Transport with wheels in London!
rocknrollerbaby- March 24th, 9:56
This past week, apart from a relaxing weekend in Norfolk for Mothering Sunday, has been, well, challenging I think would be the word. Jonny finished decorating the hall (my Mum had started it for us when she was down) so the house has been at sixes and sevens which I can’t stand and Florence has been in a very demanding mood indeed. I think we’re going through another ‘phase’ but it’s driving me bonkers! She keeps squirreling things away and hiding them meaning we are constantly with ‘lost things’. I can’t find my passport and perhaps I’m wrong but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it’s in one of her hidey holes! Very annoying! She’s also been a bit of a monkey demanding things, drawing on the television and opening everything in sight! I’ve had to remove all wet wipes, new packets and creams from within her reach and again it’s just a bit irritating having to find new places to keep everything. She’s also been using her dramatics to great effect! She and Jonny were playing ‘Dancing on Ice’ and he was swinging her round (very slowly I hasten to add) by her legs when her head skimmed the carpet. She didn’t complain at the time and shouted to do it again and again she was enjoying it so much! I put a stop to it envisaging a carpet burn to the head which is exactly what came up later and it looked terrible meaning everyone at play group was asking her what happened. Florence’s standard answer became ‘Daddy swing me round and hurt my poorly head, I said STOP, STOP, HELP, HELP, NO, NO’! This is a touch different to the actual version and a little embarrassing! Since then, every time she falls or bumps her knee etc she’s been saying very loudly ‘Daddy did it again’! Even more embarrassing! She’s also periodically going up to Jonny and asking him in a very sad voice to say sorry for her poorly head and is rather disappointed that the mark is almost gone now; she keeps telling me that it’s actually not at all better! I suspect we may have another actress in our midst.
Florence’s with her poorly head (it’s much better now)!
Also this week I’ve been reading the first ever edition of ‘BOO’ magazine which is made by ‘Bugaboo’! It’s a total honor to have been one of the lucky few to have been sent a copy and I shall keep it forever (take a look at the online copy on their website www.bugaboo.com/boo)! My buggy obsession grows further and further every time I find something new for the ‘Bugaboo’ and this style and fact file for my favourite brand of baby mobile is just up my street! Did you know for instance that Max Barenbrug, the creative brain behind ‘Bugaboo’ came up with the original design some 17 years ago when he entered it for his graduation project? He looked at a saturated market and chose something which desperately needed an overhaul and chose buggies as his topic! Buggies in Holland at that time were cheap and reflected their value in capability. As a tall Dutch man he saw the need for improvement, for a buggy men could use and something that could really benefit from a revolutionary mobility overhaul! I for one am glad he did! I’ve pushed lots of buggies and none quite compare to a ‘Bugaboo’! My sister-in-law said recently ‘Once you go Bugaboo you don’t go back’! How true!
Some interesting facts from the ‘Bugaboo’ journey:
It was 1999 when the first ‘Bugaboo Classic’ went on the market.
In 2002 ‘Bugaboo’ joined a host of other celebrities and made a cameo in ‘Sex and the City’ causing a furor amongst US parents wanting to follow the new trend!
2005 saw the birth of the ‘Bugaboo Gecko’ and ‘Bugaboo Cameleon’ models.
Marc Jacobs created 15 highly-coveted glassy black, limited edition ‘Bugaboo Cameleons’ dressed in signature ‘Love Marc’ fabric in 2008.
‘Bugaboo Bee’ evolves in 2010 (making me very jealous that I have an old style) and launches the second generation of the model.
While the launch of the ‘Bugaboo Donkey’ takes place at the Kind + Jugend tradeshow in Cologne, Germany and the ABC Kids Expo in the US the year before, in 2011 we saw it’s birth into the market. The first ‘Bugaboo’ convertible pushchair for kids and goods has arrived!
2012 says BOO as ‘Bugaboo’ proudly present ‘BOO’ magazine!
