Little Star and Me

Coram’s Fields

Posted on May 8, 2013 by littlestarandme

We had a lovely May Day holiday weekend and kicked off the fun by meeting friends at Coram’s Fields on Friday. It was our first visit to this children’s park near Russell Square and we were mightily impressed!

We started with lunch at the Austrian cafe, Kipferl, which serves distinctly above average park cafe sandwiches, coffees, cakes etc. Before too long, containing the toddlers became impossible and they ran off (all in different directions) to play. The park has plenty of toddler friendly swings, slides, rockers and a play area for older children too (which, of course, LS wanted to play on). She tried to escape from the toddler play area and fell off the little wall, resulting in a cut lip. Mummy needs to start carrying round antiseptic cream and plasters I think! Especially given we had more cuts and bruises over the weekend for our intrepid adventurer.

The star attraction of the afternoon was the paddling pool nestled amongst the two sandpits. Perfect fun for a gloriously hot day! If I’d known about the pool I’d have packed swimmers but the toddlers were happy playing in the water in their vests. LS was so excited and kept running over to me saying “WATER” and running back to play in it! I had to call time a little earlier than she would of liked due to a soaking wet nappy and a very, very long overdue nap.

The park also has a farm which we will have to visit on another trip, as well as a Children’s Centre providing a range of activities.

Coram’s Fields is a charity and the park is funded by donations and fundraising. Entry to the park is free and the park is open all year round from 9am until dusk. Entrance is only granted if you are accompanied by a child! The Kipferl cafe is open during summer months only.

Posted in All, Enfield, Toddler Time | Tagged farm, London, park, coram's fields, paddling pool, sandpit, children's centre, Russell Square | Leave a comment

Our April

Posted on May 4, 2013 by littlestarandme

So the sunshine finally came out at the end of April! Green shoots are now appearing in the garden and the outdoor toys have come out of storage. We had a fun month though still with illnesses – mostly me. I’ve never been so regularly ill since becoming a mother! We also spent most of the month living in a topsy turvy way as we had new radiators and floors fitted and rooms painted. Still not quite there yet with a finished room but will post pictures when we are. In the meantime:

left to right, top to bottom:
* LS and our friend Lyla. So cute together!
* Very important discussions around paint colours.
* I popped out for some watergel and absolutely not to buy plants…
* LS exploring nana’s painting studio.

left to right, top to bottom:
* Watching Pirates at the Stow Film Lounge.
* LS and daddy on the tube. She loves trains!
* The London Marathon – which happened to be on the day we decided to go to Mudchute Farm near Canary Wharf.
* Hello turkey! Mudchute Farm.

left to right, top to bottom:
* Driving the bus! In the play area at the excellent WRAS in Trent Park.
* Ladies who lunch – sitting on a regular chair. Visiting our friend Becky who is soon to have a baby boy.
* Her first milkshake! Strawberry flavoured, she was supposed to share with mummy…

I already have some super cute photos for May – we’ve been out enjoying the bank holiday weekend! I hope you are too.

LS&me

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Happy 18 months!

Posted on April 15, 2013 by littlestarandme

Well LS is now 18 months old. A year and a half. It almost sounds like an age in its own right. In theory, it propels her into a new clothing size and a new age range of toys. And there has been so many developments too since I last wrote, I’m quite sure I will not do her justice and remember them all.

This time last year, she had turned 6 months old and had started eating solid food. And we had an unseasonal heatwave in stark contrast to the prolonged freezing temperatures we have had this year.

