Mummy & Moose
clapping, napping and yapping our way through the day

To My Daughter. On SAT’s week.

girl feeding ducks

Dear Bess

This morning was a normal morning. I had to shout you to get up, persuade you to rise from your warm bed and stumble into the bathroom to brush your teeth and wash your face ignoring your protests that you needed just 5 more minutes snooze. The same routine we have carried out nearly every day for the 4139 days you have been here. I saw you though. A slightly tense expression and the nervous hair twiddling. Today was different for you.

4140 days ago the world was a little less bright and a lot less fun.

You more than anyone else have made me think about how I see life. About more than myself. How women and girls are treated in our society and whether I can adapt my behaviours and my thoughts to try to make life easier for you and girls like you.

To teach you to live freely holds the same importance to me as teaching you to read and write. I hope you can be a little selfish in your choices for your future. I know that you will find it tough to not put others before yourself always because you are just that sort of a person. A good person.

You should know that even at age 11 you are already one of the smartest people I know. I am pretty sure that you have barely been without a book since you were a toddler and your thirst for learning seems to be unquenchable. This, coupled with your kindness is my most favourite trait of yours.

You see, dear daughter, this week you have no need for nerves. I tell you the same thing which my Mum told me and her Father told her;

worry quote

Ok so it’s perhaps not worthy of inclusion in the top quotes of all time but that doesn’t make it any less true. I hope you remember these words.

The fact is that I know you will be amazing this week.

Not because of what you know but because of who you are. You are so strong, so able and so determined to succeed. I have seen how hard you push yourself and you deserve every single accolade. You have earned them.

I asked you this morning how you felt about this week. Your answer was perfect; “Mum, they’re just tests” you said with a shrug. “I’m just happy school are doing free breakfasts”. You went on to admit that though you had woken up a little bit anxious, you felt like you had listened in class so you were confident you would do Ok.

I know that you are in the best possible hands this week. The adults with whom you spend the bulk of your day will be there to remind you to keep smiling and that these tests do not define you. I am so grateful that your teachers and headmistress ensure that they help to empower you and your friends with a strong sense of self worth.  They tell you to:

Mission statement

 We all want you to do the best you can do but remember always that no matter what your scores in their tests are, you are enough. You are loved.

SAT’s cannot see how much you enjoy reading or writing stories.

Tests don’t catch how kind your heart is and you demonstrate that – often.

They don’t hear you question the fairness of the world around you and not just question it but actually talk about what can be done to change things for the better.

An SAT will recognise how well you do in Maths and English but it won’t know your ability to make music or be an amazing friend to those who need you.

You are growing into an able, beautiful young woman and no matter your SAT’s results I know that you make the world better just by continuing to be yourself. I hope you know that too.

Now go and smash it!

Love 

Mummy & Moose

x

 

 

 

Learning At Home and School With Education Quizzes

My 2 eldest children could not be more different when it comes to School

Whereas Col doesn’t really enjoy putting pen to paper and much prefers a more physical learning experience, Bess is the opposite. Nothing makes her happier than when she has a pen in her hand or her nose in a book. 

Both of these attitudes to learning come with their own issues. Col needs help to catch up with his peers sometimes and we constantly worry that Bess doesn’t have enough to challenge her and keep her interested in learning. 

Learning At Home Is Important To Us

I believe that the best and most effective way to educate children is by parents taking an interest. That’s not to say that I push for them to constantly be doing homework – quite the opposite in fact. If you don’t know what your child is doing at school then how can you help? This was the reason I wanted to try Education Quizzes. It seems logical to me that using technology, play and my childrens ingrained competitive streak will turn a dull bit of homework into something more! 

Education Quizzes

The website is colourful, it’s clear and to be honest it’s pretty useful! I was expecting there to be a good range of quizzes (which there are) but there are also other features. 

Parent 999 is an area of the site I like especially. It is there for us parents to clue ourselves up on all kinds of subjects from understanding what your child is learning at school to how to speak to teachers. 

