Big Day Tomorrow

Tomorrow our gorgeous little boy turns 3. He is having a little party at home in the afternoon with 4 friends and family. The theme is JCB there are diggers everywhere.
Today I've been busy making yellow and orange fairy cakes and a very impressive birthday cake. Really looking forward to it.

Having a Clear Out. Free Ebay Listing.

While James is at nursery today I'm busy sorting though his old baby stuff to list on Ebay. Today Ebay are having a free listing day. For all items listed day and scheduled to end on Sunday (5days) Ebay have wavered their fee. Which means that I can start my items at higher price than the normal 99p.
I very rarely sell things on ebay I much prefer a car boot or table top sale, but as our house is starting to buckle under the weight of clutter it is time of a clear out. Not just James' things but mine too. Hopefully the little bit of money raised will go to a new window in his playhouse.

It has arrived.

It was a bit of an adventure getting to our house, but at last the playhouse has arrived. We (Dad, John, me and random man) had heave the playhouse first through the back fence, over a dyke which 2 narrow planks had been placed. I'm not the most agile of people and lifting a corner of a playhouse while balancing precariously and wobbling dangously on a plank over a dyke was not an experience I want to repeat. As Dad was crossing over there was an ominous creak and Dad plank cracked in half leaving Dad in the middle of the ditch. Once the crossing had taken place we only had to contend with getting it across a ploughed field to the trailer. Add on the fact it was also blowing a gale, it all made it rather a stuggle. The journey home was competed by Penny being sick all over.
It was much easier our end. John and James had already dismantled the fence the day before. Therefore, with the help of Hugh the neighbour we lifted it it to place.
Impatience as I am, I when out in the afternoon to try the paint samples. Cuprinol Garden Shades Beach Blue seems to go on well only needing 2 coats. Hopefully it will stay dry so we can paint it.

Getting the new (to us) playhouse tomorrow.

Excitement in our household at the moment. Tomorrow is the big move, the playhouse is arriving. We are all having Weetabix for breakfast, as we are hoping to move it as one piece and muscles are going to be needed. James and John have already taking down the fence panel so we can access our garden. Dad is coming with the trailer in the morning. It is turning out to be a bit of a mission to get it here.

I have high hopes for restoring it. I'm thinking beach hut blue with lavender doors and window frames. I have ordered a few paint samples already. I'm not sure if I need to paint a primer on first before the colour and I'm having a job finding out.

We are going to rig up a little pulley system with a bucket on the side of the playhouse. Also I thought a hanging basket, bunting and windcharms and suncatchers. Inside is going to be painted cream with cute curtains and a few shelves. I'm going to see if I can get a few bit of furniture it go in there as well. I also thought of creating a den underneath the house using garden trellis, this will also act as storage for the kids garden toys.

The major problem with be working out where is put it. Our garden is tiny, one side and the back has a raised flower bed, the other is half grass and patio so would be uneven. Hopefully Dad and John will solve that problem.

Grrrr Mucky Toads

For Christmas James got a beautiful wigwam tent, but the thing is huge. So to try and accommodate in his bedroom we first needed a rearrange. Now, I quite like rearranging furniture because this is the first house I've had that has been big enough to move stuff about in. So we moved James' to the other side of the room. Bare in mind that I only painted his room in the last 9 months, the wall going along side of his bed is absolutely filthy, there is a grubby, nearly black line the entire lenght of his bed. It must be from his hands and feet. Grubby thing. So after a grumble and a moan I have touched up the grubby bits in his room, cleaned out all his baby toys to move to Penny's room and hovered, dusted and made it look spick and span. Wonder how long it will last?

New (to us) Playhouse

Very excited at the moment, yesterday we managed to get a seconded hand playhouse off of Ebay. Not sure if it will be any good and it will take soom hard graft and dry days to get it up the scratch but it is all very exciting.

My idea is to paint it a lovely blue with cream door and window frame. A light blue or purple inside with bunting and fairy lights. To also create a den underneath somehow, which will also be somewhere to put toys out the way. 

Digger Themed Party

So James has decided he likes diggers better than tractors, therefore we are going to have a digger themed party.

Here are a few ideas so far.

Black and yellow balloons.
Digger fabric bunting (I've been meaning to make some for his room).
Finger food (served in his dump trucks).
Digger related food??
Pin the bucket on the digger (homemade).
Pass the parcel.
Bucket and spade party bag.
Cardboard box diggers.

