
I cannot believe that it has already been a week since The Baby Show I had such a wonderful day with my sister and Ami, from Beebies Baby Store Even though we left home while it was still dark and … Continue reading
I cannot believe that it has already been a week since The Baby Show I had such a wonderful day with my sister and Ami, from Beebies Baby Store Even though we left home while it was still dark and … Continue reading
Back in June as part of the Asobi Ambassador programme We tested and reviewed some Creative Collage Kits from The Orb factory Which we loved The Orb Factory is a brand known to us As back in 2013 Esther and … Continue reading
Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, … Continue reading
Today it hit me like a wave of steel
It knocked me off my feet before I was even out of bed
Grief gripped me and it would not let go
Trapped in it’s vice like grip
I knew today was going to be an emotional day
Baby Bea is struggling with her tummy
She has not pooed for a day or two
And so is restless and wriggly
And not her usual chilled out self
Our beautiful Rainbow Baby
Is also looking, and acting,
More and more like her big sister in the sky
It makes me happy to see Tilda in Bea
At the same time it shreds my heart
The absolute unfairness of our lives
All blessed for knowing and loving Tilda
All cursed
Forever broken
Never to be whole again
Every milestone that my Earth children reach
Reminds me of the ones Tilda will never see
Every birthday celebrated by family and friends
Is an age that Tilda will never be
All the places she will never go
People she will never know
It makes me so sad
And as the 2nd looms again
I am drowning in the horror of it all
My baby died!
Today our nephews came to play
They were asking lots of questions about Tilda
Prompted by the photos we have around
Where Tilda looks so much like Bea
Where Bea and Tilda look the same
They could see the similarities
They wanted to know if the photos were Tilda or Bea
Granny explained that Tilda had died
I am so glad Granny was there
They wanted to know how Tilda had died
A question for which we have no answer
They asked why Tilda died
And were very concerned that Bea may die too
As Bea was unsettled they asked why she was crying
I explained that her tummy is poor today
They wanted to know if Bea was poorly, would she die?
It must be so hard for children to understand
All their questions with no answers
Nothing that is easy for them to understand
Nothing that is satisfactory for any of us to accept or understand
I am so glad Granny was with us today
It is funny that today I woke up feeling sad about Tilda
And then all the questions came
Esther and William are incredibly emotional and tired at the moment
Especially William, especially today
I think they are exhausted from their first term at big school
And also fighting a virus and bugs picked up along the way
William was utterly wiped out this afternoon
At 4pm he was asking for his bath and bed
Curled up on Bea’s changing mat
No smiles or laughter
I have never seen him like that
As soon as any of our children are slightly ill
The panic does set in
The helplessness of knowing there is nothing we can do
Mixed with the emotion of knowing there was nothing we could have done
It all gets muddled on an emotional day
Today was an emotional day
On Sunday it is the second of November
One year since the welly walk for Matilda Mae
21 months since our baby girl was cruelly snatched away
Died
SIDS
On Sunday we will go to the sea
Daddy, Mummy, Esther, William and Bea
We will blow bubbles to our angel baby in the sky
Send our love on the waves
From the sea to the stars
We love you and we miss you Matilda Mae
We will love you and miss you for all of our days
Our Water Baby
Esther and William love having an activity set up ready for them when they return from school
Autumn is a lovely season for small world play
So many seasonal things can be included
Conkers, apples, acorns, corn
So many wonderful woodland or farmyard animals
Harvest time is an inspirational time for sensory play
This month I made Esther and William individual autumn worlds of play
Esther has a forest floor in a box
While William has a farm in a tray
Both spaces are very small
But are proving to be just what we need for a small window of play after school
Esther’s box was inspired by one of our favourite autumn stories
Squirrel’s Autumn Search
I lined the box with felt
Red, brown, golden, green
I then poured rice on to it
I added piles of pasta
To be log pile houses
Animal dens
We added berries and conkers
Acorns and stones
Autumn leaves were strewn around
And then the animals were added
Squirrels and hedgehogs
Rabbits and hares
Badgers and birdies
Foxes and moles
Before adding the creatures and seasonal bits
We used the rice for some mark making
We made letters from our names
And the initial sounds of our autumn collections
S for squirrel
E for Esther
C for conker
A for Autumn
In William’s tray was a smaller version of his Harvest Farm
He loves ploughing the fields with his mini tractors
And loading their trailers
He loves gathering feed for his animals
How I love to watch him play
How I love to watch them both play
Together as they so often do
Or independently as in this instance
How I love to listen to the stories that they tell
The scenarios they concoct
The voices they give their characters
How I love to listen to them play
Esther and William love small world play
And so do I
It encourages talking and listening as children play together or at least alongside each other
It allows children to create stories around things they know or often stories they have read
It helps children to process ideas and new concepts
It allows children to communicate their thinking, their feelings, their fears
It enables adults to find out what new things children have been doing as they bring them into their play
This has been really useful for me since Esther and William started school
Small world play gives children a tiny space of their own
To fill with the things they enjoy
To fill with their imaginations
And how I love to watch them play
Here are some of my other small world play posts
For the last few weeks I have been blogging for The Baby Show.
