Tidy Bedrooms

I saw a tweet from @OnlyDads for someone to write a piece called "How best to tidy a child's bedroom" which then included the line "If has top-tips for encouraging children too, then perfect :-)"

My response was snigger and say good luck finding that, but it did make me think about the frustrations I have with my children's rooms.

When they are little there are toys on the floor that, with a bit of encouragement can be tidied away fairly easily.  As the kids grow, I expect them to be able to tidy their toys, make their beds and put their clean washing away (neatly).

I think this must be where I have been going wrong.

Here are some of the things that ALL my older kids have done at some point:

• Hidden their lunch in the back of a wardrobe / under their bed until it goes mouldy (surely it would be better to put it in a bin at school?)
• Placed their dirty washing in Toy boxes, under toys (no wonder I have so many odd socks)
• Put ALL their nicely ironed / folded clean washing back in the washing bin so they didn't have to put it away!
• Shove ALL their clean washing into one drawer and not sort it into the correct drawer so it eventually breaks!
• Pushed all the mess of their bedroom into the wardrobe in the hope we won't check!
• Pushed all the mess of their bedroom into a corner and covered it up
• Pushed all their mess under the bed, or bed clothes
• Hidden sweet wrappers down the back / side / under the bed and even in the duvet cover!

Now, I am the first to admit that I don't always handle it in the correct way.  Rightly or wrongly, my reactions have been:

• To take the room apart and put everything back in the same place and then watch with despair disappointment when it is trashed within minutes
• Thrown the lot out of the bedroom window - TRUE
• Bagged everything up and hidden it in the garden shed, claiming to have taken it to the Charity shop
• Sat on a bed supervising their every move - (this does not work as try as you may you will always end up helping)
• Sarcastically introduce them to the Hoover, duster and polish and explain how to use them
• Uploaded pictures of their messy room to facebook in the hope of embarrassing them into tidying their room

If you can help the lovely OnlyDads with their article, they'd be very grateful, however if you have horror stories like mine, I would love to hear them!!

Wimborne Food Festival 2012

This weekend we attended Wimborne Food Festival, and like last year had an absolutely fantastic time.

The event is well organised, well set out and ultimately fun - for all ages!

Last year at the kids show event, we were lucky enough to meet Mr Bloom and his veggies and this year it was the turn of the Rhyme Rockets. 

We got there about half an hour before the show started and was surprised to be the first in the queue.  We said Hello to Andy and Joe before the show, although I am pretty sure that the kids didn't recognise them out of their costumes.

We were lucky enough to be sat at the front, ready for the exuberant duo to begin, and they didn't disappoint.  They bounded into the room, with all sorts of paraphernalia as were apparently on holiday on earth.  Unfortunately they were too much for Eliza, who began wailing almost straight away, but the older boys were loving it.

After introducing themselves as First Office Ditty and Professor Poet they launched into a slapstick routine with much singing and messing about.  Soon they had kids screaming "BLAST OFF" at the top of their lungs and then an inevitable custard pie in the face!

If I am honest, Rhyme Rockets is probably one of my least favourite CBeebies programmes, but Andy and Joe had my 4 year old (who is learning rhyming at school) shouting out the answers to rhyming words, and even spoke directly to him to say Well Done.  Cue one very proud little boy!! You can also see him getting a thumbs up here for shouting "Blast Off": 

The rest of the festival didn't disappoint either.  There were a few spots of rain here and there, but the atmosphere was electric.

There was lots of food and drink to sample - the coffee smelled divine and I caught myself wishing I had a coffee machine.  The local people, both shops and businesses, really threw themselves into the event by staging a scarecrow hunt.  The children loved trying to spot the various scarecrows and have been entered into a prize draw to win goodies.

As well as the wonderful produce on offer, there were bands, individual buskers and even folk dancers to keep us entertained.  One of our favourites was the folk dancers, and we were all happily jigging and clapping along!

We also found a traditional funfair with an old favourite!

Wimborne is a beautiful town, which we love to visit quite regularly and when it comes to festivals, they really do know how to stage them!!

We came away well stocked with fresh meat, sausages, vegetables and even fresh curry sauces as well as herbs and spices.  Plus the children ended the day full of good food and fresh air - what more could you want?



Phantasee Halloween Lenses

Are you going to a Halloween party on Wednesday?

Are you looking for that little bit extra for your outfit?

Have you seen Phantasee contact lenses by Vision Direct?

