Mummy's Space

Fun and Party Search Made Easy by Treasure Island Toys

2012-02-03T11:33:00.000Z

I am sure a lot of parents have already heard of Treasure Island Toys which has been a popular online store in the UK since 2008, but did you know that in November 2011 they introduced a fantastic new service which they like to call a ‘Fun and Party Search Engine’? Along with finding great toys, furniture and presents on the site you can now arrange parties and days out for the kids, by finding children’s entertainers, party venues, kids attractions, evening classes, workshops and much, much more - sounds great doesn't it?

To search for these "fun and party" activities all you have to do is enter your postcode or place name which then returns a whole range of child friendly activities and more which are in their local area. You also have the ability to filter your search by using hundreds of different keywords ranging from Ballet, Balloon Modelling and Paintball, right through to Peddle Boats, African Drumming, Theatres and everything inbetween. I have tested the website and I must say I was impressed with how quick it is, it also lets you set up a ‘Favourites’ lists, has videos of entertainers, date ranges for events, reviews and social networking (Facebook/Twitter/Google+) integration, you can even filter by activities that are suitable for when it is raining amongst other features.

Enter place or postcode and distance to return results which can be filtered

The website is also what is known as a ‘wiki’ site, meaning that anyone can add a listing to the website for free, quickly and easily by themselves. So if you are an entertainer or are a parent that knows of any great kids’ attractions and local events in your local area, you have the ability to add them in seconds and let other parents benefit from your knowledge.

I love the idea of this website as it brings together so much fantastic information that parents can find quickly and easily which is such a great time saver. There are already thousands of listings on the website with more being added each day so I really do believe that Treasure Island is a great resource for parents to go to when in need for some great ideas to keep the kids entertained.

For parties see www.treasureislandtoys.co.uk/parties.aspx
For fun days out see www.treasureislandtoys.co.uk/fun.aspx

Day 33 of The 366 Project

2012-02-02T19:31:00.000Z

Ben loves his books and seems to have a different favourite every day. Today his book of choice was "Timmy the Artist".

I Learn with Transportation iPhone / iPad App Review

2012-02-02T18:48:00.000Z

Ben, like most toddlers loves cars, rockets, trains, boats and all other forms of transport so it was no surprise that his eyes lit up like they did when he started playing with the I Learn with Transportation app by DADA company. The great thing about this app is it's educational value as it aims to improve a child's knowledge in six key areas including sounds, words, colours, shapes, numbers, and environments while they are busy having lots of fun playing with it.

The design of the app is bright and colourful and instantly appealing to young children while they are also sure to love all the fantastic sounds and interactive features. I was impressed with the clever way the developers have child-proofed the menu button, which has to be held down for a few seconds in order to access the Settings and Scenes - a great idea which stops little fingers from accidentally pressing it.

Child-proofed menu button

In the Scenes section you can select from I learn sounds where you are presented with a variety of transportation vehicles which play the relevant sounds and display the name of the sound when touched; I learn words, you see and hear the name of the form of transport when it is selected; I learn colors, the colour of the vehicle appears and is spoken when selected; I learn shapes, various transport related signs of different shapes appear and once selected, the shape is highlighted and the shapes name is spoken; I learn numbers, you touch the vehicles on screen which are then counted one by one while the number count is displayed on screen and finally, I learn and travel where children learn about different environments such as the countryside, mountains and city by presenting them with a stereotypical view of a specific environment and the usual things that are found in each different setting while "To the mountain", "To the city" etc is displayed on screen and spoken. I should also mention that rather than selecting an individual scene from the menu you can just select play which alternates through the different scenes available.

Improve numeracy and counting skills with I learn numbers

Learning colours in a fun way in I learn colours!

In Settings there is an option to change the language between English and Spanish, you can also switch Voice-over, Music and Turn pages automatically on or off and set the length on each page if turn pages automatically is set to on. I like the flexibility these settings offer as in certain situations being able to turn of sound and music really is essential and unfortunately if you have a toddler like mine who knows how to turn the sound on and up and down it is not as simple as just using the iPhone or iPad's sound controls. The ability to change the language is also a big bonus for those who are looking for fun yet educational apps for young children.

Ben's favourite parts of this app include all the cool sounds the different forms of transport make along with counting all the vehicles in the I learn with Numbers scene. I like the fact that the user experience is different every time you play this app with a different combination of scenes, settings and a variety of transport vehicles each time you play which definitely keeps it fun, fresh and engaging for young kids.

Ben having fun playing I Learn with Transportation!

I Learn with Transportation is available to download from the AppStore for £1.99 and is compatible with both the iPhone and iPad.

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a promocode to download the I Learn with Transport app but this has in no way biased my opinion - it is a great app and I can highly recommend it.

Day 32 of The 366 Project

2012-02-01T18:49:00.000Z

Ben's Nana lives in Ireland so we try to skype her most days as she loves talking to her little grandson. I took this shot today while they were having a chat.

The Gallery: Me Right Now

2012-02-01T11:25:00.000Z

This weeks theme for The Gallery is Me Right Now. I was sitting in Cafe Nero with a sleeping Ben in his carrier when I decided to check this week's theme. I did for a split second consider turning the camera on myself and taking a self portrait but that thought didn't last very long - I hate pictures of me. Instead I decided my sleeping boy would be the focus with me in the background.

Day 31 of The 366 Project

2012-01-31T18:26:00.000Z

We store Ben's Lego Duplo in a red box. At times Ben seems to find this box as much fun as the actual Lego itself which certainly was the case today when it was Lego out and Ben in. He happily sat there with Agent Mater's missile launcher and used me as target practice firing it again and again while I was asked (very nicely I must add with lots of pleases and kisses) to retrieve it for him. In Ben's words "it was lots of fun!".

Review of Gube iPhone / iPad App - A Kid Safe YouTube

2012-01-31T08:18:00.000Z

Most people will agree that having YouTube on your iPhone or iPad can be a godsend at times. It especially comes in handy when you find yourself in a situations where a distraction is necessary to keep a little one entertained or prevent a toddler tantrum from erupting. There is one big problem with YouTube and kids though and that is the content is sometimes inappropriate. This is where Gube, a clever iPhone / iPad app comes in.

Gube, an app developed by Shacked Software and designed by parents for toddlers and young children has a collection of pre screened, catalogued and child appropriate videos available to watch which as a result provides peace of mind for parents as there is no danger of accidentally clicking on an inappropriate video which can so easily happen with YouTube. In the past I have been extremely annoyed to discover various crazy takes on children's shows such as The Numberjacks, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse while searching for a video for Ben to watch. Thankfully Gube takes this problem away, it is like YouTube but with a child safety filter applied.

The look and feel of Gube is similar to that of YouTube on the iPhone or iPad except that it is uses a purple colour scheme rather than blue. Just like YouTube it has a series of options to select from along the bottom, these include Favourites, Recents, Videos, Featured and Settings. Favourites is not only where you can access all of your previously favourited videos but also set your playback preferences, this means you can set it up to play once or continuously through a list of favourite videos which is great for younger kids. Recent is, as the name suggests, a list of the most recently viewed videos, similar to History in YouTube. Video is an A-Z list of all videos available with a Search facility. If the video cannot be found you can suggest it is added to Gube. Once suggested it usually takes up to two weeks to appear in Gube with all videos manually checked for suitability and quality first. Videos can also be suggested through the Gube facebook page and I have been informed that if you provide a link to the YouTube video rather than just keywords it speeds up the time it takes to appear in Gube. Featured is a list of selected videos by Gube, we came across quite a few good ones here that Ben loves such as Cute Baby Zebra colt in Cincinnati Zoo. Finally, Settings is where you can set the Age Appropriate Video range by switching on or off the Infant, Toddler, Preschool and Grade School settings. You can also share the app from here and Leave Feedback.

Favourites: Playback option in top right hand corner

Settings Options

Ben is very familiar with YouTube on my iPhone and iPad and is used to loading it and selecting the videos he wants to watch from the Favourites or History tab therefore I was interested to see how he would take to Gube. Before I let him try it out I set up some favourites and made sure there was a selection of familiar videos available to choose from in the Recent tab. I then handed it over to him and watched. As he is familiar with the YouTube interface he took to Gube straight away and navigated around with no problem. Within seconds he was happily watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Space Adventure so I am happy to say it passed the Ben test!

I think Gube is a fantastic app and provides a worry free alternative to YouTube for parents who want to ensure safe video viewing for their young children. Part of the thing that Ben likes about YouTube is the ability to pick the video he wants to watch himself which I could not let him do without looking over his shoulder at all times whilst using YouTube. Thankfully Gube solves this problem, it means that Ben can have a feeling of independence and choice which, like most toddlers, he loves. Sure it does not have the vast array of videos that YouTube has but this would not put me off in the slightest as they can be suggested and added easily. To sum up I can highly recommend this app, it is a great idea and a wonderful solution to enable safe video viewing for children of all ages.

Gube is available to download from the AppStore for £2.49 and is compatible with both the iPhone and iPad.

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a promocode to download Gube but this has in no way biased my opinion - it is a great app and I can highly recommend it.

Day 30 of The 366 Project

2012-01-30T18:44:00.000Z

It was freezing cold here in London today but nevertheless we ventured to the park. We decided to try the "big" park for a change, it's a bit too old for Ben yet but there are certain things he just loves there like the binoculars.

