Bookworms

It's one of my great joys as a parent that my two children have discovered a love of books.
I mean a LOVE of books.
We could create little houses with all the picture books, novelty books, fairy stories, fables, classics and Mr Men books crammed onto their shelves.

And then this fabulous Tidy Books childrens bookcase came through the post.
This has changed our book reading habits.

We can actually see all our books now.
Look, there's one of my favourites Wibbly Pig's Silly Big Bear. It's not hidden behind a million other books.

Although their reading tastes have changed over the years (Dan is now into Beast Quest and The Spiderwick Chronicles) there are some which have enchanted both of my children and still do today.
And so, in no particular order, our favourite 10 children's books:

1. The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
   There is a reason it's a modern day classic: Easy to read, engaging, fun and all told to a fabulously simple rhyme. Plus it has that slight element of danger so you can use your myriad of scary voices to great effect *ahem*!
2. Boomerang Bear by Stuart Trotter
   When Eddy decides he's too old for a teddy bear he tries to get rid of the little bear away. But the little bear keeps coming back - in more and more elaborate ways! Then Eddy finally succeeds: but has he made the right decision. A bit of a tear-jerker and a great book for Christmas. Hint: Santa gets involved.
3. Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems
   This author just has the best sense of humour, making children chuckle but also thinking of the parents reading the book too. The naked mole rats get a bit of a rude awakening when one of their fold starts to wear - SHOCK - clothes!
4. Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers
   A beautifully illustrated, touching and captivating story of a boy who befriends a lost penguin and sets off on an adventure to return his friend to the South Pole. 
5. What's in the Witches Kitchen? by Nick Sharratt
   A favourite because it's a little bit rude! A lift the flap, rhyming book which guarantees giggles as they discover 'rabbit plops' or 'nasty goblin's wee'. Daft.
6. Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
   What is it about Julia that makes kids (and parents) love her books so? We've got all her picture books, but this one about a witch who takes a menagerie of creatures onto her broom is one they come back to time and time again.
7. Pants by Giles Andreae
   The title alone should tell you why they love this one! I think it's probably based on the fact that everyone finds pants funny. Written in a sing songy rhyme, it's just lots and lots of pants: "Small pants, big pants, giant frilly pig pants..." 
8. The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss
   And speaking of bonkers, this classic take of a brother and sister who are bored one rainy day and are visited by said Cat in the Hat who causes mischief and mayhem is still as loved today as it was when I was a girl. Bonkers.
9. Bee-Wigged by Cece Bell
   Jerry Bee disguises himself as a real boy by wearing a wig because all he wants to do is fit in, and he can't because he's, well, a giant bee and everyone is afraid of him. But once he puts that wig on everyone's attitude to him changes! A lovely lovely story of friendship and not judging others by the way they look.
10. My Mum is Fantastic by Nick Butterworth
    *Ahem*

Are yours similar?
The children actually built and filled the bookshelf themselves - it's that easy.
And looky right there. Over on the right. See the Tidy Books badge? That's your discount if you want to invest in one of these beauties too.

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What is the best toy ever?

When I was about 7 I had two Sindy dolls: Skating Sindy and Ballet Sindy.

My grandma used to make clothes for them: Glamorous, shocking pink ballgowns, tidy little jackets, funky kilts.
I loved those dolls above all else. Barbie did not get a look in.

Sindy was in love with my brother's Eagle Eye Action Man. Then the Six Million Dollar Man came to our home and the roll-back skin on his forearm to reveal his bionics clearly won Sindy over, for Eagle Eye didn't get a look in from then on in.
Happy days.

These days my 7 year old is obsessed with Lego. He can lose hours creating with his box of spare bits and pieces.
And when he's sent something like this to review, well, he's all "this is so awesome, mummy". "Oh my god, sliding doors, so cool!"
The Lego Train Station has been a very big hit.

Why am I rambling on about this?
I ran a competition recently to win some Lego and asked the question: What is the best toy ever (or 'eva'. I was trying to be smart).
Anyway, the answers on that post were just hilarious and I didn't want them to get lost in the comments section, so I thought I would share some of them here.
So enjoy this little trip down Memory Lane.
(And for the record? Helen, you are one strange lady!)

Hanzor: "Lego is definitely the best toy ever made. It used to keep me amused for hours and hours - especially the girly Lego Paradisa.
And what other toy still appeals to a man in his mid-twenties? So much so that he has some Lego Technik for Christmas".

L.A: "I love Lego too. We never had any of our own when we were young, but there was a set of Lego that belonged to either my mum or my uncle, that was only kept at my grans house. She lived an hours drive away, so it was really special when we got to play with it. It was a hospital set, and must be from the 1960s. The box had been lost years ago, so my gran kept it in an old biscuit tin. I used to love building the wards, and the ambulance bay.
I am now a nurse, so I maintain the Lego must have had some influence haha!"

@SingleMummyUK: "Its a tie between Lego and Playmobil - both need children to have a great imagination to play with them and are timeless toys".

RMontalban: "I too loved Sindy, but was she my favourite? I think I would have to say it would be a game like Snakes and Ladders, Tiddlywinks, Operation, Monopoly but then mmmm but then I am remembering Pac Man! Ha, ha, ha - this one is one I am going to have to think about".

deerbaby: "Definitely not Tiny Tears or any of those dolls who cry and wet their nappies. I mean who needs that?
Operation was always too fiddly. Frustration left me frustrated.
I'd have to say Monopoly. Hours of fun squabbling over whether who wants to be the hat or dog or boot, whether I saw you when you tried to sneak past Mayfair, whether all the Chance money goes into Free Parking or not. And whether the bank will be kind or mean".

Paula Virgo: "My best toy was my Action Girl and her horse - I lived my fantasy life through that piece of fully poseable plastic!"

Helen: "Lego is fantastic, my brother still gets it for Christmas every year (he's 36). But I have to say as a small girl I did love my Action Man! He was great, he would marry Sindy and then chop her head off cos it was too big! (i was a strange kid!) He'd then use his eagle eyes and shoot things. I also had a Tiny Tears, i jammed blue tack down her throat so she wouldn't pee herself but if you squeezed her right she'd 'throw up!' I have to say there have been times when i wanted to do this to my kids!"

Lisa Burridge: "My favourite toy was my baby doll, who I christened Marylin. She was so beautiful, until I cut all her hair off - I was devastated that it wouldn't grow back, and poor Marylin was relegated to the bottom of the toy box!"

Lou: "Tiny Tears..... what possessed me to think that a baby doll that wet and cried real tears was a good idea? Several years later (actually 31to be exact) and I got a real live wet baby ... then another one".

Bubbleboo: "Anything by Playmobil. In fact, my son hates Playmobil but I still buy them for him just so I get to put them together...that's really sad, isn't it?!"

Michelle Cooper: "I was never allowed a Sindy or a Barbie. Until my 21st birthday where I was bought one as a joke (and no I still don't find it funny) because I really really wanted a Sindy when I was little".

Posh Totty: "I have to agree that Lego is by far the best toy ever :) Well, except for the middle of the night when it gets left out and you tread on it with bare feet, that is not so good".

