Review: Thomas & Friends Safe n Sound

Earlier this month it was the small boy’s birthday. He’d asked for and got a train party and much to his eternal joy, a good 80% of his birthday presents were train related. One of his many presents was the Thomas & Friends Safe n Sound
Lumiglow vinyl night-light. We’d recently acquired the Thomas & Friends Go-Glow Night-light, which he loved and we thought he’d like this too.

Thomas & Friends Safe n Sound

The Thomas & Friends Safe n Sound Lumiglow vinyl night-light is made by Worlds Apart and costs around £20. You get a sheet with 50 easy peel and apply vinyl stickers, including a big Thomas sticker and a battery operated Thomas face which lights up when you clap near it.

There are 50 stickers of all different kinds, including, train track, the Fat Controller, Harold the Helicopter, signals and sayings as well as Toby, James and Percy. They provide a suggestion for how to lay it out, but like us, you can arrange your stickers however you want.

The stickers are really easy to apply. You just peel them off the backing and stick them on the wall. A few times I stuck them on in the wrong place, but they easily came off the wall and re-applied elsewhere. I was expecting the big Thomas sticker to be difficult to stick on the wall and bubbly underneath, but I smoothed it on a treat and there are no bubbles. I was impressed.

Once all of your stickers are where you want them you can stick the Thomas face on the Thomas sticker. You need 3 AAA batteries to power it, and it comes with sticky fastenings to stick it to the sticker. It looks great when it’s up.

To make Thomas’ face light up all you need to do is clap near it and it will light up for two minutes. I think this is a great idea, especially for those times in the night where you need a bit more illumination than normal. Or if you’re a small boy and need the comfort of having a light come on quickly if you’re afraid of the dark.

The stickers are bright and cheery and the whole thing has made a nice centrepiece in his bedroom, which previously was white walls with just a few pictures and posters. We’d been meaning to brighten it up for a while now, and this was just what his room needed.

He loves his new addition and really enjoys clapping to make it light up and looking at and pointing out all the details on the stickers. He is completely obsessed with Thomas and is genuinely delighted with the new light. It was a brilliant birthday present and it would definitely make a cracking Christmas present for any Thomas fan.

Note: We were sent the Thomas & Friends Safe n Sound from Worlds Apart for review purposes. All images and opinions expressed are our own.

Happy Birthday to my little big man

My, how you’ve grown my little big man. You’re four years old today and absolutely, 100% the love of our lives. Don’t get me wrong kiddo, you can be a stubborn little handful (just like your Dad), but you are our most favourite child, our best friend, our reason for everything we do and we quite like having you around the place, despite all the mess, fuss and snotty cuddles.

Your birthday is always a time of reflection for me, about the year which has passed and all the years before then. I can’t help but think about our difficult start, but as the years go by that is vastly overshadowed by all our love, adventures and mischief we get up to as a family.

I still find it hard to believe we made such a beautiful creature. It was love at first sight. You were all dimples, squeezy cheeks and long eye lashes. You were and still are a pretty peaceful chap.

This was you on your first birthday. See, you’re still ALL dimples and cheeks. You loved opening your presents and we loved helping you. You were and still are a really happy little chappie. We still couldn’t believe our luck, we are so lucky to have you in our lives.

This is you on your second birthday. You’re all rosy cheeked because we’d been to a soft play centre for the afternoon, then stopped at TGI Fridays on the way home. You weren’t that keen on eating, but you enjoyed doing lots of drawing and stealing our chips.

Here you are, all dressed up for your third birthday party. You’re so grown up looking here, we’d had a really tough year as a family but your birthday was a real highlight for us. You even had a huge Thomas the Tank Engine cake.

This is you just a couple of days shy of your 4th birthday. We threw a train party at a local miniature railway. I think you had an amazing time, all your friends liked it too. What a year it’s been, you’ve started nursery at the big school and you’re growing into a proper boy and you’re no longer our woddling toddler.

