Wednesday, 28 February 2018

Our Weekend Happy

Welcome back to another post on what we have done on the weekend!

So as normal we started the weekend at three fifteen when we collected James from school! We came home and both boys had their after school snack, while mummy opened some windows as the living room stank from changing Freddie's sticky nappy before we left for the school run!

While mummy finished cooking the roast chicken dinner for tea and doing the washing up the boys were playing in the living room and mummy came in to find Freddie jumping on James!
 

Later on after tea the boys and mummy had a game of pop up pirate! James absolutely loves this game and this was the first time we had tried to play it with Freddie! He was having a ball putting the swords in and shouting my "turn my turn!"

                          

                                                

Once Daddy was home it was getting near to bed time and daddy was going to put Freddie down in his room but  Freddie was having none of it and was shouting for his mummy! So Freddie ended up in mummy and daddy's bed while daddy put James to sleep! I think we have the last of the molars coming in as he was really grumpy in his sleep!

Saturday started at 6am when Freddie woke up demanding Peppa! So mummy put on Netflix so we could get a little bit more sleep till James woke up an hour later, Then it was breakfast time for the boys and Milkshake on channel 5!

Mummy and Freddie then popped to Tesco to go and get Freddie some passport photos taken as we need to get the boys passports done asap before the price shoots up in March. While Mummy was at Tesco James stayed back at home with daddy and did his maths homework! The rest of the day was just spent chilling out and watching the rugby!

Sunday Mummy and Freddie did a little shop at Aldi to top us up on little bits as we are trying to eat out the Freezer again as it is pretty jam packed and needs emptying! Then it was chill out for the rest of the day before school on Monday! And of course Sunday night finishes with Dancing On Ice which mummy adores and now James does too!

Monday, 26 February 2018

Living Arrows 2018 9/53

Welcome back to Living Arrows week 9 for 2018!
After a crazy busy half term holiday which resulted in mummy, James and Freddie only having two nights in our house, It's so nice to be back to the routine of school and playgroup this week!

This week James has been loving being back at school with all his friends especially as he missed some time before the holidays due to being ill! After school on Friday evening James decided he was going to teach Freddie how to play Pop Up Pirate which now seems to be a favourite game with both of the boys! They were so cute playing together! I love that they are at the age now where they can play quite nicely together and I don't have to worry about leaving them and having to come in the referee fights!

 

Freddie has been back at playgroup and poor thing has gone back to square one with his crying when he's dropped off! Tuesday he was clinging to me so bad. Wednesday he wasn't too bad he went in crying, but when I picked him up he came bouncing out full of chat! He's also been enjoying testing out his new SnoozeShade Plus Deluxe (full review coming soon!)


I'm really pleased that I have got two months into Living Arrows this year! I'm really hopeful that I can complete it this year!




Living Arrows

Saturday, 24 February 2018

London Day Out!

Last term at school James was doing all about The Great Fire of London, so when we started talking to him about going down to Surrey to see his nanny and pappy he requested that we also go to London!

Since we were down from the evening of the 9th and coming home on the lunchtime of the 14th we had a choice of four days on which to go into London and do all the tourist things! 

We decided to go in on the Monday James only had three places that he wanted to see - Big Ben, The Palace of Westminster and Pudding Lane where the Great Fire of London actually started! Although James did ask us if the Bakery where the fire started would actually be there!

When we get the train in from Walton-on-Thames, we get into London Waterloo station so we were in the perfect place to start with going to see Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament of course The London Eye!

 




We then headed off up Whitehall towards Downing Street and the cenotaph. When we got up towards Horse Guards Parade we were able to go in and see the household Calvary doing a display which the boys loved! We let Freddie out of his pushchair here for a little run around as there was plenty of space! 



We then walked up to Trafalgar Square so James could see the fountains! We then headed off in the direction of Leicester Square as James was desperate to go to M&M World and the Lego store! 



After spending some time in these shops we had a McDonald's lunch and then headed to get the tube across to monument so we could visit Pudding Lane! James was thrilled to see a sign telling him all about the bakery! 



We then walked down and across to London Bridge and took some photos of Tower Bridge! We then went to London Bridge station and got the tube to Green Park and then changed to Piccadilly Circus to then walk up Regent Street to take James to Hamley's! Both boys had some money from nana and gaga to spend, plus mummy and daddy had said we would buy them both something too! So jams ended up with construction vehicles from mummy and daddy and a playmobile explorer with an ice dragon from nana and gaga, Freddie got a peppa pig cuddly toy from mummy and daddy and a peppa pig book from nana and gaga.



