"How stylish of you to joust in an antique, you'll start a new fashion if you win. My grandfather will be able to wear his in public again, and a shield, how quaint. "

The four of us spend plenty of our time reminiscing about the holiday we had back in November. There was so much fun crammed into our two weeks in Orlando and its something we will never forget. For each of us the things that we look back on are different but the two younger members of our family were changed by one Knight out!

Knights, castles and all things medieval have been on the forefront of our play time over the last few months. The boys love a good rumble especially if it means loading ourselves up with an armoury of weapons to use during battle. There's nothing wrong with a bit of play fighting as long as everyone's safe and watching what they are doing. Role playing is a big part of our playtime and when we are play fighting you can be sure that i will always be the bad guy and have to defend myself against miniature foes. 

Thanks to thetoadstool.co.uk the youngest of our army can now relive his Medieval experience any time he feels, donning the finest in battle attire. The Haba Henry the Knights Armor is a colourful attention grabbing take on a knights dress up, making Role playing from days of old a fun and comfortable experience.

Since receiving the outfit our little warrior has wanted to play knights every day, and who could blame him. Nothing screams 'brawler' more than a big green dragon on your chest breathing fire. Unless you have a sword, shield or other accessory (which luckily we had) you may want to consider buying the accessories that come from the Haba Knight range. The one thing i found disappointing about the outfit is that each part is sold seperately. I think when you are purchasing the Armour it should come with the helmet and one of the accessories as it would seem a little lost on its own. Needless to say though, our armor wearing, sword swinging play fighter has not wanted to take it off and this weeks theme at Opeie's dance class was dress up so you can image what he wanted to wear.

now that its half term i think i can feel a knights helmet craft session on the horizon to compliment our new outfit so stay tuned.

The Henry Haba Knights armor can be purchased from thetoadstool.co.uk along with the other great items from the Haba knight range and with world book day just around the corner what better way to celebrate than marching round the playground as Prince Caspian or a member of Prince Johns army from Robin hood.

All that's left to do now is fight....

CHARGE!!!

"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.

"What is there more kindly than the feeling between host and guest?"

I had big plans for getting out and doing something this morning with Opeie but as i dragged our wheelie bins down the path before getting in the car to take Seth to school i buttoned up my coat and watched the steam come from my mouth as it hit the cold air, it was freezing. Winter is well and truly here. We loaded the troops into the car and as i looked back in the mirror before heading off i saw snot running down Opeie's face almost reaching his lips, ewww! it was clear that we weren't going anywhere today. We did our usual rounds and when we got home i asked Opeie what he wanted to do? "Picnic with my toys!". A boy that knows exactly what he wants, nice and easy for me.

I went hunting for our parasol that has been in the cupboard under the stairs since the warm weather upped and left, i thought I'd go for a sunny day kind of picnic, we didn't want the make believe sunshine melting our Haba cheese after all. Opeie loves role playing with his play food and he loves feeding his toys. I guess he sees me helping him all the time with things and then wants to recreate that with his favourite characters.

As always there were no shortage of guests and on the menu Haba's finest cuts of meat, fruit and vegetables and a cheese selection that was worthy of the finest imaginary crackers, all courtesy of The Toadstool. Opeie likes to be the head chef, Waiter and Host and as he served up the food he made idle chit chat with his guests.

I really love how much Opeie loves role playing and it is so good for his development. Its great for his speech and his confidence and its so nice to play with him and listen to all of the things he has picked up from us, the books he is read and the programmes he loves. His love of play food is what has been the driving force for his Christmas present this year. Since receiving these from The Toadstool they have become one of the firm favourites during play time and i cant recommend them enough. If you are stuck for something to buy your toddler then look no further than this great site that has a huge selection on offer. These are perfect as stocking fillers. Word got round about what was being served and toys were queuing around the block.

Play food isn't all about the roleplaying, as a toy and as a learning tool it can be very versatile. Finding coloured plates and then organising the food on to the correct plates by colour is a favourite game of Opeie's and with the smaller items like the cheese and meats you can make fun counting games. Its one of the great things about playing with your child, whatever you are doing they are always learning, taking everything in.

It didnt get any warmer outside but with warm food in their bellies and endless cuddles from a very loving host the toys and Opeie continued to have fun throughout the afternoon.

For a great selection of soft play food perfect for your role playing children visit thetoadstool.co.uk

"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.

"At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talkwell but not too wisely."

If you're anything like me, you kind of dread the words 'can my friends come round for tea?' Loads of over excited children running about and generally making a racket. Are they going to destroy the house, What am i going to cook, most people don't eat like us. Luckily our first experience of Opeie's friends coming round for dinner was effortless and relaxing. A nice bunch of friendly characters who were happy to eat whatever they were given no questions asked.