We were sent a set to review, which my 19 year old daughter wanted to wear to her Halloween party.

They are re-usable and come in a pot that was a nightmare to open, but I have to admit they were really striking.

Unfortunately Abbey couldn't out these in her eye and when we investigated further we discovered she had a severe stigmatism, which means she cannot wear contact lenses.  As you can imagine she was very disappointed.



The range of Phantasee lenses is huge, so there is something for everyone.  Cats eyes, to symbols, UV colour to scary lenses and in lots of different colours too and they certainly will add that little bit extra to your outfit!

Happy Halloween!

Silent Sunday - 28th October 2012

 

Fireworks

I love fireworks, so much so that I get really excited about them this time of the year, but, and it is a very big BUT - I get very annoyed by individual households setting them off a ridiculous times of the evening.

I am very lucky that we live in between two huge organised displays, and can see most of the shows from our garden which saves on huge amounts of money being spent on tickets.  I expect these to be noisy, but they also finish at a very respectable time of 9pm.

I don't particularly like home displays anyway - I am always scared that a firework is going to shoot off the wrong way (it has happened), or one will set light to a tree or worse still a house (we had a couple land on our roof last year), but the thing that really gets to me is the time this home displays are done.

Last night, a house fairly local to us decided to start a display at 11pm!!  This woke Eliza and Isaac up and went on for at least half an hour and I know that this is going to happen for the next couple of weeks. 

If you have young children or animals then this can be a real pain in the bum and can really impact on the bedtime routine.  For this reason I also dislike diaplays on New Years Eve too, as they seem to go on, and on, and on...............

So, if you are having a home display, please respect your neighbours and aim to have it finished as early as possible!!

Saturday is Caption Day - 27th October 2012

Whilst picking up a birthday present in Argos, Eliza picked up this Wenlock Olympic Mascot and I was shocked to find it had been reduced from £40 to £1.99.  What would any self respecting mum do - bought it for her of course.

 

Now Wenlock is very much part of the bedtime routine and gets shared between the three younger children.

 

 

What would your caption be for this?

 

Meet "Later", "Tech Addict", "I'm Not Naughty" and "No Eliza"!

This morning, after reading a brilliant post by @stressymummy called Introducing "In a minute" and "For God's Sake" I decided that I would add my own take on this.

Let me introduce you to "Later"!  Later is 15 and very much in the throes of the Kevin & Perry behaviours.  Asking him to do anything results in grunts, groans and a mumbled "Later".  His idea of helping out with the little ones involved sitting in front of the TV watching his programs and then shouting at them if they dare get in his way.  Later is also incapable of making his own bed, or drawing his curtains - all far too much effort apparently!

Then there is "Tech Boy"!  We made the mistake of buying him a smart phone for his birthday.  Tech Boy is incapable of doing anything without some form of gadget in his hand.  Gadgets are banned from his bedroom at bed time and he has to be frisked (literally) before he makes the move up to his bed.  As soon as he is up and dressed, some form of technology is in his hand, be it a phone or an iPod.  Tech boy wonders why it takes him so long to make his lunch in the morning but won't have it that it is because he is trying to do it one handed whilst watching some YouTube video of a game!! 

Tech Boy also has major strops if his tech is removed, for example, when he is eating his dinner.  He has been known to flounce off and scream and shout that we are "So Unfair".  When we remove one form of gadget, you can guarantee within a couple of minutes that another one has found its way into his hands.

Then there is "Naughty".  Naughty is 4 years old and if something or someone hasn't done what he wants then it is Naughty.  Naughty, however, never does anything that is remotely wrong and takes huge offence to being told off, and can often be heard shouting "I'M NOT NAUGHTY" at hundreds of decibels, despite us witnessing him pushing over his sister or snatching a toy.

And finally, meet "No Eliza".  Eliza is going through a normal toddler phase of pulling hair, snatching toys and climbing.  I have been trying to teach the mindees to say "No Eliza" if she tries to take something, but this has just resulted in my very clever girl repeating "No Eliza" to herself frequently.  It is actually very cute, but not quite the reaction I was hoping for!!

So go on, tell us your child's nicknames.....................................



Discovery Mexican Kits

Back in May I was sent the all new Discovery Fajita Kit to review, which was definite hit in our house!

Back in September, to celebrate Mexican Independance Day, we were sent some more of the Discovery Meal Kits & sauces to try.

As ever the Fajta kit went down very well and the addition of the green jalapeno relish was absolutely delicious!



