Sunday, 17 February 2013
That's my Hero - Super Dex!
So MoneySupermarket and Tots100 are running a fantastic competition to find out about your child's or grandchild's superhero.
My two kids love their superheros! Dex is a bit little to be drawing his own, but his personal favourites are Spiderman and Batman.
When I asked Keani (5) who her favourite superhero is, she said 'Super Dex' (this is what he calls himself sometimes). I asked her what he does that makes him a superhero and she said 'he draws lots of crosses - lots of X marks the spot' (which he does - he's a little bit pirate obsessed too).
Anyhow after more questioning, it transpires that 'Super Dex' is a superhero who draws lots of 'X marks the spot' on the ground, and everytime he draws an X he leaves some treasure. The treasure can be anything - from chocolate coins to pirate DVDs and Disney Princess dolls.
Wow, what a wonderful superhero!
This is Keani's depiction of 'Super Dex'. I love the fact she's given him a curly quiff (Dexter has unfeasibly curly hair). I especially like his green mask and dayglo tights too!
This post is an entry into the Tots100 MoneySupermarket That’s My Hero competition“
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Naughty pigs!
Warren Evans are running a great competiton over on their blog inviting bloggers to share their stories about their favourite bed time toys.
I'm very lucky that Keani and Dexter have been great sleepers on the whole. They share a room at the moment and until we move (in the year dot) it's likely to stay that way, however they have never known any different so they don't mind.
They are both at the age now there where bad dreams and monsters are starting to make an appearance however, and their nighttime companions are VERY important!
Keani's bedtime toy of choice is a cuddly Peppa Pig - this is particulaly ironic given her nightmare over her own version of a 'monster'. My poor child was sobbing uncontrollably when James went to check on her. He brought her out to the landing and apparently they had a conversation that resulted in James trying to stiffle his giggles (he had the shaking shoulders thing going on!). Apparently the conversation went like this:
K: 'I've had a bad dream daddy' <clinging to James and sobbing her heart out>
J: 'Oh dear sweetheart, what were you dreaming about?'
K: 'Pigs' <more sobbing>
J: 'and why was that a bad dream Keani?' 'why are you so upset?'
K: 'They were sticking their tongues out at me' <sobbing gets louder>
K: 'Naughty pigs!'
Dexter has also woken up a few times having had a 'nightmare' - his nightmares do consist more of the regular 'monster' variety as opposed to the 'pigs sticking their tongues out' and Keani gets very concerned when he wakes up crying.
To ward of the monsters Keani kindly gave Dexter her Iggle Piggle toy - apparently if he puts Iggle Piggle's blanket over his eyes then the monsters won't get him. He now won't be separated from him, and heaven forbid if he forgets to take him to bed!
I'm very lucky that Keani and Dexter have been great sleepers on the whole. They share a room at the moment and until we move (in the year dot) it's likely to stay that way, however they have never known any different so they don't mind.
They are both at the age now there where bad dreams and monsters are starting to make an appearance however, and their nighttime companions are VERY important!
Keani's bedtime toy of choice is a cuddly Peppa Pig - this is particulaly ironic given her nightmare over her own version of a 'monster'. My poor child was sobbing uncontrollably when James went to check on her. He brought her out to the landing and apparently they had a conversation that resulted in James trying to stiffle his giggles (he had the shaking shoulders thing going on!). Apparently the conversation went like this:
K: 'I've had a bad dream daddy' <clinging to James and sobbing her heart out>
J: 'Oh dear sweetheart, what were you dreaming about?'
K: 'Pigs' <more sobbing>
J: 'and why was that a bad dream Keani?' 'why are you so upset?'
K: 'They were sticking their tongues out at me' <sobbing gets louder>
K: 'Naughty pigs!'
Dexter has also woken up a few times having had a 'nightmare' - his nightmares do consist more of the regular 'monster' variety as opposed to the 'pigs sticking their tongues out' and Keani gets very concerned when he wakes up crying.
To ward of the monsters Keani kindly gave Dexter her Iggle Piggle toy - apparently if he puts Iggle Piggle's blanket over his eyes then the monsters won't get him. He now won't be separated from him, and heaven forbid if he forgets to take him to bed!
Thursday, 13 September 2012
Weightloss (or lack of it!)
So I'm approaching forty. Forty! I'm not old enough to be forty first of all, nor is my life in order the way that I thought it would be when I was forty. I still have the same insecurities and worries that I did in my thirties (although they have escalated somewhat since having kids!).
