Lets Talk About Equality

I was shocked today, I overheard a conversation (well I was sort of walking through it) in which it was suggested that women should not earn as much as men. The argument being that women can't do certain 'handy-man' tasks and therefore are not on equal footing/ skills level. There was no consideration that the duties of the post holder meant that those were within the tasks that they had to do. They felt they were doing that task because they were a man. The individuals discussing this were young, educated and clearly at the same time, ignorant.

It was incredibly shocking to hear this said in front of me, I've always prided myself on being able to do everything the average man could do and in many cases, I've had to prove that I could do it better. The times I have had builders on archaeological sites apologise to me for saying that they didn't think I would be able to do something or keep up digging with the lads. I can wire a plug, change a light bulb, build a stage from wood. I taught the husband how to put up shelves and decorate and garden. I can also sew, cook and do lots of other tasks traditionally thought of as female. It's 2010 women deserve to be paid the same as men for the same job, it actually makes me feel quite sick that some men still think that this isn't the case. People are individuals, some men can't do tasks traditionally considered male.

What I find shocking is how this is considered acceptable in the workplace, if these comments had been about race or disability I am sure that they would have been taken more seriously. In 1928 women won the right to vote on equal terms with men. Surprisingly, as late as 1981 The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) came into force. The only country not to ratify this is the United States. I was six at the time and it has un-doubtably improved my life in more ways than I am aware. Now I have a daughter I like to think that a world of opportunity is open to her and I really hope that she will grab every chance she has whole-heartedly. I hope that I will succeed in bringing her brother up to respect women as equals, as his father does.

The question is really how to educate these men who still seem to have these Victorian opinions of women. Yes, there are women out there who cannot do some of the things that 'men' can do, but equally there are plenty of men who cant do these tasks nowadays. Whose fault is it that these opinions still exist? Perhaps this is one area where the media have actually been quite remiss, maybe they haven't highlighted these issues enough, provided enough positive examples and highlighted cases of law enough. Maybe women don't do enough themselves, I think I have always taken it for granted that I can do stuff, be capable and that I am equal. Perhaps I should be more pro-active and militant about it, shout it from the rooftops, make a point of my equality for the sake of my daughter. But then, I think to myself; why should I? It's the ignorance of others, the minority. At least I hope it's the minority...

Lets Talk About Equality

The Co-operative Community Fund; A Great Funding Opportunity

Yes, you are right, this is a Sponsored Post. However, read on because this is one you need to hear about. Recently I've been telling you all about funding opportunities for community projects in your local area, well this is another one! The Cooperative Membership Fund is a grant scheme, which helps local communities throughout the UK. Thousands of clubs, community groups and local charities have benefited.



The scheme is funded by generous members of The Co-operative donating some of their share of profits, which is then given away in the form of small grants. This year, The Co-operative Members have donated £1.2 million to local community groups across the country. To qualify for a grant projects must address a community issue, provide long term benefit to the community, support co-operative values and principles & be innovative



The Co-operative has real values and true commitments, not just empty corporate mission statements. When we claim something, it's true. When we commit to change, we make it happen.



There are some great stories happening in local communities and The Co-operative supports those stories and helps them to happen.



This campaign really demonstrates the core co-operative values of giving back to the communities that they serve.



What is The Co-operative Community Fund?

The fund is made up of donations from our members who have chosen to give a percentage of their twice-yearly share of the profits. This year The Co-operative Members have donated £1.2 million to local community groups across the country



The Community Fund is a registered charity and is governed by The Co-operative Community Investment Fund (CCIF). This board of trustees are responsible for ensuring funds to projects are given in line with the Charities Commission guidelines.



The Co-operative Community Fund operates on a truly local level. The money each region has to give is the money that members have donated in their area. Projects are allocated by postcode.



Grants vary from a minimum of £100 to a maximum of £2,000.



Groups have to apply for the funding they can do this here.



- To be successful a group must:



* Carry out positive work in the community (it does not have to have charitable status to apply)



And the project must:



* Address a community issue

* Provide a long-term benefit to the community

* Support co-operative values and principles

* Ideally be innovative in its approach



So, from my experience of community projects I think that there are a lot of things that could be done here and it sounds to me like a grant that could be worth applying for. Here are some ideas which you might like to use:



Photography

In the image one of the successful projects was a photographic project and exhibition. This leads to endless possibilities, you could work with a local photography club to help its members train young people to use cameras properly with a view to recording an area for posterity. One of the best projects recently for us in the museum was where a local group got some funding to take a photograph of every house in a particular series of streets during a year. This has proved a really valuable social history project and has longevity in that the images will be incredibly useful to historians of the future.



Environment

Cleaning up local play areas and tree planting initiatives are always a great local project, but have you ever considered re-instating hedgerows? Local members of my residents association are currently doing this is our area with fantastic effect as its really increasing biodiversity and improving the area.



Young People

How about establishing a local playgroup or toy library if you don't have one? A small amount of money could help to pay for some toys and provide a much needed start up. These opportunities can be invaluable for the local community.



So, again a few more ideas. I hope they have provided some inspiration. If you have the time and inclination its really worth thinking about these smaller grants, with current local government cuts there will be far less opportunity for your local council to do all the things they do nowadays and community work will become invaluable.

Sponsored Post

The Co-operative Community Fund; A Great Funding Opportunity

Next 12 Days of Christmas

Apparently, well according to Wikipedia, so it must be right, the English Christmas Carol the 12 Days of Christmas was first published in England in 1780. This was a leap year, there was a hurricane in Barbados (something Mirka is familiar with), the American Revolutionary War, riots in London and Elizabeth Fry was born. It's also the date of one of the embroidery samplers that I am researching at work. For a song to be going 230 years must be a sign of quality and of endurance, and that's what you'll need whilst hunting out a gift for your loved one.

Verse one

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

A Partridge in a Pear Tree.

I take this as task one, now you might not want to give your true love a partridge in a pear tree this Christmas. Although technically, it's possible and it isn't such a bad idea. In fact, I think that my husband would in fact, quite like a partridge and a pear tree, both providing things he loves to eat. However, I think it might be better to head on over to Next where you can buy all sorts of things. I think my hubby would like one of these Ipod docks. I quite like these boots for myself.

