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This day I love.......

The item mentioned in this post was sent to us for inclusion in a review. No other financial compensation has been received. All words are my own honest opinion.

Assuming you've read previous blog posts you will know that my son loves trains. Well he loves all vehicles really. For Christmas we bought him BRIO train sets and since he was born he has always had some BRIO trains to play with. This latest set from BRIO world was one he was rather keen to play with.


The track forms a simple loop shape but of course fits with existing BRIO track so can be made into an endless possibility of track. We decided to stay with what came in the box for the purpose of the post. There is also a track piece for the tractor to cross over and a barn.

The barn slots onto the track piece, and features two levels. The top level has a button to twist to collect the magnetic block from the train. Little Man loved this and spent ages turning it to make it go up and down.


The train also has another carriage to carry the cow which the set comes with. The side folds down on this carriage to allow ease of loading the cow in and out. 


Every Farmyard needs a tractor and the BRIO Farm railway is no different. A bright red tractor is included which can be used both on and off the tracks. Features a magnet just like the trains so it can be linked to them if wanted.

The BRIO Farm railway is bright and colourful and has kept Little Man entertained. See the ways he interacts with the set here.



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There are some emails that land in my inbox that instantly inspire me to do something.  The ones I read and feel an immediate reaction towards and the ones that stay in my mind for days to come.  This was true when I received an email from WWF inviting us to the screening of their Christmas advert, along with a tiger fun filled day.

The email said:

'The tiger is the biggest, the most iconic, and one of the most endangered of all cats. Sadly wild tiger numbers have declined by over 95% during the last century due to threats like poaching and habitat loss. But now for the first time in conservation history, their numbers are increasing and there are now almost 3,900 tigers in the wild.'  

I wanted to be involved, to help spread the word that the tiger numbers for the first time in conservation history are increasing and we need to continue to do more to protect wild tigers.  In fact the WWF are calling on the public to become Tiger Protectors, to help achieve their goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022 – the next Chinese Year of the Tiger.  I needed the girls to see how important this is, especially for their generation.

Whilst we had an early start the girls were excited at the prospect of seeing animals, I didn't really have the heart to disappoint them so just went with it.  As it turns out the living planet centre has lots of hands on exhibitions, plus the VR tiger experience seemed to satisfy the girls desire to see real animals.

Before we could learn about tigers it was important that we became tigers.  



Even Little Man who was too young for face paint got into the tiger spirit with ears and a tail


Little Man loved crawling over the life size tiger, a little tiger cub.  He was really confused though by the girls faces. 


After learning about tigers, their habitats and how we could protect them we were treated to the first screening of the WWF Christmas advert. 


This has to be one of the most emotive adverts from the WWF I have ever seen.  It highlights the importance of protecting tigers whilst at the same time showing an understanding that they are wild animals.  The girls and Little Man are now tiger protectors and have pledged to look after the tigers.  In doing so they receive a personalised tiger protector book, which is such a wonderful keepsake.  We have pledged to protect tigers, will you?

Thanks to the WWF for inviting us to spend the morning with them, we have not been financial compensated in anyway and we also have not been asked to write a post.  We just wanted to document our adventure.


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We have been really privileged to be sent two new books from Miles Kelly.  The books are both in the same range and follow the same principal, but with different stories written by Camilla de la Bedoyere.

'Where is the bear?' and 'On the trail of the Whale' are Super search adventure books.  Each page is full of information, puzzles and things to spot, along with the story.  The covers open out and are wipe clean which means children can write and tick off animals as they spot them.



I love the colourful quirky illustrations in each book even though illustrated by different people they both offer the same look and feel, which is great for continuity in the series.  The pages open up plenty of discussion around the animals and their habitat and the girls love to spot and find the clues and animals as we go.

These are wonderful books and although suited for ages 5+ my four year old loves them too.  They make a great resource for discussing different animals and their habitats.  Each time we read them we discover something new and this keeps the magic of learning alive.   They are amazing value for money and would make a fantastic gift.

All words are my own opinion. 
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A few months ago I reviewed Cardoo Cards.  Cardoo cards have provided lots of fun for all the girls' friends who have received one.  In fact I bought each of the girls one for their birthday and they loved them.  The range is now expanding with two new ranges from illustrator Lexi Hayman.

Each range has six designs with an animal theme.  I love the simplistic design of the cards which makes them suitable for most people to receive.  Animal Balloons and Animal Legs are the names of the ranges and each one is blank inside so you can write your own personal message. 


I love the quality and feel of each card too, plus the rather quirky designs.  They are suitable for most occasions.  Animal legs also features a little twist the swan for example is in ballet shoes - swan lake, and the cat is 'Puss in Boots'. 

I am pleased to be giving away a full set of cards [1 of each design so 12 in total] to 1 lucky winner.  Simply follow the instructions on the widget, which also contains full terms and conditions.  Good Luck


Cardoo Love from Lexi
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My girls seem to require very little sleep.  In fact looking at a recent infographic on the Animal Kingdom they are a lot like dolphin Infants who need no sleep.  I on the other hand love sleep and given the chance would spend as long as possible asleep.