Day 29 of The 366 Project

2012-01-29T20:58:00.000Z

Today was mostly spent in and around Trafalgar Square as we celebrated not only the Chinese New Year but more importantly my husband's birthday. We had a lovely day which was packed with lots of fun and laughter as you can see from this photo - I love my two boys! :)

Silent Sunday

2012-01-29T10:06:00.000Z

Day 28 of The 366 Project

2012-01-28T17:36:00.000Z

Today we watched Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who. It was the first time Ben has seen the movie and as you can see by his expression he was engrossed in it!

Saturday is Caption Day

2012-01-28T09:24:00.002Z

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!

Day 27 of The 366 Project

2012-01-27T21:59:00.000Z

Ben loves bubbles especially the ones he steals from his Daddy's bath...

Day 26 of The 366 Project

2012-01-26T18:51:00.000Z

Today we went to the park where there was a serious amount of puddles everywhere. These in Ben's words were "lots of fun!" and given the amount we laughed I have to agree. How I wish I had put his boots on him instead of his trainers though...

Baby Weaning & Advice From HiPP Experts

2012-01-26T13:41:00.001Z

When Ben was six months old we began weaning him on to solids and decided to follow the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) approach. BLW is very simple really, it just means that rather than giving your baby purees you let them feed themselves by giving them a selection of finger-sized foods to choose from. In turn this means they are not only learning about new foods but also developing their hand-eye co-ordination along with the self-confidence and independence such an approach allows. I still remember how excited I was the first time Ben actually ate real food, it felt like such a huge milestone!

Ben enjoying his food just two months into weaning

Some of the first foods Ben had were baby rice crackers and snacks such as these from HiPP Organic, toast, crumpets, pasta, cucumber, carrots, broccoli, chicken, steak, mango, apple, pineapple, tomatoes - I could go on and on, he really did pretty much try everything from the start. One of the benefits to us as a family was that I started to cook a lot healthier as Ben began eating whatever we were so I always made sure it was baby friendly yet adult appealing.

Now I look back I realise that we were really lucky in how easily and well Ben took to weaning. It can be a bit of a battle with some babies which I can imagine is very stressful and extremely worrying for their parents. This is why when HiPP contacted me and asked if I would share some information and tips on weaning I was more than happy to do so. Here is what they have to say:

Problems encountered when weaning – discussed by HiPP, the weaning experts
Without a doubt, weaning is an exciting event – watching your little one begin to enjoy foods and mealtimes with the rest of the family. Although in theory this is all plain sailing, sometimes parents feel that isn’t going quite as it should.

HiPP Organic – baby food makers and weaning experts – discuss some of the common concerns and offer solutions below.

Constipation
Constipation can be fairly common in infants when weaning and is usually as a result of a change in fluid intake. The amount of milk babies take on can dip as a result of eating more food – and this can cause constipation.

A good tip is make sure your little one always has access to a drink of water, milk or diluted fruit juice either after or during mealtimes to make sure they are getting enough fluid.

Try to make sure each meal contains some fruit or vegetables too, as these contain fibre and can help to prevent constipation. Wholewheat and wholegrain products also contain fibre (such as grainy bread, lentils and wholegrain cereals) which are good but can contain too much fibre for little tummies and fill them up before they can meet their energy needs.

How much fruit and veg should they be getting?
Fruit and vegetables are very important parts of our diet – both for adults and for babies. They contain fibre, vitamins and minerals as well as anti-oxidants. They also taste great!

The 5-a-day rule for adults handily also applies to infants, making it easy to remember. It’s only the portion size which changes. Helen, the HiPP nutritionist recommends the following as a rough guide:

30g = 1 portion from 6 months old
35g = 1 portion from 7 months old
40g = 1 portion from 10 months old

Juices are slightly different as it does not have any fibre and therefore has more sugar. Juice only counts as one portion of your 5-a-day – no matter how much you have!

What foods can I introduce when?
The answer depends on what age you start weaning. Before six months, if you have started weaning you should avoid gluten, a protein which is found in wheat, rye and barley (so avoid pasta and breads) as well as fish, shellfish, nuts, seeds, and ‘high-allergen’ foods such as mustard and celery.

After six months most of these can be safely introduced providing your child does not have an allergy to them.

The exceptions are whole nuts (which should not be introduced until 3 years of age due to a risk of choking); honey (which should not be given until 12 months of age) and cows’ milk as a main drink until 12 months of age.

How much food is enough?
This is a pretty common concern during weaning and there isn’t one straightforward answer. It depends on lots of different factors such as what age they are, when you started weaning, how much milk they are having etc etc.

The important thing as a parent is just to relax and trust your instincts. Babies are born with the ability to regulate their own appetite so providing you are offering a variety of foods, three times a day in addition to their usual milk they will let you know when they are full.

Other good indicators are that they appear well, are gaining weight at a steady pace and are regularly filling nappies.

If you are concerned that they are not getting enough either speak to your health visitor or ask one of the HiPP experts here.

Do I change milks now weaning has started?
There is no reason why you need to change milks now that weaning has started. Babies can continue with breastmilk or formula milk until they are 12 months old as their man source of milk. At 12 months you can switch to cows’ milk but it needs to be full-fat (and preferably organic).

Semi-skimmed milk can be used from 2 years of age if your child has a good diet.

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a bundle of HiPP products but this has in no way biased my opinion - I believe the HiPP experts have shared some great tips and advice which I am happy to publish on my blog.

Bedstar Memory Foam Pillows Review

2012-01-26T12:53:00.000Z

If you are anything like me, since becoming a Mummy, sleep suddenly becomes something that is in rather short supply and very valuable when you do get it. That is why I was more than happy to review a pair of Memory Foam Pillows from Bedstar as in my opinion anything that can enhance my sleep experience is a big plus.

I love pillows!

I am very fussy when it comes to pillows. I hate feather ones, thin ones, bumpy ones, ones that are made of a type of fibre that is un-breathable and as a results gets hot when you have been lying on it for a little while. What I like in a pillow is something that will support and mould to my head and neck and continue to do so night after night.

So how did these memory foam pillows compare? The pillows arrived rolled up and vacuum packed so at first I did wonder if they were going to be a little thin but after a few hours of being unpacked they plumped right up, I was actually surprised by just how much they expanded. The pillow is a traditional shape unlike some odd shaped memory foam pillows. It is quite firm but as it is made of visco elastic memory foam it moulds nicely to your head and shoulders to provide comfortable support which is adjustable. Another big bonus of this material is that it is heat sensitive, something which I think is very important. All in all these memory foam pillows tick all the items on my list of requirements plus I think for the price they are excellent value.

Bedstar Memory Foam Pillows

These Memory Foam Pillows are available to purchase online from Bedstar and are now priced at a lower price of £49 for a pair (originally £70) which in my opinion is great value.

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a pair of these memory foam pillows free of charge from Bedstar in exchange for a review but this has in no way biased my opinions.

Day 25 of The 366 Project

2012-01-25T20:55:00.000Z

Ben loves having his picture taken. In this photo he is saying "Say cheeeessseee!"

The Gallery: My Photography Resolution

2012-01-25T11:29:00.001Z

This weeks theme for The Gallery is My Photography Resolution. This year I decided to take part in The 366 Project which is basically taking a photo a day for the year after seeing the fantastic job The Boy and Me did at her project last year. We are now 25 days in and I have to say I love it! It means that I am now, more so than ever, taking pictures at every opportunity whether it is with my DSLR or iPhone camera. I think it will be pretty special to have all of these pictures recording the year come the 1st January 2013.

Picking the photo of the day can sometimes be tricky though as I do take so many. Here are two which were close contenders for Sunday's photo of the day but never made it.

Inside a Toddler's Brain Explained!

2012-01-24T20:55:00.000Z

I love this diagram and I think it is pretty accurate for my toddler especially when it comes to the Food Cortex (Mummy's food always tastes nicer even if the same) and Toy Recognition Cortex (empty boxes equals endless hours of entertainment!). How does your toddler compare?

Day 24 of The 366 Project

2012-01-24T19:25:00.000Z

Being a rainy miserable day today Ben and I spent the day indoors so amongst other things we got creative with Lego Duplo. We built an aeroplane, a house, a boat and Ben's all time favourite thing to build, a rocket. You've got to love Lego for keeping toddlers entertained!

Day 23 of The 366 Project

2012-01-23T20:06:00.000Z

Today Ben has been running around with his (one of our old) iPhones taking lots of photos of random things. Here he is taking a photo of one of his favourite television shows..

Day 22 of The 366 Project

2012-01-22T17:13:00.000Z

Today we had lots of fun at the park. One of Ben's favourite things there is the wooden playhouse, today he discovered there was a hole in the roof..

Silent Sunday

2012-01-22T12:45:00.000Z

Day 21 of The 366 Project

2012-01-21T19:18:00.000Z

I think Ben may think he is a dog because for some reason today he keeps trying to lick his Daddy and me. Yes it is rather eeewww as you can probably tell from the expression on his Daddy's face!

Saturday is Caption Day

2012-01-21T11:34:00.000Z

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!

Day 20 of The 366 Project

2012-01-20T19:28:00.000Z

Ben loves baths and ducks. He has quite a big collection of ducks including this, his 'ducky" watering can which provides endless entertainment whilst in the bath. Today just after taking this picture he decided it would be even more fun to throw the contents all over me - ah well you've just got to laugh!

Antarctic Charley DVD Review

2012-01-20T13:04:00.000Z

Yesterday after we got in from a nice long walk in the cold I had a surprise waiting for Ben which made him very happy indeed, it was the new Little Charley Bear DVD called Antarctic Charley. The DVD features six fantastic adventures which sees Charley heading to the Antarctic to seek out the cold weather.

