backwards.

That even Hero can activate her in the way he's supposed to. Tickling actually works! This might sound ridiculous but we've had quite a few toys which were apparently suitable for the boys yet were too difficult to activate. Peppa does what she says she will.

The price. At £20, she's durable and a fun present for any Peppa fan.

We Wish...

That George was available, or any of the other characters. Freddy Fox and Danny Dog are favourites in our household, but other than the Weebles it's difficult to get anything substantial to play with featuring those two.

NOODLES FOR BREAKFAST? [KUNG FU PANDA 3]

2016-07-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

Father's day this year will long be remembered by our boys, and not just because they got to spoil their daddy with Guinness, Swizzels Drumstick lollipops, Daddy Pig pyjamas and Star Wars socks - but because at 5a.m., they were up, in the car and on their way to catch the tube in Richmond to have breakfast with Kung Fu Panda!

We arrived rather chirpily and trotted across the bridge after waving at Big Ben [which Jensen informed me very loudly is NOT THE CLOCK, MOMMY!] to make it to Shrek's Adventure in time to be the first in line. We gave in our names and headed down to a room full of fun, for a breakfast of hot coffee and orange juice, croissants and bananas.

Excuse the photography - it was very, very dark - and I don't use a flash.

After meeting Po, we were lucky enough to go on Shrek's Adventure, which was a-mazing, and kept all three boys completely captivated. We met every character, including Jensen's favourite Pinocchio, and then we got into a spot of bother, but it was all okay in the end.

Soon it was movie time after meeting the Ogreous [I'm sure that must be a word] one for a hug - and we headed to a huge beanbag filled room for the screening! If you're a fan of Po then we won't ruin it for you - and if you aren't, then you should be! It's a real family movie - and there are teeny pandas in this one, and the best villains ever.

Settling down to watch the movie... Who will stay awake? Clue - the only one who did has his hand up.

DreamWorks Animation's KUNG FU PANDA 3 is out on Digital HD on 4th July and on Blu-ray and DVD on 11th July.

You can visit Shrek's Adventure! London by visiting http://www.shreksadventure.com/london

THE COMPLIMENT

2016-07-11T05:32:00.004-07:00

This weekend was exhausting. By the time we were travelling back from the Midlands, trundling down the motorway at 11pm with the boys strapped into their seats and slumbering away, I felt like my eyelids were weighing me to the floor. On Saturday alone, by the end of the day - which began at 5.30 thanks to Hero deciding it was time to play - I’d been to Drayton Manor Park and photographed the two bigger boys on VertiGo, rushed back and met my cousin to photograph her and her lovely husband before their at home reception, raced home at 6.30pm to shower and was then back for the evening reception by just after 7pm.

Add dancing, parenting and being sociable into the mix [when you wish you could sneak forty winks] an early start for Sunday, and now, on Monday morning, my poor body is screaming for recovery.

I look awful. So bad - although my nails are still pretty - but let’s face it, by the end of today I’m not going to look any different - and on the school run I’ll appear to have been pulled through a hedge backwards, but I’m pretty comfortable with that. Better that than the other option….the compliment.

Compliments. Not on my work, but my appearance.

I’m not good with them at all. How do I handle a compliment? So badly. And it’s not because I don’t want them, either. Because I do. I would love to feel good about the way people see me. Yet kind words I just find them so, well, uncomfortable.

Here’s what happens…

Kind person: I love your dress, it’s gorgeous on you.
Me: Ahhh, I’m only wearing it because my jeans are filthy/it’s only cheap/I’m holding my breath in.

Poor Husband: You look lovely. Me: Are you sure? Do I look alright? I’m still huge. Do you love me? Am I too fat? Do I look fat? Do I look awful? *Cue breakdown, tears and husband wishing he'd kept quiet*.
I’ve worked off 2 stone in weight since March [although there has been a reversal of this over the past month as I’ve been unable to make it to my Slimming World meetings and have comforted myself with chocolate biscuits] but I know I look better than I have done since Hero was born. So I should feel good.

Should. But it’s hard. What if feeling good about myself means I’m a narcissistic, egotistical person? What if people laugh at me, for feeling happy with my looks?

I veer away from vlogging - or rather, having myself on a vlog - because I worry people will think I’m a monster - and the more I become concerned with others’ perception of what I look like, the more I completely forget the values that I perpetually try to encourage in my boys - that it’s not the outside that matters, but the inside. Feeling good should come from who we are in our hearts, shouldn’t it?

So why doesn’t it?

Essentially, because we’re sadly a superficial species - and as my husband will tell me, that’s how it’s always been since the dawn of time. We look for attractive traits in people that we’re surrounded with. And as a person that cares very little for the way other people see him, I wish I was more like him.

However, whilst I do cringe if anyone compliments me [unless it’s my husband - then I just plain try to convince him he's wrong] I do wish I had the time to take care of myself more often, to feel good about myself, which means trying to look unlike I’ve been wrestling with a bear and wearing something I feel happy in. This afternoon, my mom volunteered [read: was handed camera and forced] to take photos of just me and my husband, in a gorgeous new dress I have from ASDA, to see if I could feel good and believe in compliments.

