children

Sport Relief Run 2012

- TracyB 3 Comments

Yes it was that time of year that we love in this house of the good ol’ Sports Relief run. I must start by saying I have been chief photo taker for the past few years due to my M.E but that doesn’t stop me enjoying the day.

We set off to London on Sunday morning all ready to meet up with friends and do our bit for charity. The boys have raised some money together from friends and family, plus we registered for the run itself, and we purchased our 2012 Sport relief socks. So as a family we are happy that we have contributed enough to save a few children’s lives with the £5 vaccines.

Anyway, Sunday was a glorious day weather wise, and the atmosphere started on the train as most of the people travelling up there had some sort of Sport Relief attire!

Our motley crew of runners!

So I was plonked in a great viewing spot and adopted my new title of ‘bag lady’ along with the photo taking………..who says I can’t multitask!

They headed of to the start line with JLS in their race, an I started celeb spotting. Jon Culshaw, Dame Kelly Holmes, Richard Hammond and his family, the GB Netball team, David Tennant (*swoons*) oh and of course JLS!!

JLS and their bodyguard!

Now I must admit that these boys do nothing for me at all, although I’m sure they are very nice and all. However, when they came towards me ‘celeb fever’ took over and I found myself shouting to my family opposite to slow down so I could play paparazzi to JLS before snapping my family!!! LIKE I SAY I DO NOT KNOW WHAT CAME OVER ME AT THAT POINT!!

My poor group trying to get my attention whilst I ignored them over celebs........SHAME ON ME!

So to make up for it I ditched celeb world and concentrated on snapping the family as they came past heading towards the finish line- it was the least I could do.

My eldest who came past first
My youngest in a police outfit chasing his burgler buddies!
The very proud clan with all their well earned medals

Now I would be lying through my teeth if I didn’t admit to being a little jealous of them. The atmosphere is fab for the spectators but it must be fantastic to be part of it yourself. So with that in mind I have decided that in the next Sport Relief in 2014 ( OH MY F**KING GOD MY ELDEST WILL BE ALMOST 16!!!!!- strike that thought) I should hire a wheelchair, ‘pimp my ride’ as they say and get a few of my fellow clan to pull or push me along!!!

That way I don’t have to do what I did on Sunday and cheat by ‘borrowing’ someone’s medal for my picture!!

NEXT TIME I WILL HAVE MY OWN!

 

So did you take part in the mile where you were?

Top Parenting Tips

- TracyB 2 Comments

When we become parents we have sometime very definite ideas on how we are going to be as parents, how are children are going to be brought up, how they will behave etc.

Anyway as all parents know that plan goes completely out of the window the minute the baby is born! As a new parent we are thrown in at the deep end and pretty much left to get on with it as best we can.

Each stage of a baby/ child’s development brings new worries and stress as we hope we are doing things right. We learn from books, and friends, and family about what works for that particular child. So it’s always interesting when others offer tips of what works for them. Sometime the ideas are new and sometimes they are tried and tested.

I have included a video link below from Myleene Klass revealing her top parenting tips.

http://www.broadcastexchange.tv/live/myleene-klass-parenting-top-tips

“Umbilical whiplash?!”

From separation anxiety to breastfeeding in public, watch our video where celebrity mum, Myleene Klass reveals her top parenting tips

Motherhood presents plenty of challenges and all of us mums know just how different life becomes when the little one arrives and becomes part of the family.

Whether you’re a working, stay-at-home or a celebrity mum, it is hard to know the best way to overcome any challenges you may face. From breastfeeding to separation anxiety, shopping and sharing, it is important to remember that when it comes to parenting, there is no size that fits all.

No one knows more about balancing a career and the pressures and joys of motherhood than Myleene Klass. Mum to two little girls under five, Myleene knows all too well the worries that every parent faces in trying to do the best for their children: “There are so many things parents have to think and worry about when bringing up their children, what they are eating, if they are warm enough, if they have good manners, but feet always seem to get forgotten.” 

Myleene has this year joined forces with Start-rite shoes with the aim of promoting to like minded parents, the importance of having their children’s feet properly measured and fitted with quality fitted footwear to support their long term healthy foot development. “Many parents don’t realise just how malleable children’s feet are right up until their teens and hence the importance of looking after them right from the very start.  By ensuring children wear shoes that properly fit their feet you can help prevent problems in later life.” 

To find out more and hear about what Myleene has to say go to the Start-rite YouTube channel www.youtube.com/startriteshoes

July will also see the introduction of a dedicated Start-rite by Myleene Autumn/Winter 12 range of shoes which supports her passion for children’s fitted foot wear with an injection of her own sense of style and personality.

