Thames Valley Mums Blog

A week of children's pantomine -- am I nuts?!

OHMYGOD. What was I thinking? Three girls in a traditional children's Christmas pantomime. For four shows. Plus a five-hour dress rehearsal. In the week between Christmas and New Year. Am I nuts?!

I have a feeling that Post Nativity Play Syndrome was easy peasy compared to dealing with the inevitable Post Pantomime Syndrome.

Now of course this isn't any old Pantomime, this is Muffin Hurst's Henley Children's Theatre Group Pantomime. Muffin's dad (as in the 70s music producer Mike Hurst) writes the Pantos and they are genuinely funny and appeal to all age levels.

Who wants to go for a walk?

"But I don't want to go on a boooring old walk mummy,"  whined Emily, our six-year-old, when I announced we were going down to the river for our Boxing Day stroll.

We had to move fast, the sun had popped it's head out and the sky was a beautiful shade of turquoise blue, a change from the grey skies we've had the last couple of days. If I blinked it could go cloudy again.

"I want to do SOMETHING," she said still dazed and drugged by the previous day's activities and still surrounded by a mountain of boxes and wrapping paper.

Er, maybe it was my approach. I tried again. "Who wants to feed the ducks their Boxing Day Dinner?!"

Best of the British Mummy Bloggers Carnival -- Christmas edition

Twas the day before Christmas, and although in good moods, the mummies were frantic, entertaining their broods.

The packages were hidden all through the houses, but no one could find them, not even the mouses.

And what do these mummies do in the run up to Christmas? Why, write a blog post of course, so no one would miss us!

Here's the Christmas edition of the Best of the British Parent Blogger Carnival (we have a dad this time!)

There are some real crackers -- so grab a mince pie, sit back and enjoy!

Seven FAB activites for children during the Christmas holidays

My daughter has four weeks of Christmas holidays.  Every year I’ve worked the holidays, so I’ve never really had to deal with keeping her entertained.  However as I’m only working two days a week now and hubby’s just been made redundant we aren’t for one minute going to spend £45 a day on holiday club - no matter how much she begs to go - LOL!

So being a good thrifty mummy I’ve scoped out the local bowling alley, it turns out you can bowl for £1.95 if you go between 10am and 12pm. An ice rink opened locally for the holidays but it’s quite expensive so we might have to give that a miss or see if they have a reduced rate time.

All Aboard! Try the IMAX with children

We took the Boys to the Imax on Southbank yesterday, to see the wonderful movie, 'The Polar Express'. 
 
This is not a review of the film, however; it's been out for long enough (five years) that there's a pretty good chance you'll already have seen it, and if you haven't, I suggest you rush down to Sainsbury's where the dvd is usually on special offer at Christmas for around £5.  Then settle down for an afternoon of escapism with your children - I defy you not to be swept up in the story...

Feed me grapes

What is it about being ill that makes you want your mummy? I have a sore throat, I ache all over, my brain feels like it has been wrapped in a duvet, and my nose has regressed to the constant snotty drip of a toddler.

All I want is a gentle Angel of Mercy to mop my brow and roll out sympathetic platitudes on the hour. Better still, every half an hour.

Now that I am the mummy I just have to get on with it. It’s rubbish.

There’s just no margin for lounging in bed calling for grapes and lemsips when you have a child breathing down your next wanting to be entertained. Actually, make that two children (I have my niece staying over this weekend).

Christmas cheer!

The nativity play is most definitely over, only it wasn’t so much of a play as a sing-along-a-Christmas. There were lots and lots of wise men and kings and shepherds at the inn and my MS played an irascible traveller – smiling his way throughout – and my youngest one a sheep.

He was so loathe to do it, I am amazed he got up on stage but he did. He stood there, wiping snot on his woolen outfit and staring in to space while everyone else sang. Then he tripped going off the stage and fell over and burst in to howls of tears which made everyone else look concerned and horrified bar my MS who thought it was hysterical.

Specsavers Christmas colouring competition for charity

ARTISTIC youngsters are invited to take part in a Christmas colouring competition with the chance of winning a spectacular digital compact camera.

