Summer's here!

Which means all the splash pads and pools are gradually opening their gates and doors to the public. I love summer and I hope this year's is just as nice as last year's.

Day out to Bournemouth Beach

It was my birthday over the weekend and as a treat, our neighbours and very good friends took us out for the day to Bournemouth Beach. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it is. I had always imagined all British seaside towns to be run down and full of bland dodgy gaming centres and amusement arcades hence why I don't associate beach holidays with being in the UK but Bournemouth changed my opinion slightly. Yes the water was not exactly very warm but it was manageable and the beach was very clean. Plus the gradient at the beach is not very steep meaning the water is shallow enough to make dipping with T a much pleasurable experience. I will like to try the Torbay area next. With companies especially airlines bumping up their prices during school holidays and with T starting school real soon, it is worth investigating the options available within the UK.

Visit to Legoland

Just had a fantastic visit to Legoland Windsor resort to mark T's second 'celebration day'. It was a very wet day, probably not the best weather to head out to a theme park in, nevertheless it didn't seem to matter once we got there and at the end of the day, our visit regardless of the rain was well worth it. T and his friend who we went with had so much fun and no surprises he is already asking to go there again. As a result I am hoping to do it big next time and take him on holiday to the original Legoland resort in Billund, Denmark. Fingers crossed!

It's a birthday party

T had his birthday party yesterday and it was a great opportunity to get his friends together in one place, catch up, play, and parrrty! The kids had so much fun playing various games including 'pin the tail on the donkey', 'musical chairs', 'pass the parcel', and the one that proved the most popular, ' a pinata'. Overall it was a great day and a marvelous celebration. We are thankful to everyone that came out to help us celebrate.

Stencil magic

T and I went out to Hobbycraft last week and soon as he saw this alphabet, numbers and symbols stencil, he wanted it. Thinking he wouldn't have any use for it, I refused to buy it at first but he nagged me until I relented and bought it. I am so glad I did because copying it in and then announcing to the whole house that he can write numbers and alphabets is now his favorite thing to do in the morning.

An afternoon with daddy at the cinema

T has been asking to see The Muppets: Most Wanted ever since he saw the trailer and since I am a big fan of The Muppets I thought why not. He had been to the cinema before with my other half to see Mr Peabody and Sherman and I was told he was good through most of the showing. Anyway I should have known he had other plans today when just as we were leaving home he said, ‘yes I am going to go to the cinema and the man there will give me a big bag of popcorn’. We got to the cinema and sure enough he asked for and got popcorn. The rest of our time in the cinema was then spent concentrating on the overpriced popcorn and half-watching the movie. Other than when Miss Piggy performed the Macarena which he actually got up and danced to, he was like whatever, eating loudly and yapping away the whole time. He only really seemed to go quiet and pay attention to the movie whenever there was a loud bang or when Miss Piggy was on screen.  Big Miss Piggy fan like me then I think.  The movie was actually very good and I enjoyed it very much by the way. As we left the cinema, T pointed to a poster of Rio 2. He thinks he is going back to the cinema again next week to see it. However I think he can wait until it comes out on DVD. If he wants popcorn I will gladly buy it for him at the local supermarket for a fraction of what they sell it for at the cinema.

Trip to Warks and the Black Country

T has his first proper trip in the UK this week. As part of the trip, we took in Warwick, Royal Lemington Spa and the West Midlands Safari park. We also had quite the drive around the UK's second largest city, Birmingham, and the towns of Stourbridge, Hagley and Kidderminster, thanks to not having Sat-Nav and getting lost at the interchange between the M40 and the M42 on the journey westwards. All in all we had a great time. I was particularly in awe of the striking dissimilarities between  the architecture in Royal Lemington Spa and Warwick, and I loved the Safari Park tour. T on the other hand preferred his time chilling in the hotel and was quite keen to get the Safari tour ended so he could head straight to the rides at the Safari theme park. Certainly can't wait for our next trip.

He made himself a ring

T and I woke up this morning and soon as we walked into the living room, he spotted a piece of his DIY tool kit and some left over foami piece on the floor. Almost immediately he sat down and got busy with them while I went to the kitchen and started making breakfast. Moments later, I got a tap on my thigh. Look I made myself a ring, he said, showing off his creation. I love it!

See ya later Winter

I want to say it has been a long dark winter but I cannot remember waking up in the morning to any snow or icy frost this winter; all I remember is there was a lot of rain. Anyways, over the last few days the sun has been making a much welcome and needed appearance and oh boy am I glad. At some point yesterday the temperature on my phone was indicating 20 degrees... in March!!! Well that wass just fantastic and we made sure we made the most of it by spending a good part of the afternoon in the park. Hopefully the sunny weather is here to stay because Lord knows we have had enough rain and staying indoors this year already. I will be keeping my fingers very crossed indeed.

Awesome new arts and craft creations

Went from this...

