coat magic

This is a really cool thing that the kids learnt to do at school.

It gives them some independence, a sense of achievement and is actually really helpful when you are rushing to get out of the house!

The kids put on their own coats by using some 'coat magic'.

Ask your child to lay their coat out on the floor in front of them and get them to stand at the label end (up by the hood / collar).

They then reach down and put their arms into the sleeves, lift the coat up over their head and it should slide down their back into place.

Genius!

"Ta-da!!"

we all live in a yellow duckmarine

Whilst we were in England for Christmas, we had a couple of hours spare and a friend suggested we went for a trip on one of Liverpool's Duckmarines.

We were staying on the Wirral so it was only a short drive over the water to the Albert Dock. We lucked out on a beautiful sunny day which made for great photos (trust me, they are few and far between in England!)

Before the ride, we had just enough time to grab a coffee in Starbucks at the Beatles Story museum in the Albert Dock. They were playing the Beatles music (obviously) and had lots of cool pictures and memorabilia. If we went back again, I would love to spend more time there.

I won't spoil it by giving you a full account of the Duckmarine trip but basically you get a tour of Liverpool by road and then a fun trip into the water. If you are ever in Liverpool it is well worth an hour of your time! The kids loved it and we would do it again... Hopefully with our nieces and nephews next time.

It also inspired us to go and see 'Experience the Beatles with Rain' which came to our local theatre last week. We were laughing when we got to our seats as the audience was made up of much older people than the week before when we saw Matchbox 20. There was a sweet old lady next to me, bopping away to all of the tunes. The show was 4 guys dressed as the Beatles (with slightly dodgy Liverpudlian accents) playing all of the classic Beatles hits. They did a really good job and it was amazing to see how much the Beatles changed over the 10 years or so that they were together. It definitely got a bit weird in the 70s and they were pretty political for a 'pop' band.

I grew up listening to their music and remember my Mum singing "I want to hold your hand" to my brother! So it was a flashback to my youth and a bit of British nostalgia thrown in too! 

I also have to say how it makes me laugh that bands find it very amusing to be playing to an audience in 'Kalamazoo'. They think it's the funniest place they've played! 

Update: Since Christmas, two of their 'ducks' have capsized. So I am not sure how long the company with continue to operate!