Pop the Pig game review

One of the things I've been looking forward to most as bub's been getting older is introducing her to board games. I have fond memories playing board games with family as a child and I want to create my own family traditions, starting with buying a new game as a joint Christmas present each year. I'm excited that at 4 and a half she's finally getting old enough to understand simple games, obviously we won't be playing monopoly any time soon, but her attention span is finally at a point where we can enter the world of family game nights {or afternoons}.

But where do you start with kids games? There's just so many out there. And how do you know which ones they'll like? This is where technology has actually been helpful. A few weeks ago she started obsessing over youtube videos of Pop the Pig. She watched videos of other kids and reviewers playing the game over and over again. Gone are the days of watching unboxing and surprise egg videos on repeat a thousand times, now it's all about kids reviewing games. 

The fact that she kept watching Pop the Pig in particular piqued my interest. At first I thought it was only available in America {because most of the videos she found were American}, but then I started seeing it in shops here, so it went straight onto our Christmas list. As luck would have it an opportunity came up to review it so I said yes straight away because we were going to get it anyway.

Pop the Pig is a multiplayer game designed for kids aged 4+ You feed the pig burgers until he gets so full his stomach pops! The game comes with 16 individual burgers; 4 green, 4 purple, 4 yellow and 4 red. Players roll the dice to determine which colour burger to feed the pig. Each burger then has a number on the back and once you feed the pig you press down on his chef's hat the corresponding number of times. The game continues until the pigs stomach pops, his belt flings open and his arms go up in the air. 

Pop the Pig arrived on a kindy day so bub didn't even know we had it, but it took her about 4.5 seconds to spot it once we walked in the door. I had this whole spiel planned, but she spied it while I was literally still closing the front door. So the big reveal I had rehearsed in my head didn't quite go as planned, but she was super surprised none the less. As soon as she spotted it she started jumping up and down on the spot unable to contain her excitement. She swung back and forth between "mummy look it's the pig off the youtube" to being completely speechless to "mummy and daddy thankyou sooo much for the pig, it's the best". Safe to say she liked it before we even opened it up. We then spent all afternoon {and every day since} playing Pop the Pig at least 3 times in a row, sometimes multiple times a day.

I love that the instructions are so simple as she only has to roll the dice and press the head the corresponding number of times. It's been a great way to introduce her to games and concepts like turn taking, waiting and rolling a dice, without adding in any other complicated rules. She's getting much better at waiting her turn, but she's usually so excited she rolls the dice before we've finished pressing the chef's hat, sometimes patience is not her virtue. And even though the rules are super easy, it hasn't stopped her sometimes trying to cheat, if it gets near the end of the game and she rolls a colour she doesn't want she tries to change the colour, or tell us that was our roll not hers. For the most part though she plays by the rules and there haven't been any tantrums yet {which says a lot}. 

As players can roll any colour in any order and each colour can have different numbers each time, no game is ever the same, so it's always a surprise when the pig's going to pop and who's going to be the winner. Which is great because she hasn't got bored with it at all, despite the fact we've already played it 20+ times in 5 days. She's even played it by herself a few times when I've been busy feeding her sister and she finds it just as exciting and suspenseful on her own, despite the fact she's obviously going to be the winner.

On the surface the game may seem super simple and just a lot of fun, which it is, but it's also got a lot of learning thrown in too. While playing kids are learning to recognise, name and differentiate between colours when rolling the dice and picking a burger. They're also recognising numbers when feeding the pig and also learning to count while pressing the pigs head. The more they play, the more these skills are reinforced. 

In addition to this its also helping kids develop fine motor skills by using their pincer grip picking up the pieces, hand/eye co-ordination to put the burgers into the mouth and hand strengthening when pushing down the head. These are all skills that will help them once they go to school. Bub currently uses two hands to push the head down as she's not quite strong enough to do it with one, but I'm sure over time she'll eventually be able to do it one handed.

I love that Pop the Pig isn't a traditional board game, but rather a combination of a toy and educational game in one. It's a great way to introduce young children to games with purposeful actions and outcomes {as opposed to free playing with toys} and it's fun for the whole family, not just the kids. I'm well over 4 and I get just as excited as bub does waiting for it to pop. Even though I'm generally not a big fan of anything plastic, I'm loving this game and all the learning that's happening each time she plays {and the best part is there's no need for batteries so it'll never stop working}.

Pop the Pig is available at all leading toy stores as well as Amazon US, Amazon AU and Catch. For more about Pop the Pig and other great toy reviews visit Talkin Toys.

Will you have any games under your Christmas tree this year?

Toni x

Disclosure - This is a sponsored review as per my disclosure policy for Talkin Toys. I chose Pop the Pig to review as we were planning on purchasing it already.

Feeling like a fraud

When you're a first time mum it's ok to not know what you're doing. Nobody expects you to pop out a baby and bam you magically have it all figured out. First time mums get help, encouragement, advice {even though a lot of it may be unwanted} and a never ending conga line of visitors who want to come and go absolutely gaga over the baby because oh my god she's so cute and squishy and people can't help but be attracted to them.

