Sonny Does Chubby Bunny...

I was tagged earlier in the week by my buddies Claire. She was tagged by Karin (I think), but the truth is Claire is a cheat! She got her sailor boyfriend to complete the challenge on her behalf.

She also tagged my poor defenceless blogger of a son....

So here he is with his attempt at the challenge.

Please do not let your children try this unless under complete adult supervision!

Right..... so not one to be out done by her big brother..... ModelGirl in all her supermodel splendour decided that she had to get in on the act too...

Coming soon...... FunnyGirl does chocolate fingers! I will of course step up to my own Chubby Bunny Challenge - as soon as my cold has gone....

TotallySonny is an Awesome Kid..

OK so I have always known this... He may be a tad geeky and maybe even a little bit freaky (he won't mind me saying that!!) I hope... but as my first born with the man that I can openly acknowledge as being my saviour he will always have a super special part to play in my life. 

Born looking like a bright red lobster - he certainly got better with age and look at him in this pic... Is he not the boy that you long for your girl to bring home???

He's a maths genius, a trampolining champ and a Dr Who nut who has a more than healthy Pokemon addiction. But he's cooky, and cute and cuddly and loyal (unless you cross his Scorpio darkness that is) and he's the only person who has ever been able to beat me at Tekken.

2009 has been a great year for my little fella,  he found blogging and with it gained an amazing new confidence. He's in bed right  right now so he doesn't know that this super cool pic of him has been featured on the amazing Planet Awesome Kid site.

The pic does have a story that I can share with you though. We usually travel to Thailand in January for our family holiday. Sonny is Dr Who crazy and we offered him in return for his good holiday behaviour and kindness to his little sisters - a suit the same as his hero's... Yes the 10th Dr... David Tennant.

Of course he was an angel and the suit was measured, made and fitted... When we returned home his previously shoulder length locks were savagely shorn by Lottie, FunnyGirls god mother and when he walked out of the salon he was transformed into a mini Dr Who! so impressed were we by the transformation that we sent his pic to the kids Dr Who magazine, who featured him as their Dr Who to watch... this was followed by a signed pic from THE David Tennant and a hand written note to say that he would keep Sonny's pic if he didn't mind as it reminded him of when he was younger!

PR crap... yeah I know... I get it...but did it make my little man happy? You bet your bum it did!

Check him out on Planet Awesome Kid and before you ask, when he grew out of his suit we sold it on ebay... for double what we paid for it to be custom made for him in Thailand! Result!!!

Mummy's letter to Santa....

Dear Santa,

It has been (too) many years since I last wrote to you but this year I live in hope that you will make it to my letter. I understand that the alphabet has always been against me what with my first name starting with S and my surname with T but for some reason - this year feels kind of different.

Before I indulge myself I would like you to consider my fellow bloggers and there are a few of them so - sorry but stick with it.

1. Just today @tara_cain begged to be let loose with the xray equipment in the Playmobil Emergency Vet room, sadly for her she was not willing to take on board the X Ray training that such advanced procedures require. I on the other hand do in fact have many years of training and am willing to pass my techniques on to her as she seems like a game kind of gal.

2. Please do pop by @omgmummy's pad (if she's there that is), there are many things that she wants / needs as a new mum but without going into detail I would settle for her having a new iphone cause she smashed her last one. (Ok so i have done it many times but I have the 02 insure! smug? clearly!)

3. She is my client and I love her (though not 100% sure why) but @easidream (and I) could do with some extra leg work from your product making Elves if you don't mind...

4. @soph4soph needs a new camera so that she can share all of her amazing new creations with us in high res. If it has a video function all the better cause little Soph and ModelGirl have gotten into the habit of video messaging each other before bed.

5. Can you please send round your sewing Elves for a couple of extra shifts post Xmas rush? I don't mind taking on overtime rates but think that a team of sewing Elves would be a welcome gift for @byyanto in the run up to London Fashion Week.

6. Some of my fellow blog buddies are just plain grumpy sods at times as you know,  but a slice of cheer would go down so well with @LivingwithKids, @porridgebrain, @that_Kat, @dotterel @swhittle and @cafebebe. Your wishes would fuel their Xmas spirit no end (well I hope).

7. TotallySonny would love to be elevated to super blogger status but failing that meeting David Tennant and the new Dr should match up to him meeting James Murray (Steve from Primeval) and Sarah Parish (the Empress Racknoss, Dr Who) and them telling him that if they ever had a boy they would call him Sonny. Ok so that is a pretty big ask... but see what you can do.

8. ModelGirl asks that Shane & Mark's pregnant Sphynz cat manages to produce two (yes two) odd eyed white kittens so that they can keep one and we can bring one home. (Technically that is my wish but if I lend it to her I get 2 back right?)

