Chopsticks please Mama!

Ben likes to do everything we do and sometimes he really amazes me at how quickly he picks things up like he did last Friday night.

We were having a chinese takeaway so thought we would be authentic and use chopsticks for a change. On seeing them, Ben immediately wanted a go. So I gave him a pair of kids chopsticks and showed him how to use them. Within minutes he was off picking up his food and happily eating away. I may be biased but think that's a pretty good achievement for a 22 month old!

Silent Sunday

Ben definitely knows what he wants!

Earlier today I asked Ben if he wanted chicken for tea and he said 'No Mama'. I then said 'Do you want ham?' to be told 'No ham, Mama'. So I decided to let it up to him and said 'What do you want?' to which he replied 'Eggs Mama'. I said 'Do you want an omelette so?' and he said 'Yes nomlette!' while clapping his hands. This little toddler certainly knows what he wants!

Ben's top iPad / iPhone app this week: Toddler Puzzle Shapes

Toddler Puzzle Shapes by Technolio Inc is a very simple app yet educational. Being so simple I thought Ben would quickly get bored of it but this has not been the case, he really seems to enjoy playing it and loads it time and time again when he gets hold of my iPad.

There are two games, a shape matching one and a puzzle game.  In the shape matching game you are presented with a number of shapes and a flashing outline of a shape which you have to drag and drop the correct one in to.  A voice prompts you by saying 'Where is the triangle?' or 'Find the hexagon?' etc.  If the correct shape is selected it praises you by saying such things such as 'Yippee!' or 'Clever!' and similarly if an incorrect one is selected it says 'Uh-oh!' or 'Oops!'. Ben usually repeats the name of the shape after the voice prompt which is excellent for learning shape names.

Shape matching game

The other game is a Puzzle game where you have to put four jigsaw pieces in the correct places to make a picture. When you select a piece, the place where it belongs begins to flash which I think is a good idea as it helps toddlers learn how to do puzzles. Ben has become quite quick at doing these puzzles now and I think it has helped him playing other puzzle games and jigsaws.

Puzzle game

Another feature worth mentioning is the fact that this app supports multiple languages including English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish so is ideal for bilingual children.

Ben busy matching shapes

The app is free to download from App Store and is available for the iPad and iPhone. It is well worth installing in my opinion!

My favourite Baby Item this week: Pink Lining Yummy Mummy Changing Bag

I love my changing bag. It is pink, it is girly and it fits everything I need and more for my baby boy. Having a boy things means I am surrounded by lots of blue and as a bit of a girly girl I was very happy to find my Yummy Mummy Pink Lining changing bag which allows me to indulge in all things pretty and pink.

Ben loves filling my bag with his toys before we go out

My love for my bag goes beyond the girliness it allows me though, it is fantastic quality and is functionally brilliant with room for snacks, toys and all the rest of your baby paraphernalia. It has a pocket for everything you could ask for including decent long pockets for nappies and wipes, thermo-insulated pockets, a zip one handy for valuables, space for a mobile phone, pen loop, key fob, and even a detachable mirror. It also comes with a lovey padded change mat and zip plastic bag which is great if you have any thing wet to store and as the trademark shocking pink lining is water resistant, if you do have any spills it is easy to clean. My bag has ladybugs, snails and flowers on it and there have been many occasions when I have been changing Ben and managed to distract him with them.

Pink Lining do a range of changing bags, with the Yummy Mummy ones probably the best known. I got mine at the Baby Show but I have seen them on sale in John Lewis and Harrods, you can also buy them online at the Pink Lining website or find your nearest stockist using the store locater. The Yummy Mummy bag usually costs about £75 and is definitely worth every penny in my opinion.

I have been using this bag for about eighteen months now - probably the longest I've ever used a bag without getting bored of it or it breaking. I can thoroughly recommend this bag - it's pretty and girly yet has all the functionality you need when out with your baby and it definitely helps to make you feel a yummy mummy.

Nana, gone!

My mom has gone back and as usual the visit went far too quick. I miss her. I hate that feeling when she leaves. It's hard to explain but I guess it's kind of a lonely feeling for awhile after she goes back. It's gotten harder to say goodbye since I had Ben, I think once you become a parent yourself you suddenly see your own parents in a different light and value what they have done for you. I know I do.

The first thing Ben said to me this morning was 'Nana, gone!'. He had such a lovely time with his Nana. She adores him and he can't get enough of her. All Ben wanted to do was play with his Nana and entertain her with his singing, dancing and climbing while she was here. She was amazed at how much he has changed since she saw him in May. It was funny hearing him say 'Nana down floor, play cars' and catching her by the hand and leading her into his room to get the toys he wanted. She said it brought back memories to her of when my brother and I were young and my brother used to order play with our Nana in the same way. I found it really sweet to see Ben give his Nana so many kisses and hugs. To say he only sees her every few months they really do have a special bond.

