• Minecraft books to help you through the Summer holidays
    book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    Minecraft books to help you through the Summer holidays

    July 19, 2017 - By 

    My 7 year old loves Minecraft. It was the first computer game he played and he still plays it today. This is usually a reward for doing his homework and helping around the house. He likes nothing better than playing it with his Dad. I have to be honest and admit to not knowing how to play. My 5 year old plays too but my 7 year old has Minecraft books, toys and even clothes. It’s fair to say he is a huge fan. Minecraft Master Builder Toolkit We have received a few Minecraft books so I thought I would…

  • This is Not a Fairy Tale book review
    book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    This is Not a Fairy Tale book review

    July 13, 2017 - By 

    As I went up to see my daughter for the umpteenth time last night I realised how quickly she is growing up. Despite school, a playdate, a karate lesson and shower she was NOT tired. We asked her to lie down in bed for 10 minutes before she got up to play. I let her play for a while before going back up to ask her to go to bed. This was at 9.30pm! She’s only 5 years old! It’s fair to say she knows her own mind, which is why I knew she would enjoy This is Not a…

  • Win a Lottie Dolls sticker and fiction book
    book review - competition

    Win a Lottie Dolls sticker and fiction book

    July 11, 2017 - By 

    Have you heard of the award winning Lottie Dolls? Lottie, Finn and Friends are inspired by real kids. Arklu believes that childhood should be an inclusive place where every child belongs regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability, and aim to reflect that in their collection. Lottie Dolls aim to empower young minds through play. The dolls are ethnically diverse, age-appropriate, and are based on the scientific proportions of a nine-year old child. They look and act how a real child would. Lottie Dolls books from Penguin Random House Children’s Lottie Dolls have been around since 2010 and they have recently teamed…

  • Win with HarperCollins Summer Reads Book Tour!
    book review - competition - crafts

    Win with HarperCollins Summer Reads Book Tour!

    July 6, 2017 - By 

    You can’t beat a big old pile of books to read, especially with the Summer holidays coming up. We love reading all year around but we make a special effort to keep up with our reading so we don’t fall victim to that infamous Summer slide. Both my children love books so we’re so excited to have teamed up with HarperCollins Children’s for an awesome Summer Reads giveaway! Follow #HCSummerReads this July for reviews, activities, exclusive interviews and awesome prizes! HarperCollins Summer Reads Book Tour! HarperCollins Children’s sent us an awesome pile of books which my children were so excited to…

  • book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    The Creative Family Manifesto by Amanda Blake Soule

    July 4, 2017 - By 

    Amanda Blake Soule was one of the first bloggers I discovered and enjoyed reading back in 2005 (when I first started my own blog too!). She is a mother of five, blog and book writer, magazine editor, and maker of all kinds of things. On her blog, Soulemama, she shares tales of her family homesteading adventures from her old farmhouse in Western Maine. She is the author of three books: The Creative Family, Handmade Home, and The Rhythm of Family. I have the first two and I admit they have influenced how I play with my own children. So I…

  • book review - homestyle - What I'm reading

    Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore

    July 2, 2017 - By 

    I love reading! I love discovering new authors and losing myself in a really good book. Regular readers will know that I’ve been a fan of NetGalley for a while. I’ve read some great books via NetGalley and when I saw the cover for Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore I just knew I wanted to read it. It landed on my Kindle and I read it in just a few days, I absolutely loved it! Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore When a bookshop patron commits suicide, it’s his favourite store clerk who must unravel the puzzle he left behind…

  • Win Diary of a Wimpy Kid books
    book review - competition - parenting

    Win Diary of a Wimpy Kid books

    June 20, 2017 - By 

    A few weeks ago we went to a screening of the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kids film. It’s a great family film and really encouraged my 7 year old to start reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney This is the book that inspired the 20th Century Fox film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul. A family road trip is supposed to be a lot of fun … unless, of course, you’re the Heffleys. The journey starts off full of promise, then quickly takes several…

  • 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…

  • Doodle Cat is Bored book cover
    book review - competition

    Win a copy of Doodle Cat is Bored

    June 8, 2017 - By 

    Doodle Cat is back and he is very bored. Until he finds a thing! But what is this thing and what does it do? Following on from their award-winning debut picture book I Am Doodle Cat, British writer Kat Patrick and Kiwi illustrator Lauren Marriott, have created another hilarious tale featuring the irreverent bright red cat who loves just about everything. Bursting with imagination and fun, Doodle Cat returns to remind us to be curious, creative and to explore every option. Doodle Cat is Bored is published today, June 8. Full of silliness and magic, it is a hardback book just purrrrfect for…