9. FunnyGirl simply asks for copious amounts of sweets, cake and chocolate for the next twelve months...a simple request.
10. And me.... well a couple of extra hours in the day wouldn't go a miss. I would be fine if I didn't have all of these extra personal projects - but well I have.
Thank you.
xx
and 
PS (please Santa) don't forget that I like Chanel handbags.

and one more thing....
pretty pretty please Santa, @porridgebrain would really like a new camera - so if you could fix that for her would be dandy.

This weeks trauma.....

So it wasn't until recently that I realised that my life moves from one trauma to the next without so much as a day off. It is to be celebrated that my business is flourishing in this dire economic climate but that brings interesting issues all of its own.

I am busier than I have ever been - but in a good and positive way.

I went it alone in the big bad PR world because I wanted to be here for my children. Granted I did only have two when that decision was made and there have been times in the last ten years when I should have been at home but work won.

The most notable being taking just two days off to work to have FunnyGirl by elective CS. To think that I was back at my desk after just a weekend in hospital is quite frankly shocking to me now. But you do what you have to do when you work for yourself.

So this week I hit my biggest work / family dilemma to date.

DinoBoy has been trying desperately to get into the school cross country team for a whole year. On Friday he comes home with the news that he knew would make me smile.

"Mum, I've made the team!" he beamed as he flew through the door.

He thrust a letter into my hands.

Problem - first race, next Saturday when I am booked to give a seminar at a conference in Birmingham.

OK - so this doesn't seem all bad. His dad could take him right? No. The girls have dance rehearsals on a saturday morning, that would usually be my bag - but hubby was already booked in to hold the reigns.

As we dont have any family close by we are kind of stuck. The girls have to be at rehearsal and on top of that I dont want DinoBoy making his first ever team run without me cheering him on.

I hate to let people down but ultimately I had to remind myself who all of this is for.

And its not me....

I'm really sorry if you were planning on coming to my seminar on Saturday but how about I send a few TwitPics of DinoBoy instead?

New Mummy's Tips: Review Rodeo

Don't forget to stop by the new Review Round up over on New Mummy's blog. Her new monthly event is the perfect place to see lots of varied reviews in one place!

New Mummy's Tips: Review Rodeo

The Big Bear Adventure

This weeks Saturday review is of our visit to the Build A Bear Workshop.

ModelGirl and I have been before but this was a first time treat for FunnyGirl who had only visited the store to buy clothing for the panda that she had been given for Christmas.

Luckily the store was quiet when we arrived which made the whole experience a whole lot more enjoyable. The girls were told that they could choose any bear and a full outfit so they were pretty excited.

This gave us quite a problem as there were too many bears to choose from! ModelGirl being the bunny lover that she is settled for a rabbit (after picking up and putting down just about every other available option!).

FunnyGirl - as we know, has a bit of a thing for Pandas - but her lovely big sister had already made her this one, so she really was in a pickle about which one to choose.

A good fifteen minutes later she settled on the Hello Kitty. ModelGirl already has this one at home but as we have a joint collection of Hello Kitty stuff - it's more the merrier.

After choosing their bears - the girls had to decide which sounds that they would like to put in them. As with the bears, there are lots to choose from including the option to record your own message. This is great if you are making a bear as a gift for someone - and when ModelGirl made the panda for FunnyGirl's Christmas gift last year this is what she went for, recording a message that said; "I Love you Boo Boo!"

Yes, it brings a tear to your eye - but none of that for us today - it was Hannah Montana and I Love you - all the way!

On to Stuff Me!

You get to choose how cuddly you want your bear to be from soft, cuddly or big and fat and you step on the peddle that starts the stuffing machine. They also pop in a bar code that registers your bear to you. This means that if you and your beloved bear get parted and returned to one of the Build A Bear Stores then they will know who the lost bear belongs to.

A good idea in theory but I have to wonder how many people would know that the lost bear had come from a Build a Bear Workshop and that if they took him in he would be reunited with his lost child? Good marketing though.

Before the stuffing is completed you get to choose your bears heart, rub it in your hands and fill it with love and wishes before it gets stitched up inside.

A free heart comes with the cost of the bear but you can also choose a charity heart for £1 or a cool beating heart for £4.

Next you are on to the Fluff Me station - you put your bear into a bath and he is showered with air to fluff him up and make him snuggly, after a little brush he is good to go.

If you are building a bear on a budget - or if it's for a gift then now is a good point to quit. You still get the little house box, birth certificate and access codes to get onto the interactive Build-A-Bearville site but it is so easy to bust your budget when you get to the dressing stage.

Clothing and accessories take up at least half of the store. There are complete outfits, mix and match separates, accessories and just about ever themed costume you could think of from SpiderMan (great mask!) to a Beefeater and a surgeon to a cheerleader.

Clothes start at £3.50 for a basic T shirt and go up to £12 for one of the complete outfits. You can accessories to your hearts content with wigs, glasses, mobile phones, roller skates, boots and high heels. Then there is the wardrobe to keep all of your new friends gear in one place, or the bed, stroller or bear carrier. I could go on....

