Piano, Rugby and Healthy Chocolate Spread

One of my favourite ways to entertain the babies is to play the piano to them. I play for myself every day, which they sometimes enjoy, sometimes join in with, and applaud as frequently as they scream in protest. But when I play nursery rhymes and tunes they know it is so rewarding when they show recognition at a tune and sing or dance along. Boy is finally at the stage where he can make requests too. For a long time I used to have to play the first few bars of song after song while he shouted NO! until I reached whichever one he wanted. Which could be anything from The Wheels on the Bus to The Entertainer. Now he can actually name the song he wants, which makes the whole process much more rewarding.

We worked our way through a bunch of In the Night Garden songs, the Waybuloo theme, Baa Baa Black Sheep and Frere Jacques. I finally stopped midway through Row Your Boat when I realised Girl was not squealing in delight, but squealing for help as Boy was "rowing" her rather over enthusiastically around the room. So if you do play any instrument, however badly, remember to put away the Bach now and again and see if you can pick out some nursery tunes for your wee ones. I love to let them have a bash too when they want to, and if I don't applaud con brio I am soon put in my place.

This afternoon B and I sat down to watch Scotland play France in the Six Nations rugby tournament. Though Scotland lost the game, and I lost my ever hopeful bet at the bookies, the game was eventful enough for Boy and Girl to both get the hang of shouting, cheering and clapping. Boy even clutched his hair in mock dismay when a young Scottish player grabbed a fine opportunity only to be denied by a gigantic French Ent. But the big grin and lack of genuine woe on his face betrayed the parrot fashion of his actions. Spending an hour and a half this way is quite eventful for our family, since this is the most exposure the babies are ever likely to get of TV sport. Unless Yojojo pretending to be a carrot and chanting om counts.

Today was also unusually successful food-wise. Boy finally asked for a beetroot biscuit after he realised that Girl had almost made her way through the entire batch. He even ate the whole thing. I also whipped together a genius home-made dairy free no-added-sugar chocolate spread recipe that I stole from Dr Oz:

Six medjool dates, half an avocado and four level tablespoons of cocoa powder, plus a little water to thin. Zapped with the hand blender, it looks like nutella, tastes really, really sweet and presto! Boy is eating dates and avocado! I scooped it into a pot and gave him the jug and a spoon to scrape it with. He was in seventh heaven and has been in a fantastic mood ever since. He even ate all his dinner, no fuss. There was a mild panic when we thought his toe was bleeding in the bath, but it turned out to be chocolate.

So despite losing a fiver I'd say all in all, today was a winner.

Bounce and Rhyme

Wind the bobbin up
Wind the bobbin up
Pull, pull, clap clap clap

Wind it back again
Wind it back again
Pull, pull, clap clap clap

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor, 
Point to the window, point to the door. 
Clap your hands together, one, two, three
Put your hands upon your knee.

I started running Bounce and Rhyme classes when Boy turned 7 months. Coincidentally, I restarted them when Girl reached the same age. Once a week, on Wednesday afternoons, a small crowd of parents, babies and toddlers meet up in a corner of a local entertainment centre  and we sing nursery rhymes, play simple percussion instruments and enjoy other songs, rhymes, puppets and bubbles. The class is a drop-in, so no two weeks are the same. One week may full of busy toddlers running around and demanding their favourite song, while the next may be primarily small babies who sit and bounce on their mammy's knee and expending more energy chewing tambourines rather than hitting them.

Today was a rather smaller group than usual, maybe due to the half-term break. Despite this, there was every age group, from the smallest snoozing newborn, through sitters, crawlers and wobblers right up to the two and three year old pros, some of whom have been coming since they were really tiny.

There is Girl and her wee buddy who sit clapping, dribbling and chuckling through Horsie Horsie, a two year old who spends most of the class running round in circles, only pausing to wag his finger fiercely during Five Little Monkeys and Miss Polly Had a Dolly. Another older toddler who takes great delight in shrieking when we pretend to sleep for Sleeping Bunnies. A 9 month old who has come for her first class threatens to fall asleep during Twinkle Twinkle but soon perks up when the instruments come out. And for myself and the other Scottish mum who showed up today, there's nothing quite like hearing a room full of Irish mammies singing Ali Bali Bee and Ye Canny Shove yer Granny aff a Bus.

When the class is over, the children enjoy the ball pool while the mammies enjoy a well-earned cup of coffee. I feel sad that Boy is missing out on Bounce and Rhyme these days, but not quite sad enough to torture myself by having to mind both my babies while protecting my stash of bubbles and jumping around like a Dingle Dangle Scarecrow. Or am I?

Bounce and Rhyme for children aged 3 months to 3 years is on at City Limits, Oranmore every Wednesday at 2.30pm. No booking necessary.