Second time around people aren't as excited. Don't get me wrong I got the obligatory gushing congratulations comments on my Facebook status announcing her arrival {and my 3am hormonal self thanks every one of those people because it gave me something to read while feeding a ravenous baby}, but then crickets. I can count on one hand the number of friends who came to visit the baby once I got home, and almost 7 months later they're still the only 3 friends who've come to visit her {although considering the state of my house most days that may not be a bad thing}.

Even the midwives in hospital expected me to get up and recover from my emergency c-section twice as fast {I got kicked out after 2 days instead of 4 because they needed the bed}. You've been through this before love suck it up and get on with it seemed to be the general consensus amongst the staff. Like major surgery is so much easier to recover from the second time around {newsflash it's not really}. Go home and if that massive gash across your belly starts to hurt take some Panadol, you'll be right {because a wound big enough to literally exit an entire human from your body is totally the same thing as a headache}. 

Probably the biggest difference I've noticed though is that society {strangers, family, friends etc} all expect me to know what I'm doing this time. I've done this parenting thing for 4yrs I should know what to do with a tiny little baby. Eat sleep poop repeat, easy right?  Apparently not.

The problem is I've had a baby before, but I haven't had this baby before {even though she looks almost exactly the same as her sister did}. On the surface I know what should work, but just when you think you know what you're doing the universe likes to throw you a curve ball to remind you that actually you know nothing. What worked before just isn't going to cut it this time. The fun part is this time I also get to navigate the muddy {pooey} waters of new motherhood with a demanding 4yr old by my side every day.

Truth is I spent the first few months wondering why I ever decided to have another baby, not because I regret having her, but because the shock of 2 kids was far beyond anything I'd ever imagined and I was frustrated at my inability to magically adjust to the new hell chaos that had become my everyday life. Almost 7 months on and I still feel like I'm constantly treading water trying to stay afloat, but really I'm so close to drowning under the pressure of 2 kids {a baby with multiple food allergies}, a shift working partner and a household to keep together. 

Things that would be 10 minute jobs before now take hours because I have to stop and start 15 times to console a crying baby, fetch crayons, paper, toys, food, drinks for her sister every 5 minutes and re-console, pick-up, cuddle or feed the crying baby in between each time. The kitchen is my arch nemesis at the moment, I can never ever get the whole thing clean. I pack and unpack the dishwasher, wash dishes, make food and re-clean all day long and yet by the end of the day it represents a battle zone all over again. Same thing with the laundry, the lounge room etc. Actually I pretty much feel like the whole house is my arch nemesis. It's just so never ending, no matter how much I get done there's always more to do.

On top of that I feel like I can never satisfy everyone's needs when they want. It's physically impossible. There's 2 of them and 1 of me and they always want or need something at exactly the same time {usually when I'm busting to pee as well}. I'm constantly being pulled in different directions {sometimes literally} and juggling their needs to decide which is more important at the time, and the trade off is either a screaming baby or a frustrated small person. It's just so physically and emotionally exhausting and I feel like I'm always letting someone down.

I forget what quiet is. I forget what personal space is. I forget what being organised is. I forget what me time is. I forget what sleep is. I basically just forget everything, but I feel like it's almost wrong to admit these things. Like I'm failing at being a mum if I can't handle 2 kids. They're pretty small after all, they should be pretty easy to handle, you'd think.

More often then not I have days where I feel like everything is falling apart and I'm getting nothing done. I'm starting to think this might just be what life with a 4yr old and an allergy baby looks like for us {for the foreseeable future at least}. I'm quietly hoping that other mums are sitting at home thinking they have no idea wtf they're doing most of the time too. For the most part my immediate plan is to continue winging it.

Toni x

VTech Sleepy Glow Bear Review

If you've been following along on my Facebook or Instagram accounts lately you're probably aware of our sleep troubles with baby girl. To put it bluntly she's never slept well {not unless she's attached to me}. This has been the case since day 1, the night she was born the midwives made me co-sleep because she refused to settle without me. After she came home we tried rocking, shushing, patting, boobing, using a dummy as a replacement boob, the bassinet and the cot, but most nights I'd resort to co-sleeping from sheer exhaustion. There's only so many hours you can rock and shush a baby while functioning on no sleep, at some point it becomes more dangerous being upright holding a tiny human while delirious than it is sleeping together. So that's what we did, until I got to the point I thought my baby was just broken and I took her to sleep school.

When we got home from sleep school things were going great, for about 3 days, and then things started slowly deteriorating until we were back at square one. As luck would have it when things started going pear shaped {again} the Sleepy Glow Bear arrived on my doorstep for baby girl. To be honest when I agreed to review it a few weeks before I didn't even realise it was a sleep aid {shows you how sleep deprived I was}, I simply thought it was an interactive bear toy. So, when it arrived smack bang in the middle of sleep regression hell I was pretty excited! Even though sleep school hadn't really helped {it did while there, just not at home}, I was cautiously optimistic the sleepy glow bear would give us some reprieve, after-all sleep aids were one thing we hadn't actually tried and it couldn't really get any worse.