I really like that the quizzes for children are written by teachers and couldn’t wait for one of my little darlings to have a go!

Bess is moving onto Secondary school this year. She was more than happy to look at the 11 plus area of the website. 

After playing with the quizzes for pupils over the course of a week, she found the questions to be clear and said that the quiz did feel relevant to her school learning which is great! I can see that the Education Quizzes would be accessible to all ability levels. The cost to subscribe is £9.95 per month and for such an awesome amount of learning aid this seems to be a great price!

I really like that the quizzes are bitesize. Each subject has 10 questions which feels more than manageable and I found that it made Bess want to go ahead and complete more quizzes.

For Schools

As much as we loved using the site at home I couldn’t help thinking what a great resource this could be for schools. The Education Quizzes schools programme offers an exclusive pricing structure and I think it would a great addition to any school. 

I felt as though Bess benefitted from using Education Quizzes and most importantly, she had fun! We would definitely consider using the service in the future as I really believe it could add to her learning experience long term. Especially as she approaches the dreaded GCSE’s…

Love 

Mummy & Moose 

We received access to the website and payment in exchange for an honest review. As always all opinions are my own

Our First Family of 5 Holiday

The Day We Caught The Plane

Our first holiday as a family of five was to Tenerife when Moose was 13 months old and I have to admit, I thought we were just slightly insane for even thinking about doing it.

I was wrong. Really wrong!

As much as I love to travel our funds have thus far limited it to the occasional break away since having children. When MrG suggested that we book a holiday abroad, I was apprehensive about how well our youngest child, Moose, would cope with the upheaval (not to mention the heat). However, I knew we needed this time together.

I am not one to shy away from a bit of online searching to get a good deal and this was no exception. MrG and I agreed that the holiday needed to take place during the schools summer break (our eldest is about to sit his exams so really cannot afford to miss any school) and at the time of deciding that we needed to book it was really only a month away so I had to move quickly!

Breakfast at Gatwick airport

We took a vote and it was decided that we wanted to head toward the Canary Islands. We had visited Lanzarote and Tenerife as a couple some years previously (I am not telling you how many, it makes me feel old) but never with the children.

I found a great deal to the hotel Marylanza which looked like it would suit us perfectly. The only thing I was worrying about was the flight duration. 4 hours with a bored toddler is not my idea of fun and I had heard on the grapevine that the Dreamliner we were booked onto provided nada in terms of inflight entertainment. So, a special Moose bag was a must for the flight.

My top 5 items to include when flying with a toddler are;
  1. A sippy cup. This will help with take-off and landing which for us were the worst parts of the journey. You cannot explain to your toddler why their ears are hurting and that kind of sucks!
  2. A mini Aquadraw and a magnetic doodle toy (ideally one with the pen attached so it can’t be lost. Our son basically played with this for most of the flight.
  3. A favourite (preferably lightweight) blanket to increase the chances of them taking a nap. Moose did. He slept for over an hour and it. Was. Glorious!
  4. Spare clothes x2 and spare nappies and nappy bags. You do not want to be caught short mid-flight.
  5. Toddler friendly headphones. The grapevine was a big fat liar because once on board we soon realised that the in-flight entertainment was plentiful and once an adaptor had been purchased Moose loved having his own tv!

Of course your kid is not my kid and you will know what they need to comfort them or get them through dull situations but I found all of the above to be a godsend. The Dreamliner was actually pretty awesome. My 6ft2 tall, plane hating husband agreed. It was pretty roomy in economy and that is not something I have said before – besides, who doesn’t love purple mood lighting?

Waiting for take off

We arrived in Tenerife after a pretty easy flight (thanks in part to my mother in law living within spitting distance from Gatwick airport) and hopped aboard the coach transfer with me volunteering to take Moose while MrG sat with our 2 older children, Col & Bess.