Little Bee, my little big man, Happy Birthday, you are the love of our lives, the apple of our eye and you’ll always be our best friend. We love you, always have, always will xxx

Budget but brilliant Halloween Party

It’s half term, all of my friends have small children, they’re bored. They all like pizza, cake and dressing up, there’s a really simple and cheap way to keep them entertained for an afternoon – have a Halloween party.

Halloween Party

Our Halloween party was a pretty huge success, but parties can be time consuming and expensive to set up, so we decided to spread the cost, stress and workload. I provided the space, some basic snacks and drinks and we “made” our own pizzas.

Halloween Party

Pizzas are a brilliant thing to do at kids parties, just get some supermarket basics small pizzas (cost about 50p each) then chop up a selection of toppings, we did cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, ham, pineapple and extra cheese, but you can use whatever you like. It’s a cheap way to feed them and it gives them a little activity to get involved with. (Tip, write the child’s name on a strip of greaseproof paper and slip it under the pizza before cooking, it’ll help identify which pizza belongs to which child).

My friend Sarah brought a big bag of fruit and inspired by Pinterest made some banana ghosts, satsuma pumpkins and apple and marshmallow mouths. They looked brilliant and the satsuma pumpkins were especially popular.

Halloween Party

Blogger chum Liz (aka Expression Confession), was head of baking and arrived with a stunning four layer sponge which she’d made and spookily iced with her two girls. She also brought an array of shop bought Halloween party cakes and treats.

Lucy, mother of two gorgeous boys, who is calm beyond measure and a primary school teacher, was in charge of crafts. After we’d scoffed our haunted pizzas she made scary spiders web pictures with the kids, it was a nice bit of focussed quiet time during the afternoon, the pictures are really effective too.

Halloween Party

My friend Jane led the party games; there was pass the parcel, musical statues, a dance routine to “Let it go” and then some raving to indie classics with glow sticks (that might have been for my benefit).

Dressing up was optional, though those who did really got into the spirit of the occasion and we had a vampire, a cat, a couple of witches and fairies as well as a small team of skeletons. The costumes had been bought from supermarkets and pound shops, my little vampire cost under £5 to dress.

I decorated the kitchen area fairly sparsely, there were a couple of 99p pumpkin garlands and a cheap battery powered pumpkin lantern from B&M Bargains. I created a little pumpkin patch using some squashes we’d grown ourselves and some pumpkins we’d been given and we’d carved.

Individually we’d spent a little but not a lot. We spread the cost and the work and we all managed to have a nice time. It was really chilled out but lots and lots of fun. I think opening a bottle of prosecco before noon also raised our spirits. More importantly all the children had a really great time. It’s a party that will take a lot of beating.

Only child. Lonely child?

When we had our son in November 2010 we fell completely in love with him. I knew the moment I held my bundle of gorgeousness that I wanted another baby. We talked about it, decided to give it a year or so and then get cracking with giving him a little brother or sister.

Fate then stepped in and after an accident and a couple of surgeries my back is too ruined now to even consider getting pregnant. Even if I spent 9 months in bed, I’d still have to do all the lifting and bending that comes with a baby. Sooner or later I’d be in a wheelchair and my children would become my carers.

I can’t have any more children and my son will be an only child.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently and worrying that he’s lonely, it hit me today when we took him to the playground and he met a little boy, they hit it off immediately and spent nearly an hour chasing each other, rolling around and laughing. It was really wonderful to see.

I can’t shake the feeling that he’s missing out on something, that being an only child deprives him of all kinds of childhood joy. There is a voice in my head which tells me that because he’s an only child he’ll get more of us and he’ll get spoilt more for sure, but he’ll also get more focussed attention with homework and play as well as discipline.

He’s at school now so his days aren’t lonely, his weekends are pretty packed with things we do together as a family and I don’t think he’s quite as lonely as he used to be, though he probably was when it was just me and him at home.

I worry that because he’s an only child this will adversely affect his confidence with his peers, though he’s usually very forthcoming with adults. Maybe I worry to much.

I’ve got a little brother, he’s two years younger, we got on, we played together but we were not best friends and we had frequent arguments and falling outs. But we’d always look out for each other in the playground and I’d muscle in to warn the big boys off if he needed it. But having a sibling is probably no real guarantee that you won’t be lonely.