The Sleepy Glow Bear is a soft and cuddly sleep aid designed to be used from birth. It combines a soft glowing night light, white noise & music options with a soft squishy body for gentle visual, auditory and tactile stimulation to help soothe babies off to sleep. The bear has 3 different touch buttons on his belly that either play loving phrases, sing-a-long songs, white noise or nature sounds {there's more than 70 different sound options}. The volume, light intensity and length of play time can all be adjusted via the control panel inside the bear.

When we first started using the sleepy glow bear I introduced it during day naps because I wanted to test out her reaction to it without further upsetting night time sleep {or lack thereof}. Because it was day time I initially used the bear without the night light option and set the volume as low as possible. I also used the bear in the top corner of her cot as far away from her as possible because she was only 5 months old and I'm paranoid about SIDS. After a few days of figuring out which noise she liked the most {for us it's the first nature sound option} it actually worked really well for day naps. She soon learnt her song and being in the cot meant it was time for sleep and she'd fall asleep with minimal fuss. Hallelujah.

After about 2 weeks of day naps with the sleepy glow bear I decided to introduce it at night time as well since she'd formed a sleep association with it. We also added the night light option on low as she seems to like a bit of soft lighting as she falls asleep at night. For some reason at night she needed to be rocked to sleep while listening to the bear, rather than falling asleep on her own in the cot. Using the bear on low volume, 30 minute timer and low glow night light worked well at night time getting her to sleep, but unfortunately it didn't help her stay asleep during the night {although to be honest I haven't found anything that helps her sleep longer than 2-3hrs}.

I love that the bear has so many different sound options, so you're pretty much guaranteed there'll be one your baby will like. For us the first nature tune is always a winner at bed time and she also likes the first melody from the heart button {but just when playing, not at sleep time}. I love that there's a timer which can be set for demo, 15 min or 30 min, for us 30 minutes was the best option, but other babies may fall asleep fine within 15 minutes. The only limitations I've found is that you can't go through the sound options without continuously pressing the button and working your way through each sound, so if your baby likes the fifth sound you need to press the button 5 times, you can't just pick that tune. It hasn't really been an issue for us though as she loves the first tune anyway. The only other way I think it could be improved is if there was an option to have the sound continuously playing, which may help keep babies asleep longer.

If you have a non sleeping baby like mine and you're looking for a sleep aid I'd definitely recommend giving the sleepy glow bear a try, even though it doesn't help her sleep for longer periods of time, it's definitely helped her go off to sleep which was half our battle. It's also a lot cheaper than other white noise/sleep aid toys on the market so it's a smaller outlay and it can still be used as a cuddly toy if on the off chance it doesn't improve your bub's sleep. Babies are fickle little creatures and what works is constantly changing {especially with every developmental leap, teething etc} so at the moment mine has decided she'll no longer sleep in the cot and prefers to be with me again, but we still use the sleepy glow bear when falling asleep at night {and it's actually quite effective at putting me to sleep too}.

Sleepy Glow Bear is $29.95 and available from Kmart and selected toy retailers. For more information visit www.vtech.com.au or follow VTech on facebook or instagram. To read more VTech toy reviews click here.

Toni x

Disclosure - I received a sleepy glow bear from VTech Toys for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are based on our experience using the bear. I did not receive payment for this review.

Puzzle play

Puzzles are such a staple toy in any kids life, I dare say nearly every child is likely to play with a puzzle at some point throughout their childhood. We started off with really simple peg puzzles here and have progressed our way through letter puzzles, number puzzles, colour matching puzzles, shape puzzles, animal puzzles, chunky puzzles, floor puzzles and now more intricate smaller puzzles. 

I love how they challenge her cognitively, helping increase her concentration skills, each time she plays for a bit longer before getting frustrated. She's also practicing her problem solving skills as she works out where each piece should go while simultaneously developing her hand/eye co-ordination and fine motor skills as she places each piece into the correct spot. The best part is she's doing this all while she's playing without even realising she's actually learning at the same time. They really are a great resource for learning through play.

At four years old bub's mastered many different types of puzzles, but by far her favourite ones are still chunky puzzles with a 3d element. However, she quickly gets bored playing with them traditionally, especially once she's put them together a few times and has memorised where all of the pieces go. Did you know there are many other ways to play with puzzles other than just putting the pieces into the correct spot?

Once bub gets bored with doing puzzles the conventional way we think outside the box and come up with other ways to make them interesting again. In the past we've wrapped pieces in alfoil, searched for pieces in sensory tubs and made our own DIY puzzles by tracing the outlines on a piece of paper and matching them up. She loves all of these activities and especially loves the open ended play experiences where we're not strictly matching the pieces onto the puzzle.

We've recently taken our puzzle play a step further again thanks to the most awesome open ended puzzle I've ever come across from Happy Go Ducky.

