"The score never interested me, only the game."

When we are given a product to write about my mind is flooded with ideas of what I want to do, it usually tends to be a little eccentric but then that pretty much sums me up. The problem I have is that no matter how great my directional skills are,my cast of actors being 6 and 2 have more of a spontaneous approach to the job in hand (I'd be lying if I said sometimes this doesn't turn out better though). Because of this I generally have to work with whatever I have to pull together.

The Janod animal domino's from thetoadstool.co.uk are a great little set perfect for teaching the classic game (which at 2 Opeie really doesn't understand), with the added bonus of animal domino's on the reverse, which was actually a lot better for Opeie as he loved the fact he had to keep checking to see if he had the animals bum (much easier for younger players). Although I'm not going to bore you with the script and big plans for the post, which instantly went out the window when fake mustaches were applied to the boys (never under estimate the level of excitement caused by a mustache). Anyway, The Janod animal domino's...

Available at thetoadstool.co.uk

Bigjigs Play Patrol Agents take on mission 3: Making a creative video review.

Becoming Bigjigs Toys Play Patrol agents has been great, the boys have loved being able to review their wonderful toys. Each mission has been a little adventure and as you may well know, we love adventure. Play Patrol mission Three came two weeks ago and this time round was something a little different. Our mission was to create a video (which is really out of my comfort zone) and be as creative as possible. I had a few great idea's but as you can imagine with two young excited boys it was difficult to get them to perform at the level i needed, i put this down to them both being method actors.

Anyhow after changing my idea half a dozen times i finally got the video finished using some videos i had taken over the last few days and some photos from previous missions. So for your enjoyment Bigjigs Toys Play Patrol mission Three:

All toys featured in the video can be purchased at http://shop.bigjigstoys.co.uk/

Sketchbook memories #2 - Opeie at 9 months sitting on Eames chair with Fisher Price ball

I found myself with half an hour to kill last night, Mrs M was in the kitchen making chocolate, the house was tidy and Opeie was fast asleep so i quickly grabbed my sketch book and pencils. Since stating my doodling again I'm taking every spare minute i can to do a quick sketch. Most of my favourite photo's are on the iPad, i have them on there because i like to have Opeie's early pictures easy to access, us parents always have nostalgic moments and sometimes i just need to see his little face as a baby. 

Today's sketch was from when he was around 9 months old, I had brought Mrs M an Eames chair for Christmas and we had placed him on there with various toys for pictures. There was a lovely one of him with Spider-man but the shot with the vintage Fisher Price musical ball seemed to have more character.

It's been a while since sketching faces and i really need some practice so hopefully they will get better with time. When Opeie saw the picture he said 'Baby Opeie'  so it cant be all that bad.

Previous Sketchbook memories posts...

• Sketchbook memories #1 - Daddy and Opeie at 6 weeks old

The little scientist gets a day out at Thinktank

We've all been having such a great half term and have managed to really make the most of it. Seth has decided recently that he's really in to science so we've been doing experiments at home. Yesterday we decided to take the boys to ThinkTank to fuel Seth's new passion and we were really pleased when auntie Lotty said she was going to come with us. We all love Lotty she's so much fun and yesterday was the first time Opeie said 'Charlotte' which was so cute.

 After picking Lotty up we headed to Birmingham, we were looking forward to having lunch at TGI's to start our adventure, Opeie had other ideas...

Typical Opeie, he's such a cutie though. Lunch as always was lush but in great Opeie style he didn't want to eat his. Lotty decided she was skipping lunch and went straight to dessert (my kind of girl).

After lunch (and colouring) we headed to ThinkTank and as soon as we walked through the entrance we were hooked, there was so much to do everywhere you looked. We really didn't know what to do first so after having a little wander about looking at fossils and a crocodile in the floor we asked Seth what he wanted to do and he decided he wanted to go to the 'Big bang Show'. The show was great with lots of explosions. I was so busy taking in what was going on around me that i didn't take as many pictures as i would have liked.

  My favourite part was the old cars and motorbikes...

After looking out of one of the windows and seeing the outdoor play area the boys were itching to get outside and play so even though it was freezing outside we headed out to explore the activities.

After the play area we headed home, it was getting on a bit and we wanted to miss the rush hour traffic (didn't really work out though). We didn't manage to get round even half of Thinktank as there was so much going on so were going to buy a years pass and go again soon. Only 3 days left of half term i cant believe it's gone so quick. Ill be counting down the days till the Easter holiday.

"I like the name Robson , it makes me think of honey" - Seth

Hello! It's Mrs M here!
Today we went to see Seth & Opeies Great-Great Grandmother, who is obviously my Great Nanny.
Nanny Robson as we call her is a beautiful lady, who we all love dearly. It was a bit of a bitter sweet visit as it was the first time we have visited Nanny since she moved into a care home.

Bittersweet because we are happy that she is in a home where she gets all the attention and help she needs being a lovely 91 years old, and lovely that she is nearer than she was... but I will miss her old house terribly.

When I was a little girl, we'd go and stay with Nanny every Summer while Mom and Dad went on holiday, or for a weekend away - my sister and I loved every moment! I remember fondly Nanny Robson teaching me to sew when I was about 11 years old, we were making peg dolls, and stitching them skirts to wear.  She also bought me my first sewing machine, which I used to death, sewing anything and everything from the age of 12-23. ( I'm actually suprised it survived so long!)

Nanny would make lots of things when we were younger, I vividly remember embroidered handkerchiefs being in a cabinet behind the sofa, fabric peg bags hanging from the washing line, and lots of pinnies, patched things, curtains, lace on blouses and re-upholstery around the house.

Today when we visited Nanny in her room in the 'old peoples hotel' - as Seth calls it, Opeie was a bit over whelmed by so many people being in a small room, so Nanny Roo ( my Mom ) got down a toy I'd never seen before. It was a hand made doll, apparently called Rose, when I asked Nanny where it had come from, she said " I made that for your Mom when she was about Seth's age, about 5"

Mom was brought up by Nanny, her grandmother, and Nanny dotes on Mom, which is lovely to see and watch, and Mom dotes on Nanny. Mom told me of how she remembers playing with the doll, and how Nanny would make lots of different outfits for her. Mom took off her bonnet, and said turn her over, and right there was a different face on the back, which portrayed the doll sleeping. It was so lovely, so vintage and so Nanny..... every stitch had been lovingly sewn for her granddaughter almost
 45 years ago.

I think it is lovely to make your children and loved ones things that tell a story, I once made Pauly a toy for him to cuddle when we were far appart and not living together, a pair of giraffes sewn together which represented us. Thanks to Nanny I can make anything and everything with a cotton reel and needle and I will always be thankful to her for giving me these skills. 

As I love to sew and it's always what I've enjoyed, I always find myself wishing I had a daughter so that i could make her dollies, dresses, blankets for her dolls, hairbands, and lots of other things, but also to be able to teach her to sew anything she wanted, and hopefully for her own children.

Sadly since we can't have any more of our own children, I will have to make do making super hero costumes, Christmas goodies and things for our house..... not that I'm complaining.... I do love all of those things!