Sensory #8

~ Fridgesays ~ 5 Comments

Today’s learning experience comes from the advice of fellow bloggers. I recently reached out to my Mummy crew and asked a question…

Although I know it’s a normal learning stage at 2 1/2 years J loves to recite his numbers – but rarely in order…any tips for helping him to sequence?

Clare from Clare’s little tots came back with a gem of an idea (a kind of paper version of numbers through the hall) and it really captured my imagination. Unlike most halls ours is large and square rather than long and narrow, whilst I put my brain into ‘Mummy Mind mode’ we took a break to our local park, as I looked down on the floor I realised the work had been done for me.

This snake (below) is ace for sequencing and so many lovely games!   The photo above shows J and his cars…(who in there right mind would ever leave the house without a car / digger in each hand?) on a classic hop scotch, however we recently played a lovely game where I asked him to put the car on the ‘number 3’ etc and it seemed to help him with number recognition.

So, I guess this blog is about realising that sometimes the work has already been done and we need to utilise it. Next time you and your monster crew are at the park take a moment to look at the floor- you may be inspired! Don’t be put off by the weather either, I find the floor activities are even more enjoyable with the slides / swings are wet…plus a puddle adds an entirely new dimension to play, and it’s generally quieter.

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I never met a meal I didn’t like

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Quote by the amazing Miss Piggy

Following on from a blog I posted back in July called Priorities the team at  Schwartz got in touch and sent me a gorgeous bundle of goodies – slow cooker style!

 Regular readers will know that as a full time working Mummy – my slow cooker is how I get some evening time. By the time my heels totter through the front door, I put my little man to bed…I’m done for the day, the slow cooker allows me much needed couple time, pamper time and ‘not preparing dinner time’

So lifting the lid of the slow cooker to a wholesome cooked meal is divine.

There are 2 other things I love and particularly using the Schwartz slow cooker sachets…

1). Using the sachet makes it even quicker to throw in the ingredients and go. I do this twice a week before work and when I walk through the the door – particularly on an Autumnal evening, it reminds me of being a little girl home from School to Mums home cooking…my house smells better than pop corn at the cinema! Even better I remember that it’s me that cooked it! For those of you that have never used the sachets before, the ingredients are all listed on the back – you just chop it up, wack it in and leave the slow cooker on low and walk away…get home from work 6 hours later ‘ta-da’ dinner is ready.

2). My other love is that the slow cooker sachets are all under a £1 and all seem to work as well with if not better on cheap cuts of meat, like chicken thighs / drumsticks, so not only is it amazing for time management, my purse and bank manager love them too. When I recently cooked the Beef and Ale Stew I some how made enough for the entire road, so in the freezer it went – cutting costs further 🙂

 Above is the chicken Provençal recipe before I left for work: pop in the chicken thighs, a red and yellow pepper…mix the Schwartz sachet into a tin or chopped tomatoes, a squeeze of Tommy purée and wack into the slow cooker, leave on low…
 Hello dinner! We had ours with wholemeal rice, broccoli and peas (I have an obsession about peas) some of the sachets, like the chicken curry have potatoes already in it, so you don’t even need to boil a pan of water for your carbs, winner.

I promise you this is generally something I would feed to guests, in fact my best friend recently stayed and we went out for a days adventures (to the beach) and returned home to the scents of slow cooker delight. This meant I never had to disappear to the depths of my kitchen.

Whatmyfridgesays gives the team at Schwartz 10/10 and I can’t wait to try the pulled pork next weekend, so thank you to them and I hope it inspires you to eat healthy, tasty and at little cost with loads of flavour.

*PR collaboration

Things I’m loving #1

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When I saw this Linky, I knew it was for me.

So with Autumn drawing in, here are 3 things I’m loving right now. (This is not PR related but totally from the Fridge soul)

1. Chamomile Tea. Whether it’s the middle of a heat wave or I’m frozen from head to toe – chamomile Tea is a must for bed time and I have a favourite. Pukka Tea, ‘Night time’ comes in a lovely blue box and is a combination of oat flower, lavender and lime flowers, valerian and chamomile…I love tea and this is a go to / have to have kind of cuppa. You can pick it up in health food stores, supermarkets and online.

2. Superman

 Its not just me that loves this, after J fell head over heels for Superman (the real one, the late great Christopher Reeve) my amazing and talented Mummy created this beauty using crochet. It’s so personal and I love to watch Js delight as he snuggles him at night…or flies him over the sofa at speed!

3. Seaside UK style

  Of course we would all prefer a tropical tan but how gorgeous is this photo (#nofilter) and I must say I am partial to an Autumnal walk along the coast to blow away the cobwebs and refocus the mind.

Make sure you are wrapped up warm as an English beach is perfect to reenergise and focus, plus you can always find a pebble or six million to throw into the sea.

What are you loving in September?

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Sensory #7 messy stuff 

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I have a love for play-doh; it’s the smell, the texture and all the wonderful memories that float back into my mind – it’s was the 80s so squishing play-doh through plastic heads and playing hairdressers was all the rage. I can even remember where my Mum kept the play-doh and all of the paraphernalia that went with it, so when my friend sent me the pictures below of her son using one of my sensory ideas (and making it blooming better may I add, by adding the backdrop) I was rather touched, plus how cute is this kids hair!


 If you missed the play dough monsters take a look at Sensory #3 and give it a go, since J and I originally did it, we’ve probably played with pasta and dough a hundred times.

I’m learning that blogging opens up a new world of friendships and links 🙂 and I’m liking that a lot. Blogging has given me a doorway to not only express myself and my thoughts, but in return created invisible doorways to friendships and new like minded people – so thank you for being part of the journey.

Now the messy stuff.

I gave J the following ingredients:

  • A tray
  • A little jug of water
  • Several large tablespoons of corn flour
  • Wooden spoon
  • A spoonful of rice
  • Some food colouring

(Oh and a tea towel for the tables protection)

I then stood back…and to my surprise he got stuck in.

In terms of a craft / we were left with a sticky watery mess, not really to be desired? In terms of a sensory delight, it was magical!

 The rice gave the mixture which J described as ‘crunch’, he obviously added the water zealously and therefore it was a thin consistency, surprisingly it also all stayed in the tray (Mummy bonus) and with me sat next to him he told me he was cooking and the dialogue was really lovely.

 Sadly I didn’t take any pictures from when he added food colouring but the swirls were pretty awesome.

With older monsters you could defiantly write letters, numbers or words and then ‘mix them out’ but for us little monsters mixing and getting our hands in the concoction was enough.

I do love the magic of cornflour. After my first love, play-doh ohhhh and sequins!

Do you have any cornflour sensory ideas? If so, please share!

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Peace comes from within…

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 What a terrible reflection in this picture? So sorry. This quote is from Buddha.

When I wake up late, the toast burns, the traffic lights take forever to change to green and my day generally collapses into a pile of chaos…peace is hard to imagine, let alone re establish.

Many gurus in motivation and life coaches suggest that your morning routine is the most important of the day, it sets you up – although I agree, I’m not sure many of them have a toddler in tow, a nursery bag to pack, coats to grab (or not, I always forget my own) and of course the most essential meal of the day – which I call the ‘ram it in and run’ meal, I have heard people also refer to it as breakfast.

My mornings are precious and regular readers will know I’m partial to waking before the birds to catch my breath, a yoga session or just to walk around the house giving order to objects and in turn order to my day.

However my favourite ritual is what I’m doing as I write this post – Sunday evenings.

It is precious.

First, I walk the dog – alone (as in, not with a toddler), nature and walking is good for my soul. I then come home to help pop a little man in to his PJ’s and settle him for the night – next is bath time, mummy style.

For me, there HAS to be posh bubbles and classic fm blaring, the water has to be so hot my skin is pink, no toys insight – the rubber duck who use to keep me company is now strictly for toddler tides.

My only other essential is some sort of facial ‘treat’, it could be mask, new exfoliator or cleanser.

Tonight Mr Fridge came up trumps – a knock and glass of red wine was delivered…win!

 Then it’s downstairs for some blogging, Twitter action and general wind down / social media time and lastly I paint my toes red.
I’ve been a red chick on my tootsies since I was 13yrs old, all seasons – no excuses and the polish has to be high brand…OPI coca cola is my current favourite.

 Not long after the paint is dry am I ready for a good book before I close my eyes and the chapter of the weekend comes to a close, I’m fighting fit ready for the week ahead.
This is my ‘peace’ perhaps cliche but a bubble bath and ‘me’ time is how I control the rest of the week – I set the tone and it comes from within.

How do you find peace? (Remember it’s important that you make time for yourself, as much as you make time for your children’s pack lunch boxes or paying those horrible bills…make time, you’re worth it)

You’re worth it

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 Quote from L’Oreal I guess hehe, well slogan? It’s a pretty good slogan to have for yourself – if it’s good enough for Jennifer Aniston, it’s good enough for me.

Okay, so we all have things that we love and we know are naughty to consume, my list would probably mainly be made up of crisps and alcohol. I’ve always been a savoury girl and if there is a bowl of crisps at a BBQ or party it literally calls my name….I cannot leave them alone and I will even eat the crumbs at the bottom until the bowl is crisp free.

I grew up with classic lunch boxes that contained them everyday (it was the 80’s and we didn’t know better) and I ate them frequently until about 2006 when I read an article that said eating a bag of crisps a day was the equivalent to drinking 5 litres of vegetable oil a year…gross! I then had to look at my unhealthy approach to those little savoury delights and I quit – cold turkey, like a drug addict. I didn’t have them in the house until my little boy came along and even now I deliberately buy crisps I’m not a fan of (mainly puffy cheese creations) to avoid the naughtiness, I still adore them and still prey on them at gatherings. I’m now at the point where I buy a ‘treat bag’ every few months, but that’s ok with me.

Chocolate: I don’t love it but I also believe people who don’t like it are not to be trusted.

Like I said before, I’m a savoury girl so I’ll always pick a starter with a meal in a restaurant rather than a dessert but I’m also human and often get a craving for chocolate after my evening meal. (We don’t have desserts at home unless it’s Christmas or some kind of scoffing occasion) and I have recently been inspired by Matilda from the magical talents of Roald Dahl.

There is a section of the book / scene in the play where Miss Honey talks about her mothers special chocolates and how she had ‘just one’ every evening as a treat. Now, if you think you are a scoff the box kinda chick this probably will give you diabetes BUT at the end of term a pupil in year 10 bought me a huge and very generous box of posh choccies. Since I received them I’ve been having JUST ONE most evenings after dinner (they are still going) usually with a cup of tea before bed (I’m so gangsta) and I love it!


It’s usually the only sweet thing I have in the day (except for fruit) and I love the indulgence, it hits my need for some thing sweet and probably most importantly – it makes me feel special. I can’t describe the anguish I felt when Mr Fridge asked for one of my lovely choccies…trying to not be too mean I explained that they weren’t for sharing and that he should never ask again…but I’m not completely heartless, so I gave him one. I think he saw my heart break slightly as he hasn’t asked again since 🙂

So what it all this talk of naughty food about…I guess it’s about me realising that sometimes (crisps) I just have to say no. But that if I do say yes, know they are going to be the poshest crisps I can get my vegetable oil hands on! We don’t always need to indulge, but when we do – go special, you deserve it and also, to keep it special make sure ‘treats’ are things to look forward to.

Sensory #6 shapes

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*yet again I’m not sure there is any ‘sensory’ learning involved in this game.

Basically, I realised that thanks to Mr Maker (J has CBeebies issues so we now have to restrict TV time) and his dancing shapes – J can say the names of a rectangle, triangle, circle and square. What I was worried about was if he actually recognised them…

So, I made this little gem with:

  • 2 pieces different coloured card
  • Permanent marker
  • Ruler
  • Scissors
  • Paper clip optional

 I plan on reusing it, and therefore the paper clip is to keep the shapes to the board.
If I’m honest I’ve seen better versions, some have used felt for the shapes and Velcro to secure them. I deliberately didn’t use a variety of coloured card (obviously you could) because I wanted the learning to be purely about the shapes.

 You may be able to see from the picture above that I labelled each shape and we did have a bigger and smaller version – this is so that I can play with him too and ask him to pass me the ‘big circle’.

I also numbered the sides of the shape for when he gets bored of just the shapes.

Now the amazing bit: J isn’t a quiet sit down and colour kind of chap and HE LOVES it! Since we’ve done it together he has played with it himself and loves to ask his Superman figure if he can see a square (how blooming cute!)

It took seconds to prep and should last a while…give it a try and let me know how you get on.

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This is your world…  

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Quote by Gary Lew

So it turns out there is a new type of person in society. Previous to this we all blamed ‘them’ because ‘they’ told us to frankly! ‘They’ often let us down and just as we moved on with our lives content in our little bubbles of sparkle and delight…’shapers’ came in.

I know it sounds like some kind of evil marvel character, but once I described them I bet you’ll know loads of them.

A shaper is someone who enters your life and then slowly over time uses your skill set to better themselves. Managers in the work environment often shape, I guess it’s the nature of managing BUT a shaper takes the credit for your hard work and it becomes there idea.

In relationships shapers are also common. It’s good for your boyfriend/girlfriend to enhance your world…but if they’re a shaper they are going to mould you into what they want, for their benefit. Looking back at past relationships I’ll fully agree that I’ve dated a shaper or two, and if I’m really honest I was a shaper for a little while (his girlfriend and now wife should thank me haha).

This quote is a simple one, it’s the eggs on toast of the quote world (quick, easy and good for you)…if you’ve lost who you are or are making changes to suit somebody else’s needs…chances are you’re been ‘shaped’. Like I said previously, if it’s a positive change and you’re happy with it then great – change can be a wonderful thing, but if you are discontent and slightly frustrated then it’s time to shape up! (See what I did there)

We are only around for such a small amount of time, make sure you’re on the pathway you want to be and not cutting though someone else’s route to benefit them.

Have a lovely week 🙂

This little space 

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  This post is just to say thank you. (And show you my new t-shirt, I adore it but am also aware that I am pulling an odd face in this pic, no idea why?)

 Whatmyfridgesays is only 2 months old, similar to a new baby – it craves my attention, requires me to take endless photos, has interfered with my sleep pattern and…I love it.

I can see it blossoming and I think it’s already enriched my life. I’ve  discovered new friends and with little steps (and still a way to go) overcome a mountain of new skills. That’s pretty special. 

I love reading and I adore people collecting (characters, people’s stories, habits and ‘ways’), blogging lets me do both. Blog lovin is my favourite app and my own blog now pops up in my feed. I’m always surprised to see it and I hope that magic stays forever. (I’m also my only follower – awkward) 

Lots of you in the hustle and bustle of life make time to read it, so this post is for you. It humbles me that you would see it as worth while, that you come back and that even if you didn’t – I’d still write, but I’m so very touched that you do pop by.

Thank you.

Sensory play #5 rock painting 

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The legal stuff: I’m not sure it’s legal to take rocks from the beach? In fact I’m pretty sure it’s an etiquette ‘no no’

This week we made our Nannies and loved ones doorstops. I know you’re  jealous and wished you had one too…why don’t you make your own!

All you need are some rocks and some paint and if you are really organised (unlike me) some varnish would be delightful (PVA glue would also do the job).

 J got to grips with popping his hands in the paint and splaying them with toddler zest over the rocks. The sensory ‘bit’ came from getting his hands in the paint.

Simple.

He really enjoyed playing with the paint and I finished them off with personalised comments such as ‘rock on Nanny’ and ‘you’re my kind of pebble’. It would be lovely if he could of written it, but at 2 years old I have to stay realistic.

The rock / pebble that is on the blue napkin was our disaster. It was too smoothe to absorb the paint and ran like a spray tan in the rain – not ideal.

Like I mentioned, a little varnish would finish these off but we were too busy playing with the squidgy  paint.

Give it try and let me know how you got on.

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