Raising Mighty Girls

I an very pleased to welcome Karen from the blog Raising Mighty Girls, with a guest post today. Karen feels like I do about children's toys; they are for everyone, and whether your boy wants to play with a doll in a pushchair, or your girl asks Santa for an army tank, they should be allowed to play without labels or judgement. So, over to Karen.

Raising my mighty girls means creating play opportunities which encourage interaction with ALL sorts of toys.  With no boys in our house, this means that I need to be proactive about creating these experiences. I believe that doing this creates a balanced choice for them. 

It's up to me to provide the 'balance'.  After that, it's their decision about what they prefer to play with.  It doesn’t really matter to me whether it’s a pink baby doll or a blue monster truck. The important thing is that they're having fun!  And hopefully learning something useful in the process!

Give my youngest daughter a doll and she’ll love it.  Give her a sword and she’ll love it too. She just wants to play with ‘fun’ toys. 

#LetToysBeToys

I don’t vote against ‘pink’.  I don't vote for 'blue'.

I vote for ‘balance’.

A balanced ‘play experience’.

 Does it annoy me when we walk into a toy store and are forced to choose between walking down the ‘pink road’ or the ‘blue road’?  Hell yes! 

But it has to be said that most of the major toy stores are beginning to listen to consumers and groups like #LetToysBeToys and are making noticeable changes to the way products are manufactured, marketed and displayed. I could talk all day about gender marketing of toys.  But that's a post for another day.

Anyways, the youngest has adored Jake and The Neverland Pirates since last Autumn, so she received the Pirate Ship with Jake, Izzie and Cubby for her birthday. And Santa brought a few other items in his sack at Christmas.  Finally at the end of June, she emptied her money box and bought Skull Island.

#RaisingMightyGirls - Really?  

Yes, this blog IS about raising girls to be mighty!  So before, you get confused about why I would encourage play where the 'boy' is the leader, remember I encourage play with a balance of toys. 

Today, we had friends round to play and she insisted on being Jake and leaving Izzy for the little boy.  She doesn’t see the  characters as boys and girls.  She sees it as ‘Jake is the dude, the leader, the most fun. And I want to be him!'

The youngest Gribbon Girl doesn't see Jake as a 'boy', she seems him as the 'leader'.  I love that she's aspiring to be the leader. 

 I love this toy brand – it promotes creativity, imagination, friendship, sharing with others, problem solving and mathematics (perfect for the current drive to encourage girls into STEM areas),

But it's not perfect.  Definitely not.  Can you recommend one that is? Let me know.  I'd love to check it out.

Do you know how to 'Talk Like A Pirate'?

Just for a laugh...

Check out this link - How To Talk Like A Pirate - we had such a giggle with it!

 Live Long and Prosper Buckos!

Karen x

Ikea Is Having a Sleepover Spa Event, Will I See You There?

Swedish home furnishing retailer IKEA has announced the opening of its first overnight spa experience – the IKEA Retreat – a pop-up sanctuary designed to make people think twice about the healing power of the bedroom and the bathroom.

On Sunday 7th September, 30 local IKEA FAMILY members will spend the night in the Belfast store indulging in an array of spa treatments and holistic therapies that will show them just how easy it is to have a wonderful start and end to everyday.

Myriam Ruffo, head of bedroom and bathroom at IKEA, explained: “Our recent Life at Home study revealed the toll that our busy lives are taking on us, with Northern Ireland residents experiencing 13 bouts of stress a day. What’s more worrying is that two thirds of us feel stressed before we even get out of bed.

“It’s vital that people create a space where they can completely escape and find ways to organise their lives to combat stress before it has even begun. Luckily, just a few small changes can make a big difference. This event will show people that you really don’t have to go to a retreat to have a treat; there are lots of simple ways to unlock the healing power of the bedroom and the bathroom so you can start and end each day better.”

The IKEA Retreat is just one in a series of in-store events at IKEA. On the 13th and 14thSeptember, the Ideas Festival will provide customers with even more inspiration with interactive workshops, fun activities and fantastic IKEA FAMILY offers – all demonstrating how one small change in the bedroom and bathroom can make a big difference.

The IKEA Retreat is open to IKEA FAMILY members and will take place at IKEA Glasgow, IKEA Belfast, IKEA Warrington, IKEA Lakeside and IKEA Manchester. To apply to attend, or for more information on the Ideas Festival, simply visit the participating store’s website https://events.myikeafamily.com/

Find 26 tips to help you start and end your day better at http://www.ikea.co.uk/wonderfuleveryday

Bird Taxidermy Inspired Brooches & Hat Pins by Wendy Goode

My lovely parents-in-law bought me this splendid bullet shell & feather brooch for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I received it yesterday and I love it. It's very 'me'. I'm guessing they picked it up for me at the Dublin Horse Show, which they are just back from. One of their horses, Sox-et-set, was the overall Cob winner, so it was a great show for the Smyths.

Wendy Goode's website has dozens of feather accessories to choose from.

There are also some incredible interior items.

Stink Bugz- The Ideal Birthday Present for the Kid of Someone You Hate.

I'm going to totally contradict my usual 'toys are for both genders' line here and say these Stink Bugz simply MUST be a boys' thing. The line, 'slugs & snails & puppy dog tails' comes to mind. The little jarred, plastic beasties are infused with their own unique, minging scent. They are like the anti-scented-candle-jar.

