To me Summer means warm weather, days spent at the Lido and a homemade picnic. The weather has been a little unsettled recently but we made the most of a decent day at the weekend and headed out for a picnic. As well as sandwiches and savoury snacks we took some homemade lemon cupcakes which were the perfect sweet treat. I love to bake with my children and it’s always fun to try a new recipe. I used a lemon curd cupcake recipe I found on the Flora website which was a standard cupcake recipe, using lemon curd to flavour…
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The highlight of our Summer holidays so far has definitely been the amazing Frubes sleepover at Whipsnade Zoo we took part in last week. Our family, and lots of other bloggers and their families, were invited to a sleepover at Whipsnade Zoo to celebrate Frubes’ partnership with the Minions movie. When we arrived at Whipsnade Zoo we were taken to our accommodation, a gorgeous little “log pile house” according to my 5 year old. Can you tell he knows The Gruffalo off by heart? It was actually called Hippo Lodge and our home for the night. Inside was a comfy…
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It’s time for my favourite post of the week, my Monday happy things. We spent the last week at my mum’s which was lovely. The weather was great and we spent every day out exploring the beautiful countryside. We visited Salisbury and had fun looking for the Barons’ Charter sculptures. The Barons’ Charter includes 25 life-sized decorated medieval baron sculptures displayed as an art trail across the city. The trail is open until 6th September and well worth a visit. They will then be auctioned to raise money for The Trussell Trust, the UK’s leading poverty charity. Our favourite sculpture…
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My favourite thing about the Summer holidays is spending lots of family time together. We’ve recently enjoyed a week together visiting family, exploring new places and enjoying some delicious meals. Ask my children what they would like for dinner and I know they will shout “pizza” or “pasta”. So lucky for them that they were invited to our local ASK Italian to try out the new children’s menu. You may remember our previous review of ASK Italian in Northwood (wow, doesn’t Little Sis look tiny in those pics!) and I’m pleased to say that our meal was equally delicious. As…
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The school holidays means lots of time to read books and as fans of Julia Donaldson we were very excited to receive a copy of What the Ladybird Heard Next by Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks, published 10th September by MacMillan Children’s Books. This is the highly anticipated sequel to their best-selling 2009 picture book What the Ladybird Heard. Once upon a farm there lived a ladybird, And these are the things that she saw and heard… There’s a new crime afoot down on the farm! Those crafty robbers Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len are out of jail, and they’re…
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Earlier this week we took part in a Twitter Party for the new Plasticine Softeez from Flair. Plasticine is something I remember from my own childhood so I was excited to see that it had come back and my children would be able to play with it. Unlike play dough, Plasticine never dries out. It also comes in many colours which you can mix to make new colours. It is also really easy to handle and play with. I thought it might be helpful to share 5 ways to play with Plasticine Softeez: Plasticine is great for learning about colours…
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If you like drawing, colouring and hundreds of stickers, which both my children do, then I have two great book recommendations for you today. You Are An Artist! Based on the best-selling picture books, I Am An Artist!, this unique new sticker activity book is your chance to get creative and make art with the award-winning Marta Altes. A truly exciting sticker book, which shows you that anyone can be an artist – it’s easy – and what’s more, it’s a lot of fun! Packed with colourful, smart and silly ideas plus hundreds of stickers, all designed to get you…
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A couple of weeks ago we were invited to tea at The Ritz for the launch of the personalised My First Forever Friends nursery toy collection from Golden Bear and a chat with parenting expert Sarah Ockwell-Smith. Forever Friends was first launched in 1987 and I remember receiving the teddy bear design on a birthday card when I was younger. I’m really pleased to see that it’s still going strong and around for my children to enjoy. A timeless classic with a strong heritage and global appeal, Forever Friends continues to delight and captivate all those who are drawn into…
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I’ve developed a serious addiction to subscription boxes recently. I love anything cute, kawaii or which introduces me to new designers and makers. I’ve been following the Lucky Dip Club box for a while and decided to treat myself to the July box. The subscription rates seem pretty reasonable and I’m *just* about coping with the school holidays. Anyway, my Lucky Dip Club box arrived and I kept it unopened for a few days. I was waiting for a few minutes to myself but I’d forgotten that time is even more precious when your routine goes out of the window…