VLOG: Who nose?

Are you ready for this?

I was sitting in my crib early one morning, waiting for mami to come get me.  I was playing with some toys and just poking around. I started touching my face, then I licked my fingers and then I touched my nose. I  had learned about my nose at nursery. Suddenly one of my fingers went into my nose! What?!

Yes! Did you know you have two holes on your nose? I couldn't believe it! I put my other finger into my other nose hole and it fit perfectly.

I called out to mami, and when she came in I surprised her with my new discovery. She just looked down at me and laughed. "Ay, Little M. Don't put your fingers in your nose"  and called daddy in to see.

I just started laughing and kept touching the holes in my nose. Mami and daddy's faces were so funny that I kept doing it just to get a reaction. Well, see for yourself! (mami doesn't know how to edit videos so you don't have to watch all 3 minutes)




Then I noticed that they had holes too! So naturally I put my finger into daddy's nose. I started laughing but daddy moved his face away. Oh, he ruined the fun!

This has been my best discovery yet (well, the first was finding out I was a boy) so I thought I would share this video with you. I don't know what all the fuss is about, its so much fun!

Mami rocks

Abuelita/grandma is gone bye bye. She left on an aeroplane.

I miss being with her. She reminded me a lot of mami. Sometimes she kind of looked like mami too. Even her laugh was the same. I liked feeling that mami was close by even it wasn't really her.

I can tell mami is extra tired again because she has to wake up early instead of sleeping in. Abuelita would take care of me, and mami is having a very hard time getting back into our routine. Bless her, she does try!

Yesterday, after "resting" all day we went for an afternoon in the park to get back to our old selves.

But I didn't recognise the way.
We went on a new path.

The ground was different.

 I kept looking at it. I had never seen this before. They were all over the place!

What where these little pieces everywhere?

I took a step and my feet made a funny sound. I took another step and felt a something inside my shoe. I stopped to bend over and touch them. I rolled them in my hands and they made a cracking sound. 

Can I eat these?

"What is it?" I wanted to know. It wasn't like anything I had ever touched before. They didn't feel or look like the sand from the sandbox, they were not soft like the grass, they were not sticks.

So what could these be?

I held some out for mami, and said "eh".

She smiled at me and said, "thank you for the rocks mi amor"

"Rocks"

"R-r-r-r-rocks" that's what these are. Rocks"

I piled as many as I could into mami's hands and hid some in the buggy to play with later. It was the best afternoon!

Just mami, me and lots of rocks.

The boy who lived in a box

Wordless Wednesday

Cool, huh?

MotherCare, more like MotherDOESN'TCare

I may be little, but I know when mami is happy and when she is not happy. This week, she has not been very happy.

Before leaving the waters and coming home, mami and daddy had everything ready for me. My bed, my clothes, toys, blankets and nappies. Most or all had been bought at a store called Mothercare. Daddy really liked their selection and would say "they have everything we need!"

In November (mami mentioned the month) before travelling on a plane to visit abuelita, mami said "we need a lightweight stroller, I don't want to take the big one the on the plane" Daddy agreed and said it would be good for nursery too.

And guess where he went to buy me a new pushchair? That's right; he went to our favourite store, Mothercare.

Now its summer time and just the other day the back wheels broke off. I was surprised because we only use it to go to nursery. I have had my other buggy since I was born and nothing has happened to it!

We went to our nearest store, and they said we were past the 6 month guarantee. Mami asked if it could be repaired and they said we would have to pay for it.

But wait! According to an email from customer support:

"If it has a manufacturing fault and you return it after 28 days, we'll repair it. If  we can't repair it, we'll exchange it or give you a refund."

The email went on to say:

“If your pushchair doesn't have a manufacturing fault, has been used and isn't in its original packaging, we don't refund or exchange it.”

Very sneaky! Based on advice provided by email customer support anything that is a “manufacturers fault” should be replaced but in the store they bully you into thinking this coverage only lasts 6 months. So which is it?

