Owner: manicmama URL:http://www.manicmama.co.uk Join Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 05:46:46 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Funny links for parents (I wanted to go out and change the world but I couldn't find a babysitter) Site statistics:Click here
Volcano Cake 2007-07-27 04:31:15 I want the recipe for this cake - it is so cool
Read more:Volcano
Are you a cool parent? 2007-08-12 02:43:00 Apparently, I am (she says smugly)
You Will Be a Cool Parent
You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need.
You can tell when it’s time to let kids off the hook, and when it’s time to lay down the law.
While your parenting is modern and hip, it’s not over the top.
You know that there’s nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager… or a drill sergeant!
Would You Be a Cool Parent?
Take the test for yourself and see what sort of parent you are or will be
I never thought … 2007-09-02 13:36:26 &hellip
; I would be so happy to reach the end of the school holidays.
Before the Summer I had it all mapped out. Gigglebug and Bear would go to the childminder for a couple of days a week, whilst I would hang out in the park with Mr Goo and generally catch up on sleep. We would all go and spend some time with my folks as well as the Outlaws.
Nothing went as planned. Firstly my childminder closed down for the summer to have her kitchen redone. Then it rained most days so we were trapped inside and finally both sets of parents were busy doing other stuff.
We did have a great time in Devon and France. But, holidays have a different meaning when you have kids. It is not a question of rest and recuperation, it is more about having a change of scene and playing with the kids.
So, all in all, it has been exhausting but good fun. When the kids go back to school and the childminder I will finally have the break I need! Read more:thought
Living up to my name 2007-09-01 17:07:49 I have really struggled with this blog. Originally, I started blogging about being a Mum (and made some great connections through doing this) but unfortunately, I then freaked myself out by writing about the dangers of writing baby blogs.
Once the hormones kicked in during my pregnancy and after the arrival of Mr Goo, I slightly lost sight about what to do. I tried blogging about various different things (funny links for parents/marketing tips) but it was all such hard work and very time consuming. Basically, blogging became more like slogging!
I have now decided to let it all hang out and write about whatever pops into my head, everyday stuff really. After all, this is supposed to be fun Read more:Living
The Sleep Thief 2007-06-25 02:22:09 I am going to order one of these for my youngest who is robbing me blind at 2 months old (as you would expect). Still, he might as well start as he means to go on!
Read more:Sleep
, Thief
Where will baby go? 2007-06-23 03:17:00
I think the author of the blog Life in the Corner will appreciate this one.
A Cool Toy That Kids Can Make 2007-09-26 16:14:33 I just came across this video and I am definitely going to try to make this origami toy with my kids. I can’t wait to see their faces when they see what they have made
Unbelievable Paper Toy This Will - The most amazing home videos are here
Kids on Marriage 2007-09-26 14:25:09 My husband and I just celebrated our wedding anniversary. Trying to explain what a wedding anniversary is to my young children proved difficult. All I could manage is that a wedding anniversary is like a birthday but it is about celebrating the day you got married. I just managed to confuse them completely.
Anyway, it reminded me of a rather sweet e-mail that did the rounds a while ago all about kids thoughts on marriage. Some of my favourite comments are:
HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.
– Alan, age 10
HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?
You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.
– Derrick, age 8
HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?
Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.
– Ricky, age 10
Funny stuff!
Homework - more work for parents! 2007-09-25 04:00:45 Last year, it was pretty easy to supervise my boys’ homework. All I had to do was read a story to Bear each week and listen to Gigglebug read his book.
All that has now changed. Gigglebug has suddenly been given real homework to do (ie learn his 2x table) and he has a test every couple of weeks! This has come as a bit of a shock to me because although it is his homework, he needs my help and attention.
Meanwhile, Bear is busy learning how to read and so he needs me to sit and listen to him and help him if he gets stuck.
When you throw in after school play dates, a baby and then the feeding/bathing my three, life becomes more than a little hectic!
Having said this, I enjoy being able to see how my boys are progressing. This is especially true because they refuse to talk about school point blank so their homework is a small window in to their school lives. If I ever ask them about their day, they can just about manage a “fine”, “ok”, “boring&rd Read more:Homework
Do you take your kids to weddings? 2007-09-21 12:50:53 I was at a wedding last weekend where the invite expressly said that kids were not invited. This did not bother me as I never take my children to weddings. From my point of view, I won’t be able to enjoy the day if I am busy running around after the kids and trying to make them look smart/behave/be quiet.