I uploaded the photos to photoshop - and left me as I am. No shrinking. No reshaping. Just me.

Am I happy with my size? No.

Is my size who I am, does it change my intelligence or personality? No.

Will my boys love seeing me and their daddy, happy together in photos when they look back through our albums, or will they be worried that I wasn’t a size 10?

Despite my size, can I overlook it and like the way I look?

Honestly, I can say that yes, I do. And, although no one in my entire household except for Lyoto [who always takes time to tell me I’m his princess] said I looked nice, I felt pretty. And yes, I feel obnoxious for saying that.

In the photographs I look happy - I felt happy, in my new dress. Blue is my favourite colour and I love the style of the shoulders on the dress, which was light and airy, and so comfortable as it didn’t constrict me at all.

Wearing my sparkly Summer flip flops and having literally just hopped out of the shower [no chocolate smeared through my hair yet] I felt fresh, and clean, and happy. It doesn’t take much, but it happens so rarely that I feel good on the inside.

I read the YouGov survey about women and compliments - and as a nation we’re quite appalling at accepting and believing them. I know that I need to create a balance. I need to look a little better than I generally do every day at home, in order to feel good. But I also need a little better perspective on the me that people see. Big is not bad. Big is not ugly. Big is just as beautiful as every other size, and just as deserving of love and care...and compliments.

THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE POST WITH ASDA.

How do you see you in photographs?

AS MANY PHOTOGRAPHY LESSONS AS YOU CAN HANDLE: READLY

2016-07-10T23:29:00.002-07:00

In an average week, on an average day, I wake up around 5am [thanks, boys], and walk backwards and forwards to school and pre-school every 2.5 hours.

Add to this the time I spend getting them ready for school/preschool/changing nappies, fetching snacks, getting lunches, dinners, and following them around trying to contain the mess [and generally failing, it should be said, as I've already spent ten minutes this evening moaning that I'm having a friend over this week with no hope of it even resembling a home before she gets here] my daytime "me" time is non existent as a rule.

I still have a dream though. It's of me, sitting down, anywhere, without a toy poking at the side of my bottom cheek, hot[ish] tea in hand, reading a magazine - because there are so many I'd like to try - so many headlines sprawled in front of me as I walk the aisle at the supermarket, calling to me.

Yet I rarely buy any. I know that if I did manage to get a magazine in the weekly shop, it would mean spending £3.99 or more [plus around £10 at least for the boys to get a comic just like Momma] for it to get destroyed at home within hours of it crossing the threshold by a drink of squash/sticky lollipop one of the boys were sure they would love but spat out in disgust/pair of scissors in little, over excited hands.

Then a friend of mine introduced me to the Readly app, and for me it's a genius app. Over 1,600 magazine and comic titles that you can spread over five devices. There are so many photography titles that I don't know where to start - and I can read as much as I possibly can, for the fixed price of £7.99 a month. The mister is hoping there are some more MMA magazines added soon, but I'm as happy as a snapping clam learning new tricks on Photoshop! My mum is after the gardening magazines for her gorgeous backyard.

What's even better is that I can also enjoy titles from the USA that I could never hope to find on our high street, like Cesar's Way, Entertain, Decorate, Celebrate and Tea Time. It's quite simply brilliant. You can sign up for a free month's trial thanks to Readly here.

NO WINDMILLS, NO MICE - A PRETTY WOMAN STYLE TRIP TO AMSTERDAM

2016-07-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

Weekends away with friends, for me, are very rare. Non existent even, if you don't count BML16. When a very lovely friend of mine recently suggested a girls' getaway over Summer, just a few of us together on a weekend somewhere we've never been before, I practically fell over myself trying to type that yes, yes, YES, I would be there.

Between the five of us we've covered quite a lot of ground, but one place none of us have never been is Amsterdam. Despite loving the song about mice and windmills, and parrot tulips being one of my very favourite flowers [pink or white ones] I've never even considered it.

As this year we're all also hitting our 40th years, when we started looking into it, we decided we'd stay somewhere very special indeed instead of risking a hotel none of us knew. And so [I'm squealing], we've gone for the very iconic Waldorf Astoria. I've stayed in quite a few Hilton hotels - usually for conferences with work, and so it's usually a natural choice for me - and when I started checking out our accommodation options, I saw there were four different brands of Hilton hotel, all family friendly....but somehow, the lure of a Michelin starred restaurant was too much to resist. I felt a bit less guilty because there's a Summer deal on this year. Slightly.

After asking on Instagram today, there's so much in Amsterdam that I had no idea about! I was excited to see the tulips, but recommendations from friends are to visit the Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank's house, Vondelpark, the Nemo Centre, Amsterdam Zoo - now I'm spoiled for choice! Canal walks and boat trips were highly recommended and everywhere looks so beautiful! All I can think about is how many photographs I can take!

We're going to start planning in a couple of weeks - and so suggestions are welcome as I've been on YouTube looking for trip videos and found the marketing board but not much else yet!! I want to visit Foam myself, but no one I know seems to have been there. So excited for my little adventure!