It was around 5 minutes into our relaxing 30 minute transfer that Moose did what I can only describe as the loudest and smelliest poo he has ever EVER done.

People moved away.

Seriously.

There really was nowhere to change my poor (stinky) little man until we arrived at our hotel so as soon as we did I ducked into the baby change and did the necessary,leaving MrG to check us in.

Upon my return I was met with a complimentary cocktail (high five whosever idea that was) and beaming smiles which are not my families resting expressions. I was suspicious.

It became apparent that the reason for their happy demeanour was as it turned out down to a month long email conversation between myself and the hotel manager paying off. We had been given a free upgrade to the best room in the hotel.

The first thing Moose did upon entering our room at The Marylanza.

It was a 2 bedroom duplex overlooking the pool on one side and a golf course and mountains on the other. An excellent start to our holiday. I would highly recommend exchanging pleasantries with the hotel from the get go. It can’t do any harm and it might just improve your entire experience!

Our time in Tenerife passed far too quickly

Never happier than when he was in the water

It soon became apparent that heat did not bother Moose, who was a natural water baby. Of course he was always well shaded and sporting a layer or ten of suntan lotion. He spent his days splashing in the water and playing in the onsite play park with occasional trips to the kids club.

He was too young to be left there obviously but they were more than happy to allow us to come in together to use their facilities and Moose became something of a big deal with the staff!

Night time parking

Our evenings were mostly spent within the confines of the hotel grounds getting the most value out of the all-inclusive (hic)  but I did insist on going for walks too.

We also enjoyed playing at the park (and relaxing with a drink) late into the night with all of the other families – always remembering to have the pushchair to hand for when Moose decided enough was enough.

Getting our submarine game faces on

We took the children on a submarine ride on the third morning which was fabulous. All 3 of the children absolutely loved it. There was not a single complaint of boredom for the whole week. Any parent of a toddler, tween and teen will tell you that is no mean feat

Finding Nemo

On the last day MrG surprised the older 2 with tickets to a water park (which I hate) and I spent the morning with Moose in the pool before putting him down for his nap and packing our things.

Moose still mentions the holiday months later making reference to the pool and the beach. He loves looking at the photos and I do too. MrG and I have agreed that it was an amazing experience and we need to make it a regular one.

Next time the only reservations I will have will be the ones I make at whichever hotel we choose for our next adventure! What has been your favourite holiday?

Love

Mummy & Moose

Thinking Outside The Box Escape Rooms Peterborough

totb escape rooms
Thinking Outside The Box

Its Saturday evening and I am on a desert island with my sister Jaymee from The Mum Diaries and 2 of my children.

Our only hope is to work together to solve a series of puzzles and games to get out of the room within 60 minutes. Otherwise we will be STRANDED.

Ok, not really but this is the story behind tonights game at the Thinking Outside The Box Escape Rooms. An interactive and immersive experience like nothing else I have ever experienced. Col who is turning 16 today has been asking to have a go for weeks so is a very happy boy.

Upon entry to the building (located near Peterborough market on Cattlemarket road – us cool kids will know the building from its days as the Stamford Music Shop) we were greeted by an exuberant man who introduced himself as James and introduced us to Jason and Richard.

TOTB is their brainchild and you can really see the hours of work which has been poured into every single bit of the rooms.

After a short briefing and the offer of refreshments we were asked to line up and handed a blindfold each to wear on our walk into the room to add to the experience. We did as asked and off we went.

What followed was surprising from start to finish.

I won’t spoil your trip by giving much away but wear a t shirt (when they say immersive, they mean it. The room is warm) and take a couple of kids or at least grown ups who think like kids!

I had admittedly been awoken by Moose at 4:30 this morning so I wasn’t in the best of shape to be tackling anything like this.

Even if I hadn’t though I could not have competed with Col and Bess’s ability to work together to solve the puzzles set for us. It was lovely to see them take a break from plotting one and others demise even for an hour.

