A branch of Build-A-Bear (Not ours as my phone is full). Image by Enoch Lai licenced by Creative Commons
For years my now 15-year-old niece insisted she just had to go into Build-A-Bear for a look, not to buy anything, honest.
As childless aunt I didn’t get it. My sister was enthusiastic which is fair enough.
Then I spawned.
Now the spawn is four. My sister insisted on taking us to Build-A-Bear for my daughter’s fourth birthday.
We went into down, me feeling a sense of dread and doom and W bouncing in her seat as she’d finally get to go through the hallowed doors.
To be fair the colourful array of soft toy skins and accessories does look fabulous if you like that sort of thing.
Two members of staff were enthusiastically manning the store in Churchill Square, Brighton.
It smelled of lemon sherbet.
Rainbow bear at Build-A-Bear Image by Anthony Easton on Flickr, licenced by Creative Commons
Poor W was slightly overwhelmed by the choice, not just soft toys but sounds and smells too.
Fortunately as an expert my sister helped her pick out a colourful basic bear and we chose a six phrase voice box (no smell).
All well and good I thought, then it came to filling the bear and I felt blown away by the magical experience.
Little W enjoyed helping pump the stuffing inside the empty case, once we had put in her own bar code and the sound.
Then the heart. This was special. She picked a gingham one, warmed it in her hands, rubbed it on her knees, elbows, across her heart and whispered a wish before giving it a kiss and putting it to her nose.
Apparently that make it work. Her little face was a picture. She bought into the magic, as much as a four-year-old will. It’s her bear made her way, with things she wanted.
This was the moment I got it. It’s more than just filling a bear shape with fluff. It is enchanting.
Once the fluff filler sewed up the toy now named Bunny Bear (I just dunno), the next mission was creating the birth certificate, so it returns when lost, and buy half a tonne of clothing.
My niece still has a wardrobe full of Build A Bear clothes and we might need one. It even has slippers and shoes.
Every child deserves the best chance at school, who can argue with that? Young people need the best opportunities for apprenticeships and the best chance to go to university.
“Opportunity should not be a lottery based on the post code of where you were born,” he said.
“Every child deserves the same chance.
“The future does belong to you and I want a that future to be where the young do better than us.”
A good society invests in its people and he underlined how he was not sorry to pay for education and health.
He laid into the Government for putting disabled people through endless tests and declaring people fit for work when they are not.
Poverty and the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower were also addressed.
Saying almost 100 bodies have been found he described it as a turning point in our public consciousness on how people are forced to live.
“It was a tower of poverty in the richest part of the UK, ” he said.
“Maybe there will be a change and we will put money into housing.”
After a thanking the crowd for increasing Labour’s share of the vote and taking Brighton Kemptown (Lloyd Russell-Moyles was there) he gave a shout out to Hastings, where Amber Rudd so very nearly lost her seat.
What next?
What now? apart from the campaigning.
On Monday Labour puts forward its amendments to the Queen’s Speech ready to debate for the rest of the week.
He called for fair taxation and investment in health services and mental health.
“In life we don’t leave people on the side, we go to help them,” he said.
“We are going out there campaigning from now on for a decent future for us all.”
I know I want a better world for my daughter. One where she has opportunities.
Come see the spa they said. Have afternoon tea. Whatâs not to like?
My Motherâs Day dream gift is a spa day. I like to sit in hot rooms and bubbling water.
I headed off to the new Brighton Harbour Hotel, resplendent in the blazing sunshine on the seafront.
Afternoon tea for Brighton bloggers and freelancers and a tour; it sounded like fun.
Looking around a hotel is useful as Iâm often asked advice on where to stay, too, by friends coming down for the weekend.
This is when Iâm useless as Iâm from here, so family live here, too.
If anyone comes to stay they usually grab a spare bed with a relative.
Free gin!
When we looked around the superior rooms with a sea view our helpful guide Charlotte explained they included gin and sherry.
Yes! Booze not in the minibar (although we did look in the mini bar and it was very well stocked).
One of the sea view rooms at the Brighton Harbour Hotel, with decanters of gin and sherry
The sea twinkled, the sun blazing down. It felt like a Mediterranean heaven. I could live in one of those rooms.
I was there for the spa, and that took us to the depths of the building and into smugglersâ tunnels.
There was the smell of essential oils and warmth.
It was pretty hot once you go past the treatment rooms and steaming once we went down to the pool.
While itâs not huge at 13 metres donât think itâs designed with people swimming a kilometre a day in mind.
Hot and bubbly
Past the large hydrotherapy pool, bubbles and joy. I wanted to get in.
We headed down into the depths where the tunnels form a grotto.
