It's Little Charley Bear on DVD!

Do you know who Little Charley Bear is?

I didn't, but I do now!

I received two copies of Little Charley Bear's new DVD "Are you there Charley Bear" which was released last week.

One copy is for me and another is for one person to win.

Mami did a video telling you what SHE liked about it (Well, I'm in it too. You can see me turning on the DVD player at the end).

But I'll just say this, I have found myself a new favourite show to watch - two hands up from me!

To enter to win a copy watch the video and:

1. Comment saying "I want to win Charley Bear DVD" and tell us who is the voice of Charley Bear and how many episodes there are
2. Leave your email or twitter name so we can contact you if you win
3. For an extra entry you can tweet this competition (tweet button at the top)

One entry per person
UK Only
Closes on Tuesday the 28th of June 

You can watch Little Charley Bear on Cbeebies and visit his Facebook page too!

Good luck!

Bilingual and bicultural?

Does speaking another language make you bicultural too?

As you know I speak Spanish because I am half Chilean, but when it comes down to it, I have only been there one time, so not much experience in that deparment.

But obviously mami tells me about it so that much count for something?

Last week mami took me to the Chilean embassy and I got my very own passport and ID card.

That's me signging my new passport

I already have my USA passport that I use to travel with but my Chilean passport had not been processed yet.

Some people have asked "Why bother?" to mami "It's not like it's an EU passport" and mami responds with  "Because he's Chilean too!"

Now what I want to know is, does being bilingual mean that I am bicultural too? I mean, I know about Chile, just like I know about the USA but I was born here in the UK and live here now.

Outside the Embassy

And what about papi? He's not fully bilingual (he knows a little bit) but knows a lot about Chile and has been there plenty of times. Does that make him bicultural?

I'm just not clear on all of this. Besides, sometimes I think I am trilingual! Half of the time papi and I have different words for things in English.

For instance, last week mami asked me to throw away some paper for her in the basura. Okay, got it. No problem. Then papi says, "Go on, throw it in the trash". And I just looked at both of them, shook my head, and said  "no papi, rubbish".

See? Confusion I tell you.

Oh and the two things I know for sure about Chile is that it is very, very, VERY far away and that everyone there loves me very very VERY much.

That is good enough for me!

How about you?

Do you speak another language? Or maybe only speak one language but have different customs? What makes you bicultural?

Tidy up time with Fairy Non Bio

Remember when I told you about my very special and personalised toy box from Fairy Non Bio and when I got to go see Winne the Pooh the movie?!

Well, I have some really good news - Fairy Non Bio has given us one toy box to giveaway to one lucky reader!

Haven't seen my box? Have a look below - the winner will get their name or blog name on it.

I actually enjoy tidying up or ordenar. Really! Mami has a special song that we sing together while we pick up our toys.

"Ordenar, ordenar cada cosa en su lugar/tidy up, tidy up, everything in it's place" and we march around picking everything up and putting it all away in my box.

And because Fairy Non Bio know how important it is for families to spend time together (even if it is tidying up) they teamed up with Disney’s Winnie the Pooh to encourage families to share those magical moments. 

And that is where I come in to give you the chance to win a special limited edition gift box, including Fairy and Winnie the Pooh goodies. 

Trust me, you will LOVE them!

And besides that, mami absolutely loves how soft and fragrant our clothes are with Fairy. Oh, and its gentle on sensitive skin like mine.

Now, back to the toy box, all you have to do to enter is: 


1. Comment and tell us how you make tidy up time fun or your special technique 
2. Follow on RSS OR Google Connect OR subscribe to receive emails (your choice)
3. Recommend our blog to one other person (tweet or email)
4. Leave your twitter or email so we can contact you if you win
5. For an extra entry you can tweet I want to tidy up & win a personalised toy box with Fairy Non Bio and @verybusymama http://bit.ly/mOmHEf 

One entry per person
UK only
Winner selected a random
Competition closes on Monday 20th of June at midnight
Must do numbers 1- 4 

Good luck and remember to ordenar!

Will someone please wake up!

I was watching Humf early yesterday when I realised his morning routine if very similar to mine.

He had woken up very early and had gone to his mami and papi's room just like I do every morning and his mami and papi were sound asleep. I couldn't believe it, it was just like me!