Together me and Opeie lay down a blanket, sat everyone at their places and set out the plates and cutlery. It was a casual affair so no need to break out the silverware (if we even owned any) and on the menu was a selection of fine cooked meats a smorgasbord of tasty cheese, pasta, vegetables, potatoes and a grilled meat selection for the meat eaters amongst them. For dessert, freshly picked Pears, Oranges and Bananas, Our food had been carefully prepared by the culinary genius Haba using only the finest Ingredients and materials. Food that was suitable and safe to be served up by a 2 year old and he loved every moment of being the party host/chef (we're definitely going to have to buy that kitchen for christmas)

Opeie spent time lovingly slicing a loaf for his guests...

There were plenty of greens and veg for the herbivores in the party...

Everyone was having a great time, the food was enjoyed by all and the great company and surprisingly Intelligent conversation made it a perfect afternoon with friends. Buzz and woody kept us entertained with their witty humour which kept us all struggling to keep our food in our mouths due to uncontrollable laughing.

Opeie had lots of fun with his friends at lunch time and I'm sure they will be joining us again soon, everyone left with full tummies and a glow in their cheeks from all the smiling.

The Haba play food has been a fantastic addition to our play times and these role playing activities are great for Opeie's development. The soft materials used my Haba are great as it gives younger children the confidence to play how they want with it without the possibility of hurting themselves (like with some of the heavier wooden foods aimed at slightly older children).

All the food mentioned can be brought from thetoadstool.co.uk and they have a fantastic selection, I'm sure our friends will be round for tea again so we'll have to get looking what culinary delights we can serve for next time.

"I have lost something. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know I didn't always feel this... sedated. But you know what? It's never too late to get it back. "

Have you ever walked down the street and spotted a child's toy lying on the side of the pavement, a lonely shoe or a single glove? whenever i see one i always feel a little sad at the thought of the poor child that's missing it, if they have even realised. That was us today, missing a toy and we didn't even know it yet. Today as i cleaned the kitchen i started to think 'i wonder how that toy would feel if it had feelings?'

Because I'm probably a little crazy and I'm always randomly coming up with strange ideas (usually when I'm washing up), i decided tonight i was going to indulge myself and let one of my ideas be the basis of the post. There's many great films out there that start off at the end of the film, the closing of the main story or an event that follows and then they back track to the beginning. Pulp fiction or Sin city for example. One of my favourites and my theme for the post is 'American beauty'.

So now I'm going to leave you in the capable hands of the star of the show, our lost toy...

"My name is Mr Fish. This is my neighborhood. 

This is my street. This... is my life. 

I'm about 5 hours old. In less than an hour, I'll be dead...

Of course, I don't know that yet.

But lets go back to where the story began.

It all started at around 10am, i was freed from my beautifully decorated bubble wrap cocoon.
I was from a place called The Toadstool,
A magical place where they find homes for new toys like me.

My new owner, a handsome looking boy,

blonde flowing locks and a smile that was contagious.

He barely put me down all morning, taking me everywhere he went.

It was bliss.

Look at me, Skeleton hanging out of my body.

This will be the high point of my day. 

It's all downhill from here.

At around three i was taken outside by my new owner.
He's only young, he doesn't understand, he dropped me in the street.
I was alone in the world and as i lay there in the pouring rain,
i was ignored by many passers by, left with no chance of survival.

I guess I could be pretty annoyed about what happened to me... 

but it's hard to stay mad, when there's so much beauty in the world. 

Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, 

my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst...

...and then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, 

and then it flows through me like rain 

and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life...

You have no idea what I'm talking about, 

I'm sure. But don't worry... 

You will someday."

Now i'm not going to leave the story on a bad ending that's not my style, plus you have already seen the picture of Mr Fish lying in the rain so you may have already guessed that he found his way back to us. On the way back to the car we saw him in the street. I had no idea that Opeie had even taken him out of the car, let alone dropped him. But there he was with his cold dead eyes looking up at us. He wasn't gone forever and with a little resuscitation from Opeie he was back to his old self.

So if you do ever see that lost toy, lonely shoe or single glove spare a thought for the owner, pick it up, leave it on a wall they may be back shortly to collect it. We were one of the lucky ones and Mr Fish will get extra love now off Opeie because of it. Thanks The Toadstool.

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

Were becoming increasingly aware of how important it is to help Seth understand how to use a  computer. His occupational therapist and physio are always telling us it would benefit him, which we know so we let him go on regularly and explain how things work. Seth has been learning recently about 'Money' at school and this has spurred on many inquisitive questions about 'Shopping online', Seth asks questions like "how do they give you change if you pay to much?" and "what happens if you want to take it back, how do you get your money back?". As we do a lot of shopping online the best way to show Seth how it works was to let him buy something himself so after i explained bank cards and Paypal to him we got to it and he was very excited.

