45 Months Old

 

Well little man, your officially another month older. Another month closer to your next birthday, and another month wiser. We have had a busy time of it, the weekends have been full of exciting trips, most recently to Warwick Castle where you managed to climb into the towers, climbing all 530 steps! Suffice to say I was pretty proud of you that day Mr! You even got to shoot a bow and arrow for the first time, you did so well and thoroughly enjoyed yourself! We have even been along to the SEA LIFE Centre and had a wander around looking at all of the marine life. Your favourite part was the Penguins again, you could just spend ages lay down on the floor watching them strut about. The weeks have been full of playschool where you are coming along all the time, and on the days that I’m not at work we have special time for just you and I. 

 

 

You have been a little bit grotty this month, I am sure you won’t mind me saying. At times you have really tested my patience through your whinging and attitude, but then in the next instance my blue eyed boy is back and wanting a cuddle. When you get into one of your strops, boy do you go for it. You slam doors, you even tell me that you hate me on occasion, you strop and sit on your own, and sometimes I have to carry you back for a snuggle and put the whole episode behind us. I am hoping this is just a phase, because the last few weeks you really have been pushing it more and more.

 

 

With that being said though, when you’re not throwing your toys out of the pram for one reason or another, you are such a delight. You are well mannered, polite, caring and just a joy to have around. Your funny. Your so, so funny. You make me laugh like no one else and I love you for it. The things that you come out with these days really do make me chuckle. You have been prolonging bedtime by sneaking in additional cuddles, I can never leave because I am so happy snuggled up next to you. When it does become time to leave you have started to ask ‘Mummy, I see your tummy muscles please!?’, I couldn’t stop laughing that first time you said it, I was sure Daddy must have put you up to it. And when I showed you, you said ‘WOW!’. Of course I then giggled harder. 

 

 

You have a new love for Super Mario, Cars and Thomas aren’t as popular as they once were (Thank you!!) and Mario seems to be a new firm favourite. Your so skilled on your DS, more so than I ever expected at this age. Weaving and diving as you race around the Mario Kart track, it has to be said that you could teach me a thing or two! You have been watching Mario clips on YouTube over your trains in recent weeks, and picked up on a gimmick that one of the characters was saying… ‘I like you so I sit on you, I sit on you, I sit on you!’ Of course you then repeated it word for word and sat on my stomach all the while bouncing up and down.

 

 

It’s your complete innocence, the innocence that I worry you may lose when you start school. I mentioned the other day that I was going to ‘pop for a sunbed’ which of course you took very literally! ‘You go to sleep Mummy!? With a pillow!?’ I explained that a sunbed was something very different, but you were adamant that Mummy was off for a nap! You still refer to passing wind as ‘a pop’, I may actually cry the day you refer to it as anything else, but I know that with school approaching there are going to be so many outside influences reeling you in. 

 

We had such an interesting conversation the other day about when I was pregnant with you. I told you how you used to live in my tummy and you would kick my ribs with a vengeance. I told you how you would come to work with me in my tummy, and you would eat and drink everything that Mummy had, how you were connected to me by a cord. You were amazed, and I am pretty sure you think I am making the entire story up. I mean  let’s face it! It does sound very far-fetched right!? You laughed so much as I told you everything, you laughed the hardest about kicking me in the ribs of course! Then you declared ‘I going back in your tummy now Mummy!’ and proceeded to climb into my chest! I think we will wait to have the rest of that conversation little man!

 

 

You are currently on your Easter holiday and you can’t understand that I have to go to work still. Each morning this week you have not wanted me to go, you have wanted me to stay and spend the day with you. Believe me that’s exactly what I would love to do, and I keep explaining that come Wednesday evening, you will have me for the rest of the week and all weekend! It’s not a bad deal, and we will be able to head out and have lots of fun. Before I go to work I always give you a hug and a kiss, it’s what we have always done. But these last few weeks have seen you adding in more and more hugs and kisses, so before I am out of the door you have demanded dozens of each! It has meant that I am later into work, but thankfully no one seems to have noticed, and to keep you happy it’s more than worth it.

 

 

You have another week of Easter break ahead of you, and next week Mummy only has a 1 day week! On the Wednesday we are off for a very exciting day out at Drayton Manor in celebration of Thomas Land’s extended park opening up! This is something that we are all really looking forward to. 

 

Until next month little man…

 

 

 

 

Sea Stars at Birmingham SEA LIFE Centre

Weekends bring adventures, there’s no doubt about that. With the rising sun we can be seen chasing the horizon on the hunt for our next greatest endeavor.  This last weekend we were invited along to the Birmingham SEA LIFE Centre to see the all new Sea Stars Exhibit.

As soon as I told Leo about our weekend plans, he couldn't stop talking about the Penguins. On the weeks running up to our visit, Leo has been so excited about all that he will see and the things that he will do on his next visit. His memory is so amazing these days, and he can cast his mind back to previous visits. We have been a few times already in the past year, and the latest addition upon our last visit, actually happened to be the Penguins.