Happy Go Ducky is a unique online toy shop run by a husband and wife team stocking quality traditional wooden, tin and crochet toys. They have puzzles, animal stackers, wooden vehicles, tin vehicles, crochet animals and many other items available for babies through to young children. All of the unique European brands they stock are ethically designed and handmade in the Czech Republic using sustainable, non-toxic materials by artisans who've been designing toys for decades. 

Happy Go Ducky stock toys that are likely to be held onto and passed down through generations as family heirlooms. Think push along wooden elephants, wooden trains and retro tin cars. They're bringing the nostalgia of yesteryear to modern day children and helping to keep traditional toy making alive. I'm so thrilled that we get to have one of their beautiful Playful Wood puzzles in our home which I'll most definitely be holding onto and passing down to bub for her children in the future.

The extra large wooden 3D spiral puzzle includes 16 different coloured wedges and a wooden circle that together create a large multicoloured circle. It also comes with wooden dowel pieces and a wooden ball which help bring the puzzle to life in so many fun ways. It's no secret that I have an enormous love of wooden educational toys, you only have to take a quick look around our play area to see that. I love the tactile experience that comes with wooden toys and I love thinking out of the box when it comes to playing with toys, so when a toy hits the trifecta and is educational, wooden and versatile I get a little bit excited.

When we first opened the puzzle bub immediately declared it was her "pizza puzzle" because of its circle shape and wedged pieces. It may not look like much to the untrained eye, but this puzzle is a colour wheel come 3D puzzle come building blocks come marble run marvel. Basically every kids {big kids included} dream puzzle. Let me show you all the different ways we've been playing with our pizza puzzle over the last few weeks.

Colour Wheel 

The most obvious and basic way to use it is as a colour wheel. Kids can arrange the colours in any order they like as there's no colour guide on the base plate, which means they're only limited by their imagination {and best of all there's no right or wrong way to put it together}. Being extremely OCD I prefer it to be arranged in colour order from light to dark {purely because it makes my heart happy}, but it's become apparent my child isn't always bound by the same logic. Even though it hurts my brain a little when she places the colours haphazardly, it's fun for her knowing there's endless ways to arrange all the pieces.

Making Pictures

The pieces can also be arranged to create different shapes and items. We've used ours to copy some of the images on the puzzle product page as a guide, her favourite one to make is the man, but there are so many more possibilities. I plan on drawing some coloured images and laminating them as guide cards for her to use.

Building Blocks

With chunky pieces the puzzle easily doubles as a set of coloured building blocks. She's stacked them on top of each other to make towers, laid them flat to make pathways and balanced them to create bridges and doors.

Ball run {straight or curved}

We quickly discovered that the dowel and ball can be used in many different ways to make our pizza puzzle even more awesome. When the wedges are placed upside down {so they have 2 holes in each piece showing} they can be placed either straight or curved to make a pathway. We then add dowel into all the outside holes and it transforms the pathway into a ball run. This one keeps her entertained for quite a while as she has to think strategically about how and where to lay the pieces in order to make the pathway. It also works her fine motor skills pushing the dowel pieces into place.

Wheel Of Fortune

Normally the puzzle pieces sit on the base plate with only the middle holes visible {as in the first picture above}, but she worked out if we put them in upside down so both holes are to the top and the dowel is in it creates a circular ball rink. She loves spinning the ball around and around the circle and trying to get it to run out the gaps. I affectionately call this set up the wheel of fortune because it's all I can think of when I look at it. I just want to spin it around, take off a piece and reveal the $ value underneath {yes I'm that old, I still miss that show!}. She likes to call it a skating rink because the ball goes round and round like ice skating.

Staircase Drop

Without a doubt our most favourite way to play with the pizza puzzle is to turn it into a staircase ball drop. Stacking the pieces around the central pole and using the little dowel pieces on the outside edges transforms the puzzle into a spiral staircase. The dowel pieces also make it the ultimate ball run allowing the ball to drop down each step without falling off {although if your child is a little over zealous like mine it can still bounce off when pushed too hard}. I can seriously play with it like this just as long as she can, it's so much fun. She's also now able to set it up and put all the pieces in place herself because we've done it so often.

As you can see this puzzle can be played with a multitude of different ways on top of being a traditional colour wheel puzzle and I'm sure there's even more ways we're yet to discover. I love that there are so many open ended ways to play with it and that also means bub never gets bored of it, which is exactly what you want when buying toys. I can see this puzzle is going to be a family favourite for many years to come.

Toni x

Disclosure - We were gifted a wooden spiral puzzle for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed in this post are based on our experience using the puzzle. I did not receive payment for this post.

Linking with Kylie

Scooting along with Globber

Bringing a second baby into a family is a time of upheaval and uncertainty for a family unit, especially for the older child who's going from single child status to big brother or sister. With this in mind we decided, before I was due, that we'd make a concerted effort to spend one on one time with bub so she didn't have such a drastic change from only child to having to share us all the time. 

