Day Two - Wet Bottoms: A review of Peppa Pig World, including hints and tips for a great day!

This is the second of a series of posts based on our crazily busy holiday down in Bournemouth and Slough.  Yes, you heard that correctly; Slough.  We've had an intense week of family days out; it's cost us far too much, but we've had an absolutely ball.  Sleep is high on the agenda this week.

I am publishing the posts that were drafted during the trip over the next few weeks between other yummy musings.  The first one: Sandy Balls is here.  Enjoy the series.  If you don't want to miss a thing you can subscribe by email over on the right hand panel, or follow on Facebook or Twitter.

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Day Two: Wet Bottoms - A review of Peppa Pig World at Paulton's Park

Our first full day on our summer holiday to Bournemouth, involved a trip to Paultons Park.  Not actually for Paulton's park; oh no; unless we return another day we'll never know what Paulton's Park was actually like.  We were going solely to visit a large corner of Paulton's Park that is now famously home to Peppa Pig.

Peppa Pig World was on the to-do list from the moment we saw the advert at the start of the Peppa Pig DVD.  It opened in April 2011.  I humbly suggest the owners of Paulton's Park have done pretty well out of it, but it is one of the best theme parks for value for money. For tips on how to get the best prices see tip numbers 7 and 8 below! 

Peppa Pig World is, I hasten to add, brilliant.  Every little detail is in theme, from the safety announcements that come over the tannoy spoken by the actual Peppa Pig narrator. (Or someone that does an incredibly good impression), to the trees, to the signs that use the correct 'Peppa' font and are puddle shaped (of course).

Peppa and George make regular appearances on the stage outside the toy shop (clever), which happens to also be next to Mr Potato-head's playground (double clever) so the children could play if you arrived at the stage area a little early.

Peppa, George, Suzy and other friends also regularly wander around the park, so keep your eyes peeled and your camera at the ready.

A few tips for a good day out:

Weather preparation: 

1. Take all-in-one water proofs for the children (and yourself!) if you have them, or raincoats/ponchos and a couple of plastic bags if you don't.  The bags are to sit on the seats of the rides if it's been raining and the seats are wet.  Wandering around with a wet bottom isn't that comfy, as I can now contest.

2. Take suncream and re-apply.  Whilst some of the queue areas are cleverly under shade, many aren't.  See number  1.  We got drenched waiting in line for Miss Rabbit's Helicopter Ride.  Luckily the girls had their waterproofs on.  I unfortunately didn't have a spare bag to sit on though. (see number 1)

3. Take a comb.  There are plenty of opportunities to buy photos, in fact you can buy a batch of photo vouchers, but the photos won't be great if the weather has provided you with traditional English downpours.  A quick comb of the hair works wonders!  

4.  Take swimsuits (cozzies) for the kids and a small towel to dry them off with.  If the weather is kind you can while away some time whilst they play in the Muddle Puddles splash park.  It's a lovely small area of fountains and squirters by Mr Potato-head's playground.  And if the weather is awful, that towel will still come in handy.

Queueing: 

5.  Take a few drinks in your bag ton keep hydrated whilst waiting in queues.  The queues were nothing like those that you'd find in places like Disneyland Paris, but can be half an hour, so drinks, and come to think of it, snacks, are welcome.  

Planning your day: 

6. Prepare yourself to need a whole day to comfortably do Peppa Pig World (ignoring the rest of Paulton's Park).  You can go on all the rides, get your picture taken superimposed with the characters jumping in muddy puddles and leave at 4pm, avoiding rush hour traffic and leaving time to get the worn out darlings in bed a little early (woo hoo!)  

Getting the best price / not spending a fortune once you're there: 

7.  The only way you can save ANY money of the price is to buy on-line, in advance, and save a little over 10%.  But you can ONLY do this if you have a printer as you need to print your ticket and have it with you to be scanned at the gate.  Digital versions of tickets are NOT accepted.  Fine, if you get organised in advance.  By that I mean at least a day before.

8.  It's also cheaper to buy family tickets that individual tickets.  Children are priced based on height.  If your child is under 1 metre they are free.  On entry they will have to walk under a bar that is precisely 1 metre high to prove this.