Liveotherwise: "We had Duplo. Lots of Duplo. I particularly remember the schoolhouse - it was red and had yellow desks. Sadly when they were moving at some point, my dad put the Duplo in the wrong pile and took it to the tip - I think we all shed a tear as he described watching it cascade down the hill into the landfill :("

Mummytips: "Sindy would kick Barbie's butt and you know it.
Kenner Blythe doll. If you have a spare £1,000 it's my birthday on Thursday!"

Carol: "Either Lego or train sets (unfortunately as a girl I never got a train set, but am glad my youngest son has one!). My brother and I had a huge basket of Lego which we would regularly empty over the living room floor, followed by endless hours of fun. So versatile! And my boys love it too. Is there any other toy out there that could compete with Lego?"

LauraCYMFT: "I love wooden train sets. I remember we would go in to ELC and they'd have the train set set up and we just had to play with it. I love playing with my son's train set now, he doesn't get a look in."

Becca: "Best toy ever has to be a game my best friend had when we were about 6. It was a board game in which you ran a sweet shop, and came with little shelves and real sweets! They didn't last long, as you can imagine."

Wendy McDonald: "My best toy ever was my Fuzzy Felt...I'd spend hours making pictures...and when I realised that the felt pieces would stick to my mum's velour sofa, I liked it even more!"

Lorraine Johnson: "My fuzzy felts farmyard set! I have only ever been able to get hold of cheap imitations for my son, they were really poor quality. He is 8 now, so it's a bit late, but I would have loved to buy him the real deal."

Gaz Mills: "Screwball Scramble. It took my ages to perfect it but in the end I got my quickest time down to 24 seconds."

CMT: "Its got to be Stickle Bricks. I loved playing with them as a child and even saying the name is satisfying Go on, try it. Stickle Bricks. Brilliant."

Emily Hutchinson: "Lego is ace! I even buy a Lego advent calendar and put it away until May so I can count down the days until my birthday on the 24th, yes I know that is a little strange. I've got Lego pirates all ready for next May"

Max: "The best toy ever was the wooden fort my dad built for me and my brother although Meccano runs it close."

Carol Phile: "Dorable Dachsy the yapping fliping dog - I loved that thing - unfortunately my dog hated it and killed it and shredded its' coat but I loved it...."

Mark S: "The best toy was the wind up and go Evil Kenevil Motorbike and Rider toy."

Mitchell41: "The best ever toy i had was a Tonka dump truck and Tonka crane. They lasted for years and years."

@DebbieAndrioli: "I think the good old Teddy Bear. What other toy is loved so much it literally falls to pieces?!"

Michelle Bamber: "My Sindy town house, i loved it. It had a lift on the side and four floors including a roof garden, it kept me busy for years."

Rhydian: "Scalextric. I used to spend hours playing with it on the living room floor, much to the annoyance of my parents who had to move carefully around the room to get to the sofa."

Derek: "Lego is the best toy ever because it brings me even more joy now as a 27 year old then it even did when I was a kid, sitting on the floor surrounded by thousands of pieces, scrambling around to fit the right sized piece to fit my creative vision."

Sally Willcock: "I liked my Pippa dolls, Action Girl (who often got together with my brothers Action Man - the non eagle eye variety), space hopper and pogo stick"

Georgie Warsop: "The Fisher Price campervan. My mum still has it along with all the people, the chairs and toilets! My children now love it as much as I did."

Christopher Bell: "The He-man action figures - I don't care how camp it appeared, this is the best set of toys ever!"

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10 reasons why I fail at dieting (or why losing weight is not a piece of cake)

1. I set myself unreasonable goals. I have a pair of jeans that I adore. I wore them before I had babies and I want to wear them again.
   Every time I shed a couple of pounds, I rip them out of my wardrobe and try them on. When I can’t get them over my thighs I am crushed.
   Yes, I know my body parts have shifted around and settled in new and interesting places since giving birth. Yes, I know it’s going to take time to get back to anything near my former glory days. And yes, I know I am being too hard on myself.
   But still, I do it every time and every time I throw them with great force back into the back of the wardrobe muttering ‘what’s the bloody point’ to myself.
2. I lose heart quickly. This is linked to number 1. If I don’t lose 2lb every week without fail I think there’s something wrong with me. My heart sinks, my will to carry on sinks and I end up thinking I may as well just eat that whole packet of Jammy Dodgers for all the good this dieting lark is doing me.
   I get disappointed with myself and give up. I feel like the only way I’m going to ever have significant weight loss is by being involved in some kind of chainsaw accident.
3. Any weight loss I do achieve I feel the need to ‘reward’ myself. I wrote this down and thought ‘you silly bloody sod’. In work I march on through until the job is done. I am a completer finisher. I am not happy until the end result is achieved.
   So why the hell can’t I apply that to me?
4. I don’t love my body. Never have. This is a big downfall for me. Even in my prime (and I didn’t appreciate that I was in my prime until I passed my prime and started looking back and regretting that I didn’t enjoy my prime!) I didn’t like the way I looked – all big boobed and curvy.
   And what worries me the most is, is this also another prime moment and will I be looking back in years to come thinking ‘I wish I looked like that now’. Hells bells, I cannot let that happen.
   I know part of the process for change is accepting who you are right now, but what if you’re super critical and can’t find anything you like about yourself?
   I know this sounds really really bad, but I’ll bet you there are many many people out there thinking ‘actually, that’s me. I’m the same’. Whether you’re fat, skinny, curvy, athletic or pretty much perfect, I’ll guarantee there are people who absolutely hate something about their look.
5. I’m impatient. I want weight loss and I want it right now.
6. I bury my head in the sand. If I have a disastrous day (no exercise, sat on my ass in front of the computer and devoured the contents of the fridge/cupboards/emergency stash in the car) I throw in the towel and say to myself ‘well there’s no point carrying on this week. I’ll start again on Monday/on the 1st of the month/when the sun starts shining.
   I have every excuse for why I can’t do it NOW.
   Also I know I have to lose weight for health reasons (I have a history of angina in the family) but I’ll almost pretend like it’s not one of the most important things to me and do the equivalent of putting my fingers in my ears and going ‘la la la la la’.
7. I cannot seem to switch off my appetite. Does that make me greedy?
   Sure I love food. I love good food. I’ll also eat crap because it’s there in front of me.
   I’ve been to parties where I’ve eaten beforehand and am stuffed, but I’ll still go in picking away at the buffet. Oh, who am I kidding, I stand in line with a plate in my hand and I indulge.
   Usually when I’m eating I don’t actually WANT it. Clearly I NEED it. For something other than satisfying my appetite.
   I think I am what is known as an emotional eater. You know those people who just can’t eat when they’re upset or stressed or emotional? They just can’t stomach food? I am not one of those people.
8. I make excuses
   I haven’t had anything sweet all week/day/hour.
   I can’t see good food go to waste.
   I hardly ate anything yesterday.
   I’m peckish.
   I can’t just have a cup of tea.
   The packet’s open so we may as well finish them off.
   Just the one then . . .
9. I blame everyone but myself My children are to blame as they made me carry them around inside me for months, increasing my appetite, making me breastfeed, making me crave jam donuts then being so adorable I couldn’t bear to go back to the gym once they were in my life.
   My husband is to blame as he is always offering me ice cream, a biscuit or 5, a bag of popcorn.
   My job was to blame because I was always so busy I had to eat on the run and then when the hunger pangs kicked in at around 3pm I had to visit the chocolate machine.
   My family is to blame because they gave me defective genes.
   My taste buds are to blame because they went down the sweet route and made me desire anything and everything that’s been within breathing distance of sugar. Except Turkish Delight. If you told me I had to live off Turkish Delight, I’d be 10lb lighter in days.
10. I call it dieting. It’s like a food list – once you write if all down it comes as a bit of a shock just how much you are actually eating.
    I am not dieting, I am changing my life. For the better.
    
