In which Freddy has a close shave...

Have you ever had a bad hair day? A truly, truly bad hair day? I guess you probably have at some point or another, so to make you feel a little better I thought I'd share the adventure Freddy had this weekend...

He has just celebrated his 1st birthday, and frankly, things had got a bit out of hand in the hair department. If Mr Dyson had invented a hoover with hands, my hoover would have been gripping the doorframe of the cupboard everytime I tried to drag it out and vacuum the carpet - screaming, "Please! No more fur! I just can't take it. It's the fifth time today!!!"

In the first year of his life Freddy has got through 4 brushes, a de-tangling comb, and a de-matting brush for "excessively hairy dogs" (oh, and he's on his fourth lead, but that's got nothing to do with hair - that's all teeth!). So, this Saturday it was decided that the time had come - poodle parlour here we come....

Now Freddy is a cross between a cumberland spaniel and a standard poodle, so we had no idea really how he should be clipped - poodle pompoms or spaniel short back & sides..? To be honest, the tangles were the decisive factor and so the look this season for summer 2010's fashionable pooches is known as "The Squaddie" (with slight mullet overtones if you have the ears to carry it off).

He is now starting to loose his slightly reproachful stare, but he is wondering why the children at the school gate every day keep asking who he is: "I'm Freddy - style icon and lead chewer. Stroke my tummy and I'll tell you the tale of the time I took a trip to the hairdresser. Trust me kids, it will make your hair stand on end..."

Sarah x

An important message for all mums...

This is for all mums: mums-to-be, new mums, experienced mums, old mums, working mums, stay-at-home mums, yummy mums and stressed mums...

• For always being the one who eats the broken biscuits at the bottom of the tin that nobody else will touch;


• For being able to wake up from a deep sleep in the middle of the night to attend to nappies/wet beds/trips to the loo/nightmares/projectile vomiting when everyone else seems unable to;


• For always having food in the cupboard, loo roll in the bathroom, and the knowledge to cook a dinner out of nothing;


• For carrying on when you sometimes REALLY don't want to;


• For teaching your child how to walk, talk, use the potty/toilet, eat with a knife and fork, hold a pen and write, count, learn colours and a million other things;


• For sorting out the bills (because you probably do, don't you?);


• For remembering X's birthday/anniversary, etc and sending a card - on time;


• For feeding the pets every day - and changing their water too;


• For doing the school run every day, rain or shine;


• For having that magic touch that rubs away pain and kisses tears dry;


• For not being too shy to sing and dance in public when it means you can avoid tantrums;


• For putting on all the voices when you read the bedtime story;


• For checking for nits (and dealing with them if you find them);


• For sitting in the park when you really want to be sitting by a pool with a glass of wine;


• For being the secret Sock Fairy who can wash, match and put away endless not-quite-identical black or white socks without breaking down;


• For making sure the family get their 5 portions a day;


• For having an answer at the ready when you are asked where babies come from;


• For being the only one who cleans the bathroom properly and knows where dirty washing belongs;


• For saying "no" to those high heeled shoes/freakishly expensive trainers even if "all their friends have them";


• For having the best cuddles, end of story;

I just want to say "thank you" - because I don't think mums are thanked anywhere near enough. What we do may not necessarily have a £60k salary or a swanky office, but we do an amazing job shaping and nurturing these human beings under our care (even before they are born). It may seem like a grind (and worse some days), but all those big and little things we all do every day keep the world turning and life flowing. Without mums in the world it would be a grim place (not to mention an untidy one with everyone wearing odd socks and never getting anywhere on time!).

I salute you/me!
Sarah x

PS: and if I've missed anything off, please feel free to add it below!

Sneaky Peek at some great Discounts!

Recently I came up with an idea to join forces with other online retailers to produce a booklet which featured special offers and discounts to customers.

And here it is! I thought you'd like a sneaky peek!