Anyhow I digress. I have noticed that I can't eat or drink as much as I used to without putting on weight. I've become really slack with exercise, and to be honest the kids run me ragged so it is really easy to reward myself with chocolate and a nice glass of chilled wine (or two) at the end of the day. I really need to start exercising and looking after myself a bit more.
According to the Jenny Craig blog cycling is one of the best ways of staying fit. I can't say I've done much cycling in my lifetime, however, the 2 kids have bikes and as they get older I'd love to be able to cycle with them. We have a 'greenway' near us which means we can cycle on proper paths away from cars, it would be great to give it a try!
As Jenny Craig is asking for some diet and nutrition questions for her blog to be answered by weight loss specialists, mine would be:
'I have a real tendancy to turn to food for comfort - at the end of a hard day with the children I can easily justify a bar of chocolate. What foods would I be better turning to? (bearing in mind that a handful of nuts just isn't going to cut it!)'
Ask your own question here and you could win £400 to spend on a bike - what have you got to lose?
Anyhow I digress. I have noticed that I can't eat or drink as much as I used to without putting on weight. I've become really slack with exercise, and to be honest the kids run me ragged so it is really easy to reward myself with chocolate and a nice glass of chilled wine (or two) at the end of the day. I really need to start exercising and looking after myself a bit more.
According to the Jenny Craig blog cycling is one of the best ways of staying fit. I can't say I've done much cycling in my lifetime, however, the 2 kids have bikes and as they get older I'd love to be able to cycle with them. We have a 'greenway' near us which means we can cycle on proper paths away from cars, it would be great to give it a try!
As Jenny Craig is asking for some diet and nutrition questions for her blog to be answered by weight loss specialists, mine would be:
'I have a real tendancy to turn to food for comfort - at the end of a hard day with the children I can easily justify a bar of chocolate. What foods would I be better turning to? (bearing in mind that a handful of nuts just isn't going to cut it!)'
Ask your own question here and you could win £400 to spend on a bike - what have you got to lose?
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Capture the Colour - Adventures Through Colour
I adore travelling - it's one of my passions and always has been. I was lucky enough to travel to Australia for a year (via Malaysia) when I was 26, and subsequently worked in travel for a few years. I went on to visit New Zealand, Borneo, Thailand, South Africa, USA, Prague and Montenegro.
More recently since having kids I've been to Florida twice, Rome, France and Venice to name but a few.
I love flying, I love experiencing different cultures, I love the sights, the sounds and the smells of a new country. Travel broadens the mind, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to travel. The world is huge and I plan to see as much of it as possible, so it's been fantastic to look over all my old photos and reminisce. Unfortunately i have also realised how with each trip I have managed to gain a new wrinkle or two!
Travelsupermarket.com have a brilliant competition at the moment in which you need to showcase 5 photographs that capture the colours red, yellow, blue, white and green. Have a look at the competition here.
I'm not a photographer (not by any stretch!) but I hope you enjoy the photos that I've selected and the tales behind them.
A few months into my relationship with James (now my husband), I asked if he fancied coming to Thailand with me. He was pretty up for it really considering he'd hardly been out of the uk. This trip sparked a massive interest in travelling for him and I'm really glad he caught the bug. I was really impressed with him agreeing to do a bungy jump with me (this was my second one). He was absolutely petrified and was sweating profusely beforehand, whereas I was quite calm and excited. It sealed the relationship in a way for me though as he was really scared of heights but went ahead and did it anyway. I loved climbing up to the top of the structure and diving into the lush greenery below. Beautiful!
Penguins on a beach, no, really! This photo was taken on Boulders Beach in South Africa. I remember walking up to the beach in the blazing sunshine - there were bushes to the side of us and I heard lots of strange rustling. Peeking through, imagine my surprise when I was confronted with a penguin - THE cutest thing. As we appoached the beach we could see literally hundreds of penguins mooching around. Really bizarre to see them in the sunshine I have to say. We spent lots of time there and even braved the cold sea for a swim with them which was quite lovely until we realised we were swimming amongst penguin poo....
This next shot was taken in San Francisco (still pre kids I hasten to add!). We spent hours walking
round the streets and I loved the quirkiness of the multi coloured
houses and the eclectic shops. My feet had blistered from
so much walking but we carried on regardless as there were so many cool
things to see.