This is a collaborative post

HOUSEHOLD BUDGETING FOR BEGINNERS

2016-07-01T14:25:00.001-07:00

It's JULY.

Half the year has gone, passed me by and I'm thinking that maybe I just slept from February to now. I vaguely recall promising myself that I would be more organised as a New Year's resolution - meal plan, budget,... you know how it goes at ten minutes to midnight.

So, half a year down and it's probably the right time to get myself together. I've got one boy in school, one in pre-school about to head to school, and baby Hero at home with me, about to dip his toes into the terrible twos this weekend. I'm 40, I should be sensible, accountable, and vaguely feel [even if I don't look] like I know what I'm doing.

The mister had a substantial pay rise last year out of the blue [not that he doesn't deserve it] and you know what? We seem no better off. And that's because of me. I don't budget, I shop carelessly and don't think about the cost, and at the end of the month I'm trying to guess what the bank balance is.

It's quite ridiculous really. This month going forward will be different. I have the most beautiful of budgeting books by Busy B and a weekly planner pad too [they came as a set] which make the daunting task of accounting for everything in our monthly spending quite lovely, really! My budget book is pale blue, my favourite, and very calming.

So, as I love reading about how other people manage their own household budgets, I thought being transparent on here would perhaps help someone else too - and if you're reading this and have any suggestions, chime in.

So this month, I'm just rounding up everything that goes out and seeing where we stand. The pages in my little book make everything quite easy.

Incomings - the easy part. I have a space for regular income [husband's wages] and other income [blogging income] in my book.

Outgoings - the sad part. Under this heading lie:

Direct Debits and Standing Orders

Other Bills

Credit Cards, Store Cards

Daily Expenditure [Groceries, etc]

I'm collecting the receipts from everything I buy and storing them in my little pocket in the book. I also do this so that I can use Receipt Hog and any other of the shopping apps that offer money back on purchases.

It's only the 1st July and I've spent £6.90 today. Bread, butter, chocolate chip muffins and three ice creams from the local Co-Operative on the way home from school. This weekend is Hero's birthday and besides his big present from me and the mister [a giant slide from Little Tikes which we got at a discount as the box was damaged!] we have tea party food to get and his cards. His big family party isn't until August.

So, this month I'm just tracking what is going where. Next I'm going to be looking at my groceries and where ALL of that money goes [besides into my boys' bellies].

PICTURE PERFECT [A WEEK ON INSTAGRAM]

2016-06-29T06:18:00.001-07:00

This week I'm a week late with this post after the last Picture Perfect - getting back into the swing of things after being completely engulfed in school trips, appointments and meetings [not to mention getting stuck in London after the BML conference this past weekend] has been hard - and now this weather?! Ick! Party planning for Hero is feeling a bit soggy at the moment.

I've been so busy I've hardly posted on Instagram - and because of the changes on the platform [grumble, grumble], I've decided to unfollow those people who don't interact with me. I know it's impossible for everyone to like everyone's posts but just collecting followers isn't why I love Instagram so much. It's by far the nicest community amongst the social media platforms, and I'd like to be able to see more posts from people that I connect with instead of trawling though and trying to force interaction with people who are just playing the numbers game.

If you are active on Instagram, come and say hello! We're Keep Up With The Jones Family.

MEET THE GO JETTERS [CBEEBIES MAGAZINE]

2016-06-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

It's a miracle, but somehow I managed to keep the little gifts of a Go Jetter and Vroomster on the new Go Jetters magazine safe for a photograph before they disappeared into the land of trinkets and teeny toys!

This week our Jones boys were SO happy to be the recipients of issue one of the brand new Go Jetters publication. I had to hide in a corner of the living room, behind a seven feet high box that contains Baby Hero's birthday present [it's a surprise, shhh!] and silently flick through the pages so that I could see what was in there myself before thirty excited little fingers got a hold of it.

I say this every time, but I love it. I really do - it's geography based for a start, which means that it's different from the other comics and magazines they enjoy, and there's a workbook in there which means that they will merrily sit together and share out who can do what. They boys are very good at differentiating the tasks in a comic and distributing them to the most suitable candidate. Jensen will read, Lyoto will circle and trace any mazes, and Hero will be given free range over any colouring in. Who puts which sticker where sometimes becomes a little hairy if they're tired, but most of the time - most of the time, they share well. Or Hero runs off with the stickers.

So, now we've ALL had a look at it, what did we think?

We love the gift - it's actually a Go Jetter, not some random object with a Go Jetter sticker on it. And it works! I know the gifts on magazines aren't supposed to be amazing, but you'd be surprised how many just don't work and it's so sad for your little ones when they've essentially picked a comic for the purpose of getting their little hands on the gift, and it's rubbish.

The contents are so varied, and there's something for each of the boys to get excited about, even though it's primarily targeted at Lyoto, being four years old.

