Push it Real Good...

Yes it's a cheesy song from the 1980's but it's also a local Mum's meet up from 2016! Cheltenham Maman's website is going strong and she is also organising lots of wonderful events in our fabulous town. As well as all that, alongside The Bump to Baby Chapter, she is also helping to bring local Mums together by hosting regular 'Push it real good walks' around Pitville Park.

It's a very relaxed, totally free wander round the park with plenty of chatting. The walks end at one of the park's wonderful coffee shops where some people buy a coffee and stay for more chatting and others say goodbye, depending on what the rest of their day holds!

There are Mums with bumps, buggies, slings and toddlers so it really is for everyone. Everyone is really friendly so don't worry if you don't know anyone else who is going! If you haven't already been along, be sure to like Cheltenham Maman on Facebook so you'll be the first to find out future dates and to anyone going on Monday, we will see you there!

Honey wears... Denim jacket by Next
Ace wears... Striped top by Toby Tiger

Cradle to Crib...

One of Honey and Ace's recent adventures involved 'wearing clothes in the park' (Honey's words). Honey and Ace were offered the opportunity to model some hand made clothes for new company Cradle to Crib. Cradle to Crib is a locally based (Stroud) boutique clothing company focused on durability, affordability, and above all else, rethinking our approach to children's clothes. The idea is that once you child outgrows their items of clothing, you send them back to be repurposed and in return, can earn cash back or credit.

On the day, Ace was bemused but generally compliant, Honey tried out being threenager but has chatted about how much fun she had ever since, so it obviously wasn't as traumatic as she made it seem on the day!😂 Fab, Cheltenham based family photographer Mouse About Town captured the cutest photos, which was no easy task as the children all had very different ideas about which direction they wanted to go in!

We were very kindly given the gorgeous clothes that both children modelled and are super impressed with the quality. The colours are really vibrant and the fabrics used are sturdy yet soft and they have washed really nicely too (plus they didn't need to be ironed, bonus)! The labels even have QR codes on them linking to the website which the IT geek in me loves!

We wish Amber the best of luck with her new venture, why not head over to her website and see if anything catches your eye?

*Although we were very kindly given the clothes worn during the photo shoot, all opinions expressed in this blog are my own.

Honey wears... Unisex striped trousers by Cradle to Crib

Ace wears... Green Rocker top by Cradle to Crib

Photo Credits to Gill Thomas @ Mouse About Town

The next step...

So, Honey has completed her first term at pre-school already! It started well, she raved about her first day and then things took an unexpected turn and we had tears at drop off and an anxious girl worrying before every session. The staff were fab and agreed with us how they would deal with her fretting during the day and at home, we decided to use a sticker chart to help her work towards having 'brave days'.

She really rose to the challenge and needless to say, she now thinks pre school is not so bad at all and gives us a blow by blow account of everything everyone did and said  during the day. We now also get snippets of stories and songs she's been learning, as well as reminders to use 'pinchy fingers' when writing and 'listening ears' although strangely, she doesn't always take her own advice on that one!

On Monday, we were invited to go and watch Honey's class re-tell a story they'd been learning (see below for a preview) and it was so lovely to see her joining in with all the activities and routines. When we left at the end of her last day of term, it was a mark of how far she's come that there were no tears of relief that we'd arrived, only beaming smiles and (very loud) goodbyes to all the staff! She's already talking about her Autumn half term challenge and while she's looking forward to the extra 'home days', I'm hopeful that she will hit the ground running when she goes back.



Honey wears... Pinafore dress by Jojo Maman Bebe

Music to my ears...

There are certain classes that we loved so much when Honey was small, that we have either kept going to as she's got older or returned to now that we have Ace. Miniature Music is one of those classes.

As a music class, Matilda (for ages 0-4) is awesome! Zaphira uses real instruments which children of all ages are encouraged to pick up and experiment with and a mix of original songs and childhood favourites with a twist. As a parent and child group, it is amazing as the class is priced per family and not per child, it's also drop in so you don't pay if someone is poorly, you're away or just can't get out of the house in time one week! There is time set aside at the end of each class for free play with all the instruments and guess what, there's always tea and cake too!

As well as the ever popular Matilda classes, there are two new classes on offer, Owly and Croc (3 years and over). Ace volunteered to be a poster baby for Miniature Music's new Owly classes (for babies 0-6 months) and he had a great time being snapped alongside some gorgeous baby girls while enjoying songs, play and instruments.

If you haven't already tried Miniature Music, why not head over to their website or Facebook page for the latest class times, venues and prices.

Ace wears... Dungarees by Gap Kids

Photo credits to Zaphira Cormack