Linkies & Guest Posts

- Sarah 1 Comment

Remembering Childhood // Five Little Doves

It’s that time of week when another blogger is going to be sharing their childhood memories. This week it’s Laura from Five Little Doves.           .

Which decade were you born in?

1980s

What is your earliest memory? How old were you?

My earliest memory is being three years old with my leg in a cast. I had broken my ankle and had to stay at my Nan’s house while my mum took my brother to school. When she came back she had bought me a Fabuland toy to cheer me up!

Five Little Doves

What was your favourite toy at 5 years old? At 10?

At five it was a soft toy, a monkey who I called “Little Professor Monkey”. He went EVERYWHERE with me! At 10 it was a Cabbage Patch Kid, she talked and drank from a cup and I had never seen anything like it. She came with a birth certificate and her name was Anastasia Octavia. I always pledged to name my first daughter after her, obviously I never did!

Do you still have any toys from your childhood?

I have most of them in the attic at my parents’! We brought a few here for the girls, my Barbies and Sindys and some My Little Ponies. They love them just as much as I did! I also have Little Professor Monkey in my bedside drawer, he is so worn and grubby but too precious to ever throw away!

Who was your favourite pop group/artist as a teenager?

Take That! I used to pretend that I fancied Mark like all of my friends did where as really I liked Howard the best!

Laura from Five Little Doves in Guides

What was your favourite TV show(s)?

Captain Planet! I LOVED that programme and knew all of the words to the theme tune, I still do!

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

The Addams Family. I went aged ten with a friend and her Mum sneaked us both in a bag of Maltesers.

Do you have any dodgy haircut/ outfit memories that you’d rather forget?

Far too many! I had a really dodgy layered look in my last year of primary school before getting the frizziest perm when I went to high school. My dodgiest look was when I discovered sun-in and Wella colour mousse, the two combined resulted in a horrific two tone look – as seen in the photo below! My outfit choices were no better, not to mention the discovery of bronzing pearls and Heather shimmer lipstick! I look back now and cringe at how awful I looked, at the time I thought it was amazing!

Laura with two tone hair

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a teacher, probably because I loved bossing people about!

If you could go back to being a child again what age would you choose and why?

I would go back to being four and starting primary school, so I could remember that time a little clearer and be able to help my daughter who is really struggling to settle into her first year of school. I loved school, definitely some of the best years of my life, and I wish I could help her to realise that there is so much more to come.

 

Thanks to Laura for sharing her memories – I think every girl in my school probably had bronzing pearls and Heather shimmer lipstick!

If you’ve enjoyed this post please do come back next week when another blogger will be Remembering Childhood.

- Sarah 1 Comment

Remembering Childhood // Arthur Wears

It’s that time of week when another blogger is going to be sharing their childhood memories. This week it’s Sarah from Arthur Wears.

sarah-arthur-wears

Which decade were you born in?

The 80’s! (Cue the rest of today spent singing “I’ve got love for you if you were born in the 80’s…”)

What is your earliest memory? How old were you?

When I was a toddler (pre nursery) I used to have breath holding attacks if I got upset and my parents would bring me round by putting my head under a tap of cold water. I didn’t know about this until I was older and it made one of my earliest memories make much more sense: I remember walking towards our dog, Tilly, who was lying down in the garden. I decided to close my eyes as I was walking and see whether I would walk into her or miss her. The next thing I could feel was my eyes were closed and I couldn’t open them. I could feel myself being carried and tried to cry but wasn’t able to. I could hear voices saying my name but I couldn’t see them…..I now know that our dog had snapped at me which resulted in a breath holding attack!

What was your favourite toy at 5 years old? At 10?

At 5 years old I was a real girly girl, I loved pink and my favourite toy was a Barbie doll. I was desperate for the ‘Barbie makeup counter’ – I never got it. To this day I still think about how much fun it would have been to play with and I’m convinced this is why I am so obsessed with makeup and have a such a massive stash! At 10 I had a Girls World – basically the head of a doll that you could put makeup on, style her hair and make parts of her blonde hair pink/lilac. I’ve had pink/lilac streaks in my own hair numerous times over the years and again, I’m pretty convinced I can trace this back!