Then it was back down Regent Street to Piccadilly Circus and then across to The Mall and back through Admiralty arch to Trafalgar Square and back onto Whitehall and round to cross Westminster bridge and walk back around to Waterloo to get the train back to Walton-on-Thames.

It was a long day but we had so much fun! Hopefully next time we go down we can take the boys on the London Eye or maybe the aquarium as we felt they were still a bit young this time especially for the eye! I don't think that Freddie would have liked being contained in a pod on the London Eye very much!


Thursday, 22 February 2018

Review of the Zak Storm Hover Vehicle and Collectable Coins


James is such a typical boy, who is into cars and super heroes. He also loves technology, so anything that involves his tablet is a big plus to him! He loves playing games on his tablet that will help him with his learning or that he can incorporate with his toys! So when the people behind the Pop UK show Zak Storm got in touch and asked if he would like to review some of their toys and the accompanying app on mummy’s iPad he was thrilled! He loves his tablet, but if he gets to use mummies he is thrilled!

We were sent the Zak Storm Hover Vehicle and Figures retailing at £14.99 and two of the Collectable Coin packs retailing at £4.99 per pack.

These actually arrived with us late afternoon while mummy was cooking the tea and James was thrilled to see that it was actually something for him to use! He however decided to wait till the next day after school to take them out of the packet as he still had his school reading to do that night.

The first thing that mummy did was get out the iPad and go to download the app, this is where it got tricky as when we went to download it onto my iPad mini 2 it wouldn’t download with the message saying you need iOS 10, My iPad operates on iOS 9.5 which according to Apple is the highest iOS software available for that device. Luckily the app is also available on Android and Amazon FireOS 5.0, so you don’t necessarily need to own an Apple device to access all the fun that the app and Collectable Coins create!

The Collectable Coins have a QR code on the back of them to scan into the app to receive digital rewards such as weapons, powers, words and health. This helps you to progress in the game! So the more coins you collect, the more loot you can get to help you in the game!
The best thing I have found is that you don’t need to actually have the app to get enjoyment out of the figures!

Zak Storm is what is known as a connected play experience, where children watch the show, play the game and level up to enjoy a mobile gaming experience like never before. 

James had a brilliant time exploring the app and scanning in the codes on the coins to see what he got! I can definitely see us ordering James some more of the coins as he loves blind bags and the fact that these ones have the codes for the game, it’s even better!
We have also downloaded him the Coin Sheet from the Zak Storm website so he can keep track of which coins he has and which coins he needs!

James loved showing the app and the coins to daddy and seeing as daddy is a big fan of computer games, I think this is something that daddy and James can enjoy together!

These products that we were sent are available from Smyths Toys, along with many other toys which I think will be on James list for his birthday!


**We were sent these products free of charge in exchange for this review, all words and pictures are our own!**

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

Our Weekend Happy

This weekend has been quite a chilled one before James goes back to school after the half term holiday. We actually have only spent two nights of half term at home!

Friday we woke up at nanas house! Nana and gaga had picked us up from home on Thursday lunch time as James had to get his eyes tested! We had quite a chilled out day watching tv and playing with all the toys the boys keep at nana and gaga's house, in the afternoon mummy and nana took the boys across to Amble as we needed to grab a few bits from the shops and James wanted to go and see the fishing boats! The boys had some quiet time in the afternoon and snuggled up on mummy's bed to watch Peppa!

Saturday we were up playing with the toys as mummy's laptop was meant to be coming back from repair (it didn't come back and mummy is cross!!) We needed to go to argos at Alnwick to return Freddie's buggy and pick up the new one (post will come on that soon!) while we were there we decided to pop into sainsburys and pick up some bits for tea. Freddie was thrilled to get his first pair of slippers which had Hey Duggee on them! While mummy got James some Superzings! We had an early tea as Freddie hadnt napped and he was exhausted. While mumm, nana and Freddie were out James and gaga got the scalectrix out! They can only really play on it when Freddie is either asleep or not in the house as he causes mayhem with it!

Sunday well Freddie decided he was going to wake mummy up at 0315am wanting to watch Peppa Pig! So mummy had an early start, Freddie eventually went back to sleep around 0430am and slept till just after eight, nana took him downstairs and gave him some breakfast so mummy could grab an extra hours sleep! We then left to go home around half past ten. We met daddy at aldi to do some shopping and the boys went home in the car with nana and gaga while mummy and daddy walked back. Once we were all back home we had some lunch and the boys played with the their toys. The early start caught up with Freddie and he passed out in the middle of the lounge floor for the first time ever! He then woke up and climbed onto mummy's knee and went back to sleep and mummy joined him! The boys were both in bed and asleep by eight ready for the week of school runs and playgroup ahead!