Coincidentally, a couple of weeks before I gave birth I was asked if we wanted to try out the new Globber MyFREE Fold UP scooter and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time. The scooter not only gives bub something special that's only for her, but it's also given us a fun activity that we can do with her during our special one on one time.

Please note this scooter has been upgraded and renamed as the Globber Primo foldable. 

The Globber MyFREE Fold Up is designed for 3yrs +  with an adjustable handlebar to grow with the child until a max of 50kg. It's a step up from her first Globber scooter as it's a standing only scooter without a seat attachment. She was also lucky enough to receive one with flashing LED wheels and I'm actually slightly jealous that it's hers and not mine {is that wrong?}.

As a toddler bub took quite a while to master her Globber My Free 4 in 1 scooter in the actual scooter mode, so I expected she might be a bit hesitant with the MyFREE Fold Up, but to my surprise she had it down pat within about 15 minutes. It was like watching her morph from a toddler into a big girl right in front of me. I guess having a baby makes older children suddenly look more grown up as well, but seriously watching your firstborn baby suddenly able to tackle a scooter without any help is another subtle reminder that they are in fact growing up whether you like it or not.

Globber also sent us a helmet to use with the scooter. It's the first helmet she's ever used and I thought it might be tricky getting her to wear it, but it has a simple magnetic catch lock which makes it really quick and easy to get on, she can even do it herself {when she has the helmet around the right way}. It also has a dial fit system allowing the band to be tightened easier for the perfect fit. It's so much easier than normal helmets which buckle together and can catch skin if you have them on too tight {yes that happened to me as a child and I was always scared putting them on}. The helmet has also been a great way to teach her about safety when riding her scooter, especially on concrete. We've implemented a no helmet no ride policy and now she always makes sure she has her helmet on before we take the scooter out. In fact she usually reminds us to grab her helmet before she grabs her scooter.

I'm not sure if it's because she's taller, older and more carefree, or because she felt more confident wearing a helmet, but either way she mastered riding her new scooter really easily. She didn't get disheartened or scared when she slipped off the first few times, if anything it actually made her even more determined to succeed. She persisted, wanting us only to watch and not help her, and after a really short time was confident enough to ride the scooter on both concrete and grass. Being able to do it herself has made her much more independent and confident in her abilities and she's constantly riding it around the backyard on her own or begging us to take her outside to ride around the neighbourhood with her. An added bonus from her wanting to ride the scooter all the time is that we're all getting more time outside in the fresh air and we're getting incidental exercise as we follow her around the local paths.

Our favourite features of the MyFREE Fold UP scooter

Easy to assemble and adjust

Like all Globber scooters the MyFREE Fold Up is really easy to assemble, it's literally a case of clicking pieces together. The handlebar is also adjustable to 3 different heights as your child grows by simply clicking the bar in and out as needed.

Easy to store

One of the best features of the MyFREE Fold Up is that the handlebar can be folded down flat against the base board with a click of the button. This allows the scooter to be easily stored under a bed, on a shelf or lent flat against a wall. It also makes them really easy to transport in the back of a car {especially if you already have a pram in the boot}.

Easy to ride

The MyFREE Fold UP is a 3 wheel scooter and low to the ground making it easy for younger kids to balance and control. It also has an optional steering lock. 

Safety features

The steering lock allows the scooter to switch between assisted steering and only going straight which is great while kids are still getting used to it. There's also a long covered rear brake making it easier for kids to brake themselves {although mine still prefers to just put her foot out to stop it, but I'm sure she'll master the brake eventually}.

Thanks to the team at Globber I have one MyFREE Fold UP scooter {RRP $180} to give away to one lucky reader. To enter just leave me a comment below letting me know why you'd love to win a MyFREE Fold UP scooter and complete the steps in the rafflecopter form {so I can contact you if you win}, it's that simple!

If you're having any issues leaving a comment {sometimes it can be a bit temperamental} shoot me an email or send me a message on my Facebook page and I can help you out.

Toni x

*Please note unfortunately the prize scooter doesn't come with LED wheels, sorry guys!*

a Rafflecopter giveaway

TERMS & CONDITIONS 

Competition commences upon publication and ends at 11:59pm August 24th 2017. One winner will receive a MyFREE Fold UP scooter from Globber RRP $180.00. Winner can choose their preferred colour from the options available once the competition has ended. Finding Myself Young will not be held liable should the prize be lost in transit. Competition is open to Australian residents only, excluding ACT. This competition is a game of skill and will be judged as such. All mandatory entry steps must be completed to constitute a valid entry. Incomplete entries will be deemed invalid and excluded from judging. Winner will have 72hrs to respond or prize will be redrawn. This competition is in no way endorsed, promoted or administered by Facebook.

Disclosure - We were gifted a Globber MyFREE Fold UP scooter and helmet for the purpose of review. All opinions are expressed based on our experience using the scooter. I did not receive payment for this review.

