And The Cow Went Moo!

Last Sunday was Mother's Day, and on these National Hallmark Days we try to get out and about and do something together as a family. When it's warm then it's a little easier to choose what to do, when it's for Mr. TheBoyandMe it's easier. However, an activity we can do with a focus for mummy always causes Mr. TBaM issues. He suggested a few and I vetoed them, until he suggested a local, community farm which is free. We hadn't been there since last Summer, and even then have been only twice before, so we jumped in the car and shot down there for an hour or two.

It was incredibly quite there, and so we had a great deal of peace and quiet to wander around, admire the animals and the start of Spring bursting forth.

We saw new life bursting forth amongst the debris of Winter

We tested the depths of puddles:

Interacted with the environment:

And we talked to the animals!

He absolutely loved it there and it'll be great to visit this farm throughout the year with The Boy and see the developments in each season.

Weekend Activity: First Weekend of Spring

Saturday morning beckoned, bright and sunny. It was a refreshing change to the grey drudgery of the past week and so, after a slow start to the day, we headed down to Cardiff Bay Barrage to get some fresh air and blow the argumentative cobwebs away.

The Boy is becoming so confident on his scooter, it's fabulous to see. I just need to get daddy to have more confidence; he rushes over everytime he stumbles or crashes, whereas I'm the one who is standing back and saying "stand up then, brush your hands down!" to The Boy. It's hard work, but maybe it's the teacher in me, he'll cry if he's hurt himself and he's got a helmet on to protect his head. It's working too, so those parents who smirk at it can bugger off!

While on the barrage I managed to take these two photos, which I'm quite proud of. There's a lot of interesting angles and lines down there: the whole barrage is a real work of art. In the right hand picture, the 1950s style hut is actually a bright pink, but it didn't come out properly so I desaturated it.

And so to Sunday: I declare the 2012 season of sandcastle building well and truly open!

We built sandcastles, we went paddling in the sea (in our wellies), we played football, we ate sausage and chips on the beach (I had cheese and chips), we scooted along Barry Island promenade and we had a Mr. Creemy ice-cream. It was a balmy 15°C; madness for a Sunday in February!

When we came home, we decided to get a head start on planting some seeds we'd been sent.

I have a feeling that The Boy is going to love gardening this year.

I'm linking this up to Country Kids

Spring Has Sprung!

Last week, the doorbell went and, as usual, The Boy rushed to the porch door.

"Postman!" he shouted, and turned away. I went and rescued the dejected looking postman and the large box that he was carrying, which ironically was addressed to The Boy. When he realised this, he squealed with delight and was eager to open it up.

This lovely gardening kit was sent to him from innocent so that he could plant his own seeds and take part in the exciting promotional project that is going to be featuring for the next few weeks. Throughout March and until the end of April, every box of the innocent kids’ smoothies or fruit tubes will come with its very own pack of easy to grow seeds. There are six different varieties to collect including carrots, tomatoes, cress, basil, violets and sunflowers – all of which will show little ones how a garden grows.

So yesterday afternoon, we did some gardening. First we made some eco-friendly newspaper plant pots, the brain-child of Christine from Climbing Rainbows.

Then we planted our seeds into the newspaper pots, but we saved one set of seeds for a special pot to be kept in a secret place. More on that in a bit!

In total, we planted sunflowers (my favourite flower), violets, basil, tomatoes, carrots and cress. We'll be planting more seeds over the next few weeks; peas, courgettes, leeks, and seed potatoes. Gardening is an important activity to help teach your children about the world around them, how things grow, what is needed to keep plants alive, etc. While planting these seeds, we discussed that they needed water and warmth to start them off, and then once the leaves have appeared that they need sunlight. We counted the scoops of soil we put in, talked about textures and materials. Gardening is such a fun and educational activity, that really provides children with a sense of achievement.

While waiting for our seeds to grow, we'll be visiting the innocent gang's garden and uploading photos of our plants' progress. Join in with the seeds that you get from the innocent smoothies 4-pack boxes and learn some top gardening tips, upload photos andyou could be in with a chance to win cool prizes from innocent's friends at Rocket Gardens and the Royal Horticultural Society.

And so to the competition.

But not quite yet. In about a week's time, I will be posting on my blog, a photograph of one of my plant pots but in a secret location. I'll also be posting photos on twitter and instagram of the seeds as they grow, using the hashtag #innocentseeds. The competition will involve guessing where the special pot is, and what is growing in it. Correct entries will be placed in a virtual hat (otherwise known as Rafflecopter) and one of those clever souls will win a innocent smoothies gardening set like I received.

Sunny Day

Is there anything better in life than this?

Sitting on the back doorstep, watching my beautiful and clever 22 month old (today!) son playing with his new garden toy. "pa(s)ta gone, wheel round-a-round, wa(t)er splash down, pwane sky, sun-ny… day, pour pour pour!" The birds chirruping in the trees, gentle Spring breeze blowing through the bamboo and zebra grass, windchimes gently swaying, planes zipping through the sky, children shrieking with delight. The sun's gentle caress is trying to convince my milky-white legs to convert to a more sociable shade of cream, while coaxing the moisture out of The Boy's mini-clothes on the whirly-gig.

I love Spring!

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