'Nana, down floor, play!'

'Train Nana, train!'

Nana, plane!

My mom is coming to visit tomorrow and I am really looking forward to seeing her but more than anything I am looking forward to her seeing Ben and vice versa. My mom is completely besotted with her little grandson so I know she can't wait to get here and give him lots of hugs and kisses. She hasn't seen him since the start of May and even in that short time Ben has changed so much. He is now taller, chattier, can really communicate and is an accomplished climber amongst other things. She is in for a bit of a shock I reckon and I expect he will scare her to death with his daredevil antics scaling the furniture.

I have been telling Ben for the last few days that Nana is coming to visit. He would nod and clap at me when I told him but I wasn't completely sure he understood. However yesterday, my husband asked Ben who was coming on Tuesday and he replied 'Nana', when asked how she was getting here he told us 'plane'. One of the first thing things Ben said to me this morning after waking was 'Nana, plane' and he must have said it another ten times at least today with a big smile on his face. I can't wait to see both their expressions tomorrow at the airport. It's going to be a fun two days!


Ben & his Nana in May

Our visit to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground

Yesterday we decided to make the most of the lovely sunny day and head over to the Princess Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens which is alongside Hyde Park. We had been there before as we used to live right by it, but this was the first time Ben got to experience this magical playground for himself. The playground, which is free to enter, was opened on 30th June in memory of Princess Diana and it is a very fitting tribute to her, more of a wonderland than playground inspired by Peter Pan.

It was pretty busy when we arrived which meant we had a short queue as they operate a twenty out, twenty in system. I took Ben to look at the Elfin Oak which is at the entrance to the playground while my husband queued. The Elfin Oak is an ornate carved trunk covered with lots of beautifully painted elves, gnomes, small animals and fairytale creatures who look like they live in the park. I have always loved this so it was lovely to finally show Ben who was fascinated by all the little people and in particular a little white mouse. He did lots of pointing and saying 'oh wow!'

Once inside the playground there are lots of different areas to explore. Our first stop was a little play area with wooden houses, a wobbly horse and Ben's favourite, a tractor and trailer. Ben made a beeline for it and the tractor seat soon became Ben's chair. He spent ages 'vroom vroom-ing' and 'beep-beep-ing' on it and was reluctant to leave.

Next stop was the sand area which is great for babies and toddlers with wooden boats and a wooden crocodile amongst other things. This was Ben's first proper time playing with sand and he couldn't get enough of it. He was in his element digging, filling his bucket, emptying it and filling it again. He was amazed at the sand, loving picking up fistfuls of it and watching the grains fall through his hands. I think he could have quiet happily have sat there for the rest of the day but there was lots more to see.

The centerpiece is the large wooden pirate ship with it's surrounding beach. The pirate ship is fantastic for older kids who like to climb and explore with a crows nest, lots of cabins, ropes and pulleys and most importantly the ships wheel which they all seem to scramble to control. Ben went straight for the beach area and he was in his element playing with the squishy wet sand and splashing in the puddles. The kids seemed to have a little system going with the older ones fetching buckets of water and sand and the younger ones like Ben having fun making a joyful mess with it. There really was lots of very happy kids who were strangers to each other playing away together - it was lovely to watch!

It was off to see the teepees next in the Indian camp which Ben enjoyed running about and hiding in, this follows through a large climbing area to the sensory trail which is fantastic with lots of music and sound features for kids to experiment with. Ben's favourite thing here were the large wooden chimes which he really enjoyed. We had to prise the 'hammer' as he called it from his hand so the other kids could play. Yes, lots of tears resulted but were quickly forgotten when we got him an ice cream in the cafe which serves snacks and refreshments.

Ben had a fantastic time at the 'big park' (as he refers to it) and we will most certainly be going back again and again...

Silent Sunday

Ben's top iPad / iPhone app this week: Baby DJ

This week I am going to tell you about an app which Ben has been having a lot of fun with. It's called Baby DJ and as the name suggests it's a music app which allows your baby to be a DJ.

