Category Archives: review

Great Big Ants in Your Pants!

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After what can only be described as a horrible morning and early afternoon, our late afternoon was saved by reading books.

Part of my over tired, over emotional state led to me feeling a little jealous of my Mum. Stupid, I know! She is staying with us at the moment to help with the babies. Because she always gets a good night’s sleep she is so full of energy to play with Esther and William while I can barely speak out loud I am so shattered. I pathetically got to thinking that Esther and William might prefer being with her than with me! She is just so loud and so much fun!

Anyway, William was playing with my Mum when I sat down with Esther to read a book. As I started reading aloud William stopped playing and with the saddest face looked over to where we were and listened to the story too. That tiny moment, that one loving look just melted my heart. He continued to listen to the story, never not watching, from the other side of the room. When I finished reading to Esther I read to William too, the same story and one other. It was such a special time, reading with my son and daughter, that it totally made up for the rest of the day. It also made me realise that no matter what, only I will ever be their Mummy, and that counts for a LOT!!

I would like to share with you now, the books that made it all better.

Tell Me What It’s Like To Be Big by Joyce Dunbar
This is a lovely story about a little girl who wants to be bigger. When her brother tells her of all the things she might do when she is grown the little girl realises that perhaps she would rather stay small after all. A lovely tale about growing up with a subtle message of not growing up too fast. This was beautiful to read as a mother snuggled up to a son and daughter who are growing and changing every day.

Ants in Your Pants by Julia Jarman and Guy Parker-Rees
This is a fun book for reading out loud. It is written with great rhythm and rhyme. The characters are very funny and the pictures are bright and colourful. This is one that can be shared over and over again and every time you will notice something new. A great funny book full of knickers to make you giggle!

Jenny Craig – Day 4

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I am really tired today after a second terrible night with the teething twins. William is breastfeeding night and day at the moment because he is off solids because of his teeth. This is leaving me exhausted and I am worried that my allocated 1200 calories is not enough for a Mummy feeding 8 month old twins. I did tell Jenny Craig during my initial consultation that I was breastfeeding and so was sure this had been taken into account but now I feel uncertain.

It could just be that I am having a bad day. Esther and William are demanding and draining every ounce of energy that I can muster.

Must try to keep positive and keep my goal in mind, to lose weight for the wedding. Seems such a silly thing to focus on though when the babies do not seem to be doing so well.

It is taking me, my Mum and David to make things work today.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Jenny Craig – Day 3

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Oh dear, yesterday I fell off the diet wagon spectacularly, enjoying not only pancakes with sugar and lemon but also fajitas and flapjack! Not because I do not want to continue with the plan, not because I particularly lack motivation but because I wanted to enjoy the last day before Lent. For Lent I have given up fajitas, flapjack and caffeine. I will feast again at the end. To counteract my over eating yesterday I upped my activity and went for a 9 mile cross country walk pushing almost 2 stone of babies in their double buggy. The weather was glorious and we completed the route in 3 hours, quite good going I think!

But back to Jenny Craig’s Plan today. I was naughty yesterday but am back on the diet today. I started the day with porridge and blueberries from my free fruit allowance. It was really a rather nice way to start the day. I am back on the diet and raring to go.

For lunch I am having yesterday’s Winter Vegetable Soup which is easily prepared in the microwave. This is great when parenting twinfants! With the soup I am allowed some bread and cheese and also some salad. I am going to have some cherries though instead of my salad. Tonight I am having mushroom stroganoff and rice supplemented with lots of free veg and a little parmesan cheese.

On Monday I found the Bacon and Mushroom Risotto okay but I had to supplement with a lot of veg to feel satisfied. I am thinking that I might actually like to become a vegetarian. Maybe next Lent I will give up meat and see how I get on!

The soup today was quite nice and definitely filled me up. A filling lunch that will give me plenty of energy for the afternoon, playing with Esther and William.

Looking forward to dinner tonight and seeing how satisfied I feel at the end of a full Jenny Craig day.

I think I should point out that I am getting this 28 day trial for free but receiving no financial reward for the reviews. These are all my own, very honest findings and opinions and I hope that people will find them helpful.

Jenny Craig – Day 1: Part 1

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Today is the first day of my 28 day Jenny Craig Weight Management Plan trial. I am feeling quite apprehensive about it actually, almost like I am on trial. The children must have sensed my heightened mood as they have been awak and raring to go since 5.30am. It is now 7.45am and they are already back in bed having had a breakfast of fresh, warm apple puree and a good play. Bless.

Now I am about to start my day. Today’s breakfast is a 40 gram serving of muesli with half a cup of milk. I can also have as much fruit as I like and as much tea, though without sugar. I usually have just one.

