Tales of the unexpected with The Boy, my pride and joy.
This week, I've been really amused by the brilliant photos that Burton (one of The Boy's friends) has been taking for his 366 project. I'm not as brave as his mummy and so can't even contemplate doing two 366 projects, however The Boy is constantly snapping away with his VTech Kiddizoom and I have more than enough fodder for a 52, so I'm going for it!
Here's his first shot, bit arty isn't he?
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So Christmas time?
A time of love and laughter and joy ever after, ours for the tak… sorry, I went all Cliff then.
But seriously, while it was a fabulous time to spend with our families and for us it was the best Christmas ever, cor blimey missus, no-one read the blogs! I mean, did no-one else feel the need to look themselves away in the loo with their iPod Touches/phones, wi-fi connection and just read a few blog posts here and there?
I can't believe it was just me; I saw you all on twitter!
This is your opportunity to link up the posts which didn't do very well for no reason other than people were eating Turkey and cheese. (And a miraculous birth may have had something to do with it!). The posts don't have to be just from the past month, they can be any time in your blog's life.
You know the drill by now:
This weekend is your opportunity to link-up a post that you wrote that filled you with a sense of satisfaction. You typed that last full stop, pressed 'publish' and thought "yes, this will be a good one!" and waited.
But no bugger actually bothered to read it, or if they did they certainly didn't comment on it!
Why?
I can still hear you shouting it at the stats counter/comments log.
Heaven only know why. They didn't deserve it, they were good posts. It's not their fault that they were published on a Bank Holiday or when people were experiencing blog-apathy. Or at CyberMummy, the Tots100 Christmas Party or any other event. The worse culprit has got to be Christmas; whose idea was that then?
This weekend, I'd like you to help that post to hold its head up high! Brush them off, stick my badge at the bottom of the post and show them off for everyone to see. Don't be ashamed of them, help them shout at everyone:
I SHOULD HAVE DONE BETTER!
This linky only fulfills its purpose if you take the time to read other people's blog-posts that have been linked up; give them some love!
I like photography, anyone who knows this blog knows that. I also like a bargain, which is why I subscribe to Groupon. Every morning, the Groupon e-mails are the first ones I scan to check for bargains; I'm particularly fond of those related to photo products because some of them are excellent opportunities.
I've previously blogged about our experience with a photography studio and started to tell us that as Groupon customers we were only entitled to a certain service. When I stood my ground, he backed down and quite rightly so. It doesn't matter where the custom has come from, a customer is a customer!
My mum mentioned in the middle of August that she'd like some canvasses made and I immediately popped over to Groupon to see what offers they had available. I purchased this one from You Frame on August 19th of last year. At only £12 a canvas, it was a bargain indeed.
Only bargains are not always what they seem. You see, it's not the fault of Groupon, more of the businesses who submit their offers without any real intent in fulfilling them.
Mum and I placed the order for the canvasses on 18th November and we were fairly confident that these would arrive in time for Christmas to give as gifts.
How wrong we were.
When I e-mailed them more than a week before Christmas to ask when it was coming, I had this reply:
Further to your recent communication with us, we would like to apologise for any delays you may have experienced with your order.
Due to huge demand for our special offers, we have experienced some delays with production.
Please be advised, we are now dealing with your request and your photo canvas will be printed within the next 14 working days.
That was 13 days ago.
Today, I had another e-mail from them:
Thank you for your email received and I am very sorry for the delay in our reply.
We have been and still are dealing with an exceptionally high amount of orders and this has caused more of a delay than we anticipated. However, I can confirm that your orders are in production and should be despatched within the next 14 days. I can only apologise for the delay and any inconvenience that this may have caused.
Thank you for your patience, we do very much appreciate it.
With the original apologetic e-mail promising it to be with us within 14 days and that deadline ending tomorrow, I'm guessing that it's not going to be here?
You Frame are currently promising Groupon vouchers a 21 day turn around on their orders.
Personally, I wouldn't hold your breath!
A few weeks ago, I posted this image as my Silent Sunday photograph…
… and was inundated with "where did you get that from?" questions.
The answer is that I was very kindly sent it to review by Hello Baby in order to help with The Boy's sleep-training. As well as a variety of night lights, Hello Baby also sell a variety of other baby toys, travel and safety products.
As I'm not one for controlled crying, or indeed any form of crying at bedtime, I was eager to try something that would help keep The Boy happy to be in his cot, while relaxing him enough to drift off. I've been following a programme given to me by Pampers involving sitting on a chair and moving further away from the cot every few nights, and I also needed something to distract him from the fact that whoever is putting him to sleep is not sat next to him anymore.
'Tommy Tortoise' (or the ANSMANN Starlight Turtle to give him his proper name) is perfect for this. The green shell has star shaped perforations all over it with a small crescent moon in the centre next to the touch-sensitive on-off button. When the central 'button' is touched, the light shines blue, touch it again and it turns green, again and orange. With the final touch it cycles slowly through the three colours.
Most evenings, bedtime is supervised by Mr. TheBoyandMe as this is his time with our son during the day. Therefore I hand over to him to explain how we use 'Tommy Tortoise' with The Boy:
Until recently, the bedtime routine was strained by The Boy constantly trying to talk, sing, fidget, play with his pillow and all the other prevarications he could muster.
We recently added a new element in; Tommy Tortoise. The Boy goes into his cot, with the mobile playing 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star', and Tommy is switched on and positioned to ensure that the moon is projected onto the part of the ceiling which is above the foot of his bed. A few requests to change between the three available colours later, he ends up happy with green and settles down to sleep significantly sooner than before Tommy's arrival.
The Starlight Turtle is powered by three AA batteries so doesn't need a nearby power socket, and in the month that we've been using it, we haven't changed the batteries once. That's pretty good going I think. It also makes it very easy to use when travelling or staying with family and friends, that extra piece of security for your little ones when they are settling down in a strange bed.
I'd thoroughly recommend this nightime light, and at £17.99 I think it's very good value for money.
I was sent this product for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.