Talking to daddy she said, "Either they don't believe their own brand is of good quality with just 6 month warranties or they are trying to pull a fast one."

Daddy and I looked at each other and he said they should rename themselves either MotherDoesn'tCare or CustomerSupportDon’tKnow due to the conflicting messages.

Some of mami's friends on Twitter also said they were unimpressed with Mothercare items and their service and had moved on to other shops for their essentials.

I know mami, when she says something she means it! Says she won't be shopping at Mothercare and wanted me to write about it to let you know to be careful when buying anything from them.

What are your experiences? Is mami right to want them to replace the pushchair after only 8 months of use?

A very secret club

Oh no! I completely forgot to tell you about me and mami's first Secret Post Club experience! See we are part of a very secret club where bloggers exchange gifts every month. Its so much fun!
Last week the doorbell rang and mami panicked because she was still in her jammies - so funny! She quickly put on her jeans and a robe and ran to the door. The mail man handed us a box and after getting the tape off the box, mami handed it over and said "here Little M, this is for you".

Wrapped in pretty colourful paper was a some sort of lip makeup for mami (she loves that stuff!) a cupcake magnet, a pretty notebook, a carrier bag with flowers and a tray to make ice lollies for me! Yessssss! YUMMMMY!

Mami read the card and I couldn't stop clapping with excitement. I love paper and boxes!! She looked over at me and said "Little M, mira/look, our secret friend is Julie from All About Us and Such Like! Lets take a picture to send her to say thank you!"

Opening our presents. Thank you Julie!

Julie made mami and me very happy!

So, today was our turn to send our present to our secret friend. But, shhhh! I don't want to ruin the surprise (but I did help choose the gifts by pointing to what I liked at the shop). I wrote her a special note with my green crayon and I hope she can read my writing!

You can be part of the club too. Just read the directions and promise to follow the rules. And you can be anywhere in the world, not just in the UK. And if you are lucky mami and me will send you a nice present!

Bye bye,

Little M

Dear mami

Dear mami, 

I love you a lot and I missed you and daddy when you were gone.

Abuelita/grandma and I almost melted here in London because it was so hot, but we made it. Next time can I go with you please?

We did lots and lots of things.

First thing abuelita did was cut my hair! She heard daddy say I had a “mullet” and she cut little bits off the back. Did you see she put my curls in a bag for you?
Because it was so hot, abuelita let me hang out naked! Yesssss! No nappy and no shirt. I was just drinking my cold juice when suddenly water came right out of my willy! I did this twice this weekend, once behind the TV and another time next to your bed. I think you stepped in it. Sorrrrrry!

My teeth hurt again! I woke up at night and I don’t think abuelita was too happy about me crying. But just for you to know, she didn’t get up right away. You may want to have a “quick talk”with her.  Just like you do with daddy.

te quiero mami y papi/I love you mami and daddy

I'm very close to saying my first big boy word. I've been holding back - but when I shout out "heeeh" that’s my way of saying Hola/Hello. And "neh -neh- neh" is how I pronounce "no". Remember mami, I have a British accent, you don’t.

Oh, and you know that baby gate you put in the living room to keep me from playing by the fireplace? Well, you can just put it away because I can squeeze through any opening! Got between the sofa and the gate and abuelita couldn’t find me! 

She kept saying “Little M, Little M ¿dónde estas?/where are you?” So funny! Got black stuff on my hands and I made a little drawing for you on the wall by bookshelf. Did you see it?

Lastly, don’t be upset with abuelita, but she gave me candy when we went to the fair on Saturday. It was so yummy!

I drew this picture for you it says I love you very much mami and daddy and I am so happy that you are back and take me with you next time.

te quiero mucho
Little M

Simply and honestly me

Been busy here entertaining my abuelita/grandma who is visiting for a few weeks. Hard work I tell you, I have to show her where my milk is and which cup to give me, how to open the door to take me out, and which park to take me to.

