Day 91 of The 366 Project

My little artist hard at work earlier.

Saturday is Caption Day

Can you think of a caption for this photo of Ben?

You can then check out some more fab entries for Saturday is Caption Day over at Mammasaurus's blog by clicking the badge below. Happy Saturday!

Day 90 of The 366 Project

Today Ben made friends with a worm. Mr Worm's wriggling about was the source of much amusement and laughter.

Day 89 of The 366 Project

We've had a busy day today which started off with a breakfast event in Soho House for Joolz pushchairs, a stroll through Covent Garden, lunch with my hubby and back home where Ben made a beeline for the garden. He spent the rest of the day playing with sand, running about with his lawnmower, playing football and finally we painted some eggs.

Day 88 of The 366 Project

Today was another fun packed day spent outside playing in the sun with Ben's activity of choice being football. He really enjoyed it and when he was in the bath tonight he told me he loves his soccer ball.

The Gallery: Extreme Close Up

This weeks theme for The Gallery is Extreme Close Up. My picture was one I took earlier today while Ben was busy playing with sand.

Funimal Phonics iPhone / iPad App Giveaway

 

I recently posted about Funimal Phonics by School of Happy, an excellent phonics app for young children which is sure to help them learn their ABC's in a fun and engaging manner. The good news is that School Of Happy have given me five promocodes to give away.

If you would like to get your hands on one of these promocodes just leave me a comment below along with a way to contact you (email or twitter id). I do ask if you are leaving your twitter id you follow me on twitter so that I can DM you if you win.

For a bonus entry tweet I want to win Funimal Phonics app with @mmeeee http://bit.ly/GXCcqp. 

The competition will close at 1pm on 2nd April 2012 when the winner will be selected at random. Good Luck!

*** This competition is now closed - winners will be notified shortly. Thank to all who entered. ***

Polarn O. Pyret Mid Season Sale

Being a huge Polarn O. Pyret  (PO.P) fan I wanted to spread the news about the great mid season sale which starts today. There are some massive savings with colourful coats, gorgeous dresses, tops, leggings and handy accessories all with up to 50% off which are fantastic for these spring days.

Ben in his PO.P fleece jacket which is now on sale

In addition to the sale there are also lots of new arrivals to check out. I already have my eye on the Rock Out! t-shirts (in dark indigo and black) and the Guitar Print t-shirt for Ben along with the seriously cute College Sports Cardigan. There are some gorgeous clothes for girls too, I love the Sunglasses Dress and the Summer flower dress - they are just so pretty and if I had a little girl she would definitely be wearing these!

Guitar Print t-shirt perfect for boys or girls: I am definitely getting one of these for Ben!

Summer Flower Dress: How pretty is this?

Day 87 of The 366 Project

What another gorgeous day it was today, I could definitely get used to this! This morning I decided to take Ben's little green Strider bike out in the garden for the first time. He was very excited to be going cycling outside and even let me put his helmet on without objection which never happens! He did really well and was definitely getting into the swing of balancing on the bike, that was until he suddenly got distracted by a butterfly garden decoration which was glistening in the sunshine.

Day 86 of The 366 Project

More fun with sand and water today which involved Ben trying to convince me to try the sand pies he was making telling me that they were actually ice cream and pineapple. Yum!

Don't Worry, It's Just "Children"

Tired, exhausted, beaten up?

Day 85 of The 366 Project

Today we got Ben a sand and water table. He absolutely loves it. The sand was shoveled into the water side, the water got tipped into the sand section and fistfuls were sampled by Ben. Messy, messy fun we all thoroughly enjoyed (apart from the cleanup after).

Silent Sunday

Day 84 of The 366 Project

Today was such a gorgeous day wasn't it? We got out and about and headed to the park where Ben insisted that I join him on the spinning toadstool. I'm glad he did because it was so much fun! This is a self portrait we took while spinning around.

Funimal Phonics iPhone / iPad App Review

I am always on the lookout for new phonics apps for Ben which can help him learn more letters and reinforce his existing knowledge therefore I was delighted to be asked to preview Funimal Phonics, an app by School of Happy. This app is a fun way to teach young kids the alphabet and the correct phonic sound for each letter through the use of what can be described as cleverly designed interactive flash cards.

