Appliances Online Yummy Food Competition

We've never entered an art competition before... We almost came close ... Recently there was one on the TV with a dinosaur toy as a prize - my two year old created a lovely picture and I actually thought he'd stand a chance of winning one of the prizes- the dinosaur had been something on his letter to father Christmas which he didn't get (don't feel sorry for him, he got loads of toys!) but when it came to posting the picture - he couldn't do it, he was very attached to it - so now it sits in our kitchen :)


I was very excited to come across this art competition - and so was Blake as it means he gets to keep his entry! It was also a welcome task - we've been housebound with chicken pox for a little while (first Meg, now Blake!)


I'm sharing this picture as an entry into the Appliances online ‘Yummy food competition’ hosted on the “A boy with Aspergers” blog


For your entry, your child needs to draw or create a picture showing what their favourite food is and there are a few other terms outlined too.


Blake decided to do pizza - his second favourite (his true fave is chocolate but I didn't think a plate of brown scribble would look that good!)


I used Claire's suggestion of doing a plate outline for him to use - and he's filled it in with wax crayons, pencil crayons, paint pens and glitter glue he took an awful lot of time picking out what to do and was able to explain bits - yellow cheese, red tomato sauce, green veg - but I'm not sure what the blue, (or glittery) bits are supposed to be - I'm guessing Blueberries - he has a current thing for them. 


I think you will agree that this is pretty awesome work by a chicken pox ridden two (and a half) year old - but I guess all mums think their kids art work is the bees knees!


If he's a winner - he's going to buy that dinosaur toy and something for his baby sister, Maegan too! 


The Competition is open until 6th feb and the winner wins a generous £100 Amazon voucher! - Think you can take on Blake's entry?

Pizza - an Art interpretation by Blake aged 2.

Emma in Bromley x

Father Christmas, elves and reindeer at Ruxley Manor 2011

We took Blake and Maegan to meet Father Christmas at Ruxley Manor garden centre on Tuesday.
It was the first time both my children had met Father Christmas, Blake is two and a half and this year is the first year that he is really into Christmas (Maegan is nearly 6 months).

We booked the tickets online the night before, it cost £13 for all of us (£8.99 for Blake, £2 each for me and Rich, and it was free for Meg (children under 2 without a gift are free)

I wasn't sure what to select for Blake - There were two categories, Under Two's and Over Two's - Obviously at Two and a half, he's the over two's category but at the next step, the booking system asked for details (name, age, interests)  and the youngest age you could select was 3. I tried choosing under two with a gift instead (£5.99) but the system didn't ask for Blake's details and I wanted the experience to be as full as possible, the booking system didn't ask for Maegan's details at all.

We almost didn't make our time slot - we got stuck in awful traffic and one of the children had done a big poo - the nappy change and toilets are at the other side of the garden centre so we had to do some running and finger crossing (There's only one nappy change and it's in the disabled loo)

But luckily the time slot before was running a little late so we were OK!

There were real reindeer outside the grotto too for everyone to see - totally free of charge and beautiful!

Before we go any further, I just want to say, the experience was worth every penny and lasted nearly an hour, and you can take your own camera, so stop reading if you want to be surprised or keep reading if you want to know what to expect!

You're greeted by a very happy elf who takes a register and issues all the children with a passport where they collect stamps as they go through the journey. Inside the entrance hall every one recites a magical poem to encourage the elves to open the door to the workshop.

Everyone has a wonder through the working mechanical workshop full of busy little elves creating gifts and working hard for Christmas and the journey continues to the North Pole wilderness, complete with snowy Christmas trees,  a giant penguin band and a sleigh full of presents...and you earn your first passport stamp. There are elves on hand to help if you want any photos taking with your own camera.

Next we went into a lovely little wooden cabin with lots of tables and benches and pots of crayons so you can write or draw a picture for Father Christmas, post it in the post box and earn another passport stamp. Blake drew a scribble which represents a robot.

