Three days ago, my toddler started to walk on her tip toes. Quite unusual for her, so I thought it was due to the shoes being too tight already so we took her to a shoe shop in which they measure  the length and width of the feet and ask you a couple of questions like: Is she walking yet?

Does she crawl and hold  on to furniture?

After those questions and the measurements we found out her left foot is slightly bigger than the right one and that she is being wearing the wrong number for one and a half number!

So as a worried mum, I got the shoes, of course but I also started to read  what happens if babies do not get the right size of shoes, some of the consequences are:

1.Damage the development of the babies' feet, which stops at 3 years old.

2.Make them have a bad posture

3.To difficult the walking learning process.

So make sure you take the time to take your kid to a shoe shop where they can measure their feet and advice you which one are best for your baby's development stage.

Some years ago, when I moved from Mexico, my in laws took me to a ghost town.

I have never been in one, so I was intrigued by what will I find there.

It took a long trip to get there, but eventually we made it.

The name of the town or village is Tyneham.

Source: http://tynehamvillage.org/

As you walk through its roads you start feeling a bit curious thinking who might lived there and how long ago. My husband then started to tell me a little bit of the village's history.

It was a normal 30km2  village, with a church and a small school. Mainly farmers used to live there. As you get into the church there's this: " Please treat the houses and church with care; we have given up our homes where many of us lived for generations to help win the war to keep men free. We shall return one day and thank you for treating the village kindly."

The people who used to live there, were displaced by the then called : War Office, for using the village as a training troops place.

The thing about this village is that people never returned due to the War Office placed a purchase order for getting the village permanently.

You can still see the little chairs at the school and the names of the last students by the hangers where they used to hang their coats.

It makes you wonder how bad the situation was back then, and what those people did after they were forced to leave their houses.

It is worth making the journey. Hope you are intrigued now.

For more information , please visit this website http://tynehamvillage.org/

Yesterday we had a roast at my in laws, the food was great, the talk was great.

Then my mother in law told my husband she gave it a try to his advice the other day of using her contacless credit card to pay for the tube  or Underground.

So I was having my green tea today, thinking about that.

The way it works is as follows

1. First you need a contactless card, which will have this  symbol at the front

2. You need to put the card on the machine that allows you the entrance. It works in the same way as when you have an Oyster Card.

3. The fees are the same as when the Oyster card and you don't need to buy a ticket.

You can pay like this for buses, trams, DLR, and Overground.

For more information please check this video:

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments/contactless

Or visit the website: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/

Today is Thursday, and like every Thursday I take my little one to a Center near where we live, for her to socialize and get distracted from the everyday space she is in, which is the house and its garden.

It is a blessing, to be honest, as a full time mum, I struggle to entertain my little one everyday all day!

So I do it for myself too.

They asked me if I wanted to start a journal for her, they explained me that every time we go there, I could take pictures of the activities, so they add them to the journal. They can keep the result of the activities made there, such as drawings, paintings, etc. All this, to see how she develops every week.

I think is a great idea, for us, mums, to make at home because not everybody has a center like this near them.

The structure of the journal is as follows:

1.- Picture of you baby

2.-When they were born, what they like at the moment.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-

3.- What are they suppose to do by now, and what they actually do

4.- Activities

This is where you can be creative, and take pictures with your mobile, you can print later.

It is something very simple, but it will give you memories for life.

Hope you enjoy!

When I finished to feed my baby today I started to tidy up, and when I came across the jars (not that I feed my baby just jars) I noticed -again- the legend BPA free, something I read before, but never actually pay attention to, if that makes sense.

So here I am making a list of what I discovered in all the baby food's packages I found in my kitchen.

BPA free: BPA stands for Bisphenol A and it is a toxic component for humans that is used in the making of plastic, it can be found even in bottles. 

The epoxy resins which  contains bisphenol A are used to cover cans of food and beverages.

No GM or preservatives: GM stands for Genetically Modified, this is food which DNA has been modified either for making it stronger to resist some diseases or for increasing the production, obviously not very "natural"; last thing you want to give to your baby.

Some of the products that have been modified are:

• Papaya
• Corn
• Peas
• Squash
• Potatoes
• Etc.

Please feel free to click on the next link to look at a much better , extended explanation:

http://www.disabled-world.com/fitness/gm-foods.php

LRV: Stands for Labelling Reference Value. It is the amount of vitamin or mineral needed per day to meet the requirements of infants or young adults.

Source: Farley's Rusks Original Box.

This is what I could find in my kitchen if you find something else, share the info.

Edith Cavell

Two weeks ago, I was walking in London when I saw a statue of a woman: Edith Cavell.

The name rang a bell , but I couldn't remember straight away.

Later in Soho I remembered I read about her in a forum for mums. 

Edith Cavell was born in Norfolk , England on the 4th December 1865. She was trained as a nurse at the London Hospital, and then recruited to be a matron in Brussels. In 1910 she published  a professional journal : L'infirmiére.

When the first world war started, she went back to Brussels from England, to find the Red Cross in her clinic.

Cavell started to help soldiers from both sides, french, british, germans. She helped them cross the borders or hide them even at her house. All this because she thought lives were way more precious.

But sadly Cavell was betrayed, and held in prison for 10 weeks. Even with the international pressure to save her life, nothing could be done and she was finally executed on the 12th  October 1915.

Her execution, and burial were witnessed by a poet: Gottofried Benn. Her statue in London reads:

"Patriotism is not enough. I must have not hatred or bitterness for anyone".

Image from : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/EdithCavellmemorial.jpg

When you have a baby, let's be honest: You want to show off how beautiful she/he is.

The perfect occasion for doing this, is obviously her first birthday. You know everybody is going to be there. Now... We need to consider the budget, and honestly with a baby money is always short.

So here is an idea.

Plan what kind of party you want, without resting importance to your little one, who is supposed to be the star.

I have a girl, but I never liked the idea of Disney's princess, so I went for something traditional and cute: Tea party!

Cake, made by mum.

Fondant from Lakeland £ 1.79 x2= 3.58

Flowers from Asda  £1.20
Candle from Wilko  £1.00

Bunting from Granny

Toy box filled with the presents.

Flower wall made by mum (for pictures purposes)

          Canvas from Hobbycraft £12.00

          Flowers from Wilko £1.00 x bouquet (5 flowers each)x 10 bouquets

          White flowers from Wilko £1.00 x 10= £10.00

Pinata from Asda ( because I am mexican). £10.00

Photo frame from TKMAXX: £9.99

TOTAL: £57.78

Of course the food and drinks add a bit to the total, but this is where you can cut costs by offering a meal, like roast for all the family or any other food you decide. I went for the traditional sandwiches in shapes of tea pots or hearts.

Whatever you decide, include personal touches, you will not regret it.

This is  a blog I am starting  because I would like to share my hobbies and some tips.

Hope you like the ideas and share them.


Welcome everyone!