Thames Valley Mums Blog

Calling all children: Put on a Panto!

Panto season has started and to celebrate Robinson's has created Put On A Panto -- a cute web site that gives children all the tools they need to stage their very own Pantomime -- from planning, to practising to performing. It even includes invitations, posters and suggestions on making costumes.

Come on, I know you want to try it.

And if you'd like to win tickets to a local pantomime of your choice (for a family of five, worth up to £250) please visit A Modern Mother, Violet Posy or The Potty Diaries for a chance to win a fun night out!

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Kids bored this half term? Try these activites...

I used to measure the success of school breaks based on the number of trips made to A&E. One year I had to deal with a 2-year-old who lost her fingernail in a slammed door AND a 3-year-old who broke her arm whilst climbing out of her cot.

We've moved on since then, and so has the economy.

The credit crunch means that many people may opt to stay local this half term, rather than the usual trip to France and Euro Disney.

Here are some ideas in preparation for when you wake up on Monday morning and the children ask "what are we doing today mummy?"

This post has a Thames Valley twist, but there are ideas that you can use to beat half term boredom in any location.

And if none of these ideas appeal ... you can always hire a babysitter and get a massage!

Ice

  A few weeks ago I had an urge to replace all the ‘should dos’ in my life with ‘want to dos’. I was so excited, practically bouncing in the seat of my car as I zipped towards Bracknell. I felt as light and sparky as a sunbeam.

My childlike mood intensified as I pulled into the car park. The sign proclaiming “Home of the Bracknell Bees”started sherbert fizzes in my solar plexus.

Bye bye boring gym. I practically skipped into reception. “Hi, I’m here for the adult beginners ice skating lesson.” I chirped “Do I need a token for the lockers?”

A little boy's dream: the London Transport Museum

Where do you take a train, plane, bus and car mad three-year-old for his birthday in London?  Why, The London Transport Museum in Covent Garden, of course! This was Boy #2's treat of choice last week.  Admittedly, they don't have airplanes there, but as a place where you can spot practically every other mode of transport in London, it ticked all his boxes.
 
The Transport Museum is tucked away in the South East corner of the Covent Garden Piazza, and is easily reachable by tube.  As a family-friendly destination, they don't come much better than the Piazza, with it's host of shops and stalls on the galleries in the restored old Covent Garden vegetable market, the street entertainment on offer in and around it, the (admittedly pricey) restaurants and bars when you need refuelling, and the simple pleasure of being outdoors in what I personally find an exciting, buzzy and vibrant part of town.  Add the Opera House, the local theatre, and the Transport Museum to the mix and this are becomes one of the top tourist attractions in London.  

The Stonor walk

When I was dating future Scottish hubby, he took me on this walk.

I was in the UK on a quick weekend stop over between Boston and San Francisco.

I'm sure we must have slept late, then gone out for the papers to read with our frothed coffees and buttered toast. I had already half moved in and purchased a Krupp's cappuccino maker, and future hubby was just starting to realize how important the black drug was to me.

That was more than 10 years ago, and I remember taking a photo of the manor home of Lord and Lady Camoys, and later, when I was back in my office in Marin Country, I shared it with my colleagues.

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.

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.

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.

Credit Crunch Sundays -- Try a FREE family art workshop at the National Gallery

I’m going to share a secret. The National Gallery in London does FREE art workshops every Sunday aimed at the entire family to enjoy and learn about art together.

The workshops, run by professional artists, focus on an area in the gallery. After a short discussion, you are given insider tips and high quality art supplies and then set loose to create your own masterpiece.

It’s FABULOUS.

Did I mention it was FREE?

If you live near London, or are visiting with kids, you have to check it out.

Little orphan oboe

"Did you say that the oboe was an orphan...?"

I was trying to register what my eight-year-old daughter had just said to me. It was late and my mind was going through my to-do list for the next day.

“No, not an orphan, mummy. The oboe is an endangered instrument.”

Oh, right, of course, how could an oboe be an orphan that would be ridiculous.  Silly me.

“The lady that teaches flute and oboe told us at assembly that the oboe is an endangered instrument in the orchestra. That’s why Lucy and I want to learn it.”

It turns out she's right. Apparently an accomplished oboist is always in demand.

Playdate etiquette -- the unwritten rules

When I was little and was bored with my four brothers and sisters – I would disappear next door to play with my best friend. We would practice endless baton routines with The Carpenters Mr Postman Please blaring in the background on a record player. I had an open invitation and my mother always knew where to find me.

Today, playing with your best friend is more formal. We fit in “playdates” between swimming, football and French. The spontaneity is gone.  I know one mother who has playdates booked months in advance. She's a working mum and pencils in our daughter's name between items like "Ian's review" and "ops meeting".

If you are new to the wonderful world of arranging your child’s extracurricular play time, here are the unwritten rules.