Me, the fly hunter

Lately I've been helping papi with the chores of the house.

You know the fun stuff like helping take out the recylcing bins or pairing his socks.

But now that the windows are open all day I noticed we get a lot of insects likes flies, ladybugs and even bees coming in.

And that's where papi and I take over because as soon as they starting buzzing around papi likes to swing at them with a swater.

I don't know about you but I think it is fun to watch them zoom by, especially bees but mami gets nervous and makes papi hit them.

So, when papi isn't at home and I see a mosca or fly buzzing around, I quickly grab the swater from the kitchen and get to work.

There is a special technique to it all. You can't just go crazy and starting swinging. I've seen papi, and I think I know just how to get those moscas.

That's me trying to get a mosca that flew into the kitchen

First I stand very quietly in the middle of the room and follow the buzzing noise. Once I see where it has landed, I slowly walk over to it and very carefully but very swiftly swat the mosca.

Sometimes they are faster than me and they fly away, but when papi and I hold the swater together, we ALWAYS get it! 

So much fun! I just wish this house had more flies, I would just chase them all day long!

I'm sure I will get one without papi's help and I won't stop until I do!

Gusto español

That means "Spanish taste"

I've been spending a lot of time with my amigo Little G.

He's from a country called españa, or Spain so he speaks Spanish too. Even though it doesn't sound like the Spanish I speak with mami, we do understand each other (it's sort of like the difference between American English and British English).

Anyway, language aside, where most we most get along is in our taste of foods. We have baked twice and last week at his house his mami introduced me to a yummy, cold soup called gazpacho.

Mmmmm! Que rico!

Enjoying a little bit of gazpacho

Mami knew about this soup but since she isn't very creative when it comes to foods she opted for buying some at the store. Even so, it is sooo good! I heard her say she just might try to make it.

Yesterday papi shared some of his jamón serrano or curred ham with me and I couldn't stop eating it. I had to chew extra carefully, but I managed. Mami was happy to see that I like to try different foods.

Well mami, I am just happy to see something other than pasta and chicken on my plate! Hint hint.

Don't you remember what Chef Phil Vickery told you when you met him?

"Kids should be introduced to a variety of foods early on so that they are open to try it all later on...it's called flavour profiles, the brain remembers these tastes".

Now, if I could just convince mami to make some delicious churros con chocolate, that would make me so so so so so happy or even empanadas chilenas.

Are you adventurous in your cooking?

Do your kids like trying different kinds of foods?

Tell us about it!

Thanks to milk&more we have a milkman!

For past two months, every Tuesday morning when I open the front door to go to nursery we have had fresh milk in glass bottles waiting for us!

I usually go right for them, but mami won't let me drink straight from the bottle. It's a shame because I love fresh, cold milk!

milk&more asked mami to try their delivery services, and we have been doing just that. We have our very own MILK MAN!

No matter how early I wake up I still haven't seen him, but I do know the milk is always there and that his name is Dean. How cool is that?

Ahhh, fresh milk! Mmmm, I love leche!

However as the names suggests, they also deliver more than just milk. These include kitchen goods, cereals, yogurts, bread, drinks, fruit and vegetables, eggs, and even pet food.

We didn't really understand what the difference was between using their service and doing our normal online shopping from Sainsburys or Tesco, but we do now.

See, with milk&more you open an account and you can schedule your deliveries for one week, two, or even months.

They deliver milk in this open air van

And if you know you need milk for tomorrow morning, you can order it right up until 9pm the night before and not have to worry about having a slot time pre-booked.

The milk men are assigned to a certain area and they will be going your way anyway, so it works out perfectly!

We did try out the big fruit and veg box, but it was actually too much for us and the fruit was already too ripe and sadly we couldn't use it all. Mami thinks milk&more is best to use for milk, bread and cereals.

Have a look at their site and if you put in your postcode it will tell you what days they are in your area and the name of your milk man.

Our final say

Fantastic for fresh milk, the occasional last minute item and of course the reliable delivery service.

Two hands up from me!

We want to help Save the Children!

It's no secret that I don't like needles.