Poor abuelita, she can't keep up with me and she tells mami that she is "muy cansada"/ very tired after spending a day with me. Funny how everyone I spend a day with seems to say that. Not sure why?

Either way, I have not had much time to blog, being cute is hard work too, and I've been doing a lot of that lately!

Last week both Holly at Its a Mummy's Life and Emma at Mellow Mummy tagged me with A Blog with Substance and The Blogging Meme. Boy was I excited - not only because they are very lovely and pretty mamas (mami met them at CyberMummy), but because we have been reading their blogs for some time now. Thank you very much!

A Blog with Substance - Holly asked, why do I blog?

Simple. I blog to help mami keep a record of all our fun and sometimes "difficult" experiences (those are her words by the way). Years from now she will enjoy looking back and reading about our early days together. Especially if one day we leave England and move to the USA, she will want to remember all of our adventures here. That, and I remind her what its like to be a little one.

My blogging philosophy in 5 words: Keeping it honest and simple

The Blogging Meme - Emma asks:

What is my favourite blog? Ooh, hmm? Ah yes! It's got to be Foodie Mummy! French expat living in Ireland, Foodie Mummy deals with life as it comes, loves football (well, not the French team at the moment) and is always very honest about her daily adventures as a new stay at home maman. Go and visit her, you won't regret it!

Blogger I respect? A fellow bilingual mama, Steffi over at Mummy do That! is brining up her little one to speak both German and English. I know that it is no small task, and mami and I salute her for that.

Best blog to join with? No weekly write ups or links to worry about. Just stop by RedTedArt blog for craft and art ideas. Mami is not very good with paints, but I always stop over at Maggy's blog for new art projects mami and I can do together. A few weeks ago we made a mini-sailboat for daddy that I saw on her Get Crafty with Children section. He loved it!

Best post by fellow blogger? Ha! this one made mami laugh out loud "Google yourself and you shall find" is a post by Nordica In London about Googling her blog name and coming up with a very different result than expected. Check out her post to see what its all about.

A Blog with Substance goes to: RedTedArt

Christmas, Chris-t-mas?

Mami and Chef Phil Vickery

I don't know how mami spends her days. She takes the train after leaving me at nursery, but after that I have no idea how she fills her time. I have heard her talk about her "office" and "work". But that is as much as I know.

So when she came home last week talking about seeing new toys and food for something named Aldi, I was even more confused than before.

"There was a room full of delicious food and chocolates and fun toys in another!" She told daddy.
I perked up from my high chair. "Toys?" I thought.

"It was Christmas in July" she exclaimed 

"Aldi has a whole range of toys, I had no idea they had anything other than food at their stores. Remember Aldi stores from Spain?"  She asked daddy and emphasising the word Spain  (I don't know what that is either) but daddy just thought for a moment and said,

"Oh yes. They have toys there?"

"Yes! That's the German store. I had forgotten they had them in the UK. They have amazing prices" said mami.

"They had a display of all products that will be out for Christmas".

"Christ-mas, Chris -t -mas" I thought slowly. I know that word. How do I know that word?

"So what else did they have?" asked daddy.

"Hold on!" said mami and she ran out of the kitchen into the living room. She came back with a white bag and began taking out chocolates and cookies.

"Yummy!" I thought and pointed for a piece. "No Little M, you finish your dinner"

Daddy looked at her and said "well, this isn't very good for your diet" Mami just snorted at him, took the chocolates out of his hand and put them into the fridge. I could tell she couldn't wait to eat them! I can't blame her because I want some too!

Changing the subject quickly she said "well, the best part of all is that I got to meet with Phil Vickery!"

Daddy stopped stirring the sauce and looked at mami wide eyed "You did? How? What's he like?" he asked excitedly.

"Well" said mami slowly, "He's a really nice guy. Very funny, big advocate for getting kids cooking.  He's been working with Aldi stores for 2 years now."

"So that's what Aldi is, a store" Got it.

