Tales of the unexpected with The Boy, my pride and joy.
These are some of the photos that we had taken to celebrate The Boy's 2nd birthday. I was eagle-eyed and spotted an offer on Groupon a few weeks ago which meant that we had 10 photos (albeit very small) printed out for £40 and we get low-resolution copies on a disc. When I say low-resolution I mean 85kb a photo, 300 pixels wide. Yes I know, very low-resolution. We'll get the prints in a few weeks, but for now this is the cheekiness that is my (eeek!) two year old son!
The marvel and wit that is KateTakes5 has decreed that this week's Listography is places we'd like to visit.
I'm quite a homebird and don't like to spend weeks and weeks away from the little haven that is my three-bedroom, semi-detached suburban cocoon. Before The Boy we would have two breaks throughout the year, all just a long weekend normally in an European city. Some we revisited, like Prague and Barcelona, because when I find somewhere I like, I like to go back and explore more. However, I've always maintained that I will not take an infant abroad because I personally could not stand the stress it puts on them, you and every other person in the vicinity. That's me trying to have an easy life. It does however mean that I have deprived myself of feeling the sun on my skin for the forseeable future.
There are five places that I'd like to visit though before I'm too old and wrinkly to appreciate them:
1) The Greek Islands
We very nearly made it there. In the August before I fell pregnant with The Boy we started planning our October half-term holiday. I really wanted to go to the Greek Islands but was put off by the whole loo-paper in bin debacle. I decided that we'd probably do it through a cruise instead which would mean a) we'd see more of the islands, and b) I could flush my bog-paper! Finances meant that we'd have to put that off 'til the following year so we looked at Menorca instead. And then I fell pregnant so we stayed home and bought a car-seat and nappies instead!
2) The Galapagos Islands
I want to see the turtles lumbering around in their natural and protected environment. I want to see what made Charles Darwin think 'hang on a minute…' and I wouldn't mind enjoying the beaches either!
3) Alaska
Blame Northern Exposure!
4) Petra
I have inherited my dad's fascination with the place and it has nothing to do with Indiana Jones. I find the whole place completely astounding, a true Wonder of the World. To walk through that passage and see temples carved out of stone must be breathtaking.
5) The River Nile
This is somewhere that I've wanted to go for years and years! This one is completely down to Agatha Christie and Peter Ustinov, the glamour of the cruise-boats is amazing. So one day we will cruise 'up' the Nile from South to North (how bizarre?) enjoying the temples of Abu Simble and, of course, the Pyramids at Giza.
One day.
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Now pop over and read the other Top Fives using this little widgety thing:
My darling precious bundle of happiness turned two years old at 9.35 this morning. We've had a super day celebrating his birthday. I'm absolutely shattered after all the preparation, anxiety and entertaining so will share these photos as a record of his 2nd birthday.
Presents for Breakfast
The Birthday Cake
Party Food
I like a good old birthday celebration. For my 21st my family and I went to London, for hubby's 30th I took him to Edinburgh for a surprise weekend away, on my 30th we stayed in a swish local hotel and then had a big garden party back at our house. I love it all; from the beginning stages of choosing the theme to making sure the balloons hang just so, and everyone getting their allocated party bag. Until The Boy was born, we had a little bit of a lull in reasons for a celebration. My son's first birthday was the perfect excuse to go overboard and plan a fabulous little birthday party for him.
It's The Boy's 2nd birthday tomorrow and so I am in full party-planning mode! Bring on the cast-iron cake tin, roll out the vibrant plastic 'crockery' and puff up your lungs in preparation for the balloons; he's going to be celebrating in style.
Therefore the theme for this weekend's ShowOff ShowCase is birthdays. I'd like you to dig out a post that you have on celebrating getting older; you, your children, your parents, when you were a teenager, a 'special' birthday, a magical party that you've been to, a dodgy party that you've been to!
Link up below and please add the badge using the html to your post so we can hop around and read all the other little birthday tales!
It's true. Blogging as a simple exercise is a way of recording your thoughts, feelings and daily events. But blogging is so much more than that now, and for the vast majority of us it is about belonging to part of a community. There are the Elders and the Newbies. Having only started blogging in December of last year, I am still a Newbie. However, I do get the basic concepts and I like to support other bloggers. So I'm being a female and older version of Haley Joel Osment and joining in the meme where we are Good Bloggers (Who) Pay it Forward.
Now I have been awarded this pretty little badge by the ever-so-talented culinary genius that is Helen from The Crazy Kitchen and therefore hold the responsibility of nominating five lovely individuals that I think will pass the flame on in true Olympic-Blogging style.
Lauren at The Real Housewife of Suffolk County
Lexy at MammyWoo (just do it woman!)
Christine from Thinly Spread
Susanne at GhostWriter Mummy
Keith at Reluctant Housedad
These fortunate souls must now carry the beacon of loveliness by following these five simple rules:
1. Put the badge at the top of your post
2. Refer to the lovely blogger who awarded it
3. Pass it on to five others
Please?
My gorgeous little son, The Boy, is going to be two this Sunday.
This time two years ago, I was happily preparing to go in and be induced. This time one year ago, I was busy sewing triangles of Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric onto 50 metres of ribbon to make bunting. Today I am considering practising making a birthday cake and panicking about the weather.
Therefore the theme for this weekend's ShowOff ShowCase is birthdays. I'd like you to dig out a post that you have on celebrating getting older; you, your children, your parents, when you were a teenager, a 'special' birthday, a magical party that you've been to, a dodgy party that you've been to!