In a few months we’ll be getting a puppy. When we got our first dog I got a best friend and a constant companion, he loves dogs and I think they’ll be inseparable. I know it’s not the same, we’re doing everything we can to stop him feeling lonely, lots of play dates, lots of special time with mummy and daddy. I hope it’s enough. I hope he never feels lonely and alone, because he isn’t.

Review: Pop Goes Your Name – Personalised CD

We have recently been sent a personalised Pop Goes Your Name CD to listen to and review. It’s a collection of fun and upbeat songs, personalised with the small boy’s name, which makes it extra special for him. The CD, which is written for children in their early years features a selection of musical styles, with catchy melodies and sing-along lyrics. There’s a little bit of rock, a little bit of pop and a little bit of hip-hop etc.

The small boy loves music. Since he figured out how to use his Dad’s iPod we’ve been regularly treated to his own personal musical style and constant demands for us all to have a dance. Dance Mummy, dance! We love this and it’s only to be encouraged, even if his music taste isn’t particularly small boy appropriate. Rage Against the Machine anyone?

We had a small family disco to see if we liked the Pop Goes Your Name CD, we did. From the moment it started he was dancing, he danced all the way through. We danced a bit too, there were some seriously good toe-tapping tunes on this CD for toddlers.

What I liked about it was that it wasn’t toe-curlingly twee. It wasn’t sickly sweet nursery tunes, but proper, actual songs that you could listen to and enjoy. We have listened to it several times now and it’s not worn thin or got annoying. And the small boy absolutely loves it, which is always the true test. You know with a child that if a toy, game, CD or whatever is good they keep asking for it, and he does.

The Pop Goes Your Name CD costs £12.95 and you can choose from the top 800 children’s names. I think at that price it’s a great present idea for a small child, ideal for birthdays and Christmas. It’s a lovely gift and one we’ll enjoy together on our little disco nights and on car journeys.

Note: We have been sent the Pop Goes Your Name CD for review purposes, all images and opinions are our own.

Small boy goes to big school

Today we dressed the boy up in all of his uniform finery and walked him to big school. We recognised and chatted to a few parents in the playground, took him in, showed him where everything was, watched him settle in and we said goodbye.

He’s a good lad. An independent soul. I asked him if he wanted me to stay and he did, but only for a few minutes while he familiarised himself with his surroundings. He played with the train set, he tried on a few things from the dressing up box, then finally settled down at the computer with two boys he already knew. He ignored me for a bit, so I decided it was time to go. It wasn’t difficult. No one cried, he didn’t cling to my leg, he just got on with it.

“Bye Benj!” I called, he gave me a cursory wave goodbye and went back to banging the keyboard with his fist. So I left and went to the coffee shop round the corner, my phone in my hand just in case. I met my friend there, a woman in the same boat as me. I drank coffee, my phone didn’t ring, I still had hours before I picked him up again, so I went home. I didn’t really know what to do with myself, so I just hung around the house looking at the clock.

The hour came for me to pick him up. I queued up outside his classroom, my face pressed against the glass as I watched him picking his nose and sitting quietly with the rest of the class. He caught me looking and flashed me one of his 1000 watt smiles, then went back to exploring his facial orifices with his fingers and listening to his teacher.

He was first to escape, seemed pleased to see me, gave my legs a quick hug and we went outside. I asked about his morning, apparently he’d played with the trains. I think experienced CIA operatives would struggle to get any additional details out of him. We went to our local toy shop and added to his train collection (you’re sensing a train theme here aren’t you?), then off to meet his Nan for lunch and tell her about his morning. Nope she didn’t get any more out of him than I did, but she said about a million times how grown up he looked, then got all misty eyed.

And tomorrow we’ll do it all again. The small boy goes to big school now. And so it begins.

PS – this picture was taken on his first morning, it’s the best we could do, he had a roll around on the floor tantrum just after this was taken, he’s rarely a reluctant model, but it made me smile, a lot. I put the picture on Facebook alongside the smiling pictures of the children of my friends, someone commented that it was their favourite first day of school picture ever. It made me chuckle.