In our video, Myleene Klass shares the top parenting tips that help her get to through daily life with two young girls. From thoughts on breastfeeding to separation anxiety or “umbilical whiplash” as Myleene calls it, watch the video to find out how you can strive to create a balance and be the best mum you can possibly be.

Check out the video below:

http://www.broadcastexchange.tv/live/myleene-klass-parenting-top-tips

What are your top parenting tips?

Back in the land of the living!

- TracyB 2 Comments

Well almost anyway. After the last few weeks of activity my body definitely isn’t used to and crushing recuperation in between has seen me absent from my blog for a while.

I’m getting back to some level of normality, but only just!

It started with :

 

On set of the short film he’s been doing recently
Him and his ‘on screen’ sister!

This was a gruelling ( for me anyway!) four 12hr days with travelling on top. I really cannot explain how I managed to stay standing ( my lovely new walking stick came in very handy). I don’t think I have pushed my poor M.E body that hard for a very long time. When it was over I went to bed and lost almost 2 days in bed and the rest of the week sleeping while the boys were at school. However, he had 2 more auditions in London the next week and a day on location on Norfolk to finish the film!!

That meant another day spent in bed afterwards for me and very quickly my days were disappearing. I haven’t blogged or been on Twitter, I haven’t knitted for what seems like ages ( although I managed to do some whilst chaperoning my son. Even watching mindless TV would take it’s toll.

However, other things have been happening all be it around me:

YUM!

 

Like this great chocolate swiss roll that my eldest decided to make at the weekend!! It tasted just as good as it looks too, although I might have had to have several slices just to make sure.

Proud mummy moment!

We also found this, a copy of the paper my eldest was put in for his efforts to raise money for the London’s Air Ambulance. That’s him in the middle of the picture with the crew who got a call literally seconds afterwards and we got to watch them head off on an emergency call- fantastic!

Oh and of course the recent sunshine (most of which I have missed by being in bed) brought out the ‘Diva’ side of the cat…………………life is good, feed me more treats!!

However, the down side is I am sooo behind with everything, cleaning, ironing, cooking even to some extent. That’s without mentioning the blog. I have emails I haven’t responded to, posts that I need to write and networking to do.

So be warned, I have some great posts coming- an A-Z of me, a review that might interest those of you who value a restful nights sleep, a few of my knitting projects that I haven’t taken pics of yet!

I’M BACK…………

Charity starts at home!

- TracyB 2 Comments

Charity starts at home, a view held by my eldest son, who last year decided as part of his Community Challenge badge in his scout group decided to collect for a ‘home ‘ charity.

He chose the London’s Air Ambulance service or HEMS as it can be known.

London’s Air Ambulance is a registered charity which runs London’s only helicopter emergency medical service, providing life saving care to victims of serious injury throughout London – serving the 10 million people who live, work and commute within the M25.

Based at the Royal London Hospital and founded in 1989, the service is unique in that it operates 24/7, with the helicopter running in daylight hours and rapid response cars taking over at night.  The Team, which at all times includes a senior trauma doctor and a specially trained paramedic, attends an average of seven missions every 24 hours.

London’s Air Ambulance has an international reputation for clinical excellence and delivers pioneering procedures which have been adopted across the world. 

London’s Air Ambulance was the first air ambulance service in the UK:

  • with a doctor and paramedic team;
  • to deliver high standard pre-hospital anaesthesia;
  • to have a clinical governance programme;
  • to perform a thoracotomy (open heart surgery) at the roadside;
  • to perform thoracostomy (to drain collapsed lungs);
  • to use check lists to improve patient safety;
  • with air & land based response; and to provide 24 hour cover.

He put a letter out to the whole of the scout group asking for Beavers, Cubs and Scouts to bring in all their used postage stamps which he had a remarkable response to. In fact he collected over 19,000!! Yes we counted them all.

Proof of the stamps and the counting!!

 

Just one of the boxes!

But today we had arranged for him to visit them at the Royal London Hospital at their new offices to deliver the stamps in person. We met a fantastic lady called Christine Margetts who did a brilliant job showing us all around. We met the paramedics and doctor on duty today, the firemen who also work there, we were told how a call is generated and processed and what information they receive and how they determine which hospital the patient will need to go to.

But to top it all we had the rare opportunity to go up to the helipad to get a picture taken with the actual Air Ambulance in the background. My son was able to go on board before very excitingly watching the helicopter and it’s crew take off on a real life call!

