MUMMY TO THE MAX

We are getting on well with our packing for our move and we move to our new house next month It has been stressful and tiring work however the whole way through I have found ways to save money which has helped us be able to buy some nice things when we move into our new place.

Since Maxwell was small I always wondered what toys he would enjoy later on in his life. He has always shown an interest in his "boy" toys such as ball's, trains and cars however I have always been happy for Maxwell to explore further than just "boy" toys. I hate the world which we live in where everything is gender specific.


Maxwell was recently sent a Baby Annabell little brother doll by Zapf Creation. I knew as soon as I saw the doll it would bring Maxwell's caring side out and he would love the doll and treat it nicely.

The doll we were sent is the newest version and not the old tradition style doll I remember playing with many moons ago. You are able to buy the doll as Annabell's brother or you can buy it as Annabell herself. Each doll comes with a baby's bottle as well as a dummy which includes a muslin square on it. The doll is very life like and would be perfect for a child expecting a brother or sister as the doll can teach children many skills.


Using the doll is very easy and at the age of 21 months Maxwell is able to understand how to use the doll. When using the accessories, the doll can make sucking noises if the bottle is placed in its mouth, burp if you pat its back, giggle and laugh if you play with the its tummy and makes sucking noises if his dummy is placed in its mouth. One of the key feature's which I loved was if you fill the bottle up with water the dolly will drink it and the water is used to make tears when the baby cries you are then able to use the muslin square on the dummy to wipe the tears away.


The doll has been cleverly made and many things have been thought about including the power shut off. You are able to either manually turn the doll on and off but if the doll stays inactive for a while after use it cuts itself off.

Overall Maxwell was impressed with the doll however the only thing as a parent I would change is that the doll came with batteries. I found myself hunting the house for some batteries and in the end had to wait a day before I could go to the shops to purchase some to use in the doll however this is not a huge worry and does not affect the use of the doll.


I intend on buying Maxwell a pushchair so he is able to push his doll around in, however for now Maxwell is able to take his doll on trips out and is able to play with him around the house.

Recently Johnson's got in touch to ask would we like to take part in their Johnson’s Baby Easy Rinse Foaming Shampoo hair washing Challenge. To complete the challenge we were sent a bottle of shampoo, a cute frog mirror, some bright wall stickers and an easy to pour jug.



The new Johnsons shampoo has been developed so bathing is fun instead of the nightmare it can become. The new shampoo has a easy to use pump foam shampoo which ensures that only a small amount of shampoo comes out when pumping it onto your hand. This ensures that children are able to wash their own hair with ease instead of relying on parents doing it for them.

Challenge 1 - DIY Fun Factor Maxwell always enjoys having baths but I knew he would enjoy it even more thanks to Johnsons. Maxwell needed to squirt a small amount of shampoo into his hands for this challenge, ready to rub it into his own hair. He did have a little trouble due to his hands being a little wet and his hands skippering about but with a little help from Mummy we managed to complete the challenge.



Challenge 2 - Funky Foam FunWe sat the frog mirror on the edge of the bath so Maxwell was able to see himself in it. This challenge was to make a funky hair style but down to the fact that Maxwell only has a little hair he was only able to spike it up. Maxwell enjoyed rubbing the shampoo into his hair and I was happy to see that it didn't run into his little eyes. Due to the foam sticking well to his hands we found that no shampoo was wasted in the transition from his hands to his head.



Challenge 3 - Rinse Ease
As a parent I was really impressed with the new Johnson's shampoo. It smelt lovely, it was easy to use and even for younger children it is a useful learning tool to help children learn how to wash their own hair. We had great fun completing this challenge and I know Maxwell will continue to wash his hair and learn eventually the last step of learning how to rinse the shampoo out of his hair.

As many of our readers know we are the final moving process and we will soon be moving into our new home. Over the last few days we have been out shopping and we have been looking around for things which will put a unique spin onto our new home.


A month ago I was lucky enough to be sent a Snapbox canvas to review. The quality was fantastic and since having it we have had it on the hallway wall, however when we move it will take pride of place in our lounge. I love canvas prints as they are wonderful at keeping and sharing memories.

Snapbox is now giving Mummy To The Max readers not 1 but 2 chances to win one of their beautiful canvases. All you have to do is simply fill in the easy entry rafflecopter below.