I have been so excited writing posts for The Baby Show Blog and my own.
I am hoping that Bea and I will continue to represent the show as it moves to Excel in February and on to the NEC in May.
We had a lovely day at the show on Friday.
It is no secret at all that I adore The Baby Show.
This time I felt that even though I was busy all day I did not get to see nearly as much as I wanted to.
I have decided that for Excel I am going to stay overnight with Bea so that we can make the most of the show and the travelling will not be so stressful.
Though I have to say actually our journey was not too bad. With the help of Ami, from Beebies Baby Store, we got the train straight to Charing Cross and then cabs from the station to the show.
We arrived nice and early at the show and was able to feed and change Bea in the press room.
It was here that Bea and I fell in love the Stokke Care. Bea liked it so much I think we totalled 8 nappy changes throughout the day!
The Stokke Care is a high quality and high in height baby change unit. I did not have to bend over at all to be able to easily change Bea and chat to her while doing so. This close interaction is enabled by the high unit and the carefully left space for feet at the bottom, allowing you to stand in really close.
Bea was happy to lie on the change mat, staring at the chandelier on the ceiling. Need to get me one of those!
The Stokke Care is designed so that you are facing baby as you change her and not standing side on.
I have admired the Stokke Care from afar for a long time but have not used one before, and I am glad to say that seeing it up close and testing it out so very many times (!) it did not disappoint.
I love the high side bars meaning that Bea was safe as she attempted to roll.
And I adore the way in which the Care, as with all Stokke furniture, grows with the child. This is a real investment piece that over time can be used by all the family before being handed down for the next generation.
We visited the Stokke stand at the show to say hello to our friend Lisa. Bea enjoyed a cuddle while I looked at the Stokke Trailz.
If like me you live in a tiny village surrounded by fields and hills with all local walks involving tractor tracks and muddy footpaths. This is the pram for you.
If like me you enjoy walking across the Downs or other countryside in all weathers. This is the pram for you.
If you enjoy walks by the sea and want to take your pram across the sand. This is the one for you.
This is not a city dweller. The Stokke Trailz is built for the great outdoors. I have finally found a pram I think my husband might get excited about.
Those wheels! That suspension! The promise of adventures to come!
This started off as a general post about The Baby Show but I ended up gushing about Stokke instead.
I have a history of doing this!
My apologies my round up of The Baby Show is still to come
Very soon!
I am the official blogger for The Baby Show but I have not been paid by them or by Stokke for writing this post.
Tomorrow is the last day of Esther and William’s first term at school The weeks have flown by at speed The end of term for Esther and William Is also the end of the fourth trimester for Baby Bea And … Continue reading
Every once in a while
I am given a product to review that really inspires me
The latest inspirational product
Is a beautiful handmade teepee from Beebies Babystore
The rainbow teepee is very well made
And can be used in so many different ways
I have so many ideas that I have decided to write a series of posts
Called Tales From The Teepee
The series will include some storytelling on You Tube
And also show case all the different ways which we use our teepee at home
So far we have used the teepee to create a safe play space for Baby Bea
And we have used it as the central focus for our autumn book nook
The rainbow drops teepee is handmade
It is well made
And has a CE mark for quality
The teepee can be used inside or out
But it is not waterproof
The teepee is easy to erect
And can be easily taken down and stored
The poles are positioned to give a one metre squared floor space
And the tent is 150cm high
We have been moving the teepee around our house
From room to room easily
We are really really pleased with this pretty, practical and playful product
The possibilities for this play tent are limited only by your
And your little ones imaginations
The main use for the teepee so far in our house
Has been creating our autumn book nook
I like creating spaces in our home where we can sit as a family and read
The rainbow drops teepee stands on a beautiful rag rug from Wayfair
The rug looks like autumn leaf litter
The colours are beautiful and perfect for the season
On top of the rug
Around the edges of the teepee
I have placed lots of autumnal cushions
Including some fabulous owl cushions
Again from Wayfair
The teepee is spacious for Esther and William
To snuggle up in with each other
With their autumn animals
To listen to seasonal stories
I have a basket of autumn books
And a drum and puppets for storytelling
It is lovely to sit all together
And lose ourselves in the world of our imaginations
A land of poems, songs and stories
As the evenings draw in we will be adding fairy lights to our teepee
And star projectors too
We will be using our wigwam corner for special Tilda times
I have so many ways to play with this teepee to share with you
So many exciting things to see and do
Esther and William are very excited about our plans
They are loving playing in the Beebies teepee
Esther has hosted a teddy bears tea party
William has used the teepee as a station stop
For his basket train!