The Salsa makes a great addition to spicing up a burger, or as a dip for Tortilla Chips.



We also got to try the Crispy Crumb Fajita Kit.  If I am honest it didn't go down that well with me - I found the sour cream a bit sickly but hubby and the boys really enjoyed it.  It is not spicy like the original fajita kit so is perfect for a younger family.

The instructions were simple to follow and Kian thoroughly enjoyed helping me coat the chicken in breadcrumbs, making it a rather messy process!



The kids want to try the Taco's next - I shall let you know how we get on!!

Polarn O.Pyret Winter Coat

I was first introduced to Polarn O.Pyret pronounced Pole Arn oh peer et which means "Buddy and the Little One" in Swedish or PO.P for short, when themummyblogger sent me some of Roo's clothes that she had outgrown.  I was instantly struck by the high quality and funky colours.

When PO.P contacted me and asked if I would like to review something from their range I was ecstatic and chose this fabulous Puffer Jacket for Isaac.

I chose age 3-4 (104cm) as although Isaac is 4, he is small for his age and I was very excited when it arrived the next day!

To say I am impressed is an understatement!

The jacket is gorgeous, it is colourful and bright but lightweight with a cosy down filling.  The hood is removable and adjustable for that perfect fit and Isaac adores the thumb grip cuffs.

The fabric is breathable yet dirt and water repellent and wind resistant, the bottom hem is adjustable too, which keeps out the rain, wind and snow.  There are also reflective strips on the front and back of the jacket to ensure he can be seen clearly now the nights are drawing in.

As you can see from the photograph, the jacket is more than big enough, and if and when he does grow out of it, I can hand it onto Eliza as the colour is unisex.  If, however, you did wish to sell on once outgrown, I have seen on eBay that they hold their value very well too.

Boys, will be boys however, and the jacket has had to go through the wash already.  It can be washed at 40 degrees and I am happy to report that it still looks as good as new and I could wash and dry it with ease!

Priced at £65, it is an expensive jacket, however it is an investment that I would willingly make, especially as our winters appear to be getting colder.  If you are off on a ski trip or lucky enough to be visiting Lapland this winter, then they also sell co-ordinating winter trousers and gorgeous fleece jackets to keep you even warmer.

PO.P clothing starts from newborn up to the age of 12 and I have been that impressed by the jacket, that I have already purchased his big brother Kian the Padded Child Coat as he didn't want the same one as his brother!!

I am just disappointed that I already have Eliza's for this year, but I did buy her a winter hat so she wouldn't feel left out!

You can find PO.P on facebook and twitter if you want to see more of their funky designs and keep up with news and current offers.  They are already saved in my favourites bar!

Dear Supermarket

Dear Generic Supermarket

I say generic as you're all a bad as each other on this point *glares menacingly*

Tonight I have had to do a shop after the time of 7.30pm. This used to be a regular occurrence when hubby and I were both working day shifts and is likely to become a more regular thing now as I cannot bear dragging little people around the shop who really do not want to be there!

Your evening shoppers are more likely to be professionals that have to shop after a long day at work and therefore are more likely to spend quite a lot of money.

What we don't want to see are empty shelves. That said we also do not want the whole shop to look like an obstacle course with countless cages of stock blocking our way.

Having worked in a supermarket for more years than I care to admit, I understand that past a certain time of night it is easier to drag ALL the cages from the warehouse onto the shop floor to get the best productivity from the staff. But parking them all in front of the milk causes a lot of customers to grumble and shove them out the way into other customers.

I also understand you have wage targets to hit which are constantly being cut, but letting 75% of your checkout operators go home before 8pm is ridiculous. Yes you have self service tills but I have a FULL trolley!!! As an ex checkout manager even I struggle with the self service tills even with a few items in a basket!

Yes, yes I know ALL your shop-floor staff are till trained and I can hear you calling them to come and help at the checkouts. But you must know that when they hear this call they run in the opposite direction and hide anywhere they can find - how do I know this - because I used to have to go and hook them out of these places and frogmarch them to the checkouts!

And then we go full circle - the gaps on the shelves - they're not filled because your shop-floor staff are on the bloody checkouts (or in hiding!!)

Please please sort it out!

Yours

A disgruntled shopper

Justin's Annual 2013

Followers of my blog will know that I adore Justin Fletcher.  Last year I made a concerted effort to try and get Hands Up to Christmas Number 1 (which I sadly failed), and I have recently reviewed his Funny Faces Sticker Book.

