Donde esta Bod for tea hoy?

Where am I today? 

Today I'm guest posting over at my new second home - the Rosetta Stone blog #milestones - where I'll be recording my journey learning Spanish using the TOTALe online learning programme. Why not come visit and leave me a comment? Muchas gracias!

Exciting things are happening over here *points*

Sally was so excited she had to... errr... cut her hair

It's no good, I can't hold it in any longer - there are some VERY exciting things happening over here at Bod for tea towers over the next few months *squeeeaaal*.

First of all I'm proud to have been asked to be one of the Rosetta Stone blogger team, learning Spanish for six months using their TOTALe online programme (si claro!). I've just finished lesson one and I'm already speaking using the fab voice recognition software. More posts to follow on my progress - learn some Spanish with me!

I'm also going to be working very closely with a very special children's brand - details are still being worked out hence cloak and dagger approach at the moment *taps nose mysteriously* and on top of that we will be reviewing some fab products over the Summer from Sunsense, Lenovo and Kiddi.

Exciting much??!!

Ok, as you were *runs off to do happy dance in the corner*

Image courtesy of stock images / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Silent Sunday

Mummiticus Grumpious

Saturdays and I don't get on.

A week of 'I wish I had time to do x' and 'if only I had five minutes to do y' gather themselves up into a ball of anticipation just longing to be met with a helping hand. Unfortunately my helping hand, aka OH, has usually been similarly wishing and if-onlying and takes himself off to satisfy those needs leaving me holding the baby. Literally.

So the little ball of anticipation bubbles and boils for a while before hatching into a fully-fledged grumpious. Ever seen one?

This particular grumpy mama limps through the day pulling faces, grumbling and generally seeping negativity through ever pore. Turning an amateur psychologists eye inward I think the sudden and immediate lack of routine at the weekend leaves such a void in my morning that the whole day starts slipping away from me before I've even stumbled downstairs for breakfast. Without my usual 6am wake-up, stealth shower and the few precious moments to myself before the children start calling for me, I'm all at sea in an ocean of freedom. There's no deadline to spur me on, no school bell to beat, no swimming lesson to get to, no playgroup to open up. I am taskless, pointless and adrift.

By Saturday night I am ragged from being cross all day, wound up and disappointed by my own behaviour. But then a nice meal, a bottle glass or two of good wine and an evening of trashy US enlightening and educational tv soothes my troubled brow and by Sunday morning I'm all about the chillaxing.

...so much so that Monday morning hits me like a brick. Big time. I gird my loins (not a pretty sight I can assure you) and pep talk myself through the week, reaching a peak of organisation by Friday afternoon.

And thus the cycle starts over.

It's getting boring. And quite frankly it's ridiculous. I should LOVE the weekend.

Perhaps Saturdays and I should get relationship counselling. Like the film said; something's gotta give or one weekend I'm likely to explode and litter the kitchen with little pieces of frazzled mama.

And clearing up that mess would require some serious elbow grease.

Messy Play for Matilda - moon sand

Messy Play.

There, I said it without screaming. It's not that I'm a neat freak or anything, well ok, I am a teensy bit, but here I am sitting at the laptop when I could be hoovering the crumbs off the floor or emptying the dishwasher, so I'm not totally obsessed or anything *looks around kitchen guiltily*.

The thing is messy play troubles me. I know it's one of the most brilliant things you can do with your kids, it helps their fine and gross motor skills, relieves stress and sparks their imagination and creativity, but it stresses me out a bit. Am I the only one?

Well, anyway after reading lots of posts over at Edspire , Waterbirthplease and Ghostwritermummy about their 'Tuff Spots' (I thought perhaps they needed an extra strong cleaning product at first - true story) I decided to put my concerns aside and leap in with both feet. Well, not my feet exactly, but the toddler's. So I ordered a Tuff-Spot-ulike (it's a builder's mixing tray) and made a batch of moon-sand using this recipe. Then on a sunny day I put the sunshade up in the garden for the baby and let Curly Girl loose in her sand tray. Here's what happened.

And I didn't have to sit on my hands once.

I'm linking up with Jennie's linky Messy Play for Matilda in memory of her beautiful daughter.

Guest post: Babies face the music and reap the benefits

Last month saw the announcement of some ground-breaking research carried out across eleven different hospitals (as covered in the Daily Mail) – which revealed that playing live music to premature babies helps them to sleep and improves their breathing. As the Mummy of a premature baby myself - Curly Girl was born at 36 weeks weighing only four pounds - I really noticed the impact that music had on our daughter. So today I'm happy to publish this guest post from Jo Jingles on the power of music in early years development. Enjoy!

Exposure to music right from birth can really aid a child’s development according to Caroline Crabbe at Jo Jingles. Earlier this year, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that she had been playing CDs by her favourite artists: ‘Adele’ and Ellie Goulding to her baby bump – so what’s good enough for the royal baby is certainly good enough for us one might think? But the truth is playing music to your unborn baby can have significant benefits in the early years…

Were you aware that around 20 weeks from conception your unborn baby can actually hear? This is because five weeks prior to birth, the cochlea, the spiral-shaped part of the inner ear responsible for hearing, is usually mature suggesting that prenatal hearing can help infants perceive the sounds of speech. Past studies from experts have also discovered that babies can recall melodies they have heard in the womb even a month after they are born.

