Monthly Archives: November 2013

Boomer 2 in 1 Balance Bike – The coolest wheels around

30 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by in Baby and toddler products, Walking

≈ 9 Comments

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I’ve been looking at balance bikes for a while.

I was completely ignorant as to what balance bikes actually were until I had a baby. The concept of a bike without pedals didn’t make sense to me. It wasn’t until I saw a toddler scooting about on one, to then move gracefully (and easily) to a bike without stabilisers that I realised balance bikes were the way forward.

I’ve always been a big fan of wooden toys so, initially, when looking at potential balance bikes for my three year old, I was drawn to the wooden ones. But then I saw this review of a Boomer Bike at Not Another Mummy Blog.

Boomer Balance Bike

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Getting outside and off the sofa (again)

28 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by in Family, Fitness, Motherhood, Play

≈ 18 Comments

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walks outside It was a cold afternoon. As we trudged up the hill towards home after a morning of work and pre-school, the wind bit into our bare hands. With a stinking cold and a banging headache all I wanted to do was curl up on the sofa and hibernate for the afternoon.

We fell through the door and took off our hats and scarves. My three year old requested CBeebies and a cup of warm milk and I duly obliged. Half an hour later, we were still there, snuggled up on the sofa, bathed by the warm glow of Mr Bloom and friends.  Continue reading »

The Nativity play rehearsal

28 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by in Behaviour, Seasonal

≈ 8 Comments

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My daughter is in a Christmas play. It’s her first Christmas play, she is three.

I am already fearful of the big day. It’s not the concern over crying in public (although, knowing me, I will be an emotional wreck). It’s not even the immense feeling of parental responsibility at helping her learn her lines. No. It’s something far, far worse.

At pre-school drop-off yesterday, I was given a sheet of paper with lyrics to the songs in Frog’s Christmas play. Contained within the package was a CD. Oh good, I thought, we can have a jolly sing-a-long when she gets home this afternoon. I pictured some good mother-daughter bonding. Possibly even an early mug of mulled wine for Mummy. We made an imaginary stage and Frog stepped behind the curtain… Continue reading »

Win a selection of toddler snacks worth £50!

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Baby and toddler products, Weaning and eating

≈ 13 Comments

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Kiddylicious

When it comes to food and kids, you just can’t win. Well, that’s my experience anyway. Despite having a good healthy diet and doing most of our cooking from scratch, my three year old will always ask for chocolate when I collect her from pre-school. Without fail. “Mummy, I want chocolate now. Mummy, can I have sweeties?” I must admit, I occasionally give in to the whining (I’m a big believer in picking your battles wisely) but will often try and distract the requests with an offering of fruit.

The thing is, sometimes (OK – often) kids don’t want “healthy fruit”. They want “tasty chocolate”. Just like adults, they want a treat, something that’s a bit special and naughty. That’s where the range of snacks from Kiddylicious come in. They tick both the “treat” and the “healthy” boxes. Continue reading »

Escaping the darkness

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Home

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I have jars aplenty. Cushions are scattered around my house in abundance. Candles line shelves and framed photos sit on cupboards. But the one vital interiors accessory we are missing from our home at the moment? Lights.

A couple of months ago I invested in a new floor lamp. The day it was delivered, two other lamps in the room promptly broke. With much of our stuff still in storage since our move to South Devon a few months ago, I couldn’t find one of the hundreds of strings of fairy lights I know we own. So, we are currently flitting between hospital-like bright lights and sheer darkness.  Continue reading »

Treating myself, just because

21 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by in Home, Motherhood

≈ 17 Comments

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Do you ever find that, as a parent, you put yourself at the bottom of the list? I do. Constantly. Whether it’s drinking a cup of tea while it’s still hot or giving myself the luxury of more than two minutes in the shower, I’m not very good at being kind to myself. To be honest, I always think “be kind to yourself” sounds a bit sappy. I’m more of the “buckle down and get on with it” school of thought. I blame it on my northern husband.

I was recently given the opportunity to test out the site Topcashback. As the name suggests, you earn cash back on your purchases through the site. Lots of retailers are signed up – from fashion brands to utilities companies. Each retailer offers different amounts of money back, from the odd percent right up to as much as 20 percent. The money comes from the commission they pay Topcashback for your custom (you click a link to their site through Topcashback), some of which is then paid back into your own account. Anyway, I had planned to buy something for Christmas – maybe a present for my three year old or something to decorate the house with. But I didn’t.  Continue reading »

Granny chic and a bit of ethical shopping

20 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Fashion, Home, Seasonal

≈ 9 Comments

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There’s something very pleasing about shopping with independent traders. For me, this is the time of year when the lesser-known brands come into their own, offering items that are a little bit different, made with love, and perfect for giving at Christmas.

If you’re a fan of farmers markets, craft markets and those gorgeous independent shops dotted around high streets up and down the country, you will love MyHigh.St.

I discovered this website while browsing online recently, searching for pretty interiors accessories with a difference. It features products made by independent traders based from the across the UK and comes from a team based in (my beloved) West Country. It’s ethical, often handmade, often vintage, pretty, delicious and vibrant.  Continue reading »

Running down hills – hypermobility loses again

14 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by in Walking

≈ 8 Comments

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Hills

I still find it hard to believe that Frog only started walking a little over a year ago, aged two years old. When I look at her now, I realise just how far she has come.

Moving to a new area has meant joining a completely new hospital system. Frog still has ongoing issues with her hypermobile joints – issues that may never go away completely. For example, she needs hospital-issue insoles in her shoes to correct her lack of instep and relieve the pressure on her knees and hips. In the future, she may need more physiotherapy treatment and – if she still suffers from hyper lax joints when she’s older – she may experience added discomfort during pregnancy. People with hypermobility are also sometimes prone to early arthritis, which is a bit of a bummer. (There’s more information about hypermobility and some of the symptoms on the NHS Choices website.) Continue reading »

Journeying off the sofa

13 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by in Family, Play

≈ 15 Comments

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walk

Do you ever have days where you just can’t wait until bedtime?

I had a week like that recently. As soon as daylight pierced my eyelids it was all I could do not to dive back under the duvet. I was tired, overwhelmed by a few things and a bit stressed. My 3 year old was having tantrums and, well, it was just one of those weeks.

On the Sunday evening I sighed a sigh of resignation as I mentally prepared for the week ahead, expecting more tantrums and exhaustion. Rather than start the week with a feeling of doom, I decided to write a list. I’m good at lists. They help me order my brain and have a calming effect.  Continue reading »

Girls don’t jump in puddles

11 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in Baby and toddler products, Motherhood, Style

≈ 17 Comments

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Wellies

My daughter is three years old. She likes crafting, colouring and anything glittery. She likes reading stories and painting pictures and watching CBeebies.

She also likes jumping in puddles.

It came as a bit of a surprise, then, to see a huge banner on the wall in the kids’ section of a well known shoe store recently. “Because girls love comfort and style, we design both into our shoes” it said. And then, on another wall, “Because boys test their shoes to destruction, so do we”.  Continue reading »