Bubbling away were two large, wooden Scandinavian hot tubs with the corridors leading off to the sauna, steam room and private relaxation areas.
Hidden in the depths of the Brighton Harbour hotel, the sauna
I like sitting in hot rooms. I can just imagine myself going from pool to sauna to tub to steam room. Ohhh heaven.
Thereâs a day pass and gift vouchers so my husband can expect heavy hints closer to Christmas and Mother’sâ Day and my birthday.
During the tour I did make mental note of the gym and treatment rooms, but for me only heat and bubbling water mattered.
Tea and cake
Leaving the spa felt quite refreshing as we settled down to tea, sandwiches and cake at the Jetty restaurant.
Iâd neglected to tell them Iâm vegan, so had a little wait while the other attendees exclaimed about the fabulous flavours of the dainty offerings.
Diners see the kitchen in action at The Jetty restaurant
Before showing us around Charlotte explained how the restaurant caters for vegetarians, vegans and gluten-free, so I wasnât worried.
My sandwiches were delicious, packed with plant-based flavour.
The Harbour and Jetty gave an excellent impression and a delightful couple of hours diversion.
Thanks for the invitation.
Diners see the kitchen in action at The Jetty restaurant
A nautical feel in one of the sea view rooms at the Brighton Harbour Hotel
Gin and sherry by the sea in the bay window
One of the sea view rooms at the Brighton Harbour Hotel, with decanters of gin and sherry
The hotel pool looked so tranquil
Hidden in the depths of the Brighton Harbour hotel, the sauna
He ate through three plums, but he was still hungry
Captivating an audience of under fives is a miracle.
From the beginning the actor puppeteers caught children’s attention and imagination at The Warren.
It was the first of five shows at the Brighton Fringe venue, telling the Eric Carle stories The Artist Who Painted the Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and finishing with The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Dressed in white, the humans blended into the background as the beautifully crafted puppets stole the show.
The pink rabbit from the man who painted a blue horse
With fluid movements the pink bunny bounded across the stage.
Lighting created an underwater effect for Mister Seahorse. The scene completed by the puppeteers wearing snorkel and masks.
It was fascinating to learn about male fish raising their families.
Mister Seahorse
Concern for the Very Lonely Firefly was palpable as it flew around seeking its own kind, to find candles, cars, city light until finally it wasn’t lonely any more.
It was a moving piece.
He ate through one red apple
When the moon appeared it was a great segway to lead into the main event. There on a very large leaf sat a tiny egg.
There were shrieks of delight as the tiny caterpillar popped out of his egg, before heading off to enjoy a banquet.
This was truly magnificent, beginning with a larger puppet took on a week of feasting.
He was still hungry
Children counted along with every fruit. One red apple, two pairs, three plums, four strawberries and five oranges.
Hearing the audience of young voices yell âbut he was still hungryâ was magical.
Munching through the picnic saw the puppeteers dancing with slices of salami, an ice cream cone and pickle.
Not forgetting the chocolate cake and lollypop.
He was a big fat caterpillar
Once again the caterpillar ate through one nice big green leaf to transform into a big fat caterpillar, the young audience recited the story.
Everyone was quiet as he built his coccon house before transforming.
As the giant butterfly filled the stage the multitude of children were enchanted.
He turned into a beautiful butterfly
This was an outstanding show. Perfect for young children and just as great for my nearly four-year-old.
It was a delightful romp with a great deal of audience participation.
Dr Zeiffal is a member of the Hippo Institute following sightings across the UK.
Despite her efforts she has never seen a hippo in the wild.
She has a multitude of equipment displayed on stage in the special equipment area.
It has great packaging. Always have great packaging.
Quality performance
Georgia Murphy’s performance was very engaging prompting an enthusiastic response from the young audience.
It’s a two-person show, with Oliver Weatherly taking on the role of hippo and Dr Zeigal.
There was a great deal of mischief surrounding his cheeky hippo.
This is a very physical slapstick show, with lots of running around and the main characters leaving the theatre box shreeking with enthusiasm.
After carrying out some research I discovered the two stars trained a the prestigous clown school Ăcole Philippe Gaulier. You could tell by the quality of their performance.
Delighting children
My daughter is nearly four and was captivated for the whole hour.
She joined in with the pantomimesque “he’s behind you” elements.
There is a rather chaotic ending and some of the children went on stage to help Dr Zeiffal.
Seeing her work around them was quite delightful.
But as she said: “Keep calm. Please stay in your seats. Everything is under control.”
The final performance is on Monday, May 8 at 4pm. Tickets are ÂŁ9.
With a five year age gap, they may have experienced issues conceiving another child, too.
Who knows? It’s none of our business.
