Joanne the Coach

Review: Start-Rite shoes and online fitting service

When it comes to my most un-favourite parenting tasks, shopping for shoes is down there with combing for nits and wiping snotty noses - just really no fun at all.

Start-Rite Angry Angels Diva shoes

 

So I was really pleased to be asked by Start-Rite to try out their online fitting service. I am a big online shopper but I've never bought children's shoes online before - I always assumed that queueing up in a noisy, too-warm shoe shop was one of the delights of parenthood, like stretchmarks.

But we gave it a go.

The actual measuring part is very easy, you don't even need a tape measure. You print out a sheet from the Start-Rite website, and cut off a marked strip to wrap around each foot to get the width. Your child then stands on the printed out page so you can see the length of their foot. These measurements then get put into the site to generate your child's size, and the system then tells you which shoes are in stock at this size. The site also has a video you can watch with more shoe fitting tips.

 

My daughter's shoes, from the Angry Angels range for older girls, were even easier - just print out the sheet, stand on it and there's your size.

 

So that's the theory, but did it work?

Well, almost. My son's trainers fitted like a dream. There's a good bit of growing room around the toe, but not too much and the shoes stay on well. He is really chuffed to bits with his footballer-style trainers (RRP £34), and I am quite pleased that the antibacterial footbed will stop them getting smelly. The picture here shows them after six weeks of wearing - they're a bit mucky because they've been on a school trip (as indeed has their owner) but they're not at all scuffed and have continued to fit well.

 

Start-Rite Boys Trainers

My daughter's shoes, it has to be said, were on the big side. This is where, if we'd been in a shoe shop we could've tried half a size down or another style. And whilst we could still have exchanged these, it would've meant posting them back and waiting for a replacement - always a danger with online shopping. So we decided to keep them and wait until her feet have grown a little.

The style, which you can see above, is lovely - it's called Diva (RRP £25), and has a satin feel with a cute ribbon bow on top. They're a great compromise for when you need a fairly smart pair of school shoes, but your daughter only cares if they look good.

 

Over all, I would give the online fitting service 8 out of 10. It's not 100% foolproof, but it's a good option if you can't or don't want to go to a shoe shop. I wouldn't do it if I was in a rush, but I feel much more confident that it can work well, especially when you're measuring the width as well as the length of the foot. My son is now unlikely to see the inside of a shoe shop until he can pay for them himself. My daughter, I suspect, will have other ideas.

Thanks to Start-Rite for sending us these shoes to try out the service.

Would you like to try out the online fitting service too? Check back here tomorrow when Start-Rite will be giving away a pair of shoes from their fantastic Angry Angels range.

What Cybher taught me about blogging success

OK I know I promised you lots of hot blogging tips from Cybher, but as it turned out, it wasn't that sort of day for me.

Though  there were a few choice gems - turns out I have been getting it wrong in calling my competitions, er, competitions. Legally, a competition must include some degree of skill, and whilst it might be fun to see who's got the best reason for wanting a foot grater, you couldn't really call that a skill. So in the interests of keeping it legal, I'll be calling them giveaways from now on.

Rather than individual tips, I found myself thinking about the bigger picture, blog-wise.

Many sessions I attended talked of the importance of your blog having a clearly defined niche and a definite vision to pursue.

This is bad news for me, since I have no niche. My niche is me, and the things I am interested in. I'm a Muppet Me Party blogger in that respect, a focus group of one.

I was very struck this morning by a post from Mother's Always Right asking How do you define blogging success? because I realised that in 5 years of writing this blog I had never really stopped to think about that.

So I did, and this is what I came up with: For me, a successful blog is one that you want to keep on writing. And that's it.

All the other stuff is just sauce on the side.

Do you like your blog, this online space that grew out of your imagination? Are you proud of it and glad you took the time to make it? Does writing it make you smile, lift you up or help you feel satisfied that you've expressed your point of view? Does it make a positive difference to your world, and the world in general? Ultimately blogging success, unlike other flavours of success, is a journey rather than a destination. It doesn't matter if you're only making small ripples, because that's how big ripples start.

Obviously if you're blogging for business reasons or aiming to make blogging your full time job then your criteria for success will be very different, and much more clearly defined. But for the personal blogger who does it for a fun hobby, then this is what I think it boils down to. And I guess there is a business element to all of this because some people who read the blog go on to buy my book or become my coaching clients, and I would like that to go on happening. But it's not the driving force. If it didn't happen I would still write this blog.

I was with my daughter at Cybher, and you can see her take on the day in sketches over here. When we got home I said to her: It's not like I'm trying to push you into blogging as a thing to do. I'm trying to show you that people can create anything they want to if they pursue their ideas, and that the ideas that you have can become something amazing if you act on them.

