Parenting room 101

After this hilarious post over on one of my favourite other mummy blogs, I thought I would respond here with my own parenting room 101.

1) Peppa Pig. Almost everything about this programme annoys me. Therefore, the fact that Abigail loves it to bits also annoys me. Things that annoy me about Peppa Pig include the incessant giggling, the fact that none of the characters ever shut a door, and the fact that Peppa's parents never tell her off for being so unpleasant to George. Then there are inconsistencies such as the fact that Rebecca Rabbit and her family live underground, whereas all the other characters live in strangely 2 dimensional brick houses. Decide whether you're animals or people, darn it.

2) Peppa Pig merchandise. Imagine trying to make a 3D plastic toy version of a picture by Picasso and you'll understand why Peppa Pig figures just don't work. Despite this, we have ended up owning several of the ugly little things.

3) The fact that my baby monitor comes with a mute button. What is it FOR? It may as well have a 'bad parenting' button, or a 'guilt trip' button.

4) The fact that magic painting books, sold as marvellous clean alternatives to real paint as you only have to use clean water, actually produce coloured ink that stains.

5) Poster paint that peels off in strips once it has dried. GRRRRR, Tesco.

6) Fromage Frais. Just...I've seen enough of it. There is some adorning every room in my house now. In the kitchen, it's in the form of a handprint on the window. In the sitting room, it's blobbed artistically onto a sofa cushion. In the bathroom, it's two handprints on the edge of the bath...you get the idea. I'm sure it was never really meant as interior decor.