May 08

Things to do with a toddler: Discover wildlife at NUP Güstrow

It’s quite unlikely that you will spend your summer holidays in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania, the region I grew up in when I lived in Germany, but if you do, make sure that you plan a day at Güstrow’s Natur- und Umweltpark or NUP, if you are local.

We spent an afternoon there when we went to Germany a couple of weeks ago and we had a lovely time. At first I thought that Amy would get bored quite quickly, maybe I was still traumatised from our last trip to the zoo, but she really enjoyed herself. She was pointing at all the animals and waved them goodbye when we made our way to the next enclosure. It was just too cute. Her favourites were the bears Fred and Frode, who live in the largest and most beautiful brown bear plant of Germany and she got so excited when one of the bears started growling.

She couldn’t take the wildcats and wolves in perfectly because we walked across a long wooden bridge that leads directly through the forest they live in and she couldn’t look over the fencing, but there were plenty of other animals for her to discover. There were eagles and owls, colourful pheasants and a big area with sheep and goats that older children can enter to feed the animals. We looked at them from outside the fence though as they were pretty loud and a little to keen to check, if we had any food in our pockets. The Fallow Deers were a little more peaceful, so we spent quite a while looking at them and their impressive antlers. We even found Bambi!

Children will really enjoy the park as there is so much for them to do. There’s an adventure-playground, donkeys and ponies they can ride and a coating plant with bunnies, guinea pigs and an aqua tunnel that gives an insight into the underwater world of the river Nebel. Picnic tables around the park make it a great place for a family day out.

Adults pay 8,50 €, children 4,00 € or you could buy a family ticket for 21,00 € that entitles 2 adults and up to 3 children for entry to the 200 ha big park. We will definitely be back next time. There is so much more to discover!

May 07

Amy’s first steps

We are back from Germany and had an absolutely amazing time. Amy was spoilt rotten by all my family and truly loved having everyone chase after her. Within a week, she has become so confident with her walking and what were wobbly first steps at the beginning of the week had become confident and well-balanced steps of a little girl by the end of the week. It’s crazy how quickly she has made the transformation from baby to toddler, although I refuse calling her a toddler just yet. For me she’ll be my little baby girl for a little longer.

Here is an impression of how she started out a couple of weeks ago. It’s too cute how she wobbles around and tries to put part of her shape sorter onto her head.

Here you should see a video of Amy walking properly now but I haven’t taken one yet (I shall get the camera out soon), so instead I will share some impressions from our time in Germany with you that show my little marathon runner doing what she likes best at the moment: discovering the world walking.

Apr 14

A year ago today…

A year ago today, I was ready to pop. It was Amy’s due date. My family was on their way over from Germany and there was no sign of Little Miss Stubborn. I had been eating a pineapple a day to get things going for weeks. I walked for miles every day and we ate so much curry to get me into labour that I had cumin and garam masala pouring out of my ears. Nothing worked and I got more and more impatient. I was so desperate to meet my little girl and I was even more desperate for my family to meet her before they had to head back to Germany. In the end, Amy let us wait another 10 days before she made her long awaited appearance. I should have known then that this girl means trouble. But there is one thing that has changed since last year: Amy doesn’t make us wait for anything. Oh no, she does everything at high speed and it makes our lives so exciting. A couple of days ago she took her first steps, now she is running through the living room as if she was Usain Bolt himself. I can’t wait for all the things to come. I love you baby girl!

Apr 13

Amy shows Swedish chic: A Me&I review

I fell in love with Sweden in 2000 when I went on a school exchange with our partner school in Lysekil, a little town on the Swedish west coast not too far away from Gothenburg. I had a great time and instantly fell in love with not only the friendly people, but also their great sense of fashion. So when me&I, a Swedish company who produce fashionable clothes for both children and adults, asked me, if I wanted to review their clothes, it would have been rude to say “No”.

After a good snoop around the me&I website, I received a phone call from me&I’s Pernilla (I love this name as a character in my Swedish book at uni was called like this) who asked me which item I would like to review and helped me to find the correct size for Amy. Being used to UK sizes, I had no clue what her European size was – pretty embarrassing seeing that I am German, but thanks to Pernilla, I am all clued up now and can tell my mum what size her granddaughter has.