The seagrass baskets from Wayfair
Have proven to be very popular play things
And a simple way to extend our teepee play
We are having such a lot of fun
With our teepee
And our autumn book nook
We hope you will join us as we continue to share
Our Ways to Play with a Wigwam here on the blog
And our Tales from the Teepee on You Tube
If you would like a teepee like ours then speak to Ami at Beebies Baby Store to find out more
And if you are interested in our other book nook accessories then you can shop for them at www.wayfair.co.uk
We have been sent one teepee for the purpose of this revies and a selection of accessories from Wayfair to create our autumn book nook
It is three sleeps until The Baby Show
I am so excited
I have loved the show every time I have been
It has special memories for me
Of meeting special people
Making special friends
And of course each time I have been to the show
It has been at a very special, significant, time in my life
And now this time with Bea as a baby
And as the official blogger for the show!
I have a specific list of things I am looking to buy at the show
And with a very limited budget I do need to try and stick to my list
But …
If money were no object, what would I buy?
A Bugaboo Bee for Baby Bea
I have always coveted a Bugaboo. When the twins were smaller I would have loved a Donkey and now I quite fancy a Bee. And it will only ever be a fantasy. We live in the heart of the Kent countryside and a small urban stroller would not fair well at all here. However, if you are a city dweller or reside in an urban area then the incredibly striking and lightweight Bee could be the buggy for you.
For me and for us as a family I think we would be better with a Stokke Trailz. This all terrain pram looks perfect for autumn strolls through woodland paths and harvested fields. It looks perfects for pushing along wet sand close to the sea. It looks to be the perfect stroller for countryside living and with the seat unit being so high you can really connect with baby, communicate with them about all you can see when out on the Trailz!
In an ideal world I would love to buy Bea a Stokke Sleepi and Stokke Care. We have decorated Bea’s rainbow nursery but have not yet furnished it. I love how the Stokke furniture grows and changes with the child. Esther and William have an awesome bedroom so will be nice to treat Bea to something special too.
I love organic clothing for babies and children. I have lots of favourite brands and retailers online but I had never heard of Cudaboo before. I love the ethics of this company, producing quality clothing, educational materials and supporting animal charities. I would love to do some good and give back to nature through Cudaboo by purchasing a Cudaboo Gift Pack
I would buy some Ergo Pouch sleeping bags. I think the 0.3 tog organic cotton sheeting bag could be good for co-sleeping
I would treat myself to a Loveyush London breastfeeding scarf
I would treat Bea to a raspberry Cocooi sleep bag from Merino with a matching hat too! Esther and William each had a travel sleep bag from Merino and they were perfect even when they were teeny tiny babies. Merino Kids sell beautiful safe sleep products for little ones of all ages and stages. Love their Go Go Bags!
I would buy us all a pair of Moccis to keep our tootsies warm til Spring. So many fabulous, fun designs! And I paricularly love all the stars and the rainbows! The penguins are particularly cute with Christmas fast approaching
I would treat Bea’s gums to a MummaBubba Birdie teether, in pink obviously. Look at those secret stars!
So there you have it, some of the products I will enjoy looking out for at Olympia this weekend.
If money were no object for you at The Baby Show, what would you buy?
The playing adult steps sideward into another reality; the playing child advances forward to new stages of mastery.
Erik H. Erikson
As the season changed from Summer to Autumn
As the leaves began to change and fall
William started to have a memory
A memory of a tuff spot
Filled with Autumn leaves, garden treasures and woodland animals
William wanted to make the Autumn tracks again
One year on and ours is still a house of trains
But William also now loves diggers and tractors and cars
Esther loves animals in her small world play
With all the different wants and needs in mind
We decided to use both the tuff spot and the gardening tray
To create our woodland tracks and harvest farm
For the woodland tracks
We collected leaf litter and berries from our garden
We added pebbles and plastic woodland animals
This year the track was much more complex than last
Too big to stay inside the tuff spot
It came up and over the cement tray edge
Branching out to turn tables and engine sheds
Through tunnels and over bridges
One branch line
Took the trains from the woodland
To Harvest Farm
A sensory farm
Made with lentils and cous cous
Sprinkled with mixed herbs for scent
Spaghetti was scattered
Ready to be collected and transported
From tractor trailer to train
Esther and William had a wonderful time
Loading trucks
Making deliveries
Harvesting berries
Feeding animals
Clearing tracks
Fixing broken bridges
Weathering storms
Making shelters
Play is the highest form of research
Albert Einstein
Having a train track
Linking the two play areas
Worked really really well
We have been reading books about Autumn
And Harvest
In preparation for this week’s Harvest Festival
This seasonal, sensory, small world play
Has not only been great fun
It has also extended their knowledge and understanding
And developed a whole range of new concepts and skills
It has also given us valuable time together as a family
Time to play
Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning
Mr. Rogers