Dec 2, 2011

Gender-Biased Toys & Sexism

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I knew I was going to encounter this someday and now is that time. I’ve noticed that many kids toys come in either blue or pink, but it hasn’t bothered me too much as enough variety is offered for me to choose. Though I’m not fond of the whole “boys must have blue, girls must have pink” attitude, I’ve no problem giving Sprogzilla the former and I don’t mind the latter in moderation.

As you know from my recent posts, we’ve bought Sprogzilla a lovely wooden kitchen for Christmas and I’ve accessorised it with various pots/pans/food etc. The kitchen itself has plenty of bold, neutral colours and most of the other stuff is plain wood with blue and/or red accents. I’m very happy with what we’ve got so far.

But I have had one heck of a difficult time trying to find a particular accessory – a simple wooden tea/coffee set. There are a few nice ones made by Santoys/Bigjigs etc, but they all come with a kettle which I don’t need and I’d prefer more realistic mugs. Not to worry, I was sure ELC would do something that fits the bill and sure enough they do – in a lovely pastel pink! They actually do a whole range of nice wooden accessories, all in this same delightful shade. There’s not a trace of blue or even anything vaguely neutral in sight.

To be fair, it is very nice and if I had a little girl I would snap it up like a shot. But as much as I don’t want to care about the colours in Sprogzilla’s toybox, I really can’t bring myself to have this level of pink overload.

To make it all the more frustrating, ELC have done something considerably more suitable in the past. They once sold a multi-coloured pastel tea set with no kettle – instead it had three canisters, for sugar, tea and biscuits. It came with a couple of regular mugs and even some fake cookies, sugar and teabags to finish the look.

The photo below was taken from an eBay auction that ended this week. I was going to bid on it, but clearly I’m not the only one after a decent gender-neutral tea set because it sold for twice the price it was new. I simply couldn’t justify spending that much on a second-hand item, but the seller must be pleased as punch.

What really irks me about this whole thing though is the obvious sexist marketing at work. Are little boys not allowed to play kitchen? Sprogzilla is 17 months old for goodness sake, he isn’t even aware of the gender difference. And I know that these particular items are meant for kids aged 3+, but I still don’t agree that anyone should be enforcing gender stereotypes like this. Ever. I can’t believe in this day and age that such blatant discrimination is still going on. It’s no wonder we grow into such biased adults when the conditioning starts this young.

Of course, girls have their own problems too. It’s not easy finding clothing that isn’t pink or lilac (the girls section in any given shop always sticks out like a sore thumb) and how often do you see a little girl playing with a toy dinosaur or toolkit? I remember having this discussion once with a friend who has two girls. She didn’t want to dress them up solely in pink. I think she’s given into it now, there’s just such a lack of variety and she can’t afford to be picky about what she buys.

Then there’s the sales aspect. I’d like to keep certain things for my next child, but if they are all blue and I have a girl, I’ll need to buy them all again. That’s not likely to happen as I’ve intentionally stayed neutral wherever possible, but this is something manufacturers and stores prey on. Why buy one when you can have two for twice the price?

Oh well, not much point getting my knickers in a twist about it. Hardly going to change things by having a whinge. But at least I’m making a small difference by going against the trend and buying my son a kitchen. Ha!

Dec 1, 2011

Happy December!

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The last few weeks have really seemed to drag, I’m so glad that December is finally here and Christmas is now just around the corner. This evening I put up the tree and wrapped a few pressies. With all the stress hanging over us regarding Sprogdaddy’s job (his appeal won’t be heard until January) I haven’t been very excited, but I’m glad to say that the festive spirit has started to kick in and I’m damn well going to enjoy myself.

Last winter we had a lot of snow. It’s still a little early to know if we’re going to get much of the white stuff this time, but it isn’t looking likely right now. There’s certainly a chill in the air, but the unseasonably warm Autumn is delaying the icy temperatures that previously brought chaos to the country. I do hope we get some snow, I want to see what the boy thinks of it now he’s walking.

We’re not buying anything much for each other this year. Finances are too unpredictable right now. Instead we’re focussing on Sprogzilla having plenty to unwrap and the fact that for the first time in eight years, Sprogdaddy will not be working over the holiday.

We’ve successfully managed to buy quite a few gifts for the little guy. Most of them are related to his kitchen, we now have a nice selection of wooden bits and bobs and even some fake tinned food! Ended up buying them all new, but made a bit of a saving by buying from Little Wooden Wonders who offer a 15% discount to new customers.

