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The love of a parent is a strong thing, so strong that you're prepared to shell out 22 odd pounds for a ticket to LolliBop billed as 'The big bash for little people'. Set in Regent's Park, catering for toddlers, those under 3ft and the 'tweenies' age group, TV favourites such as Dick and Dom, Mister Maker and the ZingZillas were among those billed.

I spent just over four hours there with my two year old and I'm sure I was more exhausted than her as we made the trek back to the station..! She was more than happy to be surrounded by fire-breathing mechanical dragons, storytelling by Poppy Cat, a six foot tall Dora the Explorer and Stavros Flatley - oh wait a minute, think that was me who enjoyed their hilarious double act which saw them joined by some randoms to perform the Blues Brothers' Everybody Needs Somebody to Love!

Activities to take part in during the day included hula hoop workshops, cookery sessions, baby ballet, Moshi Monsters and a science lab - to name but a few. My only complaint, as the mother of a HUGE Dora the Explorer fan, was that her appearance on the main stage was billed as a 'singalong' but was nothing more than advertising for the forthcoming Dora the Explorer live show. That and the £6 helium balloons that were being sold on the grounds.

So all in all not a cheap day out unless you manage to bag some deal or free tickets! But for the amount of activities on offer, a fun family day out and brilliant for children slightly older than two years old, as I think my daughter was slightly too young to appreciate all that was on offer, or in other words, her attention span not long enough to stay interested!

Keep an eye out for early bird tickets for next year!

http://www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

                                          

Yes, that momentous time in a toddler’s life and their parent’s has arrived…I’ve finally had to bite the bullet and get serious about potty training my two year old.

Using the long bank holiday as an opportunity to do the deed, I prepared for what could only be described as a damp, smelly and frustrating version of hell.

A quick bit of online research gives you all sorts of ideas –  from training your little one to use the toilet in one day, to weeing dolls and even a potty training celebration dance endorsed by celebrities like Tori Spelling and Alyson Hannigan (Buffy/How I Met Your Mother). And so with this wealth of knowledge, I decided to face the task ahead…with my eyes firmly shut and praying for the best!

The first couple of hours was spent dealing with six – yes, six – changes, mopping up spillages and telling my daughter numerous times, ‘You must tell mummy when you need to do wee wee, you say ‘mummy wee wee’. To which she’d reply each time ‘Yes, mummy wee wee’, giving me the (false) impression that she completely understood.

And as I wondered why it seemed potty training is the job of the mother, my other half made his fairly timid attempts at encouraging our little girl – from the comfort of our bed, chilling in front of the TV. So when our daughter had a little accident on the duvet cover, I couldn’t help but smile…

So here I am, at the end of the fourth day – several machine loads and too many outfit changes (both her and me) later and I can proudly say my daughter’s getting the hang of it (virtual high five!)!

So back to work in the morning and over to the nursery – fingers crossed they help keep up the good work…

HANDS up who usually gives up the battle when it comes to brushing their little one’s teeth?

I mean, who would have thought it could be so difficult when this human being you created is less than half the size of you….

Therefore when I got an invitation to an event which sounded like it could make brushing your teeth – gasp – fun, I couldn’t resist.

So on Thursday we wore white coats and played at being dentists at the Foreo Mikro Dentist event in Central London.

Obviously there was a ball pit involved, but I also received tips from Harley Street Dentist Dr Mark Hughes on oral hygiene for both my kids – even for my one year old, who I learnt can also use their specially designed sonic electric toothbrushes.

The silicone toothbrush head is soft enough for his gums AND can also help with the dreaded itchy gums caused by teething – the Mikro brush has two settings, brush and massage mode.

He’s 18 months and it seems like the majority of his teeth have decided to come at the same time, so anything that soothes the pain is a God send.

Other pluses include a looong battery life, as well as a happy or sad face to encourage little ones to brush for the recommended two minutes.

We’ll see how it goes, but so far, so good. I mean, at least he’s not running away every time I bring out the toothbrush now… In fact it’s the opposite – he’s now dashing off whenever I try to take it off him!

Find out more at www.foreo.com/issa-mikro

When I heard about this film I thought it would be the perfect film to review for my blog – with an all-star cast including Jennifer Lopez, Matthew Morrison, Cameron Diaz, Chris Rock, Chace Crawford, Elizabeth Banks (the list goes on) – it covers everything from conception to childbirth, in all its glory!

I really enjoyed the film, directed by Kirk Jones, the ensemble cast and different strands to the storyline gives it a kind of New Year’s Eve/Valentine’s Day feel to it.  A comedy with some laugh out loud moments, the not so happy aspects of pregnancy are also covered, so be warned that it’s not all smiles and without giving anything away, there may be some tears…

But the thing people seem to want to know about is Cheryl Cole’s cameo in the film. But to be honest it’s a moment I’ve tried to block from memory, as I always have an irrational desire to scream or lash out whenever I see her or hear her voice. But for those of you interested, she said about two lines, appeared as herself – so no real acting involved – and was on the acreen for less than five minutes.

Also, the film is definitely not just a chick flick, the cinema had its fair share of guys in the audience when I saw it, who were laughing and cringing in equal measure. As Vic, Chris Rock leads the pack of fathers making regular trips to the park with their broods, providing several of the laughs as they try to convince Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) to join their world of parenthood.

I’m not gonna lie, this isn’t the movie to see if you like hardcore action movies, but for a couple of laughs and several soppy moments, it’s definitely worth a try.

 

Media Mummy rating? 3.5 stars out of 5