Firstly there's a cartoon strip story with fun facts, a colouring page, a little maths - and then a sticker page about Niagara Falls, which sent Jensen running for his atlas to see where it was in the world. They LOVED the pretend and play reward chart in the centre of the comic which has challenges such as, "imagine you're Ubercorn and do a funky dance". Our boys are ALL about the dancing. There are puzzles and ore geography related teasers, and a spot the difference, which is Lyoto's favourite activity at the moment. At the back of the magazine is a make and play Eiffel Tower for the vroomster toy to fly around - and being at the back of the issue means that they aren't asking with the turn of every page to snip it now, now, now!

Blippar is used throughout the comic! The boys get so excited when they see the sign, as it means there are extra surprises hidden on their iPad! As a parent I loved seeing the encouraging Be active! Stay active! symbols over the pages, giving our little people opportunities to stay active.

We're looking forward to seeing where the Go Jetters will head next issue - at £2.99 it's brilliant value and available from newsagents and supermarkets. You can follow on Twitter at @cbeebiesmag.

This is a collaborative post

2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY PLANNING: WILD WEST HERO

2016-06-29T04:39:00.001-07:00

So... Summer.... Hmm....

I'm thanking my stars that I had to change the date of Hero's 2nd birthday party to August instead of keeping it at the start of July. The rain is pelting down here and poor Hero hasn't even been out to get his "bum bounce" of the day on the trampoline. This time two years ago when I was due with Hero, Jensen and I were baking in the sunshine at his reception class teddy bear picnic [and then I went into labour]. Today, daddy is going to be putting his umberella up at Lyoto's, and I'm putting the kettle on for a cup of my favourite hot chocolate.

Anyway, we are party planning. My favourite! I always plan at least a month ahead so that I can buy from overseas if I need to.

After much to-ing and fro-ing, we've settled on a Wild West kind of theme for Hero's second party. Being a Disney family, I'm trying to steer him towards either woody [whom he does love] or Sheriff Callie [which would give me wider scope for cuteness and so I'm now singing the theme over and over in the house to him. It's probably a form of torture.].

In any case, as it's a BBQ at the country park and beach, after last year's event where most of the little ones took to tree climbing, I decided to incorporate some outdoor games! Here's what we have lined up so far, in keeping with our theme....See above for photos!

Rope Toss - so this is like a rodeo! So simple and so much fun...and there's some maths involved.

Teepee - we've decided to have a little teepee tent that we found on a gorgeous site called Wonderlings which has SO many ideas for outdoor games. They can sit outside of it and eat their party food - like a campfire sing along - complete with the cutest cushions from IKEA that don't break the bank.

Tin Can Alley was a natural choice - although we're still undecided whether to buy or customise our own [I'm seeing a DIY post on the way] but they will LOVE this game.

Finally, no Wild West party would be complete without hobby horse racing - the boys adored racing around the Whispering Canyon Café in Walt Disney World on the little horses, and this will bring back some of the sweetest memories for me them.

Dinner plans coming soon - are there any games I've missed that would fit with the theme? I'm considering panning for gold if I can figure out a good way to make that happen!

LEARNING WITH MANIPULATIVES: PIRATE BOOTY GEMS GAME

2016-06-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

We're over at Mum in the Madhouse again this week for her learning with manipulatives series with a favourite game of ours, pirate booty gems, to encourage math skills! Enjoying maths at home really can help to build up confidence with your little ones, especially when you're a pirate.... arrrrr!

PICTURE PERFECT [A WEEK ON INSTAGRAM]

2016-06-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

It's our fourth Picture Perfect post - and after last week's up-to-nothing half term, we're still pretty quiet here - but it's a good quiet. We've been starting to clear the garden, and tomorrow we're off to spend Father's day with Kung Fu Panda! Jensen and I have been on the HMS Victory - and I learned that the S stands for Ship, not Service as I thought.

We hope your week has been exciting - and as always, if you're on Instagram, we'd love to see what you're up to! We're Keep Up With The Jones Family, come and say hi!

TEN STEPS: A LAST MINUTE GUIDE TO BRITMUMS LIVE

2016-06-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Whether you've just got your ticket, or just realised it's only four days away, don't panic! As usual I've left everything to the last minute through procrastination and doubt over whether I would in fact make it to the conference this year - but I'm pulling it together and sharing my ten steps to be ready for Britmums Live 2016.

1. Pull out your best bag. See mine above? I'm still in love with it! My Radley is pretty much my security blanket and I feel as though if I have it, and everything I manage to fit into it, then all will be okay. Make sure yours is comfortable, big, and you aren't ashamed to be seen with it. This is the only bag I have without crumbs in the lining, pen stains or sticky sweeties and toys.

2. Make sure you have somewhere to sleep if you're staying. No curling up with your sleeping bag on the steps of the Brewery. I'm bunking in with the very lovely Debbie from An Organised Mess at the M by Montcalm, like last year. It's halved the cost and now I have someone to taxi with.

3. If you haven't made business cards, or you can't justify the cost of a whole batch of new ones, here's the cheapest way I've found - Square Snaps. Upload a your details as a graphic and print out 30 little cards for £5.99 - you're going to be mainly sharing them with new blogging friends so don't worry that they aren't on the best cardstock ever.

4. Empty your suitcase. Throw everything in the corner if you have to. Just make sure you have it!

5. Book your train ticket if you're commuting that way. South West trains now have a one day off-peak return for £16. Two of those cost way less than a normal return ticket.