Living in Worcestershire, the commute into Birmingham isn’t a tough one and there is parking in close proximity to the SEA LIFE Centre which is always welcome. We arrived early before the SEA LIFE Centre was actually opened to the public so that we could be one of the first to experience the Sea Stars attraction. We signed in and were greeted by the team and were pointed in the right direction.

First up is the Penguins, this is a firm favourite for the entire family. I love watching them waddle around after one another, jumping out of the water onto dry land and then all diving back in one after the other. They are like real life Happy Feet, and there is something quite calming about watching them. Leo loves them, he gets down on the floor so that he can watch them as they fly around under the water, seeing sights that you don’t see all that often. It’s like a complete other world.

We tend to follow Leo’s lead when we visit, and we were thankful that on this occasion he seemed to be taking things slowly and pacing himself. This meant that Daddy and I got to have a proper look at everything and really take everything in. Leo stopped to inspect the rock pool but decided he wasn’t brave enough on this occasion to touch the Star Fish, Daddy on the other hand decided to give it a go! That’s one of the great things about the SEA LIFE Centre, there are so many different things to see and do, something for every age and interest.

We stopped for ages just watching the Clown Fish swimming around, and I found myself and Leo both mesmerised as we watched two clown fish brushing up against the sea anemone just like in Finding Nemo. Of course we had to keep our eyes peeled for  Dory too.

As we moved around we came across creatures from all over the world. Sting Rays, Jelly Fish, Sea Horses, and of course.. Star Fish. As we got to the area that used to hold all of the very beautiful Jellies, we were met with a brand new part of the tour. Sea Stars! The first thing I noticed was the tanks with cut outs in the rocks, making room for young and old alike to place their head inside the bubble and see the world housing the beautiful Star Fish from a whole new angle. I loved this and of course had to be the first to give it a go. I did manage to bump my head in the process, much to Luke’s delight! I always have been a big kid at heart!

As we moved around the Sea Stars I noticed a big tank that was pretty murky, and among the murky waters was the biggest Star Fish I think that I have ever seen. For the first 5 minutes or so as I peered into the tank, I thought this Star Fish was a plastic model, not for one moment did I think it was…Alive! It was round about then that a very helpful member of staff came over and told me the story to the larger than life Star Fish inhabiting the murky tank. For starters he was real, and very much alive. Up until that very morning the waters had been clear and ready for the Sea Stars grand un-veiling. It was only that morning that the cheeky Star Fish decided to test the waters so to speak…In the hope that there were some lady Star Fish around to reap the benefits… I was told that it’s a very rare occurrence and that they only do it when they are very comfortable, and out of all the days for it to happen…

Around the Sea Stars there is lots of information to hand, quirky facts that I actually had no idea about. In fact there was and is so much that I didn’t know about Star Fish, crazily I didn’t actually think they could move, but I was wrong. Although I didn’t witness it myself, I apparently just missed some rather sizeable Star Fish wiggle their way, quite quickly across one of the tanks! Now that is something I wish I had seen with my own eyes! There are computer aids and Leo enjoyed having a play around with those before we made our way out and carried on our tour around the rest of the SEA LIFE Centre.

We were all really impressed with the new Sea Stars attraction and came away knowing much more about the mysterious Star Fish than we knew before visiting. It is certainly worth a visit to see the new addition, and of course the larger than life Star Fish himself!

On this occasion we decided not to head into the 4D Cinema, Leo gets a little worried about the water splashing out and he hasn’t forgotten about the time I brought him back in September, so for the sake of arguments we decided to keep going forward. We then came face to face (So to speak) with the Piranhas! I think they are fascinating, and told Leo about how vicious they could be, and that was exactly why they were in a tank with very high sides, so that people couldn't poke their fingers in. Of course Leo looked at me like I was bonkers and said ‘You winding me up Mummy!’.  Of course we all know that I was being perfectly honest, but we will save that argument for another day and hope that he doesn’t try and make friends with any Piranha’s in the coming days…

We made our way to the lift to take us down to the walk through bubble, this part is always rather spectacular and I have fond memories of visiting as a child. Although within those memories are the ones that still put a humorous smile on my face to this day. As a young child, I remember being told that we were heading for a family trip to the SEA LIFE Centre. Then my parents told me all about the bubble you could go into and see the fish. In my head a bubble is a circular object, or a sort of pod. So in my head before visiting I had dreamed up very high expectations of what this bubble would be like. The bubble would pop up out of the water, a door would open to the glass pod allowing me to climb inside, and it would then lock tight and dive back down into the watery depths! I do remember tears when I discovered that this ‘bubble’ wasn't quite what I had in mind, but we can blame my over active imagination for that one!

We spent a while just watching the sharks swimming around among the sea of fish, and then laid eyes on my favourite creature. The Sea Turtle. He really is something else and so majestic.

You can see a snippet of our exciting day at the SEA LIFE Centre, and all of the exciting creatures that we came across! The new Sea Stars attraction is definitely worth visiting and we look forward to our next visit in the coming months.

Disclaimer: We were invited along to the SEA LIFE Centre for the Sea Stars opening. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.

