An Awfully Long Break!

Thank you to my brother-in-law for this picture!

Sorry for radio silence, we went and got married.... :D it was such an incredible day, with everyone we wanted in attendance. It was filled with food and music and general loveliness, and was so relaxed and low-key. It was perfect.






So, what have we been up to since? Lots! Indy has had his first trip to the beach, it was a spontaneous trip which is always the best type of trip.

We're very lucky to have Barry Island a 20 minute drive away. I have lots of fond memories of playing on the beach as a child, and I'm so happy I can do the same with Indy. I was on the hunt for lovely big shells and pebbles to take home, but there weren't any. Indy wasn't phased though, and had a whale of a time collecting little pebbles, throwing them, then running after them to pick them up again.

Next time we go, we'll take a kite. Indy loves the rainbow kite in Sarah & Duck so I'd love to see his face if we were able to fly one.



As expected, Indy fell in love with the seaside. He picked up shells and pebbles, prodded seaweed, wrote in the sand, and splashed in the sea. He was devastated when we had to leave to get fish and chips. It's a hard life!

During our time off, we visited Caerphilly Castle. What a place! The views are spectacular, but be warned, the stairs are very narrow and can be slippy as a lot of it is open air. Luckily, Nanna came with us and kept an eye on Indy, so we were able to have a wander and take Indy to the more baby-safe areas. He met some ducks and geese and tried to get a bit too friendly with them!


 The information provided at Caerphilly Castle is done in a really lovely and accessible way. There's a video playing in one of the rooms, projected in the round with full surround sound, which really adds to the drama behind the history of the castle.


We would definitely recommend a visit to Caerphilly Castle. The prices are really reasonable, and the gift shop is normal gift shop prices.








What have you been up to? Let me know, I'd love to hear from you.

Rainbow Rice is Ever So Nice!

We made some rainbow rice! Doesn't it look pretty? This is a really easy, straight-forward activity that engages sight, touch, and sound, plus it only costs a few pennies. I'm going to give a step-by-step with pictures to show you how to make your own edible rainbow rice.

This is all I used, some vinegar from the cupboard, some gel food colouring also from the cupboard, and a pack of value rice. Some people use liquid food colouring, some people use gel, there isn't a massive difference although liquid will make a slightly stronger colour. Vinegar acts as a thinner for the gel, and also helps the colour stick to the uncooked rice. Brown rice also works, but the colour will be a little duller (but it's super handy to use up the brown rice that has been lurking at the back of the cupboard for ever.)

I poured a good quantity of rice into a sandwich bag, I didn't measure, just estimated roughly on how much rice I'd like. Then I added the entire tube of food colouring as I wanted a nice vibrant colour. Then a few drops of vinegar were added, and then the mixing began. I rolled the bag between my hands, jiggled it, bounced it, you name it, I got that baby mixed. I lined a tray with cling film and poured each bag out onto it in a thin layer, then I left them to dry for 24 hours, being sure to mix them about every now and then.

picture from http://www.faspaints.com/face-paint.html

Pretty! These colours weren't exactly what I had in mind, but I liked them just the same. I mixed a couple of the gels to get the lovely darker blue colour, something to bear in mind if you want to save some money on buying lots of different colours. Don't forget your colour mixing!

For ease of clean-up, I used the PVC mat that we got from Dunelm, and a cutlery tray from Ikea to keep the colours separate (for now!). I placed the tray inside our paddling pool, and let Indy have at it!

I placed a selection of child-sized utensils inside the pool (utensils from Ikea) and gave Indy minimal direction. I gave him a few ideas, such as scooping the rice with a pot, but let him explore the texture and the sounds himself. After he finished, I poured all the rice into a jar ready for next time. As the rice is still uncooked it lasts indefinitely, but I will replace it when it's past its best and has been played with several times. Instead of throwing the coloured rice away, I'll make a treasure bottle with it (a future blog post to come). If you try rainbow rice, be sure to show me a picture!

You would never guess it but...

I have a high needs toddler. Everyone who meets Indy comments on how happy, chatty, and smiley he is. When Indy is around other people he is happy to wander around, talk to people, play by himself, you name it. However, you be a fly on the wall when it's just me and the boy, and it's a completely different story.

Indy is my shadow. Indy clings onto me, onto my leg, onto my chest, onto my head. "Mama, mama, mama, please, mama, mama" is repeated, constantly. He still breastfeeds like a newborn, asking every  half hour, pulling on my top and smacking on my chest. I've started saying no, and we successfully night-weaned him using the Dr Jay Gordon method. I play with him, I reassure him, he gets lots of cuddles and kisses and 'I love yous' and is a very content little boy, he just seems to turn into a completely different child when it's just him and myself.

This is partly the reason why I started this blog. I wanted to show myself and others that I was interacting with him lots, and that we were playing together and his needs were being filled. In a way I feel guilty that he acts like this, Daddy has walked downstairs from work and seen how different Indy acts towards me and he has been shocked. I suffer from anxiety that leaves me fairly housebound, so going to baby and toddler groups has been difficult. I'm persuading myself to try a couple in the next few weeks, to partly relieve some of the pressure off me, and to let Indy be around other people. I know nobody there will believe me when I say I have a high needs toddler, watching my confident little boy strut around independently, making friends and playing, but I'm sure someone else there will know exactly what it's like.