My own facts from my own ‘Bugaboo’ journey:
2004 and whilst reading a magazine I see a picture of Gwyneth Paltrow pushing a ‘Bugaboo Frog’ in New York. I am nowhere near the stage of wanting to have a baby but I know instantly when I do it will be a ‘Bugaboo’ buggy that I choose! I have loved buggies since I was a child and continue to talk about the ‘Bugaboo’ every time my scared husband to be allows himself to be drawn into a conversation about having babies!
Whilst on holiday in Portugal late 2007, having decided to try for a baby soon, I point out every ‘Bugaboo’ I see and we decide the ‘Bugaboo Cameleon’ looks awesome!
I’m pregnant by April in 2009 and immediately start researching which, where and when to buy my ‘Bugaboo’. I need no trials and tests for other brands; I have seen and read enough!
10 weeks before she is born my ‘Bugaboo’ arrived and on 1st January 2010 the day after she was born I pushed my khaki buggy for the first time with pride! My cousin comes to visit and tells me upon buggy inspection and weight of chassis discussed that her pet cat ‘Tigtwo’ weighs more than Florence’s mode of transport, the ‘Bugaboo Bee’! Ha!
2011 and I grow envious of the new style Bee and it’s much talked about big brother the ‘Bugaboo Donkey’! I am not pregnant yet with my second child but I have my eyes on that duo!
2012, I AM pregnant with my second child and the desire for sticking with ‘Bugaboo’ rather than changing brands is as high as ever! I love the buggy board (review next week) and it’s great for the City but I sure would like to try out that mule! Will my buggy dreams come true? Well if they do I’ll let you know!
Don’t forget to check out ‘BOO’ magazine (pictured below) on line and shhh, don’t tell anyone but the new summer accessories are out soon – more on that in a later post!
Before we went to Norfolk we were very lucky indeed cause we were also invited to a special screening of the ‘Disney’ film ‘Treasure Buddies’ which we attended with a gaggle of pals! It’s released on DVD on 19th March and is an absolute must see movie for the kids! I think the DVD would make a great alternative to chocolate for an Easter present, I know Florence gets far too much, we’re still working our way through last years little eggs and we eat a LOT of chocolate in our house!! We were lucky enough to go and see it with friends at a special pre DVD release screening and even got to meet some of the stars of the show! The children thought the film was fantastic and the adults all came away pretty happy too! I do believe my friends’ children have already been watching it again on their DVDs so it must’ve been a huge hit with them! Another delightful tale in the ‘Buddies’ series and if the littlies that came with me are anything to go by, the best yet! We had all ages in our party from 2 to 13 and they had great big smiles on their faces when leaving the theatre! Find out all about the film below!
Digging Up Adventure, The Buddies Find Themselves Treasure Hunting in Egypt
Walt Disney Studios proudly unleashes Treasure Buddies, an all-new live action feature for the whole family on DVD. The sixth film in the ‘Buddies’ series stars everyone’s favourite talking canine superstars Rosebud, B-Dawg, Budderball, Buddha and Mudbud. .
Following in the paw prints of their grandfather Digger, the buddies stow away on a private plane on a momentous mission to complete a treasure hunt which commenced forty years before. The whole puppy pack journey to Egypt in search of the greatest treasure known to animalkind, where danger lurks around every corner, to discover the missing half of The Bronze of Bastet
Amidst the lost treasure of Cleocatra danger lurks around every secret sphinx, cryptic crypt and puzzling pyramid as Ubasti, a devious cat, schemes to possess the treasure and use her powerful energy to rid the planet of all dogs!
With help from some new lovable friends Cammy and Babi, a baby camel and a mischievous monkey, the gang and their new friends avoid traps, solve puzzles and explore a mysterious tomb in their most exciting and challenging adventure yet.
Bonus Features:
DIGS: B-Dawg Edition – In this fun bonus feature, B-Dawg the hip hop happening pup gives a tour of his home to kid reporter G.
“Roam” Music Video – A re-make of The B-52s song performed by Caroline Sunshine, Kenton Duty and Adam Irigoyen from the cast of the Disney Channel hit series “Shake it Up.”