When you load the app you can choose between eight songs, three of which are free with the others costing 69p each. We have stuck to the free ones which are Jellyfish, both Ben and my favourite song - I like it for the actual song and he likes it mostly because of the pictures on the tracks especially the puppy and the mouse; Winter, a Christmas themed song and Wings which is the latest free one added. Once you select your song a screen with nine tracks is loaded and options to record, play and listen to recordings are displayed. You can play all the tracks by selecting the play control or you can select which individual beats you want to play by touching the tracks required. Also, if you are using the iPad app you can adjust the volume control on the individual tracks by using the pinch gesture. I really like this feature and once I showed Ben he got the hang of it straight away. You can record your creations by selecting the record button and once recorded you can playback or email your mix. I really like the email functionality and used it to impress Ben's Daddy with one of Ben's mixes the other day while he was at work. My only negative about this app is the location of the control buttons as Ben has hit the option buttons by mistake while playing which can be annoying.

Ben, like most toddlers loves music. I know when he wants to play this app because he says 'music, dance, dance!' and grabs for the iPad. He has lots of fun stopping and starting the various tracks and adjusting the volumes to make different mixes. He usually bops along to the beats and often has a little dance around the iPad while his music is playing. I love watching him play this and enjoy helping him too. We have a lot of fun with this app!

Baby DJ is free to download from the app store and is available for both iPad and iPhone. Guaranteed you'll enjoy it as much as your little one :).

My Little DJ hard at work!

Enjoying his tunes :)

My favourite Baby Item this week: Clevamama Transparent Oven Door Guard

This week I am going to tell you about one of my top baby proofing purchases by far, the Clevamama Transparent Oven Door Guard. It is my opinion, a must for any kitchen where toddlers are liable to enter.

As soon as Ben became mobile he was instantly attracted to all the kitchen appliances, in particular the oven door with it's nice shiny reflective surface that he could see himself in and when it was in use and the light came on it was even more of a temptation! It scared the hell out of me. He's one of those babies that is into everything he shouldn't be and very fast. I really do need eyes in the back of my head with him! The door felt hot to me and we all know how delicate and sensitive babies skin is so I knew it was a huge potential danger if he happened to get near it. I consulted google and came across a few different oven door guards. I have to say some were a tad ugly so I was glad when I found the Clevamama one. It would protect my little man from burning, be easy to install, let me use the oven as before and not look bad on it - a win all round!

The polycarbonate plastic guard is really easy to install as you simply fit it in place using five heat resistant suction pads, one at each corner and one in the middle. Mine has been in use for over a year now and is still stuck on strong. The guard reduces the heat by 50% which makes it slightly lukewarm to touch and definitely prevents any scalding of little hands. I have not had any need to take mine off yet but it is supposed to be easy to remove when no longer needed.

While I still do my best to avoid Ben getting near the oven when in use and tell him not to, I feel happy in the knowledge that if he does he will not burn himself. The Clevamama Transparent Oven Guard is another one of my tried and tested purchases and I cannot recommend it highly enough. It definitely gives you peace of mind!

Gives peace of mind if he does get near the oven door

The Gallery: Vintage

This weeks theme for The Gallery is Vintage which at first had me a little bit stumped as in my life I find I am mostly surrounded by modern things, lots of gadgets and Ben's brightly coloured toys. After a few days of thinking about possibilities I finally had one of those 'light-bulb' moments last night and knew which picture I could use.

This picture was taken in Hyde Park while we were watching the Royal wedding on 29th April. We decided to join in the celebrations and toast William and Kate with some vintage champagne. Ben, the bubble maniac he is, kept trying to stare into my glass and watch the bubbles, he was absolutely mesmerised by them! I love this picture and will always remember where we were when it was taken and what a great day we had amidst the crowds of celebrating people in Hyde Park.

Ben's day of climbing, singing and dancing combined

Today Ben has been mostly climbing on the table at every opportunity and doing lots of dancing and singing. It is very hard to give out to him when he combines them all like this...
(Apologies for the video quality as it was just taken using my iPad)

Mum's the word

I am curious as to how many mummy bloggers tell family and friends about their blog. I have chosen not to tell anyone other than my husband who I have sworn to secrecy.

I like having my blog as a place where I can share my thoughts and all the ups and downs I face as a mummy with the world without anyone close to me knowing about it. I guess it gives me an outlet to be 'just me'. I can share the good, the bad and ugly without having to worry about family or friends judging me or interfering. I remember writing one post about Ben and his lack of sleep and how it made me feel like such a failure late one night and feeling so much better next day when I read some lovely supportive comments on the post and from twitter friends. It's at times like that I really appreciate being able to share with a community of mummy bloggers and twitter friends who know where I am coming from and what it's like. Of course there are also times when I post something and I think 'my mom would love to see this' and for a second I contemplate sharing my secret but I always resist as I value my space too much.

So I just want to say thanks to those of you on twitter and who read my blog for your support as well as asking you whether you share your blog with friends and family?