    Do any of those ring true with you?

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The Gallery: Week 37

Hello and welcome to week 37 of The Gallery.

Every week my 5 year old has Show and Tell at school, where she has to take something to show the class based on a theme.
We've had colours and letters and this term it's 'celebrations'.
Eeek. Tomorrow is 'weddings' and she wants to take in my wedding dress!
When I say no, she tuts, rolls her eyes, and says "oh, OK. I'll just take your ring then . . . "
Next week is 'Christenings': Ye gods, neither of mine have been Christened, nor myself, nor the hubs.
Oh no.

So anyway, I've been trawling through old photos for her to take to school and thought what a great theme it would be.

And so this week's theme is: Celebrations.

Weddings, birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, divorces, first jobs, first pregnancy, proms, you name it.

As always, use your imagination and let's turn the interwebs into a big ole party next week!
Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday to add your link.

And as ever, once the links go up, visit as many others as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.

Appreciate the wonderful words and photos that are opening themselves up to you.

The link stays open until the following Tuesday, so don't worry if you don't manage to post on Wednesday.

NEW HERE? NOT SURE HOW TO ENTER?
If you're new here and want to find out what The Gallery is all about and how to enter visit here.
And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS or email feed.

Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

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Fashionista. Sort of

My 5 year old daughter fancies herself as a bit of a fashionista.
Not as in catwalks and modelling and designing and loving clothes.
As in if I dare suggest what she might wear today, she'll look it up and down, roll her eyes, then in her 'I'm only tolerating you because you're my mother voice' say; "I'm not wearing THAT".
Total contempt bundled up in the word 'that'.

No, I wouldn't say Mia loves clothes. But she knows exactly what she wants to wear - which is pretty much aways jeans or leggings or anything which will allow her to climb. Or wrestle. Or ride a horse (no, we don't have one, but she likes to pretend).

And then a pile of goodies turns up from one of my favourite online kids clothes retailers Vertbaudet.
All French fashion, gorgeously girlie outfits and Parisian chic.
A pile of goodies which includes a couple of ballet-style skirts. And a dress.
My heart sinks.

Then she comes downstairs wearing this. Of her own choosing.
It's GORGEOUS. And she knows it, so she does a twirl or two.
She looks so girlie and sweet and I'm all a flutter.

Then, as if to bring me back down to earth with a bump, she lifts the folds of her skirt with a cheeky grin playing around her mouth.
She's wearing a pair of jeans her dad cut off for her to make shorts underneath the skirt. The loose threads are trailing down her thighs.
My little fashionista!

Both of my children have grown up with Vertbaudet clothes and I confess I may have snapped the PRs hand off right up to the elbow when I was offered some of their range to try out.
(Plus, they do fabulous sales too).
And oh blimey, don't even get me started on the kids bedroom stuff . . .

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The Gallery: Black & White

She climbs trees, wrestles with her older brother and comes home from school every day with scuffed knees and wild hair.
But sometimes, just sometimes, she is a princess.
Who sings along to Hannah Montana (even though she hasn't the foggiest idea who she is!).

This post is for Week 36 of The Gallery: Black and White.

And this week The Gallery is being sponsored by online digital photograph service Pixum who are offering our winner a gorgeous 16 x 24 inch canvas print of your favourite photo - worth more than £44.
An absolutely fabulous Christmas gift to give to someone. Or, you know, just treat yourself and brighten up a bare wall in your house.

PLUS everyone who enters is eligible for a free 12 inch photo enlargement worth £2.99 (you will just have to pay postage). 
If you want to take advantage of this, just drop me an email (it's that button at the top, right hand side. Right under the marbles; the one with a picture of an @ in an envelope) once you have entered and I'll send you the code.

The winner will be picked from all the entries when this link closes next Tuesday.
(NB: For the winner visit here).

If you're new and want to know what the Gallery is, go and read here, and then come right back and join in!
I can't wait to see what you come up with.

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Toys for 5 year old girls this Christmas

My rein as Best Mum Ever continues as my two children get to review a whole raft of toys after being named as Toys R Us Toyologists.
They take their role very very seriously.
This week it's my 5 year old's turn to take centre stage after the boys got to review toys for 8 year old boys.

Leapster Explorer Pink Console, £47.99

With Penguins of Madagascar software, £19.97
★★★★★
I haven't been able to part my 5 year old from this learning system since the day she opened it.
She thinks she's Important now she has her own 'learning top'. I'm thinking she means laptop, but you never know with that girl.
The hand-held console entertains and educates in equal measure and has stacks of quizzes and games already loaded on there to play. Plus you can connect to the internet and download even more stuff to do.

It's a really clever piece of kit; it has a touch screen with hi-res graphics, a stylus to practice writing and even adjusts the skill levels continually as the kit remembers your child's level from game to game.
Our console came with the Penguins game which has also proved a big hit but which has had the downside of making both my kids talk like the animated characters all the time!

Utterly brilliant. 

VTech Kidizoom Pink Video Camera, £44.94
★★★★★
A couple of years ago my mum bought Mia one of those 'first' cameras. You know, the ones that teach your kids to drop cameras down the stairs and plop them in the goldfish bowl.
It was completely crap. The picture quality was, well, zero and the batteries ran out every 10 minutes (OK, so I'm slightly exaggerating).
So I wasn't that hopeful of this device which lets your kids record videos, take photos, edit their creations and get to practice at being (insert your favourite movie director in here).

But no, it's great. The picture quality is excellent given that it's a child's toy and it's really easy to use.
There are built in games which allow you to put yourself in the heart of the action, you can connect to the TV or computer and you can extend the memory with a SD card if you wish.
There is also face-tracking technology that means you can add moving animations to a moving picture.
Ruddy hilarious!

Baby Annabell Interactive Doll, £44.99
★★★★★
I confess I struggle with dolls. So what if it can cry and poo and ask for a cuddle?
Baby Annabell is "just like a real baby" She babbles, gurgles, giggles and sucks on her dummy or bottle. She drinks real water from her bottle and she cries real tears.
After drinking she will burp, yawn and go to sleep and if you rock her, she closes her eyes and will go to sleep.
And all this for £45! Wowzers.
My 5 year old was unimpressed and after playing with her for a day, gave her to a friend, only to return to playing with a doll she's had for years that doesn't gurgle or giggle.
To be fair it's a very impressive toy and I guess if you're little girl is really a fan of dolls this is great, but it wasn't for us.

Silver Cross Ranger Doll Pram in Marshmallow, £34.99
★★★★★
I'm pretty sure the makers didn't intend for this pram to be used to cart shoes around the house, but there you go. My daughter is nothing if not inventive.
It's a great little pram, really robust (my kids even started pushing each other around in it until I yelled "STOP" in a commanding, motherly way *ahem*).
It's great looking, comes with a little changing bag and even folds up for easy storage.