RELEASE DATE: 19th March 2012 CERTIFICATE: U
My friends little girl with one of the ‘stars’!
Florence regrets letting chocolate melt on her trousers!
But is pleased to have her face painted!
Saying goodbye to the ‘Buddies’!
Before Mother’s Day I asked Florence if she would like to make her Gram and Granny a card and she said that what she really wanted to do was make her Papa (Grandpa) a card, so she’ll be really pleased when June 17th and Father’s Day comes round and she gets to give him his “Mother’s Day” card! And we’ll have to think of something really lovely to do for her Daddy too! We’re keen on prints as it’s something to keep forever and remember how little they were. I love looking back at the different things we have hand and footprints on and my friends at ‘Zebra Ceramics’ based in Muswell Hill are always on hand to help with the making of such things! They’re a ceramic café with a difference and can help you create lots of lovely keepsakes including your little ones’ prints on silver jewellery (but more about that to come in a future post)! If you can’t make it down to Muswell Hill then don’t fear because you can catch them at various different pop-up locations from time to time and just on cue for Father’s Day they will be ‘popping-up’ at ‘Giraffe’ in Islington on May 2nd from 10am – 2pm! For all the information you need about the wonderful ‘Zebra Ceramics’ take a look at their website www.zebraceramics.co.uk.
If you happen to be in London with little ones soon then we can strongly recommend a museum we visited recently which is right in the centre of town based in Covent Garden. ‘The London Transport Museum’ is an absolutely brilliant stop for littlies and adults alike and we all had such a fantastic afternoon there we just can’t wait to go back! The best bit is that next time we visit we don’t have to pay because once you’ve bought your ticket for the day it’s valid to use for the following 12 months and even better is the fact that children go FREE right from the start! I think all children are fascinated by buses and trains and well, anything with wheels really so they get to be in their absolute element here; there is a version of every public transport you will spot in London plus ones from every era. You don’t just have to walk round and look though, no Sirree! You can hop on and off all the different vehicles, see inside them, interact with the many different stop points and their computer screens and even get the chance to drive a Tube and DLR train! There are interesting pieces of information written beside each exhibit but what we most enjoyed was the clamouring in and out of the trains! Daddy did a lot of reading while Florence and I played ‘travelling’ and ‘driving’ games! What a fun place where you can pretend to be a bus driver on a real bus! We learnt lots too, things like how the tube was originally built and that the structure of it and the original tunnels are still the ones we use today! We also found out that this summer a new cable car will be launching to transport passengers from the O2 in Greenwich to the ExCel exhibition Centre in East London. We were amazed at how much was on offer in the museum from children’s play areas to all the exhibits, it really is a stupendous find! We made a real day of it but now that we have our tickets it’ll be easy to just pop in and out when we are in town shopping which makes the prospect of shopping ‘Up West’ a much more bearable prospect!
www.ltmuseum.co.uk Museum opening times: Monday-Thursday, Saturday and Sunday 10:00-18:00 (last admission 17:15)
Friday 11:00-18:00 (last admission 17:15)
Individual admission
Adults £13:50, Children under 16 FREE (Group and concession prices available), all individual tickets purchased after 20 October 2010 allow unlimited admission to the museum for a 12 month period from date of purchase. Tickets are intended for use by the purchaser only and are non transferable. Please retain your ticket for future use.
Man Power being a very early form of transport reminds me of how Florence seems to travel these days… Being carried!
It amazes me how little ones can use technology these days!
All fares please!
More driving…
Bit of play time!
The construction of the tube…
LOOK! Another bus!