Anyway, in case you didn't know there is a little blogger competition whereby the blogger who gets the most click through to the Next site gets some lovely vouchers. I really want these boots, so please chaps, indulge me in this; Click through and help me win!

Next 12 Days of Christmas

Clear the Decks!

With Christmas drawing closer I find myself in a toy quandary. Clearly we need to make room for new ones but which ones do I pick to get rid of? Fifi was asked, she is so ruthless she literally put all her toys apart from her baby dolly into the bag to go. Since I thought that she may regret this I have simply put them all back. Toddler Boy was asked, he put all of Fifi's toys into the bag as well, so I took them out again.

It seems that the decision making process may once more be left up to me. Thus I have developed a strategy; I will throw away everything with tiny bits of plastic. That's one landfill site filled up then. Why is there a need for all these tiny bits of plastic anyway. It wasn't like this when I was young. I know this as I still have about 90% of my toys. They are solid, safe and distinct toys. Unlike the majority of things today which seem in some cases to be deliberately built shoddy.

Do you have any strategy for clearing the decks this year?

Clear the Decks!

Review; Photobox Calendars

When the email came through asking whether I would like to trial the Photobox calendar service I was a bit worried, past experience of such things has effectively resulted in me giving up entire days trying to choose images and put them together in a reasonable format. However, the hubby told me things have improved in the past couple of years and it would be easier. So, I uploaded the 1324 images I had been meaning to upload. Then I felt a bit stressed and then I thought to myself that I had better pull myself together and do it!

Thus one morning, over breakfast with two children hanging off my leg I selected 13 images and compiled my calendar. In fact I selected 15 images cos I realised half way through that you could do lovely little montages. It was unbelievably easy to do, I mean, like a total doddle. So easy that I thought I must have done it wrong and when it came I would be disappointed.

The morning that it came I did feel a little bit nervous- what if my photos looked rubbish at that size? I had used the little photo-checker but I am so absent minded it wouldn't have surprised me if it had said something different to what I actually read. Anyway, from the moment I saw it I was very impressed. It is lovely, I'm so happy with it that I immediately bought another one for a Christmas Gift for someone. The print and paper quality is superb, it looks great and for the price I thought it was very reasonable price.

So, I think that if you are looking for a Christmas Gift for a member of the family and you are stuck, this is a great option. Its easy to do, looks very expensive and personalised and will bring joy throughout the year. Perfect. Oh and if you sign up to Photobox at the moment you can get 40 free prints so there is nothing to lose!

Review; Photobox Calendars

Review: Jabra Cruiser 2 In-Car Speakerphone

OK, so my hatred of mobile phones is legendary. However, I've had to swallow my pride recently and even succumbed to a Blackberry. The reason being that it is impossible to organise the childrens social and school lives without being a dab hand at the old text messages. I could see it coming, especially after I started getting left out of my NCT group meet-ups. Well, that was probably partly also me. But the writing was on the wall, and now I have the mobile phone I suppose I had better turn it on and use it. Now people phone me on it all all times (I've even been on the loo at work!). There is no peace, I am no longer free. I can hear Mike laughing evilly now from his T-mobile empire. Humpf.

Anyway, when I was approached by Jabra to review one of their flashy gadgets. I have to admit being a total mobile phone technology thicko I had no idea what it even was, so I asked the husband what they were. He laughed at me, in a hollow way as it appears that they are in fact brilliant gadget which nearly everyone who has a mobile phone lusts after. Lucky me!

So anyway, I got sent the Cruiser 2 in-car speakerphone which basically enables you to make in car telephone calls, however even better you can make hands free calls anywhere. I was sceptical, I mean how often do you need to make in car phone calls? Not very often in my world, but in the world of others probably a lot. However, I tried and found it was really easy to set up even I could do it and that's a real test. In actual fact it was quite useful as I could tell my mum that I was nearly at her house and tell the husband that I was going to be late in picking him up. Its a nifty little thing which means that you just have to name the person you want to call and it looks through your phone book to do it. The other really fab feature is the way that it links into all the music on your phone. This was brill when the husband came along and started using it as he has loads of music on his phone. All this from a little gadget that just clips onto your sun visor. It looks really flashy too, instantly making the innards of our Vauxhall look a bit cooler, if that's possible!

For me, the In-car speakerphone really came into its own in the house. My phone always rings at really inconvenient moments. For example when I'm up to my elbows in pastry with two kids covered in flour or when doing some large poster paint project. This is no joke it always does this and I always think it's urgent. I have turned the Cruiser on indoors and put it near me and it does the same as in the car. So that's quite good isn't it!

Do you know what? I'm a convert. I love it. Shame on me. It's ideal for us busy mums join me and get one, why let these boys have all the gadgets. You can find out tons more here.

Review: Jabra Cruiser 2 In-Car Speakerphone

Nativity DVD & Blu-Ray; Review and Giveaway

Nativity! is out now on DVD and Blu-ray. We were lucky enough to be invited to the pre-release screening, unfortunately we couldn't make that one, so they sent us a DVD to watch. Hooray! It stars Martin Freeman and Ashley Jenson who are great viewing in most things. I enjoy the way they both act and in this film they play pretty much the roles which would be expected of them.

The film follows what is basically a primary school Christmas play competition and manages to make it into a love story with all the ups and downs you would expect. It's a fab Christmassy feel good movie and makes for very easy viewing. The soundtrack is great. Somehow in keeping with the low budget feel of the film, it's a predictable, funny and very British movie perfect for this time of year and one which you will probably watch each year at Christmas.

Nativity! is out now on DVD and Blu-ray and courtesy of Entertainment One I have been lucky enough to get three copies of the DVD to giveaway on the blog. To enter just leave a comment below with some contact details (twitter ID would be perfect) and tell me what your all -time favourite Christmas film is. The competition is open to UK residents only and the winner will be picked at random. The competition closes at twelve noon on Wednesday 1st December, no late entries will be accepted. The winner will be notified shortly after and prizes will be sent directly from the PR Company. Good luck!

Nativity DVD & Blu-Ray; Review and Giveaway

If you lived 100 years ago what would you be?

At the moment I am researching the museums sampler collections, thinking about straw hats and their manufacture and doing a fantastic project on the Victorian dresses. This is coupled with my usual work and planning a large exhibition on fossils and dinosaurs. Phew. However, it is actually an interesting time and I am enjoying this selection of projects more than I have done for a long time.

