• 6 things to do with kids in Hillingdon this summer
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    6 things to do with kids in Hillingdon this summer

    July 31, 2020 - By 

    The school holidays are not what we were expecting but we still need to make the most of it. We’ve lived in the London Borough of Hillingdon for over 6 years now and are still discovering wonderful new places to explore. We live in north of the borough and have already shared our 10 favourite places to visit in Ruislip this summer, so today I’m sharing our favourite places to visit in Hillingdon (and if they have re-opened). 6 things to do with kids in Hillingdon this summer Top of my list would have been the Battle of Britain Bunker…

  • Win Conservation Crisis
    competition

    {Giveaway} Conservation Crisis board game

    July 30, 2020 - By 

    It seems that my readers love a competition so I am happy to have a fun little giveaway to share with you all today. Yesterday we told you all about the latest board game we have been enjoying – Conservation Crisis. This is a fun and engaging game of strategy where you take control of a wildlife reserve in crisis and save an endangered species! ​It’s quite straightforward to play. You have $100,000 of funding per round and have to choose which projects to build and staff to hire to rebuild your reserve and keep your wildlife safe. ​The more you play,…

  • Crafts for kids - STEM activity

    Skittles vs Smarties experiment

    July 30, 2020 - By 

    My 8 year old absolutely loves science. It’s one of the topics that she was really keen on during our period of home learning (I probably don’t need to share her reluctance over the daily Maths and English she was set!). Thankfully the timetable provided by school included lots of science and easy experiments we could do at home. We also did some of the experiments she had seen on YouTube which was fun. It’s so easy to do science experiments at home and one of her favourites is making a sweet rainbow from sweets with Skittles. It’s so simple…

  • Conservation Crisis from Tunza Games
    Family Life

    Conservation Crisis {board game review}

    July 29, 2020 - By 

    How are the school holidays treating you? With our normal kids clubs cancelled we are spending a lot of time at home or the local play park. The weather has been kind to us which helps and we are having fun playing with all our toys and games. We’re always happy to receive something new though and recently received a copy of Conservation Crisis by Tunza Games to enjoy at home. Pop on over to this post for your chance to win the game! Conservation Crisis from Tunza Games I liked the sound of Conservation Crisis because it is based on…

  • How to join in with Draw With Rob {free activity pack}
    Crafts for kids

    How to join in with Draw With Rob {free activity pack}

    July 28, 2020 - By 

    I’m not sure how we first came across Rob Biddulph but he helped keep the children busy during lockdown. He’s a best-selling children’s author and artist and has been sharing how to draw some of his best-loved characters over on his YouTube channels since lockdown started. Rob’s original hit videos are also available at www.robbiddulph.com, and on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. How to join in with #DrawWithRob We took part in his World Record Breaking attempt back in May and the children were hooked. Rob teamed up with Art World Records to smash the record for the largest ever…

  • first blackberries of autumn 2020
    Monday Happy List

    Summer Holidays edit {Week 302}

    July 27, 2020 - By 

    I love to start the week by writing the Monday Happy List. It’s a chance for me to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. It’s a post I love to write. Summer Holidays edit {Week 302} We are all so excited that the summer holidays have started. We all needed a break from home learning and the children have enjoyed doing all the things they love to do – mainly den building in the garden, finding art lessons on YouTube, baking cakes…

  • Catching up with my 2020 reading list
    Family Life

    Catching up with my 2020 reading list

    July 25, 2020 - By 

    Top of my list of things to do over the next 6 weeks is to catch up on my reading. I thought I would read a lot during the lockdown period but I didn’t. Home learning took up most of the week, normal household duties and taking the dog for a walk seemed to take up the rest. However I want to return to work with a few things crossed off my to do list including working through a pile of new books, making my own clothes, and taking a few online courses. So far this year I’ve read 14…

  • Niamh Wimperis’ bee embroidery gift
    Crafts for adults

    Summer Bee embroidery hoop

    July 24, 2020 - By 

    Regular readers will know that every month I challenge myself to make the Mollie Makes magazine cover gift. I’ve subscribed since it first came out and have had a drawer full of unopened kits – but no more! I’ve been making more time for grown up crafting and I love to make the kits and hopefully try something new. Summer Bee embroidery hoop Mollie Makes took a break over the worst of the lockdown period. I really missed my monthly treat but was kept busy with my Sew A Little Happiness Everyday sampler. I was so happy to see a copy land on…

  • Family Life

    Staycation 2020 – what to pack?

    July 23, 2020 - By 

    Looking through some photos I took earlier this year, I realised that I never wrote about our first Airbnb experience. It was something we had wanted to do for a while and took the chance in February half term. That seems like a lifetime ago now but as we’ve just booked to go back to the same place, I thought I would take the opportunity to write a little post about Project Staycation 2020. What is a Staycation? Just in case you didn’t know, a staycation is simply a holiday in your home country, rather that going abroad. We’ve always…