The episodes include Snow Place for Frozo, Mountain Rescue Midge, Charley Go Fish, Downhill Rivet, Farmer Bear and Charley's Big Match. Ben's favourite is Rescue Midge, probably because one of his favourite things to do is climb. It was funny watching how engrossed he got in this episode as Charley was climbing the mountain to rescue Midge, he kept saying "Oh no, poor Midge, rescue Midge!" like he was willing Charley to make it to the top. There was lots of clapping when Charley finally reached Midge and even more when they slid back down the mountain. I expect when we next go to the park Ben will be pretending the slide is a mountain :).

Ben engrossed in the Rescue Midge episode

Little Charley Bear, who is a regular on cBeebies, definitely remains one of Ben's (and my) favourite children's programmes. I love how in tune it is with young kids and how the way in which they use their imaginations to play. You have got to love Little Charley Bear's character with his cute little ways and the voice of James Corden who does such a great job in bringing him to life and giving him his personality.

Antarctic Charley is available to pre-order from Amazon and will be available to purchase in stores and online from various retailers from 30 January 2012 with a RRP of £12.99.

*Disclaminer: This is a sponsored post. I received a copy of Antarctic Charley DVD in exchange for a review but this has in no way biased my opinion - Ben really enjoyed the DVD.

Don't Miss Polarn O. Pyret's Biggest Ever Sale!

2012-01-19T21:28:00.000Z

If you are a big Polarn O. Pyret (PO.P) fan like me and love the bright fun clothes they are so well known for with their funky patterns and well known stripes you may have been disappointed to hear that their Kingston store closed last Saturday to be relocated once a suitable premise is found. However there is some fantastic news to make up for this disappointment, the stock from the Kingston store has arrived at the online PO.P store and their biggest and best ever sale will be starting online this Friday, the 20th January. I have been informed that there will be thousands of garments added to the sale and most are at 50 - 70% off. Its going to be one amazing sale, definitely not to be missed! I'll certainly be online checking it out!

One top tip passed on to me from PO.P is that if you are shopping online the quickest way to find items for your child is to select the age of your child and search the sale items in the size you are looking for - a great way to save time for busy bargain hunters! Happy shopping!

I love Ben's Fairisle Cardigan and Birthday Stripes top

One of my favourite PO.P tops - love the colours

Day 19 of The 366 Project

2012-01-19T20:51:00.000Z

I took this photo as Ben was trying to wrestle me to the ground - I love the way he is looking at me with his cheeky little grin!

Grimm's Rapunzel iPad / iPhone app review

2012-01-19T13:52:00.000Z

This week I came across a fantastic app from Ideal Binary called Grimm's Rapunzel - a 3D Interactive Pop-Up Book. It takes the familiar story of Rapunzel and truly brings it to life for young kids to enjoy with it's interactive features and impressive graphics.

There are three reading modes to chose from, Read To Me, Read It Myself and Autoplay. Each of these modes comes in useful in different situations whether it is the Read It Myself option where you or your child want to read the book in a traditional format or Read To Me and Auto Play which is great to keep your child entertained in the car etc.

Old Style Storybook Pages

The story text is presented on old style storybook pages which remind me of a fairytale book I had and loved as a child. After you read a page or two of the story you are presented with a task. There are lots of these fun interactive task like features throughout the story which are presented on what is best described as 3D pop-up pages. I love the fact that when you tilt the iPhone or iPad the background moves and you get that 3D feel to it, a very clever design in my opinion. The interactive features include amongst others, watering the seeds and picking the flowers which Ben loves, feeding the baby and giving it a rattle to play with and guiding the Prince to the tower where the Princess is in hiding by touching the musical notes as they appear. These features are great for developing fine motor skills and logic while keeping the app engaging and fun for young children.

3D Pop-Up Pages

Interactive Features

Ben loves all the interactive features in this app, they really bring the story to life and keep it interesting and entertaining for young children. The only negative I have found is that he sometimes tries to skip forward to the games without waiting for the text to be read by clicking on the arrow in the corner, but it is hard to blame him as they are so much fun. The music and narration are also both worth a mention as they definitely add to the whole app experience.

Ben helping Rapunzel and the Prince cook a vegetable stew

Grimm's Rapunzel is free to download from the AppStore and is compatible with both iPad and iPhone. I can highly recommend this app, I love the graphics and interactive features, it brings a well loved children's fairytale to life in a special way. Other similar apps such as Grimm's Hansel and Gretel and Grimm's Red Riding Hood by the same company Ideal Binary are also worth checking out if you like Grimm's Rapunzel and are available to download for £0.69.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored app. I am writing about this app as I think is is a great app young children will enjoy.

Day 18 of The 366 Project

2012-01-18T17:23:00.000Z

A package arrived today which was full of shredded paper to keep the contents safe which Ben quickly found a use for. Who knew you could have so much fun with something so simple! (Plus I love his crazy curls today :))

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Stargazing Toddler

2012-01-18T12:12:00.000Z

This morning was the first morning in awhile that I didn't hear about the "bad alien" and "B.O.B" from Monsters vs Aliens instead all Ben could talk about was the moon and stars, he wanted to "go watch the moon again". He was not referring to Mickey Mouse's Space Adventure or Little Charley Bear in Teddy for Blast Off but BBC's Stargazing. He is hooked on it, he is watching it now, fascinated saying "Wow look at that Mummy, Black hole Mummy, look, look a black hole!".

I can honestly say I never thought I would hear my two year talk about galaxies and stars like this so young, it sure is a welcome break from watching "B.O.B the blob again".

Look, look Mummy!

The Gallery: Eyes

2012-01-18T10:23:00.000Z

This weeks theme for The Gallery is Eyes. I love this theme, photos of the eyes are so beautiful and honest, the eyes reveal the inner emotions and feelings of a person. If you look into someone's eyes you can tell how they are truly feeling whether they want you to or not. It is true what they say eyes really are the windows to the soul.

I have decided to use two photographs this week, both of Ben's beautiful big brown eyes, young eyes, full of wonder and innocence with a lifetime yet to see. I do hope it is full of happy wonderful things.

Day 17 of The 366 Project

2012-01-17T20:46:00.000Z

Today Daddy came home with a surprise for Ben, a ukulele. Ben picked it up and started playing immediately. He loves it and actually sounds really good. Maybe he'll grow up to be a musician...

Day 16 of The 366 Project

2012-01-16T18:43:00.000Z

Today was such a beautiful day, very cold but sunny so Ben and I wrapped up warm and got out for a nice long stroll. Ben loves seeing the sun and always points it out and has a little chat about it if it happens to be shining. I love days like these.

Day 15 of The 366 Project

2012-01-15T17:59:00.000Z

This morning Ben had lots of fun playing hide and seek under the covers on Mummy and Daddy's bed.

Silent Sunday

2012-01-15T13:26:00.000Z

Day 14 of The 366 Project

2012-01-14T17:35:00.000Z

Ben's favourite book is The Gruffalo. Today he decided he wanted to read it to Donald Duck.

Saturday is Caption Day

2012-01-14T09:19:00.001Z

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!

Day 13 of The 366 Project

2012-01-13T18:04:00.000Z

Ben has had a busy day which amongst other things included racing cars, creating works of art on his easel, playing chasing in the garden (this toddler sure can run super fast) and of course climbing everything and anything he could so it is no wonder he was sparked out earlier having this much needed nap!

Jack and the Beanstalk iPad / iPhone app Review

2012-01-13T11:31:00.002Z

One of Ben's favourite iPad / iPhone apps has got to be Jack and the Beanstalk by Mindshapes. This app is a fantastic, modern adaptation of the well known and loved children's story, Jack and the Beanstalk. It is engaging and highly interactive throughout which is sure to keep young children interested while both reading and playing along.

A Modern Twist on the Story

When you load the app you meet Jack who is playing computer games and dreaming of slaying monsters while his mum slaves away in the kitchen. Once the text is read, an arrow appears in the corner to enable you to turn the page. There are many fun interactive features on screen with bubbles to burst (which Ben loves) and clothes and dishes to tap to put away amongst other things. As you advance through the app the story sees Jack selling Betsy the Cow for magic beans. These magic beans allow kids to discover the basic principles of physics by bouncing the beans about the place and watching them collide and fall according to gravity. More of Ben's favourite interactive parts includes tapping the cloud to make the rain fall which causes the giant beanstalk to grow overnight and transforming Jack into "The Jack-Attack" by selecting his outfit and then helping him fly to the top of the stalk which is done by tilting the iPad or iPhone, a clever feature using an accelerometer to help him fly. As in the well known story Jack eventually defeats the giant and escapes with his money, magic hen and enchanted harp. Once again you use the accelerometer to help Jack fly down the stalk which he does on the back of the magic hen while being pursued by a giant hand. The end always makes me chuckle when Jack's mother appears all glammed up exclaiming that she loves her new hair.

Fleeing the Giant!

A Happy Ending :)

There are many things I like about this app, the graphics are excellent and the characters are fun and appealing to young kids. I think the fact that you have to wait for the words to be read on screen before moving to the next page is important as it prevents children from skipping forward to their favourite interactive features which happens all too often with ebook apps. The spoken word is highlighted as it is read also which is a useful aid for learning to read. The interactive features are extremely engaging and fun and help develop logic and fine motor skills as well as basic physics.

Ben clearly enjoys playing Jack and the Beanstalk and I have found it is an ideal app to keep him entertained on the tube or car journeys. I highly recommend this app for young children, it is a clever fun take on a classic children's tale which is educational and engaging.

Jack and the Beanstalk is available to download for free from the AppStore and is compatible for both iPhone and iPad. Ben and I both love this app as I am sure you will too!