Goodbye Nursery

Just two weeks shy of his first birthday I returned to work and the small boy started at nursery. First in woddlers, then toddlers and he’s now in pre-school. Today is his last day, as I type this it’s his last hour there. Next week he’s moving onwards and upwards to the nursery at primary school.

Uniform has been bought, labelled, tried on and modelled. All we talk about is big school and the friends he already has in his class there. He’ll be fine, it’ll be the making of him. We’re all forward looking and we’ve barely looked back at the past (almost) three years.

Looking back, without the stability, input and love he had at nursery he would be much worse off socially and academically. During the year (ish) I was largely unable to parent him, they stepped in educated and entertained him for three days a week. They fed him, looked after him, loved him and took him out to explore the world.

Don’t get me wrong, when he first started I was, as is traditional, utterly heartbroken at leaving my baby with them, but he’s thrived under their care. When his hearing (now fixed) was holding back his development, they worked hard with us to adapt his time there so he wouldn’t fall too far behind, and he didn’t, he’s now running with the pack and you’d not know any different.

I have no regrets about sending him to nursery, other than I’d prefer that I’d had that time with him, but it was absolutely for the best, and for me wanting to keep him at home would’ve been selfish of me. We’re trying to raise a happy, independent chap and he is that. He’s full of spirit, he’s funny, lively, lovely and clever.

I hope that his new big school will recognise his character, understand his strengths, nurture his weaker areas and help him to be the best that he can be. I know that as a family we’ll look back at his time at nursery very fondly, I hope he remembers all the fun he had there, the friends he made and all the clothes he ruined during craft time.

Goodbye nursery, it’s been a blast!

Top Tips to make your school uniform last

A schoolwear specialist has put together a series of tips to help parents get maximum value from school uniform.

Carolyn Budding is a Director at YourSchoolUniform.com and has assembled 10 top tips for making the most of school clothes.

She said: “As a retailer and a manufacturer of school uniform we understand exactly what is required from these garments over the course of a school year.

“Our own-branded products, under the name Hubaco, are carefully designed so we can say with confidence that they are both comfortable and durable.

“We offer a range of different school uniform items for every household budget and because we understand parents have concerns about the cost of uniform, we have put together our 10 top tips to help it last longer.”

1- Right first time: “Buying cheap can mean buying twice,” says Carolyn. “Work out which items you can afford to spend a bit more on and avoid paying again further down the road.”

2- Size it up: “Children’s growth can be steady over a period of weeks, or sometimes they seem to get taller overnight,” Carolyn explains. “It is a good idea to use a size guide rather than choose clothes by age. The age guides in some uniform items tend to be based on height alone, which doesn’t take into account children’s body shapes.”

3- Room to spare: “If you want to buy uniform which will last, make sure you leave some growing room,” says Carolyn. “Look out for trousers and skirts with adjustable waists and if you’re handy with a needle – or can use iron-on webbing – buy them too long so you can turn-up the hem and then let it down again as they grow.”

4- True colours: “If the school allows different colour options always go for the darker shade,” Carolyn warns. “Spills, stains and marks are much more visible on lighter coloured clothing.”

5- Cover-up: “One of the easiest and simplest tricks to help extend the life of school uniform is simply to cover it up,” suggests Carolyn. “Aprons, tabards and wipe-clean smocks are ideal for protecting clothes while children tackle practical lessons – we even offer a lab coat for youngsters to help make sure their uniform doesn’t suffer while they conduct experiments.”

6- All white: “To get rid of mud stains on white shirts and t-shirts, soak in a solution of water and bicarbonate of soda before washing,” says Carolyn. “And remember – the quicker a stain is dealt with, the easier it is to shift.”

7- Fade to black: “Turn dark coloured clothing inside out before washing and store away from direct sunlight to combat fading,” says Carolyn. “Darks are best washed in cold water and dried inside. Purple in particular reacts to UV light, so drying away from bright sunshine will keep the colour better for longer.”

