"Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments."

It's business as usual and Opeie's Diner and yesterday lunch time I decided to drop in for my usual 'block of chocolate sandwich'. It seems that the ever learning manager has been doing his research into food groups and the effect and importance it has on our diets. So as he took my order he told me all about what was on offer that lunch time.

His latest food delivery from the mighty wooden food Giants Bigjigs toys was the Healthy eating dairy food set. First off I didn't explain to Opeie what the product was from the label. Our dietary issues and choices mean that Dairy is not part of our daily food intake, but it's always interesting for Opeie to learn things about food through our views. Despite this, the look of the product is great, and Opeie's diner needs to be able to accommodate all customers. We love the crates that the food are stored in, they are so cute, and Opeie loved being able to stack them up in his cupboard space.

We spent some time learning about the food groups and what they do for your body. Opeie made me chuckle when he said 'can we get a picture of a coconut to go over the cow please?". Thankfully these days there a great selection of dairy alternatives so even if you have vegan or dairy intolerant children the product still works (apart from maybe the cow picture on the milk).

When we first opened the package Opeie went straight for the vibrant coloured fruit. I am a huge fan of wooden toys they always make me think of a time i would have loved to have been brought up in, when things were simple, and toys were hard wearing and respected by their owners. Don't get me wrong i love plastic and electronic toys but wooden toys are timeless. I know when the boys have outgrown these, unlike many of their other toys these will be packed away for future generations of our family (i can be safe in the knowledge these will remain in fantastic condition).

After going through all the foods, included in the set we had lots of fun chopping the food and using for toppings on our Bigjigs Cutting Pizza. I want to get Opeie involved more in the kitchen and role playing with play food has been a great starting block for learning about how food is prepared and the different ways of cooking each item. Mrs M is extremely creative in the kitchen so I'm sure Opeie will be knocking up some interesting dishes in no time at all.

Shift over and all that was left to do according to the manager was throw ones cap in the air and tuck into a tasty snack he had prepared himself, another great role playing, food related activity. Thanks Bigjigs Toys. x

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."

Being a stay at home dad there always seems to be so much to do in the house on a daily basis and as I like to prioritise our play time over everything else there just doesn't seem to be enough time to take care of it all. That probably sounds like I'm complaining a little but I wouldn't have it any other way, playtime is the most important part of our day. It's nice though when the children get a little older and they can help out with daily tasks and I can make it into a game, 'first one to tidy up the toys doesn't smell like the back of the bin van!'.

Mornings are always the most stressful especially getting Seth ready for school and making sure that Mrs M has everything she needs for work and were out the door on time. Thanks to our house becoming a sort of co-op of businesses, the opening of 'Opeie's Diner' has really taken the load off in regards to the making of breakfast. 

The Le Toy Van Toaster Set has been a life saver, fueling up the troops before departure and our happy little entrepreneur diner owner is more than happy buttering round after round of tasty play toast. The toaster has been used daily since the diner opened and I can see why, the vintage design is so cute and the spring action that pops your toast up when done is fantastic for children's role play. 

Opeie loves chopping and cutting when we're playing with the play food so being able to slice the butter with the knife and plate that comes with the set went down well and he loves serving our toast with plenty of butter and jam on. The chunky wooden design is great for younger role playing enthusiasts as its very robust and there's no fear of small parts coming off, which is great for us busy parents that need to pop out of their sight briefly at times.

I can see that the Toaster will continue to be one of Opeie's favourite role playing toys and its got me looking at the Other great items from the Le Toy Van Range. As Opeie changes his menu he'll need the appliances to keep up. I'm thinking that play baking will be next on our agenda. In the meantime Opeie can keep the buttery breakfast coming our way.

 

The Le Toy Van Toaster Set can be found at Biggamehunters.co.uk along with a great selection of Le Toy Van products that compliment the set beautifully.

"Never be a food snob. Learn from everyone you meet - the fish guy at your market, the lady at the local diner, farmers, cheese makers. Ask questions, try everything and eat up!"

While at a recent visit to Ikea our little play food enthusiast fell in love with their children's kitchen so as we had come to the decision to transform part of the boys room in to a laboratory for Seth we wanted to also do something as exciting for Opeie to wake up to on the big day. Ever since the boys had started playing with their play food we knew we wanted to get them a kitchen and start to build up a collection of children's kitchenware. With Opeie and Mrs M living with serious allergies and dietary issues, the food we eat and where it comes from is really important to us as a family so the fact that the boys actively take an interest in this during meal times and during their role playing is really great.

The plan for Christmas as with Seth's area of the room for a science lab was for Opeie to have his own little diner so that he could serve us and his toys (who are now used to his picnics) food till his hearts content, so while we were painting Seth's wall we were doing the same with Opeie's, creating an area of their room for role playing and food education. 

