Holiday Friends

Holiday friendships are something I really miss about childhood. It's much harder to bond with adults when you're thrown together by a strange mix of geography, timing and the whims of the weather gods.

But for children, holiday friendships are magical. They spring from nowhere to firm & fast friends in the time it takes me to take my flip flops off. Holiday friendships transcend age, background, even language, cemented on the international languages of laughter, ice cream and fun. Sometimes even names are just details. What matters is a shared moment of fun, and a glimmer of memory to take home.

Here's to those holiday friends. Cheers, Prost, Yamas, Sláinte, Salud, Iechyd da, Skål, or whatever floats your boat.

She's Like The Wind

Sorry for the earworm, but some thing have to be shared.  If you're not humming the Patrick Swayze song now, you should be ashamed of yourself.  And if you don't know what I'm talking about 1) you're too young to be on the internet, and 2) watch this video. Then go outside and play.

 
 

I'm sitting in Dizzy Kidz soft play in Tredegar, writing this post Old Skool, with a pen and a piece of paper (and again, if you don't know what that means, GO OUTSIDE!)  That's the kind of girl I am.  That and the fact that I hate the Blogger interface on my phone & make so many typos you'll think I've been hacked by a badly trained chimp.  But yeah, sitting in soft play with a mug of coffee, marvelling at Squeaky haring around like a lunatic, climbing, sliding, bouncing and chasing around with a bunch of children she's never met before, and probably never will again.

This is a new soft play place to us. I found a Groupon for it a couple of weeks ago, and I'm not one to turn down a bargain, especially the sort that means I can sit down while Squeaky burns off some excess energy & thinks I'm Mum Of The Year.  I'm actually quite taken with this place, as far as soft play goes.  I mean, yeah, it's a unit on an industrial estate, like most, but it's less of a grubby aircraft hangar.  It's clean, seems very well maintained, and not too screamy.  We've been here almost an hour and I haven't had to reach for the paracetamol yet.

Trampolines are not great for photography. But they are fun!

Yesterday, we were at a different soft play place, on another industrial estate, meeting up with some friends for a long overdue gossip & cwtch of a new baby.  Despite the fact that Squeaky's been there plenty of times before, we were sat on the most visible table in the place, and she's been here with these friends before, she spent the whole visit alternating between clinging to my leg like a limpet and whinging that she'd got "no-one to play with" (errr, except your friends, silly girl)  Grrrr.  What's the change in 24 hours?  Not being able to play in somewhere you know, with people you know, to being able to race around & play with complete strangers?  I don't understand this child at all.

I swear, she changes her mind, and her preferences, like the weather - hence the title of this post.  Seemingly the only constants in our lives at the moment are Disney Junior and pepperoni pizza, and even I can't survive on those indefinitely!

It's frustrating. I want to start saving, and shopping, for Christmas (There! I said it!) but I know that whatever she's in raptures over today will be completely forgotten about by next week when a new advert crops up to stretch my patience and bank balance to breaking point.  This is the first year we're really experiencing the pester power effect of advertising to children. It's only August but the contenders for this year's big Christmas toy are already filling the screens, and as we seem to be a Disney Junior & Nick Jr household, there's no escape.  I'm wondering about the Star Trek model partwork advert that's cropped up this week though - either they've finally realised that geeks have children too, or Disney Junior was on a package deal with the Sci-Fi channel, but at least it's a reprieve from Pig Goes Pop & Cillit Bang.

I'm sort of jealous of Squeaky, to be honest.  Jealous that the world is still so exciting and new; that passions and obsessions come & go with the turning of the hour.  My wishlist has stayed the same forever, and no-one buys me the new car, winning lottery ticket, diamond earrings or private jet that I so crave, whereas someone will almost certainly buy Squeaky whichever lump of plastic takes her fancy.  In fact, no-one even buys me the new pillows that my back would so love.  *sigh*, such is the life of a blogger.

I purchased an entry ticket to the soft play centre via Groupon. I have not been asked to write this post, or mention the centre, I have chosen to do so as it is a venue we have enjoyed.  I ahve not received payment or compensation for this post. I have not provided a referral link to Groupon as this would compromise my status relating to affiliate links.

