by iamcrabstix | Jun 10, 2017 | general parenting
We are struggling for first birthday gift ideas! When your child seems to collect yellow plastic as a hobby it can be quite hard to find things he needs for his first birthday. We are a week away from the big day and we still have bought nothing (with exception of Dad buying him his first British Lions kit!)
Here are a few things that we are currently thinking about buying, ideas and thoughts would be appreciated!
A Wooden Playhouse
Our garden is full of gravel, rockeries and plants – not exactly child-friendly. The cat actually has a house in the wooden house in the garden, so it feels a bit mean that RLT doesn’t have ownership over anything. The garden is my OH’s pride and joy, so it has to be something that keeps with his aesthetic. He suggested this BillyOH Bunny Max Playhouse (pictured above), this is the top contender at the moment. But at aged one, will the little man appreciate it? Maybe not.
Musical Instruments
As much as a little one can display a like for things, he seems to like music; whether that be singing songs, tv or shaking maracas, he likes it all. Therefore we were thinking of something musical – my brother may buy him a drum kit as revenge for all of the noisy toys I have bought his kids in the past.
Anything Elmo
He adores Elmo, which is largely my doing with saying ‘OH HIIIIIIIII’ in a very high pitched voice and playing ‘Elmo’s Song’ over and over again on youtube. What can I say? I love the little red fella! My niece and nephew were also subjected to this and love him also as a consequence. When my niece was small, I bought her a Let’s Rock Elmo, which I would love to get RLT, but unfortunately, it is now a ridiculous price and can’t seem to find anything in stores except a cuddly version of Elmo. We already got one of these from H&M, so I’m running out of Elmo-related ideas! I know it would be a winner if I could find a noisy Elmo toy!
First tool kit
RLT got some tools from my nephew, which he loves… but he wanders around with a single spanner as there wasn’t a full set! He sure does love that spanner, so we were thinking about buying him a tool kit, belt or a workshop. There is one at his playgroup, which is a VTECH Handy Hands Workbench and he absolutely loves it, but unfortunately, VTECH no longer manufactures it and told me to check Amazon or eBay for second-hand ones. The only one I could find was collection only from far far away! BOOOOOO.
What did you buy for your baby’s first birthday? I’d be interested to know for ideas!
by iamcrabstix | Jun 10, 2017 | Travel
When people plan a trip away, the excitement of choosing a destination and shopping for new clothes for the big day often clouds the mind of what is really important
You may have seen it before: you’re queuing at the airport and someone is arguing with the airport desk because unbelievably, they’ve forgotten a passport. A passport. The single most important thing you need to board a plane and fly off to wherever you’re going!
Organising a holiday takes more than just choosing the right sarong or destination with your favourite cocktail. You have to be organised enough to remember the important stuff, and we are going to walk you through the things that people often forget to include in their carry-on for their holiday.
Documents
Paperwork is the most boring part of going on holiday, isn’t it? Renewing passports to make sure you have enough time on it to travel, visa and travel authorisations (which you can find at etias.com) and travel insurance are all things that are forgotten easily by hopeful holidaymakers. The way to combat this? Make a list of everything you’ll need for your specific destination and have it pinned on the inside of your suitcase, so that while you pack you won’t forget.
First Aid
Always check with your chosen airline what you can and cannot take with you on a plane, but a small box of the essentials should be included. Painkillers, any prescribed medicines, allergy meds or asthma pumps should all be remembered and included. Sure, you could probably pick up a local remedy but why spend out or claim on insurance if you don’t have to?
Luggage Tags
All you have to do is go online to see how many airlines are irresponsible with passenger luggage. Your plain, sophisticated black suitcase needs to stand out. Buying the brightest name tag you can find and adding your name and address is smart. That way, if your luggage is misplaced, it’ll be delivered back to the right house!
Space
if you’re about to embark on holiday to a place you may not have visited before. Leaving a little bit of space in your suitcase for souvenirs and any purchases you make while abroad is a good thing. You can then avoid going overweight on the airport scales on the way out, and you can bring things home! We always like to bring something back that reminds us of where we have been. Some better than others!
Adapters
If you are planning to bring technology and shavers with you to a country that has a different pin system for their plugs, you need an adapter! Airport prices can be crazy for adapters, so bringing your own in your hand luggage will mean you pay less and still can charge your camera!
