11th Sept 2014

I apologise for the delay in any updates on the page. I must try and make more time for writing, though heaven knows where I’ll find it! Time seems to flash by so quickly … There’s never enough hours in the day, or days in the week, for all I want to do!

The summer holidays weren’t as jam packed with adventure as I’d hoped it would be. I had high hopes for lots of days out with J, visits to the coast and adventure parks, visits to friends and stays at the caravan. Partly due to my work, partly due to the lack of much sunshine over the summer and partly due to money issues we didn’t get round to doing half of what I wanted to do. Still, we did have fun and celebrating J’s 4^th birthday was just one event we enjoyed. We did manage a stay at the coast (just me and J) and a couple of days out but nothing like what I’d hoped. I aim to get more time off work next summer hols so we can have more time to do more!

As he is now a ‘big boy’ of four years old, this year he started Reception. He’d been attending nursery at the local school for the last year, so I was hopeful he’d get a place in Reception class at the same school but of course you’re warned that this isn’t guaranteed. He did get a place though, so last week he had his first afternoon in his new class, with his new teacher. This week they’ve been doing mornings only, and starting on Monday next week they’ll be doing full days. Personally I think this is a bit of a slow development for them – I think it would have been better to do Monday and Tuesday half day this week, then Wednesday and Thursday have the kids stay for lunch hour and eat their lunch at school so they get used to that idea, then have a full day on Friday so they then have 2 days off to recover from the shock! But instead of that they’re doing mornings only again tomorrow and then from Monday it’ll be full days.

I’m nervous for him, of course, and I’m scared and excited and proud as well. He’s generally a very well behaved child, with maturity beyond his age, but then he has these moments of complete hellishness that leave me feeling completely useless. For instance, because he didn’t want to go into class this morning when the teachers came to the playground for the kids to go in, he ran away. When I tried to get hold of him by the hand to bring him to the classroom he screamed at me and started hitting out. This is becoming too regular for my liking – he becomes upset, or frustrated, and he lashes out straight away. I don’t know why he thinks it’s the thing to do as I’ve never hit him, and every time he does it and I tell him off and tell him it’s not nice he’s remorseful and says sorry and that he won’t do it again, but then he does. However his teacher from nursery never once reported him hitting her, or the teaching assistant, or any of the other kids, and after his kick up this morning his Reception teacher said she’d take him through into the classroom if I would like her to (as it’s first week we’ve been walking them all the way to the class) J was happy enough to go with her, so off he went, and when I went to collect at lunchtime she said they’d had no issues and he even got an “Excellent” sticker! I don’t think he’ll have any issues at school really, his biggest issue is going to be his concentration – particularly if he isn’t interested. If he’s interested in something he’s very single minded and will devote hours to it; if not, then he’s simply not interested at all, whatsoever. My brother was very similar as a child, and so was I – hence in subjects I liked and enjoyed I got OK grades at GCSE and for subjects I didn’t like or enjoy I got rubbish grades. I just turned off!

One of the main things that occurred over the summer was that our household was increased by one rather small and scaly extra. The adoption of a bearded dragon wasn’t something that I had a lot of time to think about – Daddy P discussed with me at Christmas the fact that a work colleague was looking to rehome her sons dragon, and we sort of had a little chat about it and decided yes on a preliminary basis but then it was never mentioned again and I all but forgot about it. The next thing is he comes home from work in June and says they’re bringing the dragon round tonight! So we adopted Oscar, and so started a new journey finding out more about bearded dragons, and the care they need.