Good Luck!



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1. Maxwell has learnt to sing
2. Maxwell is signed up to play football
3. Maxwell is excited about the new house
4. Maxwell has learnt to eat with a fork (nearly)
5. Maxwell has been busy doing good turns

Currently we rent our house and we have lived here for over a year however our landlady has decided to sell up which means we are left without a home. Its a horrid process and I can honestly say it is one of the most stressful time's in my life. One day I would love to own my own home so I always have the knowledge of knowing I will never have to move and live in fear that my rented home will be sold and we will have to find somewhere new to live.

The moving process when living in rented accommodation is extremely expensive. We have had to find deposit money, pay admin fees, pay our rent upfront and even pay for things such as vans for the move. Our new home is a new referb and does not have much in except the basics, which means we will have to also pay for things such as curtains and lampshades which can also cost a lot.

When Maxwell is older I can not wait to go back to work full time and get a good income so Ben and I are able to afford our own home. It would take a few years for us to save money so we could get a mortgage but it would be worth it just to know we had a home and it was ours.

I have not really thought about where I would like to move to if I had the opportunity to have my own home however I think as a family we would like to stay in our local area which is the New Forest. I love to see what is on the market and recently I have been keeping a eye out on country houses for sale. Although I don't think we could afford something so beautiful and expensive, I can dream and maybe it will become a reality if I won the lottery.

These 15 episodes could soon be hitting your home, ready for your child to enjoy and view.

Features 15 episodes:

• One Step at a Time
• Timmy’s Monsters
• Splash
• The Painting Day
• Museum of
Imagination
• The Dog
• Bus Ride
• Supermarket
• The Hospital
• Sleep Over
• Busy
• Big Stomps
• The Dance Class
• The Clown
• The Party
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Abbey Home Media has released a new DVD for Woolly and Tig - One Step at a Time. Woolly and Tig is a programme which Max watches regularly and enjoys. The DVD was released on the 16th September and is a great DVD to add to any family collection. Woolly and Tig are a spider and a girl who have lots of adventures together. Tig finds new experiences scary and her favourite toy gives her confidence to continue her day.  Each episode is narrated by Tig as she tells viewers about the world around her and what she gets up to.

Some of you may have noticed we have been a little quieter over on Twitter and on here this week however we have some exciting news to share with our readers....

We are MOVING!

Last week we had a phone call to tell us our landlady was looking to sell our property. We have lived here for a year and a half and at first we had mixed emotions about moving but after a long think we knew it was the push in the right direction that we needed as a family.
For a while I have been looking at properties to move to. I have wanted a garden for Maxwell to play in and enjoy and I wanted to move somewhere where I could go out and access things easier than the property we live in now.
We spent a few days looking for somewhere to move to and we managed to find a place. Today all the paperwork has gone through and in less than a month we will be moving to a new 2 bed home with a little garden for Maxwell.
We are all thrilled and excited to be moving. We are still going to live in the New Forest, just a short 10 minute journey from where we live now!

We are excited to be opening a new chapter in our lives and cant wait to share some more of our memories with out readers like we have in the past year.

I love making memories but most of all I enjoy keeping memories. Since Maxwell was born I have kept a lot of his baby things which I can not bare to part with however they were sat in a draw as I had no where special to keep them. This all changed when Treat Republic recently sent us a lovely wooden keepsake box to keep all Maxwell's baby memory's in.
When the box arrived I was extremely impressed by the quality. The box was well made and had a smooth finish. There were no rough edges, no sharp corners and the acon design looked beautiful. The box had a easy to use clip clasp opening which ensures all the items in the box are safely kept. The box is a good size and I found I was able to put a lot of items in it.

You can find more about Treat Republic on their website, Facebook and Twitter.

This summer, citrus fruit favourite Jaffa Fruit, and its gazebo have been touring the UK as an official sponsor of Sky Ride’s city cycling events. Along with the inimitable Jaffa Fruit man, the team have been welcoming families and Sky Ride fans to fun packed days out all across the country and handing out vitamin C packed clementines as well Jaffa reflectors and Tesco money off vouchers.

Jaffa Fruit are offering a fantastic prize for one of Mummy To The Max readers! You will win a Jaffa Fruit cycling kit worth £50 including a Halfords bike pump, water bottle, bike lights, as well as Jaffa Fruit orange shaped bike reflectors, t-shirts and Tesco money-off vouchers. If you would like to win this prize please enter through the rafflecopter below.