Recent developments that spring to mind:

She is babbling away A LOT. Words, phrases, naming things I didn’t know she could.
Words like: bed, bag, carrot, apple, orange, phone, goat, chicken, lizard, spider, grandad (and other family and friends’ names), pillow, milk, water, door, light, Iggle, Daisy and Pacca (from CBeebies’ In The Night Garden) car and beep-beep. Lizards are the bearded dragons that live at nana and grandad’s and she demands to be taken to see them at least twice per visit.
Phases include: “hello mummy / daddy”, “bye bye mummy / daddy”, “sit DOWN” (said in teacher voice), “read book” and “mummy’s coat, my coat, daddy’s coat”.
She knows the name of a couple of her favourite books, Peepo and Oh Dear. She is still a little book worm and will happily sit surrounded by a pile of books (having dragged them all off the shelf) for a while.
So, independent play is another (rather welcome) development. She will happily go off into a corner reading or playing then come and find me to check in with a “hello mummy” greeting!
If you ask her what colour something is she will tell you that it is, apparently, yellow.
Ask her another question and she will say “no” and shake her head. Especially if you ask her if it’s time to go to bed.
She knows where the biscuit tin lives as well as her shoes, toothbrush and toothpaste and my hairbrush. I can occupy her in the mornings when I’m getting dressed by telling her to bring me certain items from her bedroom. She doesn’t always get them right but it beats her trying to climb up my leg whilst I’m drying my hair!
If you say “no” to her she might have a bit of a tantrum or do some fake crying.
She’s started to get a bit jealous if I’m holding another child, sometimes full blow tantrum style jealousy.
She still loves cuddles or “duddles”. She saw a goal celebration in a football match on TV yesterday, the players were hugging in their sportsman like manner and LS pointed at them saying “duddles, duddles”. Too sweet.

LS&Me

Posted in All, Toddler Time | Tagged books, first words, In the Night Garden, independent plat, phrases, reading | Leave a comment

Our March

Posted on April 3, 2013 by littlestarandme

March was rather bleugh wasn’t it? Weather stuck in winter wonderland mode and not nearly enough hopeful signs of spring to bring new life and fresh energy! And like most households, we were still suffering with lurgies – mainly me this time.

I definitely took less photos than usual:

L-R from top:
* Mummy and LS out on a Saturday night for a family friends’ party. Feels very strange heading out with the toddler in a party dress at what is normally bedtime but it seems to work OK on occasion. LS was throwing some shapes on the dance floor and feeding crisps to other partygoers until past 9pm.
* LS and nana reading books on Mother’s Day. LS is still book obsessed.
* LS and her friend Betsy at the aforementioned party. She started saying Betsy that night although it was more like Baddy or Buddy for a while.
* Play date at the National Army Museum, unlikely but fun venue.
* More reading with auntie Lisa.

Easter weekend was a fun finish to March:

L-R from top:
* LS surveying the contents of her Easter basket after our attempt at an after dinner “chocolate hunt”.
* Our Easter tree. I had visions of going for a spring walk in the woods to find some suitable twigs but cold (illness and weather!) meant I used shop bought pussy willow branches instead. LS thought the furry bits were rabbits!
* LS and her friend Willow playing with a sunny yellow balloon.
* Easter presents. LS scored far too much chocolate, bunny ears, a dancing rabbit and some books including a new favourite, Oh Dear by Rod Campbell. She still hasn’t got the hang of unwrapping presents though and exclaimed “OH NO” when she ripped a bit of the tissue paper!
* Lemon and poppyseed cakes using this recipe. I used creme fraiche instead of yoghurt as that’s all we had and put a blob of lemon curd under the icing. I also made them fairy not cupcake sized so got 24 cakes. I then decimated a half price Easter basket kit to make some last minute cake toppers! Totally worth it to see LS’s face at the bringing together of two of her favourite things in the world: rabbits and cake!

I hope you had a great Easter and April has got off to a good start. We’ve kicked off the month with some renovation projects, lots of dust right now but shiny new rooms soon (crosses fingers!).

LS&Me

Posted in All, Me, Toddler Time | Tagged books, easter, mother's day, national army museum | 2 Comments

Organised Mummy – 1st Year Photobook

Posted on March 19, 2013 by littlestarandme

Which I am occasionally. Not the times when I turn up for swimming lessons without towels or swimming costumes, but some other times. I also taken dozens of photos of LS each week. Most mummies I know turn into mumarazzis around their little ones, it’s the way things are these days now that most of us have camera phones. So, LS may still have two unfinished baby books and we may still be without a wedding or honeymoon photo album but I was determined to put together an album of her first year.