It’s been excellent for J, because it’s not a ‘normal’ sort of pet that everyone has and he’d never seen one before Oscar arrived (come to think of it, I don’t think I had) He greets everyone who comes to our house now by pointing at the vivarium and saying, “That’s our dragon Oscar but he doesn’t have wings or breathe fire!” Part of my education about bearded dragons has included finding out that they go into brumation around September time which is kind of like hibernation and prior to them doing this you should have them tested for parasites. So for a week I had to collect samples of Oscar’s waste and send it off for tests. It turned out that there were pinworms found, so I popped off to the vets with Oscar for treatment. There I found out that Oscar is not an Oscar at all – she’s a girl! So we re-named her (in a way) Lady Oscar. One thing I never anticipated with owning a dragon was how affectionate they are, and how without you really noticing you become very attached. I love sitting on the sofa in the evening having cuddles with Lady O (as I call her) She gets  a bath in the bathroom sink every other night (every night if she’s shedding) and her favourite foods are locusts and dandelion leaves. She’s totally my baby girl and I can’t imagine life without her now, even though she’s turned into an expensive pet so far (as well as the vet treatment for the pinworms there will be cost for a new vivarium and lights set up as the one she came with is not right) It’s been a steep learning curve, that’s for sure!

In other news, there’s much excitement building at work with the preparations for the launch of the 2015 Collection. The Cologne trade show in October is the showcase for most 2015 products so make sure you check out any images and information from that if you’re due a baby in 2015! Sounds like there will be some brilliant new products being launched – I’ve training coming up in a few weeks on some new items – I’m looking forward to the company launching some fab stuff. What interests me is that so much is based on customer feedback – when a company says “thanks for your feedback, we’ll let the design team know” you kind of think it’s a cop out, but that’s one thing I’ve learned is that customer feedback really is listened to – at least within this company – and that will be reflected in some of the 2015 products really clearly.

Well it’s time for me to cook dinner for my hungry boys now, so I’ll sign off for now but I’m going to make it my mission to devote some more time to writing and keep this blog much more up to date in future!

Love, Mummy P

Maxi-Cosi Hip Safety Service

Maxi-Cosi Hip Safety Service

I’ve worked as customer care for my present company for six years, and in that time I’ve had many parents and carers get in touch who’ve been looking for a carseat suitable for transporting their child with hip dysplasia. Time after time again I’ve had to advise them there isn’t a suitable solution offered by the company – but now, there is.

Click HERE to visit the Maxi-Cosi Hip Safety Service webpage

Click HERE to visit the STEPS webpage

Fortunately for me, it wasn’t something that affected J when he was born, so it wasn’t something I had to consider, but from a parents point of view I can imagine that when your child is undergoing treatment the last thing you need additional to worry about is paying out for another carseat. This loan system provided through STEPS by Maxi-Cosi UK offers a practical solution. If you know someone that might find this system useful, or if you’d like to know more yourself, please contact STEPS to discuss further.

I used the Maxi-Cosi Opal carseat for J from ten months to 3.5yrs in my own car and found it was a brilliant carseat – if you’d like to see my review, click HERE.

*** I write this blog in my own time – Maxi-Cosi UK have not paid me to promote this service or their products ***

Mummy P on FB

Mummy P on Twitter

Maxi-Cosi Rodi AirProtect

I’d like to start with an explanation about why we decided to replace J’s carseat so quickly.

Basically, the Rodi XP that we had wasn’t brand new. I wasn’t too happy about that, but we weren’t in a position to afford brand new, I knew the history of the seat and knew it had been looked after correctly. Being carseat fitter trained, I knew that it fitted my car suitably. Even though it was over five years old it is not a unit with integral harness and coupled with the fact I knew the history I was satisfied it was safe enough. It still niggled that I couldn’t get a brand new seat for my precious boy to use but we decided we’d use the Rodi XP til we could afford a replacement. (And I was determined to get him a replacement, but he’d suddenly grown out of his Opal in a short space of time)

It turns out, that happened sooner than expected. On the way back from a lovely short break at the coast, J was travel sick. Fortunately we were just round the corner from home, so we were back and he was changed and cleaned up within ten minutes and I took the seat out of the car to strip the fabrics and put them in the wash. After I’d done that, I looked at the seat and realised that the polystyrene insert on the headrest was cracked through. Any damage like that to the polystyrene of a carseat means that in the event of an impact it may not absorb / distribute the force as it is designed to, and it may transfer the force of the impact to the child, therefore not providing the protection you would want to the occupant of the carseat.

