• A day out with the kids at Paradise Wildlife Park
    days out - Family Life - Hertfordshire

    A day out with the kids at Paradise Wildlife Park

    July 1, 2018 - By 

    Paradise Wildlife Park is Hertfordshire’s best zoo and offers a range of great activities for the perfect family day out. Today we headed off to enjoy a day out there, with a picnic and a change of clothes for the kids! Paradise Wildlife Park Our first stop was to see some of the animals that Paradise Wildlife Park is known for. They have so many animals, including tigers, lions, meerkats, tapirs, camels, wolves and so much more. We all love the cute little meerkats. We also managed to time it right that we watched the penguins being fed. There were loads…

  • Easy Wood Carving for Children book cover
    book review - Crafts for kids

    Easy Wood Carving for Children {book review}

    June 30, 2018 - By 

    With the Summer holidays looming I am beginning to collect ideas of days out and activities to keep my children busy. Like any children, they can get bored during the school holidays, so I like to have some ideas up my sleeves to bring out. Easy Wood Carving for Children Following on from the success of his previous book, Snitte: The Danish Art of Whittling, Frank Egholm seeks to extend the appeal of this traditional hobby to a younger generation in his new book, Easy Wood Carving For Children. Wood carving is the ideal activity to help them reconnect with…

  • Sweet Pups Series 1 collection
    Family Life

    Sweet Pups – the soft toy that transforms!

    June 30, 2018 - By 

    Have you heard about the new adorable Sweet Pups? They are the latest collectible craze for kids, a sweet little plush puppy hidden inside a pastry and they launched this week! Sweet Pups – the soft toy that transforms! Sweet Pups are the cutest range of soft, plush puppies hidden inside scrumptious looking pastries. With 12 adorable breeds to collect in series one, choosing your favourite will be as hard as deciding on a sweet treat from a wonderful patisserie! Sweet Pups look like the most delicious croissants, macaroons and sticky buns on the outside. Opening the pastry package, reveals the wonderful…

  • Cardboard tube sea anemones
    Crafts for kids - Recycled crafts - Summer - Toilet roll crafts

    Cardboard tube sea anemones

    June 29, 2018 - By 

    During half term we went rock pooling at the beach. This is something I did as a child and something my children now enjoy. It is so easy as you don’t really need anything, just a rocky beach with the tide out! When we were in Devon we visited a lovely beach where we watched the Torbay Airshow. Whilst my husband was watching the planes the children and I explored the beach. It was a pebbly beach, perfect to discover lots of little sea creatures hiding in the shallow pools of water. Although we weren’t brave enough to pick up…

  • A geography lesson with Flags of the World game
    Family Life - playing - toy review

    A geography lesson with Flags of the World game

    June 28, 2018 - By 

    My 8 year old loves to play a board game. I was the same at his age and still enjoy playing board games. Thursday has become our special time to play board games whilst his younger sister is at Tennis club. We have recently discovered Flags of The World from Tactic Games which is perfect for ages 8 and over and can be played by up to 6 people. Flags of The World from Tactic Games This is an award winning, fun family card game from Finnish games company Tactic Games. The geography-based game takes you on a trip around…

  • BOYING UP: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant
    competition - Family Life - parenting

    {Giveaway} BOYING UP: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant

    June 28, 2018 - By 

    Mayim Bialik, star of The Big Bang Theory and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Girling Up: How to be Strong, Smart and Spectacular, is turning her attention to teen boys in a new book about the science, pressures, and pitfalls of growing up male in today’s world. In BOYING UP: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant, Mayim Bialik uses scientific information from her life as a neuroscientist along with personal anecdotes as a mother of two boys to explain what it means to grow from a boy to a man biologically, psychologically, and sociologically. BOYING UP: How to be Brave, Bold and…

  • Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern {Fashion and Textile Museum}
    days out - Family Life - London - Orla Kiely

    Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern {Fashion and Textile Museum}

    June 27, 2018 - By 

    Today I finally got to visit the Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum in Bermondsey. I’ve been a huge fan of Orla Kiely for about 15 years and have a growing collection of handbags, bedding and homeware. The only thing I’ve not really bought into is her clothing range. Even if you don’t know the name you will know her prints. My favourite is her stem print which can be found on just about everything from cars to books, candles and yoghurt pots. The Fashion and Textile Museum is a short walk from London Bridge underground…

  • Minecraft: The Crash book cover
    book review - Family Life

    The second official Minecraft novel – Minecraft: The Crash

    June 26, 2018 - By 

    It’s been almost a year since my son received a copy of the first official Minecraft novel, The Island by Max Brooks. It was one of the first Minecraft books he read, later going on to read The Elementia Chronicles. The Island tells the story of a new hero stranded in the world of Minecraft, who must survive the harsh, unfamiliar environment and unravel the secrets of the island. My son really enjoyed reading The Island so we were delighted to be sent a copy of the second official Minecraft novel – Minecraft: The Crash by Tracey Baptiste to review.…

  • Instagram worthy walls in greenwich
    Family Life - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness – 5 Happy Things

    June 25, 2018 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone. Hope you had a great weekend. The weather has been lovely all week and we loved getting out for some family time this weekend. Each week I start off by writing my Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things blog post. It’s a great chance to 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 always enjoy writing. Monday mindfulness – 5 Happy Things To be honest I felt a little blah all week. My exam invigilating has come to an…