Strawberry Shortcake Cafe Playset, £34.99
★★★★★
This didn't go down too well with me when we opened the box and it smelled of (sort of) strawberries!
The scent does die down after a while, however, and I have to confess it does look very cute and very bright and playable.
But enough about me, what did the 5 year old make of it?
Well she played with it for a whole day, moving the little pieces all around (they are all included so you don't have to fork out even more money for extras) and even opting to play with it instead of helping me with the washing up, which she NEVER turns down!

Sticky Mosaics Unicorns, £14.99
★★★★★
Easily one of the best 'toys' we've had from Toys R Us to review.
The craft box contains 4 pictures and a pack of sticky foam squares and you basically have to stick the squares to the numbered areas on the pictures.
Mosaic by numbers if you will.
Really really simple, but kept my kids quiet for HOURS.

Littlest Pet Shop Blythe Set, £9.72
★★★★★
Cute figures set based on the cult, big-eyed Takara Blythe dolls which comes with a figure, her pet companion and various accessories.
Cute, and a cheap way of owing your own (version of) a Blythe.

Snazaroo Girl Face Paints, £9.99
★★★★★
Oh I do have a very big soft spot for face paints. The only problem I have is that my 5 year old always wants to be made up like the Devil or a Monster, which really doesn't suit a set which is all pastel colours for nice girlie creations!
However, I have to say Snazaroo face paints are excellent - good coverage, good colours and makes mummy into an artist when she is SO not.

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Should we eat like our children?

I used to eat like a dog.
I would bolt my dinner down in minutes because I have something else more urgent to do/the children are doing something they shouldn't be doing/the ironing hasn't done itself/Desperate Housewives is just about to start.
Sure I have a whole raft of excuses.

How many meals have I eaten and not actually tasted?
Shocking I know when you actually think about it, but I have done this same thing many many times.
I’ve even stood and eaten my dinner from the dish I cooked it in because I didn’t have time to serve it up!

And then I thought, but these things have all been learned. They are in our subconscious and it has almost becomes second nature to do it.
Watching my two children eat has been a bit of a revelation.
They eat at their own pace. They put their knife and fork down between mouthfuls. They chew and chew and chew. They finish the minute they have had enough.
I think we could all learn something from our children.
They are clearly eating the way we used to before we became so busy we started shovelling it in.
They haven’t been tainted by experience. They have no real demands on their time.
And if they’re not hungry they simply won’t eat.

There is a strict rule in this house that ‘treats’ are never allowed between meals and only after you’ve eaten your dinner.
And yes, they always ALWAYS want something, but I can honestly say that many times they don’t actually eat it because they are full up.
That’s how I want to be.

So just recently I have been watching my kids eat. Really watching them.
We all eat breakfast together and I finish way ahead of them.
So at lunch time I try to slooooow right down to match their pace.
Boy it's tough.

From now on my aim is to eat food for a. fuel and b. to enjoy it.
And tomorrow night the food fest begins with Hungarian goulash. Nom nom nom!
I might even share my recipe.

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The best PR pitch ever?

Is this the best PR pitch to a blogger?
It certainly made me sit up and take notice and boy did I chuckle when it popped into my email in box.
And look, it even gets a mention on my blog!



Thanks Ford, I love it (even if Mike can't pronounce my name right - sheesh, you Americans!)

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Win a VTech Kidizoom Camera

There are some toys which come along and I'm ready to bin them the minute the wrapping is off. Or at least the minute the batteries have run out.
However, there are some toys which are keepers. The ones you secretly play with once the kids have gone to bed *ahem*.
This is one of those toys.
And I'm giving you the chance to own one.

We have the pink version of the VTech Kidizoom Camera (£59.99) in this house and it's played with ALL THE TIME. Sometimes even by the 5 year old . . .

How would you fancy one for Christmas? Blue or pink, it's up to you.
It's been named as one of Argos' Top 10 Toys for Christmas and it comes with the Sticky Fingers seal of approval. Or the mini Sticky Fingers' seal of approval.
And now Argos want a reader of this blog to have one. How lovely is that?
Argos, with its huge range of toys, such as Lego and Barbie dolls, and whose catalogues have become a Christmas must-have amongst children up and down the land!

To enter?
Just leave a comment here telling me what's your favourite movie. Ever (I know, I know, toughie!)
There's no right or wrong answer, I'm just really really nosy.
The winner will be chosen at random by my glamorous assistants (aged nearly 8 and 5) after the closing date.

Good luck x

Rules n stuff:
The competition is open to residents of the UK only (sorry rest of the world).
No cash alternative offered.
To enter, leave a comment on this blog.
Make sure your contact details are available.
The winner will be drawn at random from all entries after the closing date.
The competition closes at 23:59 on Saturday, November 27, 2010.
The winner will be asked to provide a full UK postal address with postcode. Argos will post the prize out to you. Please allow 28 days for delivery.
If a prizewinner does not provide a full UK postal address within a week of being contacted, the prize will be re-drawn and a new winner will be contacted.

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The Gallery: Week 36 - win a canvas print from Pixum

Hello and welcome to week 36 of The Gallery.

I absolutely loved last week's theme Before and After. The photos were fabulous and the stories just wonderful.
Even after 36 weeks, The Gallery has remained as interesting and as inspirational as ever - you lot are all just awesome!

So this week I've been thinking about how we can branch out a little; do something a bit different; get those creative juices flowing.
And so this week's theme is: Black and White.

I adore black and white photography; so moody, so eye catching, so evocative. And you can apply it to anything: landscapes, portraits, action shots - the world is your oyster.
Having said that, it doesn't have to be a 'black and white' photo per se, just use your imagination as usual.
Interpret it as you wish - I love to see how diverse and innovative you all can be.

And this week The Gallery is being sponsored by online digital photograph service Pixum who are offering our winner a gorgeous 16 x 24 inch canvas print of your favourite photo, worth more than £44.
An absolutely fabulous Christmas gift to give to someone - or, you know, just treat yourself and brighten up a bare wall in your house

PLUS - for there is a plus - everyone who enters is eligible for a free 12 inch photo enlargement worth £2.99 (you will just have to pay postage). I am SO diving into that!
If you want to take advantage of this, just drop me an email (it's that button at the top, right hand side. Right under the marbles; the one with a picture of an @ in an envelope) once you have entered and I'll send you the code.

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday to add your link.

And obviously, visit as many others as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.

Appreciate the wonderful words and photos that are opening themselves up to you.

The link stays open until the following Tuesday, so don't worry if you don't manage to post on Wednesday.

NEW HERE? NOT SURE HOW TO ENTER?
If you're new here and want to find out what The Gallery is all about and how to enter visit here.
And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS or email feed.

Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

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Do you weigh the same as Jay Leno’s head?

As I've been contemplating my get fit/get less of a slob plan, I've been thinking a lot about scales.
As you do.

I don’t know about you, but I find bathroom scales booooring.
I’m not even a big fan of scales. I mean for starters they lie. And secondly they should recognise that I’m having a ‘down’ day and not tell me I’ve put on 2lb just by eating that one square of chocolate I found down the back of the sofa where the children usually sit.
They're just a tool to depress me and I'm the sort of person who'll end up weighing myself after every meal and depressing myself even more if I had some to hand.