"Oh, really?" said daddy "Wow! I had no idea"

"Oh yeah, he's got an online school called Phil's Cooking Academy that helps kids learn to cook from scratch. Something I want Little M to learn when he's older".

"Sure! I've seen daddy cook and I want to help too" I shouted out. Mami looked at me, wiped away some sauce from my cheeks and kissed my forehead.

"So, did he give you any advice?" asked daddy

"Of course!" Said mami and read off a list of tips that Phil recommend for all mamas:

• Bulk cook so that you can freeze 2/3 of it for another day - Daddy smiled because he does this already.
• Keep your meals simple and have balance of sweet, fruit, veg, meats - Mami smiled this time because she cooks very very simple. Daddy rolled his eyes.
• Fast-food does not mean junk food. He says you can have healthy packaged or frozen food that is fast and easy to make but that does not mean its "junk"  - No reaction. Guess they both agreed.
• Kids should be introduced to a variety of foods early enough so that they are open to try it all later on. He said it is something called "flavour profiles" - Daddy perked up and said "its like muscle memory, the mind doesn't forget"

"Don't forget meeee" I thought. And I threw some mashed potatoes at mami to get her attention. She turned to me and said, "Okay mi amor, lets get you in the bath".

I still need to figure out what this Christmas business is all about and how it involves toys.

At least I learned that Aldi has "great value" for money as mami says, a yummy range of fresh and frozen foods, and Phil Vickery on their side!

Hot hot hot!

I've been very sticky and wet lately. I have never felt like this before. I feel warm all over just like when I was sick a few months ago - but I feel fine.

I hear mami and daddy say "hace calor/its hot" and that now it is "verano/summer time". There is a lot more light and sun than I remember and on some days its so hot that mami doesn't even dress me - and that never happens!

Mami says she want to eat my toes - I hope she doesn't!

I'm going to be 18 months soon, so I would have had a summer before, but giving it another thought, last summer we went to Chile when it was hot - and it was cold there in July! Daddy said it was winter there when it is summer in the UK. 

So this is my first real summer - and I'm loving every moment!

Mami sometimes looks a little flustered and her cheeks get red. She is constantly folding up magazines or paper and waving it in front of her face. I once saw her pour water on the back of her head - silly mami.

I don't know why she doesn't just take off her top and shorts like me. It sure helps keep me cool!

Whatever mami and daddy say - I sure do love verano/summer!

I don't have to wear socks!
I can see my toes through my shoes :)
I like being able to feel the sand and sun on my legs
My shirts don't cover my arms
No jacket to put on before going out - I don't like them at all!
I can drink as much juice and water as I want
I get a bath, every single night!
We go to the park 3 times a day
I get to eat with no shirt on
I get to splash aournd at the paddling pool
Ice cream! Mami gives me an ice lolly on our way home from the park - yummy!
Abuelita comes to visit - that is the best part of all!

Summer is great - I wish it could stay like this all the time!

Something for all mamas

Remember when I said someone named abuelita / grandma showed up in my room one morning? Well, I have now remembered who she is – she is mami’s mami! Tonight, after putting me to bed, I heard mami say to abuelita that she had a special “girls only treat” and that “she needed to relax”.
Turns out, the nice people at Montagne Jeunesse Face Masques sent mami some sort of creams for her face.Luckily I was drifting off to sleep when they were trying it out, but daddy said they were covered in it!

Abuelita used the Apricot Scurb and mami the Strawberry Souffle

I couldn’t believe it – this is just what mami needed! After all she is always saying how tired she is, and how much she needs a break. I’m just a boy, so I don’t know the fine details but she did explain to me how the process worked so that I could tell you on the blog.

First, mami cleaned her face, and then opened up the yummy smelling mask – she decided to use the Strawberry Souffle in honour of Wimbledon. Since she can’t go, this is as close as she is going to get! Then she smoothed the cream all over her face and she and abuelita relaxed on the sofa with a glass of vino.

I wish I could have gotten my hands on that cream!