See I am usually up very early, "way too early" mami says.

I can't help it if the sun is shining through the curtains in my room. And once I'm up, I'm ready to get the day started. So I go and see if mami and papi are up yet, and 10 times out of 10 they are not.

I do try to let them know I am up by climbing into bed with them but  mami says the same thing every morning

"Little M, es muy temprano. Cierre los ojos y haga tuto/It's very early. Close your eyes and go to sleep". 


Drastic times call for drastic measures

But I can't. I try to close my eyes but I'm just not tired. I have been sleeping all night and now I just want to play. So then I turn to papi  and his eyes are closed too, so the next best thing is to open them for him.

I slowly lift the top of his eye open, then I say, "Papi, levantate/wake up"

Then he opens his eyes, rubs them to look at me and says "No Little M, papi is sleeping. Go to sleep too". 

And so I am stuck in between two sleeping parents who don't want to get up and play with me. 

Humf usually goes back to his room to get some toys and so do I. I tend to come back with my favourite puzzle, or book or I just dump my mega blocks on papi's chest.

But mami just grumbles "No Little M, ahora no. Estoy muy cansada/ Not now, I am tired".

Then I try again with papi and this time using a different tactic.

 "Leche, leche/ Milk, milk" and that always works. He can't deny me my leche! He slowly rolls over and gets out of bed and I follow him into the kitchen.

Now that I have him up, I ask him to turn on the TV. But just as I turn to see if he's sitting on the sofa, he is back in bed.

Sneaky papi. I run back to the room and stand at the door and call both of them "Mami..papi! Mami...papi"

I see mami still with her eyes closed say "Can you get up with him?" but papi just pretends to be asleep, rolls over and pulls up the covers.

Mami then mumbles something something back like "I know you can hear me" but grabs her pillow, and walking very, very slowly comes into the living room and lays on the sofa while I play and watch my cartoons.

And if they still don't get up, I do restort to drastic measures and and take off my pijamas and nappy and throw it on their bed. Talk about jumping out of bed, works every time!

You should see mami in the mornings, she looks so funny! Her fringe is sticking straight up and her eyes look really small.

If they are so tired in the mornings maybe they should consider going to bed at the same time I do. After all, I am always well rested in the mornings!

How about you? Do you get up with our kids? What is your morning routine?

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!

Mami is sad again

Been quiet lately.

Mami and I have been dealing with our own "issues". She has been staying late at work and I think I may be getting more teeth. How many more do I need? I have a mouth full!

Apart from late nights at work, mami has been sad again. Really sad.

READ MORE

Daddy and I can always tell. She doesn't smile as much, her eyes are teary and on weekends she gets up with me then hands me over to daddy. She goes back to her room closes the door and we don't see her for hours.

This weekend daddy and I went out alone, no mami. Normally we take long walks or go for our family run, but daddy and I slipped out the door quietly.

When we got back she was curled up on the sofa with the shades down. She was staring at the TV and her coffee cup was still on the table. She hadn't even finished it! Daddy asked if she was feeling better and mami didn't answer him. She just looked at us and gave us a very, very small smile.

"Do you want to go for a walk then have tea at the cafe?" daddy asked.

I know she was trying to be nice, but she said she didn't "feel like doing anything".

Daddy tried to ask her again, but she just raised her voice and said "I just want to be alone!"

I ran off to play with my blocks, and mami and daddy kept talking. I could hear them in the living room talking about things I have never heard of before. She was trying to tell him why she was sad, then I heard her cry.

After a few minutes I heard the door open and by the time I ran out to see who it was, I heard the door slam shut and mami was gone. I stood behind the door calling for her, but daddy said she "went out for a little bit". Daddy looked sad too, but he called me over and I curled up in his lap.

Daddy and I spent the afternoon together. We read books, watched BabyTV, and ate raisins. I waited and waited for mami, but she did not come back.

After my bath, just when daddy had put me to bed, I heard the door open. I heard mami's voice and I called out for her. She came into the room and gave me a hug and kiss. Where did you go all day? I wanted to know, but she never told me. She held me for a little bit, then she said "buenas noches mi amor" and walked out of the room.

Today she forced herself to get dressed and we went out to lunch with friends. I think she had a good time. I even saw her laugh, but she has yet to be the fun mami I know. I hope mami feels better soon, I like going out with daddy, but I miss the days we can all be together.

