First Day Of School

Right now, right at this very moment, I'm taking my youngest and last child to school, I'm expected to smile brightly and walk away from her and leave her. This is no biggie really, I have in fact been away from her for more than three hours more than once, maybe even a dozen times. BUT! But this time its the beginning of forever, this is it every single term day for the next, at least 13 years, she is expected to go to school. I wont lie as I wrote this I had big fat tears rolling down my face and  off my chin, I have spent most of yesterday crying silently while we snuggled and hid and built tents and watched movies. I feel cheated, like time went too fast and now its too late to claw back the baby years. They are gone and yet she is just barely 3 years old, so fiercely independent and yet so velcro like in her comfort zone. She is happiest tucked into the side of either Daddy or I

I want to scream and shout and tell her teachers that I don't give a F*ck how lush they are, how their kids are summer babies too, how they say they understand I honestly couldn't give a flying sh**e if you are Mary bloody Poppins, in my head not one single human on this planet could possibly feel the way I feel about having all three of my children away from me, no one not a single person could have ever possibly felt like this, there isn't  anyone who could care about my offspring like me least of all a complete stranger (please note I know this is not true and her teachers are lovely but I AM NOT RATIONAL RIGHT NOW)

And how does Termite feel?.....

She is excited about using the loo? So I get it, she is fine, she is ace and happy and looking forward to playing with her pals. She proably couldn't give a hoot that our days together are changing forever and my rational brain is happy about that but man alive I'm almost hysterical in my worry that she is just too young, she just needs to be with me, she doesn't need school yet.

So monkeyfeet fans leave me a comment tell me how you coped with this, et me know there is light at the end of my hysterical tunnel....

Laneway And Co

I remember when I could consider myself hip enough to frequent High Bridge on a Saturday afternoon before a night out (drifts off dreamily to Saturdays spent preparing for going 'out out') and its great to see that it's still a lovely place to head to for coffee, food, fun or fashion. Its also awash with pokemon-go treasures too apparently!

We headed to Laneway and Co on High Bridge after hearing high praise from fellow bloggers who had visited.

Laneway and Co is a new coffee shop owned by Nick who is passionate about coffee and really really knows his stuff. I probably disappointed him given that I don't like coffee at all but he impressed Mr Monkeyfeet with a lovely espresso and some more unique flavoured coffee from around the globe. 

He did have an impressive array of tea though and my chosen mint tea had a flavour that took me straight back to luxurious Egyptian holidays!

We had a lovely relaxed cuppa while the kids played with their new puzzles (free from a charity !) and sipped their babyccinos!(free with any adult purchase  Sadly Laneway don't currently have a non soya dairy alternative, but they do offer soya milk for the non awkward allergy sufferers amongst us. So Termite had some water which is available to customers free, we did chat about how Nick is looking into the best alternatives to soya milk as many don't steam well. Its lovely to hear establishments caring about what they offer and the quality they can provide.

Whilst we were in Laneway and Co there was a steady stream of trade and Nick was happy to chat to everyone offering advice and answering questions, I think he is going to be a big hit in Newcastle.

You can connect with Laneway and Co on Facebook and Twitter 

Our drinks were free but we were not asked to write this post 

Pikku Morpeth

You may remember we visited Pikku Gosforth last summer and because I'm a rubbish mother the kids haven't had their hair cut since! So when I heard Pikku were opening a new salon in Morpeth and they wanted us to go try them out I thought it would make a great trip for the kids. I mean they still talk about the day in Gosforth even now

Here is a little tour of the new Morpeth salon

As before there is lots to entertain the kids with a DS, toys and tablets with games and TV shows on.

 I lived that Trish listened to what Peanut wanted and advised her in how best to get the style she was after, she advised the best way to tidy termites unruly curls and then we chatted about the golden child and his crazy swirly crown!

The Golden Child and his Crazy Crown

Trish giving us our best options for least crazy crown-ness 

We left in under an hour with sparkly tiaras and animal masks, magic bubbles and most importantly swanky new 'do's'

The kids love their trips to Pikku and Morpeth is such a lovely place we will happily be back for another 'do'

Our haircuts were free but all opinions are our own

How To DressYour Kids For The Late Summer

Well  I could say 'your guess is as good as mine' because lets face it dressing your kids in a British summer is like a guessing game right? I mean I can send my kids to school dressed for winter in the morning and by lunch time I need to take them sun lotion!

See, dressed for winter but still wearing sunglasses!

