"A fox is a wolf who sends flowers."

 I uploaded the photos to this post about a month ago and its crazy to think how many other fox photos we have taken since then. I cant believe what started as an occasional fox spotting almost 2 years ago has now turned in to this family game wherever we go. I can only hope this goes on in to the boys teens as it really has been a lot of fun. My favourite was the fox sticker we spotted on the back of a lamp post in Covent garden and a book about pooh that we spotted in the Tate the same day (including, yes you guessed it! Fox pooh).

Enjoy....

I thought id finish the post with the ultimate fox, i randomly typed in LEGO fox in to eBay and this Chima fox popped up, how did i let this minifigure slip my attention!! Anyway until next time, happy hunting.

"See the boys and me mean business Bustin' out dead or alive"

It has been a while since I have written a post about the music that is keeping Opeie entertained. He still surprises me daily with his eclectic taste. It makes me so proud as music is a big thing with me and Mrs M and the songs we love shaped the first few months of our relationship. I usually pick songs from 5 bands that we have been listening to but the last few weeks have been dominated by one band, and one of my own personal favourites at that.

When I was a young boy, I remember many car journeys with my dad listening to Thin Lizzy. Their songs were etched permanently in my head. Sadly i no longer have a relationship with my dad, and these distant times are some of the few good memories that I have left. Despite the negative feelings, it is still nice to have these musical encounters come full circle. Thankfully my relationship with Opeie is completely different to the one I had with my own dad and my view of parenting has me putting him first with everything I do.

Anyway back to Opeie's top 5, starting with Jailbreak, the Thin Lizzy song that Opeie can be found screaming to while pretending to play the guitar, a true Rock star in the making.

Opeie has a strange love of Shakespeare (well as much as a toddler could anyway), bizarre for a three-year-old I know but i will fully embrace anything he is interested in. When he first heard Romeo and the lonely girl he picked up on the character name in the song, and the track became a firm favourite...

Its not all about the epic guitar solo's and instrument thrashing, like his dad he is a sucker for the more mushy songs including running back and Southbound. He really does get in to his music its so cute.

And of course Opeie's top five wouldn't be the same without 'The boys are back in town'. Which is also Seth's favourite Thin Lizzy song. Opeie soaks up any music I introduce him to and he knows what he likes which is great. I will continue to send great music his way and who knows one day i might even be listening to his albums, Rock on!

"oh wow techno fear it's happening again, all the machinerys ganging up on me"

Its coming to that time of year again, when a good percentage of us parents go into panic mode about what to get our adorable little ones for Christmas hoping that Santa really has been taking notice of what our little ones are interested in throughout the year. As always electronic toys and gadgets are increasingly popular with children and the adult market is huge too (Mrs M is always telling me how many Nintendo consoles she sees during her morning commute). I imagine this time of year consoles and games are big business. I'm a Nintendo guy through and through and have been since the release of the NES many years ago. I've grown with them as a company so I am always excited when there is an awesome game promotion going on.

Clearly Nintendo is fully aware of the stresses and strains of Christmas shopping and has come up with a great Winter promotion giving you the chance to download one of the latest 3DS games for free, yes FREE! (and they are all great games). To do this all you need to do is register your Console (3ds/2ds) with Club Nintendo along with one of 3 3ds games, Super smash bros, Pokemon Omega Ruby or Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (original or limited edition Steelbook). 

Once you have your product Pin numbers to hand All you need to do is register them through the site (be aware that if you have bought either second had the product pin may not work). Once your products are registered all you need to do is Log into your Club Nintendo account 24 hours later and request your download code by clicking on the free game promotional banner. There is a great selection on games to choose from.

I was chatting to a parent while picking Seth up from school last week, and I was trying to explain the promotion (as I was really impressed by it). She told me she wasn't great with computers;, etc. and I thought 'i wonder how many people are going to miss out on this?' I know for some of us parents, knowing what to do with these consoles can be a little daunting, but this promotion is so awesome i thought id make the whole process a little easier with a step by step guide. Everybody needs a free Nintendo game in their life, plus this time of year shopping costs can really add up, Especially if a console is topping your child's Christmas list. Having a FREE installed game ready to go on the big day could take the edge off.

So you've got your new console and game, or maybe you haven't registered the ones you have, As I said now is the best time. Once you have gone through the set up process on the console its time to make the most of the winter promotion.

Step 1: Create an account on www. club-nintendo.com and then click to register your products...

Your product Pin can be found here (and you will find these inside all new Nintendo Software and Hardware):

Once you have entered the 16 character code into this page...

 All you need to do then is complete a short survey about your gaming preferences and where you heard about the products, etc and your console or game will be registered. You will also receive your stars that can be saved and used to buy fun items from the stars catalogue.

Once your Console and software are registered you need to leave it 24 hours before signing back into your account to choose the free game you would like using the promotional banner.

I don't want to sway you in your gaming decisions but i can strongly recommend Yoshi's new island and also Pokemon Art academy. If you don't believe me check out my art work (i know, i know, artistic genius).

You don't want to miss out on this great winter promotion and I hope I have made the whole process a little easier for you. If you are having problems though and have stumbled across this post on the verge of tearing your hair out, then drop me an email in the top left corner of the blog and i will guide you through it.

Thanks for reading and happy gaming.