When you first load the app you are asked to choose between UK or US which is great as you can be sure that your child will be learning the correct pronunciation for your country of choice. You can then swipe between the cards from A-Z and go back and forwards between letters or select an individual card from the menu. Each card has an animal who begins with the letter selected. The cards have fun interactive features which kids are sure to love such as the 'R for Rabbit' card where the rabbit can be fed a carrot or the 'X for X-Ray Fish' card where a switch can be flicked to x-ray the fish. The interactive features are a clever way to keep the app engaging for kids without being too distracting to take from the educational benefits of learning the letters and phonic sounds.

View of all letters

Interactive feature: flick switch to x-ray the fish

Ben, aged two and a half years loves this app and each time a different card is selected he always repeats the phonic sound over again which I think is definitely helping him to learn his letters and their phonetic sounds. He loves the interactive features of the cards which definitely help to hold his attention for quite some time, the X-Ray Fish and the Monkey with his swinging arms are his current favourites.

Funimal Phonics is a fantastic app for helping young children to learn the alphabet, they will love all the bright and colourful animal pictures along with the sounds and interactivity. It is sure to keep them entertained for quite some time while they learn their ABC's.

Funimal Phonics will go on sale on the 12th April 2012 priced at £1.49 and will be compatible with both iPhone and iPad.

Ben spinning the seal's ball

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a promocode to download this app.

Saturday is Caption Day

Can you think of a caption for this photo of Ben?

You can then check out some more fab entries for Saturday is Caption Day over at Mammasaurus's blog by clicking the badge below. Happy Saturday!

Day 83 of The 366 Project

Ben has been very up and down today but one thing is always sure to cheer him up and that is watching Monsters vs Aliens. In this photo he is telling me all about the 'bad alien'.

Planes by Byron Barton iPhone / iPad App Review

Planes by Byron Barton by Oceanhouse Media is the perfect app for young children who love planes. It is an eBook based on the kids book Aiplanes by Byron Barton. In this app children will learn about all the different types of planes from passenger jets, seaplanes to crop dusters along with what a control tower is, the jobs the workers do and get to watch trucks loading supplies. It is a bright and colourful app with pleasant narration and illustrations which will instantly appeal to young kids.

Words are highlighted as narrated

When you load the app you simply press on the arrow to begin. The interactive features are fun and engaging allowing clouds, planes and so on to be moved anywhere on the screen by tapping or dragging their pictures, this helps to develop fine motor skills and coordination in young kids while keeping it entertaining. The words are highlighted as narrated which is a fantastic aid for children learning to read and the names of objects appear when touched which is useful for developing picture / word association in young children. One thing that has to be mentioned are the realistic sound effects with swishing and swooshing planes, chattering passengers and workers saying things like "give me a hand" and "just a sec", these sound effects really do add to the app and make it so much more than just an e-book making it come alive.

Word appears when object touched on screen

Ben loves this app especially the way in which he can drag the clouds and planes about on the screen. He has learnt the words for some new things such as control tower and cargo planes which was evident the other day when we were playing with his toy plane and he was pretending to load his trucks into it while telling me it was a cargo plane. This is a great app preschoolers are sure to love it.

Ben busy dragging the clouds about on screen

Planes by Byron Barton is available to download from the App Store for an introductory low price of £0.69 / $0.99 and as it is a universal app it will work on all your apple devices.

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a promocode to download this app.

Day 82 of The 366 Project

Ben loves Donald Duck. Here he is having fun rolling about on the sofa with him. His laughter was so hilarious he had me in fits of giggles as well.

Netflix 'Just for Kids' - Unlimited TV Shows and Films

Yesterday I met with David Watson, the director of product innovation at Netflix who is responsible for the family and kids section to find out more about their Just for Kids service which is now available as part of a subscription to Netflix. Just for Kids is a special section of Netflix which is full of TV shows and films suitable for children twelve years and under which are organised by easy-to-understand genres such as Superheroes, Talking Animals and Girl-Power with a picture for each and featuring clear and simple descriptions of the plot of every title. You can also organise them by characters which I have found works well for my toddler as he can easily pick his favourite shows with Pingu being his current favourite. I have to say I am very impressed by Just for Kids and can see it being very useful for families. I love the Watch With Family section which gives you a great choice of family films to choose from perfect for a family movie night, just add popcorn and add to the excitement by getting the kids to make up cinema tickets.

Watch with the family - fantastic selection of family films

Coincidentally we signed up for a months free trial of Netflix when we spotted it on Apple TV last weekend and have seen some great films since but until yesterday I had yet to get around to checking out the Just for Kids area properly. To be honest I wasn’t aware of how great it is for kids until talking to David. When you launch the Netflix app on your Apple TV, Nintendo Wii etc you simply select Just for Kids where you will find a whole host of kid appropriate content such as Pingu, Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine and Phineas and Ferb to mention just a few. If your child is like mine, they go through phases of wanting to watch the same programme over and over again so you will be glad to hear there is unlimited viewing and another important thing to note is that there are no commercials. The reassuring thing as a parent is that by allowing you child access to the Just For Kids section to pick what they want to watch you can be sure that they are not going to come across any unsuitable content.