Can't think of anything else at the moment.

Lemon Meringue Cakes

I fancied baking today, so James an I set to and made these delicious Lemon Meringue Cakes. I sure if you google it there might be a better recipe but this was off the top of my head and there are lovely.

Basic sponge.
3 eggs
150g butter
150g self raising flour
150g sugar
Zest 1 lemon
Juice half a lemon.

Meringue topping
1 egg white
Table spoon caster sugar

Lemon curd filling.

Make the sponge. Cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and flour. When mixed add the lemon zest and juice. It makes about 16 small fairy cakes.

When they are cooked and cool. Carefully with a knife remove a scoop of the sponge from the middle, add a bit of lemon curd, then replace the top.

Mix the egg white and castered sugar until stiff. Dollop some on the top of each cake and fluffy it up into peaks. Sprinkle a little caster sugar or icing over the top. Cook until brown.

Penny at Nine months

Today Penny is nine months old, to be honest I probably wouldn't have realised but the health visitor came to do her 8 month review and mentioned it.
She past her review with flying colours, complete with smiles and a bit of chatter. James was a little concerned at first, telling John that Penny didn't want to see the doctor.

So my little baby is no longer that little. Her 6 month baby grows are beginning to stretch at the seams and she no longer likes me to spoon feed her, causing a tug of war between me, her and normally a spoon full of food.

She is curious about everything at the moment. Nappy changing has become a wiggly pain as she strains to escape. Penny is now crawlling at top speed, we are having to nip about to keep up with her. She now and has been for a few months pulling herself up and standing, grabbing at anything in arms reach. She gave me a panic last week as she managed to pull over a cup of coffee, thank goodness it was cold, but it has left a rather unsightly stain on my cream carpet.

You give her a wave and she waves back. She loves me singing nursery rhymes and songs to the radio. She quick to give you a smile and often giggles randomly. She seems to has grow attached to a soft doll, Molly Dollie. I often find her curled up in bed with it in her arms. Both Penny and James sleep like me, on the side with my chin in the air. My favourite moments are when James purposely acts silly and falls down or spins round to make her laugh. What she is upset he tell her not to worry, when we are in the car he tell her we are nearly there.

Penny isn't sleeping very well at the moment, both John and I are running on empty. She has been ill for the last few days, that an a combination of teething and us being mean parents and taking her dummy away, has left her unsettled.

She is mummmmm and babababa away. Not sure if it can be classified as her first word or just a noise.

I can't believe how quickly she has grown up and how much she has changed. We have so much to look forward to.

Ditching the dummy fail.

A few months ago I wrote a blog about Penny going without her dummy. Three months on and she is still sucking away. We did try and for a few nights and she did go dummy free, though she didn't like it. There have been a number of reasons why we failed.

1) For the last few months both John and I have been ill and it is only now that we both feel we have got the energy back to face up to the task again.

2) Penny is teething and as a result a bit grisly.

3) She also has had a terrible cold.

4) We were worried she would disturb James while settling herself to sleep.

5) Laziness on our part.

I recently read this article from parent dish, nine ways to wean your baby off its dummy. It has made me feel so much better about our attempt. It has also given me the inclination to have another go now she is feeling better.
http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2014/01/02/9-ways-to-wean-your-baby-off-the-dummy/#!slide=aol_1004430

We have began by not having the dummy around during the day. We noticed that if it is downstairs she mades a beeline for it. Now it stays in her bedroom, she doesn't seem to have missed it. Next step is to go cold turkey.

Cake Cake Cake

Cake I made for Hollys birthday. Was very easy to create and one I would definatly do again. I took the idea from cake decorating magazine. This is how I managed it. I should have taken pictures of each step but I completing forgot.

I first made a Victoria sponge and covered it with fondant icing. While the icing was soft I stamped it which the flower stamp. I have to press on quite hard and going round the corners was tricky.
I make a bowl of royal icing, seperated and coloured it yellow, pink and orange.
Using my smallest piping nozzel I piped round a few of the outline of petals (not down the middle). Using a small wet paint brush I brushed the piping into the petal and down the flower. After I finshed the flower I piped around the flower again.