The Jack-Attack!

Loving the interactive features

*Disclaimer: I am a Magic Town Mom and therefore have a relationship with Mindshapes but this has in no way biased my opinion on Jack and the Beanstalk. I think it is an excellent app and young kids are sure to love it.

Day 12 of The 366 Project

2012-01-12T17:02:00.000Z

When Ben woke this morning he immediately asked me to get his wigwam out which I did, he has been missing the Christmas Tree but has agreed the wigwam is an acceptable replacement. He was clearly quite pleased that I had put it up for him as ran about the lounge giving me high fives again and again and again..

Placenta Pizza Anyone?

2012-01-12T11:59:00.000Z

I doubt I was the only person feeling rather queasy last night when the new mum who Sharon Horgan met on Channel 4's programme How To Be A Good Mother with Sharon Horgan downed a smoothie made with her placenta and then offered Sharon some. Now I am all for people having their own individual beliefs on childbirth methods and parenting styles but really, is this necessary? Surely the whole purpose of the placenta is to nourish and support the unborn baby and once they arrive, while it may be nutritious and full of amazing vitamins and minerals its purpose has been served and it is then redundant. It seems all a bit self-cannibalistic to me.

I wanted to keep an open mind so did a bit of research to find out what the benefits of eating your own insides once out are. Those who believe in its powers claim that it helps prevents postpartum depression and that the placenta contains high levels of prostaglandin which stimulates a shrinking or return to a former size of the uterus, in effect cleaning the uterus out. The placenta also contains small amounts of oxytocin, a hormone which is naturally released after childbirth and breastfeeding. Sounds great but what do the medical professionals have to say about this? Obstetrician and spokeswoman for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Maggie Blott is quoted in this BBC article stating that there is no medical justification at all."Animals eat their placenta to get nutrition - but when people are already well-nourished, there is no benefit, there is no reason to do it," she says.

So there you have it, maybe Human Placentophagy is a magic power source for some but for me it's a definite "no thank you!". Personally, I can't say I suffered because of not eating it so I am definitely not convinced but for those of you interested, here is a collection of Placenta Recipes which range from Placenta Cocktail to Placenta Pizza.

Day 11 of The 366 Project

2012-01-11T19:33:00.000Z

Today we popped into Covent Garden to meet up with my hubby for lunch and do a spot of shopping so it meant a trip on the tube which Ben loves. He wasn't very happy to see Daddy head back to work so I let him pick a treat to have on the tube trip home. He chose a Percy Pig juice drink from M&S which he clung onto the whole way back.

The Potty List: 36 Things Before Three Years!

2012-01-11T18:42:00.000Z

I am sure by now nearly everyone has heard of the Potty List, a list of thirty six things a toddler should do before the ripe old age of three, one for every month of their lives apparently, which was compiled by feedback from one thousand mums for Cow and Gate as part of the Little One-ders campaign.

When I first heard mention of this list I thought to myself "oh no, not another list to compare toddlers by". As a rule I don't like lists especially those that try to standardise young childrens development as I am a firm believer they do everything in their own time. This, however, is not such a list, it is instead a collection of fun things to do with little ones and is packed full of fantastic ideas and humour. I have to say I think it is great and it has definitely given me a few ideas for things I want to do with Ben like grow cress in the shape of his name - a very clever and fun way to learn how to spell it.

So how many of these things has Ben, two years old, gotten around to doing to date, well the answer is quite a lot of them but this is by no means because I am a doing anything out of the way to tick them off. My approach with Ben is to have fun doing things everyday whether it be playing with toys, creative activities, getting muddy outside or just joining in with normal chores about the house such as the washing up, cooking or battling with me over the vacuum cleaner. Turns out just doing normal things helps you tick off most of the things on the list.

So here you go, this is the magic list of things to do before your toddlers turns three. Enjoy and I hope you are as lucky as me not to have encountered number 24 yet..

Made a mud pie
Baked a cake
Finger painted
Sung loudly in public
Climbed a big hill
Picked fruit
Danced with no inhibitions
Made sandcastles on the beach
Been chased by a monster
Jumped in a puddle so hard the water went in mummy’s shoe too
Belly-flopped
Fed the ducks
Blown bubbles
Had a teddy bear’s picnic
Chosen a favourite book
Ridden on the top of double-decker bus
Visited a museum
Been on a train ride
Fed an animal
Grown cress in the shape of your name
Worn pants on your head
Ridden the tea-cups at the fair
Flown a paper aeroplane
Poo’ed in the bath
Stayed the night away from home
Ridden on daddy’s shoulders
Scribbled somewhere you shouldn’t
Cleaned your own teeth
Answered the phone
Mastered a party piece
Had a ‘first love’
Bought something in a shop
Set your sights on a future career (pirate, fairy or builder, perhaps?)
Told a fib
Made up an inappropriate nickname for someone
Broken something valuable

Number 9: Being Chased By A Monster!

The Gallery: Phone Photo

2012-01-11T09:17:00.000Z

I am delighted to say The Gallery is back for 2012 with "Phone Photo" as the first theme of the year which I think is a great choice. I absolutely love how easy having an iPhone has made capturing so many memories on camera, not a day goes by without me taking at least one photo and I have preserved some truly special moments in photographs over the past few years as a result. iPhone apps which are available to edit pictures take it to another fun level which can transform a fairly average photo to something very cool and impressive. I have tried quite a few apps out and my current favourites are Pixlr-o-matic, Snapseed and of course Instagram.

The picture I have chosen to use today was one I took while getting Ben to sleep last night as he lay there clutching his beloved Mickey Mouse torch. I turned off the flash on my iPhone letting the torch light providing the light source. I then edited it later using Pixlr-o-matic and I just love what the effect has added to the photo, enhancing the colours and shade bringing out the detail in Ben's eye and strengthening the colours, in particular that of the torch light.

Day 10 of The 366 Project

2012-01-10T17:14:00.000Z

There is no end to the amount of fun this toddler can get from a pile of crunchy leaves in the garden.

Would You Like The Fairy HobMother To Visit You?

2012-01-09T18:06:00.000Z

Something exciting just happened to brighten up my Monday. I have been visited by the Fairy Hobmother from Appliances Online, the fantastic people who bring us all manner of kitchen appliances including washing machines and the like. She decided to give me a gift of an amazon voucher after having a read through my blog. I have to say this has really brought a big smile to my face! What great timing too, a little treat after Christmas when things start to feel a bit dull that the decorations have come down and the partying is over for another year.

The great news is that if you too would like to be visited by the Fairy Hobmother all you have to do is leave a comment here and make a wish - fantastic isn't it? So go on - get wishing! I'm off to browse Amazon...

Day 9 of The 366 Project

2012-01-09T16:52:00.000Z

It is safe to say Ben loves chilling in his Stokke Xplory taking in the world around him when we go out for a stroll. Here he is watching the "flying birds" and aeroplanes go by today.

Day 8 of The 366 Project

2012-01-08T16:00:00.000Z

This morning we had a yummy plated breakfast. Ben was impressed with the size of the "giant" sausages we had (they weren't really giant btw).

Silent Sunday

2012-01-08T10:03:00.001Z

Day 7 of The 366 Project

2012-01-07T16:47:00.003Z

Today we had a lot of fun making dance clips with the Just Dance 3 Autodance iPhone app. Ben kept asking to watch himself over and over again and even had to get his telescope out so he could take a "closer look" (might have worked better the right way around though).

Ben Boogies With Just Dance 3 Autodance iPhone App

2012-01-07T15:17:00.000Z

We are loving the Just Dance 3 Autodance iPhone app - It can make anyone dance! You simply record four clips which magically get put together to music resulting in hilarious clips which can be uploaded to facebook and YouTube like this one of Ben boogieing on down!

Saturday is Caption Day

2012-01-07T00:13:00.001Z

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!

Day 6 of The 366 Project

2012-01-06T18:02:00.000Z

This morning I mentioned to Ben that I thought the lounge looked very bare now all the decorations are down. He obviously listened to me as an hour or so later I was in the kitchen and heard a loud 'Ta da!' coming from the lounge.

Happy Women's Christmas Ladies!

2012-01-06T15:56:00.000Z

Today, the 6th December, is traditionally recognised as Women's Christmas in Ireland. It may sound a tad old fashioned but it is a day when women are supposed to leave all the housework to the men and sit down and relax or indeed head out and party as so many do. I do believe it is still true to say that most of the restaurants and bars especially in Cork and Kerry see a lot more women heading through their doors to be wined and dined on this very day.

I remember as a little child my mom telling me it was a day that she could (or perhaps more correctly, should) get to have a little rest after all the extra entertaining, cooking and baking that Christmas had brought with it. I always remember thinking what a nice idea it was and how much my mom deserved it. I guess times have changed a lot now though and not all the extra work required at Christmas falls to the woman of the family anymore but this still won't stop me liking this tradition as outdated as it may seem. So Happy Woman's Christmas to all you wonderful ladies out there, take it as an excuse to get a take away at the very least tonight :).

Coco the Chihuahua wishes you a Happy Women's Christmas!

Day 5 of The 366 Project

2012-01-05T17:30:00.000Z

Ben has not been feeling very well today and nor have I so we have been snuggling on the sofa watching his favourite tv shows.

Day 4 of The 366 Project

2012-01-04T17:09:00.000Z

From the moment Ben woke up this morning he has been asking me for popcorn. I have no idea why. I finally gave into his requests after lunch and put on his current favourite film, Monsters vs Aliens so here he is engrossed in it munching on his popcorn.