And then we wondered through to a cosy little elf kitchen to make special reindeer feed following the secret recipe, we sat in front of the log cabin and enjoyed counting out the scoops of different mixes of seeds, oats, fairy dust and ingredients into a little bag. You get to take your bag of reindeer food home with you to sprinkle on Christmas eve, and we rounded this section up with a lovely rendition of jingle bells (we all had a bell to shake too) and earning yet another stamp in the passport.

It's off to meet Father Christmas next! - Everyone goes through to the big guy's cozy snug living room which has a wonderful fireplace and festive decorations. Father Christmas has a chat with everyone, Blake was very enthusiastic and not at all shy like I had expected! He really enjoyed chatting to Father Christmas. All the children gather in front of the fireplace and we all make some magic happen - a present appears from the magical chimney labeled and ready each child so Father Christmas can call them by name to come forward and receive their gift and earn the final stamp in your passport. There's also a special gift for the parents who came too!

After this, if you want to, each child can sit on Santa's knee and tell him what they would like for Christmas, you can also have a professional photo taken by an elf at this point too - we decided to buy a photo and 3 key rings afterwards for £7 but you don't have to - there's no pressure at all and the elves are happy to help if you want to take your own photos. Blake and Maegan enjoyed meeting him, Meg had been asleep for most of it but woke at the right moment!

It was an amazing experience and much more than we were expecting which is why I wanted to go into so much detail!

Ruxley Manor garden centre also has a great little cafe and a small farmers market stall outside the gate, there was a lovely Christmas room and amazing garden furniture - well worth a little explore! Theres a pet area with fish, tortoises, lizards and hens to name a few too and a great toy gift area - lots of wooden toys!

My first experience of Father Christmas as a parent and I loved it!

Emma in Bromley xx

Ruxley Manor Santa's Grotto from Matt Soper on Vimeo.

Born to boogie silent disco for under 10's in Bromley

www.facebook.com/borntoboogiesilentdisco

Book yourself a place at the Born to Boogie Silent Disco and help raise some money for children in need, sounds like lots of fun for all children under 10. RSVP borntoboogie@live.com

Sat, 10th December 2011 4pm in the Whitfield Hall, United Reform Church, Bromley.

Father Christmas in Bromley

With thanks from my good friend louise, i'd like to share this with you x
In bromley on Thursday 24 November from 5pm you can see Santa and his elves along with live reindeer, Christmas carols and a Samba parade. And Panto stars will switch on the lights in the High Street at 7pm. Christmas markets are on from 9 until 23 December and there is FREE PARKING in the Civic Centre and Hill car parks in Bromley town centre every Thursday from 24 November until 22 December from 3pm - 9pm


Emma in Bromley x

Dora's Enchanted Forrest Adventures

We love Dora in our house so we were very exited to be sent a review copy of Dora's Enchanted Forrest Adventures DVD before it's showing on Nick Jr.

The Adventures are split into three special episodes which make it great for pre-schoolers (we all know, a toddler isn't going to sit still for the length of a feature film) and are packed full of new friends for Dora, including  elves, unicorns, fairies and dragons!

Official Synopsis included below:

Part 1: Tale of the Unicorn King Tuesday 8th November at 4.30pm repeated at 6.30pm on NickJr.

Dora and Boots are in their flower-filled spring forest with their friend, Unicornio.  All of the forest animals have chosen Unicornio as the King of the Enchanted Forest. There’s just one problem, Unicornio is unsure he deserves the title.  Dora and Boots will show Unicornio that he can be King as they travel to the Castle for his royal coronation.  Together, we challenge the smart Owl to a riddle contest; help Unicornio use a magical giant shield to protect us from the Dragon and rescue Squirrel from a roaring river.  When Unicornio reaches the Castle, he finally believes that he can be King.  Dora gets a beautiful dress and Boots wears his fancy boots for the coronation. All hail King Unicornio! 

Part 2: Secret of Atlantis Wednesday 9th November at 4.30pm repeated at 6.30pm on NickJr.

