The art and science of asking questions is the source of all knowledge.

A couple of months back Opeie lost his first tooth and he was so excited about putting the lovely sparkly tooth under his pillow. There were a lot of questions being asked about the tooth fairy that day, so you can probably imagine his excitement when he woke up the following morning and found not only a cash settlement for his central incisor but also a very special note from his own personal tooth fairy, in very small handwriting...

Finding out that his toothfairy rides on a bumble bee or a ladybird when she is tired got that brain of Opeie's ticking and he had so many questions to ask. So, Opeie set about writing a note to put under his pillow for the next time he lost a tooth (which wasn't going to be too far away as he had another wobbly one). Last week while Seth was sitting wiggling one of his own wobbly teeth they both got into a 'mines going to come out first' heated conversation and before I knew it both boys were holding a tooth in their hand (never underestimate the true power of sibling rivalry). It was time to put Opeie's plan into action, but would he get the photo that he wanted?

It turns out that Penelope Sparkelbottom was more than happy to oblige and was excited that someone had seen past the money and wanted to get to know her. It made me wish I had taken more of an interest in my toothfairy all those years ago. I didn't think for one second that she would send Opeie a picture of herself, Toothfairies are very secretive right? That gappy little cherub of ours was so happy with the picture that she had sent, she really does have a dazzling smile!

I'm intrigued by the next line of questioning and Opeie is already trying to work out which tooth will be the next wobbly one.

Sending love to all those hard working Tooth fairies working those unsociable hours! x

'Mind the Gap!'

Its been hanging on for dear life for weeks, but finally Opeie's first tooth has come out. Watching him trying to coax him out during that time took me right back to trying to get my own teeth out when I was younger. I'd sit there wobbling, pushing and even twisting to get that sucker out. Being woken up crazy early to give us the good news wasn't the most relaxing way to wake up but the huge gappy smile and glowing face was a fun start to our weekend.

As expected Opeie is proud of his new gap and has found that when having a chupa chup the stick fits tidily in the space. Another great thing to have come from the toothy event is that Opeie has been introduced to his own personal toothfairy Penelope sparklebottom, who wrote him a lovely letter letting him know that the tooth was very clean and that sometimes when she is tired she rides around on the back of a ladybird or bumblebee (a classy way to travel). Of course Opeie has a huge list of questions for her and has requested a photo, so watch this space (Or gap!).

"Less is more. I truly believe in buying a few pieces with better construction."

I wasn't sure how I felt when LEGO Mixels were first released, for me they didn't bring out the same need to collect, that the minifigure range have done over the years but I was drawn in by the pocket money prices and tried to steer the boys towards then but with no joy when series 1 and 2 were released. It wasn't until series 3 that Opeie (while in our local toy store) asked if he could please give one a try. It was that day that I saw the true awesomeness of the Mixels range

Not only were they great for the price each bag was filled with some really interesting pieces like eyes, teeth and fun joints. If you are just starting out with LEGO the Mixels are a great way to build up your parts without breaking the bank and because unlike all of the big LEGO themed kits they are not trying to recreate anything from cult movies meaning that it feels more like LEGO taking a step back to how they were originally.

With the introduction of teeth and eyes in each pack even the youngest or most novice builders could create anything using the parts and pop eyes and teeth on and instantly have a new Mixel, amazing! With the release of LEGO Mixels series 6 me and the boys built GURGGLE (Glorp Corp), KRAMM (Weldos) and BERP (Munchos). As always the use of all LEGO's small parts and joints made for a really interesting mini build. As soon as they were built though we set about creating our own and me and Opeie had a 20 minute quick build while dinner was cooking.

LEGO Mixels Series 6 is definitely worth getting your hands on and with Christmas not to far away LEGO Mixels are the perfect creative stocking filler.

"Green is the prime color of the world, and that from which its loveliness arises."

I had so much fun with the last series of LEGO Mixels that I decided to do the same with series 3. I was really excited about the release of this series because of the colours. My purple bricks are running low because of a few custom pieces I've made for people and adding some extra bright green to play with will always be a bonus. But before a bulk of the parts disappear into our ever expanding collection i suppose we should build this adorable little characters.

When we first saw Mixels in the shops way back, the boys weren't the slightest bit interested. I spent ages trying to motivate them, but nothing. It wasn't just because of the parts I was interested though. These small intricate characters teach the boys a different side to LEGO building as the placing of the large number of small parts from each kit is really cleverly thought out. There has been so many times building these that I've thought 'I'd never thought to put those pieces together'.