Octonauts come to Birmingham SEA LIFE Centre

Birmingham National SEA LIFE Centre is a day out that I have always enjoyed, and since Leo’s arrival 3 years ago, it is an attraction that I have loved being able to take him along to and seeing how his experience changes with each visit. The great thing about a trip to the SEA LIFE Centre is that not one visit is the same, the aquatic life is always moving and providing a unique visit no matter how many times you go.

Last month we were invited along to experience the new Octonauts Mission that is launching from Saturday 11^th October, and both Leo and I were really excited to be one of the first families through the door. Leo enjoys watching the Octonauts over on CBeebies, so the mere thought of actually getting to meet some of the characters was a really big deal to my over excited 3 year old.

We decided to train it over on this occasion, and we took an entire day for just Leo and I to have a special day together exploring the wonders of the deep (even if he did get more excited about the train journey!). Upon arriving at the SEA LIFE Centre, we were handed an activity sheet with a series of questions for you to answer as you move around the attraction. I liked this as it gave us an additional something to do together as we explored, and at the end got Leo a sticker reward!

It had been a while since we last visited the SEA LIFE Centre with Leo, and in that time frame they had added in the rather amazing Penguin tank. This was the first point we came to, and this is where Leo and I spent our first half hour. I was really impressed with this one part of the attraction, and it was magical to see the Penguins swimming and diving around under the water.  It was here that Leo decided he would like to swim with the Penguins.. I pointed out a child in another view point that was situated under the water level, it took me everything to keep him dressed because my boy was adamant he was going to go swimming with them!

We saw many different sea creatures that day, Sharks, Rays, Turtles, Jelly Fish and Clown Fish, each captivating in their own way. Big hits for both Leo and I were the Sea Horses and the Jelly Fish!

Throughout the day there are a number of character experiences, and you can find the full list of appearances on the website. We had a great time walking around the building and Leo was in his element when we ran into our first Octonaut. They allowed us to pose for photographs and a helpful employee even took a few snaps of both Leo and I together.

Leo and I had a great day exploring the wonders of the SEA LIFE Centre, and Leo even got to experience his very first 4D Cinema… Now each time I ask him if he would like to go to the cinema he replies ‘No water this cinema!’. Apparently he was caught a little off guard when it came to the splashes of water that flew at him, but for the most part he seemed rather impressed with the concept!

We followed our exciting visit to the SEA LIFE Centre with a trip to Pizza Express, where Leo and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch before hopping on the train back home.

The Octonauts Mission is running from Saturday 11^th October through to Sunday 30^th November 2014, so if you are wanting to visit it is advisable to book early!

Disclaimer: We were invited along and provided with complimentary entrance to the SEA LIFE Centre. All views and opinions are completely honest and my own. 

Birmingham Sea Life Centre

We were given the opportunity to take Leo along to the Sea Life Centre in Birmingham the other weekend courtesy of Ladbrokes. I of course jumped at the chance as I thought Leo was going to love looking at all of the bright fish of all different shapes and sizes bobbing around in their tanks.

We must have tired Leo out over lunch at a near by restaurant, as by the time he had devoured his cheese pizza and munched his chocolate fudge cake, he was ready for a nap. But still we had come to visit the Sea Life Centre and we had foolishly decided that Leo should walk around....

Of course Leo had other plans, he was going to run. From start to finish and if I had not kept up with him he would have blitzed the attraction in no time at all and be coming out of the other end having not seen anything! 

I was disappointed that Leo was more interested in running around rather than looking at the many marine creatures that were on display to him, he did show fleeting signs of interest before zooming off again but there was so much more zooming than studying. I am putting this down to him needing a sleep...But still it would have been really special for him to have a proper look and take it all in.

Having been to the Sea Life Centre before I have been able to take everything in without a larger than life toddler running up and down ramps before becoming fascinated by pretty lights. I have even been able to take in the 3D cinema, even though on this occasion it just wasn't going to happen. 

Leo did seem to love the Jelly Fish that floated around elegantly in the large tube aquarium, they come in so many pretty colours and glow beautifully. Of course it wasn't long before Leo was on the run again...

At the end of the Sea Life Centre before you enter the gift shop, there is a mirror maze. This being Leo's first experience of a mirror maze I have to admit I was anxious and excited all at the same time. Leo wasted no time in charging off and in a matter of moments he had become the first casualty. That's right Leo ran straight into his reflection, taken a tumble backwards and by the look on his face...Was wondering what on earth was going on.

To add extra bewilderment, Leo suddenly started looking from left to right. There were 3 Daddy's in front of him all talking away making sure that he was ok. Leo really didn't know where to look and it soon became apparent that he was more than ready to go home.

Ladbrokes are currently celebrating the launch of their new Octopays game hence the sea life theme! To complete the sea life experience we were also sent a Sea Food Cookery Book and a Blue Planet DVD.

We had a fantastic day out all in all even though Leo was a little monster running here, there and everwhere. We will certainly be taking him back to the Sea Life in the near future and I am hoping that he will take more of an interest in the marine life.

Disclaimer: I was sent vouchers to cover our entrance fee to the Sea Life Centre, a cookery book and Blue Planet DVDs for the purpose of this feature. However all opinions expressed are completely honest and my own.