6. Camera, Phone, charger. So long as you have those, that's all the technology you need. Do. Not. Forget. Your. Charger.

7. Taxi fare. Stop at the cashpoint on your way to London for some cash. Taxis, a drink afterwards - it always comes in handy and it's so annoying when you're caught out.

8. Paracetamol/ibuprofen. We all panic and headaches ruin the day. Pack some!

9. Tweet someone you know before you get there - or find someone tweeting about Britmums Live on the way there. Arrange to meet before you reach the doors of the Brewery. That way there's going to be at least one person you can walk in with and chat to, calming your nerves - and you've made a new friend! This is how I met Debbie. It's a very important tip.

10. Pull up the Britmums agenda - even on the train. Make a note of what, and who, you want to see in a list. Put it in your bag.

Now breathe. You - and I - can do this.

[SECOND] TIME FOR TELETUBBIES...

2016-06-15T15:30:00.001-07:00

This week we've been watching the new Teletubbies episodes on CBeebies. We love CBeebies - it's home to our most beloved characters - Mr. Bloom, Mr. Tumble, Sid and Rebecca - and so we were excited to see what the new Teletubbies was like!

My first niece used to watch [and love] La La in the late 1990s and although I wasn't a fan then at all - mainly because I thought it was dumbing down children's language skills by modelling an incorrect pronunciation of words [superb pre-parenting at 21] I did wonder if if might be a mom thing, and this time around I'd like them.

But then that doesn't matter, because it wasn't made for me, and just as I have feelings about this show, my boys don't appreciate why I love How I Met Your Mother so much either. So, the boys all sat together to watch Teletubbies "Ballet" episode, and I watched them as they did it, without interfering.

Hero was captured from the moment the baby's face appeared on the sunshine and shouted, "Bay-bee!" loudly to everyone. He laughed and sang hello at every one of the Teletubbies that popped up, greeting them all individually and replying to them every time they said "ehh-oh" too, pointing and showing his brothers in case they missed it.

Hero wasn't as interested in the Tiddly Tubbies - mini versions of the Dipsy and friends - as Lyoto and Jensen were, being older and understanding that these were mini versions of La La and company - but Noo Noo made him laugh as he appeared on screen, and the bunnies on the hills were a huge hit. He clapped and jumped up and down, watching the little bunnies on the screen.

Sat with his brothers he wasn't as interested in the children appearing on Dipsy's tummy to show him their ballet show, but if he wasn't sat with his big brothers and was alone with just mommy to watch tv with, he might have been a bit more interested in what other children were up to.

Overall, it went very well! He was engaged, fully, for the entire episode and sat contentedly as it ended. Whether the big or little Teletubbies will become favourites we'll see in time, but for now, for his first ever episode, he was pretty impressed.

You can watch Teletubbies on CBeebies at 7a.m. weekdays, or BBC iPlayer!

I am a member of the Mumsnet Bloggers Panel, a group of parent bloggers who have volunteered to review products, services, events and brands for Mumsnet. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.

A PARTY EDITOR'S GUIDE TO AN ELEGANT BRITMUMS LIVE 2016

2016-06-13T14:19:00.001-07:00

Red, white and blue flowers?! It must be time for Britmums Live! We're over at the Britmums site, talking about how to prepare for the most exciting social networking event of the blogging year!

Come on over - are you going? Have you been before? What's your best tip for a happy, stress free conference?

OUR CHEESE, OUR RULES: JOIN THE CLUB

2016-06-13T03:09:00.000-07:00

Love cheese? Welcome to the club. Yet I still find it incredible that I only began to eat cheese when I met my husband. Before then, besides squeezy spread at law school, I just wasn't a fan.

These days, I'm not sure I go a day without eating it - and we were delighted when we were invited to join Cathedral City in celebrating their relaunch and share our own "Cheese Rules" - how we eat cheese in our house. I'm pretty sure we all have our own habits. I'll call mine a peccadillo, instead of a weird obsession because it sounds prettier. The Cathedral City campaign has one of our favourite celebrities ever at the forefront - David Jason - and any "club" that has him as a member is one we want to be in.

Cathedral City's survey of our nation's cheese habits was amazing - apparently 1 in 5 of us love cheese more than social media. Instagram or cheese? Hmmm..... We identified very quickly with the 43% who eat cheese on Saturdays as a rule. There's a quiz on their Facebook page to identify what kind of cheese lover you are, even! Apparently I'm disappointing - but I think that's because I wouldn't give up Instagram when asked ;) You can win a year's supply of cheese if you have a go though!

Anyhow, here's our Cheese Rule. There's only one rule that's important when it comes to Cathedral City cheddar in our house - and everyone knows it. It has to do with the grater. Cheese should be light, fluffy and beautiful in presentation on the plate. Lazy, waxy chunks of cheddar will not be gracing our mealtimes!

Even our two biggest boys know which side of the grater is to be used - and I don't remember the last time that any other side was in operation.

