You know that feeling you get when you find something that you just completely "get" straight away? When a smile spreads across your face and you just can't stop it? Where the more you discover the more you smile? Well that's exactly what happened when I discovered Creative Steps magazine. Aimed at anyone who has anything to do with children, Creative Steps is just packed full of inspiration, project ideas, reviews and useful tips. Whether you be a teacher, nursery assistant, Guide or Brownie leader, nanny, childminder, parent or grandparent then this is the magazine for you. Each edition (4 a ... read more
A record breaking holiday?
How fast can you assemble a Mr Potato Head? And what about if you were blindfolded? How long would it take you then? Unless you've got some very strange hobbies I'm guessing that the above questions have probably never troubled you before. I certainly hadn't given them a second thought before a box arrived in the post a couple of weeks ago. In it was a Mr Potato Head, a water pistol, a colouring book, stickers, coloured pencils and some sweets. Also included were some details of the Thomson Family Holidays Guinness World Records Event that I'd been invited to a Whipsnade Zoo. ... read more
Review: Morphy Richards Never Loses Suction Lift Away Bagless Upright Vacuum Cleaner
When you live with a toddler there's one thing you really can't live without and that's a good vacuum cleaner. Toddlers seem to have an ability to crumbs from nothing. If you have a toddler who likes cakes and crisps as much as Little Miss C does then the the crumbs seem to appear as if by magic. When I was lucky enough to be chosen as a Morphy Richards Innovator earlier this year I had visions of being asked to review kettles and if I was lucky a bread-maker, so I was intrigued and delighted when I received an email asking if I was interested in reviewing their Never Loses Suction Lift ... read more
Calvin Can’t Fly – Jennifer Berne
Calvin Can't Fly really is the perfect book for any little bookworm. Calvin is a starling. One with three brothers, four sisters and sixty-seven thousand four hundred and thirty-two cousins. What sets Calvin apart though is that fact that he's not interested in learning to fly like the rest of them are. Instead he spends all his time in the library with his nose beak inside a book. In exactly the same way as any book loving child does, he discovers a world that contains so much more than just flying and catching insects. The other starlings don't understand ... read more
Sponsored Video: Mastercard – The Big Lunch
Do you know who lives next door to you? Would you recognise them if you saw them somewhere out of context? Do you know their names and anything else about them? I'm always amazed when I hear how many people would not be able these questions positively. In years gone by everyone did know everyone else that lived near them and knew most of their business too. There was a real sense of community that some areas just don't have these days. With people working longer hours and both parents working during the daytime you can see how some neighbours might only very rarely bump into each other, but ... read more
Sponsored Video: What’s that?
Any parent of a toddler will instantly identify with this lovely video from Organix Mighty Meals. What ever we do with Little Miss C at the moment she's always asking "what's that?" or more specifically "what's that noise?" Whilst the constant questioning can be a bit wearing, it's also lovely to see her taking an interest in what's going on around her. The same has to be true of the young boy in this video and it is very much a natural stage in a toddler's development - being inquisitive about absolutely everything around them. I'm sure the "why?" stage will follow, but I'm already ... read more
Giggles and Tickles Nappy Cake
There's no doubt that baby showers are now very much a part of many women's pregnancies here in the UK. I didn't have one when I was pregnant with Little Miss C and now that I'm pregnant again I have to admit that this time round I possibly won't bother - mainly because we have pretty much everything we need anyway. They are a lovely opportunity for friends and family to celebrate your impending arrival, most importantly before you become a sleep-deprived parent. Now that I'm over half way through this pregnancy I am starting to think about the new Baby C's arrival ... read more
Review: Little Learners from Parragon Books
It's well known as to how much Little Miss C loves books and she seems to get excited whenever the postman arrives with a package and has started asking if all parcels that arrive are books for her! We were both very pleased to open one jiffy bag containing a selection of books from the new Little Learners range from Parragon Books. The first thing that strikes you about the Little Learners books is that they are lovely soft muted colours rather than the usual primary colours of baby and toddler books. They are also incredibly tactile books too, more so than many others in our ... read more
VTech InnoTab – Review
Little Miss C and I were both absolutely thrilled to be asked to review a VTech InnoTab by the wonderful people at Cuthberts Toys. LMC has always loved technology and like many children picks things up naturally, especially when she has seen adults using iPhones, laptops and iPads. The InnoTab is a fantastic bit of technology, all wrapped up in a super child-proof case. Featuring a 5"colour touchscreen and coming with loads of applications already loaded it is bound to keep any child occupied and entertained. There is a mix of games, animated books, drawing and painting ... read more
The Worst Princess – Anna Kemp & Sara Ogilvie
It seems that Little Miss C is very much following in my footsteps and becoming a complete book addict. The last things she asks for at night is books and first thing in a morning she wants "stories" before anything else. Trying to keep up with her is proving somewhat challenging and I have to admit that some books really test your patience when you have to read them over and over again. One of our last trips to the library resulted in fines that were so large that it would have been chaper to buy the books new! I was delighted therefore when the postman delivered a copy of The ... read more