9.  Give your children forewarning with regard to the possibility, or not, of buying something from the shop.  We spent a LOT in the shop, mostly justified by buying a few bits for the Younger's forthcoming 4th birthday.  She is old enough to understand about 'picking' a present early and having it for her birthday.  You could easily Peppa-up your entire house.  Everything from duvet covers and lunchboxes, to hair brushes and jigsaws.  They even stock Mummy and Daddy size Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig T-Shirts.  I was soooo tempted!

 

All in all, despite the downpour we had whilst we were there, it was a great day out.

Have fun! Oink!

Domestic Goddess: How to clean off wax crayon!

How do you get wax crayon off a white board?

 

Wax crayon is a tricky substance when it's applied to anything other than paper.

My 3 year old recently decided to scribble all over her white board with wax crayons.  I assumed I'd be able to wipe it off with a wipe.  No such luck.

Damp cloths simply slid over the top of it.  I wish I'd have remembered to take a picture of the mess it was in when I started, but here's the finished product after I worked out that some friction was needed and pulled out a microfibre cloth and the Cif cream. (It's still Jif to me, but I'll relent and use the current name!)

As good as new in seconds!

 

 So how do you get wax crayon off other surfaces?  

Here's my quick guide for the domestic goddess hiding in us all.

Wax crayon on:

• Non-Washable Fabrics - Dab with methylated spirits.  Always work on the reverse side of the fabric if possible with a towel under the stain on the right side.  This stops you pressing the stain further into the fabric.  
• Washable Fabrics - Treat as you would non-washable fabrics above then also wash in detergent.
• Plastic tables/toys - Rub with a baby wipe.  You need to rub quite hard to get it off.  For stubborn areas the microfibre cloth and Cif will work.

If you find this post useful please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ using the share buttons below.

Nails Nails Nails... Have you discovered Shellac?

I've just had my nails done.  I usually get a manicure with a standard nail polish, but this time my persuasive beautician convinced me to try Shellac. 

According to Shellacnails.com "Shellac Nails TM last up to 14 days without losing shine or shimmer. They are hard and do not scratch or smudge. When it comes time to take them off the nail, it is as easy as 1, 2, 3 and it does not damage the nail itself."

Since I usually manage to chip nail polish within hours of having them done, I was intrigued to see if this new polish would work as well as they promised.  There was an impressive selection of colours to choose from, and I have a thing for coral at the moment, so coral it was.

The final colour is a little more bubblegum than I expected, but I am still thrilled with the look.  They are super shiny and so far, 17 hours later, still un-chipped.

I particularly liked that they were dry as soon as she'd finished doing them.  There is NO drying time involved.  No waiting around, or desperately trying to get your money out of your purse without smudging them. 

Got any questions? Want to find a salon near you?  Go to the Shellac Nails 'frequently asked questions' page here.

Will they look like this in two weeks? I'll let you know!

Buy Shellac products with Amazon today and save!

How to travel with a recently toilet trained child

You've started the process of toilet training your child, they are doing really well and wearing big girls/boys pants in the day time and you are pleased that the 'accidents' are reducing in number.

So what do you do when you find yourself needing to take a long car journey with them?  Do you put them back in a nappy or pull-up for the duration?  Does that contradict all the messages you've been giving about their progress into big girls/boys pants and the new rule that involves only weeing on the toilet (or potty)?  Will it take you a few steps backwards in the process?

If your journey is going to take longer than half an hour you need, in all cases to ALWAYS put your child on the toilet just before you leave the house and don't give them large drinks within half an hour of travelling.

You also need a toilet training travel pack as follows:

Toilet training travel pack

• Spare pants for the child (At least 2 pairs just in case!)
• A couple of nappies (not to wear - see below)
• A packet of wipes
• A handful of nappy bags
• A muslin (or two)
• A spare set of clothes.  (Maybe two sets of trousers/skirts just in case)
• A potty or travel potty (optional - see below)

Keep it somewhere easily accessible.  I find the foot well under your child's feet the easiest place.  The canvas shopping bags that are so readily available these days are a perfect size to keep this kit in.  

Travelling with a recently toilet trained child

 

By car.  On motorways.

