• The Last Night by Cesca Major
    book review

    The Last Night {book review}

    November 4, 2016 - By 

    Last month I was sent a copy of The Last Night by Cesca Major to review. A polite note was included asking if I could possibly read it before the book hit the shops on the 3rd November. My heart sank a little as I find I have so little time to read, usually in bed when I’m a bit too tired to concentrate for long. However, I need not have worried, as soon as I picked up this book I was hooked. Last year I read Cesca Major’s debut novel, The Silent Hours which I loved. The story was based around…

  • DIY gingerbread body scrub (easy kid-made gifts)
    Christmas - gingerbread - Handmade gifts

    DIY gingerbread body scrub (easy kid-made gifts)

    November 4, 2016 - By 

    I love making gifts to give at Christmas. Picking up something in the shops or adding a product to my online shopping basket is too easy. Homemade gifts require thought and time and are usually quite fun to make. I encourage my children to plan and make their own gifts too. My 6 year old son is already pretty good at making things, his speciality is sewing, so this craft is one I helped my 4 year old to make. We made a delicious gingerbread body scrub – it’s relatively cheap to make and perfect for little hands. Ingredients to…

  • cooking - eating - parenting

    Teaching Your Kids to Cook: Chinese Food

    November 3, 2016 - By 

    One of the best lessons my mum and grandmother ever taught me was how to cook.  Granted, my favourite dishes were not complicated (and not healthy to be honest) but learning to cook has not only been a skill I’ve used ever since, it also led me to develop an interest in cooking and food that has turned into something of a hobby. Plus, knowing how to cook has saved me a lot of money versus eating out, as well as given me a great deal of confidence when it comes to having friends over for dinner or a casual…

  • Hot Wheels Track Builder System Stunt Kit
    parenting - playing - STEM activity - toy review

    Hot Wheels Track Builder System Stunt Kit

    November 3, 2016 - By 

    Towards the end of half term we received the Hot Wheels Track Builder System Stunt Kit to review. Both my children love playing with cars, especially my 6 year old son. Hot Wheels Track Builder System Stunt Kit Test your skills or challenge your friends in the ultimate test of stunts and timing! Experiment with how high you can go, how far you can jump, and how well you can aim to avoid a crash! Create and re-create the Trick Builder world with this impressive set that offers multiple configurations for a variety of ways to play and nearly endless…

  • #ClangersForKindness
    competition - parenting

    Win a bundle of Clangers toys {#ClangersForKindness}

    November 3, 2016 - By 

    My children have always enjoyed watching the Clangers, just as I did when I was little. I think the message behind the show is a very important for little ones to learn – how we should spread kindness every day, just like the Clangers do on the little blue planet. Kindness is one of those things which I’ve tried to instil in my children. But just how do you encourage your child to practice kindness? Take a look at this video to see what the kids thought about kindness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51lbddJMo7o I know my kids are kind-hearted, in fact we often laugh…

  • book review - Christmas - crafts

    Dinosaur poo playdough {The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas}

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    I’ve been sorting out our Christmas books trying to get a head start on our annual Book Advent. The kids love our Book Advent and I have as much fun choosing which books make the list as they do actually reading them. We discovered The Dinosaur That Pooped … series last year and since then the books have been a firm favourite with my two. The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas made it on to our list last year and will definitely be included this year too. We’ve made a few dinosaur crafts but we wanted to make something special to…

  • easy firework crafts for kids
    Bonfire Night crafts - crafts

    11 Firework and Bonfire Night crafts for kids

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    It was so cold and frosty this morning that you can definitely tell Winter is on it’s way. Are you celebrating Bonfire Night this week? We are looking forward to going to our local firework display. I’ve always loved fireworks and thankfully the children do too. I thought I would mark Bonfire Night and the tradition of setting off fireworks with a round up of 11 of my favourite crafts for kids. 11 Firework and Bonfire Night crafts for kids Easy cardboard tube rockets from the gingerbread house Paper plate fireworks by treading on lego Constellation lacking cards for firework…

  • Devilishly delicious BEAR Claws
    eating - Halloween crafts - Happy By Nature

    Devilishly delicious BEAR Claws make the perfect Halloween treat

    November 2, 2016 - By 

    My children have been looking forward to Halloween throughout October. Our lightbox turned into a countdown and they were forever double checking how many days! Halloween can be a great event for children. There are the spooky costumes, the scary films, the pumpkin carving, the Halloween crafts and of course, the Trick or Treating. One thing I’m not so keen on is the emphasis on all the sweets and sugary stuff. The shops have been full of special Halloween branded sweets, cakes and biscuits for weeks. It’s hard to hide from those products, and even harder to hide them from…

  • How to bake the perfect gingerbread house cookies
    baking - Christmas - gingerbread

    How to bake the perfect gingerbread house cookies

    November 1, 2016 - By 

    Welcome November! I love the colder months, they’re a great excuse to stay in and bake! I’m sure you know that my favourite recipe all year round in gingerbread but they really are the perfect winter treat. Baking wit the family is always fun so I’m going to share our favourite gingerbread recipe and show you our gingerbread house cookies. Ingredients to make gingerbread cookies 140g golden syrup 200g soft light brown sugar 200g unsalted butter 4 tsps ground ginger 2 tsps ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1/4 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 500g plain flour…