Yesterday I found out the history of one of the samplers and managed to look in a bit more detail about the girls life who had made it. It turned out that by the time she was in her fifties she was a publicans wife and she had a servant. A bit more research indicated which pub it was; one of the ones that exists in one of St Albans more expensive addresses. However, at the time there were three classes of pubs and this one was a Beerhouse. Apparently anyone could sell beer for a 2 guinea fee at the time and they were frequented by the less salubrious members of society.

Anyhow, I slightly digress as the purpose of the blog is not to tell you about my work. The reason I mention it is that it got be thinking about who I might have been and what I might have done a hundred or so years ago. We are a fairly affluent family, would we have had servants? Well, as I don't have a cleaner now, I think perhaps not. I think that I may have been a working woman, and the husband likes beer, so maybe we would have had a beerhouse? I know our family history from this time and my ancestors were working women or mothers looking after children in what I suspect was not the nicest conditions. I like the idea of the dresses at the time, I would have been quite happy dressed up in layers of costume a child buried underneath my crinoline at any moment. Indeed, I am sorely tempted to make myself some bloomers for this winter. I would like to think that we would have been a happy family as we are now. However, I would certainly have had less influence as women at this period were effectively powerless.

The children would have been in a strange position at this level of society. For girls, there is some argument to suggest that in Hertfordshire at least, they would not have become maids which was considered to be a lesser option than a straw hat sewer. So, I suspect Fifi may have aimed at dress-making or straw hat manufacture. As she grew older, given her temperament she may have become involved in the local suffrage movement.

Toddler Boy would have found his options quite limited, although I suspect that his father would have worked and saved to enable him to become apprenticed to a trade. I am unsure what impact his speech difficulties would have had for him, I think this may be interesting to find out.

What do you think you may have been doing 100 years or so ago? What would have been your place in society and what would have been your childrens destiny?

If you lived 100 years ago what would you be?

Rural Crafts for Kids; Straw Plaiting

When people think of straw plait nowadays they usually think of corn dollies. However, that's not really what I am talking about here. I mean the industrial straw plaiting techniques which were used in Victorian times to manufacture hats. This is something that I have become interested in as the St Albans area was one of the main centres for this industry. I'm interested in the Victorian period and in particular the home-working which occurred anyway so its just part of that.

The other day I was lucky enough to attend a course on straw plaiting and learn lots more about it. For example, children as young as three years old started work plaiting, some attending special plait schools. The work was hard and they were expected to produce 20 yards of plait a day and this had to be very regular and precise. Over time the plaiters fingers were damaged due to the sulphur used to treat the straw and they developed sores around their mouths where they ran the straw through their mouths to moisten it. It was a hard and demanding job, however the bonnets and hats produced were beautiful and have a very special magical quality about them.

As part of the course we were taught how to straw plait and use straw plaiters. It's a skill in itself and there are a wide range of different types of plait and patterns/ colours that can be produced. However, the most simple straw plait can be produced using two straws which folded can produce three stalks to plait. You could either use paper or craft straws.Obviously in the past they would have created these lengths of straw plait which would then have been coiled around and sewn together to make the hats.

Anyway, it struck me that straw plaiting would make a wonderful activity for toddlers. You don't need to use actual straw as that can be quite sharp. The most basic straw plait requires 2 straws and you simply fold them over and start plaiting away using both hands. For younger children its best to use craft straws, there are a few places on the Internet, for example I found some here. You can also used shredded paper, but that is a bit more fiddly

Hold one straw horizontally, take the second straw and fold it over your horizontal straw at right angles near to one end of the horizontal straw. You'll then have the basic start.

You then work the straws so you move the outside one to the inside on alternate sides. I've tried to show you the basic technique in the images below:

Rural Crafts for Kids; Straw Plaiting

Preparing Oneself

Attitude; taking a leaf out of Fifi's book and developing some. Well, OK, it's sort of manifesting itself in a totally joyful spend-up. This week I heard the news that snow is imminent. Now, snow is another thing that I have become a bit paranoid about. Well, since children it's another thing that grips me with worry- what if I fall over whilst out with the kids and break a leg and get stuck somewhere or something. Oh, god it's another disaster waiting to happen. Thus presents itself the perfect spending opportunity. What could be better the chance to have that thirty second thrill of expenditure and the three weeks worth of worry about money AND the ideal excuse to buy something that I REALLY need and everything. In fact, this spend counteracts and lifts some of my general worry. Perfect.

I have to say it was the easiest spend I have done in a while, I walked to the shop lusted after a lovely pair, bought the cheapest pair and walked out. I then spent the entire afternoon feeling pleased that I had some lovely new snow boots and a bit gutted that I was too mean to buy the ones I really wanted. Such is me.

So anyway, I urge you to prepare yourself for the snow. This is one justifiable spend that you need to do and hey, every girl needs new footwear!

Preparing Oneself

Dell Inspiron All-in-One Desktops- Sponsored Post

Obviously, we use the computer a lot in our house. I use it for work, blogging, shopping, finding kids activities and recipes and general research. The kids use it for playing games, looking at their favourite programmes, choosing colouring sheets and looking at old photographs. At the moment I use my netbook, however I have to admit its not all that powerful and I would love something a bit more flashy. The keyboard is also a little bit small for little fingers!



I reckon there's life yet in the netbook but we are in need of a desktop and have been considering a number of options from Apple Mac's to Dells. The husband sometimes lets me use his Dell laptop and it has been going for years and years, so I am investigating the different options that Dell have. Fortunately, Dell have a range of all-in-one desktops www.dell.co.uk/all-in-one which have an array of features including:

- For home entertainment: high-definition widescreen display, Internet connectivity capability (Wi-Fi), DVD drive, and the ability to connect to TV tuners, cable and satellite boxes and gaming consoles through an HDMI port.

- Space-saving design means that the computer can easily fit in a corner of the kitchen, on a desk in the home office or a student’s bedroom, or be front-and-centre in the family room.

- Multi-touch display technology, which allows more creative functionality and applications such as paint, draw and sticky notes.