8- Pen and ink: “Biro and ink stains are fairly common with schoolchildren,” adds Carolyn. “A handy trick is to soak a biro stain in milk before washing. Not many children use fountain pens any more, but ink stains can be removed by covering with hairspray and then blotting with a paper towel.”

9- Iron out: “Your iron can be a great tool in preserving the life of your children’s uniform,” says Carolyn. “Iron-on patches are an easy way to make small repairs, while special webbing can be used to shorten hems using your iron. Iron-in naming labels are a popular method of making sure every item has your child’s name on.”

10- Keep it clean: “Easy-care fabrics and Teflon coatings are great for busy parents,” says Carolyn. “Teflon helps prevent stains while the easy-care fabrics tend to require less rigorous washing and ironing. It’s also best to hang clothes on hangers or fold them neatly to help keep them in good condition. Lots of children think their bedroom floor is the ultimate storage solution, but looking after their uniform will make it last longer.”

For more information visit www.yourschooluniform.com

Published in association with YourSchoolUniform.com

Back to School: Your School Uniform

It’s with incredibly mixed feelings that in just under a fortnight we’re sending our small boy off to join the nursery in “big school”. We’ve been busy over the summer buying all the things he needs, school uniform, water bottles, book bags, the lot, but it’s well documented that I’m not a happy shopper, so I’ve turned to the internet to see if I can save myself the stress of being in an actual shop; the internet did good, I found YourSchoolUniform.com

As he will be in nursery he doesn’t need the fully badged uniform just yet, so we can get away with just a plain jumper and a plain coat, but YourSchoolUniform are able to supply uniform with the logos on, you just need to check if your school is listed. The website was really easy to use and free delivery options are available. Like most parents, typically we chose to buy clothes that he will grow into, so he’s sporting the baggy look in the pictures.

We went for a dark blue sweatshirt made from cotton and acrylic, it’s really soft and comfortable and he’s very proud and excited to wear it. The sweatshirt is made by Hubaco and has been designed exclusively for YourSchoolUniform to ensure it’ll stand up to the rigours of school life. We also chose a matching fleece jacket in dark blue, which I think he looks great in, you can’t really go wrong with a fleece, they wash so well, hold their shape and it will keep him warm while he’s running about outside.

The uniform we’ve got from YourSchoolUniform looks to be good quality, the stitching is good and strong and I’m hopeful that it will last, I think it will endure the rigorous testing that only a small boy can give it.

For me I’m happy that while he’s in school I know he’ll be warm and comfortable. I think he looks really smart and whilst I do have incredibly mixed feelings, I can’t wait to see him lining up with his friends on his first day, looking smart and adorable in his uniform.

Note: we were sent a sweatshirt and fleece free of charge for review purposes. All images and opinions are my own.

A special snuggle & the same old (adorable) routine

I’m sat on the sofa, or propped up in bed. Invariably I’ve got my iPad and I’m working. The small boy, wanders in, spies me and goes in for a snuggle. We sit in companionable silence for a while, me enjoying his closeness, for it is a rare thing. Then the questioning starts.

Me: Do you want a drink?
Him: No

Me: Do you want a snack?
Him: No

Me: Do you need a wee?
Him: No

Me: Do you need a poo?
Him: No

Me: Do you need a tickle?
Him: No (he squirms)

Me: Do you need me to blow a raspberry on your belly?
Him: No (he squirms some more)

Me: Do you need me to eat your feet?
Him: No (he kicks his legs so I can’t grab his feet and he giggles)

Me: Do you need me to bite your bum?
Him: No. Not my bum!

Me: Do you need me to squeeze your squeezy cheeks?
Him: Noooooooo Mummy!

Me: Are you sure you don’t need a tickle?
Him: No. I do NOT.

Me: Do you need me to kiss you all over your face?
Him: No Mummy no!

What he really means is yes Mummy yes. So I do all of the above and we dissolve into a giggling, tickling, squealing mess. Then we sit, snuggled just a little bit closer and carry on sitting in our own special companionable silence.

I love these moments.