Finding doctors who care

This post is in collaboration with Brand Meets Blog

When I was pregnant I knew there was a chance I could have another allergy baby. Of course I was hoping we'd avoid it, but having already had one child with multiple food allergies, the likelihood was high. It was ok though, this time around I was prepared. So I thought.

I knew how hard life was last time so I'd do things differently. I'd change my diet, continue breastfeeding, do everything in my power to minimise the impact the allergies would have on our family and our baby. All the things I didn't try last time I'd try this time and it'd be better. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but reality is a different beast entirely.

I've since discovered no matter how prepared you think you are, you're never truly prepared for an allergy baby. Even though I've lived it before, my mind managed to erase just how horrible those first few weeks were {which is probably a good thing or I might never have tried for a second child}.

I definitely wasn't prepared for the hours and hours of relentless high pitched screaming that never seems to stop, it merely fluctuates in its intensity. Sure, all babies cry, but this is next level screaming. I'd forgotten how distressing it is to watch a baby spend hour after hour, day after day in agonising pain, which I do everything in my power to stop, but can't. Nor was I prepared for the very real fear I feel when eating something new wondering if it's going to hurt her, or the tremendous guilt that follows when it does. I've spent countless days too scared to eat anything because I think I'm poisoning her, but I force myself to because I know I have to eat.

Then there's the relentless, soul crushing sleep deprivation. The torture of having to console a screaming baby for 20+hrs a day while simultaneously looking after a needy toddler for 16 of those hours, all the while running on 2hrs of broken sleep, just hoping and praying that one day it will end. One day there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. Some days the hope that that day will be tomorrow is literally the only thing that gets me through the day, because I have no idea how I'd make it through without lying to myself that tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow has to be better.

I've tried everything to bring her some relief from the pain. I changed my diet within the first week. I've used countless wind drops, reflux medicine, baby massage and old school remedies my friends, friends grandmother used to swear by. There comes a point though where you have to admit you need professional help. For me this point came very early, but I've struggled to find the right help.

I've spent weeks on waiting lists then hours traveling all over Brisbane trying to find a doctor who could shed some light on our situation. Someone who could give me hope that it will actually get better and tell me how to make it better. When you're surviving on absolute minimum sleep driving all over the place, spending hours in waiting rooms to see random Dr's is the last thing you want to be doing. To add insult to injury I was then dismissed by a lot of those Drs with the general consensus being babies cry for lots of reasons, it doesn't mean she has allergies or that anything is wrong. Insert frustrated eye roll here.

It really astounds me how many doctors there are out there that dismiss a mother's concerns about her own child as if she knows nothing about the person she gave birth to and is raising. It's tremendously frustrating knowing there's something very wrong with my child, yet having medical professionals dismiss those concerns. Still I've persisted looking for different options in the hope of helping her. After almost resigning myself to the fact I'd tried all avenues and there was nothing more I could do, I discovered the wonderful staff at Ubuntu medical centre.

Ubuntu is a family run medical centre in Stafford on the northside of Brisbane and I managed to get appointments with a GP and a dietitian within days. Hallelujah, no ridiculous waiting lists! I thought for sure it'd take weeks to get a dietitian appointment. The best thing about Ubuntu is they have a huge range of allied health services within the same practice. Taking two kids on long drives when exhausted isn't fun, so being able to see both the GP and dietitian at the same practice was super convenient. They also have a massage therapist, naturopath, acupuncturist, chiropractor and other services available {I wish I had of known about them while I was still pregnant, hello massage therapist!}.

Despite having a plethora of services available Ubuntu still has the charm of a family medical centre. After attending countless appointments elsewhere over the past few weeks where I've felt like just another number, it was refreshing to meet medical professionals who genuinely cared about our situation. I really felt like they had a sincere concern for her wellbeing and mine, and instead of trying to get us in and out the door as quick as possible they took the time to have in depth discussions about my concerns. They then provided a holistic approach to help us rather than prescribing medication to mask her symptoms. I've found so many other Dr's just want to provide a band-aid solution (or dismiss my concerns completely), yet the team at Ubuntu really wanted to help me determine the root causes of her allergies.

After 12 weeks of horrible sleep, numerous tears {both hers and mine}, watching her squirming in pain and changing my entire diet, I finally feel like I've been heard. I feel like I've been acknowledged by medical professionals who actually cared about our situation and who took my concerns as seriously as I do. I have a renewed sense of hope and a new plan to work towards while I wait for the better days to come. It's not a complete solution, unfortunately with allergies there never is a quick solution, but most days just knowing we're definitely on the right track, and I'm doing everything I can do, is all I need to get me through.

And sleep, sleep would help too, but we'll get there eventually.

Toni x

This is a sponsored post as per my disclosure policy.

Things you should never say to an overdue pregnant woman

Everyone knows you should pick your words to a pregnant woman wisely, all those hormones flowing through the body combined with physical exhaustion can afterall lead to an emotional breakdown at the drop of a hat. Despite my raging hormones while pregnant I've always been pretty good at taking people's well intentioned {however misguided} advice and comments on board without reducing to a blubbering mess or raging psycho. However, I've realised this past week that all of that goes out the window once you're overdue. Being overdue is a whole new ballgame. 