- Dell pairs its multi-touch display with a user interface called Stage, which enables people to quickly access their favourite content including music, photos and videos, and provide a more intuitive experience

If you want to find more you can have a look at the youtube Video and if you need it Further information can be found here

All in all, this appears to be a good choice, I really like the user interface I also like the design which wouldn't be too intrusive in the corner of the room. I'm still investigating all the options as I want to be very sure of what I want, but this certainly seems like a good option.

This is a Sponsored Post, but we really are considering different home computer options as they take a lot of wear in this house!

Dell Inspiron All-in-One Desktops- Sponsored Post

In Which I Sum Up the Essence of the Majority of Early Motherhood

I have spent most of the last week thinking of what if's, this was spurred on by thoughts of how life would be different if I had made different decisions. I think part of it is the difficulty that I am having with sleep. Over the past few years my sleep has been so disturbed that I suspect I am actually suffering from some level of insomnia. Most people would probably sleep through some of the kids noise and not even realise they had been up during the night.

For me, the Wednesday before last proved pivotal for some weird reason. I decided to take the day off and dropped Toddler Boy off a Playgroup, I put Fifi in the car and she promptly threw up everywhere. My plans for the day were ruined and I was left, not only covered in sick (twice) and then ruining the sofa covers by having to wash them, but also disproportionately fed up with my lot in life. It seemed she had simply eaten something which didn't agree with her. However, this all sent me into some sort of cycle of (nearly middle-aged) madness whereby I convinced myself I would be sick any moment and sent my stomach into odd spasms of irritable bowel syndrome which left me so run down that I caught a virus. Which seemed to present itself in lethargy and grey looking skin. Still, as a mum we press on don't we. I wished that I could just take to my bed for a day. This is the same wish I have had for, oh, three and a half years. I manage to catch nearly every child borne illness, this is the bad side-affect of parenting which no-one tells you about.

Anyway, all of this culminated in a sort of sod it attitude where I felt obliged to shop and shop for myself. And I have, so far buying myself three new dresses. I know that this will also have a knock on financial impact which will leave me laying in bed awake worrying about money. This will result in the the need to feed the kids baked beans and jacket potatoes, which they won't eat as they don't eat anything other than pizza and pasta. I'm sick of pizza and pasta, anyone want to come over and cook a really extravagant meal, perhaps pheasant in a creamy appley sauce with new potatoes and lashing of fresh vegetables, followed by a rich alcoholic desert and copious glasses of wine.

Whoever invented superheroes, Fifi, Dora, Peppa and Fireman Sam? They provide endless sources of frustration for kids. If I get bashed by another piece of plastic I may just snap. Oh, yes I did. Going to the toilet can take a very long time sometimes, especially when the lock gets jammed and you cant get out. I find myself tempted to remove all the toys except for 12 marbles and a pack of snap cards. I can't even watch television anymore as I find myself surveying the muddle of toys. I must move away from the sofa and back to the sewing machine or the bedroom to quietly read.

Is this the new ruthless me emerging? Will we have a living room of toys this time next year? It can only get better as I re-discover myself and the children learn to be more self sufficient. I hope.

In Which I Sum Up the Essence of the Majority of Early Motherhood

Review; Clothes Plasters

It breaks my heart to throw away perfectly good clothes for a tiny hole when they can get a bit more use. I have been searching high and low for nice funky patches for the kids clothes and these are the first ones that I have found which fit the bill properly. I love sewing and making things, and really enjoy customising Fifi and Toddler Boys plain T-shirts and jogging bottoms. Again, these clothes plasters have proven themselves well worth their weight in gold and I have had several comments on how nice they are.

I know that one of the things that puts people off applique patches is the need to sew them on, however you only need to iron these ones on! Absolutely no effort at all then to transform a baby grow, T-shirt or patch up some ripped knees. Can you tell? I'm ever so impressed!

There are so many fab designs to choose from we were lucky as we got sent 2 boxes by the lovely Jennie who produces them. I know there will be something just right for you. Just don't let your children choose from them as you may be there a very long time (Fifi spent about 20 minutes umming and eerring) I have even started using them to customise my own jeans. You can get hold of some here. Do make sure you check out the website as there are quite a lot of nice potential Christmas gifts.

Review; Clothes Plasters

Review; Wii Just Dance 2

There is nothing I like more than a bit of dancing, in fact I even sometimes go along to the local PopDance classes. It really helps lift the mood and is a fun way to get fit. The kids also like to dance, our infamous bedtime disco's going down a treat each time. That's why when I was asked to review Just Dance 2 on the Wii I was more than happy to oblige.

I like the Wii console as I find it so much more intuitive than the PlayStation. In fact, it's the only computer game console that I have ever used with any longevity, mainly for fitness games and the iPlayer but it's a start. Considering the hubby actually collects computer games consoles this is high praise.

Just Dance 2 is a really fun game which you can play with the kids or if you have some friends over it might make a for fun after a few drinks. It's really simple you just hold the Wii remote and the nunchucks and copy the moves on the screen. If you have two left feet like the hubby this will prove a challenge but gets better after a couple of pints of lager. The soundtrack is perfect, all the classics (well, the ones I consider classic and dance to at PopDance) and it's really tempting to sing along as well. The inclusion of Wham makes it ideal for me as I can relive my youth, of course Toddler Boy likes the Beastie Boys, but then he would!

We have been dancing and laughing like mad, I hate to say it, but it has bought some real joy to our household. I'm off to buy Just Dance now, as I think I have discovered another fantastic way to get the kids to do something other than watch the television. Oh, and I quite like it. Ahem. Well, there is a sweat mode so it's part of my fitness campaign. If you want to make Christmas Day go with a swing, quite literally, you can buy a copy here.

Review; Wii Just Dance 2

Review; Snowflake by the Rainbow Collections

Snowflake is part of a trilogy of kids music Cd's created by the voice of trip-hop band, Zero 7, lead singer Sophie Barker and producer KK who has worked with many famous artists including Bjork and Brian Eno. We have the other Cd's and like this one, they are superb and very easy to listen to as an adult.

I'm a bit of a Christmas scrooge, so it's very hard for me to find music that doesn't aggravate me. However, this is one of those rare Cd's which will be playing throughout the Christmas period.

There are 16 classic tracks on the album, including ‘Jingle bells’, ‘Frosty the Snowman’, ‘Deck the halls’, ‘Little Donkey’ and ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’, and it also features a brand new Christmas song called 'Santa's Little Helpers' sung by Sophie and accompanied by the London children's choir. We liked this song, I wonder if it could get into the charts this year.