According to daddy, after about 20 minutes and lots of laughing – which I could hear them all the way from my room, but I was just too tired to join in, mami and abuelita went to wash off the cream. I think she may have used my washcloth because it smelled very fruity – and that’s not my style!

Smoothing it on - doesn't she look so funny?

 

Mami said her face felt smooth and refreshed - especially since it’s been so hot lately! And mami has sensitive skin, but the masks are gentle and don’t make her face itchy.

Mami and abuelita relaxing on the sofa. She never lets me put my feet up!

The best part about using Montagne Jeunesse is that they are easy to spread, freshens up your face and they are only 99p each! That was definitely the part that mami liked the most.

Washing her face

She said it was a “sweet deal” and recommends it to all mamas looking for a relaxing evening, or just a pick me up during our afternoon nap! Since I wasn’t up to see mami applying her mask, I asked daddy to step in and take some pictures for me. I think he did a great job, don’t you?

Now for the important stuff! Where can you get Montagne Jeunesse Face Masks?

Happy and relaxed mami. She said her face felt very smooth

Mami said they sell them in many many places such as: Amazon.co.uk, Asda, Boots, Blackledge, Claires Accessories, Co-op Pharmacies, Ethel Astin, Home Bargains, Holland & Barrett, Morrisons, New Look, Paul Murray, Peacocks, Sainsburys, Savers, Somerfield, Superdrug, Tesco, T J Morris, Wilkinsons, W Boyes & Co Ltd. You should also visit their colourful site at: http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/

I haven’t heard of all of these places, but maybe you have. Either way, they are available in lots of shops!

WIN!  Thank you for entering, competition is now closed.

That's the best part! Mami and I have some to giveaway! All you have to do is follow my blog, or mami on twitter @verybusymama and leave a comment saying that you have and what your favourite way to relax is.

Five lucky winners will receive 3 different masks to try! Enter and tell your friends!

The competition closes on Wednesday 7 of June at 5pm. (UK only)

¡Buena suerte!

Activity overload

I'm not sure what has come over mami, but she has been on activity overload! Last week she let me make a mess painting, then we made a sailboat for daddy's special day and on Friday we went to a dance party at the park.  Who knows what she has planned for this week!
It all started very early on Friday morning. Mami was dressed for the day when I woke up and instead of letting me play in my jammies like I usually do, she dressed me right away.  After having my milk and toast, we headed out the door into the bright sun and turned to the right at the High Street. I didn't know where we were going, but then suddenly I remembered that we were going to the NCT Cheeky Monkey’s Tea Party at our park!

Auntie Lis trying to win me over - I just want my dummy!

Anxious to have fun,  I pointed the way towards the gate. However, right before arriving we turned off and mami just sat on a bench.   

"LETS GO, COME ON, COME ON!" I rocked back and forth in the buggy so that mami would push me.

She smiled, rubbed suncream on my legs and said, "hang on Little M, we are waiting for Auntie Lis". 

"Huh?" I thought. "Who is that? LETS GO!"

But then, I saw a familiar face.  It was Auntie Lis! Then it all came back to me. Earlier in the week I had invited Auntie Lis a fellow blogger to come and spend the day with us. She is mami's friend and they use to work together too. She is not a mami so being around so many babies was new for her. But I'm still her favourite little guy!

She was crazy!

We arrived at our usual spot at the park to find balloons on trees, a colourful parachute and lots of mamas and buggies everyone! I had never seen the park so full. We made our way to the parachute where a lady was dancing around acting crazy and singing very loudly. She looked familiar to me. Seeing her jump around I remembered that she was Amanda from Amanda Action Kids! 

We danced to Justin Beiber's "Baby, baby" (mami really likes this song, although she doesn't like people knowing she has "Bieber Fever") and a faster version of head, shoulders, knees and toes! Poor Auntie Lis, she didn’t know any of the words to the songs! So funny!