Good Luck
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Andrex Eco is working with renowned eco-designer Oliver Heath to educate us Brits about the ‘little things’ we can all do around our homes to help us live sustainably. Andrex Eco recently sent me a bundle of goodies which are Oliver’s top items that make eco-living easy in the home. We were asked to use the items in our daily life and see what impact they made on us. 

Following the news in my last post about Silentnight looking for people to take part in their fantastic sleep clinic, they have been generous enough to give Mummy To The Max readers a chance to win a pair of
Anti Allergy & Anti Bacterial Pillows.
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1. Maxwell has learnt to carry shopping bags and pack the contents away
2. Maxwell has been preparing for the winter
3. Maxwell has been building
4. Maxwell is obsessed with eyes and ears
5. Maxwell has a great aim

On the 9th September 2013 Abbey Home Media are releasing the new DVD, The Adventures of Abney and Teal - Faraway Island. Yesterday Maxwell and I sat down on a wet weather day and watched the DVD together. I was excited to see Maxwell's thoughts on the DVD as he has watched the programme on Cbeebies many times.

Abney and Teal is about two animated rag dolls named Abney and Teal who live in a park, in the middle of the busy,big city. Abney lives in a hut at the base of a tree and Teal sleeps in the branches of the tree. They share their island home with a group of friendly and hilarious characters, and together they are always ready for an adventure. The film features 8 episodes. Each episode lasts about 11 minutes which is a good length of time for most children to be able to sit still and enjoy a programme. The show is aimed at 3 to 6 years old, although Maxwell is a little young just yet, he enjoyed following the film and loved the fun characters.

At the beginning of the year I wrote a prize wish list which I wanted to win for our family before Christmas. I have had not had so much time to enter competitions recently however, I have had some fantastic wins this year.

I wanted to win:

A Holiday/ Weekend Break

A Day trip somewhere I have so far managed to win some tickets to go to Paultons park and I have also managed to win some tickets to go to Wembley stadium for a tour! I have also been very lucky to win tickets to Fidelio, it is Beethoven musical and we are looking forward to going next month.

Some toys for Maxwell I have managed to win quite a few toys for Maxwell so far. I have won a few which are a little old for him however I plan to leave them in a box for next Christmas.

Disney Car Stuff

A cool Kitchen Gadget I have half completed this task as I won a ton of bakery stuff at the beginning of the year however I also managed to win a cool yogurt maker and a Russell Hobs mini chopper recently.

Some shopping/food vouchers I have managed to win a few hundreds worth of vouchers this year. Fantastic ones include Nandos, Tesco, Amazon and Costa. I love winning vouchers as they always come in handy.

A posh dinner somewhere

Some Recipe books/ Cooking class

A new changing bag/Pushchair Amazingly this month I won a Yummy Mummy changing bag. I am over the moon to have won as I have wanted a changing bag since Maxwell was tiny, however I could never justify spending a lot of money on one.

Some Fitness Equipment  I managed to win a pair of Zaggora Hotpants last month. They will help me with my fitness however I am hoping to win some work out equipment.

Some Clothing

Something Pandora related

Anything Caravan/Yacht related for my parents

Anything house related for my sister

Christmas/Birthday presents for people I have managed to win a few presents so far this year and have not spent much on Birthday presents however I need to start winning more for Christmas.

As you can see I have a little more things to complete but anything is possible before the end of the year. I need to focus on entering more competitions!

James Green, or ‘Jamie’ as he prefers to be called, is from Amersham in Buckinghamshire and has been diagnosed with a highly aggressive malignant type of brain cancer. His family and friends are desperately trying to raise £250,000 by 01 October 2013 for him to have life saving treatment in America.



Jamie’s story

On 19 July 2013 Jamie’s parents received the devastating news that their only son had a lesion within his cerebellum and required an immediate operation to remove it. Jamie was transferred to The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford where he received emergency surgery to remove the cancerous growth from his brain. The tumour measured over 4cm in size.

Following the operation a second blow hit the family. Jamie was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma - an aggressive type of malignant brain tumour and life limiting condition. Jamie’s oncology team reported that whilst there were no physical signs of other tumours, the scans had identified that possible cancer cells had travelled to the base of Jamie’s spine (a condition known as metastatic).