If you want a mellow, yet child friendly way of introducing your kids to come classic Christmas songs without being driven mad in the process this is the CD for you. I love the Rainbow Collections, lets hope they make some more CD's in 2011!

You can get hold of a copy here

Review; Snowflake by the Rainbow Collections

Review; My Buggy Buddy Lock for Pushchairs- an essential

A couple of years ago, one of my really good friends had her buggy pinched. It was awful, she had left it outside the baby class she was attending alongside all the other pushchairs as was usual and she came back and the buggy had gone. This obviously posed several problems, not least how you get a child and all your stuff home without a pushchair. She also had to make an expensive insurance claim. I was totally horrified by this and I have gone to the other extreme. I wander around with a bicycle chain and padlock in my bag, just in case I need to chain the thing up. But to be honest, I hardly ever leave the buggy out of sight. I even changed doctors surgery so I didn't have to leave it outside, as I was worried what would happen if I had to walk 3 miles home feeling poorly whilst carrying the change bag and baby.

Interestingly, according to a survey by Halifax Home Insurance the heft of buggies has doubled in the past year after designer pushchairs become more in demand. Of the 2000 parents polled 5% said their buggy had been stolen in the last 12 months, meaning as many as 315,000 buggies could have been stolen in the last year alone. The theft of buggies costing more than £500 has increased by 40%. The number of expensive buggies I see about town, this does not surprise me at all. Popular places for buggies to be stolen were outside the home, in car parks and in cafes and restaurants.

I had to tell you about this product that we got sent to review, as it is so incredibly good. In fact, I've let it go right to the front of the review queue. The My Buggy Buddy Lock, is just the most ingenious device. It's basically a lockable D- clip which is a perfect size for the buggy, or for shoving in your bag. I have attached mine to my pram so its always there. Its really lightweight and has a combination lock attached. It's genius and saves me wandering around with my length of bicycle chain. This is one baby product that you really do need, I would say it's essential and I've seen nothing better for this purpose.

You can buy them for £8.49 here I wish I had seen them earlier.

They also sell My Buggy Buddy Clips, these are quite handy for hanging the shopping bags off the handlebar if you have one of those all the way across handles on your buggy. Another great idea, although I have to admit I already thought of this one, using a carabina. However these are cheaper, you can find them at Hippychick here.

Review; My Buggy Buddy Lock for Pushchairs- an essential

Book Review; Maisy's Show by Lucy Cousins

You really can't go wrong with a book by Lucy Cousins and the Maisy series provides endless joy for my toddlers. We were excited to receive the latest book Maisy's Show to review.

Maisy's Show is one of the more interactive books, this has pull out tabs and at the end, a spectacular pop up scene. Unsurprisingly, my children really loved it. The story follows each of the Maisy characters as they prepare to put on a show. It's simple and fun. Toddler Boy and Fifi loved pulling out the tabs, in particular Charlie Crocodile with his cartwheeling. We were all thrilled by the pop up scene at the end. It inspired us to make our own scene using a cardboard box and more paint. At the moment we have a work in progress and I think I may make some Christmas figures to add to it. A photo will follow!

Hopefully I've convinced you that this book is worth seeking out for your kids, I think you will enjoy it too as it's quite inspirational in providing ideas for home made pop-ups. It's a great addition to the bookshelf and gets a big thumbs up from us. You can get a copy here.

• Publication details:
• Format: Hardback
• ISBN: 9781406323856
• Published: 04 Oct 2010
• Price: £12.99

Book Review; Maisy's Show by Lucy Cousins

Review; Miniamo Cookery Gift Sets for Kids

I'm notorious for being pretty rubbish at cooking. The one thing I do try and do though, is cook with the children. So I was delighted when I was asked to review a couple of My Deco's lovely cooking kits for kids by Miniamo.

The first kit we used was the 3 Piece Pizza Set with recipe card.
As in the best scientific experiments where you follow the instructions, I decided to test their recipe. In actual fact, the recipe was superb, really really easy to make the pizza bases. I would suggest it is the best Pizza base recipe I have come across for kids. It really was delicious. The set came with a rolling pin, a pizza wheel and a pizza baking tray. Toddler boy loves owning his own rolling pin and pizza wheel, so he was very pleased. Since pizza is his most favourite thing in the whole wide world to eat, apart from pasta, it was the ideal set for him. The pizza wheel is probably the best feature of the set as it is very child friendly; nice and big and chunky. Toddler boy absolutely loved using it to cut his pizza.

The other set we received was the 6 piece heart baking set with recipe card. This seemed ideal for Fifi who likes mixing cake mixture with me. We loved the little heart shaped cake tins (although I need to buy another set so we have enough cakes!). The little whisk was really sweet looking with its pastel coloured prongs and there is a stencil to help you ice them to perfection. This didn't work very well, but it may have been because our icing was a bit runny. We enjoyed using this kit and I expect Fifi will demand to use her whisk time and time again. The heart shaped cakes are also very ideal for those girly birthday parties and play dates!

These sets are both really nicely packaged, I liked the little handles on the boxes which mean your child can easily carry them home. I think they are very reasonable prices and I would suggest that if you are stuck for a Christmas gift for a child then these are a brilliant option!

You can find them at mydeco and for around a tenner each, I think they are well worth it.

Review; Miniamo Cookery Gift Sets for Kids

Review; PishPosh Mommy Stuff

One of the age old problems of having a baby is all the stuff you have to cart around with you. I have a selection of changing bags to prove this fact. However, I wish I had come across PishPosh Mommy earlier in my parenting career. They sell the most ingenious stuff to help you remain a stylish, yet organised mum. We were sent a nappy clutch, changing pad and a carryall to test.

The nappy clutch, is basically a little clutch bag in which to carry your nappies. It's a fab idea and previously to this I had actually made my own variation, although mine was not quite as posh. I loved the choice of fabrics and was very happy with the one we got. I thought it was stylish and well made. One little criticism; the Velcro was not matching on both sides of the clutch. I thought this was a bit poor and if I had seen this in the shop I would not have bought this one.

