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Raisie Bay

Word of the Week 29 – Planning

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Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week. A nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week. My word this week is ‘Planning’ and you can read more about that below.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase. But please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week. There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK – Planning

Oh My, what a week. I could have thought of a dozen non positive words for this week. The sadness of losing the European football cup, the horrible racism and violence afterwards. The rising numbers of Covid cases just as lock down is being lifted, the fact that my poor Little Man has to lose the last few days at school because of a Covid positive case in his class. It’s all been quite depressing.

However, I have decided to be positive, we have lots to be grateful for. And a lot of planning for more exciting things to come.

Planning. image shows a row of blocks going up and the word planning.

I love that my brother and sister-in-law are visiting us with my little great nephew, I’ve seen him three times now in the last few weeks. I don’t have any grandchildren, but sitting there holding him on my lap I was filled with just as much love as if he was my grandchild as well as my brother’s. Oh, he is adorable. Look at my blog post yesterday for some lovely little baby shoes I was gifted for him. I’m planning on seeing as much as possible of him, but obviously I have to wait now until we are safe again.

I love that I am part of a fantastic group which offers activities for special needs children. A couple of years ago we managed a few things with them including an exotic zoo and a visit to the Wildlife Conservatory. last year it was Covid lockdown but they still arranged a visit to a farm for us where we were the only family there and we had a picnic and fed the animals. This year I’m planning to join in again, anything animal related goes down really well with my children. While holding my sobbing Little Man this morning (he was so looking forward to his last days of primary school) we looked through the posters of all the activities this group is arranging.

We are all looking forward to our holiday in Dorset very soon, and it falls way after the Little Man’s Isolation period (so long as he hasn’t caught it.) The camp site we are going to is assuring us that it’s very safe and we will be enjoying the caravan and the beach. I have my lists ready and I’m already doing lots of planning.

Boo has her birthday coming up, just after the Little Man’s isolation, so we are planning to invite a couple of friends over for some outdoor fun.

I have all the birthday presents for the summer birthdays apart from Star who can’t seem to decide what she wants. But we are opening her own bank account this week so I may just buy her some little things to open and put some money in her account to do with as she pleases. (Maybe she will save up for that Leopard Gecko she wants so badly, it’s so expensive for all the equipment she will need.)

I’d say I was happy that it was going to be a sunny weekend but I’ve just noticed our noisest neighbours have put up a gazebo in their garden so it’s obvious they are planning yet another all night party. But …. at least I know about it and I am planning to rest as much as possible in the daytime tomorrow so I can cope with a disturbed night. (last time they carried on to 4.30am so I’m not just being a party pooper, it really is exhausting not being able to sleep because of the noise.)

Now it’s over to you, what word or phrase sums up your week this week?

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Dotty Fish baby shoes, a Review

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I was asked by Dotty Fish if I would like to review some of their baby shoes. Well, it’s been a long time since I had a baby, but I thought of my gorgeous great nephew and decided to try some shoes for him and let you know all about Dotty Fish.

I am an affiliate of Dotty Fish so any links used may earn me some commission at no extra cost to yourself, thank you for supporting my blog.

Dotty Fish Baby Shoes

Dotty Fish is a small business selling shoes and bibs and run by a Mum of two, Helen. The company has a passion for creating beautiful affordable shoes for babies which are podiatry tested. The shoes all have a soft flexible sole which is just what is needed for babies and toddlers taking their first steps. It’s the next best thing to bare feet and the shoes are very well made and incredibly cute.

I asked my neice what shoes she would like and she chose these gorgeous Nya the Elephant Shoes.

Nya the Elephant baby shoes from Dotty shoes. Image shows two little soft leather shoes with an elephant motif on each one.

I was really impressed with them. They not only looked good, they felt really soft. As my Great nephew was born a little early his tiny feet are still not big enough for the shoes, but he’ll be wearing them soon seeing how quick he is growing.