It’s summertime and Dora and Boots are at the beach when they see Diego riding in on a dolphin. He’s just been on an undersea adventure and found the legendary lost continent of Atlantis. He's discovered it’s secret and the reason why it disappeared from Earth.  Diego recruits Dora, Boots and King Unicornio to help him end an ancient feud between the unicorns and dragons. That’s the only way to make Atlantis rise. Together we’ll travel from the Enchanted Forest (where Unicornio leaves the Owl in charge) to make friends with the Dragon at the Volcano; then race over the beach to the middle of the ocean, where we’ll call the Golden Phoenix to make the lost continent return. Hurray!

Part 3: Dora Saves King Unicornio Thursday 10th November at 4.30pm repeated at 6.30pm on NickJr.

Dora and Boots are playing in the leaves on an Autumn day when Little Rabbit arrives from the Enchanted Forest for their help. When King Unicornio returned from Atlantis to the Enchanted Forest, Owl didn’t want to give back the King’s crown, so he tricked Unicornio. Now Unicornio is stuck plugging a dam with his unicorn horn so the whole forest won’t be flooded.  Owl is still ruling over the Enchanted Forest, where he’s made new rules like banning scarecrows, elves and fairies. Can Dora and Boots help King Unicornio get his crown back and once again rule the Enchanted Forest?

Don't worry - if you miss it - The full trilogy is then repeated back to back as a two hour special on the following dates:

• Friday 11^th November at 4.30pm
• Saturday 12^th November at 11am and 4pm
• Sunday 13^th November at 12pm and 3pm
• Saturday 19^th November at 1pm
• Sunday 20^th November at 9am and 5pm
• Friday 25^th November at 4pm
• Sunday 27^th November at 12pm

Usually my little boy loves Dora, but in these episodes, he really seems to have two new favourites - Boots and Diego! It's very cute to see him acting out the character of Boots - I think it comes naturally to him as he is a little monkey!

So far we've only watched the first two parts but I wanted to share it with you before it starts on NickJr as we are loving what we've seen so far!

It's all very exciting and the graphics are really sharp and clear, there's something about the elves that give me a sense of nostalgia - I'm sure they look like elves from something in my childhood! 

To celebrate and accompany Dora's exciting Enchanted Forrest Adventures, you can buy the DVD from amazon with an RRP of £12.99 from 14th November - currently the pre-order price is a bargain of £6.99.

Also in stores from the 14th November from Fisher Price will be Splash and Surprise Dora - A styling head with lots of features such as hot and cold water colour changes and lots of accessories. Fisher Price also have Magical Fairy Dora - an 11 inch doll who talks, sings and has a magic wand - I so want this for myself!

See the Nick Jr website for Dora activities and games http://www.nickjr.co.uk/shows/dora/

Emma in Bromley x

Fireworks displays and Bonfire night in Bromley 2011

I've compiled a little guide for local fireworks displays for this year's bonfire night. If you know of any other local ones - particularly ones starting earlier in the evening, please do let me know!

Southborough Primary School

4 November 2011

Fireworks display for all the family.

Location: Southborough Primary School, Southborough Lane, BR2 8AA

Time: 18:00 - 20:00

Cost: £5 on the gate, pre-schoolers free

There'll be refreshments, burgers, do-nuts etc for sale as well as glow-sticks and some funfair rides to keep everyone amused before the spectacular display.

Event organiser: Friends of Southborough Primary School

Email: friendsofsouthborough@hotmail.com

Norman Park 

Friday 4th November 2011

Fireworks Display and Family Funfair

Gates open at 5pm

Bonfire Lit at 7.30 pm

Fireworks Display starts at 8.00pm

Tickets: Adults £5 (14 plus & Unaccompanied Children),Children £3 (5 to 13), under 5s free(On the gate)FREE Limited On Site Car Parking

Norman ParkHayes LaneBromley

For further informationWeb Site: www.normanparkfireworks.co.uk

Chislehurst Charity Fireworks

	05 Nov 2011 18:00
	Chislehurst Recreation Ground
	Empress Drive, Chislehurst BR7 5BG,BR7 5BG

Charity Fireworks 

Gates open 6pm, bonfire at 7pm and firework display at 7.30pm. Advance tickets from local shops at £2.50 for children, £5 for adults and £13 for families (2+2). Prices on the gate £3 and £6. A fun-filled family event. ALL profit goes to charities, most of them local.