But. But. These scales, these scales I would be prepared to fork out my hard-earned cash on.
On these scales you get to compare your weight with celebrities. And being shallow and a bit of a celeb watcher, I find that just darling!

But these aren’t just any old celebs. Oh no, these are proper top of the class AA List celebs.
So forget boring old numbers, now you can find out if you are the same weight as say Fozzie Bear or the Karate Kid or Judge Judy.
Not so sure about ‘half a John Candy’ or ‘Jay Leno’s Head’ and if I ever stood on there and the needle stopped on Mr Ed, I’d throw them out the window.

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The Gallery: Before & After

Everyone tells me how much my little girl is like me. Same smile, same eyes, same cheeky nature.
But holy hell, when I put these two photos together I may have gasped.
I wonder if my mum had the same big ball of emotion in her heart when this photo was taken of me?

This post is for Week 35 of The Gallery: Before and After

And don't forget there is a really quite fabulous prize on offer to two lucky entrants this week: A gorgeous book from Blurb, the online store which helps you create your own books using all your own words and photographs.
They are really quite gorgeous. 2 Create a 160-page fancy pants hardback book of your choosing: Your very own recipe book, a journal, a travel memoir, a baby record - you could even turn your blog into a book - how cool is that?
The winners will be picked at random from all the entries when this link closes next Tuesday. I will have my glamorous assistants (aged 5 and 7) do the hard work.

If you're new and want to know what the Gallery is, go and read here, and then come right back and join in!
I can't wait to see what you come up with.

NB: This Gallery has now closed and the two winners are Mocha Beanie Mummy and Mumra, chosen at random by my very glamorous 7 year old assistant. Well done ladies x

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The plan

You know there are some people who forget to eat when they're stressed?
Yeah, I'm so not that person.

Sure I’ve forgotten to put my make up on. I’ve even forgotten my own birthday once, but that was because I was huge with child and hormones had taken over. But forget to eat? Never.
I’m that person who is scoffing down their healthy breakfast and daydreaming about what to have for lunch and all the while my inner voice is chanting its own little mantra: MUST. EAT. SOMETHING. SWEET.
When I’m stressed I eat.

I read somewhere that the typical symptoms of stress are eating too much, impulse buying and driving too fast. Are they kidding? That’s my idea of a perfect day!
I have precisely zero willpower and a compulsion to buy every multi packet of Kitkat when they are on offer in the supermarket. I cannot lie, I have a sweet tooth. I have several sweet teeth.

Banning food is like a red rag to a bull. If you tell me I can no longer eat something, I want it. Right now. In fact, it could be something I have never craved in my life before, but if you tell me it’s on the no no list I will suddenly decide it’s my most favourite thing ever. And oh my, I want it I want it.
See what I mean? Unless of course you told me I could absolutely never each mushrooms again and I’d be laughing.

If you eat when you’re stressed it soon spirals into a sequence of ‘I’ve had a bad day so I’m treating myself to this’ and then an hour later you feel so angry and upset with yourself you think I may as well eat the the lot and ‘be good’ tomorrow.

So, I have a Plan. A really simple Plan. One even I can stick to. This is my Fit Club plan of action;

1. Drink more water.
   Tsk you’re thinking, is that it? Well, you know how we all secretly hope there is this magic ‘thing’ we can do that will make us lose weight and look younger? Well that ‘thing’ is water.
   When I was trying to get pregnant with my first baby I drank enough water to flood Africa.
   My skin was amazing, my appetite didn’t rage out of control and I felt fabulous.
   Sure it’s a bit boring, but what have you got to lose?
2. Taste my food.
   I am so guilty of just shovelling it in. I’m so hungry that it barely touches the sides and I’ve finished off the plate before hubby has even sat down with me.
   The trouble with that is you just keep eating passed your ‘I’ve had enough’ stage and end up over eating. So I am going to take my time, enjoy my food (which I’ve usually slaved over anyway) and STOP WHEN I’VE HAD ENOUGH. I am going to eat until I am satisfied.
   Which leads me on to
3. Eat when I’m hungry.I am clearly not a 3 meals a day girl. I snack, I graze, call it what you will but I need a constant stream of food. If I leave it until I’m really hungry I end up doing what I’m trying to avoid in number 2.
   I’m not a fan of portion control either. If my plate looks too small or I feel like I’m being deprived, I’ll start eying up everyone else’s plates and then I’ll want to snack even more and it’s just a slow downward spiral.
4. Stop eating so late
   This is a real tough one for me. I either have to eat with the children around 5pm or wait until hubby gets home (and I’m usually in the middle of the bedtime routine so we have to wait to eat until after that) and eat at around 8.30pm.
   I HATE eating that late at night. So I am going to stop eating after 7pm. That should put paid to the bar of chocolate that usually surfaces just in time for House/Desperate Housewives/Smallville.
   I CAN watch the telly without feeding my face.
5. Move.I love walking. Up hill and down dale. And given the slightest change the children want to play football/go bike riding/climb a tree/go swimming. I am going to say yes to as many of these as I can. Maybe no the tree climbing. 

So there you have it.
Not great leaps in change. Baby steps.

And please PLEASE, if you're on a similar journey and haven’t had any success so far DO NOT GIVE UP. Come on over and see if I can’t motivate you to keep going.

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A love of school

She came home all fired up about spices, a 10-headed king of the demons and tales of Diwali.
And that bindi on her forehead?
We had to wash very carefully around it and ensure her bed was prepped so she could sleep on her back all night so as not to dislodge her new facial jewell.

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A boys view of Beauty & The Beast Blu-Ray

When the new Beauty and the Beast Blu-Ray DVD plopped through our letterbox, I expected 5 year old Mia to dance a merry dance and cling on to my leg for at least a week in thanks.

I did not expect her 7 year old brother to become obsessed with it.

"I've got Prince of Persia for us to see Dan. Shall we watch it after school today?"
I'm beyond excited that I now have a child old enough to enjoy movies as much as I do.
"I'll just watch a bit of this with Mia, while I'm waiting. In fact just give me 10 minutes. Or until that bit where the beast is attacked by the wolves. 
Or how about I just watch all this and Prince of Persia another day."

Seriously, anyone who doesn't own this DVD, put it right now.
It's gorgeous. It's a classic. It's stunning on Blu-Ray and it's beaten a buffed up Jake Gyllenhaall into touch for a whole week in this house, which is no mean feat.

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So long fatty

Before I had children I was a serious gym bunny.
I owned Lycra. I actually looked kinda good in Lycra even if I do say so myself.
I didn’t need the comfort of a huge baggy T-shirt over the top of everything to find the courage to enter a gym where heavily made up women and shiny, muscle-bound men pretended to get fit.
I had the sort of confidence you could bottle and make your fortune from.

I would skip into classes with names like Boxercise, Triple Challenge and Super Step. I sometimes did two in one morning.
I was that hugely annoying girl at the front of the class kicking her legs so high you thought I was deranged.