The shoes arrived in a shimmery bag which was a nice touch. I like that the packaging is kept to a minimum but still looks very sweet and a treat to receive. The postage bag was covered with Dotty Fish doodles (great for colouring in!) and the address label pealed off so it was nice enough to give as a gift.

Also in the parcel were some matching bandana bibs.

Dotty fish bibs, one grey, one red and one white with Nya the Elephant printed on.

There were three bibs, one grey, one red and one with Nya the Elephant printed on it. They were such good quality and together with the shoes would make a perfect gift for a new baby.

For the toddler in the house, Dotty Fish have a superb selection of toddler shoes with rubber soles for extra traction. These are called Shimmy Shoes and are really very cute as well as great value.

You can buy a pair of soft sole shoes from Dotty fish for just £12.99 and the Shimmy shoes are only £16.99. The bibs start at £3.49 but you can get a deal if you buy a pack of three for just £6.99. Package and postage is free to the UK and all packaging is sustainable (And very cute!)

I honestly think Dotty Fish shoes are the cutest baby shoes at such a reasonable price. There is a lot more to see over the website so do take a look and let me know what you like best.

dotty Fish baby Shoes.

How many times have I said ‘cute’ in this post…can you tell I’m in love with these shoes!

Dom and Geri Unique Designs for Celebrations

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I was asked to review some items from Dom and Geri and with a very special birthday coming up I decided to see what they have to offer. I was impressed by their unique designs for all sorts of celebrations.

Dom and Geri Unique designs.

Dom and Geri

Dom and Geri offer personalised cards, wrapping paper, banners and gifts in unique designs for all occasions. They offer high quality products with a super fast delivery and prices that can compete with other online companies.

During the pandemic I have had to buy so many cards and wrapping paper online and I’ve always gone to the well known stores. I find them overpriced and some of their products quite tacky. I had a few cards that I decided not to send because the personalisation hadn’t been printed very well.

Dom and Geri offer a really good service and the products I received where great quality and I can’t wait to use them. I chose the Balloon Milestone collection starting with a banner which is huge! I decided against a photograph but the personalisation was really nice and I love the 3D balloon affect image. I also chose a matching roll of paper to wrap up her gifts and a lovely card. I was really pleased with the quality of all three items.

Balloon personalised banner, card and wrapping paper.

I’m so looking forward to this special birthday. All I need now is a few balloons. She has decided that she doesn’t want a big party just a couple of close friends and her boyfriend and weather permitting a BBQ. I’m also treating them to day out. But in the end, it’s the little details like the lovely items from Dom and Geri that make the day really special.

You can follow Dom and Geri on Facebook, Twitter Instagram and Pinterest and sign up for their newsletter for some great special offers.

More Great Lives in Graphics, Book Review

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We were sent some Great Lives in Graphics books to review last year and they were a big hit with my Little Man. I now have a further four books to tell you about. Jane Austen, Frida Kahlo, Nikola Tesla and Mozart.

Great Lives in Graphics books on Mozart, Nikola Tesla, Frida Kahlo and Jane Austin

About Great Lives in Graphics Books

The Great Lives in Graphics series is a new way of looking at the lives of famous and influential people. It takes the essential dates and achievements of each person’s life, mixes them with lesser-known facts and trivia, and uses infographics to show them in a fresh visual way that is genuinely engaging for children and young adults. The result is a colourful, fascinating and often surprising representation of that  person’s life, work and legacy. Using timelines, maps, repeated motifs and many more beautiful and informative illustrations, readers learn not just about the main subject of the book but also about the cultural background of the time they lived in.

You can find more about all of the series from Button Books And the books can be purchased from Amazon. I will be using affiliate links throughout this post which may earn me a little money but will cost you no extra. Thank you for supporting my blog.