Cold and windy 300ft up on the helipad!
Sitting inside before the Air Ambulance was called out!

Off on a real life call!

It was brilliant to see them in action, how quickly they reacted and how professional they all were. This truly is a worthwhile service that relies heavily on donation and every little helps.

I was very proud of my eldest doing what was necessary, helping a worthwhile charity close to home, and counting (with me) all 19,000 stamps!!

What charity is close to your heart?

Journey 2- The Mysterious Island

- TracyB Leave a comment

I was lucky enough to be invited to the screening of Journey 2 The Mysterious Island last weekend, we had seen the first film so generally had an idea what to expect.

However, when we arrived at the Vue in London we were taken by surprise as we were met by allsorts of snakes, spiders and lizards!! Not what you expect when you go to see a film!

Anyway, this had my youngest totally in his element. As both myself and my eldest wandered casually around eating the lovely croissants and drinking juice cocktails that had been supplied, my youngest went around trying to hold everything he could( this may have had something to do with the toys they were giving away to the kids who bravely held them)!

That's only a snippet of the lovely breakfast goodies!!

At one point a very nice lady politely asked me if I would like to try some snacks but as I looked at the plate it was true ‘Bush Tucker Trial’ stuff. I’m not kidding, she just laughed when I politely declined but asked to take a photo ( a true blogger me!).


I thought Ant & Dec were going to jump out and say I had to eat the lot!

Then it was time to go into the cinema. We got our 3D glasses at the ready and took our seats.

Now if I’m honest after seeing the first film ( that was a birthday treat if you don’t mind- funny how our birthdays always get taken over by the kids ideas!!) I wasn’t really expecting too much. However, I was pleasantly surprised. There was an element of comedy that was aimed both at the kids and the adults with a little obvious slapstick for the youngest of watchers too. The serious charm of Michael Caine as the grandfather was a great match against Dwayne Johnson ( who I expected to be slightly wooden but surprisingly wasn’t). The little one liners between them kept a great rivalry going. Watch out for Dwayne’s ‘pec’s’ talk………..hilarious.But Luis Guzman as Gabato played the comedy character you couldn’t help but like…….Bless him.

So premise of the story if you don’t know:

Sean gets crypted messages from a ‘mysterious island’, Hank ( stepdad) helps him uncover the code and accompanies him find the island. Gabato and his daughter help them get there by using their helicopter. Long story short…….they get there by default, find Sean’s long lost grandfather (Caine) and have to find a way off the island as it’s sinking!! Cue the Nautilus/ Atlantis slant.

Anyway, all in all a great film to take the kids too over the coming half term. Action, adventure and a splash of comedy makes for a kids film that even the parents may admit to enjoying for what it is.

The film has been rated as a PG and has a running time of 94mins

The 2 silhouettes are my boys trying to blend in with the poster!!

Declaration: I was given the free tickets to review this film, however all opinions are my own!

Sorry about the quality of the photos…..I stupidly forgot my camera and had to rely on my Blackberry!!!

Thank You to the lovely Emily at Think Jam for the chance to review Journey 2 The Mysterious Island.

Reading for kids -how important is it?

- TracyB 14 Comments

Reading for kids -how important is it?

reading for kids

 

I have a love of books and reading.

I don’t know where that came from as it’s hard to remember if as a child I was read to or not. However, as a teenager I definitely remember reading a lot( mainly Stephen King and the like!). Thankfully, that love of reading is still as strong today.

When both my boys were tiny it was part of the bedtime routine to have a story. When they started reading at school it was religiously done everyday.

All of that has paid off as now at the grand old ages of 11 and 13 years they are both avid readers in their own right. My youngest actually got a Kindle for his Christmas present.

However, I do know families where the kids are totally uninterested in reading and no matter what they have tried along the way, it hasn’t worked.

So does it matter whether you start early or not? Does it matter if the parents are avid readers?

Does it matter if you don’t have lots of books at home?

Top tips on how to get your children reading

Watch our video with Jeff Brazier where he gives his top tips on making story time fun

 

For some parents, a seemingly simple task like reading your children bedtime stories can send them into a nervous panic. But, it’s never too soon or too late to get your children reading and needn’t be a stressful experience. 

 

That’s why celebrity dad Jeff Brazier has joined forces with the National Literacy Trust today to launch a new campaign to try and help the four million children in Britain who don’t own a book to start reading.

 

Almost a fifth of children who don’t read say there are no books in their homes, which is why the National Literacy Trust is backing the campaign from  McDonald’s UK and Harper Collins for a new partnership to help get kids reading.