This is the worst type of journey that you can face in the UK.  In  France they've got it sorted because there is a place to stop for picnics and toileting literally every 5 minutes on their main roads.  Maybe this is because the culture is more for picnics than for buy your own lunches at the mall-style service stations you find on UK motorways?  Whatever the reason, you can find yourself stuck on a stretch of UK motorway and the 'Services' sign will tell you that the next 'Services' are in 43 miles.  43 miles!

You are on a motorway.  You aren't supposed to stop on the hard shoulder.  There won't be actual toilet facilities for 43 miles!

You have two approaches on a motorway that don't include putting a nappy on your child and don't ask your child to hold it for half an hour, which may be too much of a challenge early in the training process.

1.  The Special Cushion Method -  This is, by far, my favourite, as you are not racing a clock to find somewhere to stop.

You take a nappy, fold it over so that the most absorbent part is upwards and the tabs etc are tucked under.  Carefully fold a muslin around the nappy so that it could pass for a rectangular cushion.  Hold carefully and place it on your child's car seat so the absorbent part is still upwards.  Carefully ensure your child sits on top of the 'special cushion'.  With them sat on top of it the cushion is placed exactly where a nappy would be if they were wearing it.  If they have an accident, the worst case scenario is that their pants/trousers/skirt and the muslin all get wet.

At the next safe available opportunity you can pull over, pop the nappy/muslin/clothes into nappy bags and seal them to avoid smells, place on clean clothes and make a new cushion.

2.  The Potty in the Car Method - When you need to and it's safe to, pull over onto the hard shoulder.

Girls - For young girls you may get away with staying in the car (safest).  If their child seat is behind the passenger seat you have easier access to them when you turn towards your left shoulder.  You can unhook their seat belt and grab that kit.  Drape the muslin over the back seat behind you.  Sit the potty in the middle of it.  Sit the child on the potty.  Allow nature to take it's course.  Wipe child's bottom.  You could empty the potty out of the car; it involves a tricky balancing manoeuvre where you lift the potty up, through the gap between the front two seats and onto your lap, open your car door a little, empty the potty out, shut your door.  This is only really appropriate for wee wees in my view.  Wipe out the potty and place all wipes in a nappy bag.  Seal tight.  Refasten child securely into child seat.

Boys - For young boys the approach detailed for girls above may work, but they may not be able to sit on the potty.  Instead try them kneeing next to it.  This gets them closer to their target.

You can also buy travel potties that include liners.  This cuts out the need for clean up as you simply seal the bag once they have done.

In both cases this approach doesn't involve getting out of the car, so is probably the safest potty option.

By car.  On main roads with appropriate parking but no actual toilet facilities. 

Where you can pull over and exit your car safely at parking stops or on the road side on lower speed roads you also have another option.  Some may not be comfortable with this option, but sometimes needs must!  

3.  The Potty (or Hold) Outside the Car - When you need to, pull over into appropriate parking facilities.

You can exit your vehicle, place the potty on the floor next to the car, let your child use it, then clean up as before.

Alternatively, in the absence of a potty you can hold your child a little off the ground to enable them to wee (just watch your shoes!)

In both cases I'd consider how you park when you park.  What I mean is, if you park next to another car and open both front and back doors on your car, you create a small private space between your two doors to give your child a little bit of privacy.

Additionally it's easier for children to 'water grass' than to do this over concrete simply from the point of view of keeping your shoes dry and not creating rivers of wee across car parks!  So parking next to a grass verge or hedge is often helpful.    

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So there are my methods of coping with travelling with a child that is in the early stages of toilet training, and where you don't want to revert to nappies that you have worked so hard to remove.

I hope it's been useful.  If you know of any mums that may find this information useful please do feel free to share this page/URL with your friends on Twitter, Facebook, or your preferred social network.

For further tips on parenting, beauty, getting organised, travel, entertaining the kids and cheap days out with the kids, you can follow me by email.  Simply enter your email address in the right hand panel.  You can also follow on Twitter here or the Facebook page here.  

Finally, a selection of potties and travel potties are below in case you need to stock up! 
Thanks.

Day One: Sandy Balls

Welcome!

