Wednesday 24 June 2009
Catch me if you can!
Wednesday 17 June 2009
Throwing Teddies
Who knew that a one-year and two week old Little Miss could throw a temper tantrum? Where did my placid, cheerful, mostly agreeable daughter go? The explosion can be triggered by many different things and depending on the severity of the situation, the result can be any and all of the following:
- Sitting down forcefully on bum and crossing arms over chest
- Fully pursed lips and a rather angry glare
- Fully pursed lips, a lift of the chin & forceful shake of the head
- Protest slump- when you manage to pick her up, she goes slack and limp which makes carrying her nearly impossible.
- Swiping of formerly crossed arms to push you away
- "No, No, No!"
- Throwing back of the head & fiercely arching her back- when done while being carried, it's very difficult to stop her from hurling herself from your grasp
- The "SHE'S ABUSING ME!" cry
Triggers can include, but are not limited to:
- not reading a book for the seventh time in a row
- attempting to remove Sippy Cup/Dog's toy/Ball/Alfie (V-Tech bear) from tiny grasp
- peeling her off Daddy when he leaves for work
- re-installing her in her pushchair/highchair/Smart Trike after having a taste of freedom
As challenging and frustrating as this is, I love that my daughter is so clever and independent at such a young age. Because I have been her constant care-giver from day one and have hardly spent more than two hours away from her at a time, I worried that she would be too much of a Mummy's girl. I needn't have worried! This is one head-strong Little Miss that we have and I'm proud of her every day. I do worry a bit for what's to come but I can't wait to see what our not-so-Little Miss has in store for us!
Tuesday 16 June 2009
Work in Progress
Monday 15 June 2009
Tag, You're it...
It seems that I am making some impact in the blogging world...I'm on someone's list to TAG! Ooh...I feel just like I'm back in school and I've been picked by the Cool Team! Laura at Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy has tagged me so I'm doing as I'm told...I am a good girl after all. I'll add my 8 bloggers to tag at the end!
THE RULES ARE:
1) Mention the person who tagged you (done)
2) Complete the list of 8’s
3) Tag 8 others and let them know (I'm going to break the rules here)
So here goes…..
8 Things I’m looking forward to
1. Father's Day...hoping my pressie from Little Miss to Daddy turns out right
2. A trip back to the US in October for my brother's wedding
3. Trialing Tumble Tots with my Little Miss
4. More sunshine
5. Getting more time to expand the blog
6. My family coming to England for Christmas
7. Talking to my sister-in-law when they get settled in Australia
8. Getting some money from Child Tax Credit!
8 Things I did yesterday.
1. Attended another 1st Birthday Party
2. Took pictures of my Little Miss swimming for the 1st time in in-laws pool
3. Cried because I couldn't fit into the swimsuit I thought I would fit into
4. Had a day-long headache
5. Posted a blog entry
6. Wished I could have been at the BMB meetup
7. Kissed my husband
8. Laughed with my daughter
8 Things I wish I could do
1. Afford to get my Little Miss some great outdoor toys
2. Bake and ice a Victoria Sponge cake
3. Cook Chinese!
4. Enjoy exercising
5. Get a new computer...all this blogging and a rubbish laptop to do it on
6. See my family in the US more often
7. Speak French fluently- I can get by pretty well but have an in-depth conversation? Non!
8. Take one of my BRILLIANT IDEAS and make it happen
8 favourite fruits
1. Watermelon
2. Pineapple
3. Mango
4. Nectarine
5. Strawberry
6. Plum
7. Canteloupe
8. Raspberry
8 Places I’d like to travel
1. South of France
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. Scotland
5. Ireland
6. Hawaii
7. Paris
8. Madeira
8 Places I’ve lived
1. Eau Claire, Wisconsin, USA
2. Decatur, Illinois, USA
3. Lancaster, California, USA
4. Peoria, Illinois, USA
5. Hopkins, Minnesota, USA
6. Chicago, Illinois, USA
7. Caen, France
8. Northborough, England
And here are the 4 Blogs I'm tagging to carry on the trend (you're supposed to tag 8 but I don't want to burden too many people!). Sorry...and good luck!
Wife of Bold
A Modern Mother
Maternal Tales
Perfectly Happy Mum
Sunday 14 June 2009
A Ha Moment...sniff...
Wednesday 10 June 2009
Tuesday 9 June 2009
Halo....is it me you're looking for??