Do you still have any toys from your childhood?

My dad threw away most of my belongings when he split up with my mum, but I did manage to salvage a box of Barbie dolls which I have recently given Arthur to play with (promise this was for his benefit and not mine lol!)

Who was your favourite pop group/artist as a teenager?

My tastes really changed during my teenage years I started out as a young teenager loving Peter Andre just because I fancied him! By the time I was 15/16 I’d discovered a band called Haven who sung a song with lyrics “and believe me now I’ll only lie to you” which at that age I thought was ironic and clever. When I was 18/19 I’d discovered Tori Amos at university, mainly her song “Sorta Fairytale” and it’s still one of my favourites now!

What was your favourite TV show(s)?

Saved by the Bell and California Dreams. I used to tape the songs from California dreams and can still reel some of them off now…wish I knew where that tape was!!

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

Now this is a hard one. I have a vague memory of seeing a cartoon when I was very young – possibly Lady and the Tramp… Apart from that it was Mickey Blue Eyes when I was 14 and was allowed to go without my parents!

Do you have any dodgy haircut/ outfit memories that you’d rather forget?

Oh yes!! When I was 12 my Aunty took me shopping for my birthday and I was allowed to choose whatever I wanted as an outfit (this had never happened to me before!) I picked a short  and stretchy bodycon dress which was lime green at the top (no sleeves) and black on the (very tight) skirt with a silver chain across it. I’d also chosen some bright blue wedge shoes. I planned to wear them to the school disco but my mum and dad were so furious with the outfit they made me wear cycling shorts underneath. I remember the teachers at the disco looking at me disapprovingly and the other kids laughing at my shorts/skirt combo so I hid in the corner all night lol!!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

As a child, I loved my reception teacher and always wanted to be a teacher just like her. I didn’t start out in my career like that, but I did go back and retrain as a primary teacher after the 2008 recession and specialised in Early Years, securing a job teaching Reception so I guess you could say my dream kind of came true! I’ve recently got in touch with my old teacher on Facebook and I loved being able to tell her I was a teacher too – she was my idol.

If you could go back to being a child again what age would you choose and why?

Infant school – before the hormones kicked in, before adults worried about boys and girls being good friends, before exams, before responsibility, when looking forward to being a ‘grown up’ seemed like the best thing in the world and everything was so carefree. Oh and I had lots of friends. And of course that amazing teacher….those are the times I wanted to create for my own class when I was teaching and the kind of life I try to create for Arthur now. Fun, playful, exciting and happy.

 

Big thanks to Sarah for sharing her childhood memories – I always wanted a Girls World but was never allowed one!

Please do come back next week when another blogger will be Remembering Childhood

- Sarah 8 Comments

Living Arrows 43/52 (2016)

Hurray! For the second week in a row we have a positive Living Arrows post. It hasn’t been the easiest of weeks in a practical sense – on Monday work started on our new kitchen and by the evening we were left with a completely empty room. By Wednesday the new false ceiling and wiring for the lights had been put in and now we are just waiting for the whole room to be plastered which is happening today. Once the plaster is on the kitchen can be fitted, and hopefully by the end of next week we might have a usable kitchen, even though it will probably still be a way off finished. In the meantime we have been spending quite a bit of time at my mum and dad’s house, there have been a couple of takeaways, and we have even managed to cook a few things in the spare bedroom using our bargain Aldi mini oven and hot plate!

However, apart from coping without a kitchen, and Barry having a night away for work on Wednesday, it hasn’t been a bad week at all. Toby is still doing great with his potty training. On Friday we went to Warrington to meet my friend Claire and her twins and he managed a whole day out, including an hour each way in the car, with no accidents.

Both boys’ Living Arrows pictures were taken on our day out. We went to Walton Hall and Gardens just south of Warrington. It was a big park with a great play area, a cafe and even a small children’s zoo (if you can call goats, rabbits and peacocks a zoo). There was plenty to do for the boys but sometimes all you need is your wellies on, a good stick and a muddy puddle to splash in.