Come join me on Saturday at 8am when I open the linky and add your post. Then please add the badge using the html to your post and pop back and read all the other little party stories!
The Boy loves me. I know he does because I am his mummy and it's a natural reaction. I also know he does because of the way that he calls for me, asks for "uppies" (cuddles) and asks for "tisses". After a short absence (I'm talking about being in the other room!) his face lights up when he sees me.
In the last week or so, I've been asking The Boy a certain question which he refuses to verbally answer. He knows the question, he knows what it means and he does demonstrate the response. Hubby has been trying hard to get him to say the answer. I have heard him say it in a muffled manner and from afar but he won't say it to me.
Today he did. I asked him, not holding up much hope, but he just came out with it before he realised that he was saying it.
Today he said "lubb…" and then kissed me.
He said 'love mummy' for the first time.
My heart swelled with complete adoration and my eyes welled. I love my son so much.
This weekend we headed down to Hampshire. Our trip had two purposes; the first was to celebrate my father-in-law's 70th birthday on Saturday, the second was to visit her Royal Oinkness in Paultons Park. Oh yes, I am talking about the one and only Peppa Pig!
Now, why couldn't we have had the weather on Sunday that we had on Saturday when we were stuck indoors? I am Welsh; the rain shall not deter me! "There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing" is a very good saying if you haven't left your waterproof in south Wales, 140+ miles away. Never mind!
Peppa Pig World opened in April of this year as a section of the rather brilliant Paultons Park, nestled in the New Forest. My husband is from the area but had never been to Paultons so this was a new trip for all of us. What struck me about Paultons is how unlike most theme parks it is; lots of family orientated rides, gardens, wildlife and birds, etc. There isn't screeching and flashing lights like in others; it's just fun.
The Peppa Pig World in Paultons is the only one in the world, and oh my, it is good. Bearing in mind it is aimed at toddlers and infants who don't want to walk far, the attraction is in a small-ish area which is really cunningly filled with seven rides, attractions and play areas.
Of the seven rides, we went on six of them (weather and The Boy's tiredness prevented us from enjoying the other one). On the right you can see:
The Boy and hubby also went on Grandpa Pig's Boat Ride, which both of them loved, especially The Boy. I haven't got a picture of that because they kept moving too fast to get one. I also went on Grandpa Pig's Little Train with him, which was a more sedate ride. He absolutely adored all of the rides, and would quite happily have stayed all day on them! In particular, favourites were George's Dinosaur Adventure and Miss Rabbit's Helicopter Ride. He hasn't stopped talking about them ever since.
In between all the little paths connecting the rides there are all sorts of delighful things to get the children excited. There's a play area with a row of Peppa Pig style houses, which lots of children were thoroughly enjoying. There's also a section called Muddy Puddles which initially I wanted to go and play in. When the rain started pelting down though, there didn't seem much point! There was also Madam Gazelle's School House and Peppa Pig's House. In that attraction there was a moving display telling the story of the Pig family having pancakes for breakfast which get stuck to the ceiling. The Boy was captivated by it.
Another thing that I really liked was that on the edge of Peppa Pig World were a few animal enclosures; Meerkat Manor (hubby's favourite animals, and now I think The Boy's too), tropical birds, rheas and emus, and penguins! They have two times during the day when they feed the penguins, unfortunately, we missed it by about 10 minutes.
On a practical note there are really good facilities in Peppa Pig World: plenty of clean toilets which have the two-in-one trainer seats for toddlers/adults, a cafe and a couple of snack bars, a big soft-play indoor area, and plenty of benches or tables and chairs for eating lunches, either bought or brought. There are plenty of bins and the whole area is tidy and very attractive to look at. They even have a smoking area tucked away in a corner out of the way.
We were lucky enough to even catch the special lady and her younger brother in pig-son, and The Boy brought home a memento of his trip! We really enjoyed our time at Peppa Pig World and didn't want to leave, but we were drenched and had a long car journey ahead of us. I am desperate to go again on a drier day, preferably mid-week. We went on a Sunday and before the rain started we waited about thirty minutes for a ride. As the ride lasted ten minutes, that wasn't too much I felt. If it had been busy I can see that the waiting time would be greater. When it rained we either walked straight on or waited five-ten minutes.
I now completely understand the appeal of Peppa Pig to The Boy, who says it's just for children?
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I was provided with free entrance tickets for the purpose of this review. However the fact that I loved it and want to go again is completely my own opinion. Oh and that of The Boy. And daddy.
The Boy loved the brilliant coloured milk experiment so much, and it went right, that I've had the confidence to have a go at the Volcanic Eruptions experiment. MultipleMummy and MummyMummyMum are doing a marvellous job coming up with a way of sparking the interest of infants, and me, in scientific discovery, and I am keen to continue this with The Boy.
One of the reasons that I'd been hanging back from this one is because I didn't have any vinegar. Well I did, but it's balsamic and I'm not using that for a science experiment. I stopped procrastinating and bought some. Then I didn't have any playdough. So I finally found a recipe, worked out what the hell Cream of Tartar is and made some. Next time I'm doing the stuff that doesn't need cooking. My copper-bottom saucepan was not happy with me.
And so we have a volcanic eruption that The Boy thought was amazing. It went a bit wrong at first; I had poured the food colouring on top of the baking powder and the vinegar couldn't get through, so I had to stir it. The male voice in the background is my dad, affectionately called 'Grandma'. Don't ask, it's easier. But no it's not for any bizarre reasons other than pronounciation.
