Tall Trees Trail

Today some good friends from Tonbridge, the Bacon and Crouch families, have been down to visit us. Daniel and Joshua have loved having some ‘big children’ to play with and we were blessed with good weather for the day.

This afternoon we went to Blackwater Arboretum and walked around the Tall Trees Trail. As well as the impressive towering redwoods, we were quite taken with this pair of trees whose branches seem to have merged into one. It’s like they have held hands for so long that they’ve actually become one – what a great illustration for what marriage should be like!

Mummy’s afternoon at pre-school

This afternoon I had the privilege of joining the eighteen children and five leaders at Daniel’s pre-school session. His pre-school encourage parents to volunteer to come and spend a session with their children both to learn a bit more about what goes on, and to give their child a confidence boost as they are able to share what happens with you. There is always a sign-up sheet on the door for you to write down when you would like to go in.

I often wonder what Daniel is like at pre-school; how he behaves and who he plays with. This afternoon was a good opportunity to put faces to some of the names of the children Daniel talks about. I really enjoyed taking part, playing with Daniel and reading some stories to him and his friends.

As an added bonus for him, Daniel was chosen as the pre-school ‘Helper’ this afternoon. This involved such tasks as counting and recording the number of children and adults at the session and giving out the cups at snack time.

It was a great afternoon and Daniel really enjoyed me being there. Thankfully, as he was the helper and sometimes had to sit on the helper’s chair, he wasn’t too clingy or attached to me. Hopefully I will be able to go in again sometime and I will definitely encourage Chris to do the same.

Local Parks

When I was about five my family moved to a new house in a new town.  Before we moved, my parents went to visit our new house and I was very keen to hear all about it.  They told me that our new road was called Park Road and I remember thinking what better name could there possibly be for a road!

Like most young children, Daniel and Joshua love a trip to the local park.  We have two small play areas within very close walking distance of our house.  Neither of these have much space to run around in, but they are good for very young children to play in.

One of the two play areas in our immediate vicinity is a relatively recent one, having only been built in 2010.  It is a really lovely space and, in addition to the traditional slide and swings, it has some nice wooden play houses as well as a little mound to climb and rocks to scramble about on.  As it is only small without a lot of open space, the boys can roam about freely and you can keep an eye on them wherever they are.  With Joshua being a little escapologist, this is especially useful!

Knightwood Oak

Today the boys and I paid a visit to the Knightwood Oak, the largest oak tree in the New Forest.  It has a girth of over seven metres and is thought to be over 500 years old.  You can’t get right up to the tree to touch it and so I think perhaps the significance of its size was a bit lost on the boys.  However, they loved running around it and certainly tired themselves out with their races – both were asleep in the car on the journey home.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is Chris’ 30th birthday but he is actually away at a conference at the moment.  The alarm went at 4:45 this morning and we just managed to give him this card that we had made before driving him to Southampton to catch a train.  We will do the rest of his cards and presents once he is back on Sunday.

These are a few of my favourite things (Part 2)

Last week I started to share with you some of my favourite baby products.  Whereas last week’s items seemed to have a bit of a wintry theme to them, this week I will focus on some of my favourite ‘personal care’ products for your young children.  First up, an item that has revolutionised teeth cleaning in our household (at least for Joshua!)

Brush-Baby Chewable Toothbrush

Although we had heard about the Brush-Baby Chewable Toothbrush when Daniel was tiny, it was not until Joshua started to get teeth that we decided to get one.  Having witnessed the rapid speed at which Daniel got through toothbrushes as a result of his insistence on chewing them, we were keen to see if a chewable toothbrush would be able to last a bit longer.  Joshua received one in his stocking at Christmas and it has proved to be a big hit!

We can confirm that the Brush-Baby Chewable Toothbrush does indeed last longer than a conventional toothbrush.  Made of silicone, the toothbrush is both flexible and durable.  The bristles can withstand a lot of chewing and the toothbrush makes a great teether as well as a toothbrush!  It is also dishwasher safe, adding to its longevity as you can give it a proper clean after your toddler has chucked it behind the toilet or wherever else they decide to put it.

The bristles on the toothbrush are positioned on both sides so that top and bottom teeth are being cleaned at the same time.  It is an ideal size for little hands to hold and it fits well into Josh’s mouth, reaching even his new molars growing at the back.  Its flexibility also means that you don’t worry so much about your little one wandering around with the toothbrush in the same way as you would with a normal toothbrush.

We are huge fans of the Brush-Baby Chewable Toothbrush.  Joshua did once lose it and, without hesitation, we went out and bought another one.  Thankfully, we discovered the original one at the bottom of a toy box and, after putting it through the dishwasher, we now have a spare in case one goes missing again.

Hippychick Tencel Fitted Mattress Protector

When Daniel was ready to come out of night-time nappies, we bought the Hippychick Tencel Fitted Mattress Protector to go on his bed.  Remembering the plastic sheets from my own childhood, I was amazed by this brilliant product!  The sheet was so soft and there is no rustling when Daniel rolls over in bed.  In fact, you would hardly know the sheet was there at all!

Apparently Tencel is made from wood pulp cellulose and this, combined with a layer of polyurethane, makes for a soft and breathable yet waterproof mattress protector.  Tencel is an absorbent material so there is none of the sweaty nastiness you might associate with a waterproof sheet.

Hippychick do Tencel mattress protectors in a whole range of sizes from cot to super king size so you should easily find one to meet your own requirements.  We highly recommend them and will definitely be buying another when Joshua gets to this stage.

Caterpillars

Today has been quite a caterpillar-themed day!  This morning we were singing about and pretending to be caterpillars at Pyjama Drama, and then this afternoon we had a very wet caterpillar-themed afternoon at Testwood Wildlife Tots.

The Wildlife Tots session this afternoon started with the children being shown caterpillar eggs on a leaf that had obviously been chewed by a caterpillar.  We then went outside to hunt for leaves that had been chewed by caterpillars ourselves, and some were lucky enough to find a few caterpillar eggs as well.  Whilst we were still outside, the children played a game where they had to be caterpillars looking for food.  After they had eaten enough leaves, they were then given a pair of butterfly wings to wear.  Daniel loved his butterfly wings!

Once we returned to the classroom, the children were read the story of the Very Hungry Caterpillar and they then did some craft activities.  Daniel made a potato print caterpillar picture, and a butterfly finger puppet.

Today was the first time that I didn’t take the pushchair to Wildlife Tots for Josh.  The staff at Testwood Lakes lent him some wellies which were only a little bit too big for him.  He looked very cute but unfortunately I didn’t have my camera on me.  I’m sure over the next few months he will be able to get even more involved in activities like this.