Our dogs are very different too.  J likes to sleep, he loves curling up into a ball and having a nap.  In particular under things, especially blankets.  Spotty dog on the other hand likes to have lots of little naps, as if she is recharging her batteries.  She bounds about everywhere then has a short nap before bounding around again.

I do wonder what Thing 3 will be like.  Will they take after me and enjoy their sleep or will they take after their Dad who needs very little sleep?  How much sleep do you need and which animal sleep pattern matches yours?

This is a featured post
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Our spotty dog is a RSPCA puppy. We re homed her when she was 18 weeks old and you can tell how pleased she is. I am a strong believe in rehoming, as many animals are there through no fault of there own. We were invited to attend a VIP day at the RSPCA in Sheffield and jumped at the chance.

RSPCA cake

We were initially given a talk on the work they do at the centre, and I was surprised to hear all the extra training they do with the animals. How they work hard to add enrichment into their lives and the different games they play. It is often hard when you go to a rescue kennel and see the dogs barking, but think how you would feel stuck in that small space not able to do the things you want to do. These dogs need understanding.

We had a tour of the centre and got to see some of the dogs and cats currently up for adoption. The girls wanted to play with the cats and they were given time to spend with some of the younger cats, my youngest was in her element.

meeting the cats

I personally loved the cat which reminded me of bagpuss.

bagpuss cat?

If you ever get the opportunity for a tour of a rescue centre I would strongly urge you to go, it is a real eye opener into the hard work that staff have to do in order to re home animals. It is also great to get more of an understanding of what these animals have to go through on a daily basis.

RSPCA blogger group

Thank you to RSPCA Sheffield.
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My youngest daughter turned 2 in May.  I realised I had not written anything about her birthday and feel rather bad about it so here are the highlights from the day.


I didn't have much time to make her cake so decided on a simple animal theme.  I baked a round sponge cake and decorated with green icing.  I had found a very talented lady on Etsy, the cake top company, and I gave her my idea for the cake.  She made me the animals as a bespoke order and I was incredibly happy with them.  I love the animal cake, I think it worked well.


Continuing with the animal theme I ordered the girls these dresses from Wild things funky little dresses.  Any excuse for me to order a dress for the girls from here, I love the entire range and everything lasts well.  I also get lots of people asking where the dresses are from which is always nice to be unique. 


We decided to try and make the most of outdoors and give ourselves less to prepare the night before, so we settled on a BBQ.  It made a nice change that I didn't have extra the night before and it was good that everyone had plenty to eat and enjoyed the food.


I had asked for people who wanted to bring presents to buy clothes, as my youngest daughter is now in the same size clothes as my eldest, meaning the hand me down phase has gone.  She got lots of really lovely outfits but also got this car/trolley.  She still tries to sit in the car bit.


We had close family round for the birthday and everyone had fun on the bouncy castle.  My youngest tired herself out and was asleep when they came to collect it.  This meant my eldest got to have some fun helping to put it away.


As the clouds came over in the early evening so did two parachutes.  I have never seen them come past the house before.  My eldest stood outside and watched them both float away into the distance.  A truly lovely birthday

This day I love a belated birthday post


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The First Farmyard Puzzle from Galt toys has been developed along with Dr Miriam Stoppard, the UK's most trusted parenting expert.  The farmyard puzzle is made from wood and is a really lovely chunky tray peg puzzle.  There are 6 bright and colourful animals to pick up and put into the space on the tray.  The puzzle is suitable from 12months.  My youngest at 15 months loves to play with this puzzle.  She finds the pieces very easy to pick up, thanks to the chunky peg on the surface of each animal shape

picking up the pieces

The puzzle encourages hand eye co ordination, shape recognition and manual dexterity.  My daughter loves to pick up the pieces and look at the different animals.  She loves to try and put the animals into the different shapes and when she gets one right she loves to clap and looks very happy.

putting in the pieces

My daughter loves to think about each piece and we talk about what the animals are.  She loves to make animal noises with each piece.  I talk to her about the colours and the animals as we play with the puzzle.  Her concentration and thinking is clear as I watch her play.

concentrating

The First Farmyard Puzzle is great for encouraging thinking, memory and naming, recognition and hand eye co ordination.  Its a great way to encourage learning through play and a lovely way to spend quality time together.



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My sister is moving next week to pretty much the other end of the country.  The family therefore gathered at my parents house for dinner and to say goodbye to my sister.  I took over the Popagami I had been sent to review, as I thought we could have a Popagami party and it would be something fun to do together.