Dear mami,

Daddy and I love you very much.

I hope you are not sad this week.

A tiny favour please...

I saw that Cosmopolitan, a magazine for mamas is launching the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards. Not my first reading choice, but I thought it could make mami very happy.

She was looking at the site last week, but she didn't say a word to me about it.

I later went on the computer and thought, "I should put my blog forward for the Lifestyle Category. After all, being a toddler is serious business!"

And because I can't really nominate myself in the fashion or gadget tech categories!

If you like what I write, or have laughed at any of my stories, could you nominate me please?

Just click the logo above, select Lifestyle and that's it! (well, you have a write a few things, but I hope that won't be too difficult)
My promises

I promise to be really really nice to mami. I promise to eat all my food and not throw it around the kitchen. I promise to let her kiss me. I promise to give her more kisses. I promise I won't poop as much (well, sort of)  I promise not to cry right in her ear. I promise to let her wipe my nose. I promise to not  pee pee on the floor. I promise I won't take her makeup brushes and put them in the toilet. I promise to take longer naps. I promise to use my own toothbrush instead of hers.

Phewwww, think that is enough!

Thank you very much lots of hugs and kisses

bye bye

Little M

Are you the nanny?

Me at two weeks old! How can anyone doubt she is my mami?

It happened again.

It had been several months now, and it took me and mami by surprise.

Mami and I were in a store on the high street trying on summer shoes when the girl from the shop looked down at me, smiled and said “oh, he’s a cutie”.

“Thanks very much" I thought and I stopped chewing on the foam bar on the buggy and stared up at mami who was looking at me all gooey eyed like she often does. She was just on the cusp of thanking her, when the girl quickly cut her off and followed the statement with the forbidden question  “are you his nanny?”

“Nooooo!” I thought, "not again!"

“Of course she’s not my nanny, that’s my mami” I screamed out, but I don’t think she quite understood me.

I pointed up at mami who had already lost that twinkle in her eye and then, keeping very calm and collected mami looked  her square in the face, and in a very clear and authoritative voice (a voice I know very well) said:

“Nanny? Nooo. He’s all mine”

Clearly the answer did not suffice, because the girl looked from mami to me and back again as if doubting her.

She then did something that drives mami absolutely mad. In a high pitched faux baby voice (which I find ridiculous and very ineffective by the way) exclaimed at me  “Oh, no? She’s not your nanny then?...Noooo, she’s your mummy, right? Your mummy?!”

I just shook my head and kept pointing at mami who was holding a shoe in her hand. I’m pretty sure she was fighting the urge to throw the shoe at the girls face. Thankfully she didn’t and we were out of there!

See, the first time mami was asked that question we were both absolutely gob smacked. She flinched in disbelief when the older woman at the park asked, “Is he yours?” Mami was so caught off guard that she nervously smiled and said muttered “of course” and walked away.

“How could someone ask such a question? Of course he’s mine!” She would say later at home.

“Unbelievable!” I would hear her tell daddy. “I would never ask anyone that question!”

Being less mobile back then, I just lay on my back, threw my tiny fists in the air and flashed her a gummy smile to let her know that I knew she was my mami!

As the months rolled by we would occasionally come across another person who would ask if I "belonged to her".

“Of course I’m hers!” I’d squeal. I still did not understand why anyone would doubt that she was my mami.

We learned to deal with it and move on. But in all fairness, mami and I had no idea that half of London was full of kids and babies being looked after by nannies. After all, we were new at this!

Mami and I now realise that many of the mamis at the park are in fact nannies, and she too finds herself wondering “mami or nanny?” Although a seemingly innocent question by the person asking, it can hurt many mamis feelings, especially since they dedicate so much time to us! Mami would not want to hurt anyone’s feelings by asking that question, so we just keep it to ourselves.

Even so, when the girl in the store asked her the “forbidden question”, it stirred up old emotions for both of us.

I reminded mami that just as many people have very kindly come up to us to say just how alike we look. That quickly cheered her up and she soon forgot about the “incident”.

How about you mamis out there - have you been asked this question? How did you react? Is it more a city thing? (It has only ever happened to us in London) Tell me about it!