April 2009 Archives

Check out this website for beautiful cards to congratulate friends and family on new arrivals! Go to www.deffersdesignsco.com

Wonder if there will be ones for Christenings and 1st birthdays? I'll keep you posted!

Last week I experienced both appalling, and brilliant treatment by our local NHS - all in less than 24 hours.

Friday afternoon, The Kid suddenly became very upset. He was howling and totally inconsolable; he wouldn't sit in his chair, be picked up and he certainly wouldn't be put down. The most we could do is coax him into eating some spaghetti hoops while one of us held him and the other fed, before he fell asleep.

About an hour later, he woke up worse than before. We took his nappy off and he had a very red bum, and a swelling on the left hand side of his groin.

Of course I panicked, thinking he'd got a hernia, or his testicle had got stuck (well I don't know, I'm a girl and know nothing of testicles and where they go). Anyway, got an emergency appointment at the docs and whizzed him down there.

Went to see the gorgeous Monica on Saturday. I'd forgotten so much about the newborn experience - they're so EASY to look after!

I had Wednesday planned down to the letter. The car was going in to be fixed and I had no intention of paying thirty odd quid for a courtesy vehicle so was going to be stuck at home. I'd arranged a babysitter for The Kid and was going to use the time that I was marooned in my house to do all the house and garden work that I'd been putting off.

There's no better example of 'mother knows best' than when choosing films.

When I suggest a film to The Boy I'm met with howls of disapproval. "Your films are rubbish, they didn't even have colour when you were little!"

I usually sigh and let him get on with choosing one, until I'm presented with a choice of Jimmy Neutron or The Cat in the Hat, at which point I pull rank and put one of 'my' films on anyway. There's only so much of this newfangled rubbish a person of my age can sit through.

The following are some of the best children's films ever. Try putting some of them on for your kids. We loved them in our day (oh yes we did!) and they will too.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

Three orphaned, refugee kids discover that the woman they're staying with is, would you believe it, a student witch. Off they go on an adventure to find the last spell to complete her training.

The Boy is part of the Toy Story Generation, so you'd think he'd be pretty underwhelmed with this mix of cartoon and film, but he's completely absorbed by it.

You'll be humming the songs and reciting the immortal words "Treguna, Makoidees, Trecorum, Sadis Dee" for weeks.

Little Shop of Horrors

Kids can watch it, it's a PG, honest! Although the murder, violence and dismemberment of human corpses may impinge on the under 3's enjoyment of the film.

A lost child is a vulnerable child, so make a point of drilling into them what they need to do if they become separated from you.

Firstly, teach your child to STOP. STAND STILL and LOOK.

If they still can't find you then:

After coming out of the Dr Who Exhibition, we went into the main part of the Coventry Transport Museum. Now, I'm not into cars or anything like that, but still had a good time wandering through the historical streets, complete with authentic smells and sounds.

When we're out and about it's not unusual for The Boy to run on ahead, but he never goes out of eyeshot and I always know where he is. That was why, when I hadn't seen him for about five minutes I started to think that something was wrong. We carried on walking along the model streets and still he didn't emerge.

The Dr Who Exhibition is a fabulous day out. Even for those people who are not Dr Who fans it's really good fun. The Boy (nine years old) loved it. The Kid (eighteen months old) loved it, as did The Other Half and I...

I have to admit, I've been running dry on ideas of things to do this Easter break.

An all time low was hit earlier on when a quick drive to Notcutts turned into a disaster; I knew the car was poorly, and had up till then heeded my mechanic's advice of only going on short trips and not using full lock.

I forgot this when reversing sharply into a parking space and dumped a huge slick of power steering fluid all over the car-park. There was a grinding sound and a lovely burning smell that was strong enough for me to decide not to risk moving it.

So there we were. Me, two kids, one other half and a grandmother that very nearly had a nervous break at the thought of being stranded in the Tesco/Notcutts car-park for the rest of her life.

Even the most simple of days are entertaining when you're in charge of a very small person.

The Kid can manage short journeys now; the world is such an interesting place to him, it's fascinating to watch his constant amazement.

He hops off the doorstep, takes some cautious steps and gradually gains confidence, building up to a steady stride. Slowly he gathers pace until he is marching happily along. Suddenly without reason or warning he charges full pelt, screaming at the top of his lungs before coming to a complete halt.