Category Archives: mummy

Cheery Blogtastic Week!

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WOW!  Has there really been another week? I feel like I have achieved nothing this week but I am sure that there must be some cheery bits somewhere?!?  Oh yes, yes, yes, yes!

1 – I am now the proud owner of a dishwasher and a washer / dryer!!

This decision to obtain a dishwasher and a tumble dryer is going to change the quality of my life by giving me just a few spare minutes a day to do something for me.  It will mean that I am not searching the house for places to hang washing on a rainy day and that my airing cupboard will not be full to bursting with damp baby gros!  A little luxury!  My first reason for cheer!

2 – William can roll from his front to his back and his back to his front! Tick follows tock follows tick follows tock!

William is on the move.  He can roll around the room now with great groaning effort.  He has realised that by throwing himself around in this way he can travel and get to places he wants to be.  It also means that he can amuse himself for longer periods of time, just rolling!  Esther, not wanting to be out done by her little brother, has started trying to roll today but she is not so successful.  At under 10lbs she is such a tiny little thing and seeing her try to propel herself across the floor with no power or purchase is heartbreaking.  But she will get there, I know she will, and in the meantime I take great delight in her being photogenic.

3 – I have taken some beautiful pictures of Esther this week that I am very proud of

David bought me a camera for Christmas and I am finally starting to get some good results with it.  I adore looking at people’s baby photographs and have been trying to take good shots of my own.  This week I finally feel like I am getting somewhere! 

4 – My blog has reached over 20, 000 hits and I feel like I have made my first blogging friend in TheBoyandMe (Hope that she does not mind me saying so!)

This week my blog reached over 20,000 views.  I know that is probably not a lot in comparison to others but I feel like it is a real achievement for me and it has filled me with blogging confidence and cheer.  This new found cheery confidence has led to me commenting more on other people’s blogs and trying to interact more on Twitter.  Through my endeavours I have found a blog that I love,  http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/, and have started chatting a bit to its author, who seems to be lovely.  Please try and read her blog if you haven’t already as it is brill!  It has played a major part in making me cheery this week!

To see what is making other people smile this week pop on over to Michelle’s blog and join the hop!

Have a great weekend one and all!

I Love You, Sleepy Head – Book Review

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I Love You, Sleepy Head written by Claire Freedman and illustrated by Simon Mendez I bought this beautiful book for Esther and William on their first month birthday.  I read it to them everyday, beside their incubator and then their … Continue reading →

Brown Bear Book Review … with a link to audio!

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Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Eric Carle

Brown Bear Brown Bear ... again!

 

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See? by Eric Carle has become a firm favourite in our household over the last few weeks.  The babies, aged six months, love the words and looking at the brightly coloured pictures.  They are engrossed in the story from start to finish, sometimes looking at the pages but often looking at me as I say the words.  It is a wonderful experience sharing this book together over and over again.  We have enjoyed this story so many times that we actually no longer need the book and recite the text at any time, in any place and for any occasion.  Twice through it is the perfect length for a complicated nappy change and once through is enough to calm and sooth the most tired and tearful of babies.  Here in the Nairn Henley household, we love this book!

It can be used to learn the names of simple animals, for counting all the animals that have been seen.  It can be used to learn animal noises and the colours of the rainbow too.  We often complement the text by singing I Can Sing A Rainbow afterwards.  Esther tries really hard to join in the singing which is just sooo cute!

I really recommend this book as a first try if you are not confident at reading aloud.  The text has an easy rhythm and lends itself to being read aloud.  The babies soon learn the rhythm of the text and the intonation of my voice.  They can almost anticipate what is coming next and always giggle in the same places though I know they do not recognise the actual words.

A final tip that makes the enjoyment of this story even greater for my two is that instead of seeing just children at the end our monkey specifically sees Esther and William, and they love hearing their names in the text. 

I hope that you will try out this book for yourself if you have little ones like mine, I am certain that they will love it and you will find many uses for many ages so that it can be enjoyed time and time again.

This link will take you to a video where you can hear me reciting the text to William and singing a rainbow with Esther.

At My Most Beautiful – Mother and Daughter

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“It’s beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart.”