So, I was surprised to find that there were at least ten children there. Admittedly they were mostly under one and the bride and groom had obviously organised babysitters to look after many of them. However, I was told by one usher that one of the mothers refused to hand over her baby because she did not want him to have any contact with other kids in case he caught a bug! Eventually, this usher managed to persuade one of the babysitters to give the baby one-to-one care so the mother reluctantly let him go.
I can understand that some mothers find it very hard to leave their very young children and if they are breastfeeding this is even more difficult. Having said that, it
Do you know where your Cash Card is? 2007-09-21 06:16:51 Well if you are the parent to one of these kids you definitely wouldn’t leave it lying around:
Help Prevent Unnecessary Maternal Deaths 2007-09-20 03:00:10
Ben Palmer, a Dad of two from London, lost his wife to Childbed Fever in June 2004. She died just six days after giving birth to her daughter, Emily, from a type of post-natal blood poisoning. He has set up a website called Jessica’s Trust to raise awareness about this illness.
Childbed Fever (also called Puerperal Fever or Puerperal Sepsis) is a TREATABLE illness that kills mothers. It is defined as an infection of the uterus following the birth of a child. Its symptoms are easy to recognise and it is easily treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early enough.
You can support Ben’s campaign to prevent further unnecessary maternal deaths by signing the petition on the Prime Minister’s website. Every signature will help to make the Health Department take notice of this horrific illness and save mothers’ lives.
The petition on the Downing Street website will close on 12th October. Please add your name to it, if you haven’t already, and ask anybody else you know to do the same.
Top Ten White Lies Parents Tell Children 2007-09-20 02:32:51 According to a poll by Readers Digest 9 out 10 parents have told their children white lies. The following are the most popular:
1. Father Christmas
2. The Tooth Fairy
3. Crusts give you curly hair
4. Carrots give you night vision (I didn’t know this was a lie!)
5. If the wind changes, your face will stay like that
6. The Easter Bunny
7. Babies are found under gooseberry bushes (!!)
8. If you eat apple pips, they will grow in your tummy
9. Picking your nose causes your head to cave in or your nose to fall off
10. Telling fibs does something unpleasant to your tongue.
Which ones have you told? I have been guilty of saying 1, 2, 4 and 6!
No need to worry as apparently these white lies might be good for stimulating a child’s brain ! Read more:White
, Parents
, Children
, Top Ten
The Next Toy Story? 2007-09-19 08:48:32 If your children like the PIXAR animations such as Toy Story
and the Incredibles then you might be interested in the following video. It is very impressive for a Master’s Thesis animation. The short is called “KIWI”. For those of you who don’t know a Kiwi is a flightless bird native to New Zealand.
How the Rich Avoid Raising Spoilt Brats 2007-09-19 08:32:38
Source:mrmatt@flickr
A while back, when some very rich and powerful women from various sectors attended a conference sponsored by Fortune magazine one of the topics they discussed was how to raise financially responsible children. This is an interesting question for those who do not have to worry about affording things. The main arguments were as follows:
1. Allowances
Whilst every woman gave their child an allowance, a couple of the mothers explained how
(a) they expected that their child donate some of that allowance to charity or
(b) the child had to save some of the money, with the parent matching 2 to 1 every dollar saved.
2.Shopping
One of the women described how she gave her teenage daughter a specific allowance for clothing every six months (albeit a very generous one). With that allowance the girl had to meet all her wardrobe needs. It is then up to the girl what she spends the money on. If she blows the whole lot on some designer item then she will just have to make do Read more:Avoid
, Raising
What Gender is Your Baby? 2007-10-01 05:44:11 Most people I have met seem to find out the sex of their babies at their 20 week scan. However, if you are at an earlier stage of pregnancy or have decided to keep the sex of the baby a surprise (like I did all three times ) you might still be interested in trying the following (results not guaranteed!):
1) Chinese Gender Predictor
2) Take a piece of long hair, loop it through a gold ring, then dangle the ring over the expectant mother’s bump. Hold your hand as steadily as possible. After a while the ring should start moving. It it moves back and forth it is a boy and if it moves round and round it is a girl.
