Silent Sunday

This week we're grateful...

It was Kit's birthday a month ago. I'm really slow at getting around to doing certain things. As a consequence, we've only just started to make thank you cards!

It was a joint effort really - I thought it would be a bit much to expect Kit to spell out 'Thank you' in glue so I did that bit for him!!

Forget the swings, forget the slide...

Unintentional tunnel through the hedges. Best part of the park!

Coolings Nature Trail

Given that the weather seems to be holding, I didn't want to spend Thursday stuck inside, but I did have lots of chores to do. Thinking of what we could do early in the day so that I could get on with my boring housework and Kit could get down to some serious jigsaw puzzling and stickering later I thought we could go for breakfast at one of our (fairly) local garden centres.

Just so happens that it happens to have Nature Trail, and it also happens to be home to some pigs! When I went to buy some pig-food I was informed that I couldn't because the piggy had a litter, lots and lots of piglets! :)

Bargain of the week: Duplo

I'm a massive fan of charity shops, we pretty much buy everything (bar food!) from them these days. Not necessarily because we can't afford things new, but because I'd rather save, or spend money on other things than buy something new that I could get secondhand for a fraction of the price. There is the environmental issue too, using something again halves the impact of it's manufacture and could prevent it from ending up in landfill. Plus, you are giving money to charity for the item. When we've finished with it we can take it back to a charity shop and they can get more money from it again, and so on.

Recycled Envelope Notebooks

I've been collecting used envelopes for a while. I love the patterns on the inside, where they have patterned them so that you can't see what is inside! I thought that keeping them and reusing the patterned paper would be a great way to make use of something that was headed for the recycling.

Jubilee Country Park

Given the schizophrenic weather here at the moment, I thought we should make the most of the sunshine while it was around. So on Tuesday, after a brunch of scrambled eggs on toast we went to Jubilee Country Park, one of our local green spaces. Having an over-active toddler, I like going to places where I can let Kit run and hopefully use up some of his excess energy. It's also a great chance to explore bugs and trees, and nature in general. We didn't get very far this Tuesday, as Kit was already fairly worn out from swimming in the morning, and full of 'eggy'. If you get further into the park it's a great place for a picnic, and as part of the netmums website, we'll be having a meetup there next week.

FutureYou

I spent Saturday, Kit-less, in the Beatbullying offices in Crystal Palace, being trained as a LifeMentor for their incredable FutureYou online resourse for teenagers and young people.




From now on 1 or more hour/s of my week will be spent on chatroom and private chat on their website, hoping that I can help a teenager or young person to figure out how to get their life back on track. I don't think I'm an expert at life, far from it, but I've got experience at living, and if that experience might help even one person I don't think that 1 hour a week of my time is too much to spend trying to help.

Urban Beach

Live in London and can't get to the beach, let the Urban Beach come to you!

Ben & Jerry's Summer Sundae

It was my friend Maz's birthday last week, and to celebrate we all went to the Ben and Jerry's Summer Sundae on Clapham Common. Mainly, we just spent the whole of Sunday eating ice-cream! 

Bedtime Stories: One Snowy Night

I've probably shown in previous post how important I feel books and stories are to helping your little ones grow, but I thought I'd hammer it home a bit more! :)

Silent Sunday

Being house-trained by a toddler!

I went to do the washing the other day and Kit came over to where I was sorting it and stole my load of washing and took it to the washing machine and put it in.

This week we're grateful for ...

FOOD!

New Voices Festival

I posted earlier in the week about our chance to have tea with the tiger at the V & A Museum of Childhood, and promised that there would be more about this great museum later. So here we go..

I have a huge soft-spot for the Museum of Childhood, it is quite possibly my favourite place to take my son (and use him as an excuse to relive my childhood!). I wish that I lived nearer, I'd be there practically everyday! We went last weekend as the New Voices Festival was on, but you really don't need an event to go there, we had to work fast to fit everything in!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Spitalfields City Farm

We weren't letting rain put us off having fun outside this weekend, so despite the adverse weather conditions I fulfilled my promise that Kit could see some piggys on Sunday.

The added bonus was that he got to jump in some puddles too (and splash pooey yucky water all over my friend Jess) - sorry Jess.

T-shirt Covered Cushions

I'm bit of a hoarder when it comes to clothes, and I still have some t-shirts I bought when I was a teenager. Over the years I've become better (mainly due to moving house quite often), but I still had a few t-shirts left that will never fit me again! I also still have the biggest pile of baby and toddler clothes and really need to find a home for or re-use (in a craft sense).



I already showed you how I had used some of Kit's t-shirts in a memory blanket, and I will be saving a whole bunch more ready to create a much larger one for him later on. This is more of a use of my larger (but now too small) t-shirts, although a couple of little t-shirts have crept in along the way.

Crystal Palace Park

My parents came to visit last Thursday, so I took them to Paris Crystal Palace. I'm afraid there are no pictures of the palace although we did go and sit on the steps while Kit was napping!

Nanny and Grandad played lots in the park, and Kit managed to hold his own despite a large number of bigger kids in the park on school trips (there is also an amazing sandpit with 'real' dinosaur bones and eggs sticking out of it).

What we were reading this weekend...

Book Sharing Monday

The Tiger Who Came to Tea

We had an amazing opportunity this week to not only read a brilliant book, but to live it.

Silent Sunday

Love Parks Week

Next week is Love Parks Week (starting 23rd July). It's a great opportunity to get outside and appreciate the green spaces where you live. There are events on around the country (many free) so hopefully you can find one near you.

For more info about parks and the benefits of them please visit Green Space.

This week I'm grateful for ...

...LIBRARIES.

We go to the library at least once a week at the moment. Most weeks it's twice, sometimes more!