Then I had children.
Lycra and I fell out big time.
I haven’t allowed it anywhere near my house since 2002 when Daniel was born.
I mean I LOVED being pregnant. I blossomed. I didn't want to stop. But after having two children later in life (I was 34 when I had my first) the weight gain didn't seem to want to stop either.
I lost the confidence too.

Yes, yes I have a myriad of excused for why I'm still carrying around my ‘baby weight’. Despite the fact that my 'baby' is now five. FIVE! I ask you!
I have blamed my mum for giving me defective genes (why didn't I get the ones which mean you snap back into shape?), my husband (he's killing me with kindness when he nags me to have a chocolate HobNob with my cup of tea); even my children have been held responsible for making me love them more than going to the gym.
I mean who wants to go and sweat next to 16 other women when you could be playing tig or making dens on the bed with two kids? No contest.

These days it feels like I now have the ability to gain weight by osmosis. I have to run down the cake aisle in the supermarket for fear of having my cells expand just by breathing in too deeply near the chocolate muffins.
Somewhere between the pelvic tilts and the breastfeeding I developed a fatal attraction to sugar.
Of course I ate plenty of sugar before, but I never (whisper it) had my own secret stash around the house.
And let’s face it, when you’ve spent ages slaving over a roast dinner/plate of sandwiches/slice of toast you become some kind of food hoover because you can’t bear to see it go to waste.

Sigh.

This has to stop. For my health, for my sanity, for my bloody wardrobe; just for me.

I don’t want to give up the good stuff and make life dullsville by denying myself everything.
But I don’t want to be strolling through my 40s with a serious hang up about my weight and my health.
And working from home just makes the problem even worse: The biscuits/toast/bagels are just 12 footsteps away (yes, I've counted).

So I am going to shape up.
It's time.
I will start with baby steps. I'm not telling anyone things are changing. I won't make any grand announcements or declare that the fridge is out of bounds. Or make the family eat a pound of lettuce and a single raisin.
But I am writing it own on here to make me accountable. To make it 'real'.
I am starting my own Fit Club (that's it, over there in the sidebar on the right) to knock myself into shape.

I will make small changes.
And next week I will reveal exactly what they are.

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Toys for 8 year old boys this Christmas

Our role as Toys R Us Toyologists has made me the World's Best Mum.
It's official. My 7 year old told his mates and everything.
My ranking shot up into the stratosphere when we invited his rugby friends to join in some of the testing.
Can you even begin to imagine how cool I am now?
Especially given the toys we were testing . . .

Tonka Ricochet, £79.97
★★★★★
A remote controlled car like no other: This one you can crash and it flips over, like some nibble animal, and because of the huge wheels it still goes on driving! You can also pump up the 'Monster Lift Suspension' and create more of a truck, but this has far less manoeuvrability.
The boys squabbled, whooped, and had 'who can run the cuddly toy over quickest' competitions.
Big, big success on the fun factor.

The downsides? A truck this tough requires quite a bit of juice, so while the rechargeable battery lasts a decent 15 minutes (and believe me you will want the madness to stop after 15 minutes) it is a bit of a faff to get at and it takes a few hours to recharge.
It might be worth managing expectations if Santa puts one of these under the Christmas tree.
However, unlike other remote controlled cars we've had, this is a lot more robust and rugged - which I guess explains the 3 sheckles off £80 price.
(I also checked around a bit and Toys R Us is one of the cheapest places to buy it as it usually retails at £99.99).

Scalextric Start Grand Prix Set, £69.99
★★★★★
Shouldn't every boy own a Scalextric track? Or is is that their dad?
This set is aimed at 'rookie racers' and the boys' eyes were like SAUCERS when they eyed this box!
This great Scalextric Start Grand Prix Set allows you to design and decorate your own cars and then race against your opponent to become grand prix champion on the 1:32 track.
It's easy to put together and the hand controllers let you control the speed: a great set for beginners.
There is apparently more than 17 feet of track and you can make six alternative track circuits.
And it kept four 7 year olds semi quiet for at least 40 minutes.

Lego Star Wars General Grievous Startfighter 8095, £44.97

★★★★★
As far as my 7 year old is concerned, Lego can do no wrong.
And Lego Star Wars? He nearly self combusted when I produced the box. But will General Grievous have 4 lightsabres . . . .  we're on tenterhooks here . . .  yes, yes, it is a hit hit hit.
Like all Lego sets, the instructions are clear and easy enough for a 7 year old to follow (with maybe a little help from mum) and the finished toy, a joy to behold.
We sent it home with one of his friends because seriously? There is only so much Lego one household can support.

Nerf N Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 Blaster, £22.49
★★★★★
The big BIG downside of this 'toy' is you quite simply cannot own just one. How can you possibly play Outerspace Alien Wars with just one cool gun? Duh!
So while this was a massive massive hit ("OMG mum, it's pump action. And look at all the darts. And you can blast") the boys spent most of their time checking out the other Nerf guns in the range on the Toys R Us website and mentally penning a begging letter each to Santa.

Wild Science Ant-O-Sphere 4 Pods, £19.99

★★★★★
Ants? In my house? ANTS?
I wasn't at all impressed with the prospect of housing a bunch of the critters I've spent all summer killing after they made a little ant tunnel into our house and set up home in the kitchen bin.
But for a 7 year old boy, the chance to spy on ants as they go about their daily business (the pods are specially designed so we can see in but to the ants it looks like they're in darkness) is too great an attraction.

It did stay up for a week or so, but actually the whole structure is just a bit too wobbly for my liking and I had visions of it spilling it's contents in the middle of the night, so they were evicted!

Sticky Mosaics Dinosaurs, £14.99
★★★★★
Given that this bunch of 7 and 8 year olds had been testing guns and Lego and Scalextric I wasn't convinced this was going to go down at all well.
"Put that girlie box away woman," I thought they'd all yell. "Give us more rough tough boy stuff".
I couldn't get them off it. Reams of foamy stickers making dinosaur pictures to hang on their walls. They were in heaven!
It's basically mosaics by numbers and a box includes 4 dinosaur pictures and more than 3,000 coloured sticky foam pieces.
Easily one of their favourites.

Robotic Hand Making Kit, £9.99
★★★★★
This is one of those kits which looks like a great idea - make your own robotic hand, oooo - but actually once it was built, it didn't get touched again!
The kit contains everything you need to build a fully functioning hand: frame, fingers, fishing lines and instructions.

Cuponk Game, £9.99
★★★★★
Such a simple idea, but so much fun!
You take it in turns trying to get one of the ping pong balls into the Cuponk - in a manner dictated to you by one of the playing cards.
Seriously addictive fun as you've invited to bounce your ping pong off walls, saucepans, sofas and throw it over your head.
We now play it most nights as I'm better than everyone else at it and it feels gooood to win so much!

Phineas and Ferb Mystery Good Figure Pod, £3.99
★★★★★
This is me rolling my eyes and sighing. I HATE these sorts of 'toys'. I mean come on; A pot of goo with an articulated figure in the middle of it?
A pot of goo that makes farting noises. A pot of goo that gets EVERYWHERE.
The kids, of course, adored it!

NEXT WEEK: Toys for 5 year old girls this Christmas

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The Gallery: Week 35

Hello and welcome to week 35 of The Gallery.