Toby splashing in a muddy puddle with his new stick

Gabe has continued to show us his happier side this last week too. For the first time in ages he isn’t ill, and although his top two molars are only half through I think his teeth are giving him a bit of a break for now too. His sleep is still all over the place but we haven’t had any really awful nights for a while, and on Saturday night he made it until 4 am before his first wake up again.

Even though he spent most of the day in the car or the buggy on Friday Gabe seemed to enjoy his day out too. I can’t wait for him to start walking though so he can get out and start running around with the other boys. In the last couple of days though he has started standing unaided, and he can walk just holding one hand so I don’t think proper walking will be too far away. And until then, just look at his little face!

Gabe and his lovely smile

Living Arrows
- Sarah 1 Comment

Remembering Childhood // Candyfloss & Dreams

It’s that time of week when another blogger is going to be sharing their childhood memories. This week it’s Kat from Candyfloss & Dreams.

kat-candyfloss-dreams

Which decade were you born in?

1980’s

What is your earliest memory? How old were you?

I think part of this is because I was told about it but also I have flashes in my mind when I remember it. I think I was around two and a half, we were on holiday in Ibiza and went to the beach. My memory is of toddling off. I have flashes of being toddler height and climbing some steps before a lady I didn’t know picked me up. My mum’s version is me running away from the beach and her thinking I’d drowned in the sea. Oops.

One I remember more clearly was asking for a bouncy carpet because I kept falling out of bed.

What was your favourite toy at 5 years old? At 10?

At five it must have been books. At ten I had a PlayStation and spent hours on Spyro the Dragon.

Do you still have any toys from your childhood?

No I don’t which is a shame. I wish I had kept some of my favourite books. They’re all really expensive now and hard to find!

Who was your favourite pop group/artist as a teenager?

Taking Back Sunday were (still are) a favourite of mine when I was around 15. Green Day were the first band I saw at 13 with my dad.

What was your favourite TV show(s)?

I loved Pokemon and Digimon – total nerd. But before that The Demon Headmaster, The Queen’s Nose and Blind Date kept me happy. I had a time in secondary school where I obsessively watched Neighbours and Home and Away too.

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

Oh gosh, I think it was 101 Dalmations.

Do you have any dodgy haircut/ outfit memories that you’d rather forget?

90’s kids’ fashion wasn’t really on trend to be honest. My mum insisted I had a bob cut all through school until I got to Year Six when I stopped letting her and stood my ground. I had hardly any hair until I was about five, so that was a bad stage for me.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

First an astronaut and then a journalist.

If you could go back to being a child again what age would you choose and why?

I don’t think I would go back to be honest. I wouldn’t want to experience some things again but I think the memories I have have made me who I am. But I would love to get inside my daughter’s brain. At six, she is fascinating and it would be awesome to remember how and why she thinks and says the stuff she does!

 

Thanks Kat for remembering your childhood – a PlayStation at 10 though, you’re making me feel old!

Please do come back next week when another blogger will be sharing their childhood memories.

- Sarah 5 Comments

Living Arrows 42/52 (2016)

It feels like we have finally turned a corner here in the Toby Goes Bananas house this week. In the last few days it’s like Gabe has turned into a different child. He has suddenly got a massive appetite and is eating everything I put in front of him, which after 8 months of struggling with weaning is absolutely amazing! He’s still got teeth making their way through but he doesn’t seem to have been in as much pain with them for the last few days. We’ve had a few nights of better sleep from him too – he’s still waking up but the other night he made it until after 4am before his first wake up, when it’s usually more like 10pm. Hopefully this is the first step on the road to sleeping through. I really hope so – three and a half years is a long time to go without a proper night’s sleep!

This week’s picture of Gabe is far from technically perfect – partly because Toby took it, but mostly because the light was rubbish. But just look at his big grin! When he’s wailing in your ear at three o’clock in the morning it’s hard to remember that sometimes he is actually happy but then you capture a smile like this and it doesn’t seem so hard any more.