This is the first of a series of posts based on our crazily busy holiday down in Bournemouth and Slough.  Yes, you heard that correctly; Slough.  We've had an intense week of family days out; it's cost us far too much, but we've had an absolutely ball.  Sleep is high on the agenda this week.

I'll publish the posts that were drafted during the trip over the next few weeks between other yummy musings.  Enjoy the series.  If you don't want to miss a thing you can subscribe to posts over on the right hand panel, or follow on Facebook or Twitter.

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Day One: Sandy Balls

Today we made arguably a large mistake in allowing our Satellite Navigation system the freedom to navigate us the 300 miles from our home in the Midlands to Bournemouth on the south coast without so much of a glance at a proper paper map before getting in the car.

To be fair it gave us three route options; the first, and supposedly fastest, would take us down to the M25 around the west side of London and then out again. We decided that any route that included the M25 in it was flawed, especially when you've got two small children in the car and absolutely don't want to hit a tailback. The second route appeared to go through the middle of Birmingham. We judged that might get a little bit busy. So we selected the 'yellow' route of the three -straight down the M1, and then, from what I could make out on the summary map, a straightforward southerly route on A roads.

The first half of the journey went well; duel carriageways all the way. Then we were routed off the M40.

As we hit Hampshire we delighted in oo-ing and ah-ing at the increasingly large houses flanking the fairly slow moving country road. We expected that we were cutting across to another main road. We expected to hit an A road. And sure enough, eventually we did. Hurrah, we collectively thought. Then I checked the Sat Nav.

"Er, I'm afraid we aren't on this long" I said, just before the woman with the American accent started her "In 400 yards take the exit" spiel.

"Ah yes," said hubby, looking at the signpost. "Of course. Towards Middle Wallop."

It's incredible how much you can convey in so few words said with exactly the right tone. He managed to convey frustration with the lack of A roads, frustration at the Sat Nav, quiet submission to it's will,
and the obviousness that, despite not having a clue where we were, it was as clear as day that the next part of the route would be windy, single lane, country roads that would slow us down, simply because the place was called Middle Wallop.

In much the same way that we create a picture of people in our heads when given a name, before we've ever seen what they look like, (those important first impressions) we also form a picture of a place based solely on it's name. In my case, my 30ish* years of experience provided me with a picture of Middle Wallop that involved thatched cottages, lots of fields, a pub probably with the word "dragon" in the title, a traditional post office with surviving red post box and possible one bus stop in the entire place. Village hall on the green of course. Not much else.

If you live in Middle Wallop and find my brain's assessment inaccurate, please feel free to let me know and I apologise for it's ineptitude. But, having now driven past the place and it's neighbours of Nether
Wallop and Over Wallop**, I am fairly sure I'm not far wrong.

So when hubby said "Of course, through Middle Wallop" I had a giggling fit.  I knew exactly what he meant.  I couldn't stop laughing for about ten minutes straight. Of course it was inevitably that the Sat Nav would take us this way. It's got a sense of adventure. It once took me into the centre of Derby and back out again to the same road just to get a couple of miles cut off the corner as the crow flies. It took half an hour extra.

I giggled and giggled. And just when I started to get tummy ache and the children in the back seat were shouting, Mummy Mummy, what's the matter? And I couldn't answer I was laughing that much. At that point; we drove into Jack's Bush.  I kid you not.

When I'd finally stopped snorting and we'd been back out of Hampshire and back in again on our windy route towards and through Salisbury, I was so delighted to spot yet another snort-inducing sign pointing
slightly off our route.

What was the name of the place it was pointing towards? Sandy Balls, of course.

I adore UK place names.

Thank you for the giggle Sat Nav. But next time stay on the A roads please!


* Alright, alright, nearly 40 years..... no need to shout.
** Why not Upper and Lower Wallop?

Are you a Yummy Mummy?

I'm delighted to be over at Wriggly Rascals today, talking, as ever, about what we mean by a yummy mummy.

Struggling to find time for yourself?  Wondering how to fit in the manicures now you've got a baby on the way? Wondering if you even need to bother?

Pop on over to my post now and see what I have to say .about staying yummy.

Mum of two, Alison, is struggling with this very subject.  Click here if you have some yummy advice that would help another mum. 

