Thames Valley Mums Blog

Calling all children: Put on a Panto!

Panto season has started and to celebrate Robsinson's has created Put On A Panto -- a cute web site that give children all the tools they need to stage their very own Pantomime -- from planning, to practising to performing. It even includes invitations, posters and suggestions on making costumes.

Come on, I know you want to try it.

And if you'd like to win tickets to a local pantomime of your choice (for a family of five, with up to £250) please visit A Modern Mother, Violet Posy or The Potty Diaries for a chance to win a fun night out!

Photo credit

Days out in the Thames Valley - trains

My eldest son has an obsession with trains, if you have a like-minded child then here are two places worth a visit. They're both open all year round.

STEAM, Swindon: the museum of the Great Western Railway. Perfect for visiting when the weather's bad because everything's indoors. This site was once one of the largest railway engineering complexes in the world employing tens of thousands of people.The musem recreates some of the offices and workshops and takes you on a tour of how the trains were made and the Great Western Railway was developed. The exhibits are all hands-on and ideal for children to play with and explore. Some of the highlights are being able to walk underneath the beautifully preserved steam train 'Caerphilly Castle' and operate the signals in a recreated signal box. You can explore the cabins of a few other steam trains as well as some former royal coaches. A recreated station helps you understand what the age of steam was like (and creates some nostalgia if you're old enough to remember it!).

You don't have to be a train fan to enjoy this museum, it's an enjoyable couple of hours spent learning about a bygone era. And a flashback to a time when Britain was a world leader in industry and manufacturing (sadly no more...).

I'll get you my little pretties!

I did this myself!  Using Snazaroo face paint (£10.99). It took about ten minutes, and that included following instructions (which I rarely do). I didn't knock out the model's front tooth, that happened naturally. I'm also pleased there's lots of paint left over for more spooky Halloweens.

This post was written by Susanna, a Thames Valley Mums Blog founding contributor. You can read more at her blog, A Modern Mother.

This is a sponsored post.

Kids bored this half term? Try these activites...

I used to measure the success of school breaks based on the number of trips made to A&E. One year I had to deal with a 2-year-old who lost her fingernail in a slammed door AND a 3-year-old who broke her arm whilst climbing out of her cot.

We've moved on since then, and so has the economy.

The credit crunch means that many people may opt to stay local this half term, rather than the usual trip to France and Euro Disney.

Here are some ideas in preparation for when you wake up on Monday morning and the children ask "what are we doing today mummy?"

This post has a Thames Valley twist, but there are ideas that you can use to beat half term boredom in any location.

And if none of these ideas appeal ... you can always hire a babysitter and get a massage!

OMG -- I'm Scottish!

I think I'm turning Scottish. It's true. Been sleeping too long next to a Scot and it's rubbing off.

Consider this, today I suggested a venue for lunch based on a voucher. My friend wanted to go to a restaurant that unfortunately didn't have a 2-for-1 coupon, and sensing my frugality, she offered to pay my way. I wasn't even embarrassed.

Last weekend, when temperatures dipped below freezing and winds were high and knocking down trees, I caught myself reassuring our eldest "but at least it's dry."

I have a drawer full of 2nd class postage stamps. I got them on sale mail order.

Misconceptions I had about parenthood

Five years ago I didn't have children and I didn't know any children. None of my close family and friends had reached that stage either. I really wanted children but that was probably because I thought the following:

- Babies don't walk until they're two
- Babies don't talk until they're four
- Newborn babies sleep most of the time
- Under-fives are incapable of being naughty
- Breastfeeding is easy
- Parents who complain about lack of sleep and toddler tantrums are making a fuss about nothing
- Under-fives do what they're told
- Fussy eaters and bad sleepers are due to poor parenting
- Pregnant women moan a lot (about nothing)
- Parents who complain about lack of time don't manage their time properly
- Birth is straightforward if you follow all the advice
- Mums who complain about baby weight should just exercise
- Parents who complain parenting is stressful have no idea, nothing is more stressful than an important deadline right?

I've found motherhood a bit of a learning curve.

This post was written by Whistlejacket, a mum to two boys in her 30s that lives in Berkshire. She's expecting a third baby at the end of 2009. This has been carefully planned so she can be disorganised at Christmas and have a good excuse. You can read more at her blog, Babyrambles.

Photo credit: Microsoft

Wondering what to do with all those conkers?

