• 10 Peppa Pig crafts and activities for kids
    crafts

    10 Peppa Pig crafts and activities for kids

    May 13, 2017 - By 

    With a 5 and 7 year old I keep expecting certain things to drop off their radar. Things like Peppa Pig. By my calculating it’s now been too many years that my children have watched and played Peppa Pig. It’s like some strange comfort blanket though, and if they want to wind down before bed they still watch a few episodes of Peppa, and my 5 year old won’t let me giveaway her Peppa books even though it’s clear she’s moving on to slightly more interesting (for me, anyway!), stories. To celebrate all things Peppa I thought I would bring…

  • What the Ladybird Heard. Rosamund Hine (Farmer) photo credit Robert Workman.def
    book review

    What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday {book review}

    May 12, 2017 - By 

    If you have young children like me then you will probably have heard of What the Ladybird Heard. This is the first of three titles in the What the Ladybird Heard picture book series, followed by What the Ladybird Heard Next and the highly-anticipated What the Ladybird Heard on Holiday which is due to hit UK bookshops on 29th June 2017. The Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks (author and illustrator) partnership began 14 years ago, when they first worked together on Princess Mirror-Belle. What the Ladybird Heard and What the Ladybird Heard Next have sold 1.5 million copies in all formats worldwide, with 20 foreign editions currently in-print. What the Ladybird Heard on…

  • Easy bottle top stamps tutorial
    crafts - Recycled crafts

    Bottle top stamps {A-Z Play at Home series}

    May 12, 2017 - By 

    Today is the next letter in our A-Z Play at Home blog hop. Last week was the letter A and I have to admit I had loads more ideas for that letter after we had published! This week’s letter is B, so we are using bottle tops. I started saving these when my children were chomping their way through those squeezy fruit tubes when they were little. I guess it became a habit to keep bottle tops! Bottle top stamps {A-Z Play at Home series} My son loves all things emoji at the moment so we came up with the…

  • Top tips for saving money during the summer holidays
    days out - parenting

    Top tips for saving money during the summer holidays

    May 11, 2017 - By 

    As much as I am enjoying May my thoughts are beginning to turn to the summer holidays. With two children in school full-time our holidays are really precious. We don’t go on huge holidays, preferring to spend a few days with grandparents in different parts of the country, and plan lots of day trips too. The downside to those wonderful 6 weeks of holidays is the cost of it all. With only one of us, working money can be tight, so I’ve been looking for ways to save money for the summer holidays. Top tips for saving money during the summer…

  • crafts - garden crafts - Nature crafts

    How to build a bug hotel using a pallet {Part 1}

    May 11, 2017 - By 

    Now the weather is warmer we have been thinking about our little garden. Our cat died recently and overnight we noticed more birds appearing in our garden. The children really wanted to encourage them and learn more about them. Our garden is small but child-friendly and we want the children to enjoy being outside, especially at this time of year. As well as making lots of handmade bird feeders we started to plan a bug hotel. We have been wanting to build one ever since we saw an amazing bug hotel at Hughenden Manor, a local National Trust properly. Here’s…

  • Wall's Helping Hand campaign logo
    competition - parenting

    Teaching community spirit {Wall’s Helping Hand}

    May 10, 2017 - By 

    Recently I’ve started helping every week with my son’s Beaver group. He’s been a Beaver for just over a year and he really enjoys it. The group leader is really well organised which means they have a well planned programme of events and activities which is really complements the academic stuff he learns at school. He loves to collect badges which I find are a great incentive. Since he’s been a Beaver he’s been camping, to a water activity day, horse riding, hiking, and so much more. It’s great to be part of something like this, he’s made friends in…

  • New collectible toys based on the Disney Crossy Road app
    toy review

    New collectible toys based on the Disney Crossy Road app

    May 10, 2017 - By 

    Fans of the Disney Crossy Road app are going to love our latest unboxing video as we were sent an exclusive before launch gift box containing some of the new collectible toys based on the Disney Crossy Road app! My children love making unboxing videos so don’t forget to pop over to our YouTube channel and please like and subscribe to see what we’ve been up to. New collectible toys based on the Disney Crossy Road app The brand new Disney Crossy Road toys are based on characters from the popular game Crossy Road. Character Options now bring you pixelated mini figures and…

  • EmbellishBox for paper cutters
    crafts - Paper craft - subscription box

    EmbellishBox for paper cutters {April box}

    May 9, 2017 - By 

    The weeks are going very quickly at the moment. I use my monthly subscriptions to mark the weeks and was very surprised to receive the latest Embellish Box. This is a monthly subscription box full of paper templates for paper cutting. Each box is themed and the latest box was called Up Up and Away. Inside the box were 4 x templates (Enjoying the view, Two balloons, Up up and away, and a balloon basket), 3 x backing papers from PaperStory.co.uk as well as some themed goodies: a hot air balloon lantern, cloud magnet, hanging hot air balloon and a…

  • Lavender play dough recipe
    crafts - Nature crafts

    Lavender play dough recipe

    May 9, 2017 - By 

    It’s been a while since I made any play dough for my children. The lighter evening have meant they have found it difficult to wind down at bedtime. I thought a batch of homemade lavender play dough was just the thing for a lovely sensory experience. Lavender has some great properties and is well known for aiding sleep. I like to make my own play dough. It’s quick and cheap and I like to know exactly what my children are touching. I’ve used this recipe a few times now: 150g plain flour 40g salt 3 tsp lemon juice 2 tbs…