Welcome to the latest British Mummy Bloggers Carnival where mummy bloggers (and some dads too) submit their favourite post from the last month - some silly, some serious, there's something for everyone. So relax with a coffee and cake, and enjoy the entries.
We start off with Victoria from It's a Small World after all, who tells us how to catch a crab and illustrates her post with some fabulous photos from her family's recent trip to Walberswick, Suffolk.
Next up is Antonia from Family Friendly Working, who writes a great post on staying sane during school holidays - perfect for anyone wondering how they can keep their child entertained during the forthcoming summer break.
On the theme of child entertainment, Chloe at Best Ben 10 Toys looks at the ten things we need to know about HM Armed Forces toys.
Over at All Grown Up, we are reminded that Waterslides are not for under 2's and what can happen when waterslides are misjudged. Luckily it was all all right in the end!
Keeping with the holiday theme, Emily at Brits in Bosnia discusses the pros and cons of flying with children and flying without them - useful information for anyone taking to the skies this summer.
New Mummy discusses sun cream in her post Slip, Slop, Slap!! - She is very careful to protect her children yet some parents don't seem to be using any form of sun protection at all.
Caitlin over at Alpha Mummy debates the issue of children appearing on Britain's Got Talent and refers to the case of ten-year-old Hollie Steel who froze onstage during her semi-final performance. Do go over and read her post: 10-year-old Hollie Steel on Britain's Got Talent: child labour.
Curls over at OMG We're Pregnant examines the breastfeeding debate in her post Breast may be best, but is it for me? At 20 weeks pregnant she is considering her options and wondering why not breastfeeding is such a taboo subject.
On the topic of babies, Nicky at I Promise I will Do My Best in her post So much stuff, reflects on the amount of paraphernalia babies need just to make a trip outdoors, and how much easier it is when all they need is a duffle bag.
In 10 Life Lessons I'd Like to Teach My Children, Tracey and Lisa over at Totsy's Place reflect on the non-material lessons they would like to share with them, including patience and manners takes you places, and money isn't a measure of success - happiness is.
Leading nicely on from that, Kathryn from Slugs on the Refrigerator provides us with some really helpful suggestions for those times we we feel we just aren't good enough, including the importance of forgiving our mistakes.
And on that note, Amy at and 1 more means four has had a baking disaster! With four girls under four, we forgive her!
Karen over at Crunchie Mummy tells the tail of her two year old who took matters into his own hands and potty trained himself!
On that subject, Being a Mummy discusses her dilemmas with poo and dogs on a recent trip outdoors.
Crystal Jigsaw in her post Clever Sponges reminds is to ignore the bad and reward the good and reflects on how easily children soak up information, whatever they hear.
Milla over at Country Life says, be careful what you wish for when the local pub is taken over by new management (again), a launch party is held, but what will happen next ...
The Wife of Bold tells us an entertaining tale of life when it all go "tits" up - her single friend is ploughing through the complexities of the dating scene, but she's only just stopped breastfeeding, something is bound to go wrong...
And on the theme of things going wrong, Tara at Sticky Fingers tells us of when she nearly killed Baby. Luckily Baby is her daughter's doll. Unluckily, her daughter adores her!
Noble Savage, in her post - Three: a study in irrationality and cunning, provides an entertaining account of children's inability, at times, to grasp certain concepts, yet at other times their incredible ability to exploit situations. We've all been there!
Leading on from that, Peggy at Perfectly Happy Mum, reflects on the fact that two children with the same parents can be so different. The same ingredients have gone in, but the outcome can be quite different in many respects.
Susanna at A Modern Mother gives us a moving post about Friends Forever reflecting on her 4-year-old's question about a friend who has moved away - a situation we are all likely to be in at some point in our children's lives.
Karin from Cafe Bebe reflects on what a difference a year makes. She writes a funny and moving post about how life has changed in the year since Little Miss was born - the changes in her life and the accompanying worries and fears.
