Category: Reviews

1. When should a child stop believing in fairies and magic?

   Posted on 10:00am Wednesday 5th Aug 2015

   The tooth fairy had a little problem last night. She couldn't find the tooth and was left with the dilemma of leaving a note asking for the tooth tomorrow night or just simply leaving the money without taking the tooth. Now I think there is a reason that the tooth was "missing" as a certain 10 year old is challenging the simple magical characters that have always been in her life.

    

   

   She knows in her heart that the tooth fairy is not real (I think she just pretends now for her little sisters sake and for the £1 coin) and she has openly laughed about the validity of the Easter Bunny but as we get closer to Christmas, do I need to finally give in and accept she may no longer believe in Father Christmas? Most psychologists will suggest that children need to know they can trust their parents to tell them the truth, even about things like this. In other words, when your kids ask if Father Christmas, the tooth fairy and the Easter bunny are real, you should tell them the truth.

   That's obviously easier said than done.

   What age should you tell them the truth?

   This really depends on the parents, and to a very large extent, the child. 

   Last year she asked me if Father Christmas was real as one of her classmates had said it was his mum (they were 9 years old). It was one of those moments where I held my breath for a minute. I had hoped and wished this day would never come. But it did. And so with it brought another phase of parenting. It’s that phase where my baby girl is no longer a baby, she is no longer naïve and I have to accept that a part of her childhood innocence is a thing of the past.

   If I am honest, I may have dodged the question last year but I know that I have to face it as much as she is going to. I don't want her to be ridiculed at school and whilst the age of every child is different, the truth about her childhood magic will be as much as loss to me as her. 

   How to deal with their new knowledge?

   Encourage your child to help younger siblings, cousins, and other children keep believing in the tooth fairy and Father Christmas. This can be an great way to build nurturing skills in your own child, and help them feel more grown up. By having her join us in teaching her younger sister about these magical creatures, can hopefully help make the transition into a world where magic can still exist but in a more realistic context.

   Let's be honest, everyone needs a little magic in their lives don't they?

   

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2. Play by Dr Amanda Gummer : Review

   Posted on 9:04pm Tuesday 23rd Jun 2015

   I love reading and I love being a parent, so why wouldn't I want to read a parenting book that is going to encourage fun time with my child?

   Play is a practical and inspiring book for all parents who want to support their child’s development in a fun and pressure free way. Written by Dr Amanda Gummer, child development expert and play psychologist, it’s packed with activities and insights to help parents support their child through the critical first five years of life.

   I read ALOT during my pregnancy with my eldest daughter and when she was little and I was convinced that I was the "perfect parent" until my youngest daughter arrived to remind me that not every child conforms to what a book tells me she should and shouldn't be doing. I found my usually composed exterior flapping and despite assuring everyone that this "experienced mum" knew what she was doing, I struggled to find the right balance of mental, social and physical activities to keep everyone happy. I wished that I had had this book then.

    

   Play looks at those early baby days right through to starting school, which makes it a refreshing change to many books that stop at the toddler years. 

   My favourite parts of the book are:

   • The ability to make notes at the end of each chapter regarding your baby's progress.
   • The easy reference sections makes it easy to pick up when you need guidance with something specific.
   • The way you don't need to read the entire book to know "everything" you need to know.
   • The book gives you both practical and simple ideas

   Despite being eternally broody, we are now past the baby stage *sob* but I know that our baby blogger will be coveting this book when I am finished with it!

   If you want to see more of Dr Amanda Gummer, you can follow her on Facebook here and her website is www.fundamentallychildren.com 

    

   Play is available to pre-order though Amazon , the paperback version is £10.68 and kindle £5.03, so would make a great gift for a baby shower or new baby present.

    

   Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary book in exchange for an honest review, all opinions are my own.

    

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3. Guess who just flew into Birmingham Airport?

   Posted on 10:01pm Monday 22nd Jun 2015

   Okay, the title may be a little luring but that is nothing compared to the temptation of the new Marcos restaurant close to Birmingham Airport. Marco's New York Italian is situated at the Holiday Inn, just 10 minutes from the NEC / Genting Arena, Birmingham International rail station and Birmingham International Airport .As a Midlands lass, I couldn't wait to try it out and Fathers Day seemed like the perfect opportunity.

   I have to admit that I was a little unsure of what to expect with the "New York Italian" description but with Marcos name above the door, there was a certain expectation of the food and ambience and it didn't disappoint.