I think she got it. That, to me is a successful day, and one worth blogging about.

BOOM BOOM BOOM and let me hear you say WAY-O*

*This post is titled in honour of Mammasaurus

 

I know it is an utter bore to hear endless chat about events you're not going to, so I'll make this brief. It's only one more sleep until Cybher and I have a date with my blogging buddy tonight to do our nails in preparation.

I have special golden nail polish, so if you're going to the event just look for GOLDFINGER (in glasses) and that will be me.

I'm going to make notes and post up anything I think will be useful for bloggers and online bods generally. My daughter is planning to sketch throughout the day and we will scan those in and post them up on Eljae.

If we've got any energy after the event, we're heading over to M&M World which is open until midnight in Leicester Square, and a place I find traumatically hideous. Feel free to join us.

Bring gin - you'll need it.

 

The Smiths - This time it's real

Remember that time a few weeks ago when, for five minutes, we thought The Smiths might reform? Of course it wasn't true.

 

But I'll tell you what is true - THIS

 

 

 

I don't normally post flyers, but will make an exception when it's THE FUCKING SMITHS.

But I don't need The Smiths to reform. I mean, they can if they like, but they don't need to on my account. I saw them live 3 times in the 1980s, and I've seen Morrissey live several more times since then.

The last time, the venue was full of men with sparse quiffs, Meat is Murder t shirts, denim jackets and 45 year old faces. The whole effect was insanely creepy. You can't recapture the past, though you can celebrate the best bits.

Here is one of my better bits:

It was taken when The Smiths played the Ulster Hall in Belfast in 1984. Not that many bands played Belfast in the 1980s (something to do with the bombs, I think), so this was HUGE. I had been queueing up all day and was right down the front, all squashed and sweaty. A bouncer kindly took the photo. Morrissey posed, in mock-paparazzi-avoidance pose. Johnny Marr played guitar.

Good times (apart from the bombs, of course).

 

The photography exhibition Manchester: So Much to Answer For by Kevin Cummins is on show at Proud Camden from 1st June-12th July 2012, entry is free. Tickets to the launch party on 31st May, with guest DJ Mike Joyce, are available for £10 plus booking fee from here.

Review and giveaway: French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon GIVEAWAY CLOSED

  THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED. DON'T LEAVE A COMMENT, IT WON'T BE COUNTED

That is the most offensive book title I have ever seen, said my child when the review copy of French Kids Eat Everything arrived in the post: I mean, it's putting down all kids who aren't French.

Hmm I thought I can see where you're coming from, but then again you do regard pasta with pesto as highly exotic.

Part memoir, part cook book, part nutritional rallying cry French Kids Eat Everything: How our family moved to France, cured picky eating, banned snacking and discovered 10 simple rules for raising happy, healthy eaters by Karen Le Billon is a feast for the mind in many ways.

We're off to this place in France in the summer, and given that neither of my kids are what you might call culinarily adventurous, I was interested to read this book for ideas on what to expect, and pick up some pointers we could apply at home.

French Kids Eat Everything traces Le Billon's family, who moved from Vancouver to spend a year in France and in doing so found their eating habits transformed.

In contrast to Le Billon's children, French children seem to happily tuck into a huge variety of food. The author researches how this comes to be and how she can apply it to her own picky eaters. A big stumbling block seems to be Le Billon herself, who freely admits that she's a reluctant cook with fairly narrow tastes and a hardened attachment to snacking.

I was reminded of the chapter on fussy eating in Toddlers: An Instruction Manual, which says:

"If, deep down, you know that your own approach to food and trying new things is less than positive, then don’t be surprised if your child picks up on this. And if that’s the case, then the place to start making improvements is within your own attitudes rather than your child’s. Be honest – does your child see you eating a varied, balanced diet? Are you up for new food experiences, even if it’s something you don’t expect to like? Does all the family regularly share meals together?"

Le Billon distills what she learns from French ways into 10 rules, though some of this will seem like common sense rather than a uniquely French approach. What makes this book stand out is the way in which it shows Le Billon attempting to apply these rules to her own family, a journey which is often far from plain sailing. She's a mother who has struggled like a lot of us, and is sharing the lessons this has taught her.

Controversially, part of the French way involves the attitude that it's OK for kids to be hungry sometimes, with even little babies left waiting for the next scheduled milk stop. There's absolutely no snacking, no eating on the run or in the car - French parents would be horrified at the way most UK parents carry a snack on every school run.

I liked this book very much and found it to be a fascinating, engaging and thought-provoking read. I don't think it's just one for parents of picky eaters - anyone who has an interest in children's nutrition will find it worth reading. And anyone whose child has erupted in the face of something green on their plate will find this an invaluable source of ideas for a new approach.