Beckenham Round Table Fireworks and Funfair

5 November 2011

A fun event for all ages. Firework display and children's fun fair.

Location: Croydon Road Recreation Ground, Croydon Road, Beckenham

Time: 18:00 - 22:00

Cost: Adults and unaccompanied children £5.00; children £3.00; under 5’s free

Fireworks commence 20.00hrs (20/25 minutes)

Pay on the Gate.

Gates open 18.00hrs.

Funfair 18.00 - 22.00hrs

Event Organiser: Beckenham Round Table Phone: 07956 878686

E-Mail: info@beckenhamfireworks.org.uk

Crystal Palace Park, 

Anerley Hill, Bromley, SE19 2AA

Time: 18:00 - 22:00

Cost: Adults, children over 14 and unaccompanied children - £5; children (5 to 13 years old) - £3; children under 5 - free

Childrens fireworks display will start at 7.00pm.  The main firework display will start at 8.30pm.

Admission:  Pay on the gate.  Gates open at 6pm.

On site car parking (Sports Centre entrance):  £3

Please note:  No fireworks, alcohol or pets to be brought on site by the public.

For further information visit http://www.crystalpalacefireworks.co.uk/

Blackheath Fireworks

Saturday 5th November 2011 8pm in the centre of the heath - donations.

http://www.lewisham.gov.uk/inmyarea/events/whats-on/fireworks/Pages/default.aspx

Emma in Bromley xx

The papier mâché pumpkin disaster and rescue!

I have to admit, I took my inspiration from kirstie allsopp's new "craft" book - which features a papier mâché snowman piñata - my thinking was - if you can do a snowman - I must be able to create a pumpkin!

Also, I wanted to replicate a pumpkin rather than do a real one for 2 reasons,
1) I felt that my 2 year old could join in more and 2) I don't actually have anywhere safe to put a lit pumpkin in the house at the moment!

I haven't done papier mâché for about 20 years and it was the first time Blake has done papier mâché so if your expecting something amazing - you might want to pop over to red ted art instead! (my fave children's craft blog)

Ok so firstly we blew up a balloon - a free one from mcdonalds - and covered it in olive oil - really you should cover the balloon in Vaseline but I didn't have any so I thought I'd try oil instead!

Then I divided a newspaper up - I split 1 page into 3 long strips and kept going until we had a large pile of paper.

To make the paste, we added one cup of flour and two cups of water to a bowl and Blake mixed it all up with a wooden spoon... which he looooved to do!

We dipped the paper strips into the paste and layered on the ballon until it was fully coated, Blake really enjoyed this bit!

It usually takes about 4 hours for a layer to dry, we left it overnight and did a second layer the next day.

Our intention was to paint it orange but we couldn't find orange paint anywhere! Our first point of call was elc but they didn't have orange, we also tried smiths, hawkin bizarre and that book shop next to patisserie vallerie in the glades (where we did buy a pack of cheap small felt sheets for 99p to use for the pumpkin's face features) . I'm guessing rymans down at Bromley south would have had some but I didn't fancy the walk.

As an alternative I decided to try orange tissue paper from paperchase.

I wasn't sure if a layer of orange tissue papier mâché would work but there's only one way to find out!

We left our orange pumpkin to dry over night again on the kitchen window.

Unfortunately it was a sorry sight the next morning and I'm not sure what went wrong! The balloon had shrunk inside so maybe that was to blame for it's deformity, or maybe it was because that night was particularly cold and it didn't get to dry out properly on the side that was closest to the window, or maybe a third layer was one to many. Maybe the oil instead of vaseline ruined it? I'm not sure.


The orange tissue papier mâché layer did not work at all, not only was there the scary looking deformity but also, it just didn't look nice at all!

As a fix it job we but the pumpkin's best side forward and covered in orange tissue paper - just as it is and pritt sticked it on!

We then stuck on black felt cut outs for eyes, nose and mouth and a green card for it stem / hair, i did the cutting out and pointing, Blake did the sticking!




Et voila ... Toddler friendly pumpkin!

While I don't like to encourage trick or treating, I do love Halloween parties, dressing up and the fun it brings!

