About the Weekend- The Little Prince and Burger King

This weekend we were lucky enough to catch the premier of The Little Prince at Ster Kinekor at The Zone, Mall of Rosebank, sponsored by Burger King and Toy Kingdom.

The kids had loads of fun before the show, with face painting, balloon animals and they got to meet a prince, a king and a toad (or at least Noodle did- Squish is still going through his petrified-of-people-in-animal-suits phase). Noodle is going through a bit of a cat obsession at the moment, so she got her face painted as a glittery pink cat and got a matching kitty balloon animal (or at least they told her it was a cat) while Squish got a dinosaur.

After the movie, we were treated to some yummy Burger King burgers and fries. We have been a big fan of Burger King since it launched in South Africa not that long ago... the kids love their food and they are Halaal in South Africa. Incidentally, the Rosebank one, just downstairs from the cinema where the premier was held, is our most frequented branch.

We were also given some great treats from Burger King and Toy Kingdom- thank you to both! We have read the Burger King books a few times already- I love that they are very educational (one is all about recycling and the other one is an interactive but challenging I Spy book) and the kids enjoyed them too! The Little Prince kaleidoscopes are beautiful (I am strange and have not outgrown kaleidoscopes).

 

The movie is an adorable animation about a nine year old girl (I don't think her name is ever mentioned) who is being groomed by her loving but over-achieving mother (played by Rachel McAdams) and by society at large to be the perfect adult. Her controlled life of maps and schedules is suddenly interrupted when she meets the eccentric Aviator from next door (played by Jeff Bridges) who introduces her to the world of The Little Prince and helps her to rediscover childhood. Watch the trailer here.

If you plan to watch one movie with the kids this holiday, I would recommend this one. I would say that this one is probably better suited to children ages seven upwards though- while it is family friendly and hubby and I both loved it, it is a longish movie and some of the themes are quite complex so my kids, being a bit younger, seemed to lose interest about halfway through. That having been said, this film is a thought provoking one, with an important message to any adult viewers about allowing kids to be kids and not forcing them into growing up too soon- something I think we are all sometimes guilty of.

Keeping Your Kids Safe While Travelling

This might sound like something you have heard many times before, but especially as the holiday season approaches, the importance of car safety and using car seats cannot be repeated enough!

As we know, it is now the law that under three's need to be strapped up in car seats, but of course the ideal is to extend beyond that period. According to the Safe Kids Worldwide organisation, car seats reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and by 54% for children ages 1-4 years and that they reduce the need for hospitalisation by 69% for children ages 4 years and under. 

With two little ones, I know that sometimes it is difficult, or near impossible to get them to stay strapped up, especially as they get older, but it really is quite important. It is still quite a common site to see small children being transported unstrapped on laps, from which I conclude that there are still many South Africans who are not aware of just how important car seats are (I refuse to think that there are parents who willingly put their kids lives in danger). 

Jacqui Marsh, Marketing and Communications Manager for Cartrack shares some essential car seat safety tips ahead of the festive and travelling season.

• “Rear facing car seats are more ideal for new-born babies as they provide the best protection for infants until they are 1 year of age. Keep them in this position for as long as possible and only move them to a forward facing child seat when they no longer fit in the rear facing position. Some car seats allow the child to be rear facing until they weigh 25kg”. 
• “If a child is restrained in the wrong seat for their age or weight, or the straps or harnesses are not adequately secured, it will place the child at an increased risk of both fatal and non-fatal injuries." 
• “Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions when installing a car seat and placing your child in it”. 
• "Convertible car seats can be used for toddlers and are designed to grow with your child. These can be modified with each weight and age transition."
• “To achieve firm support, always ensure that there is less than 2,5cm of movement from side to side and forward once it is installed.
• “Never install a car seat where there are air bags. Airbags deploy with considerable force and can cause serious and even fatal injuries”. 
•  “You can ask your vehicle manufacturer to switch off the airbag function for you, if installing a rear facing car seat.” 
• “If you’re installing a forward facing seat, make sure that it’s flat against the seat’s bottom and back.”
• “Once your child has outgrown the bigger car seat, it needs to be replaced with a booster car seat which props the child so that a standard seat belt can rest correctly across the body.”
• “Parents need to educate themselves and take the necessary precautionary measures for a safer car seat experience and peace of mind whilst on the road. Make use of the alternative seating arrangements and always place a great deal of importance on child safety”.

Some Crafty Ideas with Bostik

I have a confession to make. I am a stationery junkie. Back in my school days, I would salivate over all those back to school catalogue and owned every sort of pen from the fluorescent gel ones to the metallic ones. My daughter appears to have inherited this trait. So, when this amazing package from Bostik arrived for review (and Noodle was home when I opened it), you can imagine the reaction in our house. I mean... look at it... can you blame us?

As you know, we do a lot of art projects at home. In addition, Noodle starts grade R in January so I am sure all these glue sticks are really going to come in handy!

I have learnt from experience that glue sticks are something where you should not skimp on the ‘budget’ brands and to rather stick to the brands that work-like Bostik!