I did my bit (by that I mean I mostly held stuff and shouted out the odd helpful contribution) and Jaymee who has always been a very practical sort of a thinker was absolutely on point! I was very happy with my team.

Inside the room was a variety of puzzles and problems to solve. The minimum number of players is 2 but I think its a case of more the merrier really.

Our ever friendly Gamesmaster was on hand to help us if needed with a clue or 5 without giving us the answer of course!

 

I Wish I Could Tell You More

But to do so would be doing you a disservice. If you haven’t tried an escape room yet then you must. Happily we managed to get out of the room eventually but even if we hadn’t it was just so much fun!

The game is suitable for children aged 8 and up making it a good choice for families.

But the escape rooms would also be a great option for a stag or hen party or just as a great way to spend time with friends or work colleagues on a team building exercise.

You can really see the passion which has gone into creating this live action game even down to the smallest of detail. The staff are quick to make you feel very welcome and just add to the whole experience.

A great addition to Peterborough and we cannot wait to come back to try the Merlin themed room!

TOTB are offering 10% off when you quote THINKBOX10 so go try it, you won’t regret it!

BOOK HERE

team at totb

 

 

Disclosure: We were invited to try TOTB Escape rooms in return for writing a review. As always, all opinions are my own.

 

A Stranger Took My Childs Hand

holding handsRecently Moose and I took a trip into town.

Nothing was particularly needed but for a change of scenery and some fresh air. Somedays Moose is more than happy to play in the lounge and some days. Well. He isn’t.

He did well, we walked around the shopping centre for a while. Admired an art installation. Went for cake. Walked like pigeons… the usual. Then my little man started to walk a little more slowly, he had an occasional rub of the eyes, then a little yawn. It was time to head home. In fact that time had passed and I should have known better. I was well aware of the ticking time bomb I had on my hands and so back to the car we started.

We almost made it. As we came to around 5minutes from the safety of my car IT happened. Moose just stopped dead. I did what I could, I swear. I came down to his level, I sympathised that he must be tired but just a few more steps and he could relax. Not good enough. Not even close. He went for it.

Crying, shouting, thrashing. There was no way I could carry him, by then my hands were already full. I cursed myself for not bringing a backpack and then told Moose that as soon as he was ready we could get going. He kept thrashing. I was getting ‘the look’ from passers by. He kept thrashing. I attempted to keep my cool. I am not usually too bothered by this sort of thing and I wasn’t pressed for time so I stood and waited for him to finish.

Then the other IT happened. Someone got involved. A stranger. He was a broad, tall man in his older years with a shock of silvery hair and a beard to match. An imposing figure even to me and he came striding straight for us at speed before stopping abruptly as though he was about to walk over Moose. I had no idea what to say. He addressed me and said “hello, I hope this is ok” before crouching down to my 2 year old rageball and he said in a booming voice “Young man. I think we have had quite enough of this. Lets walk together with Mummy” and he took his hand. Moose looked at me. I looked at Moose. We were both caught completely off guard.

It was working so I went with it. I took Moose’s other hand and we walked. The man spoke with fondness about his own Grandchildren and made jokes with us before wishing us well and going on his way as quickly as he had arrived with a thank you from a now composed Mummy. The entire encounter lasted 5 minutes at most and I was left wondering what the correct response should have been. I have certainly never allowed a stranger to take my child’s hand before but there really was no time to think so I went with my instinct!

On reflection I wish I had asked his name. I would have liked to have had the opportunity to thank him properly. I have had strangers get involved in tantrums before but never in a positive way. Plenty of tuts, or stern instruction to “sort my kid out”. Nobody helped though. It lasted 5 minutes and it was sort of nothing but I will think about that stranger for a long time I am sure. Having someone lend a hand just because he could in a world where we hear a lot in the media about why we should fear strangers, it was lovely. Thank you. Whoever you are.

Love

Mummy & Moose