Gabe giving a big grin

And as for Toby  – I mentioned in last week’s Living Arrows post that we were making some progress with potty training… well on Wednesday he went to nursery in a nappy but after he used the loo at lunchtime they made him wear big boy pants – I’m not too sure if I’m entirely happy about that part but we’ll just gloss over it for now. He has only worn a nappy once since and that was only because I was scared about him having an accident in the middle of Sainsbury’s (and I was right to trust my instincts as he informed me in the yogurt aisle that he was doing a poo!).

Apart from that one poo in the nappy though he has only had one accident and I think that was because he was too busy playing. Every other wee and poo has gone in the potty or the toilet. He has been out in the car, to baby & toddler group, to the garden centre, to the supermarket…he’s used public toilets (with the help of a training seat) and generally just been brilliant about the whole thing.

And not only has he not been wearing nappies during the day, for the last four nights his night nappy has been dry too. I actually think he’s been pretty much dry at night for quite a while but he always used to wake up and immediately do a big wee in his nappy. That wee is now being saved for the potty. So it looks like, after our initial struggles, he might end up being dry day and night at the same time!

I’m so proud of my biggest boy. He can still wind me up in an instant but then he is three after all, and he flashes me one of his lovely smiles and I can’t stay cross at him for long…

Toby and his lovely smile

Work starts on our new kitchen tomorrow and we’ll probably move out to my mum and dad’s house for a few days so it’s all going to be a bit hectic for a couple of weeks. Hopefully I’ll still manage to get some pictures of my boys and I’ll see you next week for another Living Arrows.

Living Arrows
- Sarah 3 Comments

Siblings // Toby and Gabe in October

Another month gone since my last Siblings Project post and things are much the same for my two boys. A lot of the time they simply seem to exist in the same space. They are both such mummy’s boys and are really starting to compete for my attention now. I keep telling Toby that I’ve got enough love for both of them, and enough arms to hold them both, but when they both need me it isn’t always easy. I love this picture from a couple of weeks ago though, that shows just how I can be there for both of them. If you follow me on Instagram you might have already seen this photo but I wanted to include it here too. We were out for a walk up a local hill, I was carrying Gabe on my back but Toby wanted me to pick him up every time a dog came near us. I was pretty tired by the end of the walk but I’ll always carry them both when they need me too…

my brothers both need their mummy to carry them sometimes

but we are seeing more moments of a real sibling bond developing between them. Just yesterday I took them out to lunch by myself – it was only to the cafe in Sainsbury’s but I think it’s actually the first time I’ve taken them both out to eat by myself. I found a table right next to the food counter and left the boys there while I went to order the food. I had given them the little box of snacks I carry around in the changing bag, it only has breadsticks and rice cakes in it but I thought it might keep them happy for a few minutes. Toby is not known for his sharing, he’s much more likely to keep things for himself, but when I looked over he was taking things out of the box and giving them to Gabe, and even holding them up for him to take a bite of. Definitely a step in the right direction.

When we got home I decided to try and take a few pictures of them together as I hadn’t really taken any since last month’s post. Toby wasn’t really in a smiling mood though – all I got was silly faces. So for this month, these will have to do…

toby-pulling-faces

toby-and-gabe-in-october

is-toby-giving-gabe-a-hug-or-just-squashing-him

toby-and-gabe-still-cuddling-just-about

And then I think Gabe had had enough of Toby’s rather vigorous cuddles…

gabe-has-had-enough-of-tobys-cuddles

Maybe by next month Gabe will be walking and then Toby really will have his own little shadow.

The Me and Mine Project
- Sarah 3 Comments

Living Arrows 41/52 (2016)

Honestly I feel like all I do in these posts is whinge about how tough things are but the last week really has been a hard one. I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Gabe was getting his first molars – well in the last few weeks all four of his molars and one of his canines have cut and I think another canine might be on the way. The teething (and possibly still a reaction to his immunisations) has meant he has had very horrible nappies for a whole week, and all of that has led to some very sleepless nights. Hopefully now all the teeth have cut, and his poos are solid again we are over the worst of it. And perhaps he might even get a bit of a break for a while.