The adidas Family Fun Day

Yesterday we went along to the adidas family fun day which was held in the adidas HQ in Covent Garden in association with Disney and I have to say it was a very enjoyable event for me, my husband and Ben. Ben, who had been asleep in his carrier woke shortly after we arrived and his fist words were 'Cars, cars!'. He must have thought he was still dreaming as he woke up surrounded by Disney Cars 2 pictures, balloon animals, footballs, big beanbags, cuddly toys of Wenlock and Mandeville (the Olympic mascots) and a cartoon featuring them on the television not to mention the yummy kid-friendly treats on offer as well. Ben was one happy little toddler and was soon whizzing about the showrooms exploring!

Fun, fun, fun!

The showroom was beautifully laid out showcasing the AW11 ranges which included the Disney, the Olympic 2012 and the adidas Classics kids ranges. I was lucky enough to get a personal tour of it all and I have to say I was hugely impressed. Before this event I never realised that adidas made stuff for kids as young as newborns. If I had known Ben would definitely have had a pair of the little crib shoes - they are just too cute!

How cute are these little Minnie Mouse crib shoes for a little baby girl?

My favourite range was the Disney one which adidas and Disney collaborated on to celebrate the release of Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 which is on the 22 July in cinemas across the UK. Kids, in particular little boys are going to love this stuff which features all the new Cars characters including Finn McMissile, a secret agent from the UK; Francesco Bernoulli, Lightning McQueen’s top rival from Italy; and Shu Todoroki, a race car favourite from Tokyo along with old favourites Lightning McQueen and Mater the tow truck. Parents are going to be pleased too as it looks great and everything is really good quality which you would expect from adidas with nice detail on the clothes such as great stitching, prints that you know will last, woven badges, piping and special zippers. My favourites were the trainers, they are fantastic - lovely combinations of leather and shiny patent, great colours, nice and light and the Cars character logos to make them extra special. There were also some Mickey and Minnie Mouse items on display and for any little princesses out there some gorgeous Disney Princess items. The range is reasonably priced between £20 - £32 and is available now.

I love the Cars 2 trainers!

I also loved the Olympic 2012 range which features Wenlock, one of the Olympic Mascots. There are two collections, the Mascot Rainbow for kids three to six years and the Mascot Champion which is for six to twelve year olds. To me, because adidas are the official sponsors of the Olympics and will be designing and producing all the official kit and apparel for the Team GB and London 2012 officials I think it makes this range extra special. We all know there will be tonnes of Olympic 2012 merchandise available but these t-shirts and tracksuits feel more authentic because just like Team GB your little one will be wearing adidas and in my opinion this makes it more of a keepsake. I will definitely be getting the blue Mascot Rainbow t-shirt and possibly the hooded sweatshirt in navy for Ben. This range will be available from the end of July 2011 and is priced from £10 - £55.

Olympics Kids range - Rainbow collection (age 3-6)

Olympics Kids range - Champions collection (age 6-12)

The adidas Originals Kids range was also on display with the classic three stripes and adidas logo. I really liked some of the plain hoodie sweatshirts and the classic trainers as did my husband who was so inspired we had to go buy him a pair of adult ones on the way home. I may have to find a little matching pair in Ben's size so he can be just like Daddy ;).

Now for Ben's verdict. He made sure he had a good look around the showroom and was instantly drawn to the Cars trainers (which he was lucky enough to get a present of) and the Mickey Mouse ones, he loves Mickey. It's clear that the Car 2 clothes are going to be a massive hit with kids and parents alike as will the Olympic 2012 range, in particular the Olympic t-shirts which I believe will be very popular.

Cars, Cars, Cars!!!

The highlight of Ben's day was getting to meet Wenlock and Mandeville although it did prove tricky to get a picture with them as he was so in awe he kept running from one to the other to shake hands, tickle them and give them hugs as did most of the other kids there. It was definitely a very special experience for him and his Wenlock teddy is now one of his prized possessions. We left the event with Ben clutching a balloon giraffe in one hand and a dog in the other while wearing a balloon hat thanks to the talented balloon sculptors. Ben was clearly disappointed we were on our way home and kept saying 'Back Again, Cars, Back Again!'.

Ben just a little starstruck!

A great event and a big thanks goes to all involved in arranging it. I can honestly say that the adidas AW11 ranges are excellent. Both my husband and I agreed that we saw a lot of items which we think would look great on Ben and we will be getting. The fact that Ben fell asleep with his new Cars baseball cap on and is still refusing to take it off today gives it his seal of approval as well!

I'm not sure Ben will ever take his Cars hat off...