They come separately in large jars for £4.99 each, or you can get a pack of parasites for £9.99 Open the jar to release the smell, and squeeze the bum to 'shoot' the stink at someone. Our son has been torturing us all day with them. 

 It's tricky to communicate just how awful they smell. The pong doesn't fill the room if you leave the jar open or anything, but if you're being chased round by a six year old squeezing to release the stench, you'll smell it alright. The green one smelt like a rotting seagull, the black one had a marmite tinged poop smell. They are truly disgusting. 

Of course the fact they repulse Mum & Dad so much, makes them a tremendously fun and satisfying toy for a child. Michael LOVES them. He loves practical jokes like whoopie cushions or plastic dog poo, so these are right up his street. If you've a little prankster then you know they'd enjoy these, but you really won't!

With the lids on there is no bad smell, and like I said, if they do accidentally leave the lid off, the smell doesn't fill the room or anything. The only thing I personally liked about the Stink Bugz, apart from being pleased my son enjoyed them so much, was that they do look like comical, fake insect taxidermy in their little jars. Maybe when he's finished chasing Dad puffing clouds of stink at him, he'll allow me to display them with my beasties.

Secret Yankee Candle UK Scents On Sale Next Week

Shussssssh, you aren't supposed to know about these three scents which will adorn the online shelves of YankeeCandle.co.uk from the third week in August.  

Early Sunrise and Tahitian Tiaré Flower sound beautiful, but for my own home I chose to review the Napa Valley large jar candle, priced at £19.99

Napa Valley Sun, then. It's akin to walking into someone's house when they've just done a fresh wash of towels and everything smells clean and bright. It's a comforting scent, not overwhelming like an aerosol air freshener spray would be. It's soft and sunny. I really like it. It's great if you want to try scented candles but don't like the idea of your house smelling like a cake, or a mango, or strawberry. 

I am a massive Yankee Candle junkie. Like, huge. To the point where at one time I would hunt down imported American release tarts and then keep a scrap book of the labels. My favourite all time scents are both retired, so I struggle to find them any more, Green Apple and Silver Bells. If you have either of them yourself, I'll certainly buy them from you.

The official UK Yankee Store is heaven for me with an entire section devoted to special rare and imported candles. Plus they haven't cheekily inflated the prices just because they are harder to come by. I'm rather tickled by the Camouflage Candle, which I assume is part of the Man Candle range.

Finally I can't sign off without pointing out Yankee Candle UK's super competition to win a £5000 bespoke holiday. Worth clicking through to.

Big Yankee fan? Let's talk candles on Twitter, @rudedoodle . 

I'm Having a Zelfs Party & You're Invited

Tomorrow afternoon from 2-4pm I'll be holding a Zelfs Twitter party to celebrate the release of their scented collection. Zelfs are akin to the trolls we collected from the 70s, which made a comeback in the 90s, but far cuter, more colourful and cool.

Michael is having friends round for Zelf games, snacks and to try out the new range, noses at the ready! I'll be Tweeting from @rudedoodle and you can follow parties all over the uk with the hashtags #zelicious #Zelfs 

Fancy having your own Zelf party? UK Mums has printables and recipes to get you on your way. 

You can also win the new Bee Sweet Treehouse on their site. 

Realistically, Zelfs are marketed as a girls' toy, but my son has loved them since they first launched last year and already owns a small collection. Tomorrow's party mostly will be girls aged between 3 and 6, but there will be one other boy; I wonder will he prove Zelfs' marketing team wrong too and love his Zelf? I'll let you know.

Oxfam Team Up with Dawn O'Porter to Launch Vintage Fridays

VINTAGE FRIDAY FOR OXFAM - FRIDAY 1 AUGUST 2014

Oxfam and Dawn O' Porter want to see you rocking your finest retro chic next Friday to raise money for a great cause. 

It's simple! Just don your fave vintage outfit or accessory with pride for #VINTAGEFRIDAY and donate £3 to Oxfam by texting Vintage to 70066, helping to transform lives around the world. Remember to share your pics! 

*'Messages will be charged at £3, plus one standard rate message. By texting consent is given to future marketing by Oxfam. To unsubscribe from SMS send NOINFO to 70066'

DIY VINTAGE SWAP-SHOP - FROM MONDAY 28 JULY 2014 

We're calling upon the public to hold their own #THISOLDTHING vintage sale. Rally friends or colleagues together to do a closet clear out - be it at work, university or front room! 

There are no set prices, buyers can donate what they think the item is worth. All the profits and any items left over can be donated to Oxfam to help fight poverty around the world.

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For more info: www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/vintage

Join the conversation: #THISOLDTHING and #VINTAGEFRIDAY

Does Looking at these 1980s' School Lunch Boxes Get You as Giddy as it Gets Me?

In the 80s, choosing your lunchbox was one of the more pleasant parts of doing the back-to-school supply shop. American kids seemed to have metal lunch boxes, but in the UK we had plastic ones, which sometimes came with a matching flask. Did you have any of these beauties?

Now we have our own kids, it's their turn to choose their character lunch box. I find the school supplies from George at Asda are priced well. I've seen some shops' lunch boxes creep up to almost £15 in places, but Asda have all their lunch bags under £10, including the Minion print bag for £6 which my son has his eye on.

This Turtles lunch pot is only £1. Super for sending in sliced fruit and preventing it's squashedness by noon. 

While you're there, remember to take advantage of the well priced school uniform pieces which come with a 100 day guarantee.

Lots and lots of cheaply priced school bags too.