I mean, really!

And here are the Stupid Security Contest 2003 award winners...

No, honestly!

Sling it to me, baby!

I don't know if anyone here knows the Baroness of Stormhold, but she has put her onstructions up for her sling. I didn't get to see it, but I'm told it is very good and SCA appropriate. It may even be period! It's over here if you want to have a perve.

Over on Popgadget, there is a quick blurb about a baby hammock for 0-4 month olds. Some our babies are now older, but this would be a really nifty thing to have, especially over summer. They go for the growth and development pitch, as most products seem to, but I would like to see a little more evidence supporting that. Anyway, have a look. If the thought of buying one's a bit much, I wonder how easy they would be to constuct?

Rehash of printable colouring pages...

I actually sent this around as an email a while ago now - but thought popping them here might be useful for those who didn't receive it the first time round...

I thought you might be interested in trying out some of the links for printable colouring in pages. I've tried to only include the ones that don't require you to register etc Might save you some time on a rainy day...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/printables/printcolour/ (heaps of kids based TV characters etc)
for older ones - http://www.bbc.co.uk/paintingtheweather/colouring/
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/sesamestreet/?scrollerId=art (elmo et al)
http://www.abc.net.au/children/makeanddo/print/default.htm (heaps of kids based TV characters etc)
http://www.nickjr.com/parenting/activity_finder/printables/index.jhtml (heaps of kids based TV characters etc)
http://www.hitentertainment.com/angelinaballerina/uk/index.html (only for angelina fans really...)
http://www.coloring.ws/animals.html (lots of animals - incl dinos!)
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/coloringbook/archive/ (more animals..)
http://coloringpages.net/coloringpages.html general
http://coloringbookfun.com/ general
http://www.robert-hutchinson.co.uk/tonka-trucks-clipart.htm trucks
http://www.bears.co.nz/games/characters.htm teddies
http://flagspot.net/flags/cbk.html flags
http://www.first-school.ws/ everything you can think of - themed index
http://www.dinosaurvalley.com/kidzone1.html dinos
http://www.kids.net.au/kidscategories/Kids_and_Teens/Sports_and_Hobbies/Drawing_and_Coloring/Printable_Coloring_Pages/Favorite_Characters
links to other colouring sites
http://www.crayola.com/activitybook/index.cfm?mt=coloractivities seems to change regularly

a truly crapulous piece of PC bollockry

I quite like that title, don't you? ;-)

I was given a bunch of parenting and baby mags a few weeks ago, from a lady who dropped her bundle early last year. some of the mags are quite decent, actually, while some are a little gosh! wow! you're having a baby!!!! type affairs. I didn't buy any while I was expecting the Dinghy, so I'm enjoying reading some of them. and discarding others. and getting cross at one or two.

the process has really gelled in my mind (it was there already lurking, you see) that I'm really sick of the whole he/she thing when it comes to writing about children. I don't mind which sex you choose to make a fictitious child when you write about it, Mr/Sister/Ms/Miss/Mrs/Dr Child-Specialiste. just bloody give the info up so I can make an informed decision, and I'm happy.

because otherwise you end up with truly stupid pieces of writing which try and pass themselves off as making sense. or even pretending to be written in the English language. I mean really.

check this little beauty from a UK, Pregnancy, Dec/Jan 2004:

Breastfeeding Question Time
Q: How long should I let my baby breastfeed for?
A: Let your baby feed on the first breast for as long as she wants to before offering him the second. This will enable her to have access to all the milk he needs to grow and gain weight. Taking her off before he finishes could also mean you start to produce less milk. Watch your baby, rather than the clock to decide how long to feed her.


arrrrhghghghgheehheggggegghhh!!!


my brain hurts. please, make it stop.