But as much as I complain about not liking getting vaccinated because it hurts, mami explained that it was important that I had them so that I can be healthy and safe and not feel sick.

In January a very special group called Save the Children launched a campaign to help children around the world stay healthy and celebrate lots and lots of birthdays.

Every year 8 million kids like me get very sick and never recover. This is very sad, especially for their mummies and daddies who love them so much and miss them everyday!

See, this group are working on providing vaccinations and special nurses to help the kids that need it. But we can help too!

All you have to do (mami has done it for us) is sign the Save the Children Petition and then pass it on to your friends.

So easy!

That's my family!

You must do this by the 29th of May so it makes it to Mr Prime Minister in time for his very important meeting here in London with other world leaders to discuss this issue.

So you can either just sign the petition which is a great help, or you can also take part in the challenge started by Maggy at Red Ted Art

1. You and your kids can draw or craft a self portrait of your family now or in the future (I had mami draw a picture of our family because she said my version looked like nothing like us)

2. Write a blog post about it as soon as possible, including info about Save the Children and the petition

3. Tag 8 fellow blogger friends and link back to Maggy

4. Follow the hash tag #PassItOn

Thanks to Becky at Baby Budgeting and Mirka from All Baby Advice for asking me to take part!

So por favor help all those mummies and daddies make sure they can keep their kids happy and healthy for a long long time. Just like us!

We pass this on to:

Kin Hodgkin's

A Matter of Choice

Mad House Family Reviews

SFR Product Reviews

Foodie Mummy

Mixed Up Mummy

Nic's Notebook

Frankie Parker

Mami the grilling Queen

No really. She is.

As you know she makes it no secret that she doesn't like to cook and is "allergic" to the kitchen.

But as we mentioned last week, George, sorry I mean Mr George Foreman sent us a shiny new grill for the kitchen. Wasn't sure how mami was going to get on using it, but turns out she loved it! Too much I think.

No lie, she grilled something every day last week. Chicken, hamburgers, steak, courgettes, shrimp and even a cheese sandwich for me!

She kept saying how easy it was to use and liked that she didn't have to check it every second.

She is on some sort of crazy French diet so getting rid of all the grease and fat was perfect for her. That, and the fact that you can take the grill part and stick in in the dishwasher.

So in honour of National Get Grilling Week we ran a competition to give one away and asked everyone to tell us what they would grill. There were some fantastic ideas such as haloumi (that's some sort of Greek cheese) and even fruit!

Tonight we did a random drawing and we are happy to announce that @kateab is the lucky winner!

Please email mami your home address so that George can get one of his grills to you.

Thank you very much to everyone who entered and don't forget to follow @georgegrillsUK on Twitter and on Facebook too!

Cupcake fun with Betty Crocker!

Mami actually let me IN the kitchen. I can't believe it happened! Yesssss!

Usually I'm not allowed in. Papi even put up a gate to keep me out when they are cooking. I do go in there every once in a while, but I haven't had the chance to actually make something.

This miracle occurred thanks to a lady named Betty Crocker. She sent us her new Lemon Cupcake and Icing mix to make together and mami thought "why not?"

This Mrs Crocker really believes in the benefits of Family Baking and Bonding and encouraging family fun. 

And all I can say is SO DO I!

We are all about family and friends fun!

To give her credit, mami has been thinking of getting me to cook, but just hadn't come around to it. (I did help her make my bread pizza once, but it was so long ago I can't remember it too well).

Anyway, mami invited my friends Little G and Little X to get into the baking action. We set up my table in the kitchen and we got to work.

It's really REALLY easy!

We mixed the yellow power with 2 eggs, oil and water. Little G and I stirred as fast as we could and we sang "mix, mix mix"

I was in charge of the icing. I tasted it several time to make sure it was just right.

We decorated them with the yellow sprinkles it came with and added a few other topping mami had bought for us.

Mami liked baking with me so much that she and her friend made plans to continue our 'baking Fridays".

Betty Crocker is a very nice lady and she has no idea how happy she made me, I have been begging to get into the kitchen!

P.S. Mami, I hope you keep your promise and bake more with me. I really love it!