Silver Cross Halo
- Looks- The Halo is very sleek and stylish. It looks cool and a bit flash as well as the Halo frame is a brushed steel finish. The canopy adds a touch of Silver Cross nostalgia. It reminded me of the traditional pram canopies. This will suit all the Yummy Mummies out there looking for a modern, light-weight pushchair for busy days.
- Initial Set-Up- As stated above, the assembly of the Halo was very simple and straightforward and within 5 minutes of taking it out of the box it was good to go. The instructions manuals, should you need them, are very user friendly with both a WORDS manual and PICTURE manual for all of you visual learners, myself included!
- Canopy- The canopy secures into place with a latch on either side which makes it feel more sturdy than some other pushchair canopies. There is a brilliant tinted, plastic "window" which hangs off the front of the canopy to provide more than adequate face protection from the sun.
- Seat- The seat seems very comfortable (wish I could feel for myself but I'm not wee enough!) and has a bit of give to it- almost like shock absorbers! My Little Miss sits up nice and straight and has the pleasure of being able to see out to either side. In our current lightweight 3-wheeler pushchair, she's in more of a "sling" which makes seeing out a bit limited. My favourite feature of the seat is the extendable leg rest. Simply lift under the leg part of the seat and pull out a u-shaped bar which very adequately supports the legs making the ride very comfortable. Little Miss' legs are no longer hanging from the knee! She looks like she's lounging in an easy chair in the Halo!
- Smooth ride- The ride seems very smooth and easy. We went around a park and market town and found the ride very seamless. The pushchair itself, despite being classified as a LIGHTWEIGHT pushchair, feels very stable and solid. Some lightweight pushchairs feel as if they could blow away in a stiff breeze- not the Halo!
- Recline feature- The Halo can be reclined to virtually flat and as stated above, has a nice give or shock absorbing quality. The reclining was very smooth and gentle which is vital when trying to keep a sleeping child asleep. It was also very easy to raise the seat back when my daughter was awake. Her current pushchair sees me struggling mightily to raise her to the full upright position when she's in it. Not so with the Halo. The canopy comes down at the back when the seat is reclined which offers excellent protection from the elements and keeps your child cocooned nicely when you need them to be.
- Folding Mechansim- The mechanism is a bit awkward as you have to push in a button on the right latch and lift both the left and right latches to fold the Halo down. I struggled the first few times but after it's been done several times it becomes easier. It just requires a bit of coordination. There is also a carry handle under the seat in order to lift and transport the folded Halo- I did find this handle a bit too small. It is difficult to fit your hand in comfortably and I think a man would struggle even more.
- Canopy- While the canopy is brilliant, there is no viewing window to see your child! In order to see your child when the canopy is down you have to peek around the side to see them. Not the worst thing in the world but I would prefer to peep at them from above.
- Handle- The handle seemed a bit hard and was a bit high for me personally (I am 5'3"). This higher handle made going up and down kerbs a bit tricky as I didn't have the same leverage as with my current pushchair. The handle could use a bit of padding as I do a lot of long walks and my hands would bear the brunt of it, I fear.
- Lack of Storage- There is no storage basket, per se, but there are criss-crossing "bungee" cords that attach to a shelf under the seat. I was able to attach my changing back to the frame and set it on the shelf under the seat which worked very well.
On the whole, I found the Silver Cross Halo to be a very stylish, sleek and smooth pushchair. I think most Mummies would be very pleased to add this item to their arsenal. Thank you to Silver Cross and Amy Johnston for the opportunity to review both the Silver Cross Halo and Doodle. They are welcome additions to our family. Little Miss says "Thanks...I love 'em!"
Silver Cross Halo teaser...
Key information
Lightweight, folding pushchair and travel system ideal from birth to toddler.
Exceptional protection and flexibility.
Super compact and will fit in the boot of a mini.
Converts to a complete travel system with the Ventura car seat.
The Halo comes complete with a seat liner, footmuff, rain cover and cargo net.
“This product is perfect if you want a great looking, durable and compact buggy – and in addition, it will be the only buggy you need to buy. It is just as suited to new born babies as it is to toddlers and older children.
“The Halo is so compact, when folded it will fit in the boot of a mini!”
Colours available
PriceHalo buggy retails at £275
Blogging Carnival
Sunday 7 June 2009
Keeping up with the Joneses
Saturday 6 June 2009
Hey Doodle Doodle...Part One
I've been given an amazing opportunity! I joined a FABULOUS blogging group called British Mummy Bloggers and through one of the groups I have been given a chance to review 2 Silver Cross Products. Silver Cross was founded by William Wilson in 1877. Silver Cross first began designing transport for babies back in 1877. It all began when former postman William Wilson combined his ideas for an innovative spring suspension systemwith a handy reversible hood, and invented the modern pram. It was truly revolutionary, and was duly patented followed by over 30 more design patents filed in his prolific lifetime.