I've got an actual challenge for you this week.
You may have to - shock horror - take a new photo especially for me!
I've been rolling this theme around in my head for a few weeks now. I thought 'nah, it's too much to ask. People won't like it. They'll roll their eyes and tut and mutter under their breath'.
But then Karin at Cafe Bebe contacted me to suggest something along similar lines and I thought, sod it, I'll just go for it.

So if you love it, it was my idea, if you hate it, go hunt Karin down . . .  *ahem*

So this week's theme is: Before and After.

Here's the plan. Take one of your old photos - from a year ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, whatever - and recreate it today.
It doesn't have to be exactly the same: As ever the theme is open to interpretation.

Really can't wait to see what you come up with!
As an added incentive I have a great prize to be won. And this week I won't be judging 'the best' entry. I will have my glamorous assistants (aged 5 and 7) to pick two entries entirely at random.


The prize? Your own fabulous book from Blurb, the online store which helps you create your own books using all your own words and photographs.
I am seriously jealous, because they are gorgeous.
2 winners will be able to create a 160-page fancy pants hardback book of your choosing.
Make a book of your blog - imagine that, putting your favourite blog posts and photos in a real, hold-in-your-hand book? Make your very own recipe book, a journal, a travel memoir, a baby record - whatever takes your fancy.

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday to add your link.
And obviously, visit as many others as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.

Appreciate the wonderful words and photos that are opening themselves up to you.

The link stays open until the following Tuesday, so don't worry if you don't manage to post on Wednesday.

If you're new here and want to find out what The Gallery is all about visit here.
And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS or email feed.

Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

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Shoot the moon

Me: "Look at that gorgeous moon Mia. It's beautiful isn't it?

Mia: "Is it half a moon?"

Me: "No, it's called a 'crescent moon'."

Mia: Ponders.
"Looks to me like one of those moons from the cinema, the ones that if you sit on them like that boy the pointy bit goes up your bottom. Seems a bit daft to me."

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The Gallery: Seasons

Autumn in the UK can be the most amazing time.
The colours, the crisp cold atmosphere, the carpet of leaves to kick your way through (everyone does that when they see a sea of leaves, right?)
Our favourite place to spend these sorts of days is at a National Trust property - roaming the gardens, wrapped up against the elements and finishing our day off with a mug of hot chocolate.
Autumn in the UK can be the most amazing time.

This post is for Week 34 of The Gallery: Seasons
(And no, it's not sponsored by the NT, we just spend a lot of time there!)

I would also like to announce the winner of last week's prize to win £50 worth of Marks & Spencer vouchers provided by Appliances Online.
The prompt was Show Me The Funny and Cara Freckles did just that: Beauty regime. I actually laughed out loud.
So congratulations Cara, the prize is winging its way to you.

If you're new and want to know what the Gallery is, go and read here, and then come right back and join in!
I can't wait to see what you come up with.

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Maths geek

Every week in my son's Year 3 class at school, they have a maths test.
They call it the 11 Club.

The first week they had 11 questions in 10 minutes. If they get all questions right, they are given a certificate and move on to the 22 Club, which is 22 questions in 10 minutes. And so on.
Just before half term he passed the 44 Club and joined the ranks of the 55 Club - one of only 3 in his year to manage it on the first attempt.

I know not everyone will like this sort of competitive teaching, but my 7 year old thrives on it.
His face when he came home and told us he was through was priceless.
I know he's going to have to fail soon, but actually he's a pretty good loser already: He spent a whole season playing football where a 3-0 loss was cause for celebration. And not once did he complain or sulk or throw his toys out of the pram.
He just got back up and went back out on that pitch once again with renewed determination.

Alongside his love of sport, numeracy seems to have become his favourite school subject.
None of which is very surprising when you consider that his activity of choice at bedtime are pages and pages of sums he gets his dad and myself to set him.

My gorgeous little maths geek!

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Toys R Us Toyologist Giveaway: Win a Lego Creator Jet Set (5892)

THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.
WINNER = BubbleBoo
Her comment for the record:
"Best toy ever? That's a tough call, y'know!
Anything by Playmobil. In fact, my son hates Playmobil but I still buy them for him just so I get to put them together...that's really sad, isn't it?!"
Many congrats and thanks to all who entered.

My home is a shrine to Lego.
Lego Star Wars crafts litter the playroom, there's an aeroplane coming in to land in Dan's bedroom and the fire station lies in wait in the conservatory.
Plus there's the giant box of Lego bits under Dan's bed which he uses to get creative.

Lego, I believe, is one of the best toys ever made.
High praise indeed eh?
So how would you like to win this little beauty in time for Christmas?

Dan and Mia were really lucky to have been invited to become Toys R Us Toyologists (toy testers) - and believe you me they know just how very lucky they are to have been picked.

So today it's your turn to benefit from our good fortune.
I have a Lego Creator Jet Set up for grabs - worth nearly £40.
It's a 3 in 1 one set; which means you can build a supersonic jet, a dual prop plane or a high speed boat all with this one box of goodies.
And it could be yours in time for Christmas.

HOW TO ENTER
All you have to do to enter is tell me in the comments section here what you think is the best toy EVA.
Of course there is no right or wrong answer, but anyone who says Barbie was better than Sindy will be hunted down and destroyed*.
For an extra entry you can like the Toys R Us Facebook page and leave a comment there stating your fav toy ever and adding 'I'm entering the Sticky Fingers Lego giveaway'.
Entries are open to UK residents only (sorry rest of the world) and the closing date is Monday, November 22.

And if you don't win here, there will be more Toyologist competitions to enter in the run up to Christmas: Just keep watching the Toys R Us Facebook page.
Also, Sparx at Notes From Inside My Head is raffling off a most excellent Scalextric set this Wednesday.

The boring bit; Terms and conditions:
The competition is open to residents of the UK only.
No cash alternative offered.
To enter, leave a comment on this blog and/or on the Toys R Us Facebook page. You must like the Toys R Us Facebook page to qualify.
Make sure your contact details are available.
The winner will be drawn at random from all entries.
The competition closes at 23:59 on Monday, November 22, 2010.
The winner will be asked to provide a full UK postal address with postcode. I will endeavour to post the prize within 1 week.
If a prizewinner does not provide a full UK postal address within a week of being contacted, the prize will be re-drawn and a new winner will be contacted.

Good luck!

* Not really.

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Bonfire night

Actually we had our bonfire night last weekend at the 7 year old's rugby club.
So this weekend we lit sparklers, drank hot chocolate and the the kids watched the expensive firework show being staged at the local park from our back garden.
Oh, and mummy got to dust off her new camera tripod.
Good times.

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Photobox in my office

The trouble with digital photography is that you never really print anything off any more.
However, the joy of digital photography means you can now do this:

Every day at work my two babies are with me thanks to a canvas print from online digital photo developing company PhotoBox who offered to let me use their service for free to see what I made of it.
Well, I likey.
Uploading the photo and ordering was as easy as pie and the pictured turned up on my doorstep well wrapped just a few days later.
I may have squealed a little when I opened it.
I mean, just look at them.

In fact, we liked it so much I've ordered another two for the grandparents for Christmas presents.
Thems what's called Brownie Points.