The Carryall is the most genius idea. It's basically a little bag with pockets which you can slip into your normal handbag. I love this, I have used it loads and loads and will be buying it for all my friends who are about to become parents. It means you can use your normal bag and retain some degree of normalness when you have a baby. This is very good for retaining a sense of self, particularly after the initial flush of excitement vanishes and you find yourself resigned to a bag full of nappies and raisins.

The changing pad is available in a selection of fabrics which match the rest of the range. It's a little bit small for my liking, but is soft and quite stylish (as far as change mats go!)

All in all, I think these are great products. They are made from decent quality fabric and are a reasonable price. I would have been really happy to have been given any of them as a baby shower gift. However, if I had to chose just, one it would be the carryall which is one of the best baby products I have seen this year. You can find the PishPosh Mommy stuff website here, it's well worth a look.

Review; PishPosh Mommy Stuff

Lets all...

Lets all...

A Chance to get 10,000 Pounds for Your Local Community- some ideas!

One part of my job in the museum involves getting grants for projects, it's always a challenge but when successful really worthwhile. That's why when I heard about the latest initiative that Victorinox are promoting I thought that it might be worth highlighting it to you all.

This is the most pertinent part of the bumpf:
'Victorinox, the manufacturer of the Original Swiss Army Knife, has announced their latest initiative aimed at families who propose a valuable, innovative project that benefits their local community. The worthwhile project will see Victorinox donate 10,000 Pounds to the winning family, allowing them to fund their proposed project and idea.'

This intrigued me, so I went over to their website, basically there are four main criteria: Functionality, innovation, Design and quality. The important thing is that it will make a positive difference to your local community. Looking at them it seems that they are fairly flexible, although I imagine competition will be quite fierce. If you are interested have a look at their website you can find out more and enter.

I'm having a good think and will probably enter. I have a few ideas, but need to think through them, but if you do need some inspiration what about:

• A project to install family friendly art works throughout your town
• A project teaching rural crafts to local children through holiday activity sessions
• New playground equipment for your local park
• Funding for a large community event such as a mela
• A project to install family friendly bicycle and pram parking racks throughout the town
• A project where the young unemployed work with the elderly to collect and record their memories and learn some of their skills.
• An art project with a section of the community
• The installation of museum objects into everyday places such as the train station, library, supermarkets and a series of related activities. A museum without walls.
  

These are just a few off the top of my head but I hope they have provided some inspiration. Good luck, I hope you enter!

A Chance to get 10,000 Pounds for Your Local Community- some ideas!

Lets all go on a Hedgerow Safari

There are an awful lot of children nowadays who don't engage with the outdoors and wildlife. I know, I come across them all the time at work; I'm telling them all about Hedgerows and how they can be dated by looking at the number of different species of plants, or all about ancient farming practices and they look at me with blank expressions. When I'm out and about with others they often defer to me for identification of natures finest plants, animals and birds. I can be a big head, so I have to admit I love it, but it is quite shocking really.

An understanding and love of the natural environment is a life long skill and is enormously life enhancing. Once you get sucked in, you'll always want to learn more. That's why I was so thrilled to be invited to the Yeo Valley Farm and why when OMSCo asked me if I would like the equipment to take my children on their own Hedgerow Safari I was very keen. We were provided with wellys, raincoats, pooters and identification sheets. The children were really excited and keen to get out there, but probably not as much as me.

Luckily for us, Verulamium Park in St Albans has some really old hedgerows which date to medieval times and are quite diverse. There is lots to see, so I took the children down there for a fun afternoon, which I can see being repeated again and again. I was surprised at how little Fifi even began to get the idea of matching up the shapes of leaves to those on the card.

The Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative (OMSCo) has 500 farmer members around the UK. Organic farms provide a pesticide free environment for all sorts of wildlife. I was so impressed by my trip around the Yeo Valley Farm that I really think that it should represent the future of farming in the UK. That aside, the Hedgerow Safari Initiative is a really fantastic one which I think that everyone with school age children should be aware of. Basically, they are offering school children the chance to go onto one of the (selected) farms and be taken around to look at the wildlife. Live animal traps will have been set up to enable the kids to see some of the smaller mammals and they get to use pooters to capture insects and identify plants with expert help. It's all free of charge and the children even get to take the equipment they use away with them. It's such a lovely initiative that even Chris Packham has given it his backing. All you need to do is sign up on the site, or direct your child's school teacher or Brownie/ Cub/ Scout leader to do so.

If you get a chance, do make sure you have a look at the OMSCo website is actually really interesting and has a lot of resources such as recipes and colouring sheets and so on for little children. Perfect to get them interested in the great outdoors, even in this weather!

Lets all go on a Hedgerow Safari

Things to Do/ Things Done

Things to Do

Write decent blog post

Cook a reasonable dinner

Hoover

Dust

Sort out wardrobe

Fill the car up with petrol

Be nice to people

The weekly shop

Things Done

This years Christmas Cards

The majority of the Christmas shopping

The art of deflection summed up in two lists

Things to Do/ Things Done

Very good baby clothes

If there is one thing that I am becoming expert on it's baby clothing. As regular readers know, I am particularly keen on organic baby clothing, however its not always possible to find what you want within you price range when you restrict yourself like that. At the moment I'm really keen on finding Fifi a party dress and that's why it was quite fortunate that a PR person pointed me in the direction of www.very.co.uk who sell a surprisingly broad range of children and baby clothes.

In fact, Very baby clothing has proved itself a brilliant place to search out stuff. I love this beautiful little Mamas and Papas jacket for Fifi (photograph above), which I am going to buy her just as soon as I get paid. I have to admit I was really surprised they sell Yumi, Uttam, Mama and Papas, Lacoste and loads of brands which I would happily put Fifi or Toddler boy in.

The website has proved itself a bit of a one stop shop for children's wear, I like the way you can filter by age, colour, brand and even how many stars the customers have given the product. That makes looking for party dresses and warm clothes this time of year less of a chore. I've been sucked into the website, the husbands wallet won't know what hit it!

Very good baby clothes

Review; A Year in Brambly Hedge

Over the field and across the stream lives a community of mice in a place called Brambly Hedge. Reading the Brambly Hedge books shaped my childhood and I think, influenced me as a person. You see, it was definitely from them that I became inspired to look at the nature in our garden and read more about plants and animals. I loved the stories and had loads of the spin off merchandising. Well, would you believe it, Brambly Hedge is now thirty years old. To celebrate this Harper Collins have released a lovely box set of the four original stories. They sent me a copy and I have to be honest the children have had it read to them, I've not allowed their little fingers to sully my special books. Yet.