When I made enquiries about getting a replacement section of polystyrene the offer came to me of a Rodi AirProtect. It was a no-brainer – why worry about getting a replacement part for a carseat that was so old when a brand new replacement seat was available?

The Maxi-Cosi Rodi AirProtect is a Group 2/3 High Backed Booster seat, suitable for children from 15-36kg. The AirProtect is fitted using the three point seatbelt in the vehicle around the child and seat. For additional anchorage there is a top tether point which is on the headrest on an elastic cord – you pull it out and between the vehicle seat and headrest then close the gap by replacing the headrest. This is an additional anchor point and is not required for use – if your car can’t accommodate it, you don’t have to use it. I like it for the fact it gives me more peace of mind when J isn’t in the car – it means even without the seatbelt around the empty carseat I know it won’t be moved a great deal in the event of an impact.

The AirProtect arrived in a single box, in two pieces. It took me about ten seconds to put it together – you just click the base of the seat onto the back section and fold it from a flat position into a seat position. Once it’s locked in place, it won’t come off again – you can be confident that when you carry the seat out to the car, or move it from car to car, the base section won’t drop off again.

The AirProtect has two cushions either side of the head section for maximum protection in a side impact accident. Additional to this it is well padded all round and looks a lot more comfortable.  It offers an upright and a recline position (the XP only has upright position)

The colour we have is Modern Black – this is a black on black leopard print pattern which is more interesting than a plain seat but less fussy than a full on colour pattern. I really like it and it would be suitable for a girl or a boy. Bearing in mind this carseat is used until the child no longer requires a carseat, I think it’s important to get a fabric style that isn’t tied to a specific age group as what they’re into at four will be very different to their interests at age 11!

J hasn’t had a particularly long journey using this model carseat but he has told me that it is very comfy and he enjoys travelling in it – I’m thoroughly impressed with the quality of the product, as well as the independent crash test results (Which? Awarded it four out of five stars – only an IsoFix fitted product can get five stars)

It’s a lovely top end unit providing optimum safety, comfort and style, and I have no hesitation recommending this product to anyone seeking a seatbelt fitted Group 2/3 carseat. * Remember, Maxi-Cosi recommend that a carseat fitter trained person provides a physical fitting of any carseat prior to purchase to confirm suitability in your vehicle *

*** UPDATE ***

20.09.14

J continues to be very comfortable in his Maxi-Cosi RodiAP and has been dropping off to sleep a lot more often since travelling in this seat vs travelling in the RodiXP. I don’t know if this is co-incidence or if the seat is more comfortable – it certainly seems more thickly padded. With recline option as well he can get really comfy – I tend to recline it before he gets in and we set off on any journey that is going to take more than an hour. He’s not been carsick again since swapping to this model either.

At four years and 2 months old he is approximately 107cm. I haven’t weighed him in a while so I don’t know how much he’s put on recently but he remains a very slender build. 

*** These views are entirely my own. I am not paid to write this material and do so in my own time ***

Sport Relief 2014

#sportrelief

In order to raise money for Sport Relief, J’s school today asked all the kids to wear something red instead of normal uniform and donate some pennies I got J a Sport Relief t shirt from Sainsbury’s. The nursery class also completed an obstacle course.

Here’s J this morning -

I think it’s important for him to learn about things like fundraising for charity to learn that not everyone is as fortunate as he is. Participating in something like Sport Relief is easy for all ages and he was so proud of himself for completing the obstacle course it was the first thing he told me about when I collected him, and about how it was to raise money for boys and girls not so lucky as him and the other children in class.

I was very proud of him.

The No Make Up Selfie For Cancer Awareness

#nomakeupselfie

#cancerawareness

The latest craze to be sweeping Facebook right now (in case you’ve been living under a rock and somehow managed to miss all the photos popping up on your newsfeed) is the No Make-Up Selfie For Cancer Awareness (known as NMUSFCA) The idea behind this being that cancer doesn’t care what you look like / underneath it we are all the same and absolutely anyone can be affected by it.