I adore this shop front. I couldn't tell you what they sold, but the red stilettos are fabulous aren't they?! I think this photo pretty much sums up this vibrant yet laid back city for me.
This next photo is showcasing the colour yellow. This is from a recent trip to Florida with our two young kids and was taken on Anna Maria Island. We hit the beach early to avoid the crowds and the heat and I managed to take some lovely simple shots of the children playing. Dexter wouldn't be parted from his yellow spade and I think this picture sums up the morning perfectly. The sheer joy of having a beach almost to himself and his trusty yellow spade..... I love the contrast of the yellow against the brilliant blue of the sky (and of course his crazy hair!).
My final picture was taken on our second trip to Florida at Universal Studios. Anyone familiar with Dr Seuss will recognise the 'Things' with their brilliant blue hair.
Keani adored meeting all the characters whilst Dexter was a grump for the majority of the time and refused to get out of the pram. I love this pic as it shows Keani interacting with the characters - she is a quiet and shy girl by nature but her face lit up whenever she saw a new character to cuddle!
So this concludes my entry into the Capture the Colour competition. I've really enjoyed putting these photographs together and really hope that my kids will in time feel as passionately as I do about travel.
I would like to tag 5 other fab bloggers via Facebook to remind them to enter this brilliant competition!
Di Coke @superluckydi
Wendy McDonald @insidethewendyhouse
Kylie Martin @memoirmode
Mummy of 3 Dairies
Melanie Edjourian @Melanie's Fab Finds
More recently since having kids I've been to Florida twice, Rome, France and Venice to name but a few.
I love flying, I love experiencing different cultures, I love the sights, the sounds and the smells of a new country. Travel broadens the mind, I don't understand why anyone wouldn't want to travel. The world is huge and I plan to see as much of it as possible, so it's been fantastic to look over all my old photos and reminisce. Unfortunately i have also realised how with each trip I have managed to gain a new wrinkle or two!
Travelsupermarket.com have a brilliant competition at the moment in which you need to showcase 5 photographs that capture the colours red, yellow, blue, white and green. Have a look at the competition here.
I'm not a photographer (not by any stretch!) but I hope you enjoy the photos that I've selected and the tales behind them.
A few months into my relationship with James (now my husband), I asked if he fancied coming to Thailand with me. He was pretty up for it really considering he'd hardly been out of the uk. This trip sparked a massive interest in travelling for him and I'm really glad he caught the bug. I was really impressed with him agreeing to do a bungy jump with me (this was my second one). He was absolutely petrified and was sweating profusely beforehand, whereas I was quite calm and excited. It sealed the relationship in a way for me though as he was really scared of heights but went ahead and did it anyway. I loved climbing up to the top of the structure and diving into the lush greenery below. Beautiful!
 |
| Capture the colour - GREEN |
 |
| Capture the colour - WHITE |
I adore this shop front. I couldn't tell you what they sold, but the red stilettos are fabulous aren't they?! I think this photo pretty much sums up this vibrant yet laid back city for me.
 |
| Capture the colour - RED |
 | ||||
| Capture the colour - YELLOW |
Keani adored meeting all the characters whilst Dexter was a grump for the majority of the time and refused to get out of the pram. I love this pic as it shows Keani interacting with the characters - she is a quiet and shy girl by nature but her face lit up whenever she saw a new character to cuddle!
 |
| Capture the colour - BLUE |
I would like to tag 5 other fab bloggers via Facebook to remind them to enter this brilliant competition!
Di Coke @superluckydi
Wendy McDonald @insidethewendyhouse
Kylie Martin @memoirmode
Mummy of 3 Dairies
Melanie Edjourian @Melanie's Fab Finds
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
Celebrate Their Success #PGRaisingOlympians
Wow! Haven't the Olympics been amazing so far?
It's been fantastic to have been able to celebrate our nation's achievements, from the magnificent awe inspiring opening ceremony to the courage and dedication of our athletes. I've been feeling extremely proud to be British and have been glued to the screen daily - managing to bribe the kids to give me half an hours peace here and there.
I can only imagine what it must be like to be the parents of these athletes - I don't think I'd be able to watch, or if I did it would be through my fingers! They must be absolutely bursting with pride.
My little ones are only 3 and 4 but already I feel so proud of what they've achieved.
My little girl, despite being very shy and quiet, and not letting me leave the room when she did her ballet class, actually went on stage at the local Town Hall and danced in front of a huge room of people - probably one of my proudest moments so far.