It was very relaxing to do and I'm very pleased with result. I was disappointed in how the fondant icing came out, it have air bubbles in it. I'm not sure how I can get rid of them and every sponge cake I ice seem to have them.

Silent Sunday

Competition Overload

Oh dear. I think I might have a problem. Over the last 6 weeks I've found myself become additive to online competitions. I can't stop myself from entering, rafflecopters, quizzes,  blog comments and big prizes. I just can't stop. The moment my 2 are tucked up for a nap, the tablet comes out and I'm tapping away, willing myself to win just one thing.
Unfortunately,  lady luck does not seem to be on my side. I've had a few mini wins which are enough to keep me wanting more. So far I've won a childrens book, bottle of Aussie shampoo, 2 teddies, and a hairdryer.
Over the next few weeks I'm head back to work, so hopefully the addiction will come to an natural end, either that or I might win a fortune and retire.

Asda Car Seat Unsafe

I have just found out that the car seat I purchased for my son 2 years ago has failed safety tests by consumer advice website Which?

The Asda Nania Trio Plus is suitable from groups 0/1/2. It was in tests for group 2, where the adult seatbelt is used across the childs body that the car seat scored 0. Luckly my son is still using the 5 point harness (group 1), though this didn't score very highly.
As a good will gesture Asda are willing to exchange the car seat for a newer model or offer a refund. Which I think is really good of them. Guess where I'm going on Friday.

I have included a link for the Which? report and Asda's advice if you have a car seat of this type. Apparently it also affect a Kiddicare  Maxi SP car seat as well and people are advised to contact Kiddicare who will offer a exchange or refund.

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/06/which-advice-replace-nania-trio-plus-car-seat-322953/

http://your.asda.com/news-and-blogs/get-the-facts-which-report-on-our-team-tex-car-seat

If you go down to the woods today beware of the Gruffalo.

We are going on a Gruffalo hunt. We are going to catch a big one.

Yesterday we decided we needed to blow away the cobwebs and get outside. So we/I wrapped up in as many layers we could find,  grabbed our wellies on and headed to the woods (Snipe Dales) with the intention of finding a Gruffalo.
My sister had printed off pictures from the Gruffalo book and hid them around the woods. Armed with buckets, sticks and a big bag of Haribo off we set. Col reciting the book as we went. The kids soon got into the swing of it, racing each other to collect the pictures first. Tired legs and bumps from falling over trees and in mud were soon forgotten about with a quick administration of Haribo. Sticks (the bigger the better) were there to poke frozen puddles, leaves, holes and each other. Buckets quickly filled important things like leaves, stones, galls, and in James case any litter he found.
I have forgotten how nice it is to go out and just let James and Marley explore and play. They quite happily entertained themselves looking at world around them taking their time going at their own pace. It did us all the world of good. A really nice day.

Birthday Party Envy

So in a months time James turns 3. We are planning to have a little party at home with about 6 children his age, party bags, pass the parcel and generally running amok. All good, straight forward and relatively cheap.

However, my sister little boy who also turns 3 five days before James, is having a huge Thomas the Tank party for all his class, in the village hall, complete with bouncy castle.
I'm not jealous of the party because I can't see the point of spending all that money. I do feel sorry for James, I'm worried he will think he has missed out and he will expect the same for his birthday.

Jessica (with little arms).

So in a month and a half James turns 3. So my thoughts have turned toward his birthday party and present. Though I don't think my house can cope with any more toys, we seem to be bursting at the seams at the moment.

As James has started nursery I'm hoping this year he might have a few friends to invite, rather than just family like other years. When I ask him about children he plays with he doesn't know any of their names.
Until yesterday, when I discover that his best friend is Jessica. Jessica with little arms apparently. There 2 Jessicas in his room and I'm left wondering if the other Jessica has super long arms. I also need to find out her surname, I can't put Jessica (with little arms) on the invite. This has kept me amused all day.
Today we had progress with another little girl, Paige. They spent the entire time playing together and holding hands. When she left we had tears from James because he didn't kiss her goodbye, slightly odd behaviour in his behalf.

Oh and it turns out Jessica is one of the younger children in his room at nursery and James helps her reach the toy cooker.

Top 5 Favourite Childrens Picture Books

1) Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell.

Delightful book which has flaps that hides the animals. Encouragages the child to join in with animal noises. Also very short to read, a good one for when you are in a hurry.

2) Is it Bedtime Yet Wibbly Pig? by Mick Inkpen

Lovely book where Wibbly is doing everything he can to put off going to bed (sounds familiar). This was one of the first books James was able say along with.

3) Monkey Puzzle by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

Classic story which has a good rhyming pattern and repeatition to help your child to read along. It is beauifully illustrated and the story is amusing.

4) The Very Hungery Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This book I remember enjoying as a child. I find the illustrations a little dated but James loves this book. It helps him with his counting and we are now using it to help him learn the days of the week. We make the mistake of buying the paper version, this didn't last long as James kept sticking his fingers through the holes.

5) Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs

In the run up to Christmas this book became a firm favourite in our house. It is set out like a comic book and each page is bursting with beautiful drawings illustrating what Father Christmas gets up to on Christmas Eve. Every time we read this book we find something new within the pictures, Father Christmas on the toilet causes much amusment. Because there are so few words you can make this story your own and James is able to enjoy looking at it by himself.

Catalyst Science Museum

Recently we went to Chester for the weekend. On the way home we visited Catalyst Science Museum which is on the banks of the river Mersey.
It looked promising from the leaflet I picked up in Chester. It offered a 3d film experience, along with a range for activities ranging from making soap to bath bombs. Obviously, as it is January we were expecting limited activities. However, there was none on offer, nor was the 3d film on. Quite disappointing.

James, though, really enjoyed his day, there were loads of hands on buttons to press, lights to move round and computers to play with. He really enjoyed making a foam bridge which, with some trepidation, he was able to walk across.

I enjoyed the views across the Mersey from the observation floor.
Both John and I enjoyed the puzzle room, though it did feel a little like a school challange. I think we mainly liked it because we are highly competitive and were trying to beat each other.
I have to say I've been to much better Science Museums. Catalyst seems dated and we all left not actually learning anything new. Not I place I would visit again but on a cold and rainy Sunday with 2 small children it kept them entertained.

New Year clear out.

After the extravagance of Christmas and New Year, I have decided to the a sort out of mind, body and the house, much to the dismay of James and John.

House: Currently, due to the influx of Christmas toys, my living room looks like a nursery.  Walking from one side to the other is like an obstacle course And I keep losing Penny in the clutter. So, much to James' annoyance his new toys are gradually creeping upstair and being put away. However,  much to my annoyance James is sneaking them down again. Thankfully due to me having larger hands and not having to walk upstairs using the banister, I'm winning and the living room is slowly becoming more bearable.

Body: Everyone over indulges over the festive periods, but I worked out the other day that we as a family have not had fresh veg for over a week. Cheese and biscuits are not an acceptable meal.  James has got into the habbit of asking to eat tea on the sofa or his digger while watching TV. So the Christmas chocolate have been hidden and tomorrow I'm off shopping for veg. Homecooking to back on the menu.

Mind: 2014 sees me returning to work. So I need to get my bum in gear and sort myself out. This includes ringing schools I previously worked for and telling them I'm back. Organising my resources ready for those days when you are faced with 30 children and no lesson plans. Finally getting myself into the habbit of getting up in the mornings, something I have always struggled with.

With these in mind and my New Year resolution of making more effort, we or I'm going to have a busy few weeks. I wonder how long it will last.

Rock On Boots

I love, love love these. So much so I (shock, horror) bought them.

These are my bargain boots from Debenhams for £13. I'm thinking that they would look great with legging, woolly socks and a cute dress. They also match my new funky handbag which I got for Christmas.

Shhhhh just don't tell John, he thinks I have faf too many shoes.

The Great Potty Bribe

Over the Summer we knuckled down to the business of potty training.
Unfortunately,  James just didn't get it. After months of trying, he couldn't understand when he needed to go. So for the sake of James, myself and the carpet we decided to have a break and try again a fresh in the new year.

So it starts again. This time it already seems more positive.
A bit of back story to the bribe. For Christmas, James received a remote controlled bulldozer from Grandad. On the back of the box were pictures of other toys in the range. James is saving for a grabber crane thing. Everytime he uses his potty he has a coin to go in him piggy bank. Between the Christmas money he got the birthday money he will get in February and the pennies he is saving by using the potty. He will soon have enough saved. At the moment he is very eager to save his pennies. So much so we had tears whike we were away because he wanted to buy a Peppa Pig comic but also wanted to save his money. It may seem harsh to make him buy his own comic (we don't always) but he needs to begin to understand that things cost money and about saving.
As a result of this bribe so far (fingers crossed, touch wood) our carpets are puddle free.

