The good, the bad & the just plain weird of cBeebies...

So as you know, The Little Dude has been a poorly bunny since Friday. (He does appear to be lots better this morning - but I don't want to jinx it, staying home & taking it easy today just to be a million percent sure!) Anyway, the last 5 days have been spent mostly curled up on the sofa, with him on my lap in various states of half-awake, watching cBeebies.
We don't usually watch an awful lot of TV - just In The Night Garden (because Dylan loves it) & Mister Maker (because, well, you know why...) so three days of watching it more or less all day, has been something of an education. Here are my thoughts.
The Good:

I Can Cook. Real kids, making reasonably real food. Good stuff. And although I could live without Katie’s ‘re-cap songs’ (cringe!), I could see myself recreating her recipes with LD in years to come. (Unlike Big Cook Little Cook, we’ll get to them in a minute.)

Charlie & Lola. We actually really very love this. The animation is quite kitsch & old school – and I like that it doesn’t dumb down the English language for little people. Thumbs up.

Timmy Time. It may just be because I love Wallace & Grommit, or I might have been brainwashed by maybe the catchiest theme tune ever, but I like it.

Chuggington. Not one of my favourites (let’s face it – it’s just Thomas Tank for the next generation, right?), but the little man seems to love it- I think because it’s really bright & colourful. And again, I challenge you not to get the theme song stuck in your head.

The Bad:

Show Me Show Me. Does. My. Head. In. The girl presenter, looks like she’s dying inside (I’m a classically trained actress don’t you know – how did it come to this??!), her male friend could only ever have been a kid’s presenter (really, could he be more enthusiastic about everything?!), and I’m sure it’s a huge thrill for the parents of the children who get to go ‘Show Me Show Me …Penelope!’, but personally, I just find it annoying. And Penelope is a rubbish cartoon anyway. The LD generally zones out when it comes on, so I’m guessing he’s not a fan either.

Big Cook Little Cook. What fresh hell is this? The best café in town? Really? When you have to wait God knows how long for little cook to whizz away & get half the ingredients to make whatever delicacy Big Cook’s book reckons you’ll love? And really, they may differ in size, but they are equally enormously annoying. And unlike Katie – their ‘recipes’ really are rubbish in the main. Last time I checked, ketchup wasn’t an ‘ingredient’. Richard Herring sums them up better than I ever could. (Go have a read, hilarious!)

The Just Plain Weird:

Waybuloo. The jury’s out on this one. It seems to catch the little man’s attention, and I guess the characters are cute in a weird big-eyed kind of way, but what’s with the pigeon English? Is this the best example for ‘cheebies’ that are learning to talk? I’m not so sure.

Dirt Girl World. I thought I’d caught LD’s fever first time I saw this one. It’s just odd. I’m all for teaching children about growing veggies, and taking care of the planet & such – but I’d prefer the little man to join The Green Balloon club than watch this weirdness.
So yes, a mixed bag, to say the least! I’ll be glad when we can get back to filling most of the day with music & playing & going to the park & stuff – I fear too much more cBeebies may melt my tiny little brain!

What do you think?
Do your little ones have any favourites that make your head hurt? 

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The one where I'm feeling completely out of my depth...

Remember earlier this month I was sick? And I was all relieved that the Little Dude seemed to escape it other than one brief sicky incident & a few dodgy nappies? Well. I jinxed that good & proper.
My little man now officially has the lurgy that's been doing the rounds, and it is horrible.
He's been struggling to keep anything other than water & toast down since Friday, and is feeling very sorry for himself.

I was getting a bit fraught by yesterday lunchtime (read: a lot fraught. A big blubbery overtired mess actually - all panicky he'd start losing weight & end up back in hospital like when he was only a week old, generally feeling totally useless & like the worst mummy ever.), so called NHS direct (after getting no answer from my health visitor or GP - clearly babies just aren't supposed to be poorly on Saturdays - sorry 'bout that.) and spoke to a lovely nurse who calmed me down & said that as long as he's getting plenty of fluids, a few days off his food won't do too much harm.

I don't think that nurse will ever know how grateful I was for that call. I was in such a state, feeling like a crappy mummy, and in just a few minutes, she chilled me out & made me feel a million times better. She probably put the phone down thinking 'ah bless, first time mummy dealing with her first tummy bug - she best toughen up quick!'
And although I did have a slight mini-meltdown when the Daddy got home from work, I think that was more from sheer relief at having some help & a chance to close my eyes for 10 minutes.