To demonstrate the deliciousness and superiority of the finer grated cheddar, we've served up some loaded Hasselback potatoes for lunch. Normally they're just prepared with butter and herbs, but we like to make our into a bit more of a spectacle in the hopes that the boys [potato hating children] will want to try them. So far, no dice.

Here's what you will need to make our fancy baked potatoes...

Cathedral City Cheddar

Waxy Potatoes [Charlotte]

Sea Salt [Pepper if you like it]

Pancetta

Unsalted Butter

Sour Cream

I'm not specifying quantities because it will depend on how many potatoes you use as to how much you need - and how much of each topping you'd like!

Of course, you can add more and different toppings that you like.

Our recipe is the simplest ever and perfect for BBQ time or summer picnics!

I forgot the chives for these ones but they were still completely delicious - and the remaining grated cheese was hoovered up by the boys, who apparently needed, "just a little bit" more...and a little bit more after that, too.

What's YOUR cheese rule?

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This is a collaborative post with Cathedral City

EDUCATIONAL PLAY THE SCHLEICH WAY

2016-06-10T15:11:00.001-07:00

I'll admit that since my boys took an interest in playing with toys, I've generally bought licensed characters that they recognise. Fireman Sam, Mickey Mouse, Bing, Jake and the Neverland Pirates - each one of them has a pre-determined character and leaves little room for imagination in that sense. That's not to say that my boys don't enjoy imaginative games with them - but I never thought of purchasing what I previously thought of as old fashioned, run of the mill plastic animals. Until April of this year, that is.

We stayed in a huge country house in Herefordshire as I taught my first photography course to a group of very lovely bloggers. My family were there to support me [and cook], and the boys were delighted to find that the home owners had some toys for them to play with - which included two big boxes of Schleich wild animals.

You know those moments that make you want to hug yourself with joy? As I was clearing up the petals of a thousand flowers from the courtyard one of the afternoons, I caught sight of Jensen and Lyoto squatting on the rocky border of the garden, next to huge bamboo bushes. They were playing with the animals - who were on a wild adventure together. I stayed back, just watching - and they were so animated, much more than with any other toy I've seen them with in a long time. When we said goodbye to the animals they were pretty sad and asked if Father Christmas might bring them some. Aww.

This week they were so excited to receive four Schleich animals in the post to play with - and we've been learning about Schleich's hopes for children's play diet. Their brochure, Educational Play the Schleich Way, guides parents to feed their children a healthy diet of playing in various ways.

We took a look at the brochure - from the point of view of a parent and former teacher - and found it pretty interesting. Play is broken down into a myriad of different forms and the benefits of each are discussed with suggestions for activities.

Co-Operative Play

Sharing has always been relatively easy to accomplish with my boys - it's the next step, teamwork, that's a little harder. The drive to win or be first is very strong in little people - and so any way that they can join forces instead of competing against each other, is always welcomed with open arms!

Developing Early Language Skills through Play

There's no doubt that not being able to express yourself properly leads to frustration - and if you're little, tantrums. Oinking like a pig and rarrrrring like a scary dinosaur doesn't need translating - everyone is included and little ones begin to feel happier attempting to express themselves. We loved seeing the gender issue addressed in the brochure - as a mom of three boys I often feel that the positive you-can-be-whatever-you-want-to-be gender message doesn't quite apply as freely to boys who want to play with dolls, or dress up - and that makes me very sad.

Out and About Play

This one is so important when you have more than one child to occupy and only one of you. We loved all of the ideas as they're exactly what we like to get up to! Telling stories [ours feature some a mischievous character called Mr. Bull who likes to try and take our pancakes repeatedly] playing I-Spy and taking a little toy with them who can experience whatever exclusion we're on. The familiarity is comforting to them, and they love packing little suitcases or bags for trips. The brochure points out that entire world is one big classroom. I loved that - I just wish our government understood it - or at least took it onboard.

WE'RE ALL FRIENDS: MR. TUMBLE'S SOMETHING SPECIAL INTERACTIVE MAGAZINE

2016-06-09T06:12:00.003-07:00

Hello, hello, how are you? Hello, hello, it's good to see you...

Friends, friends, what can you do with friends?

I can't remember a day when I haven't sung these songs, either to myself or with the boys. Aunt Polly might be my favourite, but there's a special place in my heart for Mr. Tumble. Hero loves joining in with the Makaton signing part and gets so excited seeing all of the children on there, doing the same as he is.

We've been enjoying the Something Special interactive magazine this week - and the special gifts that came with it.

Generally the boys are most attracted to magazines with toys or gifts on the front of them, regardless of content, and when Something Special popped through the letterbox, they weren't disappointed. A little hand puppet of bedtime Mr. Tumble, a notepad and pencil along with a magnifying glass and binoculars.

The second thing that they then search for are the stickers. In the middle of the Something Special magazine were indeed a set of stickers but because we were reviewing this magazine instead of just consuming it, I swatted their little fingers away so we could actually see what the stickers were meant for and what Mr. Tumble wanted us to do.

The magazine is a refreshing change from most - it's inclusive. Each of the boys, nearly 2, 4 and 6 were able to access it in some way and there were no five page long cartoon stories that get read once at bedtime and never again.