 

McDonald’s UK is to hand out around nine million popular children’s books with its Happy Meals, as part of a new partnership with publishing house Harper Collins. The promotion aims to get books into the hands of families and support mums and dads in reading with their children.

 

Watch our video with Jeff Brazier and Jack Sallabank from the National Literacy Trust where they give their top tips to get your children reading. From funny voices to involving your children with finger puppets, watch our video for Jeff’s great tips which is sure to be a success with any child.

So what strategies have you tried to get your children interested in books?

What age group where they when they started showing an interest?

Do you buy books or rely on your local library?

Parenting fail or just life as we know it?

- TracyB 10 Comments

Parenting fail or just life as we know it?

Recently I have been asking myself this question virtually everyday.

I have two boys, one aged 13 and the other is 11.

THEY DO NOT GET ON.

In essence they are very, very different personalities, which I think is great. They like different things but also like some similar things too. So why can’t they get along together?

I truly do not know.

Now, I don’t just mean a bit of sibling rivalry, or fighting one minute and then friends the next. NO they are never friends. EVER.

My youngest is a very loud and outgoing character. He has a lot of personality and loves to be centre of attention. My eldest is quieter, more mellow generally and tends to go with the flow, until it involves his brother.

But it is starting to affect the family dynamics.

A family day at home or out is just horrendous. We know it will end in tears, namely ours. It seems as a family we cannot simply enjoy time together, just chatting, laughing and having a joke. My eldest can get very stressed by the whole thing.

At the moment our family life is generally our boys taking themselves off to their separate rooms and shutting their doors to be away from each other.

As parents we try to be fair with their disputes. However, we have noticed more and more that it generally stems from our youngest. He makes fun of his older brother and although we all have jokes at each others expense, his delve into what we believe to be bullying.

Whenever my eldest says anything, and I mean anything, he will be sneered at, or laughed at or belittled as though what he says has no relevance.

We have approached our youngest and explained  how he is behaving.

What makes it worse is that our oldest has very mild Asperger traits ( not fully diagnosed, but noticeable). Again we have tried explaining this to our youngest and have used some books to show him how his brother thinks.

IT DIDN’T WORK. IN FACT IT MADE IT WORSE.

Now, I know you will all be thinking he must be attention seeking. However, he gets a lot more time devoted to him on a 1 to 1 basis because of his acting. I am always with him for auditions and shows. Everything tends to revolve around what he is doing, our Christmas this year was dominated by the fact he was acting in Panto everyday of the holidays.

So I need help. Where are we as parents going wrong?

I cannot see any other reason for it other than our total parent fail!

We try everything, we take things, such as, Ipods  and TV away. There have been times were we have stopped him  going to a party or to friends if he has been particularly bad. We also stand by our word and if we threaten something,  and we ALWAYS carry it through. So you would think he would get the message.

Our main concern is how he treats his brother.

SO I will ask again. Is it A  PARENTING FAIL, or just life as we know it?

Where do we go from here?

It’s quite depressing, for everyone apart from my youngest son.

Parenting fail or life as we know it

 

 

 

 

 

 

Organised chaos or festive meltdown?

- TracyB Leave a comment

I have to appologise big time for complete neglect of my blog over the last few weeks.Also for the very late reviews of a few products that should have been done a long time ago.

I HAVE COME TO REALISE THAT M.E AND PANTO SHOWS DO NOT MIX!!

Virtually everyday since the end of November my youngest has been rehearsing or performing in Panto ( Chatham Peter Pan- with Vanilla Ice! if your close enough to go!!!). However, it truly has taken a toll on my health. I thought I had my M.E under control to a certain extent. With that I mean I know what I can be capable of from day to day and how much rest I will need in order to get through the day. But this has knocked me off my feet……..literally.

I am now at the stage where I spend most of the day in bed in order to cope with the drive to Chatham and chaperone duties before driving home and going back to bed. I haven’t eaten a proper meal in over a week ( great diet before Christmas LOL) not because I don’t want to but because of the constant nausea I have. I seem to be living off plain biscuits and the odd slice of toast- not great when I have to try and take Tramadol to counteract the muscle pain in my ankles and neck!

I am completely behind on Christmas and have to fit in a food shop at some point for my fresh veg etc. My house looks as though I have refugees living in it and my washing pile is taking over my little study room!

I have spent my day off today in bed until 1pm and then went shopping with my OH as I realised I had no stocking presents for the boys and had some presents still outstanding! I have managed to eat out tonight- my first main meal all week.