But let’s get back to Amy’s first Swedish piece of clothing: She has a wardrobe full of pink and girly clothes, so I thought that it would be nice to go for a more subtle colour that she could still combine with the more colourful items in her closet. While snooping around the website, I instantly fell in love with an absolutely adorable little brown cardigan with a cloud print that was modelled by an equally adorable little girl. It’s called “Cloudy Cardigan”, is made of Italian fleece and organic cotton and is just super soft. I can only imagine how comfy it must be. Amy seems to thoroughly enjoy wearing it as it is one of the few pieces of clothing that she doesn’t try to take off halfway through the day and I am really happy with it too. It doesn’t lose its colour in the wash, has an excellent fit and most of all, it looks absolutely gorgeous on her.

You can buy the me&I range online or invite all your mummy friends round and throw a me&I party. Simple organise some drinks and nibbles, sit down on the sofa and enjoy a show of cool me&i clothes in your living room!

Disclosure: I am a member of the Mumsnet Blogging Network, a group of parent bloggers picked by Mumsnet to review products, services, events and brands. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.

Apr 11

Easy ways to make money with unwanted stufff

It has been so mood lifting to get a glimpse of the sun again over the past few weeks – you can almost believe that spring is truly just around the corner.  I don’t know about you, but seeing the sun has the strange habit of sending me into a cleaning frenzy! I decided the other day that it was time to have a bit of a sort out and get rid of things that I just never use anymore. And believe me: There are plenty of them.

I have to say it is rather therapeutic and satisfying to see spaces appearing on shelves and in cupboards. It almost looked like one of those posh show homes you get shown around on new housing estates by the time I had finished – well ok, it almost looked like one of those posh show homes. You wouldn’t know there are a chaos queen extraordinaire, Mr. Messy and Little Miss Chaos plus a truly hectic cat living here.  My mission this week has been the front room and I was completely baffled by the amount of films that Ben and I seem to have amassed over the years. Careful though, because you can find yourself sat for hours reminiscing about where you were when you saw certain films and reading the backs of boxes trying to remember if you have seen that or if it was one of his! You must remain focused and disciplined on the task in hand! And I mean really disciplined, especially if you have a degree in procrastination.

I can’t believe some of the drivel we have collected between us, some of them being so dire I can only assume it was a moment of madness whilst rummaging in a clearance bin!  Anyway it occurred to me that I could probably make a bit of money selling DVDs which meant I wasn’t having to bin anything but was still de-cluttering my castle.

The first site that popped into my head was musicMagpie and boy was it simple to use. Just type in the bar code off the back of the DVD box and you start seeing how much your treasure is worth. I am currently saving up for of Amy’s birthday treats so the extra-cash really helps, but you can also sell your DVDs and the people at musicMagpie will send the money you earn to one of seven worthy charities.  As I needed the cash for some extra birthday treats, I decided against the charity option this time but I will definitely keep it in mind for another time. It’s just such a quick and easy way to do something good. The whole process was super easy: When I was finished packing up all the DVD’s I didn’t want anymore, I simply waited for their courier to arrive on the day I had chosen and that was it. No hassle at all and I got paid for having a nicely cleaned house. How cool is that?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but musicMagpie really is a fab way of making some extra money for cupcakes, pretty stationery and birthday presents.

Apr 06

Win 3 Special Double Pack DVDs of Pokémon the Movie: Black and Pokémon the Movie: White

Ash, Pikachu and friends embark on a new adventure in the feature length films, Pokémon The Movie: Black—Victini and Reshiram and Pokémon The Movie: White—Victini and Zekrom. Fans can watch all the action when the movies launch at retail stores nationwide on 9th April 2012 as a special double pack DVD.

When Ash and his friends enter a battle competition in Eindoak Town, they meet the Mythical Pokémon Victini, who becomes their newest friend. But disaster strikes when the misguided wanderer Damon seizes Victini for his own plans! Can Ash prove himself a hero and earn the help of the Legendary Reshiram—or Zekrom—to rescue Victini and save Eindoak Town?

Read the rest of this entry »

Apr 04

The Gallery: Peninsula Fischland-Darß-Zingst – At Peace

I don’t join the weekly Gallery Linky very regularly, but when I went through some of the old photos on my laptop and I saw this week’s theme – At Peace – I just thought that I have to share this photo with you:

This used to be my local beach when I lived back in Germany and it was one of my favourite places in the world. I loved just sitting there and listen to the waves crashing against the shore and the sea gulls squawking in the distance. The peninsula Fischland-Darß-Zingst is home to some of Germany’s most beautiful beaches and although it is getting more popular with tourists, you will still be able to find quite corners that you can enjoy on your own or with your family. I can’t wait to take Amy as this is where I spend every summer of my childhood and my teenage years.

