MUMMY TO THE MAX

1. Maxwell has not been coping well with the heat
2. Maxwell is looking forward to meeting Amelia and Jack on holiday
3. Maxwell has started to have very bad tantrums
4. Maxwell hates loud noises
5. Maxwell has been enjoying adventures

In just 16 Days we will be celebrating Fathers Day. To celebrate, we wanted to bring you a fab Fathers Day feature. We hope that you enjoy our feature and are inspired by some of our posts. We hope to bring to you some food ideas, some money saving ideas and some great gift ideas.


To kick off our feature I wanted to share a fab gift idea which I know Ben would be delighted to receive this Fathers Day. Just in time to celebrate the World Cup, I bring to you the amazing idea of Your Sports ID. Your Sports ID has been created for football fans and players alike. Your Sports ID ensure that they provide high quality, great value footballs and official club merchandise to their customers. With over 26 footballs and a number of other football items to choose from there's something for every football fan on Your Sports ID's site to choose from.

Ben is a massive Manchester United fan, he has managed to watch home games, go and see testimonials and even manages to go for tours up in Manchester. Ben adores Manchester United and the perfect gift for him to receive this Fathers Day would be something related to Manchester United. As soon as Yours Sports ID got in touch with me to ask would I like to review one of their products, I knew exactly what Ben would like to receive as a gift - a Manchester United Football.

Upon browsing Yours Sports ID website I found that I was able to choose from 2 Manchester United balls. I was able to choose a plain logo themed one or one which had logos and signatures on. I decided to choose the plain logo themed one as I thought Ben would enjoy the style of it more and he would be drawn to the personalisation more.

Once I had chosen the ball I was able to choose to have the Ball personalised. I instantly knew what I was going to have. I decided to go for Bens surname as well as his favourite number, 10. I was able to input these details easily on to the website and I was also able to choose what colour I would like the writing on the ball as well as font and size. The process was extremely easy and the website was simple to use. Once I had checked out, I waited for the ball to arrive. It arrived in good time and was packaged well.

Yours Sports ID do not charge any extra for the personalisation of the ball which I thought was brilliant. The ball was reasonably priced at  £8.95 and shipping cost just £3.50. Priced at just £12.45 I believe this is a great gift for any footy loving Dads this fathers day.  The gift idea is unique and simple however it will not break your bank balance and you know you will receive a good, quality item.

It is now only a week until we go away on holiday. We are quite prepared and have managed to think about what we will need to take however one of my worries at the present moment is how are we going to keep Maxwell entertained as it is a long journey to our holiday destination (Wales). In the car it will take us around 4 hours, Ben and I have planned out some toilet stops however we know this will not keep Maxwell entertained in the car. Over the past week I have managed to buy Maxwell some items suitable for his bag, here is what Maxwell has got:

1. Maxwell now loves to dance, roll and jump around
2. Maxwell may need to start taking naps throughout the day
3. Maxwell has tried new foods this week
4. Maxwell has enjoyed colouring this week
5. Maxwell will be starting potty training as soon as we come back from holiday

Just before we moved I had an exciting email from Takeaway.com asking if we could review their services. I of course jumped at the chance. Every so often me and Ben love to sit down, take a break and eat a tasty takeaway. We love to watch soaps in front of the TV and I love the fact that I get to relax and I can let someone else cook for me, so essentially I get a night off.


Once settled in front of the TV last Saturday I logged into my computer and visited the http://www.takeaway.com/  website. The first thing I noticed was that the website itself looked smart. Using bright orange and black colours to attract the eye I found it was really easy to navigate around and it was very easy to use. To get started I had to simply type my postcode into the postcode checker, I then awaited eagerly to see what takeaways would pop up.

After waiting a few minutes I found that 2 takeaways were listed in our local area. Both were chicken/kebab type of places and places which we had not visited before. After a little discussion and having a look at the menus Ben and I decided to choose the one which had the best reviews which was Tony's Grill. I found the reviews which takeaway.com had on their site very helpful. I thought this was a nice touch to let people know what other people thought. I always take note of reviews and other customers opinions and seeing at Tony's grill had 5 stars and the competing place only had 3 stars Tony was our winner.


After spending a short period of time looking at Tony's menu we decided we would make a order. The ordering process was very easy and I was thrilled to see that I had options such as whether I would like to put salad into my food and which sauces would I prefer. I also liked the fact that the menu was put into categories and that there was also a special offer section.