There IS sun in the UK!

This is a special post for all of our friends outside of the UK.

This may come as a shock to some, but as a Londoner I just have to set the record straight:

The sun DOES shine here. And there are beaches and lots and lots of trees and green parks.

And I do mean A LOT of parks. I should know, I think I have been to every single one here in the city.

See the sun shining on my cheeks?

Yes, it rains and there are clouds, but we do have beautiful sunny days.

Lots of green parks

As a matter of fact, papi says that in one year it rains more in Washington D.C. than it does here in London.

Enjoying the sun and picking a flower for mami

So please, when you visit us don't act surprised when the sun comes out and say things like "Oh, I didn't think it could be so sunny here!" or post things like "London here I come, I hope it doesn't rain" on your Facebook page.

I even get to wear shorts!

Just enjoy the unpredictable weather, which includes clear skies and the bright sun.

Oh and it gets hot here too. WOW!

Just like mami...and papi

"He looks just like you. You have the same face!" people say to mami when they see us together.

But then after taking a closer look and seeing me play for a bit, they come back and say "Well, he does look a lot like his papi too. They have the same walk!"

And it continues. Everyone has their opinion on this.

I think I look like ME, Little M but I suppose I can see some similarities.

Have a look:

Papi and I with our backpacks

Mami doesn't mind being silly with me

Okay, okay, so we are in sync here!

I kept taking mami's sunglasses so she got me a pair

Now I am more confused than before. So just who do I look like?!

I've even been told I look like my tío Tomás. I wouldn't mind that at all, he has big muscles and is really really strong!

So what about you? Do your little one's look more like their mummies or daddies?

Get your GRILL on with George Foreman!

It's officially National Get Grilling Week here in the UK!

When we were asked to join the the celebrations mami and papi jumped at the chance. We love meat and we LOVE to grill!

They have teamed up with George Foreman Grills to invite everyone in the country to celebrate the health and taste benefits of grilled food.

Take it from me, there is nothing better than pollo asado, that's grilled chicken!  Mmmm, mmmm good, or rico as I say.

This week we will be trying different recipes, including kid friendly ones. Thanks to Mr George Foreman we received a new grill and some meat and veggies to cook up.

And we want to get YOU grilling too!

Check out the new Facebook page and give them a thumbs up or follow their tweets @georgegrillsuk

But we don't want to leave you out of the yummy fun. Oh no, no, no.

Mr Foreman has given us one shiny new grill to giveaway!

Entry requirements:

* Comment below saying I want to get my GRILL on! And tell us your fave food to grill up

* Leave your name and the best way to contact you (twitter or email)

* You must follow our blog via RSS or Google Connect

* For one extra entry you can tweet : I want to get my GRILL on with @verybusymama and @georgegrillsuk so #getgrilling and enter to win http://bit.ly/irD2il

* One entry per person

* UK Only

* Winner selected at random on Monday 23rd May

As always, buena suerte and come back to see how we get grilling!

hate needles, love emla

It's May, which means it's almost June, which means it's time for CYBERMUMMY!

For those of you who may not know, it is the UK's first conference for blogging parents and in my case, kids!

Last year I had to convince mami to go. She wasn't very sure, but I advised her that it was best for her to go and meet so many of our blog friends!

This year we have been very lucky to be sponsored by emla. 

I wish we had known about them sooner. See, emla is a special cream that goes on your skin BEFORE getting your vaccinations and it takes away the pain. It's like magic!

I cannot tell you how many times I have had needles stuck into me and it HURTS! OOOOOUCH! 

And it doesn't just help those who are getting the shots but it helps ease the nerves of people who are afraid of needles, like papi. Just the thought of a needle makes him lightheaded and he needs to take a seat.

Mami says it's just an act, but I've seen him get really pale. Poor papi.

Anyway, it's also good for when you donate blood or have to get travel vaccinations. I had to get a few before going to Chile and it was not fun!


This is how it works:

First you have to make sure that the area of the skin you are going to apply the cream is clean and dry. If you are a little hairy, you may have to shave the area before putting on the cream. Sorry!

