I have been in my favourite stomping ground over the last few days which means charity shop heaven for me! I’ve picked up some lovely bargains both for myself and the children. Besides lots of Thomas the Tank Engine books and jigsaws for Big Brother I found this book of vintage cigarette cards I just couldn’t resist. They’re displayed in a cardboard book which is missing its cover but there are some lovely images on the cards. They are all from Wills cigarette packets. My grandmother worked in the Wills factory in Swindon before she got married so these cards…
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This week I was invited to a mummy bloggers picnic to learn more about chickenpox. It was our first outing as a threesome and I think Big Brother possibly had the best day. He’s really into trains at the moment so a trip on the tube with a quick stop off at St Pancras to see the big trains was easily the highlight of his day. When we arrived at the venue he was entertained by a face painter (who kindly painted Gordon from Thomas the Tank Engine on his forehead). He played really well with the other children and…
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To celebrate St Patrick’s Day we made some four-leafed clover biscuits and decorated them with a simple line of green icing. I always know we’ve made something that looks interesting when I see my son’s arm reaching up to grab a biscuit from the plate when he thinks I’m not looking. St Patricks Day biscuits We tried a new gingerbread dough for these biscuits – Gingerbread cookie dough from Cake & Biscuits. This was really cheap and it showed, difficult to roll without crumbling, it cut badly, tearing every time I tried to lift the shapes from the floured board…
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No, I haven’t gone mad – yet. Choo choo is all I hear ALL. DAY. LONG. I’m not sure when it happened but my son is obsessed with trains. It’s the one constant in our day. He may not want breakfast, he may fight a nappy change, he might not let me wipe his runny nose, but we will play trains. We were lucky to be given a Brio train set last year. We weren’t sure when he would be ready for it so saved it until the summer. He understood it straight away and none of us ever looked…
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I was so very excited when I was asked to join the Tots100 Film Club, When we received our first email inviting us to pick our first family film I chose the Green Lantern on Blu-Ray. Ryan Reynolds in a tight lycra green suit – what’s not to love? But this should be a *serious film review* so first let me tell you the facts. Green Lantern is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and was released in 2011. Green Lantern tells the story of a test pilot (Hal Jordan played by Ryan Reynolds) who is selected…
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I love it when a classic storybook character is brought to life which is why we’re very happy that the iconic white bunny, Miffy, is the star of a new iPad app. Miffy was created by Dutch illustrator, Dick Bruna, nearly 60 years ago and the App offers a great new way for parents with young children to share the delights of this classic storybook character. Miffy’s garden app The App features Miffy’s Garden based on the story by Dick Bruna , and brings to life the story of when Miffy first discovers the joys of gardening with her parents.…
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Toys Naturally is a lovely online shop which prides itself on stocking a range of ethically minded, beautifully crafted open ended wooden toys. The aim is to be sensitive to children, to nurture and develop their growing minds to their fullest potential, to be intelligent, creative, robust and happy. Above all, Toys Naturally goodies aim to be enjoyable, FUN and appealing to both child and parent. Toys Naturally have offered readers of the gingerbread house the chance to win a Miracle Pounding Toy – perfect for inquisitive toddlers like mine! Gross motor skills and hand eye co-ordination develop exponentially when…
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I love washi tape. If you haven’t heard of it before it’s a style of paper that was first made in Japan. Now it’s used to describe pretty sticky tape. It has a multitude of uses from wrapping gifts, sealing envelopes and sticking up my favourite recipes on my kitchen cupboards! Until recently I’ve been using some really pretty washi tape which I picked up at Cath Kidston. However it was ridiculously expensive so I made my own. You will need: double-sided sticky tape, scissors, fabric, an old cotton reel. Simply roll the tape along your fabric and cut…
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It’s been a while but I couldn’t resist this wooden abacus in my local charity shop. They must be quite common as after buying it I saw another one in a different shop. Big Brother won’t be using it just yet but I like to think (everything crossed) that it’s robust enough to withstand his full force. He seems to be going through a ‘stage’ where he’s a little, dare I say, manic. He’s 2 next month and not afraid to let me know he has his own opinions, regarding the clothes he wears, the food he eats, the toys…