Royal approval in the 1900s ensured a special place for Silver Cross in the nation’s heart. Since the very first Silver Cross pram, every new idea, every smart design, every improvement in manufacturing, every single change has been a response to the changing needs of parents, babies and children. Those of you who aren't living in the UK...think about the stereotypical British Nanny pushing a pram through the park, it was probably a Silver Cross. They have become very popular in the US amongst celebrities. They are gorgeous things! But Silver Cross has come into the 21st century as well with some brilliant products such as the DOODLE- a sleek, modern-yet-retro high chair that most children will be happy to eat their meals in. When I received the Doodle, I tore into the box (with minor difficulty as there was some industrial strength glue keeping it shut!). There were five separate parts- the table, seat, tray, legs and basket/cupholders. The manual had very clever instructions- one which had just PICTURES and one which had WRITTEN instructions. I chose PICTURES...I like pictures! The assembly was very straightforward and the entire thing was put together in about 10 minutes without tools. The Doodle is very sleek in appearance and will fit very well in a modern kitchen/home. The Doodle comes in 3 colours- apple, stone and lilac; we got lilac. I was very impressed with the tray as it has a magnetic removable feeding tray. When broken down, the high chair converts into a table and chair for your DOODLER and has a removable basket in the middle of the table and 4 crayon cups which fit into the high chair leg notches. I feel that the table has an additional feature- a handy, safe and sturdy coffee table for the adults when the kids are in bed! I wouldn't worry about my Little Miss running around the lounge with the Doodle table in place either as it's round and the material would be very forgiving to small body parts if bumped into. So, we assembled the Doodle in all of 10 minutes and later installed the Doodle in the kitchen to be used by Little Miss in the morning. I was pleasantly surprised that the Doodle actually took up less space than our current high chair (a Chicco).
When our newly-1-year-old Little Miss was given the opportunity to road test the Doodle, she was immediately drawn to the magnetic tray. Within 10 seconds, however, Little Miss had removed said magnetic feeding tray and dropped it on the ground. She's certainly clever but I was a bit surprised that she managed to sort out the magnets so quickly. We later learned that the magnets also attract metal silverware! Little Miss has just started using a fork and lo and behold, the fork stuck right to the tray when placed over one of the magnets. Interesting way to keep the silverware off the floor, for sure! The tray is a bit tricky to adjust when using one hand (which as Mummies we often are) due to the flipper paddles which need to be depressed to open and close the tray. One criticism of the tray- the magnetic feeding tray is very slick which makes a great launching pad for cups or bits of food. Little Miss has talent in this area. It would be good to have a cupholder as well for this reason. The seat seems very comfortable and is extremely easy to wipe clean. The smoothness of the design also makes cleaning a breeze...no nooks and crannies for Cheerios, bananas and yogurt to crawl into. The straps are simple to adjust and leave a lot of growing room. I found Little Miss sat up very nicely in the chair and seemed much more secure in the seat than in her current high chair. She seems very happy in the Doodle in it's high chair form. We look forward to trying as a Doodle Art Table. Due to our busy week and weekend of First Birthday parties, Little Miss has to take it easy. We'll Doodle next week. We were very happy to welcome this product into our home as we call our Little Miss Doodle or Doodles for her nickname. How coindidental! I would recommend this product to anyone particularly because it will grow with your child and would be a good investment piece. It's functional, good-looking and durable- all things that are a must with a growing family. We'll be Doodling for some time to come. Please review the information below for more specifics about the Doodle courtesy of Silver Cross. Check out Silver Cross at www.silvercross.co.uk . Thanks for reading...let me know what you think of the Doodle!
Doodle Key information
Doodle is a handy high chair for meal times, but once you break it down, it also provides a low chair complete with table for playtimes.
It can be used with the tray attached when in high chair mode or detached when using the table.
Comes with fully adjustable and removable feeding trays that are dishwasher safe, a five-point safety harness, toy basket, crayon cups and removable, easy-clean seat pads.
“However, the thing that sets the Doodle apart from other high chairs, is the fact that within seconds it converts to a table and chair with crayon cups and a toy storage basket, creating the perfect place for your budding artists to get creative!”