3) Try out this questionnaire at Dad Cafe
4) When you go to see the midwife and she listens to your baby’s heartbeat, calculate how fast it is. If it is less than 140 bpm then it is a boy and if it is more than 140bpm it is a girl.
Have fun! I guessed right 2 out of 3 times but then with a 50/50 chance that is not hard
Do you embarrass your kids? 2007-09-28 12:44:23
A while ago Raisingkids carried out a survey of 536 children for eBay Motors to see what things about their parents most embarrass them.
The results were as follows:
49 % music
45 % kissing
23 % dress sense
22 % car
14 % arguing in public
So, not much has changed since I was a child then!
Luckily my kids are still too young for me to embarrass them but I am sure it won’t be long before they start complaining about my behaviour
15 Fundraising Ideas for Christmas Fairs 2007-09-27 13:00:21 OK, I know you might think it is a bit early for this, but my PTA plans the Christmas
fair months in advance. So, if you are racking your brain to work out how to make some money for your school, here are some suggestions:
1. Face Painting
2. Tombola
3. Mulled Wine and Mince Pies
4. Cake Stall
5. Arts & Crafts activity stall
6. Lucky Dip
7. Santa’s Grotto
8. Guess the number of ….
9. Second Hand Toy / Book / Bric-a-brac stall
10. Raffle
11. Auction of promises/items donated by parents
12. Splat the Rat (a toy rat is put down the top of a pipe and the customer tries to hit it when it comes out at the other end)
13. School Christmas Cards
14. Human Fruit Machine (three parents volunteer to be the fruit machine. Each has one apple, one orange and one banana in an opaque bag. When the customer pays, each of the three parents pull out a piece of fruit. If they all match the customer wins a prize.)
15. Lottery (each customer pays £1 and their name/tel no. is put into a hat. At the Read more:Fundraising
, Fairs
Carnival of Family Life - Part 1 2007-10-13 15:50:04
Welcome to the October 15, 2007 edition of carnival of family life.
Unfortunately I have not been able to sort the entries this week due to major technical problems Also, I cannot seem to post all the entries in one go, so this is just the first instalment.
The carnival is still as popular as ever, so do check out some of the great posts.
I would also like to award Kailani a Nice Matters award for letting me host the carnival (the graphic is in the sidebar as I can’t upload pictures at the moment).
Bob Crawford presents Create Your Day the BOB Way! Part One: Your Morning posted at Growing Your SELF Blog - Bob Crawford Online, saying, “Learn to create your day! Give yourself the edge when it comes to manifesting your dreams. It’s your day - you get to choose what kind of day it will be. Choose well!”
Donetta presents School Fund Raiser at the Skate Rink posted at A Life Uncommon
:: Suzanne :: presents rant: television posted at :: adventures in da Read more:Carnival
, Family
, Family Life
Aaagh ……. 2007-10-13 15:20:47 &hellip
;… please bear with me, I have been having problems all week. Think it might be the server but not sure
The Shock of Motherhood 2007-10-09 13:15:24 Today I was thinking back to just after the birth of my first baby. Motherhood
was a huge shock. I remember asking myself:
1. What if I don’t like motherhood? I can’t exactly hand the baby back.
2. When do I get a lunch break? I have shopping to do.
3. Why don’t babies smile for the first month? There must be a design fault.
4. How can someone so small require so much stuff?
5. When will my tummy stop resembling a water bed?
6. Isn’t sleep deprivation a form of torture? This waking thing must be another design fault.
7. Why did I bother with higher education? Renaissance symbolism does not play a huge part in looking after a baby.
8. How can someone so small make so much mess?
9. Why is it that now I have had a baby I also do all the cooking, washing and ironing?
10. If humans are so clever, why do we produce babies that are so helpless? The offspring of most other species are walking and fending for themselves within a few months. Humans need t Read more:Shock
Tears at the School Gates 2007-10-08 14:19:17 Bear finds Mondays rather hard. It is the shock of having to go to school and suddenly having to do what he is told. I can empathise! However, it doesn’t make dealing with it much fun.
He cries all the way to school and then clings to my leg when we get there. Coaxing and bribery have no effect. He just juts his lower lip out a bit further and screams! Usually, I have to hand him over to his teacher or on the odd day, physically drag him to his classroom
Bear thinks that staying at home with Mummy is a much better idea. This is not because he wants to spend quality time with me, but rather quality time with his toys Also, Bear has decided school is BORING. I could become all neurotic and start worrying that he is not being stimulated enough, but I think it has more to do with having to sit still for long periods of time (ie 20 minutes) and practice his phonics or writing.