Halloween is a great time to do crafts with your little one and be a bit more creative with food too.

Loved getting messy and trying something new and this craft was easy for my two year old to do, he did most of this - even down to sticking the face details on.

Emma in Bromley xx

Silent Sunday 5

Shnuggle Modern Moses Basket, Our Review.

Lucky Maegan was sent a Cream waffle Shnuggle modern moses basket to try out and review and the verdict is that she loves it!

It's been a little godsend for us, as Maegan has a big brother, Blake who's 27months and the Shnuggle has been the way Maegan has been able to have daytime naps.

It's made from plastic rather than wicker so it doesn't creak like a traditional moses basket and the Shnuggle has ventilation holes in it's base so there is plenty of airflow. I love that it's easy to wipe down the whole basket.

Maegan loved how cosy the Shnuggle is - its got padding underneath the waffle layer so when she wiggles and moves about she never catches herself and she loves to sleep with her head against the cushioning. The Shnuggle is suitable for up to 6months or until your baby can sit or roll unaided - I found it to be a generous size, and although Maegan is only 3 months, I have every confidence that the Shnuggle will last her.

We usually put the hood up while she sleeps, as I think it makes it a bit more cosier for her and also as a signal to Blake that Maegan is sleeping, if the hood is up, he's not to touch!

The Shnuggle basket also comes with a warm, thick matching coverlet and an airflow mattress (We've used mothercare fitted crib sheets to cover the mattress and they fit really well )

The waffle surround and padded lining stay in place with elastic and come off and on easily for washing - and they wash really well - no shrinking or mishapping.

The Shnuggle has soft cotton handles which can be removed - I've removed them for now as Blake likes to be "helpful" and has put them inside the basket a few times rather than leaving them hanging on the outside.

You can buy a stand for your Shnuggle if you wanted one and there are also some lovely blankets available from the website too or a mattress upgrade. Shnuggle is currently available in Cream Waffle, White Waffle, Dotty Blue or Dotty Pink.

There isn't anything I would change about the Shnuggle, it's design and function is ace and there isn't anything you could improve on really. I would like to see more colour choices - more brighter ones and unisex ones as this basket is designed to last and also, it would be good to see Organic Cotton choice and maybe a natural mattress option.

There isn't anywhere to attach a toy so I've stitched a little loop in the hood to dangle Maegan's soft chime toy from which she loves to bat.

I would recommend the Shnuggle to a friend and it's good quality for its price - worth every penny.

£59.99 including postage from Shnuggle.com 

Now - Ohh I  know this isn't what the Shnuggle is designed for or suitable for, but I couldn't resist - Blake climbed in and decided to do Row Row Row Your Boat with Meg - She is actually awake by the way! Was too cute!

Emma in Bromley x

The worst thing about parenting

This is a blog question prompt (I needed a bit of inspiration today!) and for me the answer is simply the noise!

I'm a quiet person, before having children I enjoyed nothing more than a good book and a hot choc - a nice bit of piece and quiet! Honestly, I rarely did the clubbing/pub thing and I love slippers as much as heels!

Having two children means this is a very rare thing indeed! It can get quite noisy in our house- from toys to tantrums! It can be rather hard when you just want a bit of quiet time but both children have decided that would be the best time to both scream and shout, I can't remember the last time I got to cuddle up with a book (other than the gruffalo) and just read - I've been reading the same book for 11 months and I have about a hundred pages to go (it's only got 350 pages to the whole novel). I used to go through a book a week or so!

If I'm completely honest - the worst thing about parenting has got to be the worrying! About your child's health/development/future/education etc I find my mind constantly worries! I have a history of childhood kidney disease, hubby has asthma, we both need glasses and between our families we have a plethora of allergies so I'm always looking out for signs. Where we currently live doesn't offer good primary schools so I've been looking into the prospect of homeschooling and worrying about the future education for my two year old! (blog post on that can of worms to follow).

And whilst I make a bit of a grumble about the noise ... My favourite sounds in the whole world have got to be my little ones laughter and chatter! ... And snoring!

So go on, what's the worst thing about parenting for you?

Emma in Bromley x