The books were written and illustrated by Jill Barklem in 1980, this box set contains Spring Story, Summer Story, Autumn Story and Winter Story. Each of the stories is complete in itself, and tells of the everyday life of the mice in each season. The wedding in the Summer Story is our favourite. One of the things that shines through these books is a flavour of the countryside

and rural life. I have found them really useful for discussing seasonality with the children; the Winter Story and it's snow is proving a helpful preparation for what may come this winter!

I think its fair to say that most people my age loves Brambly Hedge, and it's wonderful to be able to introduce my children to it. I remember reading the stories throughout my childhood and I really hope my children will enjoy them as much as I did. The stories are fantastic as they can form a brilliant springboard for all sorts of country craft activities. They are gentle, calm stories and the illustrations are wonderful. I remember feeling inspired as a child to go out and learn all about the different plants illustrated. The mice are dressed exquisitely. Sigh, I love it so much, I really do!

This is a wonderful box set, if you don't own any Brambly Hedge go and buy it. Alternatively it would make a fabulous gift for Christmas. I'm off to acquire some of the other stories and I may even try to get some of the spin-off ceramics for Fifi.

Review; A Year in Brambly Hedge

Bonfire Night Cocktails

One of the downsides of parenting is that you hardly ever get anytime to go out. Thus myself and the husband have to content ourselves with our film night on a Saturday where we strive to watch a new Blu-Ray, have a nice dinner and a glass of wine or a cocktail. Any excuse really for a nice cocktail, I like a Cosmopolitan, but I'm keen to try out new ones.

I've recently been trying Midori which is a melon liqueur, they kindly sent me some recipes especially for Bonfire Night. I have posted these below:

Toffee Apple

MIDORI
1 part
Cognac
1 part
Squeeze of Fresh Lemon
Top with Apple Cider

Pour ingredients over ice into a glass, and gently stir. This smooth cocktail is the
perfect accompaniment to any Bonfire Night bash. If you’re feeling adventurous why
not garnish with toffee apple slices?

Bombfire Night Shotail

MIDORI
1 part
Dark Rum
1 part
Orange Juice 1 part

To make this simple ‘shotail’ pour the ingredients carefully into a shot glass and enjoy
the explosion of colourful fruity flavours!

I cant wait to give them a go. If you don't have any yummy Midori, pop a sparkler in your cup of coffee with a drop of Baileys, you can imagine you are having a special Cocktail...

Midori is stocked by Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s and is available in 70cl and 50cl sizes. Guide retail price is £9.34 to £14.85.

I did not receive anything for posting this, I just happen to like cocktails and I'm sharing the love!

Bonfire Night Cocktails

Review; Beauty and the Beast Disney Blu-Ray

Beauty and the Beast is one of the few Disney films that I realised that hadn't actually seen. I have a good excuse, as I would have been 16 when it was released and far too cool for Disney. However, I sat and watched it and had the feeling that I had seen it. I think it's because I actually knew nearly every song and could sing them. Being a fan of musicals, I imagine that they probably feature on one of my CD's. However, the familiarity of the film was comforting.

I sat and watched with Toddler Boy and Fifi and we were completely mesmerized. I don't think I have ever experienced such long periods of stillness from Fifi. She was transfixed. We all flinched, laughed and even (I am ashamed to admit) cried. It was so sad, and romantic and funny. OK, I think my hormones must be playing up or something. We are going to be watching it again, probably tomorrow, so I will get some tissues ready.

The story is based around the classic fairy tale with the addition of some talking teapots and candlesticks which I don't recall in the fairly tale. It's the story of Belle, who according to Toddler Boy is much more beautiful than me and her personal sacrifice to save her father. Her imprisonment with the Beast (a prince who has been turned into a monstrous beast) has its ups and downs and eventually leads to true love. I've pasted the official synopsis below, which is far better than I could manage.

The music is just superb, we loved it. The animation and quality on Blu-ray is just out of this world. I really think that it's worth getting a Blu-ray player, even if it is only to see this film. You get chock loads of additional bits with this edition, there's actually an additional disc of them.
We loved Beauty and the Beast, it's now one of my favourite kids films and Toddler Boy actually told his dad all about it when he came home from work, so it clearly made an impression. You can find out more here on the official website.

The Official Synopsis:

Set in and around a quaint French village during the late 18th century, Beauty and the Beast follows the fantastic adventures of Belle, a bright and beautiful young woman who finds escape from her ordinary life, and the advances of a boorish suitor, Gaston, by reading books. Meanwhile, off in a castle in the distance, a cruel young prince is cast under the spell of an enchantress who turns him into a tormented beast, while transforming his servants into animated household objects. In order to remove the curse, the Beast must discover a true love who will return his affection before the last petal falls from an enchanted rose. When Belle’s inventor father stumbles upon the Beast’s castle and is taken prisoner, Belle comes to the rescue and agrees to take her father’s place. With the help of the castle’s enchanted staff, she sees beneath the Beast’s exterior and discovers the heart and soul of a human prince.

Blu-ray bonus features

* Backstage Disney

- Beyond Beauty: The Untold Stories Behind The Beauty and the Beast

- Broadway Beginnings

- Composing a Classic: A Musical Conversation with Alan Menken, Don Hahn and Richard Kraft

* Deleted Scenes

- Alternate Story Open

- Belle in the Library

* Family Play

- Enchanted Challenge: A Disney Quest Game

- Bon Jour, Who is This? A Disney TelePlay Game

* Disney Channel Music Video

· Classic DVD Bonus Features

I'm an official Disney ambassador, they gave me this film to review, however that has not influenced me in any way, I love musicals so I was bound to like it really...

Review; Beauty and the Beast Disney Blu-Ray

NSPCC Letters From Santa

For a child, there is nothing better than receiving a letter from Santa and the NSPCC have been busy this year working with Santa to make sure that in exchange for a small donation (suggested five pounds) your child could get a letter posted to them.

If your child is the right age this could be a really memorable event for them and you get to feel good about it because not only are you making your child happy, but you may make a real difference to the life of another child.