The downside? Sure the quality is excellent and I've had so many comments about it from visitors (who, if I'm honest, I make look at it whether they like it or not) but I really don't like the fact that the print doesn't continue around the side of the canvas. Instead there is a white strip all around the sides which spoils it somewhat unless your picture is mounted somewhere it's only ever viewed face on.
All of which is rather misleading because when you view the example pieces on the website, they all have the picture totally wrapped around the frame.

If they had done that it would have been perfect.

It's also worth signing up to received their offers: I ordered by 2 additional canvases on a 2 for 1 offer. Bargain.

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Dear mum who walks her kids to school at the same time as me . . .

I know it's tough doing the whole 'up in the morning, feed them, wash them, dress them' thing every day, but slippers on the school run is just taking it too far.
Especially slippers I wouldn't give a dog to play with.
And if you have to throw on any old thing on your way out the door, at least make sure it fits so we aren't 'treated' to a glimpse of your bottom if we're unfortunate enough to be walking behind you on that particular day.

And actually, while we're at it, please please stop your 8 year old using swear words like some badge of honour as he yells them across the road for my 5 year old to hear. She's 5, that's FIVE - I don't particularly want her to have to ask me what f*ck or b*astard means just yet thank you.

Of course I don't mean to pry, but when your oldest son - who's what, 11? -  is seen smoking some mornings while sat on the wall we all walk past, blowing smoke in youngsters' faces because he thinks it's funny, well, it's not going to win you any parent of the year awards.

Finally, the next time either of your boys do anything to upset/threaten/intimidate my boy or any of his friends, it won't be a letter you get from me . . .

Ta very much.

Me x

****************************

Dear Darling Husband

It's just as quick to open the dishwasher and put your mug and plate in there as it is to go PAST the dishwasher and put them at the side of the sink.

Ta x

***************************

Dear printer

For the love of god, just PRINT

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The Gallery: Week 34

Hello and welcome to week 34 of The Gallery.

Here in the UK the scenery is really quite beautiful at the moment.
I mean utterly stunning.
The leaves are all shades of gold and red and the avenues of trees where I live look like they've been touched by the hand of an artist where ever I go.

I love autumn: For it's crisp, fresh mornings; for it's picture postcard scenery; for bonfire night; for walks in the woods with the cold air nipping at your ears.

So this week's theme is: Seasons.

I know the seasons are totally different all over the world so it will be fascinating to see what you are experiencing while we are in the midst of autumn.

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday to add your link.
And obviously, visit as many others as you can, say hi, discover new people, welcome them in when they discover you.

Appreciate the wonderful words and photos that are opening themselves up to you.

The link stays open until the following Tuesday, so don't worry if you don't manage to post on Wednesday.

If you're new here and want to find out what The Gallery is all about visit here.
And if you want to make sure you don't miss any prompts or entries in future, make sure you subscribe to my RSS or email feed.

Go on, clicky click away, you know you want to ...

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Around the web in 20 clicks

I've pinched this idea off English Mum because I think it's gorgeous.
She says pretty much what I want to say so I'm just going to let her say it here too (she does so love to talk that one).

"I love blogging. I’ve met all manner of wonderful people (and the odd horrible one), both in real life and online, travelled, visited amazing places and made loads of friends. Sometimes, when I’m reading the gazillions of blogs that I subscribe to, I think it would be nice to tell other people about the fantastic things my friends and fellow bloggers write about and photograph. There are always so many amazing things on the internet: great recipes, fun stories, great photos…
So I thought I’d put together a little ‘top 20′ for you to enjoy at your leisure. Think of it as my gift to you for November. Some are old, some are new, but all are brilliant. Enjoy!"

Yeah. What she said.
Here are mine:

1. The Blog Up North has always been a HUGE supporter of The Gallery. He took it a step further with this entry for The Colour Red. It won him a prize too!
2. Another Gallery winner, this time Cass who blogs at Surfacing and wrote beautifully and emotionally about a trip to Venice, Italy and had Judge Spud (below) near to tears.
3. Ah yes, Judge Spud. I have a huge crush on Spudballoo who writes at Chez Spud. See these photos to understand why . . .
4. My children were made official Toys R Us Toyologists earlier this year. Which basically means they get sent loads of cool toys and are asked to share their thoughts on them. This made me the Best Mum in the World Ever. Yes, I am still dining out on the title. A most amazing opportunity and if you want to get in on the act or be in with the chance of winning a whole host of goodies sign up to the Toys R Us Facebook page.
5. The really quite wonderful Jane at How I Like My Coffee showed us all why blogging is such a wonderful pastime.
6. I adored this post by Mocha Beanie Mummy about her son starting school; probably because my own 5 year old was taking those tentative steps into Reception at the same time.
7. I discovered the beauty that is newcomer Shit Mummy. No specific post, just the whole goddam blog.
8. I also discovered Quavers for Breakfast. Words seriously fail me.
9. Oh how I heart Laura at Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy? Her life is one long embarrassing/hilarious love in. Like this brush with the law . . .
10. The hugely popular and quite hilarious Linda Jones at You've Got Your Hands Full (and by the way, I used to live with her back in the day when we were both jobbing journos, and that girl has a big big heart) said a very poignant goodbye to blogging.
11. For Halloween, Paula at Battling On made cute look really really quite freaky.
12. Sometimes the comments on posts are as riveting as the posts themselves. For example this one from Liz Jarvis at Living With Kids about why some mums abuse others online for the choices they make.
13. Another blogger who makes me feel 'normal' when my kids show me up in public is Emily at More Than Just A Mother - fear ye not Em, for there are countless restaurants in town we can no longer visit too!
14. I recently discovered Fran at Being Me after she commented on this blog. Her post How to Dress your Baby and Save Money pretty much sums her up!
15. My very lovely friend Dave at Mister Good Guy donated $100 to Shelterbox via Bloggers for Haiti for his very first donation through his Mona Lisa Million Project. Gorgeous gorgeous man.
16. Lovely Josie at Sleep is For the Weak has had a traumatic few months. She's slowly bouncing back with a new blog design. Big love Josie x 
17. I met Rachel who writes at Tales from the Village recently. I love her. No I mean really, I love her. I laughed when I saw this very bad vlog (her words, not mine) on how to ice a cupcake at the time, now I look at it through different eyes!
18. English Mum is having an Autumn Bake Off. Don't enter because I've already entered mine and I'm going to win . . .
19. This post from Very Bored in Catalunya did so make me chuckle. NO idea what she's talking about mind . . . *ahem*
20. I utterly adore this short, simple post from Bumbling Along about her little girl Moo. And for the record Bumbling; here's a compliment you can't brush off: I've seen you in action - you are a wonderful mother.
21. I love that Little Mummy Erica has a list of '100 things to do before I die'. And she crosses them off as she does them. She had me at "See Erin get married". Sniff.
22. Don't shoot me, or come at me with pitchforks, but Christmas is coming (hush, hush, I know I know). But Violet Posy has the most gorgeous Thrifty Christmas carnival going on you'll be hard pressed not to join in the fun and frolics!
23. I met Kerry Jean Power on a wonderful blogger trip to Seaworld, Florida earlier this year. She is one of those PRs all PRs should aspire to be like. She is now Kerry Jean Lister and her joy at getting married has been utterly infectious. 
24. And finally Kate, for the love of God woman, control your child!

Oops yes, I realise I've done 24. So shoot me!

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