Mother's Pride (Not the bread)

Yes, every day we're proud of our children, proud of ourselves for bringing these adorable creatures into the world & nurturing them to some sort of successful existence.  But some days you're more than that.  You're properly, really, truly, actually proud of your child, of how they behave, or what they achieve.  That you've done this, and this little person reflects well on how you've brought them up.  Today was one of those days.  A proper Proud Mummy Day.

Young Love, awwww.

First off, this morning, we went to a pre-school music & movement class.  We've only been there once before, it was recommended to us by Wednesday Boy's grandfather, who takes him along most weeks.  Last week was our first time & Squeaky was a bit hesitant, as she often is at these kind of things.  This week though, she & Wednesday Boy were not only angelic, but really actively participating in all the songs, all the dances, and having a whale of a time.  It's great to see her really joining in with something.  And seeing Squeaky & Wednesday Boy cwtching up together in the Dingle Dangle Scarecrow just made me melt a bit inside.

Then, the big adventure of the day, off we went to the school Squeaky will be starting at part-time in September.  For the next ten weeks, they're running "link-up" sessions, so the children can get to know each other, the teachers & the school so when they start properly, it's not such a big shock to the system.  Parents have to stay for these sessions, and they're only an hour, but it's a nice introduction to school.  We walked to the school without any complaint, and went in amongst a load of other three year olds, not knowing anyone (turned out later there were a couple of people we knew) and into the classroom.  Squeaky, rather than hiding behind my knees and trying to disappear, was straight off into the middle of everything. checking out the toys, playdough, paints, cars, computer (oh yes, the computer.).  Everything.  I don't get to see how she is at nursery after I've dropped her off, but this was great, it put my mind at ease that she'll be absolutely fine, and that this is actually what she's like the rest of the time when I'm not there.

EXTERMINATE!

After we got home from our school visit, it was playtime.  Or laundry time, depending on which one of us you're more interested in.  But after having sorted out the laundry, Squeaky decided to melt my geeky heart a little bit more.  She can't quite manage to say "EXTERMINATE" in a dalek voice yet, but we're working on it.  I should have grabbed the sink plunger really to complete the look, shouldn't I?  Maybe next time.

Remember that M People song "What have you done today, to make you feel proud?"  Well, my only real achievement was not screaming when a spider ran across the room earlier.  Squeaky's had all my pride for the day. She deserves it.

CLOSED Friends Giveaway!

The theme tune to Friends is one of those songs that's instantly recognisable, from the first jangly guitar notes, to the clapping bit, to the "I'll be there for yooooooooooooou" chorus.  It's so cute & jaunty & guaranteed to put a smile on my face.

I wasn't immediately a Friends fan, it started when I was at uni, and I couldn't quite empathise with a bunch of glamorous New York 20-somethings with their perfect haircuts and imperfect love lives.  But then I grew up a bit, and became a somewhat less glamorous Yorkshire 20-something myself.  With an imperfect haircut and a non-existant lovelife, hence why I had the time to watch, and I discovered what I'd been missing.

Well, to celebrate the release of the complete series of Friends on Blu-Ray on November 12th, Warner Brothers have come up with an amazing prize for me to share with you.  How would you like to recreate the set of Friends in your own home?  Two oversized cappucino mugs to pretend you're in Central Perk, and a picture frame like the one on the back of Monica's apartment door.  (How I ever resisted the temptation to do this, when I lived in a flat with a peephole, I still don't know!)

Well, apart from this great prize, they've come up with all sorts of fun to get involved, and get back in touch with your Friends roots.  There's a daily quiz, so come back again tomorrow to take part again!  There's a whole load of Friends memes, for your amusement.  And a weekly video mashup of some of the best moments across the series.





So. I reckon you want to know how to win now, don't you?  Well, it's dead simple, just use the rafflecopter widget below, (you might need to use a laptop or desktop, sorry mobile people.)  The giveaway is open now, and closes at 5am on Saturday 24th November (blame Rafflecopter's timezones).  Open to UK residents aged 18 or over only.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck people.  I'll be there for you...