Each Letter from Santa will make a significant difference to the lives of children - for example £20 donated could enable the NSPCC to answer another five calls to ChildLine.

All of the personalised Letters from Santa will be posted in time for Christmas. Letters can be ordered through the NSPCC Wishes website, where you can find Christmas eCards, Corporate eCards and Letters from Santa. You can even make a donation to Charity.

I think this is a win-win situation and its something that I will be doing for my children this year even though I am a bit bah-humbug about Christmas!

This is not a sponsored post, I just think it's a good charity idea.

NSPCC Letters From Santa

The Day of Poo

There was a poo at breakfast time, we went out. At one point I decided to go for a walk in the woods with the pair of them. This short walk involved an incident with dog poo and a poo in a nappy, obviously I had no nappies with me for changing this poo. Later that day I was greeted with not one, but two poos. This could be expected from a newborn, but not at this age in my experience. Therefore the day will forever be known as 'The Day of Poo'.
This post does not contain any personal poos, I have not chosen to illustrate for obvious reasons.

The Day of Poo

Book Review; The Second Baby Survival Guide by Naia Edwards

The Second Baby Survival Guide nicely fills a gap in the parenting book market, well one that I found anyhow. Having a second baby is both exciting, nerve-wracking and frightening all at the same time. I needed support, advice, information and it was quite hard to come by. On reflection that's probably as people didn't want to tell me quite how hard it is with two little ones but hey, sometimes its better to know!

Right from the blue stripe in the pregnancy test your whole world changes with baby number two. Within about twenty seconds tiredness hits you and the realisation that you cant have those lovely afternoon naps and pampering that you had during your first pregnancy. You just have to carry on. This attitude stays with you then for the rest of your life!

The Second Baby Survival Guide takes you through all these feelings, there's all the things that you want from this book, like how to introduce your toddler to your new baby, how to deal with your sleep (and theirs) and vitally, how important it is to make time for yourself!

I enjoyed this book, it was a quick easy read and had lots of advice which I would give a second time mum to be. It's not patronising or simplistic, it's real life honest advice written in an easy to follow way. I wish I had thought to write it!

Book Review; The Second Baby Survival Guide by Naia Edwards

White Stuff St Albans First Birthday!

St Albans is slowly becoming a totally fab place to shop, we have lots of lovely stores; Whistles, Space NK, Joules, Fat Face, H & M, Crabtree & Evelyn, Monsoon, Jones, the big high street names and lots of little boutiques including The Dressing Room which seems to win lots of awards for being good. Luckily for us it gets better year upon year and so when White Stuff opened a year ago we were all really pleased. No-one more so than me as I'm an old hat at White Stuff shopping frequenting their old Cambridge and Cheltenham stores when I had the chance. Its one of the most practical brands for the likes of me as they sell jeans and jumpers alongside dresses. The perfect look for a mum who happens to be an archaeologist!

We got invited down to the store as they celebrated a year of being open. It was great; face painting and activities for the kids, tea and cake for the mums. The temptation to spend, spend, spend as well. Apparently White Stuff do quite a few events like this in their stores and all the proceeds each store go to a local charity. How good is that? They need to shout about this from the rooftops! I'm looking forward to the next event, it's a win win situation; charity benefits, kids have fun and I get tea and cake in one of my favourite shops.

White Stuff St Albans First Birthday!

Eggs

Isn't it amazing that baby girls are already born with all their eggs? I find this fascinating, each little egg containing half the blueprint for a little person. Each month since having a baby I wonder what that little expired egg would have become if fertilised. I also look at my kids and think to myself that they were, in a way, actually there throughout my whole life. Part of them came to Oasis first gig, went to Australia, dug for ancient humans in Nice and walked around the race track in Monaco. Part of them attended our wedding and our first proper date. Part of Fifi was there when Toddler Boy was born.Strange isn't it? When you think about it...

Eggs

Mr or Mrs Right Meme

For the first time in ages I've been tagged in a Meme by the wonderful Hot Cross Mum (I wish I had thought of that name). I'm supposed to list the top ten things I look for in a man. Being happily married for several years and co-habiting before that I hope this doesn't lead to our divorce, so I've turned it around a bit just like the Hot Cross Lady! This is my guide to being the perfect wife. It obviously doesn't apply to me and is done in a tongue and cheek spirit before I get accused of wasting the efforts of suffrage!

1. Do the laundry, meticulously iron your husbands shirts and put them away in the wardrobe for him
2. Get up early every morning to provide him with a hot cup of coffee and a freshly cooked breakfast
3. Never, ever, argue back
4. Make sure your make- up is always perfect
5. Wear high heels all the time
6. Let him choose what to watch on television
7. Provide him two children, quietly and efficiently. Change all their nappies
8. Make sure that every dinner is healthy, home cooked and on the table the minute he returns from work
9. Never snore
10.Vacuum and tidy, just never when he is present

Anyone else want to take the challenge? Let me know and I'll link back to you here...

Mr or Mrs Right Meme

The Best Halloween Ever! Thanks to Clothing at Tesco

Last week I wrote about how the fabulous people at Clothing at Tesco really kindly gave every child at Toddler Boys playgroup (37 Kids!) a Halloween costume for them to keep. The deal was that they had to wear them to playgroup and enjoy all the fab Halloween activities.

I am pleased to report that the costumes went down very well, proving that they are both scary, entertaining and durable. There was pumpkin carving, painting, water play and playdough. A special Halloween story time kept the little Ghouls, Vampires, Fairy witches, skeletons and devils entertained and they followed that up with playtime. It was amusing watching them all scoot, cycle and run about dressed up. I love the witches costumes with the little wings, I felt so jealous, if only they made them in my size. The little boys loved the Vampire and skeleton costumes in particular and the soft masks were perfect for their age group.

I think (well, hope) that some of the children will remember the day for a long time. I feel sure that they will enjoy wearing the costumes beyond Halloween. I can't tell you how appreciative the staff and parents of our Playgroup in St Albans are, Clothing at Tesco have been brilliant and incredibly generous. Big thanks to them, I know where I will be looking for dressing up clothes in the future.

If you happen to want to do something similar for 37 deserving little two and three year olds, please get in touch.

The Best Halloween Ever! Thanks to Clothing at Tesco