Take a Monday Moment!

When we went to see 'Frozen' with the kids over Christmas, I was blown away, most especially by the music. Maybe this had to do with my really low expectations as I had read absolutely nothing about the film beforehand.  All I knew was that it was a U Certificate, the holidays were long and I might get a nap-if only every decision were this easy.

But since then, the kids have looked up and sung along to all the songs on U tube- in fact, three year old Luke now sings 'Do you wanna build a snowman?' in its entirety, including the talky bits, in a very believable American accent.

Then last week, I came across this Mummy's version of  'Let it Go' and it gave me a much needed laugh, so I hope it does the same for you. And remember, peeps,  it may be Monday, but Spring's just around the corner.
Laters, Emx

Random Thursday Thoughts

1. Post holiday blues all round this week, which in real terms means piles of laundry, cranky children,  a messy house and tight jeans. And yet there's something a little comforting about routine don't you think? We hate it and yet we crave it, so I made lots of lists, got back on the old 5:2,  puffed my way through the couch to 5k, tightened up a little on the house rules (nagged A LOT) and set earlier bedtimes (No arguments-now means NOW!) Yes, indeedy, and maybe some day soon I'll smugly reap the fruits of that last sentence too... can I get an Amen? 

2. Newsflash! The brilliant news this week is that my brother James, his wife Jaci and their four gorgeous kidlets are moving back to Ireland from California. For good....or at least until they get sick of all of us and/or the weather. (I give it a year!) Joking aside though, I honestly couldn't be happier to have y'all here. Cead mile failte James, Jaci, Shay, Mark, Saiorse and Liam xxx

3 Flies- don't you just HATE them! The little buggers are so fast, and I'm really not too keen on spraying chemicals at them, and even less keen on picking them out of the fly swatter, but never fear, because as luck would have it, I only happen to be married to The Lord of the Flies, who has his own special way of dealing with this seasonal irritation.
 He creeps stealthily across the kitchen, (think Mr Incredible) hose in hand and with practised precision he sucks them up one by one. My  hero!  (Reading over that last sentence, it sounds a leetle bit  rude...completely unavoidable, I'm afraid.)

4. I'm off to see the theatre tonight to see 'Tuesdays with Morrie' ...just Loverboy and me!  I read the book ages ago in Bookclub, but even though I've all but forgotten it, I DO remember crying a little bit, which means I MUST have enjoyed it.   Kid free, a pre theatre sauvignon, comfy theatre seats....you had me at kid free! (Yes, its been a bit of a day today- can you guess?)

5. Linking on rather masterfully from my last point, there WAS a moment though, when we went into Boots-( no Aftersun in the house and Jude's legs are like a pair of beacons- bad mother)- when this happened...and it made me laugh. Cos sometimes, even you're in the middle of a busy shop, you hear a certain song and you just gotta dance!

Skeanie Shoes-Review

When the lovely people at Skeanie offered to send me a pair of shoes to review for our Luke, I was delighted! You see, I'd heard the whispers that these were the shoes of choice, for little Misses Suri Cruise and Jolie Pitt, among others, and you should know by now, that I'm a sucker for all things celeb!
 What I didn't know was, that Skeanie started out in Australia, only coming to Europe recently, and are actually the preferred provider of the Australian Podiatry Assosciation (APA). Nor that their shoes and boots are designed to nurture and protect little feet and are hand-crafted from high quality eco-leather.
Apparently at birth, feet are mostly cartilage and the last bone doesn’t form until the child is about 3 years old, and scarily, more than 80% of foot problems, bunions and injuries are a result of misshaped and inflexible shoes. Research also shows that soles over 6mm thick prevent approx 80 percent of a child’s foot flexibility, hindering a normal step sequence. Yikes!
All excited, I rushed over to the Skeanie website to choose a pair, and was utterly spoilt for choice!  Eventually though, I plumped for the chocolate Riding boots (£39.99) for the Autumn. To get Luke's size, all I had to do was to print off the size guide from their website and pop his foot on it. Easy peasy and the sizing was perfect!

 When they arrived I honestly fell in love- the leather is butter soft and the rubber sole is lightweight and really flexible- perfect for running, jumping and exploring! What I really adored though, was how well they stayed on, and yet how easily they slide on and off as well- no more hauling and fussing with laces! (With five kids I'm all about saving time in the morning!)
Honestly, the only negative thing, that I can find to say about them, is that I wish they did shoes for older children as well, or better still, for me! These red Mary Janes actually had me seriously yearning for a wee girl to buy them for, but don't tell Loverboy that!
The bottom line is- if you have kiddies' shoes to buy anytime soon, you should check out their website. They're about the same price as Clarks or Start Rite, (only not every other kid in Mother and Toddlers will be wearing them as well!)

And, because I know that like myself, y'all  love a bargain, here's a cheeky 15% off discount, just for you.  (Just put in mummybl0g at the checkout-The o is replaced with a zero.) Finally, if you fancy winning a pair, there's a competition running on the Skeanie Facebook page right now, so give it a whirl and see how you get on. Emx