Friendship

Squeaky & Pirate Girl had a big adventure today, to see Peppa Pig at the theatre in Cardiff.  They really do make me laugh together, as they're getting older they just riff off each other, and have us all in fits of giggles.  OK, it's a bit like having a pair of insane parrots in the back of the car sometimes, especially when they're having a competition to see who can shout "MUMMEEEEEEE" the loudest and most often, but really, they're just so cute, and absolutely love each other's company.  Letting them loose together in public is a bit of a challenge, they're so fast these days, when we've got all the bags, coats, glowsticks, sweets, merchandise etc that comes with a trip out with 2 year olds!

It's really good for me, as much as anything, to see how normal she is.  There's times where you wonder if your child is particularly naughty, or if you're the only parent ever who can't cope with yet another round of squealing and demanding chocolate, but spending time with another parent and another child of the same age, just reminds you that, yes, they're all like that.  There's only so much of that you get from parent & toddler groups, sometimes you need to see them in a different environment.

I'm loving watching how friendships develop with Squeaky.  She's still so trusting, everyone is her friend.  She only needs to see a playground, and she demands "Me play with me friends", even when there's no-one she knows there, they're her friends regardless.  It's a lovely time of life, when you have no reason not to trust everyone you meet, though it scares me in ways I can't quite put into words.

Here's a couple of photos I took last month when we were in Spain for a week.  Squeaky made friends with a couple of little Spanish girls who were staying in the same hotel as us, and they spent their evenings haring around the dancefloor, getting in the way of the elderly Spaniards ballroom dancing, playing on the machines, and generally having a whale of a time.



The other two girls were about a year or so older than Squeaky, as you can tell from the height difference, and they spoke as much English as Squeaky speaks Spanish (i.e. none), but it didn't stop them enjoying each other's company.  While the trusting nature of children frightens me, I'm slightly envious of how easily they can make friends.  It all gets so much harder as we grow older.

Oh, and for those of you who have been playing the Spot The Squeaky's Clothes game, she's wearing the same dress I found in the NCT sale at the start of last year, that she wore to my friend's wedding reception last summer.  Sadly though, sometime between trying on & packing before we left, and coming home, she had enough of a growth spurt that the dress doesn't do up now!  Seriously, in a WEEK!!  Thank goodness it's car boot season again, we need new clothes!  (I can't blame my clothes not doing up by the end of a holiday on growth spurts, that's entirely down to enjoying the food too much!)

Toddler Takeover!

As it was Squeaky's birthday this month, we took her and her friend Pirategirl (not her real name, oddly enough) to Techniquest in Cardiff for their toddler day as a birthday treat.  I didn't realise about this til fairly recently, but the first Friday of the month is Toddler Day, with reduced prices for grown-ups (including a free cuppa, always welcome), toddler friendly activities, storytelling, crafts, and general toddler-style mayhem.

Mama gets artsy with water shots

I'd actually taken Squeaky to Techniquest in the autumn, but when it's general opening, there's older children around who don't always appreciate a marauding toddler haring up & down the floor-piano while they're trying to play chopsticks with their feet.  So while she'd enjoyed it, I felt that I'd spent so much time saying "no" that she hadn't really had chance to really explore.  Toddler Days seemed like a good way around that.

Poser!

Off we wombled.  And off they went.  The place was manic, to tell the truth.  We got there about an hour after it opened, and it was like walking into, well, a Toddler Day!  Seriously, I have never seen so many waist height people running around!  But considering the average age would have been about 2 1/2, there were very few tantrums, very few tears, and it honestly wasn't the Hell On Legs that you'd imagine a whole building full of under-threes to be!

Move over Smashy & Nicey!

This isn't a review post. I paid for our tickets.  I just want to share some photos, and to encourage you to find out if any of your local attractions have family days, or even better, toddler days. It's a great way to spend some time together, doing something that interests and involves you all.  And provides some great photos.

Ouch

Something that I'm loving as Squeaky gets older is how she's learning to develop relationships with others, and her friendship with Pirategirl is a great example of that.  They've known each other since Pirategirl was about 2 weeks old (she's a few weeks younger than Squeaky), as we've been to the same baby and toddler groups, and I've built a great and very welcome friendship with her mummy.  The girls have grown up together, and they have gone from playing next to each other to properly co-operative playing together.  It's incredible to see, and makes me really happy.

Best Friends.