April

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In order to show a retrospective look at the past month, Tara has set us this challenge:

This week's theme is: April.
Can you capture this month in a photograph? Be it bunting, street parties, holidays, hot weather or none of the above.

Now, there I was busy assembling a nice little montage of the best photos of April when I thought I'd double-check the brief. Ah, a photograph. That tends to mean one doesn't it? Right start again and check the many snaps that I've taken.

This epitomises the past month. We've had amazing fun playing in the garden in the most beautiful weather, and The Boy has learnt a whole range of new skills learning through his play. We've planted seeds, watered the seeds, got "soaky wet" whilst playing with the hose. It's been so enjoyable and I can't wait for the rest of the summer, and to see The Boy exploring and learning about the world around him.

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Now pop over to The Gallery and look at the other entries into this week's Gallery.

Big Cook, Little Cook

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I was thrilled to discover last week that we had won a competition on the lovely blog of A Small Hand in Mine. Our prize was a Kellogg's Rice Krispies Goodie Bag Giveaway! I was ever so excited, and as much as I tried to enthuse The Boy, he seemed to have a little difficulty joining in!

When it arrived look at what was in it:

Yum, scrum, in our tums!

I could put it off no longer, the trauma that I anticipated with cooking with The Boy was going to have to happen.

Only it didn't. Which quite frankly is marvellous. He was a really good boy, actually managing to stand on the chair for a start (last time we tried, he wouldn't because we'd taught him not to stand on chairs, d'oh!) and following all of mummy's instructions. I know it wasn't 'proper' cooking because there was no eggs (bleugh) or baking in the over involved but he had such fun doing it. What's more is after he'd done all the cooking he had a bonus play of 'washing up', clever mummy!

I can't tell you the exact recipe because we made it up as we went along. It contained something along the lines of:

  • a melted down chocolate bunny (blitzed in the microwave for 30 seconds, stirred, then 20 seconds)
  • three marshmallows (melted in with the chocolate, I'd probably do one or two next time)
  • a dash of milk (to thin it out)
  • a squeeze of golden syrup
  • three shakes of the Rice Krispies box
  • bags and bags of fun.

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Thank you to A Small Hand in Mine and Kellogg's.

Review: Teddy Hunt

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The Boy's favourite bedtime book has changed to this simple, yet lovely, story book from Marks and Spencer.

Teddy Hunt is a traditional 'life-the-flap' book which features a little boy (looks like The Boy) trying to find his teddy bear, called 'Spencer' (not sure if the main character's name is Mark), in order to have a picnic with him. He searches around his garden to try and find him and manages to find a lot of his other toys, but not Spencer. En route he collects up all the other toys in his wagon who are able to share in the eventual picnic. You'll never guess where Spencer was hiding all the time!

The Boy adores this book and he has made us read it repeatedly every single for the past three weeks. He now knows it really well, enough to show you how fabulous a book it is himself.

 

Listography: Simple Pleasures

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This is a simple Listography this week, Kate wants us to talk about our Simple Pleasures. It's a topic that's close to my heart, enjoying the little things that make the day tick by in an enjoyable manner.

  1. Watching The Boy sleep: I chose this one for The Gallery a while back, and it still is right up in my top five. I described it at the time as "Having a cwtch with my son and staring at his beautiful baby face."
  2. Chocolate: You know that urge don't you? I feel fraught and I need a bar of Dairy Milk now. The first chunk slowly melting on your tongue… bliss!
  3. Sitting in the garden: and feeling the grass between my toes, hearing the birds in the trees, children squealing with delight and the washing flapping on the line.
  4. A freshly made bed: specifically with line-dried sheets that smell of the outdoors. Slipping in between those sheets and feeling the cool side of the pillow.
  5. Sunshine: Not excessive heat to go with it because I don't do hot, but the gentle caress of the sun's rays on your skin and that glowing feeling.

Short and sweet. After all "Simple things for simple minds while greater fools look on".

May Day

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Swimming yesterday seems to have completely wiped us out and today was a little of a non-starter.

We did however decided to 'pop' down to Margam Park to see what they had to offer for a family day out (even though it was only an hour or so). It was a pleasant walk around the grounds and we checked out the Fairytale Land area that they have, but it was a little lacking in entertainment for a toddler and probably somewhere that we won't be going to regularly. However, I did take some nice photos which I thought I'd share.

Waterbaby?

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I love this time of year; it's the start of the Bank Holidays and this year in particular we've been spoilt with two four-day weekends in a row. The weather has been particularly amazing for April (which is why it's grey and overcast now on the first day of May) and we've been able to take advantage of the great outdoors at almost any opportunity.

Today, however was a tad grey and overcast so we decided for an indoor activity. Having recently been sent a Happy Nappy to review (more about that in another post) we decided to take The Boy swimming. I am ashamed to admit that he has only been once in his little lifetime due to various neurosis of mine, ranging from 'I need him to have had his main jabs before I take him into germ-infested water', to 'it's Winter and I don't want him to catch a cold' and eventually 'I don't want to go when children from school might be there and see me in my swimming costume'. Pathetic isn't it?

As it so happens, I think I may have created a little rod for my own back here (which is good because it's knackered since having had The Boy and could use a little support!).

We took The Boy along to the pool fairly confident; he loved it last time and he loves the bath. He seemed a little unsure when we toddled into the shallow end (and I mean shallow, it's a long slope which starts at the edge of the pool and after about 30-40 feet is only 2 foot deep) but generally quite happy. We went a little deeper so that the water was up to his ribs and he was still fairly happy. After a good splash and kick around, we took him a bit deeper. He clung to me so tightly it was like someone was trying to rip him from us.

Uh-oh!

You see, I lack confidence in the water even though I love it. I can't stand putting my face under the water, I don't like going out of my depth without being about two arms length from the edge and if someone splashes me then the irrational fear creeps in and I panic. My mother is petrified of the water and was determined that all four of us would not be. My father adores the water and used to go scuba-diving regularly when I was a nipper. So you think I'd follow him? Only I don't. And it stems from going swimming with him to Swansea swimming pool when I was about 9 years old. He left me in the shallow end while he went and had a quick go in the plunge pool under the diving board, and they turned the wave machine on. I got swept under and had difficulty regaining my footing. Ever since then I've freaked out.

I have always wanted The Boy to be confident in the water, hubby loves it and adores swimming under the water; testing himself if he can get from one end of the pool to the other in one breath (he can't quite). I want The Boy to love the water like that. Don't get me wrong, he did enjoy himself; he splashed and kicked, giggled and squealed with pleasure, but I just expected him to be fearless like he was last time. Maybe I pushed him too far today? All I know is that next time, we'll take it slowly and stay in the very shallow end for longer.

Oh and next time will be a lot sooner, we've decided to take him a couple of times a month from now on.

He was so tired, he fell asleep eating his lunch with a mouthful half eaten!