Or feel free to share your yummy advice with me @ymummyreally and the Wriggly Rascals team on twitter.


About Wriggly Rascals

Wriggly Rascals was set up by Shona Motherwell, a frustrated mum of twins Mhairi and Archie, to get mums together to share pregnancy, baby and toddler advice via quick surveys to get the facts about what other mums do.  Our mums pass on loads of great tips to mums who have asked for help.  I f you would like some advice, get in touch at www.wrigglyrascals.com

Starting School: Everything you need to know

So your little bundle of joy is starting school in September.

"I'm not ready!" I hear you all cry.  He/she is only a BABY!  He/she can't possibly be old enough for school, surely!

But the time travels so fast and they are, indeed, growing up.  So to ease the transition I've pulled together some of the best blog posts and articles on the web at the moment on 'starting school'.  What skills they need to practise in advance, what you can do to ease your own pain as a parent, help for parents with children with allergies, what extra things expats may need to consider and a whole lot of resources to help you out.  I hope it's useful!

Preparation

 

What preparation can I do with my child before starting school?

 

Five Key Skills: Over at Mindful Mum, Lorna Clark, parenting consultant and maternity nurse, explains five important skills that will help make your child's transition to school that little bit easier.

Putting on coats and shoes:  It's really helpful for a child to learn this skill before school.  With one teacher to up to  thirty children, it's difficult for the teacher to help everyone get coats and shoes on.  Check out these top tips for helping your child learn this important skill at The Nurture Store

Photo by Flickr djwudi

Potty Training?  Karen is flabbergasted that potty training before school seems to be so difficult for some parents.  Or does it become an issue when they are engrossed in the new tasks at school and forget to ask to go?

What do you think?

Have you toilet trained your little one in preparation for their new school life? 

K is for Kit: Over at PinkOddy's Blog, preparation for school includes talking about the different letters of the alphabet.  In this post; K is for Kit.

It's a great idea to incorporate some activities like this through the summer period.

Reading Tips: Over at Life, Ninja Killer Cat and everything else, Claire provides some great tips for starting to read with your pre-schooler.  It's good to get them familiar with books and reading as early as possible.  After all, to learn about other things you first need to be able to read!

Get Crafty: Maggie, at Red Ted Art, has pulled together a collection of the best back to school crafts to get you in the mood for the start of school.

If the idea of a yummy Schultuete doesn't get them running through the front gates, maybe the gorgeous notebooks and decorated pencils will?  At the very least, the last week of the summer holidays are sorted!

 What about me? 

 

 How will I cope? What are other mums feeling?

 

Sentimental? Wondering what she'll fill her time with, and whether Little Miss will settle in OK, Mum on the Brink is a mum feeling sentimental about the next stage in her young girls life.

This post is sure to strike a chord with mums everywhere.

Struggling with logistics? Lady Briggs ponders how her daily schedule will change when K starts school in a few weeks.  Nursery's often cater very well for working parents, but with the move to school, and a 3.30pm finish she's got some logistics to work out.  Find out how the preparation is going with this follow-up post too.

Proud? Kel, at Writing, Rambling and Reviews, is really proud of her growing boy.  Legs is really looking forward to attending his new school in September. 

 

Making the most of time at home: Pippa, over at A Mother's Ramblings, has collated a list of the things she wants to do with her Big Boy before he starts school in a year.  It's a long list!  Are there things you want to do before the new term comes around?   

 

 

 

 

What if my child has allergies?

 

Over at Allergy UK this comprehensive post provides information on how to establish a management plan, what questions to ask and how to prepare for school when your child suffers from allergies. 

For those with food allergies I particularly like the idea of sending a 'special treat' tin to school so that your child doesn't miss out on a treat when other children bring in birthday buns or treats to hand out.  This is just one of many useful tips on this site.

What about schools outside the UK?

 

In the Netherlands they hang up their school bags with their national flags in June, have a unique way of keeping the school clean and accept new intakes every week!

Find out more about Funky Monkey's start at her new Dutch school in this vibrant and enlightening post over at Tales from Windmill Fields.   

