Get set for a sporting summer

Tonight's the night.  The 2012 London Olympics officially begin.  A truly momentous, once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

Is anyone excited about this sporting extravaganza that will be taking place across the capital (as well as other parts of the country)?  This summer has so far been an amazing one for our sportsmen and women; Andy Murray making it to the final of Wimbledon; Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France...who knows what will happen next??!

Both my husband and I are both keen for our children to get involved in sport.  We think it's important for them to be active and learn about healthy lifestyles.  It can be very easy to slump in front of a TV all day, or be driven around instead of walking but we want to encourage our children to have the sort of childhoods we both had; running around with friends, cycling, or playing football or rounders in the park.

Review - Mandara Spa Island Paradise Pampering Bath Soak

Pre-children I always used to love treating myself to a luxurious evening bubble bath once a week or so (yep, I certainly know how to live it up!).  Nowadays, as a mum, I find these moments few and far between; I don't think I've managed to take a long bath in peace and quiet since 2010!  So, when the offer to review some Mandara Spa bath products landed in my email inbox, I jumped at the chance - the perfect excuse to force me to make some time for myself.

I was sent their Island Paradise Pampering Bath Soak to try and I have to say, when I opened the box, I was struck by the look of it.  The jar is made of turquoise glass with a gold lid and, with 500ml of bath soak inside, it's a good sized jar that feels weighty in your hand.

Tesco fail at car insurance

Update as of 30th July 2012: Since writing this blog post I have received a response from Tesco in relation to my family's awful customer service experience.  I'd recommend taking the time to read the full post including Tesco's response (which I have included at the end of this post) before you pass your final judgement... 

Need car insurance?  I have a tip for you; think twice before going with Tesco.

It's not often I'll be so publicly critical of a company but I think it's warranted today.  They have left me and my family up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

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You're not cross are you?

I'm being asked this question a lot at the moment.  My three-year-old wants to know.

What I want to know is, what am I doing wrong to make her continually ask me this question?  How do I stop her worrying?

I don't want her thinking I am cross all the time.  I'm not.  But, whenever a drink is spilt; some food thrown; heck, even just a toy strewn across the carpet, or when I walk in through the door after a day at work, there it is.  That question again.

"You're not cross are you Mum?"

Sink or swim? Tips for introducing swimming lessons

My husband and I have decided that it's time for our three-year-old to have swimming lessons.

Sophia has always been a bit of a water baby.  Ever since her dip in the pool at six-months-old she has loved it.  She's lucky in that her grandparents have their own swimming pool and she can spend hot summer days splashing around and having lots of fun with inflatable rubber rings and the like (apart from this year of course).

A Birthday Meme

The lovely Susan K Mann tagged me back in March to do an "On My Birthday" meme.  At the time I toyed with the idea of doing it for Dexter's birthday but then time passed and now it's July - oops!  Thankfully my birthday is this month so I can still join in and pretend that I left it this late on purpose so as not to feel like a total and utter failure. 

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The rules are that I have to answer some set questions about my very own birthday so, without further ado, here goes...

Sweets. How do you eat yours?

I was messing about on twitter on my way home from work last night as I usually do.  I was eating some Fruit Pastilles at the time and thought I'd tweet about my habit for picking out the strawberry and blackcurrant ones and leaving them until last (I mean, you have to or the world will end...right?). 

To my amusement, it sparked a flurry of people owning up to all the weird and wonderful ways they like to eat their treats.  Here, in a nutshell, are all those 'guilty pleasures'...

First shoes

Last week, I took my one-year-old son on an adventure – shoe shopping!  Sadly the browsing and purchasing of shoes was not for me, oh no, but for Dexter.  The need for the outing was obvious and not before time; we had reached that ‘first shoes’ milestone where socks or comfy slippers no longer cut the mustard with Dexter being 15-months-old and now firmly on his feet at all times, even wanting to walk outdoors.

With Sophia safely at Pre-School, off Dexter and I went on our little jaunt.  I’m of the opinion that first shoes are a big deal and not just because it’s another sign that your baby is growing up far too quickly.  I believe it’s important to visit a reputable retailer to get those little feet measured and buy a proper fitting pair that will support growing feet.  So, where did we go?   I’ll give you three guesses.  Which shop do you think of first when it comes to buying shoes for children?  Yep, you guessed it, we went to Clarks.

A sick child and a hospital dash

Have you ever experienced one of 'those' days?  The ones where you wake up in the morning and everything seems fine, only for it all to disintegrate the further into the day you travel and by the end of the evening it is total chaos?  I have had one of those days today.  When I woke up this morning the last thing I expected was to find myself in my hospital's A&E department come 5pm, cradling a poorly little girl - my poorly little girl - on my knee.  But that was exactly what happened.

I scream for ice cream