Category: The Toddler Years

1. Giraffes can't dance .... or swim!

   Posted on 6:03am Wednesday 8th Oct 2014

   This week we read a new book.

   

   Giraffe's can't dance by Giles Andreae (who incidentally also wrote Purple Ronnie) and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees is a fabulous rhyming tale of Gerald the giraffe, who would sorely love to join in with the other animals at the Jungle Dance, but everyone knows that giraffes can't dance . . . or can they?

   Poor Gerald the giraffe feels very clumsy until he meets a friendly cricket, who teaches him that we may all be different but "Sometimes all we need is a different song to dance to". This is a lovely story that celebrates the richness of differences and the possibilities created by a more personal approach. It also has something valuable to say about the impact of our own expectations of ourselves and others.

   Giraffes have featured heavily in our activities in the last week, as we have also had Jeffery the Giraffe from nursery to entertain. Now I am acutely aware that he is a stuffed animal and he has no clue that he needs entertaining but there is an expectation to complete a diary of his adventures over the week that he is with us. So reading a book about giraffes was fun .... as was taking Jeffery swimming!

   Knowing what works at swimming, is as much as knowing what song to dance to. There is little point forcing the little one to attempt things that she is not ready for but to encourage her to develop the skills she is showing naturally.

   Her confidence, like Gerald's in the book, is really starting to grow and thanks to our amazing Water Babies teachers, she really can swim.

   

   Unlike Jeffery .... no amount of swimming lessons are going to help him.

   I just hope that the little one learns the most important lesson, in that even though we may all be different, we all are able to achieve our dreams when we find the 'music that we love!' 
   

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2. Key Wardrobe Items for Autumn

   Posted on 10:18am Thursday 2nd Oct 2014

   Has anyone else noticed a significant change in the weather in the past couple of days? There is definitely an autumnal feeling in the air and whilst I am sad to see the end of Summer, Autumn gives me a whole new wardrobe to enjoy! For me, it is all about layering but I am already thinking about key wardrobe items for the girls this Autumn.

   Knitwear

   Now this is obviously a very girly orientated list, so I will always plump for a knitted dress for the girls. There is no worrying about a trouser/skirt/top combo, it is simply pop it on and away we go. They have some gorgeous knitted dresses on the Esprit website that I am coveting this Autumn and then the only other only decision is which gilet to wear with it!

   

   Gilet

   Both of my daughters have more than one (ahem) gilet. They have padded ones, fluffy ones and *possibly* ones with cute little ears that make them look like a small bear but regardless of the design, they are perfect for autumn, when it is not cold but the temperature has dropped a little. I bought this Faux Fur Gilet for my youngest daughter and everyone comments on it!

   Denim

   I love denim but it has to be soft for the girls (anyone would think I am raising princesses). Denim pinafores and jumpsuits with skinny legs made a bit of a come back last year and skinny jeans remain a favourite of mine. For the fashion conscious tween, she likes to tailor denim jeans with a funky top, whereas all the toddler worries about it whether she can actually pull them down quick enough to go to the toilet!

   Hats

   I LOVE hats. Hats are a fantastic fashion accessory and always help if you are having a bad hair day but as far as my girls are concerned, they usually can't wait to get them off their heads but as the cold nights draw in, they are a good way to keep little ears warm and with an array of choice on the high street and online, there are lots to choose from.

    

   As a "grown up", clothes are usually a very personal thing and in turn, your choices of clothes for your children often reflect your own personality.

   If you are an avid follower of fashion, you will know that many of the designer labels are featuring lace, tweed, prints, and leopard print this season, which mimic many adult fashion houses. My girls have always tried to wear my heels around the house, try on my make up and hats, so it seems that children never cease to want to dress like mommy .....

   ....... although I wonder what I would look like in that knitted dress?

    

   

3. Afterschoolchefs Challenge : Let's build a waffle house

   Posted on 9:31pm Tuesday 30th Sep 2014

   I am going to pick up the (chicken) pieces and build a waffle house .....

   

   Okay, okay, it might not have the same ring to it as Ed Sheerans version but he does say "if things go wrong we can knock it down" and we love a chance to knock stuff down. However the Man on the Lilypad really loves a challenge and when he heard that we were going to take part in the #AfterSchoolChefs challenge, he was ready with the fish fingers and waffles.

   We are huge fans of making mealtimes fun, especially on a Monday evening when we have the madness of the school run, then swimming lessons, which means that dinner time is later than usual. Getting back into the routine has taken some getting used to, so we need something healthy but quick and easy too and Birds Eye give us both. Unfortunately for me, the Man on the Lilypad wanted to help the girls create something amazing this week, so I left them to it.

   Ed Sheeran says ....

   "I'm out of sight, I'm out of mind" and while I was out of sight, they built a waffle house complete with fish finger roof, chicken dipper trees, and petit pois grass.

   

   "I'm out of touch, I'm out of sauce, I'll pick you up and swallow you right down

   And out of all these things I've done I will love you batter (or breaded) now.

    

   This post is an entry for #Afterschoolchefs Challenge, sponsored by Birds Eye. Learn more on the Birds Eye Facebook Page

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4. The Sticker Club : Review

   Posted on 10:17pm Monday 29th Sep 2014

   There is an obsession with stickers in our house. Although I think this *may* not be isolated to our house, so when a bright yellow envelope drops through the letterbox there is a flurry of excitement as the envelope is opened. It is addressed to the littlest member of the family, who doesn't really get very much post but she now knows the envelope design and can't wait to rip it open to see what is inside.

   

   The Sticker Club is a weekly subscription service that was created by two dads who noticed the desire to move back towards traditional, creative play. There is no denying that with everything being done online these days, children still love receiving their own mail through the postbox and the cool design makes it unmissable.

    

   Each week there is a different selection of stickers to choose from and although the stickers come for the little one, there is always something that the tween covets.

   

   The stickers have been made into pictures, cards and frequently found on varying pieces of furniture or doors but I love the creativity they help to develop, the imagination they help to inspire (and maybe the half an hours peace it also helps to give me whenever they arrive).

   Presently priced at £1.99 per week, they may not be the cheapest stickers you will find but the designs are fabulous, the service is great and it is less than the cost of certain fast food restuarants children's meals and is much more educational, fun and certainly less calories!

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