Mothers' day gift edit

This is the post you want to leave lingering on a tablet/phone/laptop for your other half to "accidentally" spot and buy you something amazing from your tinies. Because let's not pretend otherwise - you love being a mama but it's seriously hard work and why not have a little gift reward once a year..? Sure, once they're older you'll treasure their homemade gifts - and there's a brilliant idea for one below so lets hope the other half keeps scrolling - but for now, a little bit of luxury would be lovely, right?

Here's our edit of SEVEN amazing Mothers' Day presents - and the first one is that home-made cracker:

* I'm in-love with this family fingerprint heart art idea by a fellow blogger - it's not too much work and will look lovely on the wall. There are canvases at Hobbycraft for as little as £2 and fingerprint paint there too, then it's just a question of making a stensil and getting the kiddo(s) to do their very best fingerprints. The end result looks wall-good and is such a nice present for mamas/grandmas/etc.

Nursery Crimes - or, making it up as we go along..

* Guest post from Giles - first-time dad, PR supremo and creator of London dad blog YOU THE DADDY) * 

Even at just five months' old, our little boy Teddy loves the classic nursery rhymes and vintage lullabies of yesteryear. But - if you're anything like me - remembering the words to said nursery rhymes (and definitely anything more advanced than the first verse), is a feat well beyond the new parent skillset. 

So, to ensure our new babe still gets the benefit of these dulcet tunes, even when his baby-brained dad can't recall the actual words, I've come up with a simple solution. Engaging my mad riffing skills (Vanilla Ice, watch your back), while avoiding the temptation to just read the lyrics verbatim from my phone, I've taken instead to making them up. 

 

Of all the classic, difficult-to-remember nursery rhymes, I find 'Hush little baby' to be the easiest to bastardise, thanks to its slow ambling melody and simple rhyming structure...

Monochrome Spring Shopping

You know those chilly/rainy toddler days when it's too cold for the playground and you've done the library, you've no play dates and the thought of soft play makes you wanna explode? On those days, we hit a shopping centre. Tiny man loves the toy shops and people-watching and the inevitable apple that keeps him busy for ooooh 20 minutes - and I ... love shopping. 

The shops are full of Spring right now, but buying something light and bright and totally unsuitable until, well, who knows but probably May is just too frustrating. So monochrome is the best way forward - and Mothercare was so chocka with lovely bits for Tiny Man (and his tiny girl-friends' upcoming second birthdays) plus I spotted some black-and-white maternity bits in-store that were far nicer than anything I saw when pregnant with Tiny Man.. And here are some of our faves all together.