The dancing looked fun enough so I moved to the music and clapped my hands. All this was cutting into my nap time, but I saw how happy mami was so I put on a little show for her. I played under the parachute for while and let mami and Auntie Lis talk and drink their coffee. Mami just loves to drink that stuff; almost as much as I love to drink my milk.

 Mami and I before the dancing started

I tell you, its not easy having to entertain. The life of a performer is tough, so you can understand why a nap and milk was in order.

Thankfully mami got my message and we headed home. Walking under the shading of the trees on along the high street, I dozed off and woke up in my bed!

For lunch we had a yummy pizza at Zizi’s. I don’t think Auntie Lis realised that I ate pizza too and she was very impressed with my appetite. 

“I have lots of teeth” I said pointing to my mouth and showed her all the ones I have. 

She ooed and awwed – good thing she did, because they are extremely painful to get!

Our day ended by walking Auntie Lis to the train station then daddy coming home right before I headed off to bed. 

Little did I know that the next morning I would wake up to find myself with a new roommate. Mami says her name is abuelita or grandma. She does look very very familiar. Hmm? Let me figure out who this abuelita person is and get back to you this week. 

Mamas: what sort of fun activities will you be doing this summer?

My busy world

Mami's My Busy World

I really should rename this blog My Busy World. I’m fed of everyone thinking that a toddlers life all fun and games. Take it from me, a tots work is never done!

Yesterday mami and I took a car to a photo shoot for Pregnancy and Birth Magazine (more on that later) .What’s the big deal you say? The big deal is that I am not use to sitting in a car seat and looking out the window.

Midway through our trip, my tummy didn’t feel too good and I threw up all over myself! Mami got nervous and was desperately cleaning me up with wipes.

We were nearly there, but I had to sit in my dirty shirt and shorts for the rest of the ride. It smelled yucky and all I wanted to do was get out of there! As soon as I was out of the car, I felt much better...ahhh, fresh air!

But that little incident got me thinking, who says being a tot is easy?

We are expected to dance, sing and clap on cue – you try having to perform for everyone you meet! Its tiring and I’m not always in the mood to do so.

After doing a poop, I have to wait around for mami to smell me and change me – you try playing, sleeping and sitting on a loaded nappy, its not fun.

Mami por favor, ¡no mas fotos! /Please, no more photos!

When we are out, my nap schedule it completely thrown off – what if you had to sleep in a chair? I know mami wouldn’t like that.

There is way too much kissing going on! I'm expected to kiss mami when she asks – every day mami? Really? I’m a boy – maybe every other day.

I am expected to stop and pose for pictures all the time - can't a boy get a break? No photographs. Just for one day please!

Going to nursery is lots of work! I have to paint cards for mami and daddy, do a daily sing-a-long session, feed the ducks and strive to keep my toys from being taken away. Just typing it all out makes me tired!

I've had to cheer on three teams in the World Cup - Chile, USA and England. I've got to keep mami and daddy happy!

So there you have it, a tot's work is never done.  Oh, and not to mention I moonlight as a blogger!


Okay now, Mami's is singing the alphabet song again and I need to call it a day. Got a busy day ahead of me.

¡Buenas noches!
 
P.S. Mami and I will be in the September issue of Pregnancy and Birth Magazine - keep your eye out for us!

Earth Friendly Baby and Kids

Shhh! Mami won’t like me saying this to you, but she does not see the point of buying special lotions, body washes or shampoos for me. She sees that other mami’s lather up their little ones with “extra special” soaps and oils, but she just doesn’t get it.

Mami just goes to our local Boots and buys whatever is on offer. Hey! It’s worked fine until now, I smell good, and I’m clean. I do have dry skin, and mami has tried to put lotion on me, but I don’t like the sticky feeling on my arms and legs and I wiggle and twist until I am out of her grasp.

She tries again every now and then, but I won’t have it! I’m like daddy, a simple, no fuss kind of guy. So when the nice people at Earth Friendly Baby and Kids asked if I would like to test out some of their lotions, shampoos and nappy cream, I had my doubts. Unfortunately for me, mami checks the emails so I wasn’t able to hide that from her. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try them out and then I thought, this could be my very first review!