 

GIVEAWAY

I'm delighted to be able to share this fascinating book with you. I have one copy of French Kids Eat Everything to give away.

To enter, leave a comment below saying what was your favourite food as a child. Closing date: Midnight on Monday 21st May.

EXTRA ENTRY

Optional extra entry if you like this blog on Facebook - state in your comment if you're claiming an extra entry.

 

I will pick a winner at random after the closing date and post the book to them as soon as possible after that. No regional restrictions, will post the prize anywhere in the world. Though if you're in France you probably don't need it.

 

 

You can find more competitions to enter at ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions and Loquax Competitions

Brighton in the 1970's

So the sun has finally come out, and you may be thinking of taking a trip to the seaside this weekend. Right now, seafront parking in Brighton is so expensive that they might as well charge you an actual body part, or your youngest child.

But jump into your Tardis and visit Brighton in the 1970's and this is what you'll get (click on the image to play. It goes on a bit but it's very hypnotic):

 

BRIGHTON FRONT AND PIER

 

In other news, my book about fear of driving is almost finished, at 50,000 words. But right now, I'm thinking of dumping it all and replacing it with one laminated A4 sheet which simply says: Get Tardis and relocate to the seventies - there was no traffic and it was all lovely then. Whaddya reckon? Potential best seller, no?

Competition: Win a Dancing Danni MP3 doll worth £40 COMPETITION CLOSED

THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED. DON'T LEAVE A COMMENT, IT WONT BE COUNTED

I'm very excited about this competition prize because it's a mix of classic toy meets modern technology, designed to encourage kids into active play. I have a big interest in children's play - that's why there's a chapter about it in my book, Toddlers: An Instruction Manual- and particularly how technology can support it. I think this toy does that very well. And she's cute too.

 

THE PRIZE:

One winner will receive a Dancing Danni doll. Dancing Danni (pictured here) is a new doll from Zapf Creation designed specially for music loving children. 

Dancing Danni comes with her own pre-recorded music, which has been carefully chosen to inspire children to dance.  She responds to the beat of the music by dancing away just like a real toddler – moving her knees, waist and body in time to the music. 

You can also plug in your MP3 player to Danni’s heel and she will dance along to your child’s favourite songs.  Identifying the frequency of each melody means she can get into the groove and dance differently to each song.

Dancing Danni is suitable for children ages three and over, RRP £39.99.  Available at all good toy shops. MP3 player not supplied.

 

HOW TO ENTER:

As Danni likes to dance to music, leave a comment in the comment box below telling us what's your favourite song to dance to?

 

EXTRA CHANCE TO WIN:
You can have an optional extra entry if you like this blog on Facebook, so say when you leave your comment if you're claiming an extra entry.

 

RESTRICTIONS:
UK Residents only

 

CLOSING DATE:
Competition closes at Midnight on Tuesday 15th May 2012 and the winner will be chosen at random as soon as possible after that.

You can find more competitions to enter at ThePrizeFinder - UK Competitions and Loquax Competitions

What Roald Dahl taught us about writing

On Saturday we had a fizwhizzing trip to the Roald Dahl museum in Buckinghamshire. They're got a new exhibit which recreates his writing hut. And here it is:

 

This is where Roald Dahl worked every day for decades with almost ritualised repetition and precision. From 10 am every day, after the school run, he would settle into his chair, feet in a sleeping bag. The original hut was in the garden of his house, but he kept the curtains closed so the beautiful view didn't intrude.

After lunch Dahl had two Bloody Marys and a gambling break, then powered on for another afternoon's writing. He had a bar of Dairy Milk chocolate every day, and formed the silver paper wrappers into an impressive silver ball. You can see it in the picture above, near the top right hand side of the table. Every object on that table has meaning. Each is an essential ingredient. It looks like a random collection of stuff, but really it's anything but.

 If Roald Dahl was writing today, I wonder what would be different?  Would he still be writing in pencil on giant yellow legal pads, or would he have graduated to a keyboard? I don't think this hut would be the same with wifi. I can't see Dahl losing half the day arguing with that guy about that thing on Twitter.

I took away two lessons from Roald Dahl's writing hut - the first is to get to know your writing rhythm and work with it, not against it. For some people that will mean settling down in your favourite chair with a blanket round your legs. For others it might mean early mornings or late nights. There's no right or wrong way. There's just your way. The main thing is to write, and keep writing, for years and years. It's another kind of marathon.

The other lesson I picked up was a sense of a life lived - Dahl had the most amazing life, with all kinds of crazy dramatic shit happening throughout. Death, sweets and hanging out with Ernest Hemingway was just the start of it. I guess imagination doesn't prosper in a still pond.