Everything that’s not related to the kitchen is going under the tree as normal. All the other stuff is going to be neatly tucked away inside the kitchen after it’s been assembled on Christmas Eve. We’re going to have the camera ready to capture his little face when he sees it all. I’m also considering recording his reaction to the tree tomorrow morning – I foresee great delight followed by tantrums when he’s not allowed to touch the presents hehe. Here’s hoping I won’t have to take it down in 24hrs because someone can’t keep their sticky hands off it!

Nov 25, 2011

Buying The Perfect Christmas Present

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So sorry I’ve been MIA again folks. I’ve been busy searching for the perfect Christmas present for my little man and have only recently found it.

Sprogzilla loves cupboards and drawers and he particularly enjoys emptying the ones in our kitchen. He also seems to find our pots and pans particularly fascinating. Obviously this is not ideal, so it only seemed natural to buy him a little culinary corner of his own complete with all the trimmings.

I had some quite fussy criteria. First, there needed to be plenty of cupboards/doors and a drawer or two would be nice. I wanted a sink and a hob for some imaginative play when he’s a bit older. I loved the idea of a washing machine as although Sprogzilla doesn’t have access to ours, I know he’d love trying a different type of door! Lastly, I wanted the whole thing to be wooden as it looks more tasteful and I’m really not keen on having such a huge chunk of plastic in my house. The budget was around £150.

The first one I found (and immediately fell in love with) was the Little Tikes Cooking Creations Premium Kitchen. It had almost everything on my list – there was no drawer, but it did have a washing machine! It was a bit over budget at £180, but user reviews were excellent and raved on about the build quality. I managed to find a couple of user videos on youtube and that’s when I noticed a huge problem. The doors opened down rather than to the side and being made of heavy wood, I was worried Sprogzilla would pull them onto himself. There was also the concern that he could climb on them and hurt himself, at the very least he would probably damage the doors. I was so disappointed as I thought this would the “the one”. I even emailed Little Tikes to ask if the doors could be hinged sideways, but I’ve not heard back from them.

Update: I received the following reply shortly after publishing this post:

Dear Ms D****,
Thank you for your email.
The doors are not pre-assembled to the body of the kitchen unit, and may, if you want, be adapted to be hinged on the side. However please note the product has been tested in the prescribed fixing method only.
We would not be able to accept any recourse on this product if modifications have been made to the doors.
Kind regards

Little Tikes
MGA entertainment

Sadly it’s a bit late, but nice of them to get back to me anyway. If anyone is reading this and wondering if the doors can be attached to open sideways, now you know the answer.

And now back to the original post…..

I grabbed a catalogue from the Great Little Trading Company that had popped through my letterbox a couple of weeks ago. I’d kept it because I’d seen a rather nice wooden kitchen and it had a discount code for 15% off making the price a reasonable £132. I loved the look of it, particularly the simple colour scheme, oodles of storage space and roomy worktop. I would have been very pleased to have this on display in my home. However, I was frustrated by it being exclusive to GLTC and thus being unable to find any user reviews or videos. After much research, I discovered it’s actually a KidKraft in a custom colourway and it’s even a bit cheaper than buying the branded version. Whilst I was doing my research, this kitchen remained my favourite right until the very end.

Talking of KidKraft, I also found a wooden kitchen in a rather vibrant retro red. I wasn’t keen on the colour initally, or the silver plastic accents, but at £110 using an amazon voucher it was the cheapest yet. This made it particularly appealing to Sprogdaddy, who is considerably tighter with the cash than I am, hehe. It also commanded excellent reviews and there were plenty of videos on youtube. I also came to like the colour after looking at it a few times and it was a close second to the GLTC kitchen mentioned above. My biggest gripe however, was that it’s quite a bit smaller than the others I’ve looked at. I know that Sprogzilla isn’t exactly Mr Tall, but I wanted something that he’ll still be able to comfortably use in a few years.

Annoyingly, none of the wooden kitchens had even a single drawer. The only exception was another KidKraft retro model which has been discontinued. I was prepared to buy the right kitchen second-hand if necessary, but couldn’t find one of these locally. Also, the drawer was at the bottom, which means Sprogzilla would be able to step into it and potentially have a mishap (this nearly happened with our TV cabinet!). KidKraft also make an attractive kitchen with a washing machine, but just like the Little Tikes one, the doors open downwards!