Now, I’m super into public transport and we enjoyed our day at the museum immensely. In fact in London, I believe travelling on public transport is essential, not just environmentally friendly. It’s easy enough with children if you just take a moment to plan your route and although the tube could be better catered for people with buggies and wheelchairs it’s certainly not impossible. I love the fact that here in the Capital it’s not wildly expensive either, especially if you use an ‘Oyster Card’, the pay as you go way of travelling with a pass, as it makes all fares around half price. The only thing I really can’t stand about it is how dirty it is and I always have my antibacterial hand gel on me. It may seem like I have become a bit obsessed with it actually as going up the escalators on the tube a while back, every advert was for a bottle of cider and Florence pointed out each one as ‘Daddy’s juice’. Very funny until we got to the last advert and it was for hand gel and she loudly declared that that one belonged to Mummy! I do like to make sure no harmful germs come her way though so if she associates Daddy with Cider and Mummy with hand gel that’s just the way it’ll have to be. Her delicate little skin is so important that I do also think about what sort of chemicals I’m putting on it and where possible it’s good to use something environmentally friendly too I think. Recently I’ve been trialling some cleaning products for those really important times which are especially for use on things children will touch and ensure that pesky germs are kept at bay. Here’s what I thought of the ‘Protect’ range from ‘Tristel at Home’.
They say it kills what other disinfectants can’t while still being perfectly safe for your baby’s environment. Did it work? Yes, I think so! I really liked how easy it was to use; the sporadical foam is designed to be used with the wipes and the ingredients only activate once pumped out of the bottle. I thought I would clean all of the baby toys with it in preparation for when the new baby arrives and I think it did a very effective job. I feel better knowing that both products are entirely safe for children, I could use something I already have but how harmful are the chemicals in things? I don’t know but with ‘Tristel’ they guarantee their safety. Knowing that I’ve killed any bacteria and nasties meaning there’s nothing to make the baby ill when he or she puts the toys in their mouth is something I value. The other thing I’ve found it really handy for is wiping tables and high chair trays when out and about. I mean a wet wipe doesn’t really cut the mustard does it? but it’s mainly what us Mums use. When you think about how many children have used the high chair before you(they so often aren’t cleaned before it’s your turn begging the question how many people have gone before you without it being cleaned) it really makes me feel better to know it’s had a good clean before we use it! I’m not a massive over cleaner and worrier of germs but it is a consideration and using these products just eliminates any worry. The packet is no bigger than normal wet wipes and our bags are so full anyway what’s one more bottle in the bag going to make a difference?! Personally I’ve just shoved both products under the buggy and they’re there when I need them! I use them at home but they really do come into themselves when it comes to being out and about! Brilliant find!
I tried Sporadical Foam, £16.25 and Bacterial Wipes, £5.88 from the ‘Protect’ range of products by ‘Tristel at Home’. For more information please see their website www.tristelathome.co.uk.
Don’t forget, I’m running a truly fantastic competition for one of my readers to win tickets to one of the best musicals on in the West End at the moment! It really is a fantastic prize and to be with a chance of being the lucky winner please read on to find out how!
WIN A FAMILY TICKET TO SEE ‘SHREK THE MUSICAL’ IN LONDON’S WEST END!
Join Shrek (Dean Chisnall), our unlikely hero, and his loyal steed Donkey (Richard Blackwood) as they set off on a quest to rescue the beautiful (if slightly temperamental) Princess Fiona (Kimberley Walsh) from her tower guarded by a fire breathing love-sick dragon. Add the diminutive Lord Farquaad (Neil McDermott), a gang of fairytale misfits, and a biscuit with attitude, and you’ve got the must see musical comedy – SHREK THE MUSICAL!
Featuring all new songs as well as cult Shrek anthem I’m a Believer, SHREK THE MUSICAL brings the well loved characters to life, in a hilarious and spectacular production based on the story and characters from the Oscar®-winning DreamWorks Animation film. The world of fairytales is turned upside down in an all singing, all dancing, irresistible mix of adventure, laughter and romance.
SHREK THE MUSICAL is even more fun and family-friendly in 2012, with new family pricing! A family ticket is now available for Wednesday and Thursday evening performances (excluding school holiday periods but including summer); which means that a family of four (including at least two under 16’s) can see Shrek The Musical for the fairytale price of £99 for the Upper Circle or £150 for best available seats, making the adventure much more affordable.
Family tickets can be booked via the website, www.ShrekTheMusical.co.uk, in
person from the box office, or by phoning: 0844 871 8810.
