• POWER UP! MONOPOLY GAMER
    Hasbro Toy Tribe - parenting - toy review

    Power Up! with Monopoly Gamer

    October 15, 2017 - By 

    A few weeks ago we established a new family tradition. Family traditions are really important to me and I think our Friday night game night is pretty cool. The kids look forward to it all week and for me, it’s the start of the weekend, the end of another busy week, and a great way for us to spend time together away from the tv or laptop. My 7 year old is (already!) a huge gamer. He loves the PS4 and Nintendo Switch and if he isn’t playing computer games then he’s probably reading a book of watching YouTube for…

  • D.I.Y. Dollshouse by Alexia Henrion
    book review - Craft book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    D.I.Y. Dollshouse by Alexia Henrion

    October 14, 2017 - By 

    I love receiving happy mail and was delighted to receive a small parcel containing a copy of D.I.Y. Dollshouse. I wasn’t sure if it was for me or my children but we’ve all been enjoying reading it. D.I.Y. Dollshouse: Build and Decorate a Toy House Using Everyday Materials is a lavishly illustrated guide for budding architects, builders, and designers, showing them how to build and furnish their own eco-friendly dollhouse using only items found around the house or available for free. Author Alexia Henrion has created a fun-filled book that is all about recycling, re-using and re-purposing. She provides simple…

  • Halloween Monster Bagels
    baking - Halloween crafts - homestyle

    Halloween Monster Bagels

    October 14, 2017 - By 

    I love Halloween. Have I said that enough lately? I love coming up with Halloween crafts and I’m not sure what’s more fun – Halloween crafting or seeing my kids faces when they discover what I’ve been up to! Every day at pick up they ask me for a snack. It’s now fully ingrained in my head that I have some yummy healthy snacks for them. Today, however, I didn’t pack treats. Instead I spent the afternoon making them some very spooky Halloween treats – monster bagels for when they got home. As a busy mum I love to share…

  • Snot: the toy that nobody wanted
    Christmas - parenting - toy review

    Snot: the star of Smyths Toys Christmas advert

    October 13, 2017 - By 

    If your kids want to know what the hottest toy is going to be for Christmas 2017 then you’re in luck. Meet Snot. The star of the Smyths Toys Christmas advert, the toy that no one wanted. Snot, a toy who begins as a factory line error but goes on to become this year’s most wanted toy. The story follows the cute and curious Snot as he wanders through the streets looking for a place to call home. Though he encounters a series of misfortunate events on his travels, including being chased by a 50ft monster, Snot ends up saving the…

  • Halloween x-ray hand print craft
    crafts - Halloween crafts - STEM activity

    Halloween x-ray hand print craft

    October 13, 2017 - By 

    Can I admit that we’re coming to the end of the A-Z Play at Home blog series organised by Teach Me Mommy and I’m finding the last few letters quite hard?! This weeks’ letter is the letter X and I’ve been finding it difficult to think of any thing beginning with the letter x around the home. So I’ve cheated a little bit! With Halloween coming up at the end of the month my children have been going crazy for all things Halloween. I tapped into their enthusiasm with our fun craft for Halloween – a ghostly x-ray hand print…

  • Oreo spider cookies for Halloween
    crafts - food crafts - Halloween crafts

    Oreo spider cookies for Halloween

    October 12, 2017 - By 

    We put up some of our Halloween decorations yesterday but this year I just can’t help making Halloween themed food. Over the years we’ve made a lot of Halloween crafts but now the children are older it’s fun to spend more time in the kitchen. My 5 year old was off sick one day so we spent some time creating Oreo spider cookies for Halloween. They are really simple and you can find lots of different ways to make them if you look on Pinterest. This is our version. Ingredients for Oreo spider cookies Oreo biscuits Red sweet laces White…

  • Creating Silhouette Wall Art with Photoshop Elements 2018
    Adobe Partner - crafts

    Creating Silhouette Wall Art with Photoshop Elements 2018

    October 12, 2017 - By 

    Today I’m so excited to share a really fun tutorial for creating Silhouette Wall Art using some of the new Guided Edits in Photoshop Elements 2018. You know how much I love creating my own little DIYs for our home so I’ve been busy updating our gallery wall with personalised pieces of art. This is a sponsored post on behalf of Adobe Photoshop Elements 2018 I’m going to share our craft for making Silhouette Wall Art. This is a super simple way to update your home decor, a great talking point and a fun way to create your own heirloom art!…

  • book review - competition - parenting

    The Dancing Bear by Michael Morpurgo {review and giveaway}

    October 11, 2017 - By 

    Did you know that World Animal Day was celebrated on October 4th? We love animals so are excited to be participating in a really fun book tour. Michael Morpurgo is one of the UK’s most celebrated authors, having written over 140 books in a career spanning over 40 years. He has won numerous prizes, including The Children’s Book Award for a record fourth time last year for his novel An Eagle in the Snow. Many of his novels have been adapted into stage shows and several of his titles have been made into films, most famously the Steven Spielberg-directed War Horse. Some of Michael’s most…

  • Kingdom of Sweets Gob Stopper Challenge
    Local Review - London - parenting

    Kingdom of Sweets Gob Stopper Challenge

    October 9, 2017 - By 

    I have a terrible sweet tooth. I just love sweets and they’re a huge part of who I am. Some of my happiest memories are of going to our little corner shop to spend my pocket money with my older sister. Mmmm, sheets of rice paper, shrimps and Hubba Bubba! My sister always went for the packs of Pacers whilst I always spent ages choosing my favourite penny sweets. I can re-call growing up through my favourite sweet shops. I remember I was allowed to walk to a sweet shop after school whilst my mum finished work, and I remember…