Ideally, I wanted a wooden kitchen, but I opted to keep my options open and looked at a few plastic ones too. The Step2 range seemed to be the best and again, there were plenty of reviews and videos. All of them had drawers – why can’t wooden kitchens have this simple feature? Like many plastic kitchens, this range had various lights and sounds along with some bundled accessories. Nice, if a bit gimmicky. My favourite was the “Custom” model at around £115, it’s quite compact but still manages to squeeze in the necessary features. It even has a handy spice rack! But ultimately I just couldn’t get around the sight of such a plastic monstrosity, and it wasn’t any cheaper than the wooden varieties, so this was quickly ruled out.

During my search, I came across several modular wooden kitchens – you can buy each appliance separately and mix up the positioning. They were all gorgeous and sturdily built, generally being designed for commercial use in schools and nurseries. This unfortunately meant a premium price tag came attached and I simply couldn’t afford £70+ per appliance. Except by a stroke of luck, I came across an eBay store called netpricedirect. They had an attractive, brightly-coloured, rubber-wood fridge for only £36.95! Along with the listing was a photo of the whole range – adding a microwave, sink unit, washing machine and oven! I checked their other listings and was gutted to find the only other appliance they had was the microwave, at an impressive £16.95.

The brand was Viga, a Chinese company I’d never heard of before. Turns out they make some very nice wooden toys, but I couldn’t find any mention of their kitchen range. I found their website, but you have to setup a trade account and login to view their products. In my frustration, I returned to eBay and found that netpricedirect have their own website. I had a look there too, but only the fridge and microwave were listed. As a last ditch attempt, I emailed them to ask if they might be stocking the rest of the range.

Imagine my surprise when I got an email five minutes later to say they had received a shipment that day and I should check the website for updates tomorrow. There was no further detail, so I wasn’t sure what they would be stocking exactly or how much it would cost. I decided to check the website later that evening and was excited to see that it had been updated. They had the other appliances! Not only that, they were each less than £36! I raced into the bathroom to interrupt Sprogdaddy giving Sprogzilla his bedtime bath, I was so excited!

I placed the order and then started to worry. Was netpricedirect legit? Was the quality going to be sub-par? Was this too good to be true? Thankfully they do a free next day courier service, so I didn’t have to worry for long. The delivery came this morning and I tore open the boxes to check the quality and ensure all the parts were there. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. Everything was well packaged and accounted for, the appliances look fantastic, durable and easy to put together.

I can’t tell you how chuffed I am. £160 for a high quality piece of kit that’s hopefully going to last us several years. We’re going to put it together when Sprogzilla has gone to bed on Christmas Eve. I’m so looking forward to seeing his little face when he sees it!

Now I just have to find some accessories that will do it justice. I’d love some matching wooden pots and pans, but my goodness they don’t come cheap! Looks like I’ll be glued to eBay for the next few weeks….

Update (January 2012):

It appears that Viga have redesigned their modular kitchen and netpricedirect are in the process of phasing in the new version on their site. This means that once stock of the existing design is sold out, they won’t be getting any more in. If you are considering buying the whole set, I’d advise waiting until there is full availability of the new design, otherwise you’ll get a mismatched kitchen. At time of writing, only the new microwave and cooker are available.

If you want to know what Sprogzilla thought of his kitchen on Christmas Day, have a look at my post ….And That Was Christmas.

Nov 13, 2011

Silent Sunday: 13th November 2011

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Nov 5, 2011

Oh How “Qute”!

Sprogmama chickens, pets Mummy, Random 1 Comment

Earlier this year we decided to fulfil our dream of keeping chickens and bought a snazzy Eglu Cube from Omlet to house them in. I regularly receive emails from them (Omlet, not the chickens!) and yesterday they sent me details of their newest product, the Qute. It’s a stylish, minimalist home for hamsters or gerbils.

We haven’t kept hamsters for years and one of the reasons we stopped is because it was such a pain to clean them out. The Qute is designed to be quick to clean and both floors are easily accessible. It looks subtle and mature compared to those garishly-coloured transparent plastic houses that are typically available for rodents.

To put it bluntly – I want one! I find myself trying to work out when Sprogzilla will want a pet, which will probably be some time off to be honest. I always thought he would have a rabbit first, but a hamster is considerably less work and still an enjoyable animal to play with and look after. Assuming we don’t get a grumpy one like our beloved PMT who used to growl at us and would take your finger off if given half a chance!