Following on from this, Muddling Along Mummy writes about the things she took for granted before becoming a mum, like having a bath in peace and quiet. But she wouldn't change it for anything either.
Catherine, who blogs at The Big Move to France, tells us how they do things differently over there, especially when it comes to their ambulance service!
One area of concern recently documented in the press is the MMR vaccine, and Cave Mother asks for it not to be made compulsory in her very interesting and informative post here.
Keeping with the medical theme, Steffi at Mummy do that! writes a very moving post on her own personal experience of miscarriage in Miscarriage Complete. It's a post that may help others going through a similar experience and just shows how valuable blogging can be in documenting subjects that many people find difficult to talk about.
In another topical post Maria at Fab Mums asks What is wrong with the UK school system which results in parents having to cheat the system to secure a school place for their child.
Siobhan over at Realmotherhood is living in Turkey. She discusses the issue of child safety and wonders if her reactions would be the same if she lived in the UK.
In his very moving and inspirational post My Turn, Ian at Single Parent Dad talks about the grief and loss they both feel growing up without Mum.
On a more upbeat note, no blog carnival where children are involved would not be complete without 'poo posts' and they are always the most entertaining. Emily from Maternal Tales from the South Coast give us Poo-related karma. After a relaxing week in Norfolk and a 5-hour journey home, it's payback time!
Potty Mummy tells us what can happen when young children see babies being breastfeed and suddenly see mummy in a different light. For a brilliantly entertaining read click here where PM asks WTF!
Keeping with the theme of all things embarrassing, Jo Beaufoix gives us Embarrassing Things I Dare to Blog. In her post she has dared to bare. So don't read this, read THIS.
Staying on the embarrassment theme, Stickhead over at Slightly South of Sanity says: It's not just embarrassing, it's M&S embarrassing - when the kids join her on a recent shopping trip.
Kelly over at A Place of My Own, is talking stretch marks, or at least her husband is.
On the subject of reviewing products in blogs, Erica at Little Mummy gives us Blogging: Would I Lie to You? and argues that honesty is th best policy. It's a topic that will be of interest to an increasing number of blogs.
If you fancy the idea of sitting back, relaxing and letting your kids earn the money then Nadine at Time Management Mum may have the answer. Read her post HERE for details of a Kinder competition.
In an interesting and insightful post about working from home. Work at Home Mum asks Is it worth it?
Karen at The Rubbish Diet is Swimming in Circles. In a terrifying incident she found her son struggling in the deep end of the swimming pool and had to jump on.
Rebel Mother at Another Day in the Madhouse, tells us she is not superwoman after a week when her phone line went down, she lost her Internet access (hell, no, a blogger's nightmare) and her daughter nearly cut her finger off with a blunt knife!
Laura at Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy, tells us about the joys of camping with children and sleeping in claustrophobic sleeping bags, in Claustrophobic folk need not apply. As the photos show, they all had a great time despite the cramp.
In Great 4 Kids, Simone tells us her Housework Woes - how much easier life would be if once the housework was done it stayed done. I could not agree more!
Clare at ClareyBabbling thinks she is not a trendy young thing anymore. We will all relate to her post: I am so uncool.
And if after all that you are in need of a rest, there are some great suggestions over at Have a Lovely Time. Their carnival post, Let Kids be Kids... it's not a competition argues that children should not be put under pressure at an early age, and stresses the importance of laughter, fun and friendship.
If you are considering going to Disneyland Paris this summer, Part Mummy Part Me has great advice on enjoying the experience. Read her top tips HERE.
And if you are still looking for something to do Experimental Mum tells us how to extract your own DNA. It's not as difficult as you may think.
It's a good time to be a mummy blogger as Nixdmix tells us in her post The chicks who click are hipsters. She's off to the British Mummy Bloggers meet on Sunday 14th June. Visit the British Mummy Bloggers site for more details!
If I've missed off your entry or messed up your link, please let me know and I'll alter it.
Thanks!