Squeeze half a 5g tube of emla cream onto the area where the needle will go, but only about the size of a 50p coin.

For more specific instructions, depending on age, part of the body or procedures, usage timings may be as little as 10 minutes, but check the leaflet to be sure.

 

Take one of the bandages and remove the centre cut-out piece. Peel the protective paper away from the underside. Cover the emla cream with the dressing so that you get a thick layer underneath. 

Do not spread out the cream. Press down the edges firmly to avoid leakage. 

 

Remove the paper frame. They suggest you write the time of application onto the dressing. 

Remember that emla must be applied at least one hour before the procedure and can be left in place for up to five hours for adults and four hours for children. 

The longer the cream stays on, the better the anaesthetic effect. That means you won't feel it.

emla is available without a prescription from your local pharmacy and they will also be at CyberMummy! But if you do have any questions, you can ask mami.

Have you tried emla? What did you think? Let us know!

 

Piggyback ride!

I heard mami complaining that her arms hurt from carrying me around and that I "weigh too much".

Well, mami, what do you expect? With the way you feed me, of course I'm going to grow!

But I admit, recently I have wanted to be carried everywhere we go. I don't know what it is, I just want to be cuddled and held. Is that so wrong?

So last week mami found a new way to carry me. It's much more fun and I think her arms don't hurt as much.  She calls it a "piggyback ride".

Mi amiga, mi mami/ My friend, my mami

I just jump on her back, wrap my arms around her neck, hold on tight and off we go!
 

We ran around the park chasing squirrels and scaring away the birds. I felt safe with mami because those birds can get crazy sometimes. So if they did attack they would get to mami first and I could hide behind her back.

So very safe for me!

I think this way of being carried is working for both of us. I get to bounce up and down and we are not too far off the ground which scares me a little when I sit on papi's shoulders.

But I do have to be careful not to squeeze her neck too tight, otherwise she can't breathe. Uh oh.

Chill out and stretch!

Everyone's got their own way of chilling out.

Papi likes to lay on the sofa and put his feet up while watching TV. Typical.

Mami likes to sit and "do nothing". No surprise there.

And me? Well, I'm just an all around chilled out kind of kid.

However, I do enjoy a good old fashioned stretching session. Usually while watching Handy Manny or Peppa Pig.

I just prop my leg up on the table and........STRETCH.

Ahhhhhh!

Yep, totally chillaxed (that's a cross between chilling and relaxed).

You really should try it. It's a good way to start your day!

Check out how everyone else chills out over at The Gallery.

Back in time...1930's

Mami and I (and papi too) went back in time. Well, sort of.

P&G asked mami to take a challenge, and let me tell you, it was definitely not easy!

They asked mami to live as a 1930's housewife (ha!) for one day. This was before P&G products were introduced in the UK. So that meant no fancy shampoo, no dish soap, washing clothes by hand and lots and lots of quiet time!

Mami thought it would be fun. Papi said "this I've got to see" and I just said "does this mean no TV?"

It took her a few weeks to get around to it because she works 4 days a week and on Fridays we always have so much to do.

Weekends are packed full of activities with friends coming over or birthday parties and trips. But eventually mami decided she would break up the tasks over a few weeks.

She still did not complete them all due to time, but here are a few of the one's we did.

Challenge one: Doing the dishes with a soap flakes and a circular coiled scrubber

Mami says she is "allergic" to the kitchen. It is not her favourite place to be and when we were moving house she said where ever we end up "must have a dishwasher".

So doing our dishes was no fun for her, but she found it relaxing and "not so bad". It was only our breakfast plates, so not that many. I think if she had done the dishes after dinner she wouldn't have liked it so much!

Challenge two: Keep me entertained with just blocks and a yo-yo

This actually wasn't so bad! I wanted to watch "Chugginton" but after mami brought out the simple wooden blocks I forgot all about it. I really like playing with blocks. These were strange, no colours or numbers - just one colour.

Papi helped me stack them and he showed me how to use a yo-yo too! He sat on the sofa and read the paper, it was from the 1930's too while mami was in the kitchen. Papi said "I could get use to this!"

