Conversations with Bear #1 - The Dark

Conversations With Bear #1 - The Dark

Bear is at that golden age. He's four. He knows exactly what he wants, he can ask for it and he can describe events and things he's seen.

He has the enquiring mind of a four year old, hampered only by his beliefs. Everything is good or bad. Right or wrong, black or white, but he is open to learning and is quick to pick up new ideas. His knowledge astounds me every single day.

He does come out with some absolute gems, which once spoken are lost into the ether for ever. I spend so much time laughing with him or amazed at his knowledge, that I thought I would share some of his spoken thoughts. A small insight into the workings of a four year old's mind.

This will be an occasional series, just as and when he says something worth repeating, but more importantly, those that I actually remember so I can record it for the future.

Conversations With Bear #1 - The Dark

It's a dark, winter afternoon. Only the lounge light on, the rest of the house is unlit. Bear never tells me where he's going in the house, he just goes.

Bear - "I'm just going into the dining room to get a car"
Me - "OK"
Bear - "From the toy box in the dining room"

I nod and notice for the first time that it's now become dark

Me - "Would you like me to turn a light on for you?"
Bear - "No, Mummy says I must be brave"
Me - "Brave?"
Bear - "Brave in the dark"
Me - "OK"

Bear dashes out and seconds later runs back in.

Bear - "Can you come with me?"
Me - "Of course"

I follow Bear from the lounge to the darkness of the dining room.
He looks around nervously, checks I'm there. I'm stood right next to him.

Me - "Are you sure you don't need the light to see?'

Bear - "No, it's OK. I eat carrots so can see in the dark" and he grabs a car and legs it back to the lounge leaving me to deal with the unseen monsters, alone.

Thanks Bear!

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Learning Resources Playfoam Pals - Review

Learning Resources Playfoam Pals - Review

When we were asked if we would like to review* Learning Resources Playfoam Pals I knew straight away that Bear would absolutely love them. Little animal pals hidden in Playfoam, sparkles, and mess! What more could a boy ask for?

Bear was delighted when he saw them. "Look what we have today" I said "WOW!" he exclaimed, "I love them!"

The packaging state that they are mess free (oh yeah, I thought), so with tuff tray on the table to collect all the bits, Bear opened them.

Crate Creatures Surprise Blizz- Review

Crate Creatures Surprise Blizz- Review

Christmas is such a busy time for us and we are asked to review* lots of toys. We only say yes to those I think Bear or Bee will love, sometimes we get so excited we shout YES! Crate Creatures was one of these. We didn't know who we were getting - would we love it?

We were sent Blizz. A creature from the frozen land of Icicia. No matter how hard he tries, he can't get out of his crate! Can Bear release him?

I'm Fed Up With Cleaning - Can I stop now please?

I'm Fed Up With Cleaning - Can I stop now please?

I don’t know about you but I’m fed up with cleaning. It was fun but now I'm bored with it. Also I have to keep doing it. When I didn't polish everything to within an inch of it's life, I didn't care about the odd fingerprint. I didn't even notice them. Now everything is shiny I have to polish, polish, polish! I wonder why I do it. I dust, I polish, I sweep but it just gets dirty again.

It's Mrs Hinch's fault. She quickly rose to fame with her perfectly clean house and her unique use of every cleaning product that smelt. I didn’t want to use all the chemicals she used, but still found myself cleaning anything that stood still.

I'm polishing everything until it shines. Taps, toaster, kettle, you name it. If it has a glossy finish I'm there with my polishing cloth. And that’s my point, I don't want to do it anymore.

What’s the point anyway? The kettle didn’t boil water faster, or suddenly make the coffee. It showed no gratitude for all my hard work. Once it was shining and looking lovely it became too posh to boil, it died. Did I kill my kettle with over polishing?

100 Years - Lest we Forget

100 Years - Lest We Forget

Extract from For The Fallen by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

We all have someone in our family tree that went to war, and never came home. For some the relationship was very close - fathers, brothers, sons, and more recently mothers, sisters and daughters.

Most of us will have uncles, great uncles and great great uncles who went to war between 1914 and 1918 and never came home. Many did not leave descendants because they were just boys and young men.

My great-grandfather, Charles Henry Yorke, came from a military family. He tried many times to join up, but each time he was rejected due to ill health. When WWI was declared, he joined the Medical Corp and was a stretcher bearer throughout the war.

He survived but his brother, David, didn't.

This year, 2018, is the hundreth anniversary of the end of World War I. Armistice was declared at 11am on 11th November 1918.

This is in remebrance of all that fell, but especially to those mentioned below.

My relatives - my family.

How to Ensure You Get Your Bag Intact in the Airport Arrivals Hall

I was chatting to Cath from Passports and Adventures, (on social media of course) about how hard air travel can be with little ones. 

Even without children, one of my biggest worries is arriving at my destination without my luggage. Imagine having to spend your holiday money on essentials and a new wardrobe! Cath had lots of great tips and ideas and I asked her to share them with us.

Cath, Alex and their gorgeous German Shepherd 

Cath is an Irish expat who now lives in Portugal with her husband and son. A former scientist, she gave up working when they emigrated south from the UK. She is a family travel blogger and hopes that, through her blog, they will inspire more families to travel, especially with the toddlers in tow. As a family they love travelling and have started working their way through their family travel bucket list. Cath writes about their family travels and experiences on her blog, Passports and Adventures.

Here are her tips.

Christmas Gift Guide 2018 - Something For Everyone

Christmas Gift Guide 2018  - Something For Everyone

*Contains PR samples

Christmas shopping, love it or hate it, we all have to do it. We all want to buy the perfect gift, something that they will love and use.

It can be overwhelming and so it often gets left until the last minute and then we fall back on the traditional, socks for him, perfume for her.

We have a selection of gifts that you may not have thought of, something for everyone. From children and the young at heart to the crafter and the home.

Not only are there gifts for everyone but for all pockets too, from a little luxury to a stocking filler for children that is free.

Christmas is about spending time with friends and family, not stressing about what to buy.

We have lots of ideas so grab a drink, get comfortable and enjoy browsing our 2018 Christmas Gift Guide.