Word Wall HD iPad App Review

2012-01-04T15:10:00.000Z

I don't think you can ever start introducing children to letters, words and reading early enough as it is all about getting them familiar with the shapes and sounds of the letters and the combinations of them together to form words. Word Wall HD by Punflay is a fun way to help a child to develop these early reading skills. This app not only helps develop reading skills but also improves logic and memory skills through it's games and puzzles.

In addition to writing letters (writing abc option) and words (writing words option) where you drag and drop the letters and hear their names spoken and pronounced phonetically followed by a relevant picture (e.g. A is for Apple) there are four games to choose from which include:
See and Find which is a word / picture pair matching game and has two modes - easy and difficult.
Hide a Word which Ben loves where you have to use a torch light to find the word after which the picture appears.
Bubble Words where you have to pick the bubbles containing the letters to spell the name of the picture.
Jigsaw words where you put the pieces of the jigsaw together to spell a word.

See and Find

Jigsaw

Ben who is two years old loves playing this app and I can really see the educational benefits resulting from it. I help him with the games such as Bubble Words which requires you to spell out words and See and Find but he is more than capable of doing the Jigsaw and Hide a Word all by himself. He usually repeats the name and phonetic pronunciation when dragging and dropping the letters in the writing abc section which I find fantastic as he really is developing his letter knowledge.

The graphics in Word Wall HD are also worth mentioning as they are colourful and appealing to young children who will find this app fun and engaging while learning lots along the way. I can highly recommend it if you are looking for an app to help develop your child's reading skills and letter knowledge.

Ben dragging & dropping letters

Word Wall HD is available to download for the iPad from the AppStore and costs just £0.69. A great app your child will love as will you when you see the educational benefits.

* Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a promocode to download this app but this has in no way biased my opinion.

Day 3 of The 366 Project

2012-01-03T18:51:00.000Z

Today was mostly a horrible rainy, windy day but we took the opportunity to venture out at the brief moment it cleared up. Ben told me it was a "lovely day" and asked "how about the park?". Some exercise for his little toddler legs sounded like a good idea to me so off we set. Unfortunately we were there about five minutes and the rain started threatening again but it didn't stop Ben having fun on the slide.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-03T18:42:00.000Z

This year Christmas has been lovely and jam packed. Ben has been so excited about everything Christmas from the tree, twinkly lights and of course Santa Claus. He really has made Christmas not only for us but his grandparents and his great grandad too.

My big memory from Christmas morning is Ben running in seeing his presents and immediately picking them up and handing them to me and his daddy saying "For you!". It melted my heart. We had a lovely Christmas day relaxing as a family, helping Ben play with all the lovely things Santa had brought him and of course enjoyed our yummy Christmas dinner.

"For you!"

On Boxing Day (or St Stephan's Day to us Irish) we flew to Cork (by rocket) to stay with my parents and to be reunited with our chihuahua Coco who has been staying with them since we went on holidays. It is safe to say that seeing their little grandson was the best Christmas present my parents could have asked for. They were amazed and delighted by him as he waffled on telling them stories and entertained them in a way only Ben could. Ben was over the moon to have his Coco back, the two of them are partners in crime. One of the highlights of the trip for me was when we visited my Grandad, Ben's Great Grandad. I knew my Grandad had been really looking forward to seeing Ben and it was just so lovely to see them together especially when Ben gave him a great big hug which my hubby captured on video - something I will treasure forever.

My boys reunited with Coco

We got back to London early on New Years Eve and enjoyed ringing in 2012 with lots of bubbly. New Years Day was spent in the company of my husband's parents who came to stay and it was another lovely relaxing day, catching up and just spending quality time together, Ben loving having his grandparents around to entertain and I even pulled off a pretty tasty roast dinner.

I have to say I am sad that Christmas is over already but I really do have some fantastic memories from Christmas 2011. It's been a very special one for me and my family and I look forward to lots more memorable ones in the years to come. Unfortunately Ben thinks Santa is going to visit again soon and keeps bursting into verses of "Santa Claus is coming to Town" and even went as far as asking to put Santa's special key out on the doorstep today. I think he may be disappointed when the tree finally comes down.

Day 2 of The 366 Project

2012-01-02T16:49:00.000Z

Today Ben found a new toy to play with in the garden - a stick which led to lots of fun and laughter!

Day 1 of The 366 Project

2012-01-01T23:10:00.000Z

This year I am definitely joining in on the 366 Project (a photo a day) after seeing the fantastic pictures taken by The Boy and Me last year. I have a feeling it is going to be pretty amazing looking back over them all next year.

So here is my first photo of a very tired Ben who fell asleep during his dinner tonight..

Silent Sunday

2012-01-01T09:56:00.000Z

Saturday is Caption Day

2011-12-31T12:38:00.000Z

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!

Tayto Time

2011-12-28T19:12:00.002Z

Tayto crisps, what can I say, they are the national crisps of Ireland. So on this trip back to Ireland I decided it was about time to introduce Ben to the famous Irish delicacy. The flavour of choice being Smokey Bacon. He loved them so much he asked for more..

Ireland by Rocket!

2011-12-27T18:34:00.002Z

We flew to Ireland yesterday but not by aeroplane as you might expect, instead we went by rocket ship! Well that is the story if you ask two year old Ben.

Ben decided as soon as we got to Heathrow airport we were in fact in outer space. The lights from the aeroplanes and the ones illuminating the runway outside were stars and planets and there were rocket ships everywhere. Unfortunately for him he slept most of the flight here (probably dreaming of rocket ships) so he missed out on his big space adventure. It doesn't stop him talking about it though...

Silent Sunday

2011-12-25T13:18:00.001Z

Saturday is Caption Day

2011-12-24T00:30:00.006Z

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!

The Gallery: Christmas of Yesteryear

2011-12-21T08:59:00.000Z

This weeks theme for The Gallery is Christmas of Yesteryear. I have decided to pick the year 2009 as it was a very special Christmas for us being Ben's first. He was three months old that December and I remember him being fascinated by the twinkling lights on the tree and the colourful decorations everywhere. That year I made a last minute purchase of a Santa suit for him to wear which I am so glad about now as I absolutely love these pictures of him in it especially the one of him waving.

Santa Ben having a little rest

Big waves from Ben and Teddy

I remember taking this picture as he slept in my arms that year

Love you Mama, Love you Dada...

2011-12-20T09:41:00.000Z

It melts my heart when Ben comes running over to me and says "Love you Mama" as it does when he turns to his Daddy and ever so cutely says "Love you Dada!". We're lucky parents aren't we? Our son clearly loves us but when he goes and kisses my iPad and hugs it saying "Love you iPad" I do wonder who or what he loves the most ;).

Disney Junior Christmas Card Creator and Coluring Fun

2011-12-18T12:52:00.001Z

If you are looking for some ideas to keep your little ones busy in the run up to Christmas make sure you check out the Christmas Colouring Fun, Create a Christmas Card or e-card online and Print a Christmas Card activities available for free on Disney Junior which lets you print out colour in sheets with all your little ones favourite characters and customise and print out Christmas cards starring Mickey, Special Agent OSO, The Jungle Junction crew and other Disney friends.

I was delighted to discover these especially as we had to wait in for deliveries for the past few days and they were great for entertaining my little toddler. We did lots of colouring and had heaps of fun making a special Christmas card for Ben's Daddy which of course had to have Ben's favourites Donald and Mickey along with a picture of Ben himself inside.

They really are fantastic fun for any little Disney Junior fans out there!

Saturday is Caption Day

2011-12-17T08:32:00.001Z

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!

Saturday is Mammasaurus Day

2011-12-17T08:31:00.001Z

How could I resist joining in on the revolution that is #MadCap Day? So here's my photo (which I acquired from a certain naughty elf) of the great Mammasaurus herself!

Dr. Seuss Band iPad / iPhone App Review

2011-12-16T15:14:00.002Z

This week saw the release of the fantastic Dr. Seuss Band app by Oceanhouse Media. This app is so much fun to play and will not only appeal to kid but adults alike. It takes the fantastic music and artwork from the well loved Dr. Seuss stories and uses them to bring us a very cool app which turns your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch into a musical instrument.

There are two modes of play Freeplay or Music Game which make it suitable for all ages. Ben loves the Freeplay mode and happily composes a variety of musical masterpieces to bop along to whereas his Dad and I enjoy the competition of the Music Game (yes, it really is for the mummies and daddies too!). It reminds me a little of guitar hero in that you have to press the correct buttons that match the coloured notes on screen. When playing Music Game mode you can select from Dr. Seuss ABC, The Cat In The Hat and There's a Wocket in my Pocket which are free or choose to unlock one or more of the other seven Dr. Seuss songs which include Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears A Who and The Bippolo Seed amongst others which cost 69p each or £2.49 for all songs. You simply select your song, pick between Easy, Medium and Hard and then the game starts.

Playing The Cat In The Hat on easy

Other fun features include the ability to select between different horn instruments with the Trumpet and French Horn free and the Clarinet, Trombone and Flute as additional in-app purchases for 69p along with fun effects, again Echo Chamber and Normal are free and there are additional in-app purchase for 69p each such as a Train Whistle which is a big hit with my train obsessed toddler! All the Horns and Effects can be purchased for £2.99 and both Songs and Horns and Effects together for £5.99. You can have a lot of fun using these features mixing and matching the parts of the horn while playing and I do believe there are over one hundred and twenty possible combinations so it is sure to keep you and your child busy for some time finding them all.