Also launching in time for Christmas is Justin's Annual 2013, which makes the perfect stocking filler for Justin Fletcher mad children.

The annual includes all your favourite characters from his live shows - Engelbert the dog, Jollywobbles the car and many more.  The annual is also crammed full of puzzles, games, activities, stickers, stories and jokes.  In fact it's giggle-tastic!!

Unlike a lot of annuals, this really is perfectly aimed at pre-school and first school aged children.  It has dotted words to practice writing over, things to count and colours to identify.  There is even a recipe for Justin's No Bake Fridge Cake which looks scrummy!

There are rhymes, jokes and even some of Justin's funny poses to copy and every page features Justin himself pulling one of his comedic faces.  There are activities that children can complete alone and others which will need an adult or willing older sibling to join in - perfect to keep them busy in that after Christmas lull.

Justin's Annual 2013 gets a thumbs up from me!!

Hair Removal

I remember when my daughter asked me if she could start shaving her legs at the age of 11 and being horrified - she really didn't need to.

The pressure is on young girls to look like the well groomed women in the magazines that are on every shelf in the newsagent and supermarket.  Girls of that age are also notoriously bitchy and will make comments about other girls looks and put pressure on to conform, especially after PE when getting changed.

I hate razors with a passion and vividly remember carving great chunks out of my legs in the early days of shaving and still don't recommend them even though designs have improved over the years.

I toyed with the idea of waxing or sugaring, but it is an expensive habit to get in to and so decided to introduce the epilator when she was about 14.  We chose one that was gentle and had a cooling pad on it, as epilators can be painful, although it does get easier the more you do it.

Epilators have certainly improved, even in the last few years and I do like the look of the Braun Silk-Epil 5 epilators which are designed for efficient, long lasting hair removal and perfect for women who are new to epilation.  It includes Close-Grip technology with 40 tweezers that removed even short fine hair.  It also has a comfort system with massage rollers that stimulate the skin, plus a cooling glove to soothe afterwards.

If you have a teen starting out on the world of hair removal, then it is certainly something worth considering..........

 

Hurdles

My friend Tracy said to me the other day "you seem to take one step forward, then two steps back" and it certainly feels that way.

Having left my job at an Investment bank due to the cost if childcare and others factors we struggled on one wage at the beginning of the year until I completed my childcare training and got myself up and running as a childminder.

We have only just found our feet financially again and have now been dealing with another blow. Hubby has been made redundant!

His company was taken over back in the summer, but until a few weeks ago he thought his job was safe.  It was then his new boss decided to try and bully him into taking a new job on half his salary.  Anyone that knows my husband will know that he is not one to be bullied and I admire him so much for being strong and standing his ground.

He took advice from my friend who is at the top of her game as a senior HR manager, and fired off some very well worded emails to the powers that be.  Whilst it may not have saved his job, his company have now had to restructure the correct way.

The government have also stitched us up, as in February this year they capped redundancy pay so there is no longer any decent settlements. You can also guarantee that if I phone up tax credits that they won't help us either.

He has been going through the motions at work, whilst he goes through the consultation period and the numerous meetings that entails.  His last meeting was on Saturday and he was told he didn't have to stay until the end of the month, so today is his last day, and for the first time since he was 14 he hasn't got a job.  I have no doubt he will find something, but I just hope it is sooner rather than later as there is no way we can survive on my wages as a childminder!!

On a lighter note, he is here to help me at Half Term and I have a long list of household jobs that need doing - Mwhahahahahaha!!

Silent Sunday - 21st October 2012

Managing Pocket Money

How do you manage your childs pocket money?

From the age of 11 mine have had a bank account opened in their name and then me or hubby will deposit £20 in their account every month for them to spend how they wish.  It is surprising how quickly they learn to manage their money after a couple of months of spending it straight away and then realising that they have nothing left for the rest of the month!

However, we still struggle with the saving aspect.  They all have savings accounts, but very rarely deposit any money into them, as it is such a palaver to withdraw the money should they need it.

We are working hard to teach the children the value of money and that they have to save for the items they want.  This is where Roosterbank can help!

They have created Roosterbank to let children manage their own pocket money and learn to save and shop responsibly. Its also designed to help mums and dads keep track of pocket money - while hopefully keeping it hassle free and fun. You can watch a video they put together here.