In Australia it's different again, with the school year starting in January (I suppose it is their summer!).  Trevor Cairney, leader of the New College at the University of New South Wales (Sydney) talks us through the varied starting age across Australia in his Literacy blog and how this compares to other countries.  This post is an insightful and comprehensive discussion as to the best starting school age for children, including what to consider if thinking about holding your child back for a year.

Resources 

Reading, phonics and books!

 

 

Welcome packs: If you want to get a head start, you might want to invest in some resources to help support your child's learning.  Twinkl Resources provide educational materials for schools, but there's nothing to stop you being 'teacher'!

Their Key Stage 1 Welcome Pack is a great place to start.

Phonics Tests: If you've heard rumours about a worrying new test that your child will have to take in Year 1, don't fret.  My post, here, outlines my views on the new Phonics Screening Tests, and rest assured, my summary is that you shouldn't be at all concerned with this test.  It's a test of the teacher's method, not the child's ability.

 

 

 

 

Books: Starting School

For books that serve a double purpose; firstly getting the process of reading underway and secondly, reading about starting school!  This is my special collection of books to get you and your child, in the mood!

Next steps

If you found this post useful, please help share it with other mums just like you, who may also find this guidance useful as their child takes a first step into the education system.

I'd appreciate it if you'd share this post with your friends, using the sharing buttons below.

If you notice any glaring omissions in this post, then please contact me!  I want to ensure this is a useful and accurate article.  Or feel free to add any of your own tips in the 'comments' box below.  Commenting is welcome.

Good luck to all those children starting school in 4 short weeks.  Have fun!

Unless otherwise stated, all the pictures used in this post are from the contributing articles and are used with the permission of the websites referred to.

Congratulations Fearne Cotton! Now how soon before someone mentions the 'M' word?

Congratulations Fearne and Jesse!
 

Across the gossip sites the news that Fearne Cotton announced on her official website that she, and boyfriend Jesse Wood, are expecting a baby, was met with varying degrees of 'OMG', delighted shock, amazement and plenty of stereotypical hand over mouth jaw dropping expressions.

The immediate response has been one of great congratulations; rightly so.

I am probably in the minority then, when my immediate knee jerk response sounds exactly like the sort of thing my mother would say:-

"They aren't married are they?"

I don't count myself as religious; my hubby and I had a civil ceremony when we got married for that very reason, but I do believe in marriage. Like a woman from another century I am always surprised when I hear of a couple having a baby before getting married.  I believe in building a family.  I believe in a stable committed environment for children to grow up in.  And I am also not naive enough to think that a couple is treated the same under law married as they are single, and for the security of the child I absolutely believe in marriage first.

That's not to say that it is always possible.  I have a lovely friend who has recently married six months after giving birth to her first child.  The couple are building a beautiful family and the order of these two events isn't an issue as they are close together and the intention is there.  But I have also watched couples get together and break-up again alarming often.  I wonder whether, if they were married, they would be more incentivised to try and resolve issues before jumping away from the relationship?

Added pressure on the relationship

Having a child puts an enormous amount of pressure onto a relationship.  The first 5 years are incredibly difficult as you both adapt to your new roles as parents and struggle to find time or energy for each other.  My hubby and I have always recognised this and carve out time for date nights and also manage to organise weekends away maybe twice a year.  Even through tough patches we know we are 'married' and that we are committed to each other.  So we work through it, we communicate and we resolve to improve things.  I'm not sure the same incentive is there when you are not married?

What do you think?

These are just my thoughts and I realise you won't all agree with me, but that's why I'm writing this post.

What do you think?  Do you expect to hear a wedding announcement from Fearne soon?  Or would you be more surprised if she did get married than if she didn't?  Do you think marriage is an outdated concept that I'm naive to believe in?  Or do you think it provides a solid foundation for a family to thrive within?  Do you think Fearne and Jesse, or any couple, would survive the first 5 years with or without marriage?

I'd be really interested to know your thoughts.  Please comment below, or connect with me on Twitter @ymummyreally.  Please share this post with your friends on Twitter and Facebook and see what they think.

You can subscribe to this blog over on the side panel for more updates on parenting, relationships and looking yummy! 

Paper Flowers Craft Project

How do I keep the children entertained during the summer holidays? 

