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5 Ways To Make A Toddler Laugh

001. Swish your hair around your head like a windmill. The faster and closer to them, the better!

002. Allow them to go for a pee anywhere that is not their nappy. (Apparently, wee-soaked floors and parents are hilarious.)

003. Pretend to chase them anywhere & everywhere. Babies have no fear.

004. Take a firm grip of their legs and simply dangle. It may look like a plain magnolia coloured wall right now, but upside down, that is a funny plain magnolia coloured wall.

005. Give them anything that makes a loud noise, especially when thrown at the floor. An iPhone or other expensive gadget will do.

The Week In Notes • #012


001. As part of my day job, I need to teach others about food safety, so I’ve spent three days this week on a course out of the office, to get some more in-depth knowledge. There isn’t anything I couldn’t tell you about high risk foods, hazards, clostridium botulinum, salmonella and packing in a protective atmosphere, now! …Yawn. If I pass the exam, then apparently I have some sort of NVQ. Good for the ol’ CV, but not so much if food business isn’t necessarily your career path! My brain feels like it’s about to go into some kind of meltdown. I haven’t learnt that much, written so many notes or had homework, since my school days. I’m eternally grateful to my son who decided to sleep (or keep himself content and quiet, who knows) until 9am, Friday morning. That was a much needed lay-in!

002. I think we’ve got our very own Houdini on our hands, because Byron has escaped from his seat this week. Twice. One time, I just turned around and he was face down on the floor and the second, I just watched him wiggle and wriggle up and then dive on to the floor. I’m not sure it’s even his intention to get out, but that’s not stopping him! He’s not hurt himself and actually finds it quite funny, but I think we may have to invest in a playpen soon, although I’m not sure if it’s worth it as he’ll soon be walking and wanting to explore!

003. The weather has been lush this week, hasn’t it? Even though I’ve been cooped up inside on my course, the sunshine even makes mundane trips in the car to and fro, more pleasurable!

The Happy List

Ben & Jerry’s Half Baked ice-cream Byron ‘driving’ his Grandad’s taxi sunshine! sorting through old cosmetics watching Finding Nemo with my boy blueberry Red Bull

Recipe • Fruity Ice Lollies (And They’re Baby Friendly!)

I don’t know if you can call mushing a few ingredients together a recipe, but today, that’s how I’m gonna roll. I’m always looking for ways to use up overripe bananas, because even though I have a monkey for a child, there always seems to be a couple left over in the fruit bowl at the end of the week. I’m a big fan of making banana cake, but I wanted something a little more baby-friendly, as apart from the odd treat, I try to avoid giving Byron any unnecessary sugar or salt.

Fruity Ice Lollies
Makes approximately 6 lollies

Ingredients
2 ripened bananas
200g raspberries
juice of 1 orange

001 | Place all your ingredients in a bowl
002 | Mash with a fork
003 | Put in ice lolly molds and place in the freezer

See? I told you it wasn’t much of a recipe, as it’s so easy! It’s one of those things where you can chuck in any fruit you fancy. They went down a treat with me and Byron liked the taste although his face didn’t look too sure about the temperature!

The Week In Notes • #011

001. Byron has come down with a nasty cold and chesty cough in the last few days. I knew it was coming, because our baby who usually sleeps like a big ol’ log, woke up on Tuesday night— just for a cuddle, from his Daddy. So we took a trip to Boots one afternoon to stock up on the remedies that I know won’t really do anything, because there’s no cure for a cold— but it makes me (& hopefully him!) feel better, while this snotty nose runs it’s course. I’ve put him to bed tonight dosed up on cough syrup and plonked him in a room full of Olbas Oil vapour. There’s something really cute and lovely about rubbing “Snuffle Baby” (a baby version of Vicks VapoRub) into his lovely, soft, little chest!

002. My parents returned from their trip to the USA recently and spoilt us all rotten, with gifts from Sephora, American food and lots of clothes and shoes for B-Bot, including baby Converse! So. Cute. They’re all still a little bit big, but I know it won’t be long until he’s trondling about in them! We’re hoping to join them in Florida next year, which is very exciting! Up until now, myself and Ashley have been lucky enough to go on a holiday abroad every year that we’ve been together, but Florida will be our first holiday (besides Cornwall) since our honeymoon to the Maldives in 2011! Needless to say, it will be epic. It’ll be time to start researching things to do, soon! I went to Florida with my parents in 2005 a few months after I started seeing Ashley and he’s been wanting to go ever since, so needless to say he’s a big, excited kid!

003. Byron’s wardrobe was long overdue a sort-out, so I completed that mammoth task at the beginning of the week. One of his wardrobe doors wouldn’t actually close. Oops! I opened up the vacuum bags of the stuff I’d already packed away a year ago and had a little moment, looking at his 0-3 month vests and jogging bottoms that probably wouldn’t even reach his knees, these days. I can see how he’s changed and grown and developed when I look back at photos of him, but it’s only when I looked at his little clothes that I realised just how much he’s grown. Well, that and the fact I can just about carry him and my handbag up the stairs, now. Long gone are the days of carrying a baby in his carseat, a weeks worth of shopping, my handbag and his rocker all in one go!

The Happy List

MUFE HD Foundation Fox’s Classic Original Biscuit Bars Jelly Tots! coleslaw and southern fried chicken subs the lack of traffic on my commute to work— bless you, half term holiday! The Apprentice our friend’s surprise engagement party!