The girls had a really good time making their bears, a trip here is a lovely treat. It's not all girlie though - there are some things that would appeal top boys but TotallySonny was not interested in the slightest!

Some of the Build A Bear Workshops host birthday parties from £8 per head, they would definitely be a contender if we had a local store as I hate the endless stream of same old parties each year. Not too bad if you have one child but times it by three and the odd bit of excitement goes a long way!

Bears range from £8 to £18, sounds £2 - £5 and hearts free to £4.

Blogging and me......

I've only been blogging for about six months but in that time my life has completely changed and as a result the lives of those close to me have changed too.

Gone are the evenings in front of the TV flaked out and snoring by 9pm. Now my evenings are spent sitting opposite my hubby at the kitchen table, both of us engrossed in our Twitter feeds or blogs.

Funnily enough we have settled into the same 'Twitter Tribe' and are often caught up in the same conversations.

He started a blog too. Inspired by an an amazingly kind act that shook the roots of everything that he believed in.

Then there are the people that I have met on line. People that I've bonded with without visual distractions. People that you know care for you and look out for you - probably more than you 'real' friends do. You find yourself looking out for things that you know they will like and you speak openly without the constraints of everyday life.

Surprise parcels in the post..... when was the last time you got one of those from your everyday friends?

Yesterday with the postman came a box full of lovingly sewn cushions and dresses for my children, made by one very special person who stayed up nearly all night making them for me despite having four demanding children of her own.

How many of you regular friends would do that?

Then there are the people that I have met and formed business relationships with. I have a fab new client who I was following on Twitter. She came to me for advice - not knowing that I was already watching her - and it took a while for us both to realise.

We are a couple of weeks into our business relationship and what a couple of weeks they have been! She is totally inspirational - with six kids in tow. You should stop by her site and have a look at her revolutionary new product. It's called easidream and it is awesome!

Then there is a lady over in LA. She has gone out of her way to help me in a project that I am setting up this weekend for one of my clients.

She didn't have to do that - we have never met. She has not only showed kindness to me - but she also sent @byyanto a stack of the Pearsons Salted Nut Roll that he fell in love with after me gifting him some on my return from Chicago.

She went out, bought them for him, packed them up and sent them to him here in the UK - all the way from sunny LA!

And then there is my boy - Sonny. What I have witnessed over the last few weeks has been nothing short of amazing. I have seen him blossom and grow and this is entirely down to his blog.

On Saturday we went to Drayton Manor Park - with free passes offered to Sonny. When we were back home after a wonderful day out I commented to him that he looks really happy at the moment and his reply totally shocked and surprised me.

He told me that he is happy for the first time in his life - that he feels like he has a purpose, something to look forward.

He is eight years old and I felt like a failure as a parent at that moment. All any mum wants is for her children to be happy.

But he went on to explain that he hadn't been happy at school - that there was someone in his class who was making him very unhappy but he now felt like that didn't matter anymore because he has his blog - he is TotallySonny and people want to listen to what he has to say!

The transformation in him has been nothing short of a miracle. I'm not saying that he went around under an Eeyore cloud before. He is popular, cute, clever and everyone loves him. He is just one of those kids that people take to. But he didn't have the spark that I have seen grow inside him over the last few weeks.

I wonder if he will think back to this summer and remember it as fondly as I will? I'm not sure how long his blog obsession will go on for but while it does I will nurture, encourage and promote the hell out of it. If he takes nothing more than this new found confidence then that's enough for me.

Blogging it seems is turning out to be a family obsession. The girls want a part of it too! Sonny tells FunnyGirl - "You will have to wait until you are seven at least." and to ModelGirl he is offering advice on what people would like to read if and when her time comes.....

So that is what my new life on the internet has brought me. A shared love of reading and writing and an amazing bunch of new buddies who I know will be my true friends forever.

Please do stop by the little fellas blog. He absolutely loves reading the comments that so many of you leave. You can find him at TotallySonny.com

Sophie4Sophie - you rock. xx

Sprmama - you are one of the kindest people I have known xx I hope that you enjoy your lunch at the Ivy on Saturday with annabel Karmel - you deserve it.

Wordless Wednesdays...

This is the first time that I have partaken in Wordless Wednesday - so I am turning it into a (not so wordless) caption competition.

Best entry wins a Stokke® Tripp Trapp chair worth £135.....

Rules are as follows.

1. You need to follow this blog.

2. Post your caption in the comments.

3. Caption can come from any or all of the people in the picture.

4. If you re tweet the comp you can enter twice.

I will pick a winner at 8pm GMT on Wednesday 19th August 2009..... Be creative!

Please feel free to link to the comp from your own blog - that will give you an extra entry too.

I must add that TotallySonny has a new blog post today too. For those of you who don't know, he is my 8 year old blogging son. Do stop by.