What i love about the Mixels range is that because of the new eyes and teeth pieces it really opens up the doors for character building and its really simple for younger builders to create custom Mixels themselves. Opeie and Seth came up with this little cutie in minutes with the pieces on the table while we were building one of the characters. You can literally throw together any shape and add teeth and eyes and voila! a little Mixel.

My favourite character from the Glorp Corp was Torts, mainly because i like the use of the facial pieces, beak etc. The Mixels range really get me thinking about my own custom pieces and i love that about them. Its great to see the boys trying out new ideas too. Although some of LEGO'S larger builds are truly amazing i personally find the Mixel range quite inspiring.

It wasn't long before me and my mini helper had built all of this tribe and they looked great, i cant say they'll stay built for long though as we have big plans for the third post. Remember when i transformed Opeie into a Mixel? (at his request of course)....

...We'll be building something interesting for the last post so stay tuned. If you are thinking about introducing your children to LEGO (and i strongly recommend it for so many great reasons) then the Mixels range is great to kick that off without splashing out big money for starters, I guarantee you be hooked though.

"I will preach with my brush."

A few weeks back Gifts from the Pirates became one of the bloggers for mypure.co.uk. There was always going to be an appeal to work with them due to them having an ethically sound business and a great selection of organic beauty and lifestyle products. Being someone that takes the Ingredients that go into products seriously, a family that does their best to buy everything they can organically and the respectable writer I have become over the years you would think that my first choice of product to review would be a well thought out, researched product...

Nope! My childish side came out and I based my decision on the first thought that came into my head when I saw the product 'woah that looks like some sort of toothbrush for a comic book character, it's huge!'. Well my strong sense of Intrigue got the better of me that day so it was a Radius Original toothbrush for me and Mrs M and I couldn't wait to give it a try.

On arrival Mrs M tore it straight out of the packaging and marched to the bathroom, I was a little more reserved and read the packaging first and waited until my evening brushing routine. It was a thumbs up as soon as she returned but said initially it does feel a little odd having that much brush in your mouth.

My dentist informed me last year that I have an exceptionally small mouth and he finds working on my teeth a challenge at times so I was interested to see how I was going to manoeuvre the brush around my mouth. Turns out it isn't that small and the brush found its way round with the greatest of ease. Mrs M was right it does feel odd to start but as I got into my 3 minute routine I was impressed at how nice it felt almost massaging my gums (part of the design size is to stop your gums receding with gentle massaging above the teeth). We've never been the sort of people to buy cheap brushes unless were caught short and I've forgotten to pack them on a weekend away but £10 did seem a little steep. I took that thought back straight away though as it glided along my front teeth, this is a great brush, when you look into the materials used for the brush you can see why it is slightly more expensive. The handle is made from wood cellulose and the bristles a planet friendly castor bean oil. Radius do boast that the quality of the brush is so superior that it lasts around 3x longer than most brushes on sale, up to 9 months, i think that's pretty amazing and suddenly the cost doesn't seem an issue at all.

beacause of the size of the handle a lot of thought has gone into the shape and its really comfortable to hold, yes i know most people would say 'its just a toothbrush' but i can guarantee most people will be drawn in on the first use. As the large handle is shaped perfectly for your hand it is also available for left handed brushers too. A great comfortable brush and worth every penny, I'd be interested in trying one from the Scuba  range. One of the things i loved most about this toothbrush aside from it being better for the environment was there was no build up at the base of the bristles it stays completely clean once run under the tap.

A great bit of kit and the quality and style you would expect from a product stocked by Mypure.



 

"Even pearls are dark before the whiteness of his teeth."

We've been worried about Opeie's teeth for some time due to stains on his front teeth. We had no idea why they were there as the boys are really good at taking care of their gnashers and we NEVER have fizzy pop and Sweets and Chocolates are not something they have a lot. Not because we are militant about their diets but because they are happy having fruit and other healthy alternatives. Last week we were booked in for our 6 month check up and i had made Opeie his first appointment to try and get him used to going.

