"Behold the turtle. He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."

Last week we had arranged a trip to Build-a-Bear Workshop to see their new Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles range and build one to take home. The day before we had arranged to go, Seth came down with Tonsilitis and was really unwell. By the morning he really wasn't up to going anywhere and just wanted to stay in the warm cuddling mommy (I can definitely see the appeal).

Opeie was really excited about going so we decided to go ahead. Opeie kept assuring Seth that "we will make a special bear for you to make you feel better". Our boys are so cute, they are really concerned when the other is ill and do all they can to cheer each other up.

When we arrived at Build-a-Bear Workshop we were greeted by Karen, what I love about visiting our local store is that the staff are always so approachable and they make it about the children as soon as you walk in which I think is really important. We also saw a familiar face, Laura the lady that helped the boys with their valentines bears for nanny and auntie Lotty.

We were there to make ninja turtles which I thought was really fitting considering the boys were going through a bit of a ninja turtle phase recently, but also because it was something that took me back to getting ready for school in the mornings, eating my breakfast watching the TV show (back when they were heroes not ninjas).

With the TMNT movie just around the corner these are great for younger fans. I was expecting them to be costumes for the bears like the Spider-man and hulk costumes that we have already but the bears are actually turtles which I think is great and Opeie was really excited about it too. Laura asked Opeie if he knew which turtle he wanted and he said Raphael please and Michelangelo for Seth...

I was hoping there was going to be pre-recorded turtles voices to choose from but they had the TMNT theme tune instead which Opeie chose and had put in the bears hands ready for action. Then it was time for the stuffer which Opeie loves as he gets to stand on The peddle an make his new toy cuddly and plump.

With both turtles stuffed and almost ready for cuddling Opeie picked a heart for each and Laura told him to rub the hearts on his head so that the turtles would be intelligent and rub them on his muscles so that they would be strong and to give them a big kiss before going in. Seth's got extra kisses and Opeie said "get well soon Seth" adorable!

Once the bears were all sewn up and had their tracking slips inside (which I think is a great idea), we moved on to Opeie's favourite part of the visit, the fluffer. A lot of care went in to brushing those turtles and he made them extra soft and fluffy...

With the turtles stuffed, fluffed and ready for an afternoon of squeezes it was time to accessorise, they are Ninjas after all. Opeie knew exactly which weapons belong to which turtle so he knew what he was going for. Weapons in hand we made our way to the Dressing Room...

Raphael and Michelangelo looked great and Opeie was loving giving them a squeeze. They didn't belong to us just yet though. As with any adoption we had to fill in the relevant paperwork to make sure everything was legit. The last thing we would want is someone stopping  our turtle in the street saying 'Rodriguez you've come back to me' (I'm not crazy, Mrs M will get that).

Then it was time to pick up our birth certificates up before taking our bears to their new home. While at the till Karen told us all about how they have changed the parties and how they include free snacks for the children, which i think is a really nice touch to add to the experience. She also told us how build a bear are trying to lower their carbon footprint by beginning to phase out the cardboard boxes in return for reusable drawstring bags which Opeie loved as he got to carry his new friend on his back

As always a really enjoyable hour at Build-a-Bear Workshop, looked after by great staff. Everything we would expect from a store who's main aim is to make children happy.

"I miss the days when all it took to make me feel better was my teddy bear."

There's something really quite magical about being able to walk into a cuddly toy store and create a life long buddy for either yourself or someone you love. Build a Bear Workshop is a great experience for your children and I like to think that seeing the process of bringing your bear to life gives the owner a little more respect and admiration for their new furry friend. We've written about build a bear before and this time we wanted to bring our friends in on the fun too. After asking them to join us we found out they had never been before so the trip was going to be even more magical.

Our friends Lucie, Seth and Martha met us in store where we were greeted by Shab a friendly member of staff with a smile that was contagious. She introduced herself to the children and asked all their names putting the more shy ones amongst us at ease. Shab explained the process of the experience and then guided us towards the limp bears so the troops could pick their new friend. Although me and Mrs M don't celebrate valentines we thought it would be nice for the boys bears  to create bears for the other two important ladies in their life, Nanny Roo and Auntie Lottie. Seth picked a bright pink elephant and Opeie (as always) followed suit. Martha seemed to have the same idea but Seth (I'm going to have to start saying little Seth and big Seth or it's going to become confusing) decided he wasn't going to conform and chose a cute larger headed bear, which would have been my choice.