In-App Purchases and Unlocks

I have to say I am not hugely keen on In-App Purchases especially in kids apps mainly due to the danger of accidental and unintentional purchases by little hands therefore it is worth noting you can switch of In-App Purchases in your device settings if you are concerned about it. However the location of the In-App Purchases in the Dr. Seuss Band app limits this happening as you have to navigate to the settings so I am not overly worried about it with Ben. Overall I have found Dr. Seuss Band a very entertaining fun app and the great thing is it is suitable for all the family.

Dr. Seuss Band is available to purchase for a special introductary price of 69p from the AppStore and is compatible with the iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. I highly reccommend it - it's a fun app for everyone!

Ben enjoying making some funky music!

* Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received a promocode to download this app for free however this has in way biased my opinion.

Breastfeeding a Toddler

2011-12-14T13:41:00.000Z

I have now been breastfeeding Ben for over twenty seven months and he is showing very little signs of giving up. I was hoping that he would self-wean and had set a deadline of two years in my mind but it is not exactly going to plan. I was lucky with Ben in that he took to breastfeeding straight away and it has never been hard or difficult really but it has come to a point now where I am thinking will he ever stop? I have nightmarish visions of Little Britain and the whole 'bitty' scenario.

When Ben was little I didn't think twice about breastfeeding in public and quite happily obliged my baby's demands as and when they happened. Now Ben is a toddler I have to admit I feel considerably less comfortable about it all. His demands are a lot more vocal and physical, even verging on aggressive with him often just grabbing at and trying to whip my boob out in public whilst shouting "booby time now Mama". As a result there have been more than a few embarrassing moments. Breastfeeding a toddler isn't easy, there is a lot of pinching, tugging and pulling and sometimes I feel like I have gone ten rounds with Tyson as he thrashes about from one boob to the other. I do however still value the bond I have with him that breastfeeding brings, it is a very special thing which is why I was, and still am, really hoping weaning will be baby (or should I say toddler) led.

So today in an effort to reduce Ben's feeds we are trying something out, when he asks to feed I give him a very special Mickey Mouse cup with a twirly straw instead and I am happy to say it has worked so far. It is a start, even if I can get him to use it during the day for now I will be happy as I know a lot of the reason he wants to nurse at night has to do with comfort above all else. So wish us luck and if you have any advice I would love to hear from you.

A Favourite Christmas Book: Pull-Back Busy Santa

2011-12-12T16:07:00.002Z

On a recent visit to Trotters Children's Store on the Kings Road I picked up a fantastic Christmas book for Ben called the Pull-Back Busy Santa Book by Usborne which tells the story of Santa's journey as he sets out to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. Ben loves it, as the name suggests it has a little Santa on a sleigh toy which can be pulled back and then travels over the different tracks on each set of pages in the book.

The story starts off in the North Pole where Santa races across the ice with a sleigh full of presents waving goodbye to the elves and passing the snowmen as he sets off on his adventure. Santa then flies around a busy city, above snowy mountains and roof tops, delivering presents down chimneys before heading home into the night sky. It is a lovely colourful book which has lots of detail and encourages children to look closely at the pages and develop their observational and counting skills by asking questions such as "Santa whizzed past four snowmen. Can you spot them?" and "Santa spotted two cats. Can you?" on each set of pages. The little Santa on his sleigh toy speeds about the tracks but you do have to make sure you support the book or prop another book under it so the tracks are flat.

This is the first Christmas where Ben, who is two, understands that Santa will be "coming to town" (his words, which we hear at least twenty times a day at the moment). It's a very magical time and this book is wonderful to read with him, I love the way he chatters on about Santa in his sleigh as he sets the toy off whizzing about the tracks on the pages as I read it to him. The look of excitement in his face is priceless. I can highly recommend this book for toddlers, they are sure to love it!

I purchased this book from Trotters for £14.99 but it is also available in a variety of other stores and online from Amazon and Usborne.

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I am writing about this book as Ben really enjoys it and I wanted to share it with others.

Silent Sunday

2011-12-11T09:54:00.000Z

Saturday is Caption Day

2011-12-10T10:12:00.000Z

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!

A New Money Saving Me

2011-12-09T17:25:00.000Z

It is that time again where the car insurance renewal forms are due to drop through the letterbox any day. Yes, it would be easy to just let it auto-renew but I have decided it is time to make a list of things such as car insurance, electricity, gas, broadband and so on and see if I can find cheaper alternatives. So first on my hit list is to compare car insurance deals and see if I can get it any cheaper elsewhere.

I have always hated filling in the seemingly endless information required when searching for car insurance but I found this process pretty painless. The Tesco Compare site which I used is very user friendly and the thing I liked most about it is that you don’t have to complete it all in one go as there is an option to save the quote as you go along which is pretty much essential when you have to deal with as many toddler interruptions as I do as soon as I go near my laptop.

Once I had all my details submitted a list of over thirty insurance quotes was returned to me which I could then compare. I was also emailed a link to my quote and it can be retrieve by logging into the site which is great as it means I have it ready to go as soon as I need it. Before I used this site I have to admit the thought did cross my mind as to whether it would be biased towards Tesco Car Insurance but it definitely wasn’t, in fact Tesco appeared right at end of my list of options. Another big win with Tesco Compare is that if I do end up buying my car insurance through them I can collect Tesco Clubcard Points too!

For once in my life I now feel very organised and will be ready to compare my options once the renewal forms arrive - an attempt at my new money saving self perhaps? Well it’s a start anyway...

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post but has in no way biased my opinion - I found using the Tesco Compare site very easy to use and I will definitely be using it again when looking for more savings on bills.

Jerricho The Elf iPad App Review

2011-12-08T17:43:00.002Z

Today I came across another great iPad app which I just had to feature, it is called Jerricho The Elf which is developed by Emantras Inc and brought to us by Punflay. Although it is designed for kids five and over Ben who is two absolutely loves it.

Jerricho and his lucky hat

The app is an interactive ebook which tells the story of Jerricho who is chosen to be one of Santa's elves this Christmas. It sees him setting out to make his way to work at the North Pole by bus (which I thought was quite amusing - I never knew they had elf buses ;)). Along the way Jerricho loses his lucky hat, meets the famous toy maker elf, Bushy Evergreen and then gets to work making toys. The story even sees poor Jerricho having to chase a nasty goblin who tries to steals the toys. When I first saw the goblin I though Ben might be afraid of it but no, silly me, of course he wasn't he loved it! I guess a goblin is no scarier a character than the well loved Gruffalo. The highlight of the story for Ben was when Santa appeared which was excitedly noted by clapping and lots of "Santa, Santa, ho, ho, ho!". The interactive sections in this app are great and include features such as selecting Jerricho's lucky hat, joining numbered dots to make Bushy Evergreen appear, pressing buttons on the toy machine and making and sorting toys, fishing Jerricho's hat out of the river along with various birds that tweet and stars that twinkle when touched - there is definitely a lot to keep little ones engaged throughout.

Interactive feature: connect the numbered dots

The nasty goblin!

Ben and I have already read this story many times today and he is getting quicker and quicker at the interactive parts, he especially loves joining the numbered dots and making Bushy Evergreen appear. This is a great app as the story appeals to young kids, the Goblin is a big hit with Ben who, like most children his age loves these kind of scary characters, the interactive features keep it engaging while fun yet educational and the ending is just perfect with Santa arriving to save the day.

It's Santa! Ho Ho Ho!

Jerricho The Elf is available to download for free with adverts from the AppStore and is compatible with the iPad. You have the option to remove the adverts in app for £0.69 but in my experience of using the app they did not cause any problems as they are placed at the top and Ben never pressed them (so far anyway). Jerricho The Elf is one kids Christmas app not to be missed in my opinion.

Ben busy connecting the numbers

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

The Gallery: My Awesome Photo

2011-12-07T13:06:00.000Z

This weeks theme for The Gallery is My Awesome Photo which was a hard one as I have so many pictures which may not be technically brilliant but I love as they capture special moments. So I spent awhile looking through all of them trying to figure out which I could see hanging on the wall as a canvas and I kept coming back to this one as I just love Ben's expression and cheeky little grin which captures his personality perfectly.

Our Play-Doh Christmas Tree

2011-12-06T16:42:00.000Z

Today Ben and I decided to have some fun with Play-Doh and amongst a variety of colourful animals and monsters we made a Christmas Tree which is now taking pride of place amongst the Christmas decorations in our home. There really is something special about your little ones handmade creations - I love Ben's little tree :).

Wigwam Play Tent Review

2011-12-06T09:52:00.000Z

I was delighted when Playhouses.co.uk got in contact with me and asked if I would like to do a review as they do a fantastic range of children's outdoor products. I decided to chose the Wigwam Play Tent because I had a feeling Ben would love it and I wasn't wrong. As soon as I took the box out of it's packaging and my little toddler caught sight of the picture of the Wigwam on it he was impressed, in fact he was so delighted he started hugging the box.

Hugs!

My plan to wait until my husband got home to set it up quickly went out the window as Ben begged me to get it built. I have to say I was very pleased with how easy it was to put together and thankfully there were no small fiddly pieces for Ben to grab and run off with or me to lose. To put it together you join two sets of six poles in the middle with plastic connector pieces, thread these through elastic loops inside the canvas cover and slot into the foot holders at the bottom. A rope is then threaded through holes in the top poles which are separated by wooden beads which you tie and hey presto the Wigwam is ready to be erected. It really is as simple as that!