The first person I was aware of to have cancer was my uncle Colin. I was 8 and my brother was a baby the first time I met him – he attended my brother’s Christening as my auntie’s guest. He became a permanent part of our lives, but at family functions I was fascinated that he would let me dance standing on his feet for much longer than my dad or granddad would. He told me it was because he couldn’t feel his feet. My dad explained that Colin had spinal cancer and that in an effort to try and eradicate it from him he’d had multiple operations on his spine and as a result was no longer able to feel his feet. At that point he’d been given six months to live. Colin lost his battle with cancer in 1999 – I was 18.

Since then, I found out my dad’s mum also had cancer before I was born – various relatives have battled cancer over the years and as I’ve got older I’ve seen friends do it, too. It never gets any easier to find out someone has cancer, regardless of how severe it is or what stage it’s at. You somehow know, before the words are spoken, what they are going to say and every time the words are spoken it hits you like a tonne of bricks.

My dad does voluntary car driving for the Royal Marsden, which is a world-leading cancer centre. He spends five days a week, sometimes getting up to collect a patient for an appointment at 7am, sometimes not getting home til 9pm. One time it took him four hours to take a patient home from her appointment due to snow fall. It then took him a further four hours to get home again. Sometimes he works more than five days a week – sometimes he’ll do additional patient journies after he’s finished his daily work sheet if they have a low number of voluntary drivers able to deal with the work. He does it willingly – the key to his job description here is ‘voluntary’ car driver. The only patients he takes to and from appointments are cancer patients, and they come in all ages and races, all shapes and sizes, with varying degrees of cancer that they are receiving treatment to beat. Sometimes a patient becomes a regular, with frequent appointments and a friendly relationship building – sometimes the patient suddenly ceases to attend hospital appointments, and upon asking at the hospital when taking in another patient he finds out that cancer has claimed the life of someone else.

When my nan was diagnosed with a brain tumour I was 24. It was a year after we’d mourned the passing of my granddad, and we were nursing her in her own home within a few weeks of diagnosis. Toward the end, we had the assistance of some fantastic MacMillan nurses who were arranged to help us care for nan at home. It was a difficult time but we knew it was what she would prefer. She rapidly became worse and died on 10^th October 2005.

So it is for both my nans, for uncle Colin, for all my relatives, all my friends and every person who is in remission from cancer, who is currently battling cancer and who lost their fight. I show you my #nomakeupselfie to raise awareness for cancer research and to encourage everyone to do the same, and make a donation, and really try to make a difference and together we will kick cancer’s butt.

I have checked. I have donated.

Have you?

Text BEAT to 70007 to donate £3 to Cancer Research UK

Sorry I've been quiet ...

I was quiet for the month of February for a number of reasons – one was how busy I was with work, and struggling to find that balance of work / home life – another reason was that since the death of my grandfather, February has always been a dark month for me emotionally.  This year was particularly hard as it was the 10 year anniversary.

The month of March has begun on a high with some brilliant family news though, so the clouds are starting to lift.

Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP

I’ve used – and been a huge fan of – the Maxi-Cosi Opal in my car since J was 9 months old. At that point – and for many more months – he used the Opal rear facing. At 12.5kg he required an additional harness height on the Opal that indicated he had to turn forward facing. He was a tall 19 month old at that point.

The next stage up for J was a Group 2 carseat. These are available, but more commonly you will find a combination Group 1 & 2 carseat or a combination Group 2 & 3 carseat (there are seats available which are Group 1,2 & 3 but I’ve never used one of these) The Opal is a Group 0+ & 1 combination, meaning it is suitable from birth to 13kg rear facing, and to 18kg forward facing. Group 2 & 3 combination seats are for 15-36kg. As J grew taller I was concerned about the lack of further harness height adjustment I had – he had been using the top setting for a while, but it remained level with his shoulders for a long time.