So that's it then - live and write. And find a comfy chair to sit in. Also being awesome helps.

What to wear to a blogger event

There is mucho flappage going on in blogland about what to wear to the upcoming blogger events including Cybher, this weekend's BlogCamp and BritMums Live.

Look, there's no need. Anything like this will be aceamundo:

• Bag on your head - For anonymous bloggers, though you might want to consider the health and safety aspects if it's only your children who are anonymous. They can have a plastic bucket to wear instead. Get a brand to sponsor it, it's a win-win solution.
• Nudist - For the daring amongst you. Some people need very little encouragement for this, and may be taking the pink Cybher theme a little too far. The main problem with this option is where do you put your dongle?
• Slogan T shirts -  You have many options here , but don't bother with the ones that say I'm Blogging This. Of course you're bloody blogging this, otherwise why else would you be there? There are a tidal wave of these type of tees, from My mom is blogging this for babies through to My wife is blogging this for VERY LUCKY MEN. Haven't yet seen My dog is blogging this, though I can think of at least one person who'd wear that.
• Special blogging pants - I think we'll all be wearing these. They're girls' pants, but with an "authentic fly". Me no understand. Must get out more. Or perhaps try a blogging thong, so every time you bend over you can do an impression of the Twitter fail whale.
• Slogan badges - For those who don't like T shirts. I applaud the Please Refer to My Blog badge for managing to be polite and really quite ill-mannered at the same time.

And don't forget your accessories. For the coffee break, there's this incredibly passive aggressive mug, or this one for the emotionally exhausted.

I'm going with my daughter to Cybher, in our alter egos as El and Jae from Eljae. So far the best we have come up with is a T shirt that says 'Follow' for me and 'No Follow' for her but that's kind of an obscure reference and carries with it the risk that Google might throw you out of the building. What to do?!

 

image credit: badges by Cathy S on Etsy

Guest post: Confessions of a pregnant travel journalist

Today I have a guest post from the marvellous Cathy Winston, who's a travel journalist, lemur juggler and blogger at the multi award nominated MummyTravels 

Cathy's known for reporting from exotic trips, so has that been affected by her current pregnancy? Does having a plus one on board necessarily slow you down? This is what Cathy says:

"I love travel. I really really love travel, and having carved out a career as a travel journalist, I’m lucky enough to get to indulge it under cover of work, visiting over 50 countries so far (and counting). I’m also lucky enough to be pregnant. Which, according to almost everyone I meet, means I’ll have to give up the travelling. The only problem – I don’t want to.

But even as I’m putting my fingers in my ears, going ‘la-la-la I can’t hear you’ to everyone’s dire warnings, I know there’s a few concessions I’ve got to make. All right, quite a few.

For starters, large chunks of the world are suddenly off-limits because of a threat so tiny, it’s invisible to the naked eye. Malaria. I’d been so busy smugly congratulating myself on updating all my travel vaccinations before getting pregnant that I’d forgotten about the mosquitoes - until I was in the middle of making plans for one of my dream trips, visiting Burma with my Burmese sister-in-law showing me the sights.

Most anti-malarials have a barrage of side effects so horrific that the only thing that’s worse for the baby is getting malaria itself. Depending on the areas you’re visiting, there’s one which is OK ‘if you have to’ take it – but even I couldn’t convince myself that desperately wanting to go equalled having to visit. And while I’d probably have been OK, it wasn’t a risk I could take.

Also off my list was everything from tree climbing and canoeing and boat trips (as a lot of operators won’t insure you) and almost as depressingly, having to forego the almost limitless free drinks and wine tastings that seem to come as standard on press trips. My vague first trimester excuses about medication must have seemed as thin as my smile. Oh and out goes shellfish, various cheeses, rare steak and a string of other gourmet treats.

Thankfully, I didn’t get morning sickness too badly so after the first exhaustion lifted, I packed in as much as possible before the bump grounded me – racking up a respectable total including the Cayman Islands, Belfast, Israel and the Azores.

I’ve even managed to find a few mild adrenaline thrills which are pregnancy-friendly, including swimming with stingrays off Grand Cayman and floating in a geothermal pool before eating volcano-cooked food in the Azores. Maybe not quite on the same level as my previous exploits, including the world’s fastest zipwire in Italy, an Edge Walk on Toronto’s CN Tower and canyoning in Jordan, but enough excitement to keep a smile on my face.

And while my third trimester means flying and ferries are now out, cars and trains are still in, so to tackle my itchy feet I’ve found myself casting a closer eye over the best of the UK.

As for not travelling after the birth? I’m already plotting to branch out into family travel. Well, babies look fairly portable – and this one’s already had plenty of experience of planes!"

Cathy Winston blogs at www.mummytravels.com and is on Twitter at @mummytravels