The few days building up to it he seemed really excited about going and being one of the big boys but on D-Day the mood changed and he decided "i don't need to go to the dentist". We picked Seth up from school and drove to our appointment and Opeie seemed a little relaxed and excited as we sat in the car and brushed our teeth (a little pre-appointment ritual that we started when Seth had his first visit). When we got in to the Surgery Opeie was back to square one so i told him 'maybe you could just sit in the chair today?' that was enough to set him off in to floods of tears so i told him we would leave it for that day.

After me and Seth had had our mouths fished around in i picked Opeie up for us to leave and the Dentist said to Opeie 'would you like to give me a big smile and show me your teeth?' Opeie happily obliged and then Opened his mouth too so that the Dentist could see what teeth had come through and to give me some peace of mind that his teeth were in fact fine and also to confirm that the reason his teeth are stained is most probably because of Mrs m being so ill during the pregnancy, which is something we had thought, Phew.

We may not have got Opeie in the chair but the most important part was that he got his pegs looked at. I'm so proud of him he was a really brave boy!

"The trick is growing up without growing old."

I have a lot to thank Nintendo for, they unknowingly helped to shape my childhood and my development from an early age. I remember how excited I was when we got our NES console and how great it felt holding that Duck hunt gun and shooting at the screen, it was the cutting edge in video games and I couldn't get enough of it. When I was at school you were either in the Nintendo gang or you were Sega and while some of my friends spent their free time at home with that jumped up hedgehog Sonic, I was a Mario boy through and through. Because of this, over the years I have owned every console they have released, apart from the 3ds, I'm hoping one of those will find its way to me at some point soon.

Nintendo will always be special to me and Seth, a few years back when we found out Opeie was on his way Mrs M fell very ill and was in and out of hospital through the pregnancy, I feared the worst and because of this me and Seth would spend a lot of our days hanging around the hospital waiting to see Mrs M. I decided to buy Seth a DS to keep him entertained, i did think at the time maybe he was a little to young for it but he was instantly hooked and within a week I had brought myself one and we would sit in the hospital cafe or under the huge weeping willow on the grounds playing together. I guess it kept our minds off what was going on inbetween visiting times. Our gaming sessions is something that has continued ever since, It kept us fully entertained during our recent long haul flight and we have all been happily playing Mario together earlier.

Our gaming party of two has now increased to three and Opeie seems to be even more interested in handheld gaming than us. Ever since being sent the 2ds by Nintendo for our holiday, Opeie has become an addict and considering he hasnt even turned 3 yet he is pretty good. I know that gaming gets some bad press especially when it comes to younger children but I really think that it is good for Opeie's development. It's challenging, helps to finely tune his fine motor skills and his hand eye coordination has been amazing because of it, it's also great for strategic planning. We do so much with Opeie and he has such variety in his day to day activities that a little bit of gaming is nothing to worry about.

As I said at the start of the post I have a lot to thank Nintendo for and most recently something very unexpected, Nintendo's  participation in the cleaning of my boys teeth, we've always had a problem with Opeie when it came to cleaning his teeth but it seems that since having the 2ds to play with his dental hygiene has taken a pleasant turn and toothbrushing has now become effortless. Another win for Nintendo and a continuing dedicated following at Gifts from the Pirates.

"When you see me outside With my wind-swept hair Riding by with my wheel in the air You'll never see me happier "

Opeie's tooth brushing routine has been a battle. In comparison to the potty training that will inevitably come soon it's probably nothing but we have finally made it to brushing twice a day with no tears. He will only brush his teeth with one song playing now and were so thankful for that song. So to the Aquabats thank you for all your help in the cleanliness of our boys teeth, as super heroes you really are the real deal...

"I like to see life with its teeth out."

Over the last few months Opeie has become a nightmare with both bathing and brushing his teeth. The bath thing i can kind of understand, he was fine until he moved one day when Mrs M was washing his hair and he got most of a cup of water in his eyes so i think when he gets in the bath now he is quite anxious about that happening again. Luckily were both very patient parents so we will get him back on track soon.

The tooth brushing saga seems to be coming to an end now with the help of some special toothpaste that Opeie seems to like and the Aquabats super show. It has become Opeie's and Seth's favourite show. Weve had a few off days but that's mainly down to teething issues but overall he is getting a lot better. It does also make things easier when Seth is next to him brushing his pegs too.

As random as it is when you watch the video as it wont make much sense to you without watching the show (saying that the the whole show is quite random, a cross between power rangers and Garth Marenghi's darkplace) this is the video we have to have on while Opeie is brushing his teeth

enjoy...