The Moogies

In light of the recent article advising that children under 3 should not be allowed to watch TV (which I wholly disagree with*), this probably isn't the best time to mention this but hey ho, I don't care.

Emily watches TV, it has been my saviour especially towards the beginning of this pregnancy while I laid lifeless on the sofa. I felt bad about it for a long time - electronic babysitter and all that - but she only ever watches programmes that are appropriate to her age and that are educational. We can see the benefit of this now that she is recognising letters of the alphabet at 20 months of age, can count items in front of her, uses expressions that certainly didn't come from me or David ("oh dear!"), and can even mutter a few words in French and Chinese (she loves the Lingo Show!). TV isn't on all the time, we do puzzles, build towers and castles, use play-doh, dance, read, go out, cook, paint, etc.

There's no denying this generation is born into a technological age. Moderation is the key, as with everything. Denying it is like trying to pull the world to an age it simply doesn't belong in any longer.

But I digress. What I wanted to write about is an iphone app that Emily loves. (*shock horror* yes she also plays on my phone.) She's known how to unlock it since she was 9 months old. Like I said, they're born into a technological age. There's a little folder on my phone called "Emily" that she knows to go to and find her games (once I unlock the phone!!), and she will stay within this folder 99% of the time. She's good like that.

There are about eight apps in that folder. To name a few of her favourites, there are:
Phone4Kids
Playtime with Dora (a huge favourite - she loves the Memory games, better on ipad)
Baby Sign and Learn (this has been amazing, she is actively learning new signs and words thanks to it)

But the game she can spend hours on (or at least until it kills my phone battery entirely), is The Moogies. This is a clever little discovery game. A house with nine characters at nine windows. Each window reveals a different scene with different "tricks" to discover. The characters will dance or sing, even the frames on the wall and the moon or the sun have surprises up their sleeves. You press anything and something happens.

Emily has her favourites. The talking Parrot at window 8 and the fishing Cat at window 7, and lately also the dancing Sheep at window 4.

We didn't know what the parrot did at first. We thought he was really boring until Emily spoke one time and the parrot repeated what she'd said in a funny high-pitched voice. There was no turning back. Part of me wishes there was a Moogies toy in it's own right, not just an app on my phone. Because if there were, I could guarantee it would go everywhere with her. She has entire conversations with that silly bird, often interspersed with infectious giggles, she asks him things and accepts his repetition as a reply, then more giggling/dancing/jumping around.

This app has become an absolute life-saver in doctor's waiting rooms or times when Emily needs to sit down quietly (like my 12 week scan!!). Try it out on your toddler - trust me, it's worth the 69p - and let me know what you think! :)

(Note: this app will override the mute setting on your phone)



* Beth pretty much sums up my thoughts on the "no TV for under 3s" issue here

Home

It'll be seven years this coming April that we left the little rock and moved to England for good. We became adults here, we built lives and dreams, a family, a home. And we loved it.

In July, when we visited Malta, it surprised me that for the first time, when looking out of the plane at Malta, "home" wasn't a word that crossed my mind. But other big surprises were to come my way.

I'll admit, I'd been pushing certain thoughts to the back of my mind for a few months by then. Shoving them away, far out of the way. I didn't want to know. We moved to England for good. We planned it out, mapped it out. We couldn't go back on our plans, I didn't want to be a failure, I didn't want to be predictable. I ignored my innermost thoughts, hated the very thought of Malta (I can only suspect because of the rest of the feelings it brought along with it).

Until that same day in July - the day I realised Malta no longer felt like "home" - when I realised what home really is. Somewhere in my subconscious, a wall came crashing down, and I knew that I wanted to go back.

David didn't believe me. I'd cried wolf a couple of times before and always changed my mind by the end of our visit. I'd always come back to England ranting and raving about how wonderful it is to live here and how I'd never move back to Malta. And it is wonderful, there's no denying that. But somewhere over the past year, my priorities changed. And by the end of our visit to Malta in July, much to David's surprise, I hadn't changed my mind.

I want Emily to have the same closeness to family as I did growing up. I want her to experience hot summers spent in the water. I want her to know and love her grandparents. I want to be able to show her that it's good for her parents to have a life outside of bringing up her and her brother or sister. That her Mummy and Daddy can have fun together. I want to never have to sit in A&E with a child, completely alone, again. I want to have a full life, perhaps smaller, simpler, but certainly fuller.

We are moving back to Malta in January 2013. As bittersweet a decision as this has been and as hard as it will be to leave my sister and the amazing friends I've come to rely on with my life, it is simply time to head back. (I still can't bring myself to completely accept that I'll be leaving these people behind, I'm sure I'll come to terms with it eventually. Maybe.)

Needless to say, this won't be the last you've heard of this. But in the meantime, yeah, that's our big news!

Lucky Fourth

Don't know much about your life.

Don't know much about your world, but

Don't want to be alone tonight,

On this planet they call earth.

You don't know about my past, and

I don't have a future figured out.

And maybe this is going too fast.

And maybe it's not meant to last,

But, 

What do you say to taking chances,

What do you say to jumping off the edge?

Never knowing if there's solid ground below

Or a hand to hold, or hell to pay,

What do you say.

PS. We made it. Love you. So much. Happy 4th wedding anniversary x

Words are Taking Chances, by Celine Dion

Wordless Wednesday: Decisions, Decisions

Bump!

I will actually write about this pregnancy one of these days.

I have notes scribbled in a notebook that lives on my bedside table
(I always get bloggy ideas just as I'm falling asleep),

but have yet to put it all together to make some sense. Bear with me!

PS. Bump is currently bigger than it was last time at 19 weeks!