Seth had the option of picking something to buy and going through the checkout etc. One of Seth's first questions was "what's the password to your Paypal?" was this going to be a very bad idea??

After receiving our Pirate dress up set a couple of weeks ago we had been mooching through The Toadstool.co.uk at what other things we liked. Seth had the budget of £10 to spend so i showed him how to search for items by price (starting with the cheapest) and left him to his own devices. Innevitably there was a few "i don't know how to get back on that page" which you would expect from an overzealous happy clicking child but over all Seth was confident with what he was doing.

Seth went through every page between the prices of 0-£10 about 6 times before deciding what he wanted and when he finally made his decision Seth did his usual loving and very thoughtful thing and told us that the reason he had picked this item was because he thought Opeie would really like it (He's so selfless). Seth chose the Haba play food fish as he has told us he would like lots of play food so that he can do some kitchen role play with Opeie (he loves helping us cook and bake and wants his brother included).

We explained the cost of the item against the budget but i think its harder to explain the concept of money to a child without having the coins and notes in front of them. There are some great online pocket money sites such as Virtual Piggy which is great for safe purchasing and pocket money saving online. Although i think this is a great concept i don't think that we as a family would benefit from it. Seth is saving up his pocket money for something very important (which you will find out about soon) and we have been giving him 50p every day for quite sometime if he finishes small tasks off before bedtime which he always does. I think from a saving point of view this works out better for us and Seth has a better understanding of money and its value because of it.

Seth found the checkout part interesting but said it would be better if you could just stick your card or cash in the side of the computer like at the Asda self service checkouts.

I think in the next few years Seth will become more interested in Online shopping, its great to have the things you want at your fingertips and the fact that there is so much more variety available to you as a shopper is what draws people in. I'm sure that in the meantime there will be plenty of Seth's time spent window shopping through his favourite toy shops but i wont be giving him my Paypal password just yet.

"A Pirates life for me"

Why would anyone not like role play?, It's fun to not be yourself every now and again and when the boys are in the mood for dressing up and acting out whatever crazy scenario's they can come up with i like to think i fully embrace it. Ive opened the door to the postman in all manner of outfits. Opeie is really starting to get into it more and wants to be involed in what ever his big brother is doing. Seth's been going through his 'i want to be a Goonie' phase at the moment and it came to my attention that you cant have Goonies without pirates, we were definitely short of any Pirate attire so after finding out about The Toadstool a few weeks back we put in an order for their Haba Captain Charlie Pirate Hat and Beard and Captain Charlie Pirate Sword.

The postman knocked today and Opeie jumped up and ran to the door and when i saw the stickers on the package i knew it was his new dress up items. When we opened the package Opeie shouted 'Pirate' and 'arrrggghhhh'. This was going to be a fun afternoon.

The beard is really soft, detailed and beautifully made, you can tell just by looking at it that it is a well made and safe product which i loved as it meant it was comfortable for Opeie to wear and there was no itching. The beard could be unattached from the hat and moved around by velcro which is great for getting the positioning of your face right. The sword is also soft and flexible too which is great for those overly energetic role players that get carried away in battle (there will be no tears on our ship). What i love most about Haba toys is the fact that they are eco friendly and have a great ethos which is really important to us as a family as we like to do our part when it comes to being green. Opeie was one happy little pirate and after running about wielding his sword for a while we decided to get down to some pirate themed craft, still wearing his hat of course.

It then came to my attention that when Seth came home from school he was going to want to be a pirate too so after reading a facebook status update from The Toadstool earlier in the day about their 'Earth day competition' and keeping in with the Haba ethos we used the packaging that the items came with to make another pirate hat and Sword. Genius if i do say so myself. two hats and swords for the price of one and two very smiley boys.

Well it turns out that Captain Seth was having big problems with his crew. Everytime his back was turned they were all after his bottle of rum. Boldhead blackbeard (that would be me) especially likes a tipple (helps with the scurvy) and he was doing the best he could to remove it from his possession with the help of his helper Jollypinkboots (Opeie)...

Captain Seth was having none of it and things soon became heated...

Luckily i invoked the the right of parlay! According to the Code of the Brethren and the fighting was over and we all became friends and sat down to a glass off rum...

*Giftsfromthepirates in no way encourages underage pirate drinking!!!

Turns out Captain Seth can't handle the strong stuff so in no time at all we were brawling again...

Seth has informed us tonight that as soon as he is back from school tomorrow we are having a pirate battle again (can i make a cardboard pirate ship in that time?). Its got me thinking of other role playing items we need so i went mooching on thetoadstool.co.uk again and found some great items including the Haba Knights Helmet and all its medieval counterparts and a great looking Doctor's Suitcase.

Haba Captain Charlie Pirate Hat and beard for ages 3 - 33