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When the word "woggle" was mentioned after a Water Babies lesson, my mind immediately flew straight back to 1988 and my brother wearing a Beaver Scout neckerchief with the woggle holding it together but thankfully that it wasn't that kind that was used at swimming.

The woggle or the noodle as it is also affectionately known is a swimming aid, it is less restrictive than arm bands, more flexible than a static float and more versatile than it is given credit for.

I give it credit for allowing my daughter to swim confidently across the water on her own.

I give it credit for creating a fun tunnel to swim through in our lessons.

I give it credit for keeping her safe, in and out of the water, so I am adding it to our life cheats!

So aside from the obvious, how else does it keep a toddler safe?

Simply by ......

This is just one of the parenting life hacks we love but there are loads on YouTube. 

It scores me brownie points with my Mum for recycling and for me for a thrifty idea. Its a win win!!

Do you have any alternative uses for a woggle / noodle??

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Six years is a long time.

Six years is a long time to wait for a sibling.

Six years is a long time to wait for a sibling and gives you the chance to get used to having everything your own way.

So two and a bit years on, we are now beginning to remember the reasons why we wanted a little sister.

Two and a bit years on, we know that little sisters give the best hugs.

Two and a bit years on, we have a play mate that always stays over.

Two and a bit years on, we find that our little sister can teach us to be brave.

Two and a bit years on, we understand that six is really just a number.

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It is no secret that I love to shop on the internet, I buy presents, clothes and food online. When Britmums announced that they were looking for Morrisons Mums to take £80 worth of vouchers and shop over the bank holiday weekend, I knew there was little I could do to resist. Going into an "actual" shop and pushing a trolley full of food around a shop was a novelty (although I have found out that I am no good at navigating one once it is full of food), so armed with our vouchers we set about our mission. We received a friendly welcome ......

Morrisons announced last week that they were cutting prices, not to price match or any other such temporary measures but significant price drops that appeal to our money saving hearts. They can tell you about it a bit better than me:

From today, we’ve cut the prices on over a thousand of your favourite products. Not temporary reductions or supermarket smoke and mirrors, these are new every day low prices on the things you buy every week. So you’ll notice the difference with every shop.

And although we’re cutting prices, we’re not cutting corners. You can check our pricing at www.Morrisons.com/pricecuts.

You’ll still get award-winning meat and fish, still get trained butchers and bakers, still get the best of fresh on Market Street and still get friendly Morrisons service.

Look out for the yellow markers when you shop in store and online at morrisons.com. If it says I’m cheaper you know it’s staying cheaper.

And there were PLENTY of offers to be had (Plenty .... see what I did there???)

My friend and I have resolved to have a "dry" May, so I was delighted to find my non alcoholic alternative on offer at half price .... so I bought twice the amount!!

We decided not to price everything up as we went round the shop, prefering to play games with the girls, such as "find something with a flower on it", I won that particular game! Can you guess what product this flower is on?

Our usual weekly shop is in excess of £100, so I was pleasantly surprised that the shopping came to just over £82 so there were definite savings across the store. 

As for our bank holiday meal, well I am never going to make it onto Master Chef but with a light meal costing only £1.97 per person, I will happily invite everyone over next bank holiday weekend!

So the question remains, am I a Morrisons Mum? I think I may just have been converted!

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In the last couple of weeks I have shared great times with amazing friends, courtesy of two fantastic and very different blogging conferences. After being inspired by a reflective post from Mummy Barrow and then another seperate post by Older Single Mum this week, I have thought about the things that I have learnt, at Blog Camp, at BlogOnMosi and in my 30-something years on this planet.

About Blogging

Conferences are hard work ..... for the organisers. It is tough to put on an event and I tip my hat to everyone that does.

Bloggers love sweets and cake and wine .......

Online friends can become "real life friends"

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.

You can produce amazing images on your iphone courtesy of a few handy apps (thanks Vanessa)

If you don't know someone's name, ask. They will mostly just be grateful you took the time to talk to them.

If you encourage drinking shots with a bunch of bloggers, they may never let you forget it. (this may or may not have ever happened).

If you put grapes, spinach, banana, ice and water into a Vitamix machine, it actually creates a really nice smoothie (who knew?)

About life

No matter how long you have been driving, a truck driver with no concept of lane discipline can still scare you on a long journey.

You don't have to be "perfect" to be perfect for one person.

Never judge a person by their appearance.

It's okay to treat yourself.

Judging people by your own standards can leave you disappointed. Figure out if it is worth the disappointment.

There will never be enough hours in the day.

That we should be glad that life doesn't give us everything we ask for.

That money doesn't buy class.

That it's those small daily happenings that make life so amazing.

That under any hard exterior is generally someone who wants to be appreciated and loved. 

That the less time I have to work, the more things I get done.

And finally, the last one goes to Coco Chanel:

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous."