Cute Photo Alert! A Toddler Stole My Keys

For as long as mankind has had keys, babykind has been fascinated with those keys. They’re an interesting, possibly shiny or jingly, definitely biteable or suckable toy to any tiny mind seeking entertainment. By the time they’re toddlers, kids think keys are even more magical. Not only fun but also a tool for opening exciting boxes or –even better!– doors and windows onto the outside world. Plus the keys are clearly important to the grown-ups, which makes stealing them or hiding them much more satisfying. My Toddler, My Key Thief Hmm, these look interesting… is that a beetle preserved in [...]

 
Suburban Nature Spotting: Bluebells

Mini-MI and I found these classic Easter-time flowers just down the path among the council flats. Bluebell season is one of my favourite times of year. They grow better in the woods, though. Someone may well now show up and inform me that those aren’t bluebells. I don’t know if they officially are or not, but they look close enough for me, even if they’re actually something else. Want to grow your own bluebells? You can buy bluebell seeds online and plant them somewhere with a good amount of shade. They smell nice, and insects like them so you might [...]

 
Mr Tumble the South Park Hand Puppet

Don’t ask me why this free gift Mr Tumble hand puppet looks so much like a South Park character… but it definitely does.  

 
Beautiful Physics: Black Hole Montage [Video]

This. is. awesome.  7 minutes of black hole formation animations, interacting galaxies, pulsars, and other pretty things. With a Chemical Brothers soundtrack. Forget the old Red Dwarf joke about black holes in space; there’s a lot to see and it’s beautiful to watch. Mini-MI loved it, so I’ll ask the 4nim4l to add it to her bedtime playlist.

 
Toddler Changing Rooms: Messy Makeover

A toddler can make a mess within seconds. Especially if she thinks that Miffy and Baby Annabell need a nappy change.

 
Leaving the House with Baby: What Do I Really Need?

This is a guest post by Aldo Torner.   Sometimes it is easy to identify new parents just by looking at what they are carrying. Simply size up the baby bag. As the oldest of six siblings, I remember watching my own mom’s baby bag evolution over the years. It seemed that shopping for just the right diaper bag – and it had to be HUGE – was only important during the early years. Once it came to baby number six, my mom had packing baby’s stuff down to an art, and everything she needed fit into her oversized purse [...]

 
First Signs of Spring [Photo]

We found little flowers blooming over the road on our long walk yesterday. Despite the current cold snap [do you see how many layers Mini-MI's wrapped in?] the plants have decided it’s sunny enough to get growing. Spose they know best. Related articles Look to nature for early signs of spring (guardian.co.uk)

 
Parents Who Hid Child's Gender for Five Years Now Face Backlash

This is one of the daftest things I’ve ever heard. As if having a yellow bedroom and wearing what you like could somehow psychologically damage a kid! In fact, the yellow bedroom was probably the most traumatic thing about it. Essentially, a somewhat eccentric  British couple had a baby, named him Sasha, and kept his gender a secret from most people. When he started primary school, they thought it’d be best to tell people his gender. Everyone made a big fuss about it, not really clear why. All I can say is that sex and gender aren’t quite the same [...]

 
Gun sales banned for Xbox Live Avatars

I’ve just found out on OXM online that the Gears of War Lancer and Hammerburst avatar items are no longer available on Xbox LIVE Marketplace.  Apparently a new policy came into effect for all gun-like avatar accessories on the Xbox Live Marketplace from January 1, 2012. If you’ve already bought guns for your avatar, you should still have those, but it looks like you won’t be getting any more. What a load of bollocks! I am an adult Xbox 360 gamer and I don’t see the point of this ban. They put age limits on these gun games so why [...]

 
Image of the Week: Window disclaimer by Karen Neoh

There are a lot of things I like about this. First of all, I’m just happy that somebody bothered to make up some nice professional looking signage rather than just writing it on a piece of paper taped to the window. That restores my faith in the quirked priorities of humanity. I also like the fact that their offer of a puppy goes some way to ameliorate the threat to give children strong caffeine beverages. And look, if you don’t want the kids to drink espresso then don’t leave them unattended, right? You can see more of Karen’s photos on Flickr. [...]

bedroom bondage and sex toys