Also it’s only available in white, so wouldn’t fit in with our distressed pine furniture at all. It’s quite small too, though rumours abound of a larger one coming soon. The biggest turn-off is the price – £120 for the basic model or £140 if the storage draw is included! Ouch!!

Maybe come Christmas next year the range will have been extended, the price will have dropped a bit and Sprogdaddy will have secured a nice job so we can afford one. Well, I can dream!

Nov 2, 2011

Wordless Wednesday: 2nd November 2011

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Nov 1, 2011

Goodbye NHS, Hello Jobcentre

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I’m so sorry I haven’t updated the blog for a little while. The truth is, we’ve had a bit of a bad time here over the last fortnight. After eight years working for the NHS, Sprogdaddy has been fired.

I can’t go into much detail as he is sorting out an appeal, but to say we are upset would be an understatement. They have used the time off he had for post-natal depression as their primary reason for dismissing him, even though he has not suffered from it for nearly eight months! We are incredibly angry about the decision, not least because he was likely to be made redundant in just a few months time. While the organisation won’t admit it, we all know the NHS is having to make cuts and not having to pay a long-time employee redundancy would save them a pretty penny.

The disciplinary was held just over a week ago and the result came on Friday. The seven days we spent waiting were torturous. Sprogdaddy has spent this week liaising with his union rep and I am helping him go through various company policies. It doesn’t help that both he and Sprogzilla have a cold and I have the mother of all headaches today.

Then we have to sort out benefits. I don’t like having to live off the state and it feels like we are failing as a family having to resort to them. The housing benefit won’t cover our rent, so there’s the worrying possibility we may not be able to stay here. The thought of moving into council housing terrifies me. It’s where I grew up and I don’t exactly have happy memories.

Luckily Sprogdaddy is entitled to notice, which because he has been there so long is eight weeks. He doesn’t have to work it, but will receive full pay. His employment officially ends a matter of days before Christmas.

I’m going to have to go back to the doctor to discuss my long-term anxiety and depression issues. There’s no way I’m in a position to return to work, so I hope I will qualify for disability benefits. I’m dreading the prospect of having to jump through hoops again, people still don’t seem to take mental health problems as seriously as they should. I felt so pressured and unsupported last time that I gave up and opted to rely on Sprogdaddy’s income alone. That’s simply not an option any more….

So, I apologise for the depressing post, but I needed to get it out of the way. It’s been giving me a mental block and now hopefully I can move on. I will of course update you all on the situation once the appeal is over. Please keep your fingers crossed that it finds in our favour.

Oct 27, 2011

Mummy Buys A Mooncup

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Over the last few years I’ve gone from using mainstream skincare products on my face and body to only natural and organic stuff. When I became pregnant, I cut out all caffeine, alcohol, MSG and aspartame, avoided medications except when I was really ill and opted for as natural a birth as possible. Now I’m classed as one of those hippy attachment parents as I co-sleep and breastfeed my son, plus we don’t vaccinate and use gentle remedies for illness wherever we can. Not to mention my obsession with buying organic bedding for the little guy!

So I guess it’s only natural that I would consider something as “out there” as a menstrual cup. I’m not a fan of tampons, though I will use them when the need arises (such as when I’m having a shower, for example) and I’m frankly tired of how manky pads feel. For some reason, I’m much more aware of my period at night and often have trouble sleeping because I worry I’m going to leak. I hate continuing to use a dirty pad after I’ve been to the loo, so have been going through more packs than is probably necessary lately.

I first heard about menstrual cups many years ago, but I immediately dismissed them as the whole idea seemed far too icky. Now that I’ve given birth, I guess what goes on down there doesn’t bother me so much. After seeing one mentioned on a forum I visit, I did a bit of further reading and realised what an awesome invention it is.

For those that don’t know what a menstrual cup is, it’s basically a flexible silicone or rubber cup that you insert to collect your flow. After a few hours (up to 12 in some cases!) you remove it, tip the contents down the loo, rinse and re-insert. Aside from sterilising it at the end of a period, there’s no further cleaning to be done. I opted to buy a Mooncup, the most common brand found here in the UK.

I was nervous about the reportedly steep learning curve, apparently it can take up to three cycles to get used to insertion and removal and I read some slightly scary stories where users had trouble getting them out! I needn’t have worried it seems. I’ve only had it less than 24hrs and I seem to have got the knack already. It is fiddlier than using a pad, of course, but I’m sure I’ll get faster at it with practice.

So, I guess I’m officially a new-age, hippy mama now!

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