To celebrate the launch of SHREK THE MUSICAL’s even more family friendly performances we are offering you the chance to win a family ticket to the show. All you have to do is send an email to [email protected] by mid night on Saturday 31st March 2012 including your name, address and including the word ‘SHREK’ in the subject line. A winner will be drawn at random shortly after the closing time and notified soon after.
Terms and conditions
A family ticket includes two adults and two children of one adult and three children (16 years and under). Tickets are valid for Mon-Fri performances until 1 June 2012 excluding 2-15 April and 7 May. Subject to availability. Exclusions apply.
Something to look forward to!
Don’t know if you’ve already heard about the ‘Lollibop Festival’? If you’re a reader of mine then you almost certainly will have done because it was quite simply one of our best days out last year and we can’t wait for 17th, 18th and 19th August to come round when Regent’s Park will play host again! Very excitingly the tickets have just gone on sale and super early bird day tickets are priced at just £19.50 (numbers are limited)! There’s loads of brilliant things planned for this years line up and I’ll bring you more info soon but for now do check out their website www.lollibopfestival.co.uk and see our top ten reasons to visit ‘Lollibop’ below!
1) A proper festival just for little people but fun for the whole family!
2) See your fave musical acts from popular children’s television performing LIVE!
3) From early until 7pm you can enjoy hours of fun packed entertainment!
4) Meet characters from CBeebies, Milkshake and more!
5) Dance the day away in the mini disco!
6) Visit the Science Museum stand and join in with their activities!
7) Have a picnic in the sun or enjoy some of the tasty fare on offer around the festival!
8) Get your face painted!
9) Enjoy street theatre and other shows!
10) Play games in the under 3ft area (our face)!
Can’t wait for that and can’t believe I’ll have a new baby by then too! Talking of babies, a couple of weeks ago when I was a V.I.P blogger at ‘The Baby Show’ I was given a few lovely goody bags, I’m very lucky! One of them was from ‘Mamas and Papas’ and I absolutely love the gifts they gave me, they’re really going to be great for when the baby is born! I’ve always loved ‘Mamas and Papas’ for both myself and giving gifts; the goods are just so incredibly well made and beautiful Look what I got given! I’ll review them all properly once I’ve used them with the new baby but couldn’t resist telling you all about them now too!
Gingerbread Striped Knitted Blanket, £35
The perfect ‘must have’ blanket! After you have a baby you realise that everyone wants one of these and it’s easy to see why! It’s super soft and goes in the washing machine no hassles! It’s 100% cotton and being 70 x 100 means it fits most prams, moses and cots. Lovely!
Made With Love Soft Rattle Toy Giraffe, £6.50
This is super sweet, soft and colourful! Just right for a newborn gift as it’s suitable from birth and as well as being a lovely toy it looks pretty good on the shelf too! Think that’s what I like about ‘Mamas and Papas’, their products are aesthetically pleasing for the parents too so they provide a double whammy! Think we’re going to let Florence give this to the baby as a little present!
MY PREGNANCY DIARY WEEK 34
Now I’m not entirely sure I know what Braxton Hicks contractions feel like as I keep getting differing information from different people so I suppose maybe they feel different to everyone. I think it’s highly likely though that I have been having them? For days and days now I’ve been having these dragging down type pains that go all the way into my bottom and they certainly feel like mild contractions so I’ve been a little worried! Especially as my Mum said she had that when she was going into labour with me which she did two weeks early! I’m not prepared at all to go into labour early! I guess as it’s been going on so long now though that it can’t be anything too bad as I haven’t had any blood or anything but it just feels really strange and I definitely didn’t feel anything similar with Florence. Jonny and I have been reading the book Nikki Khan gave me while we were at the pregnancy retreat ‘My Pregnancy’ which she co authored. It seems from the information there that another possible reason could be because the baby is turning. It’s so odd how every pregnancy is different! I would never say I’m having a hard pregnancy, far from it, but it’s more hassled this time than the first that’s for sure! I’m also super tired again which is making me grumpy and irrational. Jonny’d never believe that I would admit this so now it’s written down and proof! I know I’m being irrational at times but I think I’m kind of entitled at this late stage of pregnancy! I’m worrying again too, about all sorts of things. Worrying that there will be something wrong with the baby, worrying about how I’ll cope with two and worrying about Florence coping with a new sibling… Not to mention the fact that I’m worried about where everything is going to go? My Mum’s busy painting a chest of drawers for the baby clothes but aside from that nothing is in place and I only have 6 weeks to go! Arrrrrrrrgh!