Once we had chosen what we would like to eat, I was able to see my order on the right hand side of my screen. On this side I was also able to see if there was a minimum spend when purchasing my takeaway and if there was a delivery charge. We were not charged for delivery however there was a £20 minimum spend which we met. .


After 70 minutes of waiting for our takeaway it arrived. I found the timing a little stupid as we only ordered a few things off the menu however prior to its arrival we were told it would take 45-60 mins, so the timing was only 10 minutes out.  I have to admit the food was a little cold when it arrived which was disappointing as it took quite a while to get to us however we still really enjoyed our food and it was nice that someone cooked for us that evening and we got to sit back and relax. I would be happy to use Takeaway.com again and I would perhaps like to try a different takeaway.

Although we found the restaurant we used on Takeaway.com a little disappointing, we really enjoyed the whole ordering process which Takeaway.com offered. We would 100% use the Takeaway.com website again and I think it would be really handy to use when we are away.

1. Maxwell has got very good at identifying things
2. Maxwell is thrilled to be going to see Peppa Pig's Big Splash
3. Maxwell is really enjoying the sun and loves to play in the garden
4. Maxwell dislikes loud noises and hates flies
5. Maxwell loves eating fruit at the moment in the hot weather

Since moving Maxwell has spent a lot of time in the garden. He loves playing in the garden and he can end up spending hours out there. A few months ago Maxwell was sent a YBIKE to review. For a few months now we have been reviewing it and so far we have been very impressed by it.

• Substantial improvements in both static and dynamic balance.
• Substantial improvements in bilateral coordination.

Before you go on to read this post, I just wanted to take the time to explain that this post is no way aimed at anyone and that in no way I mean to hurt any of my readers feelings. I full well know that everyone in this day and age all live in different circumstances and that no ones circumstances are really the same however I felt I needed to take the time to write this and explain my frustration that I feel so many parents are feeling.

For a while now I have been wanting to put Maxwell into nursery, not because I am a lazy parent and I don't want to spend time with him, or the fact that I can't cope with him. Its more the fact that I feel that he needs to spend time with children of his own age and interact with others without me there 24/7. Other reasons I am wanting Maxwell to go to nursery include I hope it may bring on his speech a little and he also may learn new things in a different environment, as well as do different activities which I may not be able to do with him or thought to have done with him.


I expect you are now thinking well why havent you put Maxwell into nursery? Well the problem stands that me and Ben have limited funds to pay for Maxwell to go. We are no way poor, we get by. We pay our bills on time, always make sure Maxwell is well dressed and never goes without. There is always food on the table and we always have a warm home but we do not live like kings and we do not have a lot of luxuries in life. We rarely go out, we don't drink and we don't smoke. We do not waste our money and make sure we spread it as far as it will go.

For Maxwell to go to nursery we are looking at around £17 for one morning a week. This is a expense that we can not afford so over recent weeks I have found a cheaper option which would be for Maxwell to go to preschool when he is 2 and half. This works out at around £11 for one morning a week. This is an option which is now looking more feasible for us. We have found 2 preschools in our local area and we are hoping to perhaps look around them next week.

The point of me writing this post however is the frustration I feel at the government and how they have allowed certain 2 year olds to get free childcare and others not. To fall into the category of getting free childcare at the age of 2 you have to qualify. To qualify in my local area you have to be on certain benefits which include being on jobseekers allowance and income support, as a working family me and Ben are on neither. My question is why do the government and even the local authorities think its okay to pick and choose who is entitled to free childcare and why do they think that someone who is unemployed is more needy to free childcare when working parents aren't? I can not quite get my mind around the whole situation and I simply think it is wrong. How can these people determine that because we work we are any better off than someone who receives benefits? In my mind they can't. Surely working parents should be getting the help as well?

A 2 year old who is entitled to free childcare is entitled to 15 free hours a week... Their parents do not have to pay a penny however if I want to send my child to nursery or a preschool I am expected to find around £60 for these hours which in the end adds up to around £240 a month which is over £2000 a year. Quite frankly I find it sickening and hugely unfair. I know for a fact we do not have this money just laying around and for now there is no way we can send Maxwell to nursery or even preschool for 15 hours a week, we are looking at just the 3 hours instead.