It's times like this that make me realise just how much I still have to learn.
And remind me that I am completely responsible for taking care of my little man - that he's completely dependant on me come rain or shine.
And to be completely honest, it sometimes scares the bejeesus out of me.
Things will be ticking along nicely, I'll get comfortable - maybe even let myself think actually, I'm pretty good at this, and bang - something new comes along to remind me I'm still a complete novice.

Today, the Little Dude's much the same - a bit more cheerful when he's awake, but still sleeping a lot. No sickness in the night, so I tried giving him a bottle for breakfast - that was a mistake, but there are wet nappies, and he's still drinking lots of water & munching down his toast, so that's encouraging. And I managed some sleep, so have a slightly less neurotic-first-time-muimmy head on, and am feeling a bit less useless and overwhelmed by it all.

Still, fingers crossed he'll be better tomorrow - I miss my happy smiley little monster.

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The Mary Poppins Effect

Remember the scene in Mary Poppins, where she pulls all manner of wonderous things out of her oh-so-shabby-chic carpet bag?
I used to dream of having a bag like that.
Turns out, all you have to do is become a mummy, and get yourself a nappy bag.


Karin, over at Cafe Bebe, has challenged me to show you what's in my bag, so here we go...


My own bag of choice, is a Ju.Ju.Be in a stripey turquoise sort of flavour. (Which just so happens to match my turquoise Xplory beautifully.  Neurotic, moi?)
I love it - it's not too big, not too small, full of useful pockety goodness, and it's pretty. (But not so pretty that the Mr feels like too much of a girl to be seen with it.)

I also carry a handbag too, simply because they are one of the loves of my life & I feel naked without one.  It changes frequently, but is currently a little black cross body deelie, customised with a girly corsage.


So, what's in my bag?  Lots.  First up, the JuJu...
(NB: I have not edited the contents, I promise.  If it seems impossibly neat, it's because it is. I'm an OCD loony & dejunk my bags at least every other day!)

Front Pocket:

My Diary & some pens - various magical teething potions (Gel, Little homeopathic tablets that really are magical, and Bickiepegs which are a truly genius invention.) - Emergency Dummy - Mirror - Hair clips & band (For mummy hair emergencies) - Tiny pot of sudocreme - Cocoa butter lip balm - Body shop lip gloss - A Nail file.
There's also a handy keychain attached to the inside pocket, where I keep an emergency front doot key for those air headed 'crap i've locked myself out' moments.  And, theres a little secret zip pocket where I keep an emergency £10 note. (Which currently needs to be replaced.  Yes, Latte & Cake with a friend was an emergency.)

Front Section:

Emergeny clothes for the little dude - jeans, tee, vest & socks - Muslin square (never leave home without one!) - Bib (Soph4Soph, of course!) - Nappies - Wipes - Calpol - Hand Gel - Another tiny pot of Sudocreme - Body spray for mummy - John Frieda Glossing spray (For emergency frizz outbreaks) - Tissues (read napkins, aquired from many a friendly coffee house) - A book for the little dude (changes frequently, but there's always one in there - at present, we're working on numbers :D) - Mummy's mini makeup bag. (Which contains: Mascara, Lip Gloss, Powder compact, Vaseline, and another nail file.)

Phew! Still with me? We're nearly there.

Back Section:

Is all about food. A bottle - formula - sippy cup - spoon - little pots of snacks (rice cakes, organix crisps, rusks & the like) - milky bar buttons (which mummy never, ever steals) - plus whatever I pack for the little dude's lunch in the morning.

And lastly, Mummy's bag:

Contains, purse (H&M circa 1990, possibly the only purse I haven't lost within a year of buying.  I love it.) - Mobile (not fancy, not high tech, but does it's job, and it's pink.) - More lip glosses - a tiny mirror - chewing gum - sunglasses & Dylan's fuzzy caterpillar finger puppet.

My camera generally lives in there too, but couldn't get in the picture as it was too busy taking it.

And there you have it. I'm thinking that now LD's getting bigger, more mobile & generally becoming more of a monkey everyday, I should probably get some plasters to bung in there too. Any other suggestions of what I'm going to wish I had in there in the next few months?

Better still, take up the challenge - show me what's in your bag, leave me a link in the coments & I'll come steal all your good ideas :D

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This time last year...

This year, in her world famous* writing workshop, amongst other things, Josie asks us "What were you doing this time last year".  Well, let's see...