Perhaps it is just too early for some kids to be in a structured environment. A friend of mine w Read more:Tears
, School
, Gates
Don’t forget the Carnival of British Parents 2007-10-08 05:31:29 The deadline is tonight and I will publish all the eligible entries over at the LittleLegends blog tomorrow.
If you haven’t submitted your entry, you can use this form
NB As the title suggests, this Carnival
is only open to BritishParents
How much help does your husband give you? 2007-10-04 16:42:57 I feel like superwoman at the moment.
This morning, having been up several times in the night (to rescue Mr Goo from wedging himself sideways in the cot), there was the usual frenzied activity. The children have to be out of the house by 7.30am, so whilst pulling my suit and shoving a bottle of milk into Mr Goo’s mouth, I was trying to coax the other two out of their pyjamas into their school uniform. Of course, this all happened with a smile
Anyway, DH walks in. He has managed to get up in a relaxed fashion, have a shower and get dressed without seeing the boys. He then proceeds to stand there watching me (without helping) and starts telling me about how hard he has been working recently (which he has) and how tired he is etc.. I am not sympathetic at the best of times but I tried my best. Well, maybe not.
“I would appreciate some help” I say desperately.
DH nods his head and replies “Yes, I am sure you would appreciate some help ……
African Child Mosaic 2007-10-03 15:28:20 I just came across this amazing photo mosaic that reminds viewers of the plight of many African
children. In this case, pictures definitely speak louder than words:
You can see more pictures of the mosaic over here Read more:Mosaic
Part-time Work - The worst of both worlds? 2007-10-02 14:28:48 I love being with my kids but I also love working. This is a situation familiar to many parents and the age old question is how do you find the right balance? Part-time work seems to offer the perfect solution.
In theory my job sounds ideal - three short days a week, but I am beginning to realise that the reality might well be different. Instead of doing either my job properly or totally concentrating on my kids I will be constantly juggling the two. Whilst I will do my best, something is going to have to give and at the moment I can’t work out what that is going to be.
For some reason I thought it would be easier to be back at work now by elder two are at school. How wrong! I am now needed more than ever to supervise homework and give them the chance to relax at home.
Meanwhile, I am trying to (and expected to) move forward with my career and carve out a niche for myself. This is easier said than done when you have been away from the office for 7 months. Whilst some
My Ultimate Life 2007-10-17 03:16:52 I have been tagged by Erica at Little Mummy to answer some questions about my “ultimate life”. So, here goes:
Q1. Where would you live?
A large georgian house, possibly an old rectory, with a classic design and spacious, light rooms. The house would have a large garden with a tennis court. It would be located close to family, friends, good schools, transport and local amenities.
Q2. What would your job be (or if unrealistic) what would you do all day?
I would run my own business designing and selling greetings cards and I would donate a proportion of the profits to charity.
Q3. Who would you spend your time with? Doing what…
I would spend my time with family and close friends. My favourite way of getting together is over a good meal with lots of space for the kids to run around outside.
Q4. What kind of holidays/vacations would you take?
Oooh, definitely skiing and then one week in the sun and one week at the family house on the South Coast. I like a bit of variety Read more:Ultimate
The Carnival of Family Life 2007-10-14 19:01:07
Welcome to the October 15, 2007 edition of carnival of family life.
Unfortunately, I have been having major server problems all week, so I have been unable to sort the entries. There are a huge number of great submissions this week, so do check them out.
I would like to award Kailani the Nice Matters Award for being so understanding and patient and letting me host this Carnival
Bob Crawford presents Create Your Day the BOB Way! Part One: Your Morning posted at Growing Your SELF Blog - Bob Crawford Online, saying, “Learn to create your day! Give yourself the edge when it comes to manifesting your dreams. It’s your day - you get to choose what kind of day it will be. Choose well!”
Donetta presents School Fund Raiser at the Skate Rink posted at A Life Uncommon, saying, “School Fund Raiser at the Skate Rink”
:: Suzanne :: presents rant: television posted at :: adventures in daily living ::.
FitBuff presents Negativity is Contagious, Are Y Read more:Family
, Family Life
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