Credit to www.goodeggsafety.com 

One evening, we were going through some junk from the cupboard in the front bedroom that we’re in the process of sorting out to put all of J’s stuff in there (at the moment he sleeps in that room and has his toys in there, but all his clothes are in his old room which is really annoying!) Anyway we found a set of scales so J wanted to know what they were for, and we ended up weighing him. I was astounded to realise my lanky little boy was 17kg! Despite looking so slight, he’s solid and at around 103cm tall while he’s not right at the top end of the percentile height wise for his age anymore, he has increased on the weight side. At that point I realised – even if the harness remained suitable for him for another however long, he was only 1kg away from being too heavy for the Opal anymore anyway!

As a big fan of Maxi-Cosi, given that all my previous carseats have been that brand and I’ve been very happy with them, I naturally looked to the Maxi-Cosi Collection for the Group 2/3 carseat.

There’s a wide variety, all within the ‘Rodi’ name – RodiFix, Rodi Air Protect, Rodi XP and Rodi SPS. The RodiFix was pointless for me – I don’t have IsoFix in my car, so it was an unnecessary addition to pay for. Rodi Air Protect, Rodi XP or Rodi SPS were all suitable for my car, but in the end I went for the XP purely because I could get it in Navy, as he’s always had black or red carseats before. (Ideally I’d love an Air Protect in Kids Choice Magic for him!)

It felt very strange the first time I placed the Rodi in the car and J climbed into it. You don’t put the seatbelt around the seat to anchor it into place and then use a harness for the child; the child and the seat are held using the three point seatbelt. With the Rodi you thread the diagonal belt through the red guide on the bottom of the headrest section and once this is adjusted correctly to lead that belt across the child’s shoulder (not cutting into the neck) the headrest is in the correct position as well. It’s simple to adjust – just grip the headrest section and you’ll feel a shaped piece with four grooves just right for your fingers to grab – lift it up and the headrest will now move up and down. Release it at the correct height and click it into place. The child in the seat, the seatbelt goes through the second red guide at the child’s hip for the lap belt to be hip to hip on the child, not across the soft part of their tummy. Out the guide on the other side and lock the seatbelt into place. I do take the slack out of the seatbelt even though I know in an accident the inertia would lock the belt – however I prefer to ensure the chances of him managing to wriggle out or move around too much are minimised from the start.

Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP User Manual pages 8 - 9

www.maxi-cosi.co.uk/gb-en/products/car-seats/child/rodi-xp/service.aspx

The first journey I found quite weird because I’m so used to him being in a carseat with a harness, and every time I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw him I just kept thinking how grown up he suddenly looked in his ‘big boy’ booster seat. We got to the shops and went into the supermarket – he told everyone he could that he was in a “big boy blue booster seat” and whether or not they all understood him they all nodded and he was very pleased with the overall reaction!

First time in the Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP going to the supermarket in my car

To be honest with you I’m still struggling with the idea of my baby boy now being in this carseat, but he tells me it is comfortable and he likes it, and he can see well out of the window so he is happy. I will be happier once I am a bit more used to the idea I think. The fact that it is so easy to install means I can easily move it between my car and my parents-in-laws car if I need to.  I rate this carseat and would say it is definitely worth the RRP for the amount of use you’ll get out of it.

On the way to Grandma & Grandad's House

To determine if the Maxi-Cosi Rodi XP is suitable for use in your vehicle please take the car to your local Maxi-Cosi retailer and ask for a carseat fitter trained member of staff to provide a physical fitting prior to purchase.

*** UPDATE ***

20.09.14

J continues to be very comfortable in his Maxi-Cosi RodiAP and has been dropping off to sleep a lot more often since travelling in this seat vs travelling in the RodiXP. I don’t know if this is co-incidence or if the seat is more comfortable – it certainly seems more thickly padded. With recline option as well he can get really comfy – I tend to recline it before he gets in and we set off on any journey that is going to take more than an hour. He’s not been carsick again since swapping to this model either.

At four years and 2 months old he is approximately 107cm. I haven’t weighed him in a while so I don’t know how much he’s put on recently but he remains a very slender build. 

*** These views are entirely my own. I am not paid to write this material and do so in my own time.***