To this, thanks to the help of some few YouTube tutorials

Have fun playing with them T x

Happy Valentine's day

T made cards at playgroup today and I was so glad when the teacher asked who the cards are for, he mentioned us his parents, not his best pals, L and B. I am so going to treasure this and every other cards he makes and dedicates to me while I can because heaven knows, he'll soon grow up and this won't be the case every time anymore. Sending abundant love to you all today and always x

Ballet classes

Since we have a lot of time on our hands these days and there is hardly anything to do outside now, we decided to look up some sports and dance activity classes for T to attend around our area. Bar ballet and swimming which he already attends classes for, he was too young for all the other activities we came across. Knowing ballet can help improve his strength, focus and coordination we asked him if he would like to attend ballet classes and he asked to be signed up right away. Today was his first day and he did so well, I was proud. He was the only boy in the class but that didn't matter because he had so much fun plus it meant he was the centre of attention for both the other students and the instructor. Sitting there watching the instructor say: marching, marching, tip toe, tip toe, now flap... I was so tempted to run up and sign myself up.

January blues

January blues sure is real. After that massive come down from Christmas and New Year's day being over, it is time to face the long cold and dark days of winter head on with no real holidays to look forward to until Easter (forget Valentine's day). It doesn't help as well that it hasn't stopped raining and the weather is just not conducive for the outdoors. I am doing all I can to keep T occupied indoors but sometimes my best can just never be enough considering he is a very boisterous kid that loves to run around and have a tumble and he cannot really do that indoors. For the moment I have no choice but to take him to indoor soft play venues and events but I will gladly choose playing in the park or playground over those any day. Anyway, I am just complaining. Winter offers it's own share of adventure and activities even if the outdoors are a constant no go. We will just have to keep our head up, take what we can have, create new adventures and ideas, and await the arrival of summer (no rain please!)

Still buzzing like a bee

Some quick computer time! T's christening and my wedding went well in case you are wondering. It was a small event and close friends and family members were there to help share in our joy and celebrate; we all had such an amazing time. Poor T was so exhausted from all the activities and having to smile the whole time for the camera, he actually fell asleep with me carrying him at some point.
We still haven't had anytime to sit still and are getting ready to head to the zoo as I type. I hope T has a good time because it is cold and the ground is all covered in snow which fell last Saturday at the moment.

Indulging in snowy activities

Hello from New York state where T  is having a whale of a good time. It snowed here a couple of days ago, not London snow, I am talking proper snow. It all started as a small dusting the day after we arrived. T was loving it praying and asking for more big snow so he can go out sledding and build a snow man with his cousins. And his prayers were certainly answered because it snowed heavily overnight and he had tons of fun playing in the snow this afternoon. Now if he could just get himself up the slope the next time instead of asking me to ferry him. All the same it was quite an experience.

When T met Santa at Harrods

T went to see Santa at Harrods on Thursday and it was quite an experience. As soon as he saw the grotto and the Christmas decorations, he went absolutely nuts jumping up and down and grinning widely. When he met Santa, he walked up and said hi before requesting Woody (from Toy Story) for Christmas; he always told me he wanted Buzz but hey. I have to say I was well and truly impressed by the whole experience, it was well organised, we didn't have to wait long, and our Santa was as pleasant, believable and magical as ever. Can't wait to do it again next year.

Halloween

We had such a fabulous Halloween this year thank heavens. Aside from the usual pumpkin carving, T had his friends over for a kiddie Halloween themed party and it was so much fun.
After the fiasco that was last year that saw no one knocking on our door to trick or treat even though we had lit pumpkins out and lots of candy to hand out, we decided to hit the town this year. At first we were not sure where to go having scouted the local area and noticed there wasn't much going on in terms of pumpkins on display outside houses however after some brief research online, we decided to go to St Johns Wood. It was a great decision because the whole area was packed with kids trick or treating and locals playing music and handing out candy to all the little ghouls and monsters that knocked on their door. T was dressed as Spongebob and his outfit was highly complimented by the many people we encountered on the night. The best part as well was rain which was forecast, stayed away. All in all, it was a great night and T got a massive haul of sweets and candy I needn't return to the store for at least the next few months. We can't wait to do it again next year.

Goo fun

Brought T this £1 bowl of goo two days ago. He has had way much fun with it than with the £10 toy he was given last month. Who says you need something of huge value to stimulate their imagination... not me!

The music box

Once in a while I visit the charity shops on our high road to see what hidden treasures are lurking in them at dirt cheap prices. Thrifty I know! I could not believe my eyes while we were in one today and T found a toy music box underneath a pile of cuddly toys I had been looking at. He had wanted one for ages having played with a similar toy at a playgroup we go until the battery in that died and was never replaced. At 99p, this music box is a bargain that should keep him entertained for quite a while.

His first proper video game

T is breathing a well deserved new life into the Nintendo DS I received for Christmas in 2009. A present I treasured and played frequently at first, once the allure wore out, it didn't take long for me to loose interest and toss it somewhere in the house because I am not the handheld console gaming sort of of individual. Luckily I didn't go and sell it off on Ebay or something like that because these days it has become a play and learning tool for the young man. I just brought him his first cartridge, a Sesame Street: Cookies Counting carnival bundle and he is loving the games that include number identification, counting, shapes and pattern recognition at the moment.