We had a great selection of products from various places and plenty of things from our kitchen for the boys to use making their playtime a little more enjoyable. The night before our Christmas myself and Mrs M set the area up ready for Opeie to wake up and it ended up looking really nice. 

Opeie was really excited about his new play area and it was great to see that Seth loved it too and was looking forward to playing with his little brother and teaching him what he had learnt from us in regards to food and its preparation. Today's culinary task 'Make some Opeie friendly chocolate' using the inside of his Advent calander as a mold. I'm sure Mrs M will be writing about this soon over at naturalveganecomom.com so check it out.

Opeie's Diner is now open for business and serves food daily. His specialty yesterday was potatoes with jam, delicious (organic potatoes of course). The area is so much more than a play diner, since playing with the play food this year it has helped Opeie with learning colours and counting, hopefully with the use of the large blackboard for his menu it will encourage reading and writing during the coming months. In the mean time though we can enjoy being served a plate of fish bones to accompany our pasta and cheese.

Along with Seth's Lab, Opeie's Diner has served as another great way for us to spend time playing together as a family and if the past few days is anything to go by both areas of the boys room are going to keep us very entertained.

"Food for the body is not enough. There must be food for the soul."

The food we eat is so important in our house, not only for the change in lifestyle and weight loss for me and Mrs M but also for making sure the boys stay fit and healthy, we never eat take away and spend a lot of time preparing food daily, especially fruit and veg. I'm sure it can be quite annoying for the boys sometimes when we're in the kitchen, especially for Opeie as he can't really join in due to sharp knives and other dangerous objects. That was at least until the postman came last week with a special package for the boys.

We try our best to involve the boys in everything we do and  the boys are treated and spoken to like adults which we both feel is really important when communicating with your children. Anyway back to special package. We've really been enjoying our time writing for The Toadstool and we've been lucky enough to review some great items. The toys are timeless and classy and clearly a lot of thought has gone in to the items they have chosen to stock, Which as a blogger makes writing about the products very easy.

This time round was a great selection of Haba play food and as I expected, the arrival of the new playing items caused excitement throughout the house and the boys couldn't wait to get playing. The new play food has recieved plenty of attention, especially the Haba play food bread which has definitely become Opeie's favourite, he loves chopping it up and then sticking it back together.

The Haba food has been great for getting the boys to join in with our food preparation too. Chopping carrots together was lots of fun. It means that while the weather is great at the moment we can prepare our meals outside while the boys play and prepare their own food next to us giving us the chance to spend more quality family time together as a family (who wouldn't want that). The food itself is great, unlike wooden play food (that can be dangerous when thrown about if you have very young children) the Haba range is soft and safe and because of this the fruit and veg has a great texture. The Farfalle pasta, cheese and cooked meats selection are made of felt and are great when making a play sandwich or laying out a cheese or meat platter

The new play items had the boys straight on to thetoadstool.co.uk after play, looking at what other foods they stock and they were not disappointed by the extensive range that they offer, everything you need for setting up shop or your own michelin star restaurant. The role playing session has pushed us closer to the purchase of the ultimate play kitchen but as we are saving for other things at the moment we may have to hold off until Christmas. You may see another post cropping up soon where we have designed and made our own out of lingering boxes.

After dinner was prepared Seth tried his hand at a little food art and created a very handsome looking Stepdad using his new food. I especially love my meaty cheeks with piercings and the fish mustache (although I'm not sure it would smell nice under my nose).

Our healthy eating and food education continues and thanks to The Toadstool and Haba our family role playing just got a little more food orientated, yummy.

"Eat to please thyself, but dress to please others."

Sometimes i don't think that Mrs M realises just how lucky she is. Not only does she get to rub shoulders with myself and the boys but yesterday she got to have a sit down meal with three comic heroes. I thought she would be so overwhelmed that she would have written this post herself!? Tut Tut Mrs M!!

You never see Spider-man going food shopping!!!

Going food shopping is grim! as my friend Chris put it tonight 'It's a chore'. It's not just the standing at the end of the checkout watching the final item getting swiped through and realising that you've spent 3 times what you had planned (although it add's to the experience) but more the aisle upon aisle of supermarket zombies walking around filling their trollies in a daze (that Includes me), there's something about walking through those doors that sends me into a trance and why is it I can never remember what I need? Even if we've written a list I still manage to forget something important like loo roll. Mrs M says I spend most of my time walking round with my head in the clouds, the supermarket just seems to magnify that.

Luckily today mine and Opeie's silent agreement has kicked in and he dropped off right before we arrived, Perfect timing. Thus leaving Mrs M to go in rather than me as she shops like a grown up and I'm more likely to hit the toy aisle and add a minifigure or two. well I have to add something to make the experience more exciting. If your a regular reader then you'll know that I love this time in the car to reflect, or in this case have a little man moan.

At least when we get home i can take advantage of all the goodies that Mrs M has picked up so at least that's something. Fingers crossed this is the last time we will have to come this week.  

Rant over...