Organise by Character

Netflix uses a unique recommendation engine which works by building on your viewing preferences and personalises you content offering you films and TV shows from the thousands of titles in the Netflix library based on what you have previously watched. This, in my opinion, is a great idea especially for kids who will no doubt discover new favourites which they may never otherwise have come across. It also means that if they don’t like a particular film or TV Show that you thought they would you can simply stop it and have not lost anything unlike if you had bought the DVD which I have made the mistake of doing on several occasions for my son.

Netflix can be accessed from multiple devices at the same time which is fantastic for families with varied viewing preferences and as you can log in and access it from anywhere it means it is great for when you are away from home. I know it will definitely come in useful when we next go to stay with my parents. Streaming from Netflix is possible from a whole host of devices including Apple TV, Nintendo Wii, PS3, PC, Mac and Smart TV’s amongst others. Just for Kids will be available on the iPad app later on this year.

Subscription to Netflix costs £5.99 a month and gives you access to unlimited films and TV episodes including Just For Kids. You can try it for free for one month like we have and I can guarantee you will not be disappointed. You are not tied into any contracts which means you can cancel it at anytime. I highly recommend giving it a go!

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post

Day 81 of The 366 Project

Today was such a lovely warm sunny day it felt great to be out in it. Ben and I went to the park and as usual he headed for his favourite swing, he kept closing his eyes while swinging while saying "Ben loves the sun!'

The Gallery: Colour

This weeks theme for The Gallery is Colour. For my picture this week I have decide to use an old one from when Ben was only a few weeks old. The colour I have chosen is orange and my picture sees Ben basked in the orange glow from his Stokke Xplory. I love it, I am so glad we chose that colour for him.

Day 80 of The 366 Project

Today Ben insisted on walking home from the park today carrying the treasure he had collected along the way. He's been a bit up and down today so I was glad to see him smile.

Guest Post: Your Garden And Your Toddler

Now that spring is finally in the air, and is due to actually hang around this time, it’s the perfect opportunity for you to introduce your toddler and your children to the joys of the garden. Or in other words let them have some fun in the mud, while teaching them about plants and how to sow seeds. It’s good to get your children involved in the garden at an early age, as it is a fun activity for them, teaches them about the world and where those suspicious vegetables actually come from, and could invoke a passion for gardening in them.

Before you can begin, the garden will need a quick tidy up. Head over to your garden sheds, and gather the tools you need. A rake, a spade, a bucket, and a small planting shovel should cover all the chores. While you’re in the shed, be sure to point out to your children which tool does what, and which tools mustn’t be played with or touched.

The grass is likely to need some tender loving care. Remove any rotting leaves, thatch or twigs and keep an eye out for moss or any damaged areas. You and your toddler can remove the moss together by using the rake. Once the moss is all pulled out, sow some grass seeds on the affected area as well as on any other damaged areas. Demonstrate to your toddler how you spread out the grass seed evenly in an area, and then let them have a try.

Depending on the size of your garden, you may have enough space to create a small vegetable garden. Planting your own vegetables can save you money, and help you encourage your children to eat their vegetables as they are part of the growing process. This does depend on the child, and may not help at all, but it’s still a fun activity to do together. Corner off a part of the garden at either 2x3 or 2x1 metres depending on how big you wish your patch to be and then dig out the grass of this area. Use your spade to plough rows in which to plant the seeds. Currently in season for sowing are carrots, lettuce, French climbing beans, cabbage, cauliflower, leek, parsnip, peas, peppers, rhubarb, and even the dreaded spinach. Be sure to leave sufficient space between the seeds, so that they grow evenly, and mark each row, so that you can tend to the individual needs of each vegetable type.

Next up are the flower beds. They will need twigs, rotting leaves and thatch to be removed, and probably a bit of weeding, too. This is, of course, a great opportunity to teach your toddler the difference between a weed and a plant. Place the unwanted weeds in your bucket. This makes clean-up easier.