 

Bostik has been around as long as any of us can remember- more than fifty years in fact. However, they have now gotten a facelift with a sleek new look and a new tagline, “Smart Adhesives” to the one you already know (“don’t just stick it, Bostik it”).

Their new mascot is the adorable Gary the Gecko (you know, because Geckos are so remarkably good at clinging to just about any surface, just like some of the products). I bet you didn’t know that geckos can support their entire body weight on a single toe! 

We have not played with our new toys yet too much, except for the crayons and the glitter glue. I must say I love the design of the retractable wax twister crayons as it is easy for little ones to grip and they do not snap like regular wax crayons. 

The 4-in-one crayons are just so much fun and can be put to an infinite number of uses! We just had to try it out, so Noodle drew a Minion (the obsession has not gone away yet) and even I did a little two minute doodle.

The glitter glue is of great quality and has just the right ratio of glitter to glue (unlike some others that I have used before that hardly have any glitter, or don't stick to the paper properly).

I drew a stick figure princess in pencil and let Noodle practice her tracing skills using the glitter glue.

This week, we plan to do teacher appreciation cards (to go with some store-bought gifts we bought). The plan is to make scratch art cards using the awesome retractable wax crayons.

Here is how:

•  Colour thin stripes of colour onto cardboard or paper so that the entire card is covered in crayon. Use lots of colours- bright colours work best.
• Cover the entire surface with a thick layer of black poster paint until you cannot see the crayon underneath. 
• Allow to dry.
• Scratch away your desired message/ picture with a toothpick or skewer.

Easy! We will of course be wrapping the gifts using the awesome Bostik tape received and then sticking the card on using the Bostik Prestik (which is a staple in our home). Of course, the glitter glue will be used to add some extra sparkle.

Sandcastles And Snowmen- A Personal Search for Spirituality

I have received a few books from FB Publishers for review and I am so excited each time I do since their books are so different from the norm and always so enlightening. Sandcastles And Snowmen- A Personal Search for Spirituality by Egyptian author and international public speaker Sahar El-Nadi did not disappoint.

I had eagerly been planning to read this book for a month but had to put it on hold due to urgent work commitments that were taking up most of my time. However, I think when I did actually read the book, it was at a time when it was most beneficial to me.

You see, being a Muslim in this day and age often means a bit of an identity crisis. There is  a dichotomy between what I know and believe to be a religion of peace, love and tolerance and all the negativity portrayed in the media about Muslims, made worse by a minority of so-called Muslims who perpetrate horrendous acts of hatred and violence. My heart (and those of billions of peace loving Muslims globally) sinks every time I hear of acts of terror in the name of Islam and we weep with the rest of the world when there is a loss of lives. This week's attacks on Paris and various other places was no different. Of course, when these things happen, supposedly in the name of your religion, it forces some introspection into what it really means to be a Muslim and whether the cowardly acts of a few can in any way be reconciled with this (the answer of course being no). By now you are probably wondering what all this rambling has to do with the book I read?

 

Sahar tells the story of her journey towards spirituality. She was born in Egypt, where, despite being a predominantly Muslim country, the practice of Islam was frowned upon (something which I was certainly unaware of). Although born Muslim, Sahar went to a Catholic school and led a glitzy jet-setting life in fashion and media. She only truly discovered religion and spirituality in the form of Islam in her thirties. She writes about about this journey in a profoundly beautiful manner and in the process shares both her scientific research and emotional findings of what Islam is really all about. 

Sahar explains in detailed but simple terms what Islam really is, where it comes from and how Muslims are in fact expected to conduct themselves (as opposed to how many Muslims in fact do behave). She answers in elquent terms two of the existential questions that my four year old has been asking me recently, namely why were we created or why a God that is loving would allow pain and suffering in the world. 

She debunks various myths relating to Islam and issues like women's rights, animal rights, politics and what is allowed in war. For example, she shares stories of the prophet Mohamed's friendship with people of all religions and how in times of war (which were carried out through necessity and not hate), it was forbidden to hurt women, children or the elderly or to destroy property or nature. In times of war, it was even ordered that any captives were to be fed the best of food, even if it meant that the prophet's own people went without and that they were entitled to the best medical care. This of course is a total contrast to some of the events we see in this day and age. 

She shares ideas for how inter-cultural barriers can be broken and how to encourage communication and understanding across different religious and social backgrounds in a peaceful and productive manner.

Why the title? Sandcastles and snowmen, although from completely different climates, are both a child's innocent attempt at turning something abstract into a tangible reality, just as adults do when trying to build a life. 

However, as with life, neither sandcastles nor snowmen are permanent and both will return to where they came from. Put simply, this book is all about finding the meaning of life before it comes to an end. 

I would recommend this book to any Muslim person who seeks some spiritual enrichment or wants a refresher on what it really means to be Muslim and I would recommend it even more so to non-Muslims who wish to find out what the religion is really about as opposed to what the media portrays it to be.

If you are keen to read the book, it can be purchased on Amazon. Alternatively (for my South African readers) I have spotted it at the local CII store.