This post has now been migrated over to my new book focussed blog Penny Reads. You can find the post on Electricity here and a full list of all Ladybird Tuesday posts that have moved over is here. ... read more
Jack and Boo’s Snowy Day – Philip Bell & Eleanor Bell
After being sent a review copy of Jack and Boo's Snowy Day I joked with author Philip Bell on twitter that he now needed to send me some snow. Damn it, he's good as this is the scene we woke up to yesterday morning! Having read the book with Little Miss C just a couple of days before it meant that she was super excited about the unexpected snow and instantly wanted to go out into the garden and explore and that's exactly what this book is all about. Written by Isle of Wight resident Philip Bell, and illustrated by his wife Eleanor, Jack and Boo's adventures in the snow were inspired by a ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Learning with Mother, Book 2
As part of this week's Ladybird Tuesday I want to share with you Learning with Mother, Book 2. This book is part of series 702 which appears to have been known as the "Under 5s" series. There were 5 titles in the Learning with Mother series, all written by Ethel Wingfield between 1970 and 1972, and illustrated by Ethel's husband Harry who was one of Ladybird's most popular artists. The Under Five series is "intended to help those parents who wish to make sure that their children have every opportunity to develop fully" and this book contain a series of simple ... read more
Slow and steady
There might not be much to see yet, but slow and steady progress is being made with Jemima Puddleduck. Whether or not I make the self-imposed Christmas deadline is yet to be seen though. The majority of my progress was made whilst I was at my knitting group last week (I know sewing at a knitting group, but still...) as Master C slept through the whole session in his buggy. Unfortunately I'm going to miss the next two session though due to hospital appointments, so I need to find some extra sewing time whilst Master C sleeps. Maybe less time blogging and more time sewing is the answer... ... read more
Wrest Park
On a weekend there's nothing we like more than a family trip out to a stately home with large grounds that we can explore with the children. The National Trust do this kind of venue very well and they're incredibly in tune with what families want. Kids activities are laid on during holidays, there's often a playground and you know that there will be baby changing facilities and high chairs in the cafe. Unfortunately for us though there is a distinct shortage of National Trust properties near where we live. I was therefore intrigued when Mr C came home from work one day saying that ... read more
Review and Competition – WOW Toys
With two and a half years experience under her belt Little Miss C is becoming rather adept at reviewing toys now. Whenever she gets something new she will actually tell me what's good and bad about it without me having to prompt her and is quite happy for Mummy to get her to pose for pictures with things too - it might slow things down a bit on Christmas Day, but it's super handy when we're asked to review new things, and no one is quite as honest as a toddler! This time round I was asked by the lovely people at Cuthberts Toys to review a selection of toys from the WOW Toys range. Stood in ... read more
Review: Hotel Chocolat Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar
When I was asked if I wanted to review some chocolate from Hotel Chocolate it was a bit of a no-brainer. In fact I think my email response was typed out without me even having to think about what I was writing! They sent me their 2012 Milk Chocolate Advent Calendar which is a lovely treat. An advent calendar is one of those things that you have as a child, but then forget about somewhat as an adult, until you have children yourself. The last couple of years Little Miss C has had one and I've bought them for Mr C, but not had one myself. I was delighted to have my own this year - but it ... read more
How?
When you have a toddler people always ask if they've reached the "why stage" yet. All toddlers are inquisitive and learning how to question things is a natural development step for them. As a result they all seem to go through a period where they have the need to ask "why" with reference to everything they see and do. People had warned me about the why stage and I had even started to mentally prepare myself for the why questions that I might get. But, being a bit different as always, Little Miss C instead seems to be asking "how"! It all started one morning ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Things to Make
It seems that the kick off of Ladybird Tuesday appealed to quite a few of you last week and I'm delighted that Lemon Layer Cake and Mrs Fox are also hoping to join in - check out LLC's post on Florence Nightingale from last week. This week's book is probably one of the most well known of the old Ladybird titles - The Ladybird Book of Things to Make. The cover of this has been reproduced on notebooks, mugs and even as a gift activity tin in the past few years. The orginal book was first published in 1963 and was the first title in ... read more
Return of the missing mojo
I seem to recall that after Little Miss C was born it took me a while to regain my craft mojo, and the same seems to be the case after Master C's birth. Obviously there have been plenty of other things going on here too this time round (including having a toddler to entertain) but this last week or so the need to create has returned. Before I can start any new projects though there are so many around the house that need finishing off. My plan, certainly for the next 6 months or so, is that I'm not allowed to buy anything for any new craft projects and instead need to concentrate on ... read more