This time last year, I was very very pregnant. (The LD was due 10th April. He actually made an appearance on the 20th- longest 10 days of life!).
I was lucky, in that I had a 'nice little bump', or so people kept telling me.  Personally, I felt like a freakin' whale, and by this time last year, I was perpetually exhausted. (No change there then.)

This time last year, I was getting ready to finish up at work.  I was neurotically making lists and cheat sheets and post it note after post it note of helpful tit-bits for my replacement.  I hated the idea of handing over my responsibilities & my execs & all their little quirks.  I truly did have every intention of going back.

This time last year, I spent most weekends shopping with the Mr, picking out teeny tiny little babygrows and hats and sleepsuits. Every purchase brought squees of 'loooook, it's SO lickle!!'.  Never got old.

This time last year I was reading about my pregnancy a lot.  I got almost obsessive about knowing how big my baby was getting in relation to fruit & vegetables. (16 weeks, about the same as an avocado - 27 weeks - a head of cauliflower.)  I blame the hormones.

This time last year, I needed help to remove myself from the sofa.  And God help me if I tried to sit on the floor.

This time last year, I spent a lot of time convincing myself that labour couldn't be that bad. Could it? (Yes, it could, you deluded fool.)

This time last year, I had no idea how to change a nappy.

This time last year, I had no idea just how little sleep a human being can survive on.

This time last year, I'd never even heard the word Tombliboo, much less knew what one was.

This time last year, I hadn't even met the little monster who now simultaneously rules my life, and makes it feel complete.

What a difference a year makes.

How about you?  What were you up to this time last year?


...don't forget to take a reip to the shiny new-look Sleep is for the Weak & show the other entries some love- there's always a whole bunch of good stuff to read.

(*The world being that of a select group of Mummy Bloggers who think it's cool. Which is good enough for me!)

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The best things in life are free.

Yep, they really are you know.
The South's most rockingest bump of the moment, Miss Beetroot & Gherkins, tagged me sometime ago in a meme to illustrate that very point, and this is me finally getting around to doing it.  (I always get there in the end!)  In short, I have to share with you, good readers, my 10 favourite things that cost nothing.  So here we go...


1. My family.  More specifically, my man, my baby boy, and my dog.  My little posse are all I really need to be happy.  I forget that sometimes, but then one of them will do something to make me smile & I am swiftly reminded.  Love them.


2. Laughing.  There are few better feelings than an uncontrolable, unstoppable, fit of giggles.  The ones that have you gasping for air, hugging your aching ribs & crossing your legs so as not to pee your pants.  In the words of the great Dick Van Dyke, I love to laugh.


3. Cuddles.  From the Mr, the Little Dude, chums, other peoples kiddlies, random strangers on the stroke of midnight at New Years... all good.  The best though, is a big group squish with my two best boys before we get up in the morning.  The little dude curls up in between us & we sneak a few extra minutes of zzz's before facing the day.  No other feeling like it :)

4. Sunshine. I like winter, and I actually sort of love autumn - actually, I love the seasons and the changes they bring in general, but my favourite is a bright sunshiney day with clear blue skies save for an occassional candyfloss cloud.  You can't not smile on a day like that.


5. Birds singing.  I love little tweetie birds.  We get quite a nice variety in out garden and it gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to listen to them tweeting and chirping. And gooing in the case of the big fat wood pigeons with their fancy pants collars.  It must be a pretty good life being a birdy.  They're always cheerful.


6. Trips down memory lane.  You know, when you sit in with someone you love & a bottle of plonk & wind up just chattering about days gone by... 'Do you remember that time when...' blah blah blah.  I'm a nostalgic fool and I love to reminice.


7. Daydreaming.  In my former life, before boarding the good ship motherhood, I did *a lot* of office jobs.  And spent *many* a bored-out-of-my-pretty-head hour gazing out of the window pondering what I might be doing instead if I scored a huge lotto win.  Or if I happened to bump into Johnny Depp in Cafe Nero.  Or if Simon Cowell happened to be in the pub when I was singing karaoke and insisted on signing me up right there and then.  You know, normal stuff.


8. Sitting indoors, cosy & warm, watching the rain.  I hate walking in the rain (doesn't everyone?), but I love watching it pour down when I'm safe & dry inside.


9. Rainbows.  Just one of the most pointless, random, and yet utterly beautiful things ever. Well done nature, well done.


10. Watching the Little Dude sleep.  Particuarly when he crashes out on top of me.  One of the best feelings in the world is a tiny baby cuddling up to you, getting all comfy and squishy, and falling asleep.  I don't think I've ever seem anything more content in all my life.