We started with the world of Popagami book and some cake.  Well cake is always needed at a party.

popagami and cake

Popagami aims to bring origami into the 21st century and be fun and creative.  With this in mind the whole family, including my eldest at 3 years old got involved.

folding

We began folding the beautiful animals which came with the Popagami combo pack.  This resulted in lots of serious concentration

careful foldsconcentrating

occasionally some confusion


confusion


Before we got to the final instruction, blow into your Popagami to inflate

blow up the animalfinal step

Some of us did not follow the instructions and created our own animals

own creation

While many of us did and ended up with some lovely creations

completed popagami

We made more and more, and the more we did the easier it became.  Popagami was a lovely way to get all the family together.  This was a great way to spend time together and do something creative.  The book gives you the templates to create puppet Popagami and also blank templates to create your own.  I think we maybe having a Popagami party again soon.

This day I love a Popagami party


If you would like your very own Popagami combo pack, maybe to host your own Popagami party, I have 1 to giveaway.  Please follow the Rafflecopter instructions below, Competition closes midnight on Friday 20th September

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com
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This post marks my 100th post.  I really wanted to do something special to mark the occasion, unfortunately both girls are very ill.  So much so that we had to cancel the birthday party we should have gone to today, and I have had to send emails to all the groups we should be attending over the next week to cancel, as we won't be able to go.  I am not looking forward to calling nursery tomorrow but that's life with small children.

Instead with the weather nice I took the girls for a walk next to the stream in the village.  I wrapped them up warm and hoped that the fresh air would do them good.  Both girls are a little irritable at the moment and sleeping at random times so I hoped the fresh air would let them have a bit of a nap and getting out of the house I find always helps too.

My youngest fell asleep within 5 minutes of us setting off and it was not long before my eldest followed.  I know my eldest is therefore ill as she will only ever day nap when poorly.  I enjoyed the walk, it was really peaceful next to the stream and J even behaved himself.

Sleep walk

When we returned home the girls stayed asleep just long enough for me to take down the decorations.  When my oldest woke up she was so upset that we had to put the tree away and kept saying Christmas coming soon.

decorations

I spent the rest of the afternoon playing with magnetic funny faces book, by top that publishing, with the girls.  The book has a selection of blank faces on which you can stick the magnetic features.  Its really good fun and the girls like to create different animals.  It also can teach them about different features different animals have.  We have a lot of fun playing with this book and the possibility of faces to create is endless.

Magnetic book
concentration














I am hoping my girls feel better soon as I really don't like to see them ill.  Its really hard as they don't understand why they feel like they do and sometimes struggle to express themselves.  I know it will be at least a week before we see any improvement.   I only hope I can keep them as comfortable as possible until they do recover.

This day I love the 100th.
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Sorry this post is a little late.  The girls decided not to settle until 1.30 last night as a result a tired Mummy thought that bed was a fitting option as we had had a lovely day out and it was needed.  As a result I am writing the post now and will write today's a little later on.

We spent the day at the butterfly house in Sheffield.  It is a great place with lots for children of all ages to see and do.  What makes it really special for us is that they always decorate the whole place so nice dependant on the time of year.  We happen to go quite a lot as both girls really love it.  At Halloween there were skeletons and ghosts, lots of flags for the Queens jubilee but my favourite time of year to go is at Christmas for the Christmas tree.


Christmas tree


I would love to be able to decorate my tree like it.  My eldest was mesmerised by it and we had to keep stopping to look so she could sit under it.  Once we had managed to get her to leave the tree we went into the butterfly house where there is a huge variety of animals.  Its also lovely and warm in there so gave us a chance to warm back up.

I love watching the ants busy carrying leaves and also trying to find the two iguanas that live in there.  They are usually up in the roof.  My daughters like to watch the birds and butterflies fly past.  Once thoroughly warmed back up again we ventured outside to see the farm animals and the Meerkats.


butterflyanimals

I really love the variety of animals that they have.  Every time we go there seems to be something new.  To finish our day I always let my girls have a play in the playground that's there.



It really was a lovely day out and we shall be going again soon.  There is so much for the girls to do and so much more as they get older too.

This day I love Butterflies. 
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The girls and I spent the afternoon at Cannon Hall Farm.  I love living so close to Cannon Hall Farm as there is so much to do there and my eldest loves it.  As we walk round she signs the animals and does the different animal noises.  We saw a whole variety today:

pigcow shed



goatcow

horseguinea pig












She is more than happy to stand and watch from a distance but if they move she gets very scared.  I am trying to help her with this and today she actually stroked a rabbit, I was very proud of her.

rabbit

As you can see she looked really proud of herself for doing so.  Cannon Hall Farm also has a variety of playgrounds but as it was getting late and kept raining we opted for one of the indoor activities of colouring:

colouring

My eldest has one request when we go to the farm and that's to see the pigs.  On our way out we therefore always stop off to see the pigs.  There had been some new additions and my daughter just wanted to stay with them.

piglets

I always love watching how happy she is when she watches animals and I love taking her to the farm.

This day I love Animals.
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About me

About Me

Welcome to This Day I love.

My name is Leyla, also known as Mum to my 3 humans and dog Mum to J. I have a passion for the outdoors and love to run. I can often be found off road exploring the trails and fells and covering distances all the way up to 50 miles. As a family we love travelling and discovering new adventures, as I try and run around the world!

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