There has been a lot of crying over the last week but it’s not all been tears – Gabe is a trooper and has managed a few smiles in there too with his cheeky chops – and you’ll just have to excuse the biscuit crumbs!

Gabe managing a cheeky smile despite teething

Toby has been really good this week – we’ve not been able to do very much because of Gabe’s exploding bottom so he’s had to spend a lot of time in the house. I wrote last week about his potty training struggles but we are making some progress. He is still insisting on wearing nappies but, at home at least, most of his wees are ending up in the potty. Every one of those stickers you can see in this week’s photograph represent a wee that made it in there. And yesterday he even did a poo in the potty too! I really think I need to just let him do it in his own time and he’ll get there soon enough.

Toby's stickers on his potty - one for every wee

Apologies for the excessive poo mentions in this post – hopefully normal service will be resumed next week!

Living Arrows
- Sarah 1 Comment

Remembering Childhood // Belle du Brighton

Last week I was remembering my childhood in the first post in my new series. So now it’s kicking off properly with the first guest blogger. First up it’s Lauren from Belle du Brighton.

lauren-belle-du-brighton

Which decade were you born in?

I was born in the 80s! (1984 to be exact!)

What is your earliest memory? How old were you?

I was about 3 and I distinctly remember telling my mum I could DEFINITELY feel a frozen pea under my mattress so was actually a princess.

What was your favourite toy at 5 years old? At 10?

At five it was probably toy trucks and cars, I loved them! At ten I was into more girly things like Sylvanian Families and dolls pushchairs.

Do you still have any toys from your childhood?

I have one hand puppet (a mouse!) And my mum has a Sylvanian Family caravan in storage somewhere!

Who was your favourite pop group/artist as a teenager?

I didn’t get into music until quite late on in my teens, and never really had a favourite, but I knew all the words the No Doubt’s Tragic Kingdom album, then after that I got into Muse, Placebo and the like.

What was your favourite TV show(s)?

Oooh… so many. I was a CBBC kid rather than Citv. I remember a lot of Blue Peter,  the Wild House, and Grange Hill and Byker Grove too!

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

The Little Mermaid. I went with my friend and her mum and they still had cartoons before the main feature!

Do you have any dodgy haircut/ outfit memories that you’d rather forget?

So many dodgy outfits. I remember wearing pastel checked jeans from Tammy Girl with a red checked shirt. Urgh, what was I thinking!

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A vet! Needless to say I’m not a vet.

If you could go back to being a child again what age would you choose and why?

Ooh probably 11 or 12 ish. Old enough to go to the park and to town on my own so I had the world of freedom… or it felt like it!

 

Big thanks to Lauren for remembering her childhood – I’d totally forgotten about Tammy Girl, I spent many a Saturday afternoon there as a teenager!

Do come back next week when another blogger will be Remembering Childhood.

- Sarah 6 Comments

Remembering Childhood // Toby Goes Bananas

Over the coming weeks I’m going to be sharing some childhood memories from other bloggers. I don’t know you but I love reminiscing about my childhood, talking about the toys I used to play with and looking at old photos.

Before I start sharing the responses I’ve been collecting from other bloggers I thought it was only right that I share my memories with you too.

Which decade were you born in?

I was born in the late ’70s.

What is your earliest memory? How old were you?

This is difficult because I think a lot of my early memories actually come from having seen photographs. (On a side note, I wonder if this will be different for our kids because there are so many photographs of almost every moment of their lives?) However, we went on holiday to Sweden when I was two and I definitely have memories of that holiday that don’t come from photos. I remember the campsite we were staying on had a brick wall at the bottom with a wooden door that went to beach. And I remember dropping my apple in the sand and my dad telling me to rinse it in the sea – I thought salty apple was very tasty and kept dipping my apple before taking a bite!

I actually remember the day before this picture was taken too. My mum had commented she should have had my fringe cut for the play group photographs the next day so I took myself off to her bedroom and had a go myself with the nail scissors and I remember doing it and thinking she would be so pleased!

me-aged-2

What was your favourite toy at 5 years old? At 10?