Ben examining my *ahem* building work

The quality of the canvas is superb, it is made from a thick, hard wearing material which is sure to withstand a lot of use and not tear or rip easily - something which is so important when you have a boisterous toddler. I love the pictures and designs on it as does Ben who spent ages walking around it pointing out all the animals and different colours on it. It really is the perfect hide away place for a little kid as Ben demonstrated by grabbing his rocket, colouring book and crayons and my iPad and then shutting the doors which fasten easily with velcro while popping out every few minutes to say boo! There is plenty of room inside the wigwam and both Ben and I could fit comfortably inside along with a collection of cuddly toys and he was able to stand up so it is a great height. We put it up inside but I can see this being a fantastic little play house outside for Ben in the summer. Another great thing about the Wigwam is that it is as easy to take down as put up and stores neatly inside the box which it comes in so it takes up very little space when not in use.

So that's where my iPad got to...

Boo!

The Wigwam is available to purchase online form Playhouses.co.uk and is priced at £49.99 which in my opinion is very reasonable given the quality of the product, the size and the ease of construction. I can highly recommend this product - Ben has already had so much fun playing inside it and there is definitely lots more to come.

* Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. I received the Wigwam free in exchange for a review but this has in no way biased my opinion - it is a great product!

Silent Sunday

2011-12-04T07:24:00.000Z

Saturday is Caption Day

2011-12-03T00:26:00.000Z

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!

Rockford's Christmas Song iPhone / iPad App Review

2011-12-01T10:12:00.000Z

If you haven't guessed by now I love Christmas so to spread the festive cheer I want to tell you about a fantastic Christmas iPhone / iPad app that I have recently come across. Children's Xmas App - Rockford's Christmas Song by Apache Solutions Ltd features Rockford, the ever so cute dog who you may know of from another app called Rockford's Rock Opera in a pretty magical animated song called Christmas Morning. The song opens with a sleeping Rockford who is waking up by the Christmas tree on Christmas morning and then shows him going for a walk with his owners where he encounters lots of other animals and has fun along the way.

There are four options to select from - you can watch a documentary on "The Making of Christmas Morning with the Foulds School Choir, select More Rockford where you can download more free Rockford content, share the app via email and also select Quiz to answer questions based on the song clip. Ben loves this app as do I, it has a lovely feel good Christmas feel to it which is sure to make even the biggest scrooge drop his or her bah humbugs. I have a feeling this song is going to be played over and over again in the run up to Christmas - if not by Ben by me!

The very cute Rockford!

I love this little dog - reminds me of Coco our chihuahua :)

Children's Xmas App - Rockford's Christmas Song is available to download for free from the AppStore and is compatible with iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Get in the festive mood and go download it - you and your kids will love it!

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post.

Kellogg's Little Helper Christmas Recipes

2011-11-30T17:35:00.003Z

When we heard about the Kellogg's Little Helper Campaign which launched this week we were more than happy to get involved. This is a special Christmas campaign where Kellogg's have teamed up with Jo Wheatley who is best known for winning this year’s Great British Bakeoff on BBC2. She has created three exclusive Kellogg’s Christmas recipes which kids and adults alike will love.

Ben and I decided to try out one of these recipes today. We decided to start with the is Rice Krispies Snowmen, these little guys look so cute they would be fantastic for a children's Christmas party. The only problem was we had to improvise a little as we didn't have all the necessary ingredients such as the fondant required and had to use icing pens instead. Nevertheless we gave it a go and had a lot of fun doing so. I will have to get some fondant in to make them properly next time though. My husband's reaction to them made me laugh when he said they look "deformed but yummy!" (thanks Chris! ;)).

My Little Helper

Ok they are a bit deformed but definitely yummy :)

Jo's other two recipes include one for Christmas Star Biscuits and White Chocolate Tiffin, both of which sound delicious and we will definitely be trying! If you would like to try out these recipes for yourself here they are:

Rice Krispies Snowmen

How they should look (and will next time ;))

200g Rice Krispies
400g white Marshmallows
50g butter
6 melted marshmallows
A handful of currants
Strips of jelly sweets (as many as you like)
300g fondant (either 2 different colours 200g for the hats & scarves 100g for scarves and noses or white and 2 gel colours)
Sprinkles for buttons

Melt the butter and marshmallows in a heat proof bowl in the microwave for about 60-90 seconds. Alternatively you can melt the butter in a pan, add the marshmallows and stir until melted.

Pour mixture into a large bowl and add Rice Krispies. I use a washing up bowl which I put aside for when I am cooking big volumes.

Next, mix all together until all the Rice Krispies are coated in marshmallow.

Use an Ice-cream scoop to get the snowmen’s body shapes, mould with buttered hands, compact together and then set the bodies to a side.

To make the heads, roll smaller amounts of mixture and mould with buttered hands, set aside to firm.

To make fondant hats, roll out coloured fondant, about half a centimetre thick, cut 8 circles using a small round cutter (about 4cm), then shape a little top of the hat and glue together with a little water.

Make 16 sausages of fondant then twist together to make the scarves.

Shape 8 carrot noses.

'Glue' the snowman’s head and body together using the melted marshmallow, then cut 8 currants in half for his coal eyes. These should stick easily in to place, and then add three sprinkle buttons along his body. Finally add his hat, scarf and carrot nose.

White Chocolate Tiffin

6oz Digestive biscuits crushed in to random sizes pieces
2oz Rice Krispies
4oz butter
2 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp malted drink
2oz shredded dried coconut
2oz glace cherries halved
700g melted white chocolate

In a saucepan melt the butter, syrup, malted drink and sugar until all combined.

Next, add all the other ingredients, except for the chocolate, and press into a 13cm x 9cm baking tray.

Once cooled, spread the chocolate over the top and leave to set.

When it is nearly set it is easier to mark out pieces in the chocolate- I think this looks exceptionally good.

Finally sprinkle with white edible glitter.

Note: you can replace the coconut and cherries with 4oz of fruit pastels, cut in two, for a more childlike recipe.

Christmas Star Biscuits

40g Rice Krispies
230g plain flour
A pinch of salt
1 tsp baking powder
150g caster sugar
115g unsalted softened butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste
Star shaped cutter

In a freestanding mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and vanilla bean paste and mix until combined.

Next pour in the flour, baking powder, salt and Rice Krispies and beat until this becomes a nice dough.

Turn the mixture out on to cling film, then wrap and chill for an hour, or until it is firm enough to roll.

Next, roll the mixture out on to a floured piece of parchment, use the cutter to make star shapes, and transfer on to baking trays. Chill the unbaked cookies in the fridge for 15-20 minutes.

Bake for 10 minutes, depending on cookie size. Once cooked, leave to cool on trays.

To decorate, place cookies on to a wire rack, dredge in icing sugar and then add gold sprinkles.

Jo has also shared her top ten baking tips with us which are as follows:

1. When measuring syrup or honey, always dip your measuring spoon into some flavourless oil first- this will help it slide from the spoon.
2. Always bake with room temperature eggs.
3. Always grease, flour and line cake tins for really easy removal.
4. Bake with the same quality chocolate that you'd be happy to eat normally.
5. Have all your packets of ingredients out ready on the work surface so you don't forget anything.
6. It's a great idea to line your pastry tin and then chill for a second time, it relaxes the dough and stops it from shrinking.
7. If you need a substitute for buttermilk, or sour cream, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to double cream.
8. When applying lustre dust to sugar craft decorations, put a small amount into a freezer bag along with your decoration and give a gentle shake. It will prevent the whole kitchen from being covered in shimmer dust!
9. Never overcrowd your oven, as this will impair the way it bakes.
10, Transfer cookie dough and cake batter with an ice cream scoop, this way you'll get even portions every time.

I think the one about using the ice cream scoop is great - I don't know why I hadn't thought of that before!

I'm really looking forward to trying out the other recipes - they will make a nice change from my usual Christmas baking which includes Gingerbread men and Christmas cake and it's lovely to be able to get Ben involved in helping me bake too!

If you would like to know more about Jo Wheatley and find out about her classes click here

Jo Wheatley

*Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I think these recipes are fantastic which is why I wanted to share them here.

The Gallery: The Kitchen

2011-11-30T10:11:00.001Z

This weeks theme for The Gallery is The Kitchen. My kitchen isn't very big or fancy and is a long way away from my dream kitchen but it is somewhere that has a really nice feel to it, a family feel. It has lots of red and white polka dots which I love, a giant 40 inch television which in all honesty is probably a bit too big but we got a new one for the lounge and this was the only other room we could put it, a seriously overworked Nespresso machine (my lifesaver) but my favourite part of the kitchen is the collection of magnets on the side of the fridge.

The magnets include one I got back in my single pre-baby party days "When I grow up I want to be a binge drinker" (thankfully I never grew up ;)), a family photo from our visit to see Santa in Selfridges last Christmas eve, the Duck of the Week (which is more Duck of the Month as we keep forgetting to change him), a funny joke magnet about first impressions which my lovely husband surprised me with for Christmas last year, an Irish blessing my mom gave us when Ben was born, my husbands "I kissed the Blarney Stone" from our last visit to Cork, Chihuahua Rules especially for Coco and a few other random ones which no doubt we will keep adding to.

It's Starting to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!

2011-11-28T12:55:00.001Z

Christmas Countdown!

I love Christmas. I always have. One of my favourite memories as a young child is decorating the house. My dad would go up into the attic to get the decorations and the tree down which was usually after much begging and pleading from me as I was always dying to get the place Christmassy as early as possible. I still remember the excitement as he would pass down the black bags full of Christmas stuff to us.