Despite sticking with Bob Books in the past, I was tempted by a Groupon voucher for a Photobox photo book at a Very Good Price. And the subsequent deadline for using the voucher ensured this project got done.

It was tough wittling down 1,000 photos to just enough to fill 100 pages but I’m happy that the ones I chose tell a true story of LS’s first year (and a bit before). I ordered two books, one for her to keep forever and one for us. I’m so pleased with the book, the quality is great and the text and twee-bits-of-clip-art-that-I-couldn’t-resist look better in print than they did on screen. I would use Photobox for doing this sort of thing again but only if I had a voucher or used a special offer.

Posted in All, Baby Days, Me, Mummy To Be, Toddler Time | Tagged 1st year, photo book, photobox | 1 Comment

On My Mind: Ticking Things Off

Posted on March 18, 2013 by littlestarandme

Well, I’m definitely not managing to be any more organised in 2013! I was reading something yesterday that said the secret of being organised is to throw away your clutter instead of organising it – maybe tearing up my To Do List will have the same positive effect! Anyway, I’m partially through my January (errr Q1) To Do List:

Make a new recipe from an unused cookbook – still To Do. We’re entertaining a bit over Easter so perhaps will do this then.
Read LS 5 new story books – DONE! LS is a book fiend at the moment and we read a lot. I’ll blog about her favourites soon.
Read a book myself – still To Do. I’m partially through reading Raising Girls by Steve Biddulph and The Chimp Paradox by Dr Steve Peters.
Visit a local house or garden attraction – DONE! We did an off-the-beaten track walk to Forty Hall to find the snowdrops and see the ducks a couple of weeks ago.
Complete a photo book of LS’s first year – DONE! I’m so happy with it!
Do some DIY artwork for our sitting room – still To Do.
Finalise decorating plans for the hallway and study – Work in progress is the best way to describe our marital decor negotiations!
Pick up my cross stitch project – DONE! I imagine I will complete this in about 3 Januarys time.
Put together a Winter capsule wardrobe – DONE! So much easier to get ready in a rush now. And then get changed again when smeared with toddler toothpaste before leaving the house.
Redesign this blog – still To Do and on the back burner a little whilst I figure a few things out.

In amidst that and general life and parenting stuff, we’ve tidied the garden and planned it for summer and I’ve started a couple of furniture renovation projects. I’ve also written 4,000 words up on the family tree research I’ve been doing, more on that another time I’m sure.

Posted in Enfield, Me, Toddler Time | Tagged cross stitch, forty hall, reading, stories, to do list | 3 Comments

Mother’s Day Fun

Posted on March 17, 2013 by littlestarandme

I hope all the mummies out there had a lovely Mother’s Day last weekend! And those that find the day hard we’re OK. It’s still a real novelty here and I guess the day will come into it’s own when LS is a bit older. I remember having so much fun making cards for my mum, making up a breakfast tray and picking flowers from the garden to put on it.

We had a super chilled out Mother’s Day this year after an otherwise hectic weekend. Friday night saw a much needed mummies night out which ended in a late night bar (or two) in Palmers Green. I cannot tell you how long it’s been since I was out late drinking. Actually I can, November 2010 – less than 2.5 years ago yet a lifetime ago too.

Anyway, I was still feeling a touch jaded by the Sunday and I had a lie in, during which LS kept running in to bring me teddies to snuggle with. Later on we had afternoon tea courtesy of Mr S. Despite being too small to see over a shop counter LS had managed to procure a card, flowers and a cool Wizard of Oz craft book, Everything Oz: The Wizard Book of Makes & Bakes by Hannah Read-Baldrey. The book is fun, lots of party ideas – if anyone wants some squashed Wicked Witch cupcakes, I’m your woman!