I often plan in short little activities like this one.  It doesn't take long to set up, it keeps them busy between half an hour and an hour, and it's easy enough for the 3 year old to have a good go at too.

All you need is to provide them with a small selection of different coloured papers and tissue papers, a few straws, a couple of 'vases' (old mini cereal boxes, or jam jars for example), some glue, spreaders and appropriate scissors for the age. 

They'll also need three different sized bowls/cups to draw around to get the circles, which, in basic form, they just stick on top of each other, largest first.

I don't think there's much need for lots of instructions, as these are fairly self explanatory.  Younger children  may need help to add petals.  To do that, simply fold your largest circle of paper in quarters and open out again. Use the folds to ensure you draw even petal shapes around the edge  for them to cut out.

The pink rose is made by sticking the centre of many circles of tissue paper on top of each other on a circle of studier paper or card, then tease up the edges and let the glue hold the rose petals in place.


Simply stick the straws to the base of the vase by using the old sticky tac trick; a lump of sticky tac on the bottom of the vase to stick the straw in, or, if you are short of sticky tac, simply sellotape the straws to the edge of the vase on the inside.  Then fill the vase with scrunched up tissue paper.  They like scrunching up!

Have fun!

If you like this activity and you think your friends might to, then please share it with them on facebook, twitter or google+. 

I'd also love to see your creations! 

You can share them with me on the Yummy Mummy? Really? facebook page or send me them on Twitter @ymummyreally.

Have fun, enjoy the holidays, and bookmark this page to pop back later this week for a useful article on Starting School!

Out of the mouths of babes (Aug 2012)

When you are a parent you hear words together in sentences that you never expected to hear together, let alone in a sentence that made sense.

Snowman.  Willy.  Hairy.

Three words.  Would you like to know how they ended up in a sentence together? 

My husband likes to buy Imperial Leather's foamburst.  If you are not familiar with the product, it is a type of shower gel that, when it comes into contact with wet skin, becomes exceedingly, ridiculously, foamy.  Children obviously love it.

Our 6 year old girl walks into the bathroom whilst her dad is taking a shower on holiday.  It's one of those over-the-bath showers, so, from her vantage point, there is nothing between her and him.  The glass screen isn't in the way.  He has already stepped slightly out of the spray of the shower and has covered himself in 'foamburst'.  

She looks at him and giggles.

He says; "do I look like a snowman?" thinking obviously that’s why she’s giggling.

"No." she says.  "Snowman aren't hairy"

"So do I look like a hairy snowman?" he says laughing.

"No." she says. "Snowmen aren't hairy". She does like to correct us. 

“So what do I look like?" he asks, as she's is still giggling.  And anyone who's been laughed at by a child whilst they are naked will understand it's a little perplexing.

She laughs somemore and this is the point when I walked into the room; and this is the first thing I hear her say:

"You look like a hairy snowman with a willy" she says giggling and running back out of the room.

Like I said.  Three words.  Not expected together. And not even that funny.  But she didn’t stop giggling to herself for the rest of the evening.  What is it about that word that just makes everyone smirk.

Now you know the drill by now folks.  The idea is that we get everyone’s “Out of the mouths of babes” stories of the month and collect them here.  

Add yours by clicking to comment below; or write a blog post using this prompt, grab yourself the badge so everyone can get back to the main list, and link up your post below.  Share the funnies and visit a couple of other posts whilst you are here!  

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 
Then grab a cuppa, unplug the phone, and enjoy the posts as they are added!  Whilst you are waiting for them, here are the previous editions for your giggling pleasure! Out of the mouths of babes 




<a href="http://yummymummyreally.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/out-of-mouths-of-babes-aug-2012.html" target="_blank"gt;<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5azveiiksZZmggNV6qeT25_ZXxUA-5qkn34QsYFukvuawymxe_fMdQjVdFQCCm3iMLtMzERGlSQpXcUEoqx3FLWD1PLgyJnEe22JPG6NqGDz4OFDGhXAQofl6z2hU-NZKcfNnn_m5gr8/s1600/Out+of+the+mouths+of+babes+button+125x125.jpg" border="0″ alt="outofthemouthsofbabes"></a>


Thanks for sharing!