Sadly I cant offer any changes to our unpredictable climate but I can tell you  I love Gilets this time of year. They are great for the morning school run or a trip to the coast when its a bit chillier but no cold enough for a coat, so easy to roll up into a back pack without weigh a tonnes and they look so awesome!

Our current favourite is this Howick Junior Gilet from House of Fraser its such good quality and the colour is just right for school (it doesn't clash with our school jumper) and for family days out, and my boy looks totes amazebonks (as always!) and as you can see, it doesn't hinder his running, jumping, climbing or general craziness!

What do you think? Do you love a Gilet ?

Brio Ride On Dachshund

There are not many toys that leave me wondering how best to describe their awesomeness but this Brio Ride On Dachshund has me a bit stumped, I know that this is the kind of toy that captures your heart and goes in the loft for your grandkids, its timeless and gorgeous, but that doesn't really express my utter love for it!

Termite loves is and zooms around the house on it and with an upper weight limit of 25kgs she still has plenty of play life left with it. Here is her video....

We Love

• It is Sturdy
• It was really easy to put together (under 5 minutes and no profanity)
• Brio is a great brand with a fab heritage
• Its sooooo cute
• Easy to use
• Beautiful workmanship

Room for Improvement

I cant think of anything I'll be honest, my biggest concern for my readers would be that a £70 price tag is hefty but as I have seen it and seen how much Termite enjoys it, I can honestly say I would pay that for it, Its a real investment and I think it will last years, maybe even for the monkeyfooted grandchildren!

Connect with Brio on Facebook and Youtube

Teletubbies, Entertainment for Generations

We love Teletubbies and I certainly remember how popular they were first time around so I'm very pleased that they are back on the TV and my kids can watch them, Termite is a huge fan of her Teletubbies toys and really loved this latest  Teletubbies Pull and Play Noo Noo,  

'This giant electronic activity centre is packed with features! It has a 6-piece shape sorter and 3D Teletubbies character jigsaw to encourage problem solving and coordination. Noo-noo even picks up the magnetic custard splat, and makes custard slurping sound effects as it is pulled along- just like on the show! Press the buttons on the top for different Teletubbies speech and sound effects. Noo-noo has funny googly eyes and a spinning brush and is part of the new range from Character'

Here is Termite showing you how it works.....

Now then at £49.99 this aint cheap! But here are our thoughts...


We Love

• The Storage! Oh so many toys have bits that have no places to be kept and then they get lost and aaaaargh it bugs me so much, but with the handy little storage bit this toy is neat and tidy!
• Education - it has lights and sounds and colours, so many options for education play, great for problem solving and colour recognition and shape definition
• It's robust
• It is easily able to be played with by more than one child in an engaging manner
• the sound effect are familiar to little people who have watched the show

Room for Improvement?

• Batteries! Petty I know but I have this thing about toymakers not including batteries in their toys!

Playgrounds and Pokemon - Another Big Day With Goretex

I scoffed at the idea of Pokemon and refused point blankly to download the app. Mostly on the grounds of hating to do what everyone else  is doing. But after a bit of thought and a chat with some Pokemon pals we went for it, and I have to say I kind of like it! But I shall tell you all the great things in another post. The biggest reason though is that it gets you out and moving, so armed with these awesome Goretex shoes from Superfit  to ensure we'd be most comfortable

we set of for a day on the quayside, catching Pokemon and checking out the great Playground Project at the Baltic

'A focal point for ideas about education and childhood, about urban planning and public space, about architecture and art, about creativity and control, the playground has repeatedly resisted institutional and ideological appropriation and grown in its own, sometimes anarchic, ways.

The Playground Project will bring back many exemplary, but now often forgotten playground initiatives, pioneering acts and adventures with a playground in which children (and inner children) can run, hide, climb and imagine. The exhibition includes Marjory Allen (Lady Allen of Hurtwood), Assemble, Joseph Brown, Riccardo Dalisi, Richard Dattner, Aldo van Eyck, M. Paul Friedberg, Michael Grossert, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, Alfred Ledermann, Yvan Pestalozzi, Group Ludic, Egon Møller-Nielsen, Niki de Saint Phalle, Mitsuru Senda, Colin Ward and others.'

The Playground project is amazing and the kids had loads of fun it was really busy though as we arrived at lunchtime so I would recommend arriving earlier in the day or later especially on a weekend. The Playground Project will be at Baltic until 30 October.

So for all you Pokemon fans we caught about 10 different and new to us Pokemon in and outside of the baltic and the quayside has lots of Pokestops and even a Gym or two so well worth an afternoon adventure ...

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We are Goretex Ambassadoors and were sent these shoes free of charge