The outlook was suddenly very grim as Jamie faced an aggressive programme of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy. Two weeks after the initial brain surgery Jamie began his treatment plan.

Jamie’s parents, having discussed the likely side effects of traditional radiotherapy treatment with their son’s oncologist, began researching all types of treatment. They were introduced to UK charity Kids n Cancer and soon discovered proton treatment, which is based around similar principals of applying radiation to the entire brain and spine but crucially it is much kinder and less harmful to the body, especially that of a developing child. It creates little to no collateral damage to other organs, healthy tissue or bone structure, compared to traditional radiotherapy.

The use of Proton therapy is relatively new and therefore whilst the NHS recognise the benefits it can bring, the UK’s treatment centres are not due to be completed until 2016. The sad fact is that this is too late to save Jamie. Jamie’s parents have received encouraging news that several proton treatment facilities in the USA are able to accepttheir son for treatment. Such treatment must be paid for in advance and the NHS is unable to fund it.

Anita Green, Jamie’s mother spoke of the fundraising campaign: 'We understand that times are tight for many people across the country and all we ask is that if you are unable to donate in support of our cause, please, please, please, share this with your family, friends and colleagues'
How to help:

1. Maxwell had a lovely day out at the farm
2. Maxwell has a love for music
3. Maxwell enjoys playing with water
4. Maxwell likes to store things
5. Maxwell had a surprise in the post

The summer has been hot and Maxwell and I have enjoyed trips to the swimming pool. Maxwell loves to splash around and cool down in the heat however one of the main things that puts me off taking Maxwell swimming is all the fuss of getting him dressed, washed and dry as well as sorting myself out and having to worry about what is around him. Huggies recently sent me their new swim mat and I was amazed at how much it has helped me over the last month.


The swim mat we were sent is a non-slip mat which folds into a small waterproof pouch. It is the perfect size to throw into a changing bag as it doest take much room up. It is child friendly as it is bright and is decorated as a frog and it is very eye catching. Maxwell loves the frog design and often points to the frogs big googly eyes.

The material of the mat is quite thick and it is slightly cushioned which provides comfort to your child. The mat is machine washable which is a huge plus as it can be thrown into the washing machine after each swim along with other washing such as towels and swimming clothes.

Whilst I have been getting myself ready after our swim I have been placing Maxwell on the mat with a little toy and he has sat there playing quietly. When using the mat I am confident that Maxwell is not going to have to be uncomfortable or have to sit on a cold, wet, dirty floor.

The only thing I would like to see on the mat is a small raise so that Maxwell is able to rest his head more comfortably when he is laying down. I would also like to see Huggies bring the mat's out in different animal characters as they only offer to at the moment - The frog and penguin designs.

I have found that the mat has come in handy for other things such as when Maxwell gets out of his paddling pool he is able to step onto his mat rather than the grass. I have also found it great to take to the beach when we go paddling as he can simply step back on the mat rather than stepping in dirty seaweed or sharp shells.

Olympian and swim teacher Karen Pickering has come up with some fantastic swimming tips to keep your child happy and safe when swimming.

Finkley Down Farm Park is a family run children's farm with all the character of a traditional farm plus indoor and outdoor play, sheep racing and a lot of things to see and do. At Finkley Down Farm Park, you can feed the goats, cuddle a rabbit, or stroke a baby chick.

Yesterday Maxwell and I went on a trip with my sister Rachel and her partner Rob. We went to Andover to visit Finkley Down Farm Park. Before we set off we packed a packed lunch and some essentials which we needed and set off on our journey. The journey was approximately a 50 min journey each way from the New Forest where we live.


Parking
The parking is free at Finkley Down Park. The car park is a gravel park which is large and clean however when it is busy a large grass area is opened making more room for visitors to park.

Prices 
I found the price to enter the park to be reasonable. There is a lot of things to see and do at the park and you could easily spend a full day there. If you are in the military or if you visit the park after school hours you can get a reduced price rate.

SAVER Ticket - 2 Adults & 2 Children £31.00
Adults £8.95
Senior Citizens, Students & Disabled Adults £8.50
Children (aged 2 - 16 years) £7.95
Children with disability and carer £7.50