And Dexter, my 3 year old, astounds me with his vocabularly and his ability to entertain. I was particularly impressed with his circus skills the other day!
'Successes' are largely celebrated with cuddles and kisses, lots of love and the odd treat - though I'm sure as they get older, they'll become more demanding!
And as my two children start school, I will no doubt be proud of whatever they achieve. I will instill values and morals, and hope that they continue to be the loving and caring kids that they are now. I will gently encourage them, applaud all their endeavours and support them in whatever they desire to do. And if Keani wants to become a world class diver, and Dexter an Olympic gymnast, then so be it!
P&G have made a series of short videos celebrating our Olympic heros, giving the perspective of their mums, and a little insight into how it feels to be the parent of an Olympic athlete. I particularly enjoyed Pauline Pembleton's video (mum of Victoria) as her line 'you can only really try your best' really resonated with me. I think my children will be hearing those words for many more years to come!
This is my entry into the #PGRaisingOlympians Celebrate Their Success Linky, sponsored by P&G
It's been fantastic to have been able to celebrate our nation's achievements, from the magnificent awe inspiring opening ceremony to the courage and dedication of our athletes. I've been feeling extremely proud to be British and have been glued to the screen daily - managing to bribe the kids to give me half an hours peace here and there.
I can only imagine what it must be like to be the parents of these athletes - I don't think I'd be able to watch, or if I did it would be through my fingers! They must be absolutely bursting with pride.
My little ones are only 3 and 4 but already I feel so proud of what they've achieved.
My little girl, despite being very shy and quiet, and not letting me leave the room when she did her ballet class, actually went on stage at the local Town Hall and danced in front of a huge room of people - probably one of my proudest moments so far.
And Dexter, my 3 year old, astounds me with his vocabularly and his ability to entertain. I was particularly impressed with his circus skills the other day!
'Successes' are largely celebrated with cuddles and kisses, lots of love and the odd treat - though I'm sure as they get older, they'll become more demanding!
And as my two children start school, I will no doubt be proud of whatever they achieve. I will instill values and morals, and hope that they continue to be the loving and caring kids that they are now. I will gently encourage them, applaud all their endeavours and support them in whatever they desire to do. And if Keani wants to become a world class diver, and Dexter an Olympic gymnast, then so be it!
P&G have made a series of short videos celebrating our Olympic heros, giving the perspective of their mums, and a little insight into how it feels to be the parent of an Olympic athlete. I particularly enjoyed Pauline Pembleton's video (mum of Victoria) as her line 'you can only really try your best' really resonated with me. I think my children will be hearing those words for many more years to come!
This is my entry into the #PGRaisingOlympians Celebrate Their Success Linky, sponsored by P&G
Monday, 30 July 2012
#ColourMeInRK – BritMums Competition Entry
Well the school holidays are upon us and trying to keep 2 young children entertained is a bit tricky I have to say! Keani is going through a stage of wanting to sit and colour in pictures for the majority of the day but sadly Dexter has other ideas. On Mondays however, he goes to nursery which gives us both a bit of peace and enables Keani to colour in without being bothered by her pesky brother!
I am always on the lookout for new projects for Keani and thankfully Kellogg's have come up with a genius cereal box which allows your little ones to colour in the picture on the front. With this in mind, and the fantastic BritMums #ColourMeInRK competition sponsored by Kellogg’s, Keani (aged 4) set to work this afternoon and this is her rather brill entry:
I love the way she's given all the characters stripey hair and stamped her own design on the cereal bowl - now I just need to get her to work another 20 more or so boxes whilst I get to work, um... watching the Olympics ;-)
By the way, if you are in need of half an hours R&R then I highly recommend you go over to the Kellogg's website here where you'll find some colouring templates to download, recipes, and other activities to keep your little ones amused.
I am always on the lookout for new projects for Keani and thankfully Kellogg's have come up with a genius cereal box which allows your little ones to colour in the picture on the front. With this in mind, and the fantastic BritMums #ColourMeInRK competition sponsored by Kellogg’s, Keani (aged 4) set to work this afternoon and this is her rather brill entry:
 |
| Keani's #ColourMeInRK – BritMums Competition Entry |
By the way, if you are in need of half an hours R&R then I highly recommend you go over to the Kellogg's website here where you'll find some colouring templates to download, recipes, and other activities to keep your little ones amused.
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