Before that though I need to weigh myself and make a note of my measurements too. These details are recorded on my Jenny Craig Lifestyle Graph. I have to measure my bust, waist, abdomen and hips.

Here goes

Bust = 93cm / 36.6 inches
Waist = 79cm / 31.1 inches (Oh my God!! I used to be 26/28 inches!)
Abdomen = 92cm / 36.2 inches
Hips = 92cm / 36.2 inches

And I weigh (in the morning, after a large mug of tea!) 9 stone and 11 pounds. So ideally, I have 11lbs to lose.

Crikey I am larger than I thought, and must look kind of barrel shaped as bust, hips and stomach are all about the same. If I needed some extra motivation I think that I have just found it!

Time to make my muesli!

Along with my Jenny Craig meals and snacks I can have as much free food as I like. My free foods include: diet drinks; tea and herbal tea; fresh chilli; garlic; herbs; spices; Worcestershire sauce; Balsamic vinegar; asparagus; bean sprouts; broccoli; celery; mushrooms; onions; peppers; sugra snap peas; tomatoes. I can eat as much of these as I like. Can almost make vegetarian fajitas out of that little lot! No wraps though!

I can also eat up to 3 servings per day of any of: melon; strawberries; honey; jam; jelly and low cal hot chocolate.

The Jenny Craig menu plan states that it is important to eat all the foods on your plan and aim for weight loss of 1 to 2lbs a week. The free foods are designed to increase your satisfaction without significantly increasing your caloric intake.

I have never been on a diet before and have always thought I would be terrible at sticking to one as I am such a fussy eater but I really do think this plan could work for me as I can fill up on veg should I not like one of the specified meals. I am looking forward to getting started now.

Will let you know how I have got on at the end of the day.

World Book Day – The Silver Sword

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The Silver Sword is a book that has stayed with me all of my life, or at least since I first discovered it in primary school when it was read to me by my teacher, Mrs Foster.

The Silver Sword is a story based upon true fact that touches my heart every time I read it.
It is an inspirational story of tremendous courage, hope and determination in a terrible situation. It is the tale of four children’s struggle to stay alive as they journey through war-torn Europe, during the years of Nazi occupation.
This is a book that I will definitely hare with my own children and one that I have used in my teaching with children from Years 5 and 6. As well as being a story to share for its own sake it can also be a powerful text to use as part of a literacy or history lesson.
Personally I would incorporate the novel into a half term topic about war and conflict focusing on children and refugees. I believe that this would enhance the children’s understanding of the setting of the story, time and place, and help them to empathise with the characters and their situation. It would also give opportunity for looking at war poetry and other related texts such as When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit and I Am David, two of my other most favourite books!!
I believe that The Silver Sword is a strong story, appealing to both boys and girls. I also feel that it is a novel that children can become really involved with and feel passionate about as the main characters are the same age as them and share similar likes and dislikes. They can really try to put themselves in their shoes.
At different points in the story children can further their understanding of and empathy for the characters by using hot-seating. One person would assume the role of a character from the novel and the other children would ask them questions about how they are feeling at a certain time, what are their fears, their worries, their thoughts about the other children and characters in the book. This would be a good way of considering what happened to Edek before the other s find him and or to Jan before he finds the others, or to the mother. It helps to enhance the understanding and enjoyment of the story by encouraging children to really read between the lines and think what could have happened based on what they already know about the novel and the war situation. It also helps to ask children o try to relate what they are reading to their own lives in some way, perhaps through emotions and feelings. When have you felt sad and lonely? Who is your best friend and why? If you had a treasure box like Jan’s what three objects would you put into it and why?
This book lends itself to being a platform for discussions about refugees and children’s experiences of war. It would be interesting to work with different charities such as The Red Cross to really develop understanding and compassion in this area.
On a creative note it would be good practice to watch the television serialisation of The Silver Sword, with children at home or at school, and notice and discuss any points that are different from the book. This would include evaluating the performances of the actors playing the main characters. Is it well cast? Do the characters loo as you imagined them to? Who would you cast in each role?
With my own children at home and pupils at school I would ask them, at the end of each reading session, to make a prediction of what they think might happen next in the story. Anticipating what might happen next in a text is an important part of reading, it is how we link what we know, what we think and what we have read together. It helps us to make sense of what we are reading and it uses imagination and creative thought.
I believe that as well as being great to read The Silver Sword provides a springboard form which many forms of writing can be launched (or sprung! ) – diaries, letters, stories, poems, reports, recounts, information texts, arguments and many more. The book has strong characters and a good plot with some chapters that could potentially lead to very powerful, creative interpretation, particularly Chapter 27, The Storm.
This book gets me so excited!
English is a subject that I have always been passionate about and I hope that through this passion, my knowledge of children’s literature and my ability to meet educational objectives through that literature, I will be able to inspire my own children and the pupils that I teach in my classroom to love English and books just as I do.
The story of The Silver Sword takes children on the journey of The Balicki Family but it is also a very personal journey where it is possible to discover many new ideas, new words, new thoughts and new inspirations. I truly believe that children take something from every story they read that moves them a little further on in their journey of discovering exactly who they are and what they want to be.
On this World Book Day 2011 I recommend this book as a winner with children aged 9 – 99.
Every journey begins with a single step so perhaps reading The Silver Sword could be yours.