Mozart

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Button Books (7 Jun. 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 178708115X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787081154
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 – 11 years
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.32 x 25.4 cm

Mozart was a child prodigy but there is so much more to learn about this great master of music. And a younger person will be enthralled by this illustrated version of his life. It starts with a graphic timeline of Mozart’s relatively short life. Every page is full of information presented in a fun and easy to digest form. Anyone, young or old will come away from this book, and indeed any of the Great Lives in Graphics books, knowing a lot more about these famous people.

Mozart the piano man, a section from the book.

Did you know that Mozart completed at least 626 works? Which one is your favourite? I couldn’t choose but I know my kids have sang some of the Aria of the Queen of the Night from The Magic Flute at some point. (One of Mozart’s opera’s I’ve seen performed live.)

Jane Austin

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Button Books (7 Jun. 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787081117
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787081116
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 – 11 years
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.32 x 25.4 cm

What I love about these graphic books is their unique approach to educating the child. Most children these days are familiar with gaming and ability charts. They use things like this to choose their characters to play in a game. Now they can use the chart to learn about Jane Austen’s characters. Who would you play as?

Jane Austen's characters abilities as shown in great lives in graphics

Frida Kahlo

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Button Books (7 Jun. 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787081141
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787081147
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 – 11 years
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.32 x 25.4 cm

I will admit to not knowing much about Frida Kahlo but she is such an inspiration. I’m so glad I now know some facts about her life and how she dealt with the illness and disability she was dealt. She chose art as her way of dealing with her pain.

A self portrait by Friday Kahlo as shown in great lives in graphics

Nikola Tesla

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Button Books (7 Jun. 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787081133
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787081130
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 8 – 11 years
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20.32 x 25.4 cm

You may already know that Nikola Tesla was an electrical engineer, but did you know that he was born during a lightning storm? Or that he had a phobia of pearls?

This colourful informative book will tell you about all his achievements against a timeline of his life.

My Bookshop

If you are not a fan of Amazon you can purchase these books, published by Button Books, in most bookshops. Or you can visit my online bookshop and find them under Educational Books.

My bookshop image

Perfect Recipes for You to Enjoy with Your child.

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My kids have always loved cooking and when they were younger we used to cook regularly and put our recipes here on the blog. Lately, they prefer to just get on with it and are not so keen to share which is a shame but I always respect their wishes. Over the years we have tried a few things to encourage them to learn more about food and cooking and one of these was a Little Cooks Subscription. They provide perfect recipes for you to enjoy with your child.

I am an affiliate for Little Cooks so if you decide to purchase from their site I may earn a little money at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my blog.

You can read my detailed review on Little Cooks in another post here.

Little Cooks Recipes

Little Cooks are a subscription box service that offer a box of goodies each month that will teach your child about cooking and nutrition, along with some fun little extras. The box is well packaged and arrives through your letterbox addressed to your child. If any other ingredients are needed you are sent an e-mail to let you know so you can be ready to cook as soon as the parcel arrives.

In the meantime, you can check out the Little Cooks Website for some lovely recipes to try.

Dairy Free Chocolate Mousse

Photo from Little Cooks

You can make these gorgeous looking deserts by blending all the ingredients in a food processor and pop them into pots to put in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large ripe avocados or 2 small ripe ones
  • 60g raw honey
  • 50ml milk (or dairy-free alternative)
  • 25g raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
  • 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence
  • 1 tbsp cream – optional (it will make it taste more like milk chocolate)

Tray Bake Pancakes

Do you ever get fed up of flipping pancakes? Well, why not make them in a tray in the oven? I’m definitely going to try this one. You can find the complete recipe here on the Little Cooks Website.

Little Cooks Tray bake Pancakes.

Do you have a little cook in your house. Would you like to teach your child how to cook and learn about nutrition? We really enjoyed our subscription until the Little Man got a little bit too old to want to cook with Mom. 🙁

Little Cooks also has a shop where you can buy certain ingredients, cooking utensils, recipe packs and party packs. If you want some perfect recipes, you’ll find them at Little Cooks.