I was at the play park the other day, and it seemed to be raining conkers! My daughters were so fascinated with the shiny gems that we picked up every one in sight.

So what does one do with a whole Tesco bag of conkers? Luckily there are several bloggers out that that gave some really good suggestions...

1. Play conkers. (Muddling Along Mummy)
2. Keep away the spiders. I found this suggestion fascinating, since I have a huge spider problem. Apparently you place them strategically around your house and the spiders stay away! (Woman Who Can)
3. Use toothpicks or matches to create little animals. (Metropolitan Mum)
4. Decorate your house. Put them in a glass vase with some pine cones and enjoy! (Little Green Fingers)
5. Deter moths. Keep a few in your wardrobe to deter moths (Angels And Urchins)
6. Plant them and grow a horse chestnut tree. (Micheloui)
7. Hide them in the back garden and have the children find them -- almost as fun as Easter Eggs. (A Modern Mother)
8. Keep them as a reminder of Autumn! (Not Wrong, Just Different)

This post was written by Susanna, a Thames Valley Mums Blog founding contributor. You can read more at her blog, A ModernMother.

Photo credit: jo-h

So long, farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Adieu

Today is my last day at home. It will involve a lot of packing and list writing. Ideally I’d love to be able to squeeze in a bikini wax and pedicure too. Not because this sailing trip is remotely like a cruise in the Med wearing bikinis swirling gin and tonics, but because eventually I will end up in Rio and although my bikini line and toes will be positively manky by then, they’ll be less manky if they get a seeing to before I leave.

I’ve now managed to handover all of my work. I feel more free than I have in years. And my inbox contains just 2 emails - one from a friend and one being the shopping list of food I need to buy for the boat in Hull. Normally my inbox takes several mouse scrolls to get to the bottom of it.

I’ve also spent this week giving my boys extra kisses and cuddles. We’ve worked out a way to send long distance kisses. I’ve promised to send them daily from the boat. I’ll blow a kiss into the wind and it will blow it’s way to them. I’ve told them that they might not feel it because it might land on them when they’re sleeping, but they should know that it will come every day. And in return, they promise to blow me a kiss every night before they go to bed.

While I know they will miss me - not to mention how much I’ll miss them - they seem fairly pragmatic about it all. They are really looking forward to getting a phone call from me from sea because I’ve explained that the call has to go up into space to a satellite before it comes back down to them. They now think I’m part sailor, part spaceman. Both are cool.

This is my last blog post from land. We set sail at 2pm on Sunday 13th. Watch the news, you never know, it might make it on as a news story. I believe we can post blog updates from sea, but these will be posted onto the Clipper website. I do have someone who will look out for my blog posts and add them to this blog, but otherwise you can read them direct by going to:

http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com/qingdao/index.php/CrewDiaries

Or just navigate your way to the Team section of the Clipper Round the World website, find the Qingdao boat and click on Crew Diaries. You will also be able to track the progress of the boats by going to www.clipperroundtheworld.com - this function is not yet live but will be once we set sail.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me during this year including Newbury Nannies who helped me find the nanny who will be replacing me while I’m away, all the mummy bloggers, my clients who donated prizes for my auction, my friends and family - and most importantly my husband who has supported me every step of the way.

I’ll tell you all about it when I get at the end of October. Here goes nothing.

Home Office Mum resides in West Berkshire. Take one tired mum. Add two small boys. Mix in one manic home business and one long suffering husband. A simple recipe for chaos. Read all about it at her blog. She is also embarking on the Clipper Around the World Race, you can keep up with her at More to Life Than Laundry.

Photo credit: tiarescott

The Little Book of Goodness

The School Food Trust have created "The Little Book of Goodness" which is full of advice and helpful tips on what kids should eat at school. Check it out!

SchoolFoodTrust : 'Little Book of Goodness'

There's also a competition to win a year's worth of free school lunches.

This post was written by Susanna, a Thames Valley Mums Blog founding contributor. You can read more at her blog, A Modern Mother.

Will I get the job?

Two years ago I thought about getting a proper job. This didn't last long but my CV is still on some recruitment agency databases. Occasionally I get e-mails about jobs, a project manager role in financial services was e-mailed to me the other day. This is the sort of achingly dull job I’d be doing if I hadn’t become a full-time Mum (apologies to anyone who does this job).

I thought I might apply using my parenting experience. Here’s the draft letter: