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We love our Water Babies classes and can't shout about them enough but I had to share this week about "chasing the duck". My precious little one has a definate affection for ducks and she plays with her own in the bath, shouting "quack, quack" at every given opportunity.

So the Water Babies class that we attend are run by "wbchasetheball" (their twitter and facebook name), so chasing the ball or the fish as part of our lessons was undoubtedly inevitable. Last week Nanny said that when "chasing the fish", all our little fish kept saying was "quack quack" .... obviously not the noise that a fish makes but THIS week, we had a duck to chase and she was in her element. 

I love hearing the stories of how confident she now is in her lessons which are a far cry from the cold, shivering little baby who cried in her first lesson. It makes me so proud to hear how she is the one that the swimming teacher uses to demonstrate the next activity in the water as she is so comfortable.

So I will continue to shout about how amazing Water Babies are  .... and I am sure the little one will keep shouting "quack quack" at anything in the water that bears the slightest resemblence to a duck! I can't wait to hear about next weeks quack-tastic adventures!

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t is not every day that you get an email offering to send you chocolates in the post to review but as chocolate is a fairly dominant feature in my every day life (due to my small chocolate addiction), this was certainly not something I was going to turn down.

I think chocolate is a very personal thing and the first thing that struck me about Chocolates by Genevie is that in a chocolate assortment box there is an option to tailor your order for the chocolates you love the most. I do not like white chocolate, I know it is personal choice but I think that there is something very wrong with white chocolate, so loved that I could request that none were included in my selection.

The website told me that the Red Heart 12 Chocolates, would be supplied in a classy red satin box with a heart shaped clear window (which does make it an ideal gift for valentines day!).  They are also despatched in a special outer box that is letter box friendly, so when I opened the front door and saw a little box on the mat, I knew exactly what it was and couldn't wait to open it.

The box contains 12 mouth watering mixed Belgian chocolates and they were sat snugly inside the box, undamaged by their travels through the Royal Mail postal system so you could absolutely send them direct to a loved one. I picked a moment when I knew I wasn't going to have to share MY chocolates with small children (obviously for the sake of their teeth) but I have to say that they are definately chocolates for grown up's. They are delightfully rich and indulgent and with a higher cocoa content, with less sugar, you are most definately experiencing a premium taste sensation.

With different colours and shapes of boxes, there is a style to suit everyone, so sending Chocolates by Genevie doesn't just have to be for valentines and sending chocolates for no reason, would show what "Love Is ....."

 

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Our Love Is ... guest post today is from Kate who blogs over at http://www.lifeloveandlivingwithboys.wordpress.com

Pooh Bear will be two years old in a few months and I will always remember the day, 2nd September, that I found out I was pregnant for the second time in less than two years. Spud was just one and I'd been feeling a bit peaky so having my suspicions, I spoke to Scatty Dad at work and he said to take a test. I was pretty sure what the outcome would be so I was to 'surprise' him with the results when he returned home that evening.

Teatime came and there was no sign or Scatty Dad.  He usually phoned at least once throughout the day and he'd not replied to my texts so I was getting a little worried.  He used to phone or text when he was leaving work as he has a 45 minute commute and it means I can sound the alarm should anything happen to him on the way home. An hour after he was due to return home, and not having heard from him for eight hours, I was worried.  He wasn't answering his phone. In his line of work, it's not uncommon for him to be kept late now and again but he always rings me.  I was very worried. I rang his work and after half an hour or so, they were able to confirm he was indeed still at work and not to worry "he isn't lying in a ditch".  Phew! Finally, at 10pm, he was able to contact me and say he would be home in the morning. By this time, I'd completely forgotten about the pregnancy test and the little bean which was probably doing somersaults with all the stress I was feeling.

After a good night's sleep, Scatty Dad finally walked through the door.  I think I was getting dressed when he noticed the pregnancy test I'd left on the banister.  It was an all singing, all dancing digital one he'd bought when we got pregnant with Spud when he decided the cheapo one I bought wasn't good enough.  Unfortunately, unlike the cheapo ones, the result on the digital one had disappeared! I gave him the result and without saying anything, he gave me a massive hug and a kiss. It was exactly what I needed after the stress of the day before and as he isn't one to show his emotions (unless Man U are on TV) I have never felt so loved by him before or since. 

It is a lovely memory which will stick with me forever (and quite possibly you too now ;) )  

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Today's Love Is ... post is a little different. It is about protecting the ones you love and the lengths you will go to.

Love is ensuring the safety of those we love the most but what if those dangers sit on our laptops, tablets and smart phones? Social media is amazing and I am the first to advocate that it is a brilliant tool for promoting and sharing information but what about the information that is private? I am talking about things that are personal and once upon a time, not that long ago, we would have been simply horrified at the thought of strangers being able to look at photos of our homes, friends and most importantly, our children.

It seems almost obligatory to upload photos of a night out, a holiday or a baby scan but what if it were not only your friends that were looking?

Privacy settings are obviously a personal choice but checking into the airport as you jet off for your holiday, in my mind, just tells everyone that your house is empty for a week or so. How many of us know every single person on our friends list? How many of those people have you met in person and ultimately, how many of them do you really trust?

I know I am being overly cautious but I also know that people's desperation can lead them to do obscure things to provide for their own loved ones.

So in my book Love is .... not checking in with Facebook and keeping my family safe.