I had planned on quietly announcing the birth so it'd be a surprise for everyone, hoping to avoid all the last minute messages asking if the baby was here. Of course that was when I thought she'd arrive early and long before I went overdue. It's become apparently inherent that every single person in my life now knows I'm ridiculously overdue and no matter how many times I acknowledge that I too am fully aware of this fact, they like to remind me every few minutes of every day. People are helpful like that.

Here's the thing though, I'm well aware of the fact that I'm overdue. I'm well aware that I haven't had the baby yet and that she's taking forever to arrive. The thing with fertility treatment is that I know the exact date she was conceived, which means I have no doubt when she was due {which is actually 2 days before my due date according to the hospital so I'm even more overdue than they think}. I don't need reminding from everyone else, I'm already reminding myself 4066 times a day that my baby should've been here by now. But that doesn't stop everyone else from letting me know too. In fact the messages from people go to a whole new level once you're past due. 

At the risk of alienating everyone I know I thought I'd record my favourite messages. I know my friends and family {strangers I meet at the shops etc} are well meaning when they say these things, but my exhausted and frustrated brain can't help but want to react to them sarcastically {because sarcasm is the only way I'm dealing with this continuous waiting}. I'm nice as pie on the outside, but this is what I'm really thinking on the inside and why you should never say these things to an overdue woman. No offence.

Have you had the baby yet?

Yep, I just thought I'd tell everyone individually when they contacted me instead of announcing it to the world, I figured it'd be more personal that way. Ironically the more times people ask me this the more I'm leading towards deliberately not announcing the birth for a few days.

I have a good feeling tonight will be the night.

God I hope so, I've had that feeling for about two weeks now and haven't been right so far. Hopefully you're a better psychic than me.

You just need to relax, it'll happen when the time is right.

Umm this is my most hated saying in the entire world because I heard it nearly every day while we were trying to conceive. Newsflash it's hard to relax when you can hardly move, have heartburn/reflux after every meal or drink, can't sleep due to pain, have to pee every second, feel like your belly is going to rip in half and are fielding 4000 messages a day asking whether the baby has arrived. Believe me I've tried. If anyone wants to volunteer to come give me a massage, paint my nails, take me out to lunch etc though I wouldn't be opposed to that.

Babies come when they're ready.

Yeah I'm well aware she's going to control me, not the other way around, I already have a child.

You should have sex/eat curry/go for a walk/bounce on a ball etc

Wait, hang on a minute I thought all I had to do was relax?
Your advice is so contradictory I can't keep up.

Can you hurry up and have your baby?

Yeah sure I was totally holding out on purpose. Sorry about that.

Let me know the minute your contractions start.

Sure, I'll have time to personally message everyone while I'm in immense pain, hoping this time its real, and hoping I make it to the hospital in time and don't birth on the side of the road. Don't worry, you'll be my first priority once the contractions start {again, for the seventh time already this pregnancy}.

So when is your actual due date?

About 500 years ago.

Wow I swear you've been pregnant forever!

Thanks for reminding me. I totally forgot.

......

In all honesty though I get that people are just excitedly waiting for the baby to arrive and don't want to miss out on the news when it happens. Rest assured I'll let you all know once she FINALLY decides to make her appearance. Hell at this point I'll probably be shouting it from the rooftops the minute she comes out because I'll be so freaking excited that the waiting is finally over. Until then I promise to keep my sarcastic replies to everyone's comments confined to the inside of my brain and not actually snap at anyone {hopefully}.

Did you go overdue in your pregnancy?

Toni x

Mummy Must Have Review | My Creative Box

Before I had kids I never thought I'd be a crafty mum. I loved art as a kid myself, but for some reason I could never imagine myself sitting down and doing craft activities with my child. Most likely because I thought I wouldn't have the patience for it. Evidently I was wrong. So wrong.

Turns out I love doing craft activities with her. Granted my ocd does get tested a fair bit when she's decorating or making things, and so does my tendency to want to control everything, but that's the beauty of being a parent ~ you adapt and change, and if not look in the other direction to stop yourself from "fixing" everything. As much as her doing things differently to the way I envisaged does test me, I really love watching her imagination come to life as she creates and I love that we get to share that together. For this reason we usually do a craft type activity at least once a week, whether that be drawing, painting, something more elaborate like making pom pom monsters or something themed like making Christmas wreaths.

Even though I love doing craft and am always looking up new things we can do together, there are times where I just lack motivation or enthusiasm to come up with new ideas {or trawl through pinterest for inspiration}, especially now that I'm seven months pregnant. There's also lots of nights where I don't want to spend ages prepping activities for the next day. Unfortunately though her desire to do activities never wanes, so I have to come up with alternatives, which is why I'm so glad I came across My Creative Box on Instagram.