Earth Friendly Baby and Kids don’t settle for irritated skin or unnecessary chemicals in their products. And the best part of all is that their pure and natural range of affordable, everyday toiletries for children offers everything mamas and daddies need at great value prices. That is the part mami liked the best.

Now I don’t know why, maybe it’s because I poop a lot, but I have very bad nappy rash. I sometimes cry when mami is changing me because it hurts so much. We’ve been using the Baby Organic Red Clover Diaper Care Cream (£5.49), and it made me feel better than the other stuff we use. It’s thick and soothes me right away. Mami and I like it very much, but mentioned to daddy that she would not buy such a small tube of nappy cream for that price when she can just buy a bigger container and have it last longer.

I still don’t like having shampoo and body wash on me, but mami and I were surprised at how yummy the organic chamomile Kids Shampoo and Bodywash (£3.99 250ml) smelled.  It left my hair soft and my skin feeling fresh. I give mami the go-ahead to use this on me again. I like playing with the bottles in the water and besides it distracts me from the hair washing that I find so annoying.

Washing my hands with the Kids Handwash

I also now wash my hands with the zingy citrus Kids Handwash (£3.99 250ml). I like it because I can press down on the pump and get the soap out by myself! It reminded me of the orange pieces I sometimes have for lunch. It leaves my hands nice and clean and it’s so much better than using wipes.

Lastly, as much as I do not like to admit it, the Baby Organic Calendula Daily Care Cream (£5.49) was the best of all! I still don’t make it easy for mami to put it on me, but since I was so relaxed after my citrus bath, I lay still long enough for mami to put some cream on my arms and legs.

She showed me how to rub it on my knees – it wasn’t so bad! I’ve noticed that my skin feels much better and its not as dry as before. The size of the tube is quite big and should last for some time. I think the nappy cream should come in that size too!

Earth Friendly have all sorts of other yummy smelling lotions, soaps and products for mamas and kids. You can find the Earth Friendly Kids and Baby products for your little ones at selected Waitrose stores, good baby and health stores and via http://www.healthqueststore.com/. 

Mami and I really like Earth Friendly and recommend you try it too!

 

No twitter or computer, just mami and me

So happy to spend time painting with mami!

I mentioned in my last post that I had not seen much of mami in the past two weeks. She had been extra busy and daddy had to take over for a bit. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE daddy, but I missed mami!

She wasn't around in the evenings for dinner, to give me a bath or read to me. When she was around, she was rushing me along and very tense.  I don't know what I did, but my feelings were hurt and I clung to daddy instead. Mami was sad when I wouldn't cuddle with her, but I think she that made her realise how I was feeling, and quickly changed to make sure I wasn't sad anymore.

This week mami was back! Oh how I missed her and her funny faces! It felt like the good old days - just us, going to the park, reading, dancing and eating yummy lunches. And typical mami, she had a surprise for me. Today, on our mami and me Fridays, she brought out the paints!

In complete control of my art

It just so happens that I love to paint! Its my favourite activity at nursery and mami and I had never done that together. So you can imagine my excitement when mami set up the small table in the kitchen and let me "freestyle" paint.

At first I picked up the paint brush and dipped it in the blue - then I added some yellow and dabbed at the red. Very civilized and under control.

Did mami really expect me to stay clean?

I brushed the paper and then, just as mami was encouraging me to do more, I thought "forget this!" and stuck both of my hands in the paints and smeared it all over my face, hair and on the gate. 

Leaving my mark in the kitchen

Mami just looked at me wide eyed, I stared back thinking "did you really expect me not to make a mess?" but then she laughed and kissed the small spot on my forehead that did not have paint.

Freestyle painting

She let me go wild and when she turned to get the camera, I decided I would add a little colour to the kitchen floor!

Black and white is so boring - yellow and red brightens it up!