Our tree was a green plastic artificial one that came in three or four pieces and had to be assembled one piece on top of the next. In all honesty it was nothing special but to me I loved it, it was perfect. We had brightly coloured lights and every year, without fail they would never work when first plugged in. It would take several attempts of going over and back tightening and checking each and every bulb before they would light up. We had colourful glittery tinsel and a random collection of decorations, my favourites being three plastic Santas, an angel and of course the most special of all, the star for the top. I love when I go back to my parents home at Christmas now and my mom still has all the same decorations (well, that is the ones that have survived) hanging on the tree - they bring back such wonderful memories of Christmases gone by. I want Ben to have memories like this.

This year we decided to get into the Christmas mood a bit earlier than usual and kicked it off with a visit to see Santa Claus at Harrods. It is lovely there this time of year - it just oozes with Christmasness from the fantastic window displays, the stores decorations, the amazing Christmas shop with it's fabulous decorations and teddies to of course, Santa's grotto. This years theme for the grotto is the Gingerbread Man, the waiting area for the grotto is filled with little moving wooden toys, twinkling lights, spinning stars and rotating screens with pictures of gingerbread men and women, candy canes and various other gingerbread man themed images. Ben was pretty overwhelmed by all he had to see during the wait, he kept pointing at things saying lots of "Look Mama, Dada" and uttered countless "wow's". When we got our chance to meet Santa himself Ben was a little quiet at first, that was until Santa handed him a giant gold chocolate coin and a badge. The whole experience was lovely, Santa chatted happily away with us and we had a few photographs taken after which he gave Ben a book - The Gingerbread Man.

Look Mama, Dada! Wow!!

Once we got home it was decoration stations. Every year I love rediscovering all the fantastic things we have accumulated as a family over our Christmasses together from the Disney snow globe my husband gave me the first Christmas after we were married, Ben's first Christmas bauble, our Christmas bears to the special glass decorations for the tree which range from Santa on a train to a yellow rubber duck - special things and some which hold such special memories. Ben immediately got in on the decorating action this year and he impatiently grabbed at the baubles wanting to get them on the tree as quickly as possible. He was ever so pleased when he realised that the little purple foil squares hanging from the tree were in fact chocolate and manage to scoff three before we had them all relocated out of his reach needless to say we had a very hyper over excited toddler on Saturday night!

Someone found chocolate!

I can safely say it is definitely starting to feel a lot like Christmas here and I have a feeling it is going to be a good one. Now next on my hit list is to get the Christmas cards written on time this year..

Silent Sunday

2011-11-27T09:09:00.001Z

Saturday is Caption Day

2011-11-26T08:52:00.000Z

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!

Just a Spoonful of Ice Cream!

2011-11-25T17:02:00.000Z

Ben has never really had to take any medicine. In his first two years he has probably had Calpol or Nurofen less than five times so when it came to having to give him an antibiotic recently we had an all out refusal and lots of tears and struggles. It is a scary prospect when you can see your child is ill and know that there is no way they will keep down the medicine they so badly need to get better.

I think the first problem was with the actual antibiotic Ben was prescribed. It was possibly the bitterest, most foul tasting medicine I have ever tasted so I'm not surprised Ben immediately spat it out. Thankfully we got it changed for a different one which was a lot better tasting but there was still no way he would take it via a spoon or syringe. Mixing it through yogurt or a drink was a no go too. I was starting to think this was an impossible task. That was until I had the idea to mix it though ice cream. He loved it and even told me it was "dee-licious!" and asked me to "grab more" when he was finished.

Mary Poppins is right - just a spoonful of sugar (well, ice cream) helps the medicine go down! Only problem now is he has gotten used to ice cream for breakfast...

Tell 'What Siri is Saying' Your Funniest Siri Finds and Win

2011-11-23T16:23:00.004Z

If like me you have an iPhone 4s you are sure to have had some fun playing with Siri, your very own voice operated personal assistant. Sure Siri is great for sending texts, adding reminders and alarms, launching apps and so on but one of the things I love best about it is trying to discover the hidden Easter Eggs and humorous responses the Apple developers have hidden.

I found out today that there is now a new hilarious blog collecting the best responses to questions and commands called What Siri is Saying. I love it, some of the questions and responses featured on it are genius and guaranteed to bring some laughs. The blog is looking for people to submit any humorous responses they have found by uploading it through the website, after which they can then rate and comment on their own, and other submissions. There is also a leader board which features the best Siri entries as voted on by readers.

To find as many great Siri gems as they can they have decided to run a competition which invites people to submit Siri finds and the one which is at the top of the leader board on the 2nd December at 13.00 GMT will win a £100 Amazon voucher. Don't worry you don't have to have an iPhone 4s to enter either, all you have to do is just follow @WhatSirisSaying on Twitter or ‘like’ them on Facebook, then tweet your questions, post them on their Facebook page or e-mail them to hello@whatsiriissaying.co.uk. To help you get it to the top you can then tell all your friends to go and vote for your entry ;)

Here is my contribution which you can vote for here if you like (thank you!):

I believe!

The Gallery: Something I Am Proud Of

2011-11-23T12:15:00.001Z

This weeks theme for The Gallery is Something I Am Proud Of which I didn't have to think twice about as it is my son, Ben. Nothing can compare to the sense of pride I feel for my little boy, he is easily my biggest achievement in life. I have so many reasons to be proud of him, I just love the little person he is turning into, he is sweet and caring yet determined and willful and has a fantastic sense of humour with the biggest laugh that is utterly contagious!

He was poorly over the last few days and he could see I was worried about him so he turned to me and said "don't worry Mummy" which of course made me burst into tears to hear him say such words at just two years of age. Thankfully he's well on the mend now and getting back to his fun ways.

It was hard to pick just one photo of Ben but here is one I love.

My Pride and Joy saying Hello!

Auryn Apps Appiness Sale

2011-11-22T15:22:00.001Z

Over the past few months I have reviewed some iPad apps by the digital publishers Auryn Inc which Ben loves including Bunny Fun: Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Love You To The Moon and Back and Teddy's Day and Teddy's Night. The good news is that to mark Thanksgiving and Black Friday Auryn are having a fantastic sale from the 24th to the 27th of November with all apps costing just £0.69 / $0.99.

Auryn apps are all beautifully illustrated and brought to life in a very special way which young children love through animation and interactivity using their patented technology (Aurynization). So make sure you don't miss out on your chance to get some these apps at such a fantastic price - you or your kids won't be disappointed!

Ben playing Bunny Fun - one of his favourite Auryn apps

There are quite a lot of apps to choose with something for everyone - the full list is as follows:

Aesop in Rhyme - Lion and Mouse

Aesop in Rhyme - Crow and Pitcher

Aesop in Rhyme - Hare and Tortoise

Bunny Fun - Head2Toes

Edsel McFarlan's New Car

Love You To the Moon and Back

Tail Toes Eyes Ears Nose

Hurray for Pre-K

Little Mermaid Mandarin

The Trees Grin Beside Me

Dr. Duncan Dog on Duty

Red Riding Hood

Winter Is

Little Mermaid – Android

Van Gogh and the Sunflowers

Van Gogh and the Sunflowers Lite

Miko, Mom, Wakeup and Play

Miko, Mom, It Was Me

*Disclaimer: Please note this is not a sponsored post.

Scribble Kid iPad App Review

2011-11-21T12:30:00.000Z

I have tried out many drawing apps with Ben but Scribble Kid by TRI Ventures, Inc has got to be one of the most toddler-friendly I have come across yet. You can choose from a blank page, one of many templates which includes a variety of shapes, dots, noughts and crosses and so on in addition to a very cool feature which allows you to take a photograph and draw on it which Ben loves. It really is the closest thing you will get to drawing with markers and paper which makes it such a fantastic app to have installed for car journeys, aeroplane flights and so on.

When you load the app you select your desired template and then simply click on the coloured marker you want to use and draw away to your hearts content. The reason I like this app over other drawing ones is that it is very toddler friendly, the interface is simple and clean with no badly placed buttons that accidentally get touched by busy little hands which I have found a problem with other drawing apps. One finished you can take a snapshot and save to your photo gallery and email or print from there.

Ben loves Scribble Kid, whenever he plays with it he always starts by flicking through the shapes, telling me which each one is before selecting one to begin creating his masterpiece with. He especially loves taking a picture and drawing on it. We have had a lot of fun with this feature taking pictures of his toys, in particular his rocket and adding our own imaginative touches. It really is hours of entertainment (for both Ben and me) and I love the creativity it allows.

Scribble Kid is available to download for free from the AppStore for the iPad. I highly reccommend it - kids love to draw and colour and this makes it easy and possible to do anywhere!

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I am writing about this app because I think it is one of the best preschooler drawing apps around and wanted to share it with others.

Silent Sunday

2011-11-20T06:08:00.000Z

Saturday is Caption Day

2011-11-19T09:53:00.002Z

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!

Happy Birthday Polarn O. Pyret!

2011-11-18T17:22:00.001Z

Ben and I are just back from a shopping trip to Polarn O. Pyret (PO.P) in Westfield where we got to join in their birthday celebrations and I bought my little toddler some fabulous new stuff to add to his PO.P collection. I just love their kids clothes so much and the great thing is - PO.P is one store which Ben loves to visit as he gets to play with the Lego and hide in the tunnels there.

For those of you who missed my post about it last week to celebrate PO.P's 35th birthday today there is 35% off their special funky birthday stripes (which I had to get some of for Ben) and 20% off absolutely everything else - this is just for today. So if you haven't taken advantage of these discounts make sure you get yourself to a store before they close tonight or get online - you won't be disappointed!

Ben happily let me try on this cardigan (I love the red patches) on him distracted by Lego

Enjoying some of the yummy treats on offer to celebrate!