Challenge three: Laundry

I had no idea you could wash clothes with your hands! Mami took out my flexibath and used that to wash my trousers and shirts. She filled the tub with hot water and used a scrubbing board to rub the clothes up and down on it and used a bar of soap at the same time.

She said her "arms hurt" by the end of it, but the water was dark blue and dirty. I guess they really did get clean. She can't imagine having to do ALL of our laundry like that. She was exhausted after doing that.

What she learned:

That she loves technology and modern day appliances! But also just how much the role of motherhood and parenting has changed over the past 80 years.

She says it's not easy now but certainly much easier. She cannot imagine having to do everything essentially from scratch and without the help of papi.

Thanks to P&G for this opportunity and happy 80th anniversary!

GLAMPING not camping

Yes you read correctly. It's not just a typo, I said HAPPY GLAMPING!

Glamping is the latest trend. It's all about families having a "staycation" at those stylish campsites where you just turn up and there’s a retro tent or caravan with a full-size bed, carpets and even a fridge all laid on for you. No bugs or hard floors to sleep on.

Perfect for mami!

See, Sudocrem, you know the stuff that goes on your bottom want to hear from Happy Glampers to find the UK's favourite Glampsite.

Used by millions of mami's and papi's everyday; Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream is an everyday household hero.

It’s ideal for holiday first-aid kits because it can be used to treat cuts and grazes, soothe sunburn, minor burns, skin irritation and of course, nappy rash.

So if  you are the kind of person who likes the idea of sleeping under the stars, cooking over an open fire and enjoying a taste of the outdoors but also likes the comforts of home then Glamping if for you!

You might have happy memories of childhood holidays under canvas and want your children to do the same; but with your busy lifestyle the thought of assembling all the equipment for a camping holiday leaves you cold.

Happy Glampers can enjoy staying in luxury tents, teepees, yurts, gypsy caravans and retro caravans. You can wake up every morning with the countryside on your doorstep, but without the hassle of having to put a tent up or tow a caravan along a winding country lane.

So get nominating and one lucky person will be picked at random to win a pair of Hunter wellington boots. They are perfect for those muddy afternoons in the park!

Mami is getting a pair of red ones because that is her favourite colour.

How to enter:
All you have to do is send in your nomination of your favourite UK Glampsite to sudocrem@forest-labs.co.uk and include Happing Glamping in the subject line.

Just let them know that Little M from Mummy's Busy World sent you!

A perfect afternoon

Enjoying a lovely walk through Chiswick House Grounds with papi.

What a perfect afternoon!

Week-end a la mer!

A few weeks ago I went to the beach for the first time. I jumped up and down in the waves and I played in the sand all day long!

It was definitely a "week-end a la mer" as the French say!

We have also been working with Nicole from Half-Pint Chic. She started an exclusive members only club selling designer children's and babies clothes at a fraction of the original price.

They only deal with the brands directly so they can guarantee that everything they sell is 100% authentic.

As you may have guessed, the latest sale on at the moment is the from the French fashion label Week-end a la mer. They have a lot of nautical themed clothing and lots and lots of stripes!

Check out my blue and white striped hoodie and my blue trousers with flags on them.

Willy Trousers £12 originally £26.99

Julio Jacket Striped hoodie £12.99 originally £28.99

See the flags on my back pocket and the fishes on  the hoodie?

This specific sales ends tomorrow, Saturday the 7th of May at 10am. But there are exclusive sales on every week. All you have to do is register to become a  member in order to view the products and purchase from them.

Signing up is super easy!

I was also sent the light blue Optimist rain coat with sailboats on the back - papi loves that!

He likes anything to do with boats and sailing.

Optimist Rain Jacket £14.99 originally £33.00

Once you have signed up, each week Half-Pint Chic will send you an email highlighting the brand on offer and the start and close times of the sale.

All you need to do is log on and browse. If you find something you like they will ship it to you within 10 days.

So go over have a look and at the very least sign up to see what great offer comes your way or follow Nicole on twitter @halfpintchic

Now if I could just get back to the beach. The sandbox at the park is just not doing it for me!