At my most beautiful
I count your eyelashes, secretly
With every one, whisper I love you
I let you sleep
I know you’re closed eye watching me,
Listening
I thought I saw a smile

http://www.lyrics007.com/R.E.M.%20Lyrics/At%20My%20Most%20Beautiful%20Lyrics.html

Music I Want My Children To Listen To

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My musical tastes have evolved through the years but instead of changing completely my love of music has grown stronger and my repertoire wider.  This is something not everyone understands and so depending on who you are you may only know part of my musical taste – the chosen few will know the full extent of my listening pleasures.  From Robbie to Kylie to Buddy – The Killers, The Cure, The Chemical Brothers – Johnny Cash, Brenda Lee, Connie Francis – West Side Story, Wizard of Oz, Les Mis – Goldie, Groove Armada, Massive Attack and Basement Jaxx.  I love them all and want my children to sample each and everyone of them … and more …

The music I loved in my own childhood was heavily influenced by my parents.  In particular one mix tape that we listened to over and over in the car featuring Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, Paul Anka, Neil Sedaka and more … It was badly recorded and over recorded and we knew where all the breaks in the songs came and what song came next.  I loved 50s and 60s music as a child and I still do. I definitely want my children to understand the history and significance of rock and roll.

As a child of the 80s there was a time I am afraid to say when I loved all things Stock, Aitken and Waterman, especially Kylie.  I still do have a secret thing for Kylie and have already introduced my daughter to such classics as Never Too Late and Wouldn’t Change A Thing.  Thank you You Tube!

Around this time my cousins also introduced me to INXS, Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, alongside Wham!  Another branch on my tree of music was born.  Many of my dips and dives into different artists and bands have been influenced by Paul and Glen (the cousins) – Wet Wet Wet, AHa!!, George Michael and much much more.

As a young teenage I loved James, EMF, The Farm, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and The Cure amongst others.  I also love Madonna and began to get into Rave!  At Youth Club I loved Guns n Roses but would equally love dancing to Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch!  Oh the memories!

As an older teenager my heart was firmly attached to dance music particularly house but also drum and bass whilst frequenting Cream at University!  I spent many mispent nights at Cream, Gatecrasher and many other, smaller, better, underground clubs across Europe.  I danced right through to my late 20s, until I was 30.  During this time I saw The Prodigy and Moby live many times and just LOVED them!

Alongside dance though I also loved alternative music particularly Tori Amos, Massive Attack, Primal Scream, Leftfield, Radiohead, The Verve, REM, Ocean Colour Scene, The Levellers, Bjork and there was still an allegiance to rock / grunge – U2, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Faith No More, Foo Fighters.  I also liked Def Leppard at some point and Metallica too.

And then came Brit Pop – Oasis or Blur – I unashamedly loved BOTH!  And I still do!  I also love Dodgy.  I love Dodgy!!

More recently I have fallen in love with The Killers and The White Stripes with thanks to David for these.

I could go on and on and on about music and there will always be something or someone that I would have forgotten to mention.

Here are some songs though that I would not want my children to miss – in no particular order and again there will be omissions that I will kick myself for later!

Put Your Head On My Shoulder – Paul Anka

Grace – U2 (contributing factor to Esther’s middle name)

If You’re Thinking Of Me – Dodgy

No Regrets – Robbie Williams

Hotel Yorba – The White Stripes (David was singing this to me when I first realised we would get married, way back in 2007,  just weeks after we had met)

Take Me to the Place Where the White Boys Dance – The Killers (listened to on journeys to and fro NICU)

Wires – Athlete (a tale of a premature baby)

At My Most Beautiful – REM (Thinking this will be the song that I walk down the aisle to!)

I’ll Stop the World – The Cure (Mine and David’s song)

Groove Is In The Heart – DeeLite

At the River – Groove Armada

Cherish – Madonna

Movin’ On Up – Primal Scream

Waterfall – The Stone Roses

Champagne Supernova – Oasis

This is a Low – Blur

Leftism – Leftfield (whole album)

Blue Lines – Massive Attack (whole album)

… there are just so many more …

I can feel a muscial evening coming on very soon.  How I love mornings when you wake up to find your CD collection spread out all over the floor where you have been playing song after song in a haze of memory and music.  I want my children to have that.  I want my children to grab music, embrace it and let it feed their soul, fuel their lives and be the soundtrack to their memories.

Music and life go hand in hand and help everyone tell their story.

I am sure that music will play a huge part in my children knowing mine.

This post was inspired by http://ghostwritermummy.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/music-i-want-my-children-to-listen-to-daniel-johnston/