The Oxford Journal, in association with Specsavers at Westgate shopping centre and Ox & Cross Publishing, is offering young Picassos and Rembrandts aged 6-13 a chance to show off their impressive skills by colouring in a festive picture.

The lucky winner will take home an extra special present to help capture their favourite festive moments – the Pentax Optio S12 digital compact camera worth almost £200.

London threatre for a preschooler? Oh yes! Go see William's Monster

Poor William.  He's misunderstood as being a little monster, when in fact all he wants to do is have some fun and use his imagination.  And to cap it all, his parents plan a weekend away without him, and he has to go and stay with his scary grandfather, who makes him sleep in the attic where there are all sorts of funny noises and goings on...
 
I took Boy #2 to the theatre this week.  He's not even three yet, but theatre is a treat he and his brother have been getting since they were tiny; I think the youngest that I took either of them was when they were about nine months.  I know, I know.  I can here you saying from here.  A preschooler?  To the theatre?  What kind of a mug are you?

Ten things to do in Oxford with children this Christmas

Wondering what to do with the kids this Christmas?

Oxford is just a hop, skip and a jump away and it's a great place for kids. You just need to know where to go and what to do.

Check out these insider tips by Kelli Terrington, an Oxford mum and founder of Ox and Cross Publishing, publisher of the Oxford Colouring Book, where all proceeds go to charities that help children.

1. The Botanic Garden near Magdalen Bridge has an inspiring Christmas tree decorated with things found in the garden.  If you are worried about being out in the cold, there are several glasshouses where you can keep warm and admire many interesting plants despite the outside temperatures.

There must be a solution somewhere, not that I know of it ...

  This is what my days consist of. Get up. Aarrgghh. Get children up. WAKE UP! Put kettle on for coffee. Mmmm. Help Eldest Son find his uniform - yes, the same uniform he had on a few hours ago that I swear to God I saw him dump on his bedroom floor but is, miraculously, no longer there in the morning.

Make ES a packed lunch. Curse at cupboard for not having any ingredients for packed lunch such as bread, ham, nutrigrains, crisps or even juice. Put plain Ryvitas in ES packed lunch box. Find an apple at the bottom of the fruit bowl. Extract apple from mouldy lemon. Put apple in lunch box. Tell ES to do the same things I ask him to do every day that he always forgets (wash under armpits, use deoderant, wash face with Clearasil, clean teeth, put pyjamas back in room, turn electric light off in room, think of the planet, worry about the poor, ponder the point of Marxism, get on bus).

London's most spectacular winter attraction -- ice skating at the Natural History Museum

The Ice Rink and the Christmas Fair at the Natural History Museum are billed as 'London's most spectacular winter attraction'.
 
Well, what could be better for a cold November afternoon when the nights are drawing in and the park is out of the question?  We took our two boys (five and three years old) and a couple of visiting family members to see if it lived up to the hype.
 
To a certain extent, it does.  It's in a fabulous location right in front of the beautiful Victorian façade of the museum, and is prettily lit by twinkling white lights in the surrounding trees, so it certainly looked festive enough.

Dear Santer ...

Dear Santer (my six-year-old's creative spelling interpretation), Santa, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or whatever you want to call yourself,

This year is going to be different. Just you wait.

I will keep accurate lists of what I've bought for whom and where that stash may be hiding in my house. I will not forget relatives and God children. Not even the ones that live far away. Or are babies. And especially babies that live far away. I will cross reference lists with other relatives and God children's parents just to make sure there is no repetition. As God as my witness...

A Better World

Unfortunately child cruelty is a reality, as we were recenty reminded by Baby P.

American born pop singer Laura Comfort wanted to do something to help children living in poverty in the UK. So she wrote and recorded "A Better World", a song for children which was released just in time for Christmas. All proceeds from downloads go directly to the NSPCC.

Please help get the word out. It's a catchy tune -- play it for your kids and help make this a better world!

This post was written by Susanna, A Thames Valley Mums Blog founding contributor. You can read more at her blog, A Modern Mother.