 In the next few years I really do hope the government and even the local authorities can pull their fingers out and help those working parents who are struggling. Nothing will help me and my family and our situation however I think the government need to take a step back and evaluate how certain things are looked at. I think we now are in the day and age where people should be encouraged to work however these days it seems those working are getting penalised.

Last week I received an exciting letter in the post. In the envelope were £80 worth of Morrison vouchers and a letter asking me if I would like to be a #morrisonsmum for the bank holiday weekend. I was asked to go along to Morrisons and write about my experience. I was also asked to share a recipe idea on my blog. I was really excited and settled down to get planning meals for the weekend, I then went on to write a detailed shopping list. My shopping list consisted of some goodies I knew which we would like over the weekend however also some goodies for Maxwell as I planned to make him a special rainbow picnic.


On Saturday Ben and I drove to our local Morrisons store which is only 10 minutes away. We were able to park in a child bay once we got there which was fantastic as we had Maxwell with us. The car park was big enough to get a large amount of cars in and there were quite a few child bays and disabled bays for people that needed to use them. The trolleys were easy to access, they were just a short walk away from where we had parked.


Once we got into the store we were greeted by lots of wonderful yellow signs. Curious, as I had never seen them before I wanted to learn more. It turned out that Morrison had slashed many of their prices and they wanted their customers to know that they were cheaper than other supermarkets. I thought the bright yellow signs were a wonderful idea to promote that they were cheaper than their competitors and it made me want to buy the cheaper options when I was browsing for items I wanted to buy.


We managed to spend just over £80 on our shop and we managed to buy a lot of fruit and salad - something which Maxwell adores. We also managed to get some meat and a amazing pasta dish which was under £3 which fed all 3 of us, as well as a bag of curry which was priced at just £5 which Ben and I ate as a treat on the Sunday evening instead of getting our usual takeaway. I was pleasantly surprised at some of the prices and managed to pick up strawberries and raspberries for £1 each and even a lettuce and cucumber for 49p each which is a bargain in my eyes.


Whilst in Morrisons we did pick Maxwell a few little goodies up. We picked Maxwell up a golf set and a ball. The golf set was priced at £4 and the ball was priced at £2. We also managed to pick up some weed killer for our front garden which was £5. Whilst browsing I also spotted some clothing for Maxwell. I didn't buy him any clothing on the Saturday when we visited but I plan to buy him a few bits and bobs in a few weeks just before we go away on holiday. Morrisons offer a wide range of goods which shows that Morrison have a lot to offer under one roof.

Once we got home I set about planning Maxwell and I's picnic. Unfortunately Ben was working so he was unable to enjoy our picnic however Maxwell and I had a great time. We enjoyed rainbow jelly, Marshmallow gummy bears, Rainbow wraps and even fruit skewers. The food tasted delicious.  I wanted to share with you how we made our rainbow wraps.

1. Maxwell can now put on his welly boots.
2. Maxwell has started to get his summer wardrobe ready.
3. Maxwell has had a lot of visitors.
4. Maxwell loves to go and see the trains.
5. Maxwell and I are doing a makeover in our garden.

Now we have a garden for Maxwell, I have turned my thoughts in to garden safety. Gardens are areas for adventure and exploration; they fascinate toddlers however sometimes accidents can happen and I have to say they are the main worry for me as a parent. Here are a few of my top tips to keep your little one safe this bank holiday weekend.

Remember children are naturally inquisitive so never leave your toddler unattended in the garden.

Ensure all fencing is secure, any gates are locked and your toddler cannot reach the lock or open it. Our fencing and gate is 6 feet high so Maxwell is not able to climb over it. Toddlers do like to climb so ensure any objects which they could climb on are away from a low fence or gate.

Toddlers love water and sadly every year you read that a toddler has drowned in ponds. Always ensure ponds and any water feature is fenced off or covered. Do not leave your toddler unattended with a bucket of water as this is also very hazardous.

Toddlers love playing with sand. Always ensure your garden sand pit is covered as dogs and cats love using them as a toilet.

Some plants are poisonous so if you are uncertain teach your child not to pick flowers or plant parts. Plants with thorns are spikes can cause pain and injury.

Ensure all dangerous garden chemicals, tools and equipment are locked away. Also keep toddlers away from washing lines as they have the potential of strangulation.

Never leave your hot barbecue unattended as children are fascinated with them. Remember coals can stay hot for several hours.

All garden play equipment should conform to safety standards. Check all play equipment is secure and there are no loose screws etc.