• building Lego together
    Lego - parenting

    Building brick blockbusters together

    June 14, 2017 - By 

    My children love toys. The ages 5 and 7 seem to be the perfect age and I love watching them play with their toys. With the Summer holidays looming Tesco Direct kindly sent us some of the latest Lego products to review at home and get us inspired for some of this Summer’s blockbuster films. Lego are a favourite product in our house and I can’t believe how lucky the children were to receive Beware the Vulture (from Lego Super Heroes set 76083), Thunder Hollow Crazy 8 Race (Lego Junior Cars 3 set 10744), and Harley Quinn Dorm (from Lego…

  • Personalised Father's Day frame
    crafts - Father's Day - Handmade gifts

    Personalised Father’s Day frame

    June 13, 2017 - By 

    You know how much we love making handmade gifts. We love to come up with our own ideas but sometimes it is nice to be inspired by someone else’s idea. Hobbycraft is our go-to show when we want to pick up some craft supplies but did you know they have some fantastic tutorials on their site too? We saw a fabulous instructions for making a Framed Family Tree and were delighted when then sent us the supplies to make our own version. Both children love to make things but I made this with my 7 year old whilst my daughter…

  • Blippo Surprise Kawaii Stationery Bag
    competition - homestyle

    Blippo Surprise Kawaii Stationery Bag review and giveaway

    June 13, 2017 - By 

    I’m so pleased that my 5 year old takes after me and loves stationery. She collects rubbers and stickers, the cuter the better. So when we were offered one of the new Blippo Surprise Kawaii Stationery Bags I had to accept. We love all things kawaii and I knew this would be a great way to discover some fun, cute and colourful products. The Blippo Surprise Kawaii Stationery Bag is inspired by the Fukubukuro lucky mystery bags which are popular in Japan. The bags are packed with random kawaii items of cute and practical stationery. Each bag includes a mix…

  • playing pooh sticks
    book review

    The Anti-Boredom Book of Brilliant Outdoor Things To Do

    June 12, 2017 - By 

    With the Summer holidays looming we were sent a copy of The Anti-Boredom Book of Brilliant Outdoor Things To Do by Andy Seed to read. The outdoors are boring right? WRONG! From the hilarious Andy Seed, Winner of the Blue Peter Book Award 2015 for Best Books with Facts comes the fantastically busy Anti-boredom Book of Brilliant Outdoor Things to do. Suitable for all seasons, find out how to set bug traps, create a rainbow, construct an amazing summer slide and much, much more! But what about those rainy summer days we hear you cry? Not a problem! This book also includes…

  • new pin badges from Nikki McWilliams
    homestyle - Monday Happy List

    Monday happy things {Week 141}

    June 12, 2017 - By 

    I’m writing my weekly Happy Things post slightly later than usual. I was working this morning and just couldn’t face getting up early to write it. I’ve been working quite a few hours recently which has seriously eaten into my blogging time. I have a new found appreciation for all those parents who juggle work and children and write a blog. Last week we went crazy for Father’s Day. My children wanted to make cards and gifts for their Dad so we’ve been making things after school. I think they might burst with excitement if Father’s Day doesn’t hurry up…

  • a walk through Ruislip Lido
    days out - Local Review - London - parenting - Ruislip

    Ruislip Lido {exploring the local area}

    June 11, 2017 - By 

    We spent the morning at Ruislip Lido, a reservoir and artificial beach in Ruislip, within the London Borough of Hillingdon. It’s a really lovely place to visit, situated between Ruislip Common, Ruislip Woods, and Poors Field, an historic part of Ruislip. Originally opened as a feeder reservoir for the Grand Junction Canal in 1811, the reservoir was reopened in 1933 as a lido, with facilities for swimming and boating. Today you’re no longer allowed to go swimming or boating but there’s a splash park, playground, outdoor gym, beach area and lovely walk around the lido. We’ve visited the Lido since…

  • 11 handmade gifts for Father’s Day
    crafts - Father's Day

    11 handmade gifts for Father’s Day

    June 11, 2017 - By 

    I can’t believe Father’s Day is only a week away now. My children are so excited as they’ve been making cards at school as well as at Beavers and Rainbows. We’ve made a few cards at home too and they both have a pile of handmade cards and gifts to give their Dad next week. Aside from our handmade Father’s Day gifts we don’t do much on the day. This year we’ve booked to go to our favourite restaurant for dinner the night before. 11 handmade gifts for Father’s Day I thought it would be fun to post a round…

  • How to make your own Elderflower cordial
    Handmade gifts - homemade - homestyle

    How to make your own Elderflower cordial

    June 10, 2017 - By 

    Did you know that it’s currently Elderflower season? I didn’t until Belvoir invited me to an event over half term and I learned a little more about elderflower and how they make their delicious cordial. The elderflower season is quite short and if you live near the Belvoir factory they encourage you to pick wild elderflower! You can drop it off and get paid and you also get the satisfaction knowing that you have helped contribute to their delicious Elderflower Cordial! Sadly we don’t live anywhere near Belvoir but I really wanted to try making our own cordial. Our last…

  • Father's Day DAD craft for kids to make
    crafts - Father's Day

    Father’s Day DAD craft for kids to make

    June 9, 2017 - By 

    Duck Tape recently introduced washi tape to their range of products and I was sent a bundle of colours to craft with. With Father’s Day coming up I thought it made a great opportunity to try them out. My 7 year old loves to craft so he used the new Duck Tape washi tapes to make a cute Father’s Day card. How to make a Father’s Day card using washi tape First gather your supplies: Duck Tape washi tapes A4 white card Scissors First I drew the letters DAD on a piece of card and cut them out to make…