Twin Teethers!

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Esther and William are now almost 8 months old!!  I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown.  They are growing bigger and stronger everyday and developing very distinct personalities.  This has become apparent recently as they have started teething. 

Parenting premature babies can be very confusing as you are always trying to provide for them to two ages, their actual age and their adjusted age and you are never sure which to apply to what, for example weaning, sleeping, routines and teething. 

I am now confident that I know that anything related to feeding and digestion, including teething, is marked against their actual age whereas anything that is developmental such as crawliing, rolling, talking etc is measured against their corrected age. 

And so at almost 8 months actual we are well into the zone of teething though have nothing to show in the way of teeth.  I am quite distressed to learn of some prem babies who started going through the motions of teething at 6 months, as ours have done, but not been rewarded with teeth until well into their first year!

The reason I find this idea so terrible is that our twins, and William in particular, are really struggling with growing their teeth.  They are very unsettled during the day, constantly chomping and chewing anything that they can get their mouth on apart from their food.  They often seem to find feeding painful particularly their solid food.  William has had an earache linked to his teething and repeatedly tugs at the infected ear.  Both babies have struggled to get to sleep and to stay asleep once finally gone.  It has been very tiring and emotional for all concerned and is still going on.

One of the problems I have foudn is finding anything that can be used to soothe Esther and William’s tiny mouths.  Though they are really now quite old babies they are still very tiny, Esther only weighs 11lbs.  Finding teething toys to ease their gums has been impossible.  I twitted about this a week or so ago and was very pleased to receive a helpful reply from @Amber_Pumpkin

Amber Pumpkin suggested that I might like to try an amber necklace for the twins to soothe their teething symptoms.  I naively asked if they would be able to fit the beads into their mouths as we had been struggling with other products.  Amber Pumpkin kindly pointed out that in fact amber necklaces are not chewed but worn so that the healing properties can work their magic.

Babies do NOT chew on the amber – it works by warming against the skin and releasing minute amounts of soothing oils which is absorbed into the bloodstream.

A natural analgesic, amber will help calm a baby without resorting to drugs.

Amber is a resin, not a stone. It is therefore warm to the touch, as well as very comfortable and light to wear.

Scientific investigation into the therapeutic effects of amber is ongoing.

Currently, there are two different theories that attempt to explain how wearing amber on the skin can have a soothing and calming effect on teething babies and toddlers.

One theory suggests that when amber is worn on the skin, the skin’s warmth releases minuscule amounts of healing oils from the amber which are then absorbed via the skin into the bloodstream.

Amber’s anti-inflammatory and therapeutic properties are also recognized by allopathic medicine. In Austria, Switzerland and Germany, you will find amber teething necklaces sold in local pharmacies. Pharmacists and doctors have long known about the healing properties of amber which include calmative, analgesic, antispasmodic, expectorant, and febrifuge (anti-fever) functions.

A second theory is based on scientific findings which have shown that amber is electromagnetically alive and therefore charged with a significant amount of organic energy. Its special attribute is the fact that it is electronegative. Wearing amber produces negative ionisation on the skin’s surface. This, in turn, has a positive influence on the human body. The negative ions assist in the in the prevention of illness. These health-promoting effects apply to babies, children and adults alike.

http://www.amberpumpkin.com/amber-teething-necklaces-do-they-work.html

David and I have tried Calpol and teething powders on Willim and Esther with very little effect and so we were, or I was, keen to try something new.  I asked Amber Pumpkin if I might trial one of their products and wrtie about our experiences on my blog.  They kindly agreed and sent me two tiny amber anklets for Esther and William to try.  They sent anklets rather than a necklace to ensure that the babies could not pull them off of themselves or each other as the anklets will be safely hidden in their baby gros. 

We are going to start wearing the anklets tomorrow and I am going to write on my blog each day about how we are getting on.

I have to admit to being a bit sceptical but also really hoping that they do work as I love the idea of them.

If anyone else has exprience of using amber jewellery to help with teething then I would love to hear from you.

If you would like to know more about Amber Pumpkin then you can visit their website at http://www.amberpumpkin.com/

Here’s hoping that an end is in sight for the terrible twin teething troubles!