   

   From Italian dishes including mouth-watering Italian sharing platters, fresh seafood, home-made pizza and pasta to American favourites such as succulent steaks, burgers and Marco's special BBQ ribs (which were my starter of choice and were absolutely divine). We enjoyed the set Fathers Day menu, for the exceptionally good price of £19.95 for 3 courses (or £16.95 for 2) and for every table of 4, Dad ate for FREE (but shhhhh don't tell my Dad that I didn't pay for his meal!!).

   With the exception of my Mum, we all chose the beef main course and it didn't disappoint. I was initially worried that the meat was a little on the rare side for me (personal preference and all that) but it tasted exquisite. So much so that my Mum started pinching it off our plate after we had groaned in delight.

   

   The restaurant wasn't overly crowded, which was surprising given the affordable menu choices on the day we visited and the staff were extremely attentive. It will be interesting to see how they will cope as the bookings increase and the restaurant becomes more popular.

   I have to give particular mention to Karen, the restaurant manager, she was extremely welcoming, very professional and coaxed conversation out of a very shy toddler. It is always a worry when we take the children to nice restaurants, not because I am worried about how they will behave, but as to whether or not the restaurant "really" caters for children and welcomes families. We certainly felt welcomed by the whole team and the childrens menu gave a good selection - rather than the tiresome chicken nuggets and chips most restaurants insist on giving younger diners.

   We were seated on a circular table in the centre of the restuarant so were central to the "buzz" which was perfect for us but there are more secluded booths if you are choosing the venue for a romantic meal or business meeting. Every time I looked up from our table, I could see Marco looking down at me from his picture but we didn't get to see the man himself, although I can imagine it may be a little intimidating complaining about a meal if he was in the kitchen!
   

   

   The venue is well placed for motorway links and close enough to Solihull for those who may like to go out dancing afterwards and the only downside was the parking charge from the hotel, despite being discounted having dined in the restaurant.

   For me, it was the perfect way to spend Fathers Day with my husband, children and parents. Unfortunately for my husband, he was not feeling so well so couldn't finish his food (which is unheard of and no reflection on the restaurant) so we have made a resolution to go back to Marcos, so he can see what he was missing!

   For the avoidance of doubt, we paid for our meals and the thoughts, comments and compliments are our honest opinions. No recompense has been received for this review.

   

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4. Tween Fashion : Vertbaudet

   Posted on 9:25pm Monday 20th Apr 2015

   Anyone who has had the pleasure of "owning" a pre-teen girl will understand the difficulty of trying to juggle their changing shape, their frequent change in taste, attitude and fashion and certainly their change of mind. So with the warmer weather on the horizon, we were delighted to get the chance to look at some of the new summer range from Vertbaudet.

   In my mind, a denim jacket is a wardrobe staple whatever your age (unless you wear denim on denim and then I may have to question our friendship). The tween is suddenly a fan of a scarf or a snood with an outfit and with the addition of the shorts, this makes a winning combination in her eyes.

   I have always shopped with Vertbaudet, ever since she was a little girl is it great to see how the brand is evolving with current fashions but retaining the original quality and unique-ness that the brand has always had. 

   

   
   

   Tween Summer Fashion from Vertbaudet by littlelilypadco on Polyvore

   
   

   

   The jacket (£20), Scarf (£9) and Shorts (currently on offer at £8.10), make a whole outfit for just under £40, (I wish I could put an outfit together for myself for this amount) which means that it is not only on trend but affordable too, until she announces she can't decide between Havianna flip flops or Vans trainers!! Nevertheless, I have always found that Vertbaudet clothing comes up a little small so it maybe worth plumping for the next size up if you want it to last all summer.

   I loved that the shorts have an adjustable waistband inside with elastic and buttons (I can never understand why clothes designers don't do this in adults clothing, as my husband would love an adjustable waistband after a large meal!). This means that you "could" buy a slightly bigger size and the adjustable waist would make them last longer! White shorts are great key piece for a pre-teen ..... unless of course your little sister happens to have post-Easter chocolate covered hands. So as a mum, I adore that it is all machine washable at 40 degrees and as a long term customer, I know that they retain the colour, shape and design after countless washes. 

   I would love to show you images of her in the outfit but unless she is pulling a pouting selfie for her instagram feed, she simply isn't interested in posing for photos for her mums blog post (again the perils of having a tween). I will try and catch her when she isn't looking ..... and in the meantime, I am linking up with this weeks Wednesday's Wardrobe to share the great choices available on Vertbaudet this summer. 

    

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