Basically, PhotoFairytales and eight other independent UK online retailers have come together in one little booklet which will be distributed up and down the country during this spring and summer at various mother and baby events. We are offering money off discount codes to all readers.

Whilst many of the retailers offer superb products for parents with young babies and toddlers, even if this doesn't apply to you take a look anyway - there are some fabulous general gift stores there too!

If you would like to take a look, and see the discount codes for yourself, just visit the Special Offers page on my website for details.

Best wishes,

Sarah

" Sexy" - am I being overly sensitive..?

I'm developing a serious problem with the word "sexy", and I think I'm going to have to vent my spleen here a bit - tell me what you think...

It seems totally acceptable now to use this word in mainstream situations: tv, magazines, etc. Now, I'm not talking about this from the point of view of an adult - I'm talking about it from the point of view of a mum to a 7 year old. Should I be getting upset when she puts on a new top, looks at herself in the mirror, strikes a silly pose and asks "d'ya think I'm seeexy?!". Now, she's doing it in a fun, jokey way - but, it makes me feel so uncomfortable. This word gets bantered around even on children's telly - and don't even get me started on pop videos/singers...

My daughter is clever, smart, funny, beautiful and a fabulous little character - she is NOT sexy.

So, when she asked if I thought she was "seeexy", I just smiled and said, "no sweetheart, you're not, you're my little girl and I love you." But she still wasn't sure if I was being mean or not. And what to say when she turns round (like she did the other day) and asks me what the word means? Well poppet, it means you're sexually attractive to other people...I think not!!!

I don't remember this word being in use when I was a kid. I might sound like a total old prude, but I'm not sure I'm getting upset for no reason am I? I don't even feel comfortable letting her watch pop videos - I'm so sick of seeing women with their bums on show grinding like a lap dancer. And then there's the Playboy range in Argos - Amy loves looking at those pages in the catalogue: they're all PINK! Oh, and it seems that once your child gets past the age 5/6 years clothing sizes, she's suddenly expected to dress like a psuedo teenager in black t-shirts with words like "Bitch" picked out in glitter. You're kidding me right...?

Tell me what you think...

A great keepsake created from your child's artwork!

When it comes to drawing, creating and painting, Amy is very, very, very prolific! I am treated daily to fabulous creations. Only this weekend she transformed a toilet roll and an empty tissue box into an airplane and hangar. The outer wrapper from the peperami she was munching while cutting and sticking, became the escape shute for the passengers when the plane crashed. (That's "when", not "if"..!)

But she also loves to curl up on the sofa with a tray and her ENORMOUS pencil case (yes, the 7 year old inside me is insanely jealous!), and draw a wonderful picture. Like most mums my fridge is plastered with all this artwork. And it is virtually impossible to throw any of it away of course. So in the seven short years of her life I have managed to fill two memory boxes and a huge folder with her drawings! I adore everything she does, of course, but every now and then she will create something really amazing. Usually a picture with a story - and half the joy is listening to her explaining what is going on in the image.

So - this set me a thinking..... wouldn't it be great to do something with these special pictures? Those hand or foot prints, those pictures of the family at the beach, the self portraits, or the drawing of the house she wants to live in when she's grown up? Having just introduced a range of box canvases, it suddenly struck me how fantastic to be able to create a canvas from a child's masterpiece! It could be a straightforward print of the original picture, or it could have a little message added like the one shown here (if the design allows!).

So if you have a precious painting or drawing why not get it created into a fabulous and totally unique piece of permanent wall art? The printing quality is superb, so it will capture every detail and pencil or paintbrush stroke. You can get it printed as an 8" square slimline canvas for only £12 or a deeper framed 10" square canvas for £25 - and that includes UK delivery.

What a fabulous keepsake or present - parents, grandparents, aunties & uncles would surely love to receive one? Just take a look at http://photofairytales.co.uk/canvasforher.aspx - a great idea for a Father's Day present too perhaps?!

Best wishes, Sarah