At 5 I had a soft toy panda that I got from London Zoo – he was wearing a little red bow tie and so had the imaginative name ‘Little Bow Tie’. I think I was just starting to get into Care Bears then and they were a big favourite for a long time. I collected all the pose-able figures, even the Care Bear Cousins. At 10 I loved playing outside on my bike or my roller boots. I think it was probably a prime age for Lego too – my brother and I had a massive bucket full of Lego that we played with all the time.

Do you still have any toys from your childhood?

I still have all my Care Bears and have just got them back out of the loft for Toby to play with. I’ve got a little knitted teddy (Little Ted) that was given to my mum for me before I was born, and I think there are still quite a few other soft toys in my parents’ loft too.

toby-playing-with-my-old-care-bears

Who was your favourite pop group/artist as a teenager?

In my early teenage years I loved cheesy pop – Kylie and Jason, New Kids on the Block, Bad Boys Inc, and a bit later Take That (Mark was my favourite – still is!). I remember going to the Smash Hits Poll Awards Tour when I was 14 or 15 and saw Ant & Dec and loads of other pop acts from the time – it wasn’t cool but I loved it!

What was your favourite TV show(s)?

We were only ever allowed to watch the BBC (I think so we didn’t pester my parents for things we’d seen on adverts!) – when I was younger I loved Play School, Blue Peter, and cartoons like Mr Benn and King Rolo. As a teenager it was all about Byker Grove and Grange Hill. Oh and Neighbours!

What was the first film you remember seeing at the cinema?

I went to see Transformers: The Movie at the cinema with my brother when it came out in 1986 so I would have been 8 at the time and he was 10. He convinced me to go by telling me I’d like it because there was a girl Transformer in it! My dad took us and then I think sat outside in the car while we watched the film.

Do you have any dodgy haircut/ outfit memories that you’d rather forget?

Oh my, so many! When I was 10 I really wanted a perm but my mum wouldn’t let me so we compromised with a straight bob and permed fringe!

straight-hair-and-a-permed-fringe-in-1988

The full perm came a year later, and was a proper poodle perm. And look at those glasses!

hideous-perm-and-glasses-on-my-11th-birthday

And as a teenager in the early 1990s I made some horrendous fashion choices – super baggy joggers, shell suits, purple jeans, hi-tops with the tongues stuck out…I wore it all. I’m very glad there aren’t too many photos around from that era! There is this one though – taken on holiday in Holland when I kept being mistaken for a boy…

dodgy-outfit-circa-1990

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Honestly? I really didn’t know. I did a lot of dancing all through my childhood and for a while I had dreams of being a professional dancer but I was never the right shape. And I had a vague idea that I might like to be a teacher – which is what I eventually trained to do, but not until I was 32.

If you could go back to being a child again what age would you choose and why?

I think I would go back to being 9 or 10. I loved primary school, I was in Brownies, I went to lots of dance classes, it was before I started worrying about what I looked like, or what other people thought of me and basically I just had a lot of fun.

So that’s it from me for this week – come back next week when another blogger will be remembering their childhood.

- Sarah 9 Comments

Living Arrows 40/52 (2016)

We are sometimes a bit rubbish about getting out and actually doing things at the weekend – there are always jobs to be done, I worry about disrupting Gabe’s nap routine, and sometimes we are just a bit rubbish and it’s the middle of the afternoon before we know it and we haven’t done anything.

Yesterday though, the sun was shining so we made an effort to get out. We went to Beacon Fell, which is a smallish hill about half an hour from where we live. You can park quite near the top so it’s not too much of a walk for little three year old legs.

Barry took loads of photos so I might do a full post about it another time but for now I just want to share these two for this week’s Living Arrows post.

40_52-16-t

It was a lovely sunny day but not that warm in the shade and I knew from experience it could be windy on the top. I’m glad Toby’s rainbow snuggle fleece still fits him though – it looks like it might see us through another winter!

For the second week in a row I am also in Gabe’s picture. I’ve only carried him on my back a few times in our Lillebaby but he seemed very happy yesterday. It’s really comfortable to carry him this way too. We did need a bit of a rest when we got to the top though…

40_52-16-g

Living Arrows