So this was our weekend happy! 

Monday, 19 February 2018

Living Arrows 2018 8/53

Welcome to Living Arrows 2018 Week 8!
We had a brilliant time last week visiting family and enjoying a family day out in London! 


James was thrilled he got to visit Pudding Lane, where the Great Fire of London started and we saw the monument that was built to commemorate it. By the time we got back to my in laws house our Google fit apps on our phones said we had walked over nine miles and done over twenty thousand steps! 

It was such a busy day! We arrived into London just after ten am and headed straight down to see the London Eye, Big Ben and Palace of Westminster. James was thrilled about seeing Big Ben especially as he had seen it on Go Jetters! 

The photos of the boys were actually taken while we were at their grandparents house and out in London!
       



 



Living Arrows

Saturday, 17 February 2018

Guest Post - The Modern Day Dad

Today we have a guest post from Han-Son at DaddiLife


The modern day dad - are we really ready?                      

I tried something different on Saturday. A dad’s club run by a local nursery. It was brilliant - not just for the kids - I mean who wouldn’t love Den Making, Sand Pits, Story Time, and all wrapped up with a lovely hot chocolate!?

But it was also great to simply socialise with a few other dads in the local area. As a dad who works full time, it can be tricky to get out and meet other dads, especially in a new town - so these moments are actually pretty good all-round.

I’ve spoken to a fair few other people about the experience since, and I’d estimate around 70% have seen it as a joke in some way - “what, really?” “Why do they waste their money on that,” and my personal favourite - “I don’t get that at all.”

I tried to explain that it’s there to encourage more bonding time with our children, and also meet new dads (and it was also free!).

But the whole thing also got me thinking about where things are at with the modern day dad.

Dads want to be more active

It’s a subject with a huge range of different factors, and with over 250,000 stay at home dads now, it’s clear that a shift is starting to happen rapidly across the UK.

But even though study after study shows how fathers want to be more actively involved dads across almost every area of their parenting life – there’s still a strong sense that the wider attitude in business and society is anything but.

Mums are not the only target

Everywhere we look, the world is parenting is still a vastly mum dominated world. And, hey, that’s not really a complaint as we have to realise that mums have been, over the last few decades, the de-facto primary caregiver.

But as more mums are breaking barriers of their own (and quite rightly), dads need to be doing the same. And some dads are starting to make their voices heard – where something as previously unquestioned like a ‘Mother and Baby’ aisle are now shifting to convey a more balanced sense of parenting.

Why did it take so long?

There are however, still a huge range of areas that need more dad’s focus. Everything from changing rooms, baby screenings at the cinema, and products from health through to even everyday items like the kids water bottles– it’s time we got our heads out of thinking as mum as the only caregiver, and start to reflect the facts of modern dad life.

It’s not just a UK issue ofcourse, but when you consider that New York is now ahead of most UK cities when it comes to nappy changing rooms being more accessible for dads, you realise quite how far we have to go yet.

Can dads find their voice in 2018?

As we embrace 2018, I hope that more dads can make their voices heard and get the organisation’s thinking about the parenting balance that our modern day attitudes really reflect.

Only through that will we start to evolve the way we as a larger society talk, see and hear about parenting, and who knows, perhaps we’ll even start to take the humble dad’s club even more seriously.

Author Bio


Han-Son runs DaddiLife – a parenting website for dads with a range of tips and advice across health, things to do, and reviews  - exclusively focused on the modern day dad.

Thursday, 15 February 2018

Siblings February 2018




Welcome to the February post for The Siblings Project. 

This month my boys have been busy going back to school for James and starting playgroup for Freddie. When they are not in school or playgroup then Freddie is James little shadow. In the mornings as soon as Freddie sees James he goes absolutely nuts and so hyper! However once we get home from school, he still does get a little bit upset some days as he really does miss having him around to play with.

The photos this month were taken one day after school and playgroup. The boys were sat on the sofa watching Cbeebies after their snack, although James was actually still eating part of his! They were both utterly exhausted as getting back into the swing of school and starting playgroup has taken it out of them!






James is not the biggest fan of having his photograph taken at the moment, but Freddie well he is such a poser and if he sees the phone he shouts cheese before you even have the camera app open!



The Siblings Project - Dear Beautiful