I recall some talk that sheâs faked her pregnancyand used a surrogate, something to do with a shift in her bump when she sat down during a TV interview.
This certainly sticks two fingers up to her critics.
If she wants to take a bump picture let her.
Yes, something might go wrong. It happens a lot.
So many women experience loss alone and in silence. Until more of us share the lonelier it is.
If you don’t want to share pictures thatâs fine.
If you don’t want to see bump and scan pictures, thatâs also fine.
Just don’t say people shouldn’t share them.
Should we also hide babies and children to protect the bereaved and infertile from upset? No.
Just stop moaning about other people who are not doing any harm while living their own lives.
It all started with a MailOnline story about mothers who carry four-year-olds, illustrated with one mum carrying an infant on her front, and preschooler on her back.
From reading the comments on the Loose Women Facebook page, one of the mums involved felt the tone of the article misrepresented the subject.
Iâll out myself now as an enthusiastic baby wearer. My slings were a lifesaver when my daughter was tiny.
Getting the pram up and down the stairs in front of the house and then inside to our flat, was quite frankly, a pain in the arse.
She was much happier strapped onto my front. I could always get a seat on the bus, too, no matter how many prams were on board.
A theme among the negative comments is children wonât learn to walk if theyâre carried.
People yelled at me in the street “you’re spoiling that child”. Complete strangers chose to call out a mum.
Seriously, whatâs the difference between pushing them around in a pram or carrying them?
Eventually they learn to walk. Using a sling doesnât make it any less likely.
When theyâre small they canât walk far anyway.
I last used my toddler-sized sling in late October.
We had a lot of walking to do that day so I took the Tula.
When she complained she was tired and didnât want to walk any more, I thought it was a bit early but rather than have a whingeing small child, it was easy to get her strapped in.
Within five minutes she was asleep. She was knackered.
Itâs important to listen to little people. When you listen they appreciate it and it does prevent meltdowns.
Why do presenters and panelists on popular daytime TV shows and Britainâs most-read newspaper, seem to have an agenda against the different ways people choose to parent?
If itâs not Loose Women, itâs This Morning. Breastfeeding, baby-wearing and attachment parenting seem to be weekly topics for knocking.
Thereâs too much detachment in our post-industrial world.
Part of me wonders if the rise in depression and anxiety in modern society has something to do with detachment.
âLeave them to cryâ, âdonât cuddle theyâre manipulating youâ, are all lines Iâve heard.
Cuddling and comforting small children makes them feel secure and loved.
Theyâre simple creatures who just need to feel safe.
Holding and carrying makes them feel safe and is healthier than pushing in a pram or driving in a car.
Hove Parkrun on the prom. Image by EnKayTee on Flickr, licenced by Creative Commons
Four years ago I felt tremendous.
I had lost nearly five stone thanks to determination and a combination of Weight Watchers and Zumba three times a week.
Then I fell pregnant at 41, 13 years after being told it was unlikely I would conceive naturally due to PCOS.
I didnât put on much weight during pregnancy.
As a type two diabetic (thanks PCOS), I had to watch what I ate to keep my blood sugars at the right level.
By the time my daughter was born my sugars were normal. I mean normal human being normal.
As time passed they crept up again but were still within the normal range.
While I was exclusively breastfeeding I could eat ANYTHING!
I felt hungry constantly. I still reached my WW 50lb target (should add I always work in metric so was weighed in kilos every week. Why do people still use Imperial when metric was introduced in the early 70s?), taking me down to a size 16.
When we weaned on to solids at six months I didnât change my bad habits.
Itâs all gone back on again and my blood sugars have gone up, not to what they were but back into type two levels. (Imagine weeping and grinding of teeth).
I had to do something so Iâve stopped eating dairy. This was no biggy in the end as it wasnât agreeing with me, and pushed myself to take more exercise.
As I couldnât afford ÂŁ100 a month for Zumba classes three times a week(how I miss them). I decided to try out Parkrun.
My old friend Sue volunteers and takes part every week, sometimes with her daughter and grandsons, too.
I took to Facebook to ask my friends if anyone else did it and what they thought.
After a positive response I decided to go for it. After all itâs free.
It was freezing cold on Saturday morning when I dragged myself to Hove, seafront.
I had three layers including my coat. I must have looked odd with a coat and handbag.
The encouragement was tremendous. The runners lapping me cheered me on as I plodded on with the tail walker.
Even though I didnât finish as my ankle and knee were hurting, I knew Iâd done the right thing.
It wasn’t forced. It was friendly and welcoming. I didn’t feel like an out-of-place weirdo.
I will be back, I will go further and eventually faster.
In the meantime Iâll keep up with a daily constitutional.
Mummy powers 