Mami then reminded me that we were making a special card for daddy's day on Sunday so I did eventually paint on the paper.

They are abstract pieces. I hope daddy understands them.

To daddy made with lots of love, Little M

I know that a lot of mamas are very busy, but remember that us little one's love you very very much, and despite our moods, we miss and need you lots! It was nice to have mami's full attention and not have to share my time with the computer or twitter.

Mami read an article in the New York Times about the risks of parenting while plugged in and it got her thinking about how she spends her days with me.

So mamas, why not turn off the TV, shut down the computer and take a break from twitter and plan an extra special activity with your little one? And please come by and let me know what you have in mind!

Get planning!

P.S. Because I did make a big mess, I thought I would submit this to the Messy Play Challenge by Huggies Wipes

Thanks Mama Hen

Today was "one of those days". Mami was a bit down and I have not been myself lately. I don't know if its all of the teeth I have coming in or what, but we were both not quite right.

After nursery, I checked in on the blog and saw that Mama Hen at Mama's Little Chick had a surprise for me! I quickly went over to hers, and saw that she had tagged me with a Beautiful Blogger Award. Yah!
Thank you Mama Hen - you made us smile after a very gloomy day!

Now rules are rules, and I must tell you 7 things you may not know:

1. Mami thinks caffeine doesn’t really do much for her, but drinks coffee “just in case” and because it smells so good.
2. Mami wants to audition for Glee – she rehearses at home, so please, someone, give her a chance!
3. She loves The Carpenters and a Latin Pop. Daddy and I don’t understand her song choices, but we love her regardless.
4. When mami was 15 she wrote to the Mickey Mouse Club (MMC) and received a signed poster which included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Kerri Russell, Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling.
5. Mami is scared of scary movies - she has never been able to watch them and if she does, it gives her nightmares. I don't blame her!
6. She can talk like Donald Duck!
7. She was constantly homesick for the first 2 years in the UK

There are so many mamas out there who have been so supportive of my blog. I would like to give this award to Foodie Mummy for her very nice comments and encouragment and to Utterly Scrummy for her delicious recipes and friendly tweets!

Congratulations and I look forward to reading about you too!

Fat feet, tight shoes

Denial, denial, denial. That’s what my mami is in – complete denial that her feet are bigger, wider, and fatter and that she will never again fit into the shoes she wore before I was born.

Daddy and I think she should have realised this by now, after all I’m 17 months this week. Get a clue!

Every month, mami goes into her room, takes out her shoes and attempts to squeeze her feet into them hoping that they would have shrunk back to size 4 (UK not US).

“All those shoes, and they don’t fit. What a waste!”

“I just can’t bring myself to give them away,” she says. Then daddy pipes in “not to mention all that money!”

(I just think why does she need so many? I just have 3 pair, and thats enough for me!)

See mami has a lot of shoes in size 4. And I mean, A LOT! Years of buying shoes, and now they take up space in her closet because now she is a size 5.

It pains mami not to wear her shoes

Worst part of all, she even has some stored in my room! I was playing with the closet door this weekend and managed to finally get it open. I was so happy to finally have been able to do it on my own, that I started taking everything out!

I was dancing around my shirts, shorts, pj’s and my shoes, when I picked up a blue shoe with a high heel. It didn’t look like anything that I would ever wear so I walked to the kitchen where mami was preparing lunch and handed it to her.

She looked  at the shoe and I realised that she did not know where I had gotten it from. She followed me to the room and she dropped to her knees, completely ignoring the mess I had made (that was a first!) and said “That’s where I put them!” and dug through the rest of the shoes she had put away a year before.

Seeing that mami was having so much fun, I helped pull out the shoes and even got a taste of a few of them (not too good, I wouldn’t recommend them, especially her sandals, yuk!)

And again she tried them all on, and again got the same result: fat feet, tight shoes. Silly mami, doesn't she know that feet grow? Like mine!

I just hope she moves her stuff out of my room!

Mamas, did this happen to you too? Did you go up a shoe size?