Apr 02

How to save electricity as a family

Money is tight, it’s always going to be that way for the family, but how has it come to this? The latest budget released by the government is something that has been met with mixed reviews, and when you consider the report about fuel poverty as well, it’s time to work out how your whole family can work together to save electricity.

From using energy efficient utilities to just know how you can maximise your tariff, getting the right electricity prices can be easier than you think. Interested in getting the right deal you always deserved? Of course you are, so read on for more.

How the family can work together

Strategies can only succeed when everyone works together, because teamwork is the key staple to any hitting targets. Having an aim is all about first knowing what energy you currently use and knowing whether you have the right tariff or not. From here you can compare electricity prices and find the right deal for you. First though, find out how your family members can do their bit.

What you need to do is make it fun. Inform both yourself and your children how what they do costs the household money so that you will all be better equipped with the knowledge moving forward. Lighting is a big cause of problems and that’s because people forget to turn them off when they leave the room. What’s more is that the majority of people will leave appliances and gadgets on stand-by when it’s not needed.

This is your time, lead by example. You’re not helping your own back pocket but the whole environment on this planet. Teach each other to turn games consoles and computers completely off after use or how turning the thermostat down can save a lot of energy or how shorter showers can reduce energy wastage. They may all seem like small points, but when added together they create big results.

Copyright: Appliances Online

Efficient utilities

A big part of using less electricity in the home is how well your utilities and appliances work in regards to efficiency. It may be something that you don’t think about but by having your fridge running properly during a year will see your bill drop because it’s working at the right level.

Similarly, the rise of Energy Star appliances has been nothing short of phenomenal. Without doubt, this is the best way for your property to be green and save you money. It’s no surprise that things like the dishwasher and washing machine use a great deal of energy, so by getting the correct appliances installed you can trim pounds off your bill.

Getting the best deal

Now that we’ve had a look at the last two points, it’s now time for knowing what the best deal. Finding the cheapest offers can sometimes seem like an impossible task. But, with such competition between energy providers you can get the right deal – so long as you know now. Here’s how:

  • The right tariff – Knowing what you use is crucial. With this you know what sort of category you are looking at for your cheap gas and electricity prices.
  • Online billing – Through this, tracking and monitoring is easier and it is easier to find discounts or promotions.
  • Direct debit – Pay it off straight away using a direct debit so that this can save any potential expenses.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but this doesn’t stop it from being informative and helpful for those who want to save money on their gas and electricity bill.

Mar 29

Amy is enjoying the sun before bedtime

I can’t quite believe it, but it is really looking like spring time has arrived in Bristol. The weather is absolutely brilliant and we are trying to spend as much time as possible in the garden. Today the weather was so nice that we even went out for some playtime when Amy was already in her sleep suit. She absolutely loved it as you can see in the pictures below:

What did you do in the sunshine today? Did you go for a long walk or did you play in the garden? Or did you even pack some yummy treats for a picnic in the park? We’d love to hear what you were up to!

Mar 29

How to keep your children safe on holiday!

Your summer holidays should be the highlight of your year, but if you are a parent and you are taking your little ones abroad, there are many things to consider. You’ve got to make sure that you have packed all their clothes, don’t forget the sun lotion for their delicate skin and have their favourite toys with you to keep them entertained on your journey.

The most important thing however is to make sure that your children are safe when you stay in a place that you don’t know well. It’s easy for your child to run off in a busy mall or disappear in a hectic hotel. In most cases their little adventures end well, but what happens if you little one can’t communicate in the local language? There are a number of things that you can do to ensure that you and your family stay safe throughout your summer holidays. You could teach your little ones the name of the hotel you are staying in, you could make them remember the number of your hotel room or you could make them wear an ID bracelet. There are endless products on the market, many of them high-tech GPS tackers which would help find your child when it runs away, but often these devices are very complicated and not very intuitive to use.

Travel agent Netflights.com wants to help children and parents to reunite as quick as possible and is therefore giving away 500 free reusuable wristbands on their Facebook page. Parents can write their names and contact details on the band and also include information about medical conditions that their child might suffer from.

If you want to be in with the chance of getting one of the 500 wristbands for free, simply visit the Netflights Facebook page for more details.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, but you cannot think enough about how important it is to keep your children safe on holiday!

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