Making Macaroni Cheese With A Toddler - Recipe

Making Macaroni Cheese with a toddler. Impossible you think, well you'd be wrong! OK it does take a lot bit longer but where were you going anyway? I look at it like messy play. I expect a mess, I want Bear to actually get involved. I hate the cleaning up after but unlike messy play you at least have a meal at the end.

Just remember this is a recipe for ONE toddler, if you have more than one I have no idea how you can keep an eye on what they are doing and cook. Takeaways and ready meals are your only answer!

A Cardiff Garden In April

Welcome to my Cardiff garden in April. It is full of colour and fresh growth. Surprisingly the early Spring didn't continue and a lot of plants are further behind than last year. This time last year the cherry was covered in blossom, it is about two weeks behind this year. Hopefully I will get some cherries and the blossoms won't all fall off before they are ripe.

We also get to welcome back our favourites and smile because they survived another Winter. The maples, beech hedges, Pieris and the herbaceous plants too.

Please enjoy my garden as we look forward to the summer.

Gorgeous Red Tulips

Bear Amongst The Bluebells

I wanted to get some photo's of Bear amongst the bluebells but poor Bear has had another cold with a nasty cough so we've decided to stay close to home this week. We are really lucky living in Cardiff. We have woods, parks, beaches and mountains all within an hours drive. We also have the most amazing bluebell wood just 15 minutes from our house.
It was sunny and Arctic cold when we set off early this morning, brr! Luckily we were driving against all the commuter traffic travelling into Cardiff. I am so glad that we do not have to do that any more. After our little photo shoot we found a den in the woods, Bear had a quick explore then it was time to go home.

Bear Amongst The Bluebells

Bear Amongst The Bluebells

Singing, Star Wars and Spaghetti

Singing, Star Wars and Spaghetti! We've had a busy week. We started the week with Bear singing along with Aled Jones. Well Aled was on the TV and Bear just joined in, the picture is a bit blurry but too cute to leave out.

We've been hunting for treasure at Castell Coch, had fun on the swings and slide at our local playground and searched for Luke Skywalker at Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean.

You can read more about our visits by clicking the links above.

We did have a wonderful week. It was great watching Star Wars Episode VII on Saturday, it has a great fight scene filmed at Puzzlewood, we kept saying "we've been there!".

Singing with Aled Jones 

Just about to go treasure hunting at Castell Coch

Bear laughing at Grandad on a baby swing

Wheeee!

Luke! Luke! Where are you?

Bear running from something in the woods

Bear looking at our picnic guest, a very friendly cat, at Puzzlewood

Bear and Grandad discussing the pattern on his pj's

Bear enjoying his spaghetti. Some actually got into his mouth

What's new this week?

Bear had his 18 month check up with the Health Visitor on Friday and she was really, really pleased with him. We are all so proud of him. Well done Bear and Mummy and Daddy too.

Bears speech is so good now, it's not just us that can understand him and he's really stringing words together.

Bear has a couple of made up words. For a long time he has called glasses (spectacles) lowers, like flowers but without the "f". No idea why.

He now calls milk a cross between miow and mow. It would rhyme with cow but it isn't cow.

We are hoping for nice weather next week so we can get out again and explore more places.

Where should we go next week?

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#MySundayPhoto Number 17

#MySundayPhoto Number 17 was a difficult one as we have done so much this week and have so many photo's. I have chosen a picture of Bear and his Grandad.

They are walking away from Castell Coch near Cardiff. They look like they are deep in conversation. The lines of the railings point to them. Although they are a small part of the image they are the only important thing in the picture.

I wonder what are they saying to each other?

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Puzzlewood In The Forest Of Dean - A Toddler Explores

I was lucky to meet Helen at Traverse16, a bloggers conference, and she invited me and Bear to visit her magical woodland at Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean. Puzzlewood* is a fantastic place for children of all ages, from toddlers to big kids!

You may not have heard of Puzzlewood in the Forest of Dean. It is a little piece of magic just outside Coleford, just 50 minutes from our home in Cardiff. When you see our pictures I am sure it will look familiar. It has been used as a set for films and TV. Merlin, Star Wars, Dr Who, Atlantis, Jack the Giant Slayer, Hidden Kingdoms are just a few.

What's there for a toddler? Animals, a toddler race track, indoor maze, willow maze, treasure hunt and the wood. It's not suitable for buggy's so be prepared to carry your little ones a bit.

We decided to follow in famous footsteps and make our own documentary. OK it's still pictures and a bit blurry in places but here is.

Puzzlewood In The Forest Of Dean - A Toddler Explores

We started our visit looking at the animals. Bear loved them and was able to mimic them all. A snort for Lucy the pig, an eeore at the donkeys, moo to the cows, baa at the sheep and twitchy nose at the rabbits.

Puzzlewood In The Forest Of Dean - A Toddler Explores
Look Nanny! Lucy the pig, sheep, cows, rabbits and ponies