It's A Wonderful Life

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I love Christmas, and Christmas would not be Christmas without snuggling up under a blanket with the ones you love to watch Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life.  It is such a magical festive film and a firm family favourite.  I love it.  It makes me feel all warm inside, and for me does not work digitally remastered in colour.  It has to be, as it is meant to be, in black and white.

James Stewart and Donna Reed form a formidable team in this festive fantasy.  I always find myself singing ‘Buffalo Girl Won’t You Come Out Tonight’ long after the film is over.  I love that song and that moment in the film. Just beautiful!  George volunteers to lasso the moon for Mary.  A lovely love story!

The most famous moment and quote from the film is near the end as the family are reunited by the Christmas tree. 

“Every Time a Bell Rings, an Angel Gets Its Wings”

This is a feel good comedy drama about hopes and dreams and love, families and friendships.  It is about loyalty and faith.  It is about Christmas, and it features the song that marks the end and beginning of every year, Auld Lang Syne.

One for the family to start the festivities and to make you want to snuggle up close to the ones that you love.

A beauty in black and white.

Why not hop on over to Metal Mummy’s blog to share your favourite black and white movie?

Esther and William’s First Author – Oliver Jeffers

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When Esther and William were born I bought them each a book.  Because they are twins I wanted the books to be by the same author and so I chose Oliver Jeffers.  I wanted each baby to have a story chosen especially for them, that could mean something to them all of their lives. I also wanted them to have a story to share.  The three books that I chose are: The Way Back Home; Lost and Found and How to Catch a Star.

Lost and Found was William’s book.  It was first read to him on the day that he was born by his Daddy.  David and I sat by his incubator and shared this story with our newborn son, who weighed in at just 2lb 11ozs and could not open his eyes or breathe without assistance.  We read to our little boy lost hoping that he would find his way, that we would find a way to be together as a family.  Lost and Found is about a little boy who finds a penguin.  Penguins (along with giraffes!) are my favourite animals and I want to pass that on to my children, to share it with them.  The little boy thinks that the penguin wants to go home and the boy does all he can to help him find his way but then he realises that the penguin was not lost at all but was lonely, he didn’t want to go home, he wanted to find a friend.  It is a very touching story about friendship, told very simply with beautiful illustrations.  It explores loss and loneliness which seemed very apt for our William who was all alone in a plastic box when he should have been in our arms with his sister.  It tells how two people can find comfort in one another and help each other along the way.  it is a story of the journey of friendship, through words and pictures it shows the strength and determination of one little boy to help another. We dedicated this to our Mr Strong, our braveheart, our William.  This is a wonderful first story for a little boy.  For our little boy.

Our daughter’s first ever story How to Catch A Star.  I chose this for Esther because one meaning of her name is ‘Star’.  I read her this book for the very first time on the day she was born.  I sat beside her blue lit incubator and read it to my 2lb 4oz baby, who I had known just hours but already loved with all my heart.  This was the prefect choice of story for Esther.  It is about a boy who loves stars and tries everything that he can to find one.  This is a story with the message of never giving up, of doing all you can to achieve your dreams, of fighting for what you believe in, of striving for your goals, of being strong and reaching for the stars.  This was the perfect message for my tiny, fragile daughter fighting for her life in an incubator rather than celebrating the start of her life in my arms.  I read this story with broken voice and eyes full of tears.  My little star was going to need all the strength she would muster and all of our strength too.  This book is so beautifully illustrated I just know that it will be treasured for always for its message and devoured time and time again for its lovely language and exquisite illustrations.  Thank you Oliver Jeffers for helping us give our children such a lovely start to life and the world of literature.

The final book , I bought for the twins to share.  It is called The Way Back Home.  Inside the front cover I wrote:

Dear Esther and William

We can’t wait to show you the way home to our house, your house, your home.  We love you now and always.

Mummy and Daddy

This Oliver Jeffers book is about finding your way home.  This was all we wanted for our two babies, to find a way to bring them home.  This story is about a young boy who gets stuck on the moon with an alien and together they must find a way to get each other home.  It is a tale of friendship and what can be achieved when friends work together.  I hope that Esther and William will be life long friends as well as twin brother and sister and whenevr they fight or fall out I am going to remind them of this book, the first time we shared it and how far they have come.

Oliver Jeffers is a brilliant writer and illustrator of unique and exciting books for children that can be enjoyed by all the family over and over again.

Simple stories with complex messages and meanings, filled with heartfelt love and warmth.

Please, if you have not yet discovered these books and enjoyed them with your children, please do, I am certain that you will not be disappointed. 

Thank you Oliver Jeffers!  Keep writing please!

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.