Christmas present in Chester

This weekend the family visited Chester. John treated me as a Christmas present. It is a place I have always wanted to go and I wasn't disappointed.

The Christmas lights and trees were still up, which made the streets look beautiful. Our hotel was opposite the Roman amphitheatre so we had a great view of it and the river from the window. James loved clambering about on the stones (takes after his Dad) and was fascinated by the thought of lions being there.

We all enjoyed the early morning walk along the river and crossing the suspension bridge. People had placed locks with their and their sweethearts names engraved on them on the bridge. Quite sweet really. The walk ended with a big fat fry up at the Cafe on the Wall.

The Rows (Tutor style shops which had two levels) were lovely. It was pleasent looking round the Rows, climbing the different levels, peering in shops that sold gorgeous things that I could never afford.

We also had time to visit Deva Roman Museum.  Deva was the Roman name for Chester. It was OK, I think it could have been better. James liked it, as there was a hands on area upstairs. I enjoyed looking at the different finds from archeological digs in the area. There was a part of a dig in the cellar, but you couldn't see much.

We also visited the cathedral.  I was impressed that there was no charge, but a donation, unlike many cathedrals we visit. There was a a display of beautifully lit Christmas trees around the quad. The cathedral was stunning inside. We were luck enough to visit while the choir was practising. I could have quite happily sat listening to them all day.

Chester also has the most complete city wall in the UK. We were constantly up and down on it, using it as a way to walk round the city. It was handy as when James was beginning to get fed up of walking he woukd quite happily walk on the wall.

I would love to go back again. Maybe without the children, not that they were a pain, on the contrary,  they were very well behaved, but it would be nice to go and have a romantic break there. To treat ourselves in the champagne and chocolate cafe and have a beautiful meal that didn't come with a colouring book. Maybe when they are older.

Cake Flops. I mean pops.

As stated in the previous post, that amongst all my Christmas goodies was a cake pop kit. So I decided to channel my inner Jane Asher and have a pop at making some. Armed with my pretty pink silicon pop mould, Victoria sponge batter and a rather poor instruction book, I dreamt I would be turning up at my sister's party tomorrow with arm fulls of delicately iced treats.

This is what I aimed to achieve.

I started off well.

However, due to an inbalance of cake mixture my pops had a flat bottom. I thought I would be able to disguise it with the decoration.

The finished result.

Not quite what I was aiming for. These were the best, the rest refused the stay on the sticks and slid down them rather pathetically. Penny and John enjoyed eating the dregs. I'm too ashamed to take them to Cols tomorrow (hangs head in shames).

Totally Spoilt

This Christmas I have been complete spoilt by my family and friends. It just goes to show how well they all know me. These are a few of the goodies I got this year.

A fabulous handbag which will go completely with my rockabilly dresses and will make a change from carting round a changing bag.

A very posh handbag, so posh it comes in its own bag. So posh, I dare not use it. So posh, I'm thinking about hanging it on the wall to stare at it and occasionally stroke it.

A wine making kit and 2 bottles of Stags Breathe whisky, my favourite. So 2014 is looking very merry already.

A weekend in Chester. It is a place I have always wanted to visit, as it is steeped in history.

A mass of cake decorating, cake pop goodies and bread making things. These will keep me very busy. Hopefully everyone will benefit from this gift.

Some gorgeous clothes. My New Year Resolution is to make more effort with my appearance, so these will help, as will the make up and smellies I received.

A external hard drive. I'm on a mission to sort all my photos out and keep them in one place in some organised order.

There are lots of other bits and bobs. I'm very grateful to everyone. I'm hoping the presents we got people are just as well received as mine.

2013

Obviously the most amazing thing to happen this year was the birth of Penny, who now at 8 months has flourished into a content, happy, smiley baby who adores her brother. 

James has also transformed this year, from a baby to a thoughtful, caring boy. Who is happy, lively and has a cheeky sense of humor and crafty smile. He is polite and freely gives hugs and kisses to all. He too has come on leaps and bounds. I was initially worried how the new baby would affect him. I shouldn't have, he is a very attentive older brother, who makes sure Penny is included and safe.