But the benefits of music aren’t just for those who are pregnant, even after birth your child can rapidly develop a number of skills via the aid of song and movement. Exposing a baby or young child to music and nursery rhymes at an early age will help to:

• develop language, numeracy, concentration & listening skills
• develop self-confidence & independence
• develop physical co-ordination
• develop social skills
• develop intellectual & emotional intelligence

Of course, when it comes to music we now live in a very ‘digital age’ – but for this exercise, forget CDs and iPods - the best way to expose your unborn baby or child to music is to actually sing to them or with them yourself. Using the power of your own vocals to comfort and stimulate your child’s hearing will do wonders. There is nothing Babies love more than the sound of their mother’s voice and it doesn’t matter if you sing out of tune, or you mess up the words – it’s not important, your child won’t mind! Just keep smiling and encouraging them to join in and you’re onto a winner.

The beauty of enjoying music with your child is there is no right or wrong. No one will judge you and it should be fun (not a chore). Traditional nursery rhymes are really important when singing with a young child as they use repetition and actions to inspire coordination, balance and speech development; but if you fancy a change (particularly when pregnant), try choosing songs that make you feel on top of the world, songs that inspire happy memories, make you smile or simply those you love to bop along to. If you are feeling good, your baby will benefit from these feelings too.

Probably the greatest tip for pregnant mums-to-be is to record yourself singing your favourite tunes – then when you are shattered at the end of the day or you simply don’t feel like singing you can play the recording instead (this is great to use when baby comes along too – the perfect soothing remedy for your little one).

About Jo Jingles

Jo Jingles provides music, singing and movement experience classes for babies and pre-school children from three months to five years of age. With nationwide sessions in more than 700 centres across the UK and Ireland and with over 90 franchisees, Jo Jingles offers well-established, structured classes that are fun, interactive and educational for little ones.

Launched in 1991, Jo Jingles continues to promote learning through music across many of the UK’s nurseries, Sure Start Children’s Centres, playgroups and mother & toddler groups. Jo Jingles Birthday parties and celebrations are also available to book and a range of musical-themed merchandise including toys, CDs and musical instruments can be purchased online at www.jojingles.com.

This is me - I'm out and I'm proud

Following last week's Brit Mums Meet Up in Cambridge (thanks @Michelou!) and with Brit Mums Live! only weeks away my thoughts are turning yet again to coming out from behind my laptop and stepping into the stark light of the real world. Since starting Bod for tea two and a half years ago I've been blogging more or less anonymously, keen to protect my privacy and that of my family. 

Buy why? What am I scared of?

Then this post by the wonderful @cosmicgirlie really stopped me in my tracks a while back and made me take a long hard look at myself and this little corner of the webosphere I call home. It's not like I have a controversial blog or post defamatory comments about all and sundry five times a week. (Heck I'm lucky if I manage to post anything in a week these days *sigh*). Ok, I have the odd rant but that's no different to the offline me - I regularly throw my toys out of the pram to the extent that Curly Girl has taken to saying "it will be ok Mummy" and patting me on the arm to soothe my furrowed brow. I'm sure it's supposed to work the other way around...

Am I afraid to fail?

Am I worried what people will think if my real world and virtual worlds collide in one big bang? Do I think my friends will ridicule me, pointing and sniggering?

"See her over there? She has a blog you know *snigger* and do you know I read that she....(insert all manner of stupid/embarressing/personal things I've blogged about)..."

And in all seriousness there is the real likelihood that not one single person I know will even notice. Yep, I need to get over myself; I am not the Huffington Post.

Why the f*** should I care?

And even if anyone did notice, surely I should know by now that my REAL friends, my true comrades in arms, both offline and in my cosy little virtual world will think nothing less of me. And heck if they do they'll damn well keep it to themselves and pass the wine.

So in the spirit of the Brit Mums Live! linky that's floating about at the moment, this is ME *points*, warts and all, out and proud. Deal with it.

*Waves with fire in her eyes*

Name: Michelle

Blog: Bod for tea

Twitter ID: @bodfortea

Facebook: bod4tea

Instagram: bodfortea

Height: 5ft 5ish

Hair: Long curly blondey-brownish, usually tangled and in clutches of Little Man, hence tied back

Eyes: green/grey

Is this your first blogging conference? Nope, it will be my 2nd but this time I'm travelling with a handsome young man

Are you attending both days? Just Saturday I'm afraid

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2013? Dispensing hugs to old friends and probably new ones too (I blame the hormones)

What are you wearing? Something comfortable that I can wop my boobs out of at short notice. Errr... to feed the baby, I hasten to add *blush*

What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2013? To be honest this year I'm all about the social aspects as I don't expect the Little Man will let me sit still in any of the sessions for very long!

Tell us one thing about you that not everyone knows. I can wiggle my ears. Just ask me.

And the winner of the Baby Lit book giveaway is...

Mwah ha ha ha ha!!! 

*sinister Dracula voice* 

*cough* 

*cough*

Eurgh, I'm clearly not cut out to be a vampire, but there was lots of interest in the toothy one featuring in my latest giveaway with Baby Lit board books.  Sadly there can only be one winner this time, so without further ado *drumroll* congratulations go to...

Kim N

Congratulations!

Didn't win this time? Fear not (geddit?) you can find out more about the Baby Lit board book series including Dracula, Romeo and Juliet and Pride and Prejudice at the Gibbs Smith Publishing website.