A Catch-Up. Grab a cuppa.

It's been a while! Things have been pretty manic over here, the count down to the wedding is ON. (It's a week today for anyone interested...)

My technology post has been so far the most popular I've done, and I'm happy with that. It seems a lot of parents look for reassurance online, so if I've offered that then I'm proud. I hope to keep up the on-topic posts and give people a glimpse into the way we parent. If there's anything you'd like me to touch upon, feel free to let me know.

Indy and I recently visited a local commune with my friend Emily. Emily knows the gardener there so we were treated to a tour around where they live. It's a beautiful place, and a lovely community feel, but I don't think I'd be able to live in a commune. I love my creature comforts and I think they'd probably frown upon me bring my xbox. Indy was right at home, running around barefoot and playing all the instruments they had. I love the idea of everyone having their own role within the community, and living to help each other out. I think that's missing a lot within today's society, people look after themselves before one another. I'd love to stay somewhere like this for a week or so, and reset my body clock.



Back home, Indy decided he wanted to have a go at babywearing. We've done this before with a silk play scarf, but he was pretty determined to have a go with our Boba. Something tells me I'm going to have to have a go at making him his own (baby-safe) buckles!

Later today, in between my makeup trial and a package collection, we'll be playing with some rainbow rice. I'll have a step-by-step instruction post so you can join in with the multi-coloured fun too :)

Why We're Not Banning Technology

Technology. Toddlers with iPads and phones and gadgets and millions of things running on batteries. It's a touchy subject in a lot of gentle parenting groups, and a topic I try to stay away from. Why? Because we let Indy play with technology.

Let me explain why. We are a technological world. It is all around us. From electronic billboards, to televisions, to LeapPads, it is something you CANNOT avoid. Children are using tablets in school, teachers are writing on interactive whiteboards, museums are installing electronic tour guides. Some people try to avoid it as much as possible and stay with toys made out of natural materials and a plastic ban. Some people embrace the tech, and some people call this lazy. I can see both side of the arguments, completely and totally. We try to buy wooden toys where we can, we prefer the more tactile nature and the fact they're built to last. We encourage Indy to play outside and to experience things for real as opposed to via a screen. Indy can also unlock both mummy and daddy's phones, choose his favourite game, and complete a few levels.

Parents don't have to choose, parents can provide both. We are living in a technological age, and it is present in most working environments. I believe that using technology is now a life skill, and if you aren't proficient in Word and Excel when you apply for a job, you are at a disadvantage. Why not teach this skills when they're young, do it in a fun way, and give your child life skills? When Indy uses technology, we don't use it as a 'babysitter', we interact with him and use it as family time.

Some people will disagree with us, others will nod their heads and feel slightly less guilty (I hope.) I think children and technology shouldn't be a taboo anymore, and shouldn't be seen as lazy. I think it should be accepted, encouraged, and even enjoyed. We are a gaming family, and want to help other parents make the right choices when it comes to technology, hence our other project PixlBandits; a youtube and blog where we discuss retro games, and provide parents guides to popular games.

Cervixes, smears, and LLETZ, oh my!

I'm writing this post in bed, which is totally unlike me so I'll explain why. Today I had a LLETZ procedure, following two abnormal smears and an unsatisfactory biopsy. As I lived in England until I was pregnant, I wasn't offered a smear until after Indy was born. I was nervous about going for a smear but knew it was important, so I booked it and went. The smear itself isn't painful, it's mildly uncomfortable, but it's nothing to worry about.

The biopsy was done in hospital, it took 5 minutes and was more of a pinch than pain. Again, nothing to get worked up about and it heals quickly.

Today's LLETZ was a little different. I'm not going to lie, it is a little more painful and uncomfortable but is so so worth it. I did what I always do and made really awkward jokes all the way through (think things like #biopsy and surgery selfies and you'll see where my weirdo brain went).

Now I have to wait a few weeks for my results. I'm in bed as I'm in some discomfort, Indy has croup so he's super clingy and wants to climb all over me, so the decision was made to banish me upstairs so I can try to make myself comfortable. I'm expecting some blood loss over the next few weeks so my CSP is in action again. But yeah, go for a smear. I can't emphasise it enough.

Gelli-Baff

Yesterday, me and my mum (Indy's nanna) went out to do some lovely sunny bank holiday shopping, mostly for wedding things. We went to Dunelm to get some fabric for table cloths, and my mum spotted this awesome PVC!
http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/roadmap-pvc-fabric-453377

So naturally we bought a metre of it to use as a messy play mat. I had itchy fingers, so had to try it out this morning with the Gelli-Baff I've been hoarding since I found it in Pound World.

This is all you need to make this wonderfully gloopy stuff;  a nice big bowl, a litre of warm water, and the two packets in the box.

It tells you to add a little at a time as it all of a sudden thickens, and you have to keep stirring. It's a lot like jelly mix (hence Gelli...)

Luuuvly. Looks like a slush puppy. Then the fun begins!

Indy decided this wasn't enough goop and muck for one day, so wanted the Play Sand involved as well. Lots of 'wow' noises and squelching occured! He scooped and plopped and whisked.

All finished off with a great big cheesy grin, and a nap on the sofa :) A successful morning's play I think. Next time, I think I'll go for the green or the blue, and hide things in there like shells, toy animals, and foam letters.