I feel a poem coming on! I think that I could write a good one if I only had the time. However, despite the presence of our lovely au pair, my gorgeous Alexander wants to play with me and every time that I close my bedroom door, he starts crying! So, here goes. It’s a been a while coming and this place deserves a great write-up. Most mothers in the vicinity already know about it but if you are within a reasonable distance of St. Albans and you have children then make it your business to find out and go visit – you won’t regret it. Continue Reading

This is a guest post, I’m being lazy but I’m swamped! I love the idea and toddler Pregnantcitygirl is not eating well at all so I definitely want one of these!
– Best-selling author & poet Roger McGough re-writes family teatimes – Continue Reading

It’s a dream of private schooling in the future or toys to play with now! Well, that’s how I see it. Parents these days are struggling to make ends meet. It’s harder than in our parents’ days. So, with that in mind every purchase has to be a considered one. I have only bought a few toys for Alexander. I say ‘few’ but his bedroom is filling up far too quickly anyway!
He is now 18 months old, unbelievably. I worry about everything. Does he have the right toys to help his development? Does he have enough toys? Should he still be playing with the toys that he’s had for the last year? It’s ridiculous of course and I know it!
After much research and lots of input from my au pair on what he plays with most at the drop-in we settled on one very big and important acquisition – a kitchen. Some of you might be a little surprised. No workbench? Something more masculine? Well, it is a blue kitchen. It’s actually a beautifully designed and made, wooden blue kitchen from one of my favourite shops the ELC, not just because it contains the words ‘early’ and ‘learning’ in it’s name but because I trust them. I know that whatever I choose from there I can be safe in the knowledge that it has already been carefully vetted by their buyers. It stops me from buying every shiny, plastic thing in sight for my previous little one and keeps shopping more focused! Well, someone needs to! Continue Reading

Now as some of you may know, Alexander turned one recently. Being a boy, he’s decided to do a lot of cruising and a lot of crawling but not so much of the walking (yet)! I’m not moaning about that, no, not me, I’m not competitive at all. I don’t feel just that little bit better when others his age can’t walk either ( I daren’t say that I’m disappointed when I hear others his age are. That would be plain wrong!! Anyway, I just tell myself that he talks a lot and I choose talking over walking any day!
Anyway, I’m wandering off subject now slightly because this post is about foot protection. I was happy to let Alexander potter around in socks with non-slip soles in the beginning, when it wasn’t winter but slowly but surely as we are very much used to in the UK, those reasonably warm temperatures outside plummeted to very cold temperatures sometime back in October. I don’t have a pram foot muff yet, oh bad mother that I am and I didn’t want to venture into shoes just yet as most advice states that before babies are really walking it is not good to start putting their feet into harder structures than needed whilst they develop. You can get cruising shoes too which are softer than normal shoes but still hard and I’m yet to be convinced.

So, doing a little research I came across Moccis; Swedish moccasins and now I can’t live without them. Hand sewn in Sweden, these absolutely beautiful things are like hybrid sock/shoes! They are basically exactly what every toddler needs. They come in thirty-five fun designs we have Fly Me To The Moon and Just Give Me A Kiss but Alexander also has his eye on Croc Me Up and That’s It:Navy! They are thicker and more elasticated than socks so that they stay on and the sole is made of skid proof leather so he is safe on our wooden floors. Also, his feet are more protected when we go outside, thus warmer. On a practical note, they are machine washable, made of breathable cotton as poor Alexander does get hot feet sometimes and lastly they are made from natural Ecotex certified yarns. If you are thinking of Christmas gifts they come in nifty little eco-friendly bags too and also to mention that they are for adults too; I love my pair as I don’t like wearing slippers and socks just don’t cut it!

You would think that something like this would be easy to find and that most shoe shops would stock them but they don’t. They insist on pushing our toddlers into shoes before they need them or are ready for them and if you have a toddler who isn’t quite walking (or even who is!) over winter then get yourselves a matching pair of these. The adult’s come in wool too. You will thank me! Continue Reading

Well it’s been a long and busy month and we are only two weeks in! I’ve shortened my life by at least five years with the stress but it was definitely worth it, I think! Well, sort of. You may be wondering what I’m going on about. It’s called Event Management and if I say so myself I’d hire me to stage any event given the immense success of the one I have just pulled off. It was Alexander’s 1st birthday of course and what a party. He won’t remember it but he won’t have to because it may have been in the press and we have videos and photos galore. We even had a Daily Mail photographer in attendance! ‘Why?’  you may ask. Well, at this moment I am asking myself the same question so this article comes with a warning for now, until I actually manage to find out how it all ends and I say manage because I do not know. Continue Reading