Towels
You may be staying in an all-inclusive resort, but you need to remember to bring your own towel or two! One for the shower, one for the beach. Some hotels don’t provide complimentary towels and the worst thing is to turn up and discover that after a long flight!
Can you think of any other essentials?
by iamcrabstix | Jun 5, 2017 | Living Arrows
I am taking part in Donna from What the Redhead Said‘s Living Arrows – which is a celebration of childhood!
We could all do with a little more celebration in our lives!
To quote Donna, “The project originally took it’s name from a poem by Kahlil Gibran, “You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” and every Monday we share a moment from our week and invite others to do the same as part of this linky.”
Week 23/52 Living Arrows
Staying in the Light
I haven’t really taken many images this week, what with the catastrophic events happening around the country and working at art show openings, the time I have had off I’ve spent cuddling my little one, wondering how people can hate people who are different. They were all babies once, all innocent and born into what they were born into, whether that be western culture or Islam, we shouldn’t hate people for being different. Any action taken in other countries should now be voted on by the public. The Governments have for too long made decisions such as Iraq War, action in Libya and Syria that innocent people are now paying the price for.
When I returned from work on Saturday, my little one was playing in the study, his dad’s art supplies being his new favourite thing to knock off the shelves. The light beaming through the window was perfect and very poignant of the week gone by – we must stay in the light.
(For usual readers of my living arrows posts, this may seem to be a bit deep for me, as previously mentioned I’ve been working in art shows all week… it sometimes rubs off hehe).
by iamcrabstix | Jun 2, 2017 | Travel
I’ve spent a couple of months in South Africa before and adored going to Kruger Park. In fact, I cried when I was sat watching the Hippos as I was truly happy! I want to give RLT the safari experience so much as I think nature and a love of animals is an amazing thing to have an appreciate. Here are some of the places in Africa that I’ll be looking to explore with him when he is a bit older:
The greatest haven
Many of the most beautiful creatures in Africa also have the unfortunate luck to be amongst the most endangered as well. However, there’s one conservation success that also proves one of the most exciting enclosures. At the Rwanda Volcanoes National Park, you have the chance to see some of the park’s 480+ mountain gorillas, more than double the population that was there since conservation first began. Tourism plays a big role in helping to support the conservation efforts, too.
The greatest migration
There are also those places where you’re likely to see many, many more than 480 creatures all in the same place. In particular, if you take a Kenya safari at the right time, you can see the thousands upon thousands of wildebeest that migrate every year through the Maasai Mara. As well as the great herds, you can see all the bustling activity they bring with them, like the big cats of the continent on the hunt and hundreds of thousands of gazelle and zebra coming along for the trip.
The greatest lake
There are cooler, wetter places to be found as well, and with them, they bring some of the brightest displays of color. In particular, if you’re fond of the color pink you might want to stop at Lake Bogoria in Kenya, where the whole lake gets transformed by a population of flamingos stopping for a drink and a feed. The sight of hundreds of those dazzling birds can be almost too bright to look at but it never fails to captivate its many visitors.
The greatest parade
Did you know that a group of elephants is known as a parade? If you see one up close, it’s easy to hear why exactly that’s the case with all the trumpets going off. It might not be as immensely populated as the Maasai Mara during migration season, but Chobe National Park in Botswana is guaranteed to give you an encounter with a family of the largest mammals in the world. Where you find water and shade in the park, you’re sure to see some of these majestic beasts roaming around, playing in the river, looking after their children and spraying water just about everywhere.
by iamcrabstix | May 29, 2017 | Living Arrows
I am taking part in Donna from What the Redhead Said‘s Living Arrows – which is a celebration of childhood!
We could all do with a little more celebration in our lives!
To quote Donna, “The project originally took it’s name from a poem by Kahlil Gibran, “You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth” and every Monday we share a moment from our week and invite others to do the same as part of this linky.”
Week 22/52 Living Arrows
Photo Shoot
In the run-up to RLT’s first birthday, I decided to book him in for a photoshoot to photo document exactly how he was at that time so I would always have lovely photos to remember him at one.
Luckily the amazing children’s photographer Amy Thor lives locally, so I was able to get some amazing shots. It is his Grandma’s birthday soon, too so I could justify the cost that way also!
In 25 minutes Amy had 330 photographs of RLT. She had such a good rapport with him; it was all very natural. I got contact sheets of around 90 images and selected 10 to keep. We were so happy with the final outcomes!
