Monday 30 April 2012

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!

Sunday 29 April 2012

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...

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Coming home

So that's us, we are back from our little family holiday to Italy. It's such a nice feeling when you realise your house isn't just a house, it's your home. I got that real warm feeling when we walked in last night. The hubby and I both said it wasn't coming home we were sad of, just that it meant back to the old routine and back to less time together. But...

It also means back to my blog which is of course a big positive!

Wednesday 11 April 2012

The Gallery – Our Easter

Our Easter was so much fun this year. On Sunday morning when I wished her happy Easter she straight away asked if the Easter bunny had been. So cute! He left her a note in the lounge to say due to the rain he had hidden 5 eggs in the lounge. I wish the age of believing could last forever!!

This is my entry to The Gallery for the theme Easter... make sure you go and have a look at all the other wonderful entries.