We Loved...

That Mr. Tumble's gifts were appropriate to and incorporated in the flow of the magazine - there's a little diagram showing you how to put bedtime Tumble together at the beginning - and at the back of the book, a mobile to make for bedtime, the Makaton signing for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and a blanket to cut out for bedtime Mr. Tumble to use.

How the magazine followed the same pattern of the show - the, "When you see it, wave or say BOO!", and also had an actual order to the issue, based on Mr. Tumble's day.

The stories being interactive - drawing himself dancing next to Mr. Tumble was Lyoto's happiest moment after school, as he giggled about his apparent "funky moves".

Having so many varied activities in the magazine - spotting, signing, talking, colouring, cutting out and sticking, writing, drawing - and best of all, watching Mr. Tumble on our own Tumble Tap - thanks to Blippar!

We've used Blippar before with other magazines, and the boys get so excited when they see the B sign. If you haven't seen this before, it's a downloadable app which recognises symbols in the magazine and directs you to a video clip or game to watch or play. We've seen Mr. Tumble painting and all sorts thanks to Blippar this issue!

That it's relevant to the boys. Mr Tumble lives in our time, does things that we do [although he is pretty funny] and he's relatable. The activities are purposeful as well as being fun, and we got a lot out of them.

The magazine is great value for the £3.99 price tag - and although we were sent one to review, I can guarantee it won't be the last copy we own.

This is a collaborative post

GARDEN SNAKES [BOSTIK BLOGGERS]

2016-06-09T02:46:00.001-07:00

This month's Bostik Bloggers theme is the jungle. I thought it would be Father's Day and so got a bit of a surprise when I opened the box to see safari themed paper and pipe cleaners. As it was inset day today for Jensen, I let him choose the craft.

Beads everywhere and six little hands busily scrambling for the "best" ones, we made our garden snakes, and hid them outside. Nearly every morning we find a neighbour's cat trying to attack one of the slowworms that live in our garden, and so the boys decided these might be good decoys so that the little lizards could get away from the clutches of their false predators.

They're the simplest craft to make, and all you need are...

C'EST LA VIE: lights by TENA

2016-06-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

Bum bounce. Bum bounce. BUMMMM BOUNCCCCCCCCE!

I hear these words at least seven or eight times an hour as Hero pleads with me to join him on the trampoline in the back garden. Let’s forget that my body, post three huge baby boys, is hardly trampoline-ready, or that the neighbours can see me each time I grace the meshy, spring loaded octagon - because I can cope with both of those issues in return for the happiness on my baby boy’s face that his momma is playing bouncy with him.

It’s the other issue...the one I quite literally have to take in my stride. My poor bladder. Or rather, its weakness.

Scientifically speaking, apparently one in three of us suffer post childbirth - although I don't understand why they call it weakness, when my body has endured approximately 28+ months of babies squishing it about from the inside out. The very fact it's still in my body and functioning at all is a miracle, but still. C'est la vie. You know, like when your boys use the peonies you've lovingly grown as tractor soup in their mud kitchen.

And because it IS life, TENA have asked us to spread that message, over and over. I'm done with being embarrassed. I'll trampoline, run, sneeze without fear [most times] because lights by TENA take away the potential for public humiliation on the trampoline. The new lights by TENA products are five times drier [hooray!] and the feel fresh technology keeps me from feeling [or smelling] like I'm wearing a nappy thankfully.

Truthfully I've had plenty of Oooops moments - and times I've quite literally crossed my legs and prayed when coughing - but that's okay. It's not as taboo as it used to be - because it shouldn't be. It's normal. My boys are growing up knowing what lights by TENA are for - as evidenced by my self-proclaimed superhero, TENA-Man, who answered the door to the postman in his full regalia that day.

lights by TENA want to bring this issue into the open, to normalise it - and you can help, by sharing your own Oooops moment on their Facebook page for the chance to win a £100 Debenhams voucher or a spa break for two! It doesn't have to relate to your poor, over worked under appreciated bladder - it can be anything at all that's made you throw your arms in the air and surrender to life's ridiculousness. Just pop along to their page and comment on the relevant post - and don't forget to request your own free sample.

Hurry over and show some support to all of us who've had more Oooops moments than we care to remember - the campaign is running now until July 6th!

WHAT KIND OF A MUM ARE YOU AND DOES IT MATTER?

2016-06-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

However you choose to parent your children, you’ll probably always question certain elements of it. The trouble is that we have so many peers to compare ourselves with, and when you’re having a bad day as a mum, you’re bound to run into someone who seems to be doing the whole thing perfectly - with not a hair out of place.

Their kids are always clean and tidy, with hair brushed and co-ordinated outfits. They’re not only doing swimming and ballet after school, but they’re also learning to play a musical instrument. If you had to guess the mum’s star sign, maybe she’s a Taurus woman - confident, focus and practical. She’s probably a career woman who manages her kids as well as she manages her colleagues. You might feel scatty and disorganised in comparison (maybe you’re a Virgo or a Sagittarius?) but does it matter if your kids are happy and having fun?