The site is free to sign up to and you don't have to deposit anything on the site (it works on an IOU basis essentially) so you only pay for things when your child can afford them, based on the pocket money you set/boost to the account.

This site is aimed at 6-12 year olds and we are using it with Kian who is at the top of the age range.  Kian was surprised he enjoyed using the site, and was soon playing the games and virtual shopping for all the items he wanted to save for.  He can sign in as and when he wants to see how his savings are growing and how close he is to his target.

There is a separate area for parents to log in and review what their child is up to.  I add his pocket money monthly and can then choose whether to boost his savings e.g. if he has come home with money from Nanny or has completed an extra household chore. 

Roosterbank are also adding new functionality and there will soon be a present / wish list function too which will be great on the run up to birthday's and Christmas.

 

Kian is saving for a laptop and has even surprised himself by how much he has saved so far.  He put away most of his birthday money and apart from some XBox360 gamer points he just had to have, has saved all of his pocket money.  So far he has saved £158 which is good going.

The only problem I have now is that if I sell anything of his on eBay, he demands the funds gets added to his Roosterbank account!!

If you want to find out more about Roosterbank, you can find them on facebook at - https://www.facebook.com/Roosterbank and twitter - http://www.twitter.com/rooster_bank

Saturday is Caption Day - 20th October 2012

Yesterday we had a wonderful, peaceful stroll along the beach at Boscombe, and then stopped for a treat at our favourite restaurant / cafe Urban Reef which is positioned on the promenade with stunning views of the sea.

 

 

After enjoying a hot chocolate and a gingerbread man, Eliza decided it was playtime, with the ever popular game - Peek-a-boo.  Can you caption this well times photo?

 

Why we will be going Trick or Treating

I have fond memories of Trick or Treating as a youngster. We'd spend ages perfecting our costumes and my step-brother and sister and I would traipse around the local area with mum a safe distance behind.

All the neighbours, many of them elderly, made such a fuss of us and would happily play along with us by choosing "Trick" - normally a bag full of ice and some mushed up jelly which they had to put their hands in. Most would give is a treat too.

The difference to nowadays is that more often than not we were given money. Mostly coppers, granted, and the occasional piece of fruit or sweets. This money we always counted carefully and donated to our local nursing home - St Bridget's. Mum still has the press cuttings hidden away somewhere in her loft!

I realise times have changed and kids now expect sweets by the ton, but we have such good fun. We bake spooky cupcakes and gingerbread men for the trick or treaters, which always go down very well and decorate the porch with skeletons and scary lights and the carved pumpkins (that I always seem to end up finishing) line the path so the trick or treaters know we are happy to have visitors.

We also know the houses to avoid but most houses in our local area make an effort too and I put a sign on the door when the kids have gone to bed which has always been respected.

The kids love to dress up - the older kids tend to go for scary but last year Isaac was Woody and Buzz (costume change mid way round) and this year he will be Batman. Eliza will be Upsy Daisy!

Halloween 2009

I would love to live in the States and go all out like Phil and Claire Dumphey from Modern Family, but sadly that's too far for my little neighbourhood.

Halloween no longer has the sinister implications of yesteryear and I for one think its harmless fun, provided that the kids are supervised and don't push it too far!

My only disappointment is that the school won't organise a Monsters Ball - now that would be fun!!

My Dream Bedroom

I recently entered My Dream Garden into the Tots100 Home Makeover Competition with Rated People and when I found out I could enter more than once I decided that I had to dream up my ideal bedroom.

We moved into our doer-upper house 7.5 years ago, confident that it would not take long to get it how we wanted it.- rookie error!!  I had no idea whatsoever how much time, energy and money owning a house actually takes.

Our bedroom was a deep shade of orangey / red when we moved in, so I quickly threw (quite literally) a couple of coats of cream paint over it and it has stayed that way ever since.  Not only is it bland and boring, but it has the most hideous pink thick pile carpet in it, that must have been on the floor for donkey's years!!














We have mismatched furniture, built in wardrobes with doors that won't close, or that are hanging off and an outside wall that is stained with mould, despite regular bleaching.













What I really want is a nice relaxing childfree room, with plenty of hidden storage and a comfy bed (hubby wants a TV in the end of it, although I am not really bothered as never ever get a lie in).

Our room isn't that small, but it is poorly designed which really restricts where you can put things.

Here are my ideas for my dream bedroom on Pinterest.

Fingers crossed that I get my dream garden, or dream bedroom - both places where I can relax!!