Thames Valley Mums Blog

You got it right Sainsburys -- your new uniforms are incredible value!

Sainsbury's just launched their "Back Tu School" range of school uniforms and I am gobsmacked at the quality and prices. With everyone focused today on the economy, Sainsbury's got it absolutely right.

The girls pinnies are cute and well designed (box pleats AND a zip up front perfect for little ones so they don't have to dread dressing themselves after PE). They are teflon coated, 100% washable and tumble dryable, etc. Guess how much? £4.50!

The skirts are £6 for a two pack -- one plain, with no zip, but the other has an adjustable waistband/buttons and pleats. They are a bit thin, but look like a strong polyester material that won't ball up (I hate those knit skirts that ball up after a few washings).

Let the rainy day activites commence

Now that summer is over <sob> I'm looking for something, anything, to help occupy the girls' time.

Someone must be listening because I opened my email and Snapfish asked if my seven-year-old daughter would like to have a go at making a photo book. Yes, please.

So I loaded up her photos (she got a digital camera for Christmas) and she pretty much figured out the programme herself (drag and drop). She even wrote her own captions and came up with some pretty cool backgrounds.

Me, my Dyson and my car

I love my new Dyson DC25 Animal to bits -- but it's been a bit of a culture shock. Its predecessor was about 100 years old, so giving me a Dyson was like giving a granny an iPhone.

I can't get over how much it sucks up. Five containers full on the first go around our house. I had no idea I was living in such filth!

OK, I am a bit obsessed by it. I will often take it out do a quick run round the house. My husband caught me once and asked why I was vacuuming at 10 pm, the night before our cleaner was due. I just looked at him and scrunched my brow. Am I the only who enjoys dust being neatly sucked up and encased? Because, I told him. Huuummmph!

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.  

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.

Chuggington -- the next Thomas the Tank?!

I’m not a big fan of television. There’s not much worth watching. When it comes to a mediocre television drama or sleep – I’ll pick sleep every time.

Children’s television is different. Though parents don’t want to admit it, we often use TV as a type of babysitter, a way to keep the kids quiet while we steal away a few minutes to cook dinner, make an important phone call, or in my case, write a blog post.

The people who make kid’s programmes are very clever and have figured out that if they create something entertaining that will keep a child's attention, but also make it educational, parents won't feel so guilty about letting them watch it.

The end of finger sucking?

I was dreading the dentist. I knew that he would comment yet again on how my 4 1/2-year-old should not suck her fingers.

I also knew I didn't have a plan to combat this habit -- apart from the occasional “serious” discussions about my daughter's future beauty and other equally unsuccessful activities.

However, this time the dentist had a plan...or at least tangible advice.

He produced a leaflet about thumb and finger guards which are sold in the UK and are apparently quite successful. Our dentist gave the product a resounding thumbs up and that’s all I needed.

I promptly went to Thumbguard and bought a finger guard for £49.99 plus the usual extras.