As is the way with memes. I'm supposed to tag some lovelies to carry on the happy - but as I've left it so long, everyone I know has probably done it.  So, if you haven't, consider yourelf tagged & come back & leave me a coment with a link to your post :)

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Happy Valentines Day!

Two posts in one day??!  I know, I spoil you.  But it is Valentine's day after all ;)
Assuming you're all stuffed full of heart shaped chocolates and pink fizzy stuff (or is that just me?), you will be in need of some reading matter while you digest, so, may I suggest you head over to The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, where Claire has brought together a fabulous selection of posts for your perusal in her Valentine's Carnival.

Also, and I am a little scared to do this, because frankly the other entries are amazing, but what the hey.  English Mum is hosting a Valentine-cupcake-bake-off-deelie, and as I made these for my boys last night anyway, I figured I may as well throw my hat (wooden spoon?) in the ring!
Seriously though, go look at the other entries - outstanding - I'm bookmarking it for future inspiration!

These are vanilla cupcakes, with butercream icing, topped with foiled chocolate hearts & edible glitter.
And they taste pretty damn good if I do say so myself!

Hope you've all had a wonderful cupid day - I've been spoiled with lovely cards & flowers, but my best bit was the card I got from the Little Dude in which he declared (in writing which looked suspiciously like the Mr's - I think he may have got him to transcribe)

"I love you mummy, more than Makka Pakka loves stones, which is a lot."

Totally made my day :) ♥

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The surrealism of Motherhood...

The very lovely Carly over at Wives & Daughters, is holding a fantastic carnival, with a bunch of great prizes up for grabs, all about people's top 10 surreal mummy moments. To be perfectly honest, as a first time mummy, everything is still a bit surreal most days (even now, nearly 10 months on!), but I've narrowed it down, and here's my top ten...

1. Laying in the bath at 8 months pregnant (having had help from the Mr to get in there in the first place), watching my bump literally wriggling - less movement in the last trimester? Yeah.  Tell that to the Little Dude.

2. Coming round after my emergency c-section to see the Mr looking like an extra from Scrubs, with a tiny little baby in his arms and me asking 'is he ours?'.  (He was.)

3. Day 3 - 4am feed - having been awake for about 26 hours, I was sat with the Little Dude breastfeeding and me watching god-awful infomercials, thinking who on earth watches this junk let alone buys it? And then thinking, ooh, actually, that looks pretty good...

4. The first time I phoned the doctors to book LD an appointment (for his first round of jabs).  Saying the words 'I'd like to book an appointment for my son', out loud, to a complete stranger - suddenly made everything very real, and a bit odd.  In a good way.

5. The first time we left him with someone else for a whole day.  We had tickets to see Blur in Hyde Park, I had been looking forward to it forEVER, but spent all day feling like I'd lost a limb.  So surreal.  And just when I managed to stop being a big sap, and start to relax & enjoy myself, I found a small felt fish in my bag which nearly made me blub.

6. The first time the LD rolled over and pushed himself up.  I squealed.  I cheered. I took a dozen photos. I phoned the Mr at work and gushed incoherently. I so wasn't prepared for that insane rush of pride & joy over something so small!

7. Having cBeebies tunes ingrained in my brain.  We don't even watch much TV (LD prefers to rock out to music of the loud & noisy variety), but I have lost count of the times I've caught myself singing the 'munch munch munch' song while getting lunch ready.

8. What has become affectionately known in our house as 'the Tombliboo incident.' 
We were Christmas shopping, and came across some cute lil Night Garden Beanies - I picked out one of each, but oh no - there was no Tombliboo Eee! I stood, in a very busy shop, with an armful of Night Garden beanies, and shouted to the Mr 'Babe, can you ask if they've got anymore Tombliboo Eee's - because there's no point in buying them if we can't get a full set of Tombliboos!'  Oh. The. Shame.

9. Other Mummys.  I still find it quite surreal that I can start a conversation & chat for hours with a complete stranger purely on the basis that we're both mummys.  Those tiny little people who rule our lives are quite the ice-breaker, no?

10. The mush factor.  The first gummy grin.  The consequent toothy smiles.  The tinkly baby chuckles.  The chubby armed cuddeles.  The 'kisses' (ie: open mouth, plant on mummy's face with a hefty portion of dribble).  I had no idea the power those little things would have to turn me to a complete mushy mess of goo.
Love it though :)

And there we are.
Ask me again next week & I'll probably have chalked up a whole bunch of new surreal moments. But that's all part of the fun of being a mummy.

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