Purchase some spring flowers, which are in bloom and plant them in the flower beds together. This will include digging a small hole in the bed with the planting shovel or trowel, getting the plant out of its pot, and placing it in the hole. Now, it needs to be covered with soil, gently patted down, and then watered. This is a particularly fun activity, as it includes mud, soil and the permission, nay, the need to get your hands dirty. A team effort is best for this. Have your toddler dig the hole and water the plant. After you’ve demonstrated how to plant the flower a few times, swap roles so that you dig the hole and water the plant. A trip to your local garden centre will give you plenty of choice of spring flowers. Be sure to select an array of colours for your garden, as this gives it an aesthetically pleasing look. Very popular this time of year for their looks and colour are Primroses, Pansies, Marigolds and Petunias.

By following this guide, your garden will look shipshape in no time, and you may have invoked the talents of a landscape gardener in your toddler.

This article was written by Sarah Oxley, gardening enthusiast, on behalf of Tiger Sheds manufacturers of garden and potting sheds.

* Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post.

Day 79 of The 366 Project

Ben doesn't seem his usual bubbly self today. He has been struggling with our mission to give up breastfeeding but thankfully a few episodes of the Octonauts on my iPad cheered him up a little and we even had a hint of a smile.

Breaking the Chocolate Habit in My Toddler

It really is amazing the effect that a change in diet can have on a toddler. In the run up to Christmas Ben got into the habit of having chocolate. It all started with the chocolate Christmas tree decorations which he found ingenious ways of reaching even when they were relocated out of his reach until we finally decided to remove them all together. Being a typical little boy who loves to climb we saw him standing on his trike, climbing up on his little step (or “steppy” as he calls it) and balancing on his tip toes, pushing his Tripp Trapp highchair alongside the tree and scaling it and even resorting to using a stick which he brought in from outside to knock the chocolates down. He really did go to great lengths and I have to say it felt like he deserved his reward of a little chocolate at the end. Then of course there were the advent calendar chocolates and what with gifts of chocolate and an abundance of boxes of roses and celebrations about there was no escaping it.

At first I thought well it is Christmas and kids have extra chocolate at Christmas don’t they? The problem was it became a habit, he was having too many chocolate treats everyday and was asking for a “choccie bar” all too frequently, tantrum after tantrum ensuing when and if he was refused. Deep down I knew his new found love of chocolate was wrong and not a habit I wanted him to develop so about a month ago I decided it was time to put a stop to it.

We went to the supermarket and Ben helped me to pick lots of different fruits along with his usual strawberries, apples and grapes. We came home and stocked up the fruit bowl with apples, pears, plums, bananas and so on. Next thing I knew Ben was bringing his “steppy” into the kitchen and grabbing a piece of fruit. He completely forgot about “choccie bars”, instead asking for “a juicy pear” or “a shiny red apple”. His change in eating habits and his view of what a treat is happened overnight and I am glad to say the number of tantrums we now experience has markedly dropped.

When we get to the fruit section in the supermarket now Ben always gets super excited, you could say he is like a kid in a candy store, pointing out different fruits he would like to try. The result being we come home with lots of different things, his all time favourite being pineapple. As a family we are all benefiting and eating a whole lot healthier too so it is definitely a case of win-win all round for us. I am so relieved that we have managed to nip the chocolate habit in the bud easily and quickly and get Ben to return to his former fruit loving ways. Surprisingly if he does have the occasional chocolate now he no longer even seems that bothered about it and will often ask for a piece of fruit instead.

It really is all too easy to slip into bad habits when it comes to kids and unhealthy treats but with a little gentle persuasion and the right approach I believe these ways can be stopped as quickly as they were started. I have definitely learnt my lesson and can see clearer than ever now that we, as parents, are responsible for developing the eating habits of a lifetime in our little ones and how important it is to lay the right foundations when it comes to healthy eating. Times like Christmas and Easter will always mean more chocolate is about and while you can’t deny your child completely I believe it is just about having a healthy approach to letting them have some and not allowing it to replace fruits and other good snacks or indeed continue as the norm once the festive season is over. I have seen first hand the benefits of healthy snacking in my toddler and I won’t be making the same mistake again in allowing him to have too much chocolate.

* Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and contains a sponsored link.

Day 78 of The 366 Project

Ben loves looking at the moon and stars in the sky. Here he is fascinated by them on our walk home from the tube after a lovely day spent in Chiswick today.

A Mother's Day Quote

"Before I was a mother I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important." - Unknown

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mums out there x

Silent Sunday

Day 77 of The 366 Project

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

Saturday Is Caption Day

Can you think of a caption for this photo?


You can then check out some more fab entries for Saturday is Caption Day over at Mammasaurus blog by clicking the badge below. Happy Saturday!