Time for a Rant

I was at Alex preschool on Friday for a puppet show- Murry Raine Puppets, it was really good!
I bumped into a member of the general public. She was giving her children muslei bars and the staff were taking them away because they have children who get anaphalaxis with peanuts at the centre. She was spouting off about how next year when the pre-school doesn't provide lunches anymore they would just have to stop these children from attending because it was too inconvenient for her to make sure that none of the food she was sending with her kids contained no traces of peanuts. I sort of made the comment that the allergy could kill children and she went right off about how those sort of children should not be allowed at a public preschool where she had to pay high fees for her children. If she was paying high fees her children should be able to eat whatever they want to etc etc.
I just thought it was a prime case of discrimination, just because some children were a bit different. Yes a lot of foods contain traces of nuts but there are a lot out there that don't and when her kids get to school they still won't be able to take these foods because the risk has become even greater, so schools are not letting children bring these foods to school anymore.
I also thought it was amazing how the problem was that it was incovenient for her, not that her children may have a hard time seeing their friends sick or that other mothers may have a difficulty etc. She pissed me right off. Mind you by this time Alex and I had decided we were not interested in this member of the general public so we had gone elsewhere, but she was still going off at the top of her voice to anyone withing hearing distance.

Arg I hate breastfeeding- sometimes!
I know that lots of you are no longer breastfeeding and I know that it is my choice, and sometimes I love it, but Sophie has just virtually cracked a ring around my entire nipple.
Now this sort of post is exactly why we have this blogg- as I don't think it would go down very well on For Battle!
I have found the advice from lactation consultants and everyone else who wants to have a say so annoying and mostly crap, that I have decided to let off steam. I am currently using a nipple shield until my nipple heals and then I will go back to feeding mostly because I enjoy the closeness it gives me. Finally weaning Alex to a bottle gave me a lot of freedom but I also missed it, so I am caught in the same double bind with Sophie. Breastfeeding is convenient because I don't have to sterilise, sometimes it is wonderful, particularly after the first six weeks and other times it is pure hell, as far as I am concerned it is much worse than labour and pregnancy combined at some times. Why do we get so much rubbish and conflicting advice from so called specialists when our own experiences and emotions over the whole issue are conflicting enough regardless of whether we are breastfeeding, bottle feeding, introducing solids early or late etc.

Sesame St is turning 37!

Now I know some may not find this an overly exciting fact, but...

Sesame St is turning 37!!!!!!

And for this little Wenchilada, who was glued to the set at 8am and 3pm every weekday (for maybe just that little bit too long) to watch Sesame St, this is indeed an auspicious occasion!

Mrs Davis has this to offer: The Lovely Mrs. Davis Tells You What to Think: Come and Play, Everything's A-Okay.

...and I thought, hey, maybe we could give it a shot...

Indie Romp

So apparently there is this whole genre of music out there called 'Indie Romp'. According to The Lovely Mrs Davis, there are heaps of bands out there catering for those of us with better taste in music, who would prefer not to be subjected to endless hours of listening to the Wiggles etc. I know this article has been around, but it's worth a read.

They Might Be Giants - Here Come The ABC's is brilliant so now I'm on the hunt for more music in a similar vein, though Persi seems to like jazz and singing on Mondays so maybe it's not going to be too hard a task.

I hate to get all political on your arse* but...

today I was trawling through the blogs. as you do. and over at Larvatus Prodeo was this post about a parenting magazine getting a flogging for it's front cover, namely, this -



- because a picture of a breast-feeding baby is obscene.

what the hell is that all about? thank you, conservative America, for completely missing the point about babies, mothers, a natural and fabulous process, and stopping mothers from feeling embarrassed about all of the above.

I won't write much more because a) you can feel my righteous indignation, and b) the following blogs/zines have done it for me - The Consumerist, Zulkey, and an article on the MSNBC website. Harry? if you're reading this, can For Rattle! borrow your sword for a while?

that is all.

* well, it's not really your arse I'm getting political on.

Hi everyone,
as no one has started to write anything yet I thought I would put a link up to the Sesame Site. It has all sorts of usful information on develoment of children and how to handle common problems such as tantrums, for those of us with older children.
The particular link I am putting in is for development of language skills from newborn to pre-school age but from there you can go to lots of other good stuff.
http://www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/advice/article.php?contentId=729&
I am also puting up a new photo of Sophie because I took one yesterday so I may as well show everyone how she has grown.