When I was on maternity leave Kit and I went to the library pretty much every other day, and I think it kept me sane as a constructive way to get out of the house while not spending any money. All the local libraries had a session of 'Bounce and Rhyme' for babies and toddlers, and they were all on different days - we library hopped!

Now I'm working part-time, we only have two days of the week to play with where there are activities to participate in the library fun (they don't have activities on a Saturday - but we sometimes go then too just for the books, and they are closed Sundays sadly - but I guess books need a break too!).

Recycled Stickers

Kit loves stickers - every child does, don't they? He also insists that practically all of his artwork be stuck up on the wall, so we now have a living room wallpapered with sticker and scribble covered paper - but he's so proud of his work, what can a mum do!

Lots of sticker usage causes lots of empty sticker sheets...BUT they aren't empty are they!!

Being frugal, and posing as environmentally friendly I was wondering what I could do with all the leftover sticky bits from the used sticker sheets.

Studio Ghibli

I'm not a big fan of sitting in front of the TV unless I'm already doing something else (I like the background noise), and I especially don't like the idea of my toddler sitting watching it all day - I'd much rather be out and about or him be doing something. That said I love studio Ghibli films, and I am so happy that Kit seems to share my love.

Hanky Bunting

I've been promising a friend that I would make her some bunting for a while now after she had admired the bunting I made for Kit's room when I moved into my flat, and he moved out of sleeping in my room.

I'd used a template and cut and stitched up each flag on Kit's bunting, which was fairly time consuming (although worth the effort in the end), this time I wanted something that would be quick and easy to do, to ensure that I actually got around to finishing it.

I read a lot of craft blogs and craft magazines, and I'd seen mentions of making bunting with old (vintage!!) hankerchiefs so I thought that I would have a go.

One of the places we're heading this weekend...

Homemade Camomile Tea

GROW

HARVEST

ENJOY!

SLEEP!!

Zzz

Diana Memorial Playground

If you have a child and live in London (or regularly visit) and you have yet to venture to the Diana Memorial Playground go!! We were lucky enough to get in straight away, but when we left there was a queue (yes it's that great people queue to get into it!).

Kensington Palace

As I mentioned on Saturday, we headed to off to the Kensington Palace Party on Sunday. Despite frequent visits to High Street Ken pre-Kit, I don't recollect ever having ventured into Kensington Gardens. I'm sure my parents, and maybe even my friends may point out to me that I have, but I clearly never noticed how wonderful it was before. There is an abundence of free space, perfect for running and jumping and picnics. A lake full of beautiful swans (much nicer than the evil geese at our local waterspot!). Despite the work they are doing on it, Kensington Palace and it's gardens are still more than pleasing on the eye.

What we've been reading tonight...

Book Sharing Monday

Tonights bedtime story was
                     'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book?' by Lauren Child

Meal Planning Monday

I'm joining in with Meal Planning Monday

Kit is at his childminder for all meals Monday, Wednesday and Friday so our week is a bit compressed!

Silent Sunday

Pop Up Children's Literature Festival

Despite a challenging toddler day, we eventually made it to Coram's Fields for the Pop Up Children's Literature Festival

Kit was stunned at actually meeting Spot, I've never known him to be so much in awe of anything. He wasn't quite so taken by the Moomin though as he clung to my legs whining everytime it was anywhere nearby.

I was most impressed by Michael De Souza, one of the writers of Rastamouse, he definately knew how to work an audience, 'Irie Man!'. He handed out a strip of stickers to each kid at the end (and there was an opportunity to make your own t-shirt) I was mildly amused with Kit's choice of sticker, as he stuck one to himself - he had chosen 'Bagga Trouble'. It really summed up his mood today!

Puddles

Kit learnt to say a new word today ...

'PUDDLE!'

Memory Blanket

A while back I made a memory blanket for Kit with some of his t-shirts that were too small, and one of my old t-shirts backed with my old dressing gown. I'm hoping to make him a much bigger one when he moves into a 'big' bed. I had been inspired by a blog I'd seen where someone was making one for a friend whose child had passed away. I think it is such a lovely idea and it was such a lovely thing for them to do for their friend. (I can't find the link to the blog anymore - I'll add it if I ever do).

Pirates: The Captain Kit Story!

A few weeks back we met up with friends and embarked on a journey to the Docklands in London's East End. I lived in Bow while I was pregnant with Kit and he was born at the Royal London Hospital in Mile End (not sure if that makes him a cockney?!?). We were meeting up with my old flatmates from that time so it was fitting to meet up in this neck of the woods, even though none of us live there anymore (much as we would all still love to).

We were scheduled in at the Museum of Docklands to meet some pirates, and see if they wanted to recruit a new, slightly too small, deckboy. Kit seemed to suit the pirate lifestyle.

Late Night at the Science Museum

I took a rare night off from being a mum last Wednesday to go play in the science museum child-free. It was awesome, no fighting with little people in the launch pad and an amusing look at climate change with Punk Science.



http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/events/events_for_adults/Lates.aspx



http://www.facebook.com/punkscience

Science is fun! :)

Two!!

Kit turned two last week, he thinks he is a big boy now - he switches between a stroppy teenager and acting like he is the parent! I mean who heard of a child that makes their mum sit on the roundabout so that they can push them around!!

We celebrated in wild style at High Elms, one of our favourite places to go run around High Elms Country Park

He got a scooter and now all I hear all day is 'cooter, 'cooter. Crazy baring in mind he couldn't even say 'mummy' a few weeks ago! He also got a cookie monster birthday cake, he loves his cookie monster (who doesn't) and he is a cookie (biscuit) monster himself. It was the hottest day, I was so worried that the icing would just all melt, but my creation survived (until we ate it that is!).

Welcome terrible twos!!