Time to chose a voice/sound, there was a great range to choose from but as the boys were making them for those two special ladies they decided to record their own voices to make their gifts a little more personal. Laura, another of the friendly cheerful staff gave the boys a hand, explaining what to do with the voice boxes.

One by one the children joined Shab at the stuffing machine to plump up their new cuddly pals. (Little) Seth went first and made it quite clear that he wasn't a fan of the sound coming out of the stuffer...

The others managed okay though.

After the stuffing they each picked a heart, well they each picked 'hearts', (little) Seth picked two fabric hearts, a kind of furry Dr Who thing going on, we were told about the 'beating heart' so that went in too and that's also when we found out about 'million hearts, million wishes, million ways to help' an initiative that Build a bear Workshop are running with the 'starlight foundation', there are special Purple Hearts that cost £1 and the money goes to the charity. Also Build a bear Workshop are also inviting their customers to share photos of their “heart ceremony”  across their social media profiles with the hashtag #shareukbabwwishes, for every image they will donate £1 towards the charity, it's a great cause. Back to our 'heart ceremony' Each of the kids ended up somehow with three hearts (little Seth) however ended up with four, an apparent record for our local build a bear, somebody call Guinness! Each heart though was lovingly kissed, held to their own heart and a wish was made. As you can imagine, with 14 hearts the trip was a lengthy one, but the kids were having a great time.

 Fluffing time, the children lovingly brushed their bears to make sure they were nice and soft ready for cuddling.

We now had four plump looking bears ready for squeezing but Opeie pointed out that they were 'nudey rudey' so we all moved on to costumes. There are a great selection off costumes in store. We left the children to dress their bears how they wanted. (Big) Seth and Martha chose bumblebee costumes, Opeie chose a hoody and jeans with boots and (little) Seth chose a skater outfit with a Dinosaur on a skateboard T-shirt.

Andy gave us a hand dressing our bears and they were all looking pretty dapper. The children were so excited and Martha and (little) Seth were giving their bears a great squeeze. I always say I'd love to be a child for a day and if i had the option a trip to the build a bear would definitely on the cards. The thing that always appeals to me about build a bear is how they have added the interactive element to toy shopping, kids love to get stuck in and know that they have completed something themselves which is why the whole experience is so amazing.

 Before adopting our new family members we needed to make sure that all the correct documentation was in order. Its great that they take your details because the bear is also given a barcode that is placed inside during the 'heart ceremony' just in case the bear is lost and is handed back in.

Our Build a bear Workshop experience had almost come to an end. The bears and their birth certificates were boxed up in their temporary bear carriers ready to be coloured in by the children when they got home.

 But we couldnt leave without reciting the bear promise at the front of the store. Laura led the way with the other staff hand on heart while we all followed suit. A fun ending to our exciting experience at Build a Bear Workshop. 

Thank you Shab, Laura and Andy for looking after us during our visit  and making the children feel at ease. The children left the store as excited as when we arrived.

The following day we arranged to see Nanny Roo and Auntie Lottie to give them their bears, as expected they were a little shocked but the smiles on their faces said it all. The boys were clearly very proud of their creations and the happiness they had brought to those two special ladies.

Happy Valentines Nanny and Auntie Lottie xxxx

"There will always be someone to take your place, but no one can every replace you."

Ive been feeling pretty guilty since last weekend, Me and Opeie went to see grandad and while we were there we decided to go and take my dad's dog Kizzy down the park. I went and got Opeie's pushchair out of the car and gave him Hulk Bear to hold. It was a lovely sunny hot day and we were out for quite a while pottering about. It wasnt until about 2 hours later that i realised that Opeie was no longer holding his bear.

I was really upset because we had made that bear together and i had recorded my voice for Opeie for when he squeezed it. Well yesterday we took a trip to Build a bear after dropping Mrs M at work and got a replacement which to be fair kind of made me feel a bit more guilty trying to pass this newcomer off as Grrrrrrrrr (the bear we had given life to originally). 

When i was driving home i started to think how bad i felt that while i was in there they asked me if i wanted to make the birth certificate, I explained what had happened at the weekend and i said no we have one from the last bear. So now i am harbouring a super hero bear with fake documentation, i really hope no one passes this information on to the authorities.

Anyway despite all this the new Grrrrrrrrr has settled in well and has been squeezed and thrown about by Opeie so he is now one of the Super team but it doesn't stop me thinking 'what is Grrrrrrrrr Mach 1 doing right now?' I hope he's being looked after.