The pressure that other mothers can unwittingly (most of the time), put on others is enormous, but if a mum just goes with her instinct and mothers in a way that is natural to her, she generally won’t go too far wrong.

We’re all different and have different approaches on life. It’s probable that if you’re a tidy and controlled kind of person, you’ll bring up your children so that they keep their rooms tidy and don’t act out with a tantrum in public. But your kids have their own characters and there’s no guarantee that they’ll toe the line in terms of behaviour. An organised mum might end up having the most outrageously behaved child. Whatever you get, you just have to deal with it in the best way you can.

Some women find they change totally with motherhood. They go from being the most organised person in the world to not being able to leave the house without going back three times for things they’ve forgotten. Others who were carefree and never planned ahead suddenly become master strategists, planning out their and the kids’ time to the last minute and living life on a routine that runs like clockwork.

So where do you fit on the mummy scale - at one end you’ve got the authoritarian who has control of their kids’ every move decision and at the other, the permissive parent who lets their kids do and have what they want? When you get the play-dough out, are you manically picking up the bits they drop on the floor, and more worried about the mess than if anyone’s having fun? Or when you and the kids make fairy cakes, do you allow them free rein with the sugar and flour so that the kitchen looks like a snow scene, leaving the clean-up til later, when the cakes have been baked and enjoyed?

Pregnancy releases all kinds of different hormones to equip your body and mind to be ready to be a mum, to protect and nurture the baby you’re carrying and will give birth to. A seemingly automatic side-effect that becoming a mum also seems to trigger is the ability to feel guilty about pretty much any aspect of the way she mothers her children - if she allows herself to. Even the perfect mums you aspire to be like probably worry if they’re doing this motherhood thing right.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter which mum category you fall into - and you’re most likely not to fit neatly into any one stereotype. All that matters is that you love your kids and that you’ll always be there for them. A child couldn’t ask for more than that!

PICTURE PERFECT: A WEEK ON INSTAGRAM

2016-06-07T12:03:00.002-07:00

So much for saying last week that we'd be doing more this week! Half term bought with it awful weather, a miserable virus that gave everyone coughs and temperatures [and runny noses], and we hardly got out at all... This week has got to be better, right?

If you're on Instagram, we'd love to see what you're up to! We're Keep Up With The Jones Family, come and say hi!

SPRINGTIME FLOWER WREATH DIY TUTORIAL

2016-06-07T06:16:00.000-07:00

It's not very often that you get any time to do something purely for the joy of it - and so when my mom and dad came to stay for a few days, I managed to steal a few minutes to myself at the table and whip up one of my favourite decorations - a flower wreath.

I promise you that they're the easiest to make and so beautiful around the house and garden - and I'll show you how you can make one below, in about ten minutes!

I'm slightly in love with it.

This is everything you're going to need. I got my wreath rings on Amazon in a pack of 10, along with some floral wire which was around £1 for a spool. The moss comes from the forest generally [although in this case, it comes from my mom and dad after they finished setting up their hanging baskets], and the flowers I cut from my garden and bought from the market.

Push clumps of moss through the two bars of the wreath. Watch out for little friends, if you know what I mean! They love hiding in moss! Hold the visitor-free moss in place and wind some of the floral wire around to secure. Repeat this until all of your ring is covered. The wire is dark and so it's well camouflaged.

When your wreath is fully stuffed with moss, you can start to add the flowers - position them where you like, tucking into the moss to disguise ends of stems, and using the wire, secure those too.

And that's everything you need to know. It really is that simple!

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NAPTIME FOR HERO WITH THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE

2016-06-04T06:10:00.002-07:00

Shhhh..... It's naptime.

I love pyjamas - the boys have an overflowing trunk in their bedroom that we refer to as the pyjama box. I put in in their bedroom so that at night they would be able to pick their own sleepwear and help with the bedtime routine. The trouble is, it's full of pyjamas that the boys love so much that they just won't part with. Jensen still has Hallowe'en pyjamas from three years ago that he tries [and very often succeeds in] squeezing into.

Poor Baby Hero though - the third child and the pyjamas hand-me-downs from his brothers mean that only on special occasions [Christmas, Easter, Hallowe'en] does he get a new set of PJs - so this morning's happy mail of not one but two pairs of Thomas pyjamas made him so happy that after digging in the compost [see nails in photographs for proof] he decided he would shed his soggy clothes and wear him new, soft Thomas togs for nap time today.

They're very generous in size and super soft. They also have the envelope kind of neck which for me has good points and bad - good, in that after bath time I don't have to yank them over a damp head whilst they blame me for trying to push their heads into their rib cages, and bad because they always seem to go saggy and leave their little chests exposed in colder months.

I'll ask him what he thought about them when he wakes up, but I do know he was very keen to cuddle Thomas on his belly as he fell asleep today...and I'm doubting I'll be very successful in getting them off him when he wakes up this afternoon. He's lucky he's so cute!

The pyjamas as available in Tesco and form part of a collection of Thomas & Friends outfits in soft cotton like our pyjamas [which are very snuggly] and are available now in sizes Newborn to 18/24 months.

This is a collaborative post