Also, thanks to my maternity leave, this year we have had the freedom to go away on holiday. Our week in Yarmouth was brilliant (the weather helped) as was the trip to London to see the dinosaurs and caravaning with Grandad. 

So looking back at this year, I'm thanking my blessings for my little family and the time with have spent together. 

Christmas 2013

We have had a lovely Christmas.

James, at 2 years old, had a lot more understanding this year. We put out the mince pie, carrot and sherry for Father Christmas. After watching Snowman and snowdog, we had a chocolate off the Christmas tree and had a look out the window to see if we could see Father Christmas.  

Christmas morning,  James had completely forgot about Father Christmas. He didn't see his stocking at the end of the bed. John had to go and check if he had been. James liked to explore each present before he opened the next. He walked into the living room, he didn't notice the giant stash of presents right I  front of the door. Ohhhh. It wasn't long before he had helped Penny open her Little Tikes activity house and have a good play in it. Up went the fire engine tent. He was so excited to find he had a roly digger. 

The morning soon whizzed by, leaving the toys was a little too much for James, but there were the only tears of the day and soon past with the excitement of seeing Grandad and telling him about his digger. 

Christmas dinner was lovely. James was well behaved. He is normally went we go out, but this was 3 courses, so a long time for him to sit. Penny fell asleep during pudding, not before getting cuddles from all the staff. 

Everyone came back to ours for the family presents. I think we were all pleased and spoilt rotten.

Right. I'm calling it Christmas.

Right, rubbish telly on, sherry poured and breathe.
Today I have mainly be running around doing a food shop, trying not to turn into one of those fantic woman who shop like the world is coming to an end and has a trolleys full of tea bags.
Today was a mission, we had a plan with the aim of doing all the last mintues shopping done, in, out without have a meltdown eithervthe kids or us. I dropped John and James in Lincoln in find a toy and a few prezzies and Penny and I headed to Morrisons. Success, only took us 1.5 hours. Note to self, write the shopping list in order of the store set out next time.
So, we celebrated by opening the Christmas nibbles for tea and watched the Goonies.

Upholstery part 3

Right the chair is finished just in time for Christmas. Hooray.  After carefully sewing the panels together the cover sliped over the top of the chair. Much to my disappointment it didn't fit right on the arms. However, with a bit of brute force and a heavy duty staple gun, it finally surrended. I'm very pleased with the results. I've kept the pattern just in case it needs covering again. I'm looking for another chair now to go with it.

Bedroom under the stairs.

The other week we visited Warners studio Harry Potter Tour, which was amazing. As a result James has decided he would like his bedroom under the stairs. This is him moving in with a sleeping bag and Sleepy. The hoover now has its own bedroom.

Procrastinating and cake.

Procrastinating - The art of putting what you should be doing by doing something pointless, irrelevant and eating cake. I am an expert and for the last week I have cleaned the cupboards, sorted Penny's old clothes, bleached the shower and eaten lots of cake. Why? Because I'm avoiding ringing up the supply agency and signing back with them.
My maternity leave is due to finish at the end of this month. The thought of going back at the moment fills me with dread, the early mornings, the not knowing if I'm working or not, the irregular money and most importantly missing the children. I know I'm lucky compared with some who have to work fill time and put their children in child care. However, needs must and tomorrow I really need to ring the agency or clean the cooker.

Dusting down the decorations.

It is that time of year again where I find myself crawling into the cupboard under the stairs, groping about in darkness to find the Christmas decorations, tree, slightly damp wrapping paper and a box of crackers which I hope still have some bang in them.
I have to say I'm not one to go over the top with the decorations. We tend to have a nice classy tree and a few choice ornaments and candles. I have a feeling that once my children start school and bring home the cotton ball snowman, doily snowflakes and carrier bag wreaths, my classy will turn tacky and I will turn into my mum. My mum would let me and my sisters decorate the tree (when I say decorate, I mean throw as much stuff at the tree before my two sisters got a chance and arguing) then whilst we were in bed redecorate the whole thing herself.
I have started a tradition in our house. Ever year my children get to choose a new decoration for the tree. The idea is that when they grow up and have a home of their own, they can take their decoration with them. Last year James chose a huge wood star, which our tree struggled to hold, but he was only 1 and at tbe time he was obsessed with cats and stars