Toddler travels

There is a great buzz in our household at the moment, the source? My little baby brother's wedding is fast approaching! Now most of the dress/hat/shoe sagas are sorted out there are a couple of new hurdles on the horizon.

Task one: Getting there
This involves a bit of a road trip, an estimated 6 hours in fact. We did a similar length journey last year but at 2.5 years Squiggle now has twice the energy and half the patience, so it might not be be such plain sailing. I need to travel prepared. 

I have a to do list as long as my arm:
Buy/pack some mess free, slow to eat snacks for bribery 

Purchase a surprise toy for novelty value
Look out some travel sized books
Check the car

Clear out the car
Look into breakdown cover
Get lots of sleep so we can leave at the crack of dawn while there's a chance little on may still sleep.
Pack a couple of her CDs (or will 10 renditions of the dingle dangle scarecrow tip daddy driver over the edge?)
Borrow in-car DVD player from a friend – potential life saver.

Research service stations in the hope there is one on route with a playground where she can stretch her legs.

Task two: Sitting nicely through the wedding

My little girl adores my brother and fiance and follows them about everywhere whenever they visit, giggling and becoming almost delirious with excitement. It is very cute but I have visions of Squiggle chasing the bride down the aisle and asking her to play hide and seek. 

In preparation we've been talking about the wedding for a long time now. I've been telling her that her aunt will be so so proud of her if she sits and listens nicely with all the boys and girls at the wedding.

I have an emergency sticker book which I plan to whip out during the wedding breakfast but it's such a long time to sit still for a little one. I've told her that the reward for all this is the best party she's ever seen with lots and lots of dancing and fun with all her cousins.

Lets hope it's a day to remember for all the right reasons!

Cross your fingers for me and if you've got any good tips, I would love you to share them.

This is a sponsored post

The Joy of Swimming

This is my entry to the BritMums Joy of Swimming Competition, sponsored by British Gas.


Swimming memories...I have lots of wonderful swimming memories – my dad teaching me, my mums face as my little brother chose to swim underwater before above it, braving the British seas on family holidays and always always insisting you weren't cold and didn't need to come out – despite having blue lips and being covered in goose bumps. One of favourite things in the world is to swim in the sea, I find it so peaceful and relaxing... you won't often find me by a hotel pool!

My swimming memory I have chosen may not sound like it should be a joyous one but strangely I always look back at it happily. It was all very exciting to me at the time and the memory always brings me a smile.

I can't remember how old I was - perhaps 5ish - I could swim, just not that strongly. We were on the holiday of our dreams visiting Disney in America and were at the Wet and Wild water park for the day. I was having fun swimming in the pool, I think my older sister and dad were in there too, it was pretty busy and my mum was sitting out with my baby brother. Now don't ask me why but we had no idea it was a wave pool... until the waves began to start. I thought it was really funny when they started, then the pool started to feel very crowded and very deep and as I went up and right down it wasn't long before I wasn't too sure about it, then just blackness.

The next thing I remember was waking up in an American mans arms and being handed to my worried or maybe more embarrassed mum! I don't even think I told anyone I had passed out, I was so worried I'd never be allowed in any of the pools again. I paddled with my brother on the beach bit of the pool instead while the waves were on after that.

Looking back I always think how these memories make me realise how different I was as a child. I never complained of illness or injury (I once skied a whole day with a broken arm) and just didn't have that sense of fear. I just wanted to get back in the water! These days I'm all up for a bit of sympathy!

It's such a shame you lose that as you get older, but I guess it's necessary for survival... and so that you are able to be responsible watch out for your own fearless child I guess.

I love watching my daughter swimming she just has so much excitement in the water. At 2 half I have just managed to get her over her bizarre fear of inflatable things to wear some armbands. She loved it! And kept begging me to let go so she could swim on her own...hmmm. No fear in her yet either then!!


My water baby

The Gruffalo LIVE

On Friday we went to see the Gruffalo live at our local theater. I had ummed and aaahed about wether to get tickets after looking at the website but then my mum brought us some as a treat so it was decided! My reservations had been that I had an idea from seeing photos it wasn't going to be what you may expect, with no cute cuddly costumes, I thought it was probably going to be a bit of a dramatic representation, and perhaps not what a 2 year old might expect from her beloved book.

I was pleasantly surprised though, it was a really entertaining and good fun production. There was audience interaction, plenty of singing and a bit if good old slapstick. Squiggle took her Gruffalo toy with her and he was happily dancing along to his song at the end. She was glued to the show until about the last 15 minutes when she started to get restless but she said she really enjoyed it. 

Of the character she was most taken in by the mouse (perhaps the most realistic animal) and her liked songs the best. Some of the jokes we felt were aimed more at adults, which, while entertaining, seemed a bit wasted... the best result for the adult is always seeing a smile on your child's face!

A good portion of the audience was school trips, including my 6 year old neice who loved it. Her review was: 


It was really funny... there were only three people on it... the Gruffalo looked like he was made of leaves... and the snake had a funny moustache.

Six year olds should review everything!

The school children behind us were finding it really funny too and I think it is really aimed at their age group. The book is loved by children of such a range of ages though I think it would have been nice to have made the animal costumes a little more recognisable, I don't think it would have detracted from what they were trying to do, and would have draw in all the toddlers in the audience too.


Whilst watching fox, owl and snake sing their songs I was honestly imagining it was Noel Fielding up there, and they were the Mighty Boosch's latest characters... Was that just me?

We had a great morning out and it was A lovely chance to take Squiggle to the theater which was an adventure and great experience in itself!


Has anyone else been to see it? I'd love to hear what you thought!

Taking the potty plunge

We haven't had a lot of potty luck in the past and I decided not to push things and wait and see if she showed more signs of being ready. At 2 half I started to feel it just can't be very nice to be in a nappy so we have decided to really take the plunge.

The wet weather has helped as while my mum has had her this week she's been inside with her and able to let her run nappy free with the potty on standby! When different people aee looking after her I think we all need to go for it together or it will never work.

While she's wearing pullups she just shows no interest in using the potty or toilet so the last few days I've been brave and gone all out for knickers!! It's actually very nerve wracking when you leave the house, she won't try and go before you leave like a grown up would, or when you happen to be passing the family toilets, so it's a risky business! I have heard about fold out portable potties so I think I may need to invest in one. I felt like a terrible mother yesterday in the garden centre as I tried to get her to sit on the toilet after lunch and she was screaming she didn't want to. I shouldn't have pushed her, she didn't actually need to go, she was right! We made it safely round the shops to our relief...

When we went to Granny's house I was slightly concerned about my mother in laws lovely rug she brought back all the way from China, so I asked Squiggle if she wanted to wear a nappy while she was playing there. She said nappies were for babies and little girls wore pants. This was a massive breakthrough for us! All along she has insisted she loves nappies and she's only little, so this change of heart was a good omen I thought.

The biggest result was when I put her to bed she told me she needed her potty and we had a poo! I was delighted that she actually asked instead of me asking her all the time. Maybe I just need to have more confidence in her.

Saying that my husband has just taken her to Tesco and I am sat here worried about a major mid trolley disaster...