Then there was the card made at nursery, now officially known as The Best Card Ever. Until the next one comes home of course. I also helped LS make cards for nana and granny – using her handprints to make a plant.

Nursery’s version (on the right) was rather more inspired than mine – guess they’ve had a lot more practice! I’ve been collecting hand and foot print ideas on Pinterest for the future.

Posted in All, Me, Toddler Time | Tagged everything oz, handprints, mother's day | Leave a comment

Our February

Posted on March 2, 2013 by littlestarandme

February was definitely a brighter month than January in lots of ways

Lunch and play at The Little Teapot, Winchmore Hill.
Another swimming lesson
Getting out my giant cross stitching project for the first time since LS arrived
A long overdue night out with my besties! At The Castle, Walthamstow.
Gorgeous Emma Bridgewater mug – a birthday present
Birthday flowers
LS at soft play on Valentine’s Day
Birthday cake (LS has become a little obsessed with cake!)
Walking in Alexandra Palace park
The cutest Valentine’s card ever!

Trying not to get too close to the Canada geese at Forty Hall
Piglets at Forty Hall Farm
Breakfast pout
Very, very intrigued by mummy’s sewing machine!
Pancakes! Cheese and onion to start with followed by lemon and sugar
Hmmm my friend Pete trying to unlock my car using an unconventional method after I locked my key and LS in the car. Big mummy fail moment! Green Flag had more luck fortunately and all was OK.
Another night out, much needed after the incident mentioned above! At The Salisbury Arms, Winchmore Hill.
Saturday morning fun
Little Londoner on the tube
Betsy, monkey and LS play ships with packing boxes

Posted in All, Enfield, Me, Toddler Time | Tagged Alexandra Palace, emma bridgewater, forty hall, Forty Hall Farm, pancake day, swimming, the castle, The Little Teapot, the salisbury arms, the tube, valentine's day | Leave a comment

17 Months!

Posted on February 23, 2013 by littlestarandme

Photos above taken on a freeeeeeeezing Saturday morning in Grovelands Park.

And we’ve had lots of new words again this month, sometimes one a day: Nana, ‘nana (banana), deeee daw (seesaw, used when on a rocking toy), coat, sock, tights, cheese, tree, pig, fish, moo, baa, 1, 2 (she’ll say 2 when you say 1), night, cuddle, cup and hello. Probably more that I’ve forgotten too.

If you say hold my hand or go and sit with daddy or find your shoes she knows what to do. She likes to clink her cup with yours and say something that’s a bit like cheers. She still ignores us when we say no to her, though looks slightly crestfallen when others do.

She is also doing lots more actions to songs. She has been rowing to Row, Row, Row Your Boat for ages but now does Wind the Bobbin Up, Incy Wincy Spider, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and The Wheels on the Bus too – actions and some of the words. A little sing-along still distracts her and cheers her up, just like when she was a tiny baby.

I’ve noticed some manual dexterity improvements too this week – shape sorting, shape puzzles and stacking rings all being done with an increasing accuracy.

Last February, at 5 months old, we were still going to our Baby Massage course (the scanned in photo above left is from there), we had starting swimming lessons, she experienced her first snowfall, her first cinema trip (to see The Muppets) and her first trip to see family in Manchester. The photo on the right is from a trip to Paradise Wildlife Park.

Posted in All, Baby Days, Toddler Time | Tagged action songs, baby massage, cinema, months, park, shapes, snow, swimming | 4 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted on February 14, 2013 by littlestarandme

I hope you’ve had a love filled day! It’s a big deal in this house as it’s also my birthday! And the anniversary of us getting engaged, 4 years ago in Bruges. We’ve had a relaxed family day together. We went over to Alexandra Palace for a bit of soft play, a walk and then to Giraffe for lunch (child friendly and serves cocktails – result). We came home for cake and fizz.

The lovely ladies at LS’s nursery helped her make a birthday card for me which was a lovely, lovely touch. We had a Valentine’s card too.

And it was a warmer, gorgeous spring-like day too for the most part – what more could I ask for!