My Creative Box is a monthly art/craft activity box which can be purchased as a one off box or via a subscription. It's the brain child of two childhood educator mums, Leanne and Abby, who wanted to bring fun, creative learning activities to other children. As educators they realise the many learning and development benefits of children being able to express themselves creatively, but they also understand that lots of parents are time poor so organising art activities can be a challenge, so they've done all the work for you. Each My Creative Box is designed for preschool children {3-6yrs} and includes 4-6 different craft activities each month. The activities included in the boxes are designed to encourage children to develop fine motor skills, hand/eye co-ordination, cognitive skills, build confidence and express their creativity through multi-sensory experiences. We've been working our way through the activities in the February My Creative Box over the last fortnight and this is what we think.

My Creative Box is literally packed with activities and I love that there's a guide page attached inside so you can see all the activities easily, which helps with choosing which one to do first {although if your child is like mine they'll want to do that one and that one AND that one first}. I also really love that everything you need for each activity is included {literally everything right down to the glue or paintbrush for example} and they're all packaged into separate bags for each individual activity. It's so easy to grab out a bag and set up an activity in less than a minute. No prep, no gathering of materials, it's all done already. 

Each activity comes with a comprehensive guide card which lists how to complete the activity step by step including photos. There are also extension activities listed at the bottom as some of the items can be re-used again and there's also usually excess materials {such as paint} left over once the specific activity is completed. On the back of the guide card the girls have also listed all the skills the activities help your child develop {like fine motor skills such as hand strengthening, pincer grip etc} and there is also suggested prompts to use when doing the activity to aid in language development too. The aspiring childhood educator in me loves this addition.

One of her favourite activities included in the February box was this sea plate craft activity. She loved gluing down each of the pieces of the blue tissue paper and choosing where each one would go to make the ocean. I then sprinkled the sand onto the bottom of the plate and she placed all the shells and fish where she wanted them to go. We didn't glue those down because I wanted to keep the plate as a more fluid kind of small world scene that she could change up each time she wanted to play with it. She kept moving the fish and crab around making them talk to each other and moved the shells around to make imprints into the sand.

Being the February box it also included some fun valentines day crafts to make homemade presents. She loved putting these together, especially the clay heart necklace which she straight away told me was for grandma. Why do the grandparents always get the good stuff? Every single time we make a necklace, pretty picture, painting etc she always wants to give it to grandma. What about mummy? I'm the one who puts in all the effort, haha I'm totally not jealous at all! Luckily for me there was enough clay to make a few hearts so I got her to paint another one I'm keeping for myself.

Her most favourite activity of all was decorating her very own library bag. To be honest I think she was just as excited to paint all over a bag {because she thought she was getting away with something naughty} as she was with actually being able to paint it any way she liked. This activity did test my own ocd a bit because my brain wanted her to draw a nice pretty picture, but I knew it would end up being a bunch of random colours and lines. I managed to control myself though and allowed her to decorate it however she wanted and it was actually really amazing talking to her about what each squiggle was. She drew rainbows, mountains "like da pyramids" and one blue squiggle is apparently Sonic the hedgehog. Kids imaginations really are the best.

We've really enjoyed doing all the activities included in this month's box and I love that she also practised so many development skills while creating all her little crafts. The activities definitely helped to improve her hand strengthening as she can now squeeze a glue bottle without needing my help {which may bite me in the butt later if I leave her unattended with glue, but at the moment I'm just super proud of her}. To see all of our finished activities from the box check out my Instagram feed.

It's evident that Leanne and Abby have put a lot of time and planning into curating My Creative Box so that the activities appeal to a range of children and each activity {although comprehensive instructions are included} has a wide scope of how it can be completed given each child's imagination and individual way of manipulating the materials provided. I really love that each activity is so easy to set up and everything is provided so all you need to do is help your child to create a little masterpiece. They're great for rainy days, hot days when it's too hot to go outside, time poor parents who want easy no fuss activities and also crafty kids who love to create. I've already ordered the March box because she loved this one so much and I'm pretty sure we'll be ordering more in future months so that she has something just for her once her little sister has come along. I'm certain I'll need help coming up with creative ideas when I'm knee deep in sleep deprivation again, so I'm glad I have this special craft box {as she calls it} up my sleeve to keep her entertained.

Do/did you enjoy crafting with your kids?

Toni x

Disclosure - I was provided the February My Creative Box for the purpose of review. All opinions expressed are based on our experience with the items and activities included in the box. I did not receive payment for this review and have already ordered the March box because we had so much fun doing the activities from this month's box.

Linking with Kylie.

Must Have Materials for Sensory Play

If you follow me on Instagram you'll be well aware of my love of sensory play. We're constantly using food items, water, craft bits and pieces, left over packaging and basically anything we can get our hands on for sensory play. 

There's a plethora of items available for sensory play, you just need to know where to look, so this week I've invited my friend Casey from Little Lifelong Learners, who has many years experience as a teacher and a stay at home mum to two little ones, to share her favourite must have materials for sensory play.