I have not even logged online to update or read my usual blogs I like to keep up with. I have Christmas products still waiting to be reviewed. I am back to the panto tomorrow with the next day off at Christmas day.

One thing that has become very clear is confirmation that I would struggle to go back to my job! I have often thought that maybe I could manage a few days a week or a few hours each day. But I have realised that I am able to do the things I do normally because I do not work! If I was to go back then my quality of life would go dramatically downhill. We have had no family time since this panto has started as I am in bed recovering either before or after. I am missing time with the boys and with my OH who also works shifts ( so sometimes is not there when we are!)

So without being a bah humbug I truly cannot wait until the last panto show is over on the 31st December.

In the meantime I will try to get organised, try to enjoy Christmas, and try to at least eat my Christmas dinner!!

Panto is a great opportunity for my youngest who loves his acting, and I would hate to stop him doing something like that due to me. But next year I really will think twice before committing to it!!

 

HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS PLANNING IS GOING WELL

IF I DON’T MANAGE TO GET BACK ON HERE…………HAVE A FAB CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR!!!!!

It’s Panto Season…………….Oh yes it is!!

- TracyB 9 Comments


Panto’s are like marmite…………you either love it or hate it. I LOVE it and always have. I have been taking my boys since they were little and this year they are 11 and 13 and are still very happy to go.

This year we have Panto overload. Not only are we going to see our usual one ( this time it has Craig Revel Hall and Ann Widdecombe so should be a giggle) but my youngest is now in one!! Yes, he is a lost boy in Peter Pan down in Chatham with Mr ‘Ice Ice Baby’ himself.

Rehearsals started at the beginning of the week and are in full swing, but thankfully we have a day off tomorrow…….YAY!

It opens next Thursday and at the moment it’s hard to see how they are going to get the show together in time. It’s interesting to see it from the other side and therefore appreciate how much work goes into it.

So we as a family have booked to go see him in it over the Christmas holidays and my Mum is up over Christmas so I have booked more tickets to go on Boxing Day too!!

So by the end of it’s run I think I will be shouting ‘BOO ‘and ‘Behind you’ in my sleep. The jokes will no longer be funny and I will probably be able to act all the parts myself ( OK maybe not the singing as I am rubbish).

So wish me luck to survive the experience, and ‘break a leg’  to my son as I’m sure he will be a fab Lost Boy……………………………………..OH YES HE WILL!

 

Light Strike Review

- TracyB Leave a comment

Light Strike Review

When I was asked if my boys would like to review the new Light Strike range it was a total no brainer! Boys and their toys and all that.

Light Strike

Light Strike is a super-cool new interactive battle game from WowWee, makers of bestselling toys, Paper Jamz and Robosapien

 

Light Strike is the first interactive gaming system that brings video games into the real world, live and in colour. Fully customisable with built-in weapon choices and slots to attach accessories, players can make tactical decisions to add new features and functions on the go. Interactive light and sound effects put you in the middle of combat, creating exciting ever-changing battle scenarios!

We were sent 2 of the Light Strike Assault Strikers, 4 of the add-ons (enemy scanner, machine gun bi pod, refractor launch and scope) and a Light Strike ITS to try out.

They delved in straight away and unpacked everything. Then we sorted the batteries and in true boy fashion ( I don’t need the instructions……they were off). But then they decided to check out the instructions that I had thankfully kept hold of.

Anyway, they went full into action mode. Testing the noise, the aim, the strategy and ultimately who can win! They are boys after all, the alfa male gene kicked in.

So here’s the technical bit:
Light Strike brings video-game action into the real world—live and in color. Assault Strikers and Strikers are customizable with built-in weapon features and add-on attachments that give players a tactical advantage. Play one-on-one tournaments or create up to 4 teams of unlimited players for free-for-all or Capture the Flag battles. Action at the speed of light™
For more details check out the website below

http://www.lightstrike.com/

They range from £9.99 up to around £40 with the guns obviously costing the most.
The extras are just that- extras. But they certainly enhance the game between the players.
They have brilliant sound affects which the boys loved, especially the fingerprint analysis. But even better for us parents wanting a bit of quiet time they have the option of plugging in your headphones! GENIUS
My boys in truth don’t play very well together, but because of the nature of these toys they were perfect for my two. Although we were lucky enough to be sent a lot of the Light Strike range you wouldn’t necessarily need all of them to start with. Therefore, it would be something you could add to along the way, for birthdays etc.
They are available from their website and other good toy retailers

http://wowwee.com/

 

DISCLOSURE: we were sent the above range of Light Strike toys to test and review