21 April 2011

Reasons to love living in Milton Keynes #1


This is the first in an occasional series of me sticking up for my much maligned new home town!


This park is just a ten minute walk from our house, it would be a five minute walk if we hadn't taken two small people with little legs!

I'd been to MK a few times before we moved here, but I had no idea it was so green. There are open spaces, parks, canals and lakes all over the town. You just need to get off those dual carriageways and out of your car.

I've got a feeling we've only scratched the surface of what this town has to offer.

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There's still time to enter my giveaway to win a Kellogg's goody bag.

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If you haven't nominated your favourite blogs yet, there's still time. Nominations close at 5pm on Monday 25th April for the 2011 MAD Blog Awards. It would be super if you could nominate Baby Baby. The five blogs with the most nominations in each of the fifteen categories will go forward to the next round.

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Happy Easter!



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20 April 2011

Kellogg's Giveaway


This giveaway is now closed



My friends at Kellogg's sent me a mystery package for Easter. It contains just about everything you need to make Rice Krispies cakes, including a chef's hat (essential, obviously), aprons, recipes, Rice Krispies, marshmallows and even a quarter of Dolly Mixtures. Thank you, Kellogg's, we cried with laughter at the picture of 'my mum's face' on one of the recipe cards. Genius.

If you would like to win one of these packages just leave a comment on this post. Remember to include your Twitter ID or email address so I can contact you if you win.

I will pick one winner at random at 8pm on Tuesday 26th April 2011. 
UK only, sorry.

Good luck!



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13 April 2011

How to Move House with Small Children



We’ve moved home, to a smaller house. We’re still playing the sliding block game with Pickfords boxes.

I will fit everything in. I WILL!

The main thing is the boys are settling in well. Moving house can be daunting at any age, but some pre-schoolers simply don’t like change. In all the upheaval of de-cluttering and packing, the routines you’ve spent months putting in place can be messed around with or forgotten.

Here is the Baby Baby guide to moving house with small children. This is what worked for us.

Preparation
Tell your children what is going to happen. Start gently a few weeks before the move and keep mentioning details of the move when you can. Reassure them that they will be taking all of their belongings with them. Answer their questions and be honest. They can take it. No, this isn’t the last time you’ll see grandma and grandad, but we won’t see them for a while. 

Let them say their goodbyes
They need some closure. An end before a new beginning. Give them time to say their farewells to the house, to the garden, to playgroup, to the local shop if they want to.

Let them pack a bag
Children like to copy you, so let them do their own bit of packing. Make sure they have their favourite teddies and toys in a small bag that travels with you in the car. When you move in they can unpack and will have something to play with straight away while you concentrate on getting that heavy sideboard in the right place while there are burly men around!

Get someone to have them on moving day(s)
Make it a holiday for them. Yes, you want them to be safely out of the way, but you don’t want them to feel pushed out. Presley and Cash’s grandparents took them to our (old) local wetland centre one day and let them dig in the dirt the next. I understand there may have been large quantities of chocolate consumed, but I’m turning a blind eye this time.

Take photographs
We were able to show Presley and Cash all of our worldly goods being loaded into an enormous removal van. They could see what was happening step by step, even though they weren’t there. This reassured them that all was going to plan.

Let them explore the new place
Stop what you’re doing and go round the house and garden with them. So, you unpack the casserole dishses tomorrow instead of today - so what? Ask what do they like about the new house? What don’t they like? What can you help them with? Try to make it as fun for them as you can – even if you feel in utter turmoil and the kettle has gone walkabout.

Familiarity
Do what you can to set up a few familiar areas in the new house as quickly as possible. Obviously their bedrooms are important, but also where you eat, where they wash, nappy changing and CBeebies will help them to settle in quickly.

Listen to them
Children may not always articulate their feelings, but we could see that three year old Presley wasn’t himself for a while. He became a little withdrawn and teary before the move. We did our best to comfort and reassure him, but it turned out that he was distraut that he wouldn’t see the flowers in our old garden again. On our first day a the new house we quickly found a pot and asked him what he would like to plant in there. He said potatoes, well, actually he said ‘patotoes’, but that’s neither here nor there. We changed his focus from the past to the future. Now he can’t wait to go to the garden centre.

Moving house is stressful, but it is also one of the most exciting things you can do. Moving house with children is an experience, but with a bit of forethought it needn't be a disastrous one.

Oh and if all else fails, offer chocolate buttons!





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New Nivea Sun Kids Pure & Sensitive

This is a sponsored post





We all like to have fun in the sun, especially children, but it amazes me how many parents don't feel the need to protect their children's skin.

I was on holiday in Cyprus a few years ago. Holidays, remember them?! I have fair skin and burn easily so I always pack plenty of sun lotion. I'd rather be pale and interesting than burnt to a blistered peeling crisp. Sadly not everyone is as diligent as I am in this area.

Back to Cyprus (I'd love to go back to Cyprus)! A family arrived in our hotel one morning and hit the swimming pool straight away. The parents took advantage of the all-inclusive bar while the children played in the pool. By lunchtime the whole family were bright pink. Like pigs. They chose chocolate cake and chips from the buffet. After lunch they went straight back out in the burning sun. We nicknamed them the pigs for the duration of our holiday, they didn't get any less pink! Now I am a mother I don't think I could stand by and watch those children burn. I also hate to see babies in prams in direct sunlight. I shout at their parents (from the safety of my car, obviously) 'put some sun cream and a hat on that on that baby, you...'



Factor 50+ sun protection is vital for children. My boys know that they must always wear a hat and sun lotion when it's sunny. It doesn't take long to apply, the new Nivea range includes a lotion and a spray, and you know that your children are protected against sunburn and long-term skin damage.

I'm looking forward to some sunshine so I can try the new Nivea Sun Kids Pure & Sensitive range as it is 100% free from perfume, colourants and preservatives helping to reduce the risk of skin alergies and it has been especially developed for kids' sensitive skin. I am allergic to many so-called skin care products and I worry that my boys have inherited my sensitive skin. I've had a little spray and this product is as gentle as you would expect.

Now let's just hope we have a decent summer!


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5 April 2011

The MAD Blog Awards: Nominations are Open!


Nominations are now open for the second annual MAD Blog Awards. MAD stands for Mummy and Daddy (in case you were wondering).

I was lucky enough to be a finalist last year and had a ball at the awards ceremony.

I'd love to go again this year and for this I need your help, dear readers, if you would be so kind.

There are fifteen categories this year. I think I'm eligible in the following categories:
MAD Blog of the Year
Best MAD Blog for Family Life
Best Pre-School Fun MAD Blog
Best MAD Blog Writer
MAD Blog Post of the Year (for Time)

You can nominate me, yourself or anyone else, here.

Thank you.

Now I just need to decide which blogs to nominate. I may be some time, I have a lot of favourites!



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3 April 2011

Mothers




Mothers.

They are amazing.

We are amazing.

Today I'm thinking of all the mothers missing a child.

Today I'm thinking of all the children missing a mother.

Today I read this about Missing Midwives at Save The Children

Justin Forsyth, Chief Executive of Save the Children, said: “While in the UK our thoughts turn to our own mums this weekend, we must not turn our backs on the mums and babies who will die today during birth or from complications associated with it. 
“No mother should face giving birth without help. It doesn’t have to be complicated: someone who knows how to dry a baby properly and rub its back to help it breathe can make the difference between life and death. No child is born to die.”  

Today I watched this and thought it was lovely. I know it's an advert, but I love the sentiment. I haven't been sponsored to post this.




Happy Mothering Sunday.



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