Prams and Tutu Baskets

My mum made the most adorable personalised pram keepsake for Marianna. It has her name on the back, and her initials on the little pillow. Here it is posed with two of my pose doll collection:

I also have my eye on the super cute tutu baskets she's been making lately. I could make my own, I suppose, but I am notoriously lacking in patience when it comes to crafting...

Organix

Organix is a well known baby and toddler food brand - so well known that they've even made it onto the list of things the Daily Mail says causes cancer. (Let's face it, there aren't many things left that don't.) In truth Organix have a very good reputation, especially in catering for different dietary requirements, from vegan to lactose intolerant. Anyway, the point in blogging about Organix given that Marianna is still too young to move on from formula is that I won the cutest tin from them in a facebook competition this week.

The prize was a box of six orange and apple oaty bars (I had one yesterday with a cup of tea - I might not be the target audience, but I enjoyed it all the same!), and a special Goodies tin. I think the tin will make an excellent crayon / pencil box when Marianna's a little older. :)

Review: Mothercare Loved So Much Playmat and Gym

Over the weekend my friends Cat and Kathryn came down from London to see Marianna (and me!), and one of the gifts Marianna was given was the Mothercare Loved So Much Playmat and Gym. Kathryn had asked me what she needed and just about the only thing we didn't have was a baby gym, so it was very very much appreciated. :)

The bear itself is so soft and cosy - every time I look at it I wish they made one in my size so I could cuddle up in it! The arms can move a little. like the bear is giving baby a hug, and have jingly bells inside the paw; the feet make a crinkly noise when played with. The gym bars were very easy to attach, simply clicking into snaps underneath the mat. Marianna loves anything with faces so we wanted to rearrange the toys so she could see the animals better. The toys are really easy to attach and detach, whether to move around the frame, or to change the toy on the hanger. 

Look at those little legs go!

I was impressed with how quickly Marianna picked up the idea that if she kicked the bar, the toys would move and rattle. Now she will lie there and amuse herself quite happily for a few minutes which is a great bonus. The whole thing just looks adorable, and doesn't take up as much space as some other gyms I've seen. The only change I would make is to make the centre (the bear's tummy) a little more padded, but it's not a big issue and we haven't needed to put a blanket or any other layer under her. In short, I love it and would highly recommend, especially for the younger baby.

World Book Day

World Book Day - actually recognised in most of the rest of the world on April 23rd - has really taken off over the last few years. The first one in the UK was launched by Tony Blair back in 1998, and I still have the little book of short stories I bought with my £1 voucher that year (Anne Fine's hilarious 'Keep it in the Family'). These days kids dress up, craft their favourite book characters, and raise money for the charity's wider projects. For more info check out their website HERE.

A younger me spurning conversation in favour of a book...

Growing up, reading was just about my favourite thing to do, and I really hope that Marianna gets bitten by the book worm bug too. We've been reading to her since day one, and I began collecting vintage ladybird books for her from the day I found out I was pregnant. Are there any young children's books you'd particularly recommend? In the meantime, here are my answers to the obligatory WBD meme:

The book I am reading: - The Invention of Murder; How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders. This book is so well researched, and utterly fascinating. I'm a bit morbid and love historical 'true crime' (especially the Ripper), but even with an extensive interest in the subject this is the first book I've read that has totally rejected the truism that all Victorians and their dogs were poisoning each other. Turns out it was as much a media invention as the 1980s/90s explosion of satanic sacrifices.

The book I am writing: - One day... I've written a lot of short stories, but I just don't have the sticking power for a full length novel.

The book I love most: - Such a cruel question! There are so many books I've loved, from the Famous Five series to Harry Potter, to Adrian Mole, to The Mennyms, to Grasshopper Island, to Clan of the Cave Bear. Lately I've been really into sentimental Victorian and Edwardian girls' literature, like Pollyanna and the full back catalogue of L.T. Meade. The book I'd recommend the highest from the last year or so is Emmi Itaranta's award winning Memory of Water.

The last book I received as a gift: - Anthony bought me the awesome Downton Abbey 'Rules For Household Staff' book for Christmas, but if you count competition wins as gifts I've received about three dozen more since then. I had two Goodreads wins arrive this morning; Misdirection by Martin Link and Develop Your Own Media Application! by Alexis Aronis.

The last book I gave as a gift: - My Mam Shirley by Julie Shaw. I gave it to my mum as part of her birthday present.

The nearest book: - There's my cinema collection including The MGM Story, Taschen's Movies of the 30s, and Horror: The Definitive Guide to the Cinema of Fear, along with a shelf full of A's books ranging from The Authorized History of MI5 to Alan Moore's controversial Lost Girls.

I've also got my collection of film annuals, like this one from 1932.