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.