‘My Pregnancy’ by leading experts including Nikki Khan. Priced at £22
I’m starting to think about a present for Florence from the new baby and a baby doll seems ideal because she can then do things with her baby doll that I’m doing with the new arrival like baby massage! This new one from ‘Zapf Creation’ looks great as it might also help her with toilet training too! Take a look…
Little girls will go potty for BABY born®
my little BABY born® Boy Potty Training Time is learning to use the potty and can be your little one’s perfect companion in their potty training journey!
my little BABY born® Boy Potty Training Time has new potty training functions allowing your little one to help him use the potty when he needs to. my little BABY born® Boy Potty Training Time needs to learn how to wee-wee on his potty. Feed your my little BABY born® Boy Potty Training Time with his bottle and afterwards he will tell you he needs his potty by making realistic baby noises. Sit him on the potty or press his tummy and he will wee.
Little ones just want to have fun and what better way to make potty training as entertaining for them as you can than with their own doll who needs to learn to use the potty too. Parents can use the dolls to demonstrate how to use the potty during toilet training. Children will be encouraged to use the potty as they play with and care for their my little BABY born® Boy Potty Training Time doll.
my little BABY born® Boy Potty Training Time is dressed in a cute blue romper with matching hat and comes with a bottle, nappies and potty. The doll is suitable for children ages three plus and is priced around £24.99.
My ‘Pregnancy Product of the Week’ this week is yet another oil! Call me obsessed, call me vain, call me what you will but I don’t have any stretch marks and I firmly believe it to be down to my skin care regime before, during and after pregnancy! The bump is obviously getting enormous now and my skin is getting tighter and tighter which prompted me to try something which felt on initial testing to be thicker and stronger than some of the other lotions, creams and oils I’ve been trying recently. I know having marks from pregnancy won’t be the worst thing in the world and believe me, I do have other body areas damaged by child carrying and rearing but I really want to keep my non stretch mark skin just that and at this late stage with my pregnancy I just do not want to be without my ‘Weleda Stretch Mark Massage Oil’! It’s really thick which does mean that the bottle doesn’t last as long as some of the others; it’s difficult to eek it out as you could if it was thinner, it is also pricier than most (at £159 a litre it’s GOT to work)! BUT… it’s so lovely to use, I feel certain it’s doing the job well and it stops all that crazy skin itching as it gets tighter and tighter. I’ve been applying it morning noon and night and am starting to resemble a slippery eel but by Joe it’s doing the trick for me. It goes on smoothly and despite it’s thickness it absorbs into the skin easily meaning it doesn’t then get on clothes etc. I also like the herby smell of it, not at all strong but just enough to know it’s there. It’s kind of a unisex smell I suppose and really, really calming. Totally worth the outlay even if it doesn’t last incredibly well…
‘Weleda’ Stretch Mark Massage Oil (dermatologically tested and suitable for vegans) is £15.95 for 100ml, for more information on this and all of the ‘Weleda’ range please see their website www.weleda.co.uk.
So, until next week, hoping that my Braxton Hicks remain just Braxton Hicks, see you back here then!
(All opinions and words, apart from those in green, are my own. I have not been paid for this article although I did receive some products to keep after I had reviewed them.)
One more thing worth noting this week is that Asda are having an online baby feeding event with masses of savings! Running from 22nd March – 6th April FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY ENJOY THEIR BABY CRUNCHING DEALS ONLINE ONLY AT www.asda.com/direct.
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