• Win a Warner Bros. Halloween DVD bundle
    competition - film review - parenting

    Win a Warner Bros. Halloween DVD bundle

    October 22, 2017 - By 

    Yay for half term! We’ve all been looking forward to half term for a while. The weather isn’t great so it’s so easy to stay at home and catch up on some films. I love embracing the seasons and watching seasonal films so have been watching some classic Halloween films from Warner Bros. including Beetlejuice, Corpse Bride, Scooby-Doo Zombie Island and The Witches. Read on to find out just why we like these films and for your chance to win them! Beetlejuice (1988) After Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their country…

  • Win a copy of Ronald the Rhino from Twinkl
    book review - competition - parenting - Twinkl Blogger

    Win a copy of Ronald the Rhino from Twinkl

    October 20, 2017 - By 

    Have you heard of Twinkl? They provide instant access to a complete range of award-winning teacher-created, engaging and inspiring teaching, planning and assessment materials. These are not just for teachers however, and are also great for parents, childminders and home educators. It’s a great resource and I find a lot of inspiration for learning at home. You can find out more about them here. Earlier this year we reviewed their new ebook, Ronald the Rhino. I’m delighted to say that this is now a proper book and I’m delighted to have a copy to giveaway today. Ronald the Rhino is big and…

  • win a goody bag
    competition - days out - homestyle - London

    The Knitting & Stitching Show London 2017 {goody bag giveaway}

    October 17, 2017 - By 

    On Sunday I enjoyed my annual day out at The Knitting & Stitching Show London. I try and go every year. Not only do I love fabric shopping but I also find Ally Pally a beautiful venue – and just down the road from where I used to live – happy memories. This year I went with a school mum friend and it was a totally different experience but still a lot of fun. If you’ve never been before then The Knitting & Stitching Show London took place between 11th-15th October at Alexandra Palace. If you love crafting then it’s a…

  • book review - competition - parenting

    The Dancing Bear by Michael Morpurgo {review and giveaway}

    October 11, 2017 - By 

    Did you know that World Animal Day was celebrated on October 4th? We love animals so are excited to be participating in a really fun book tour. Michael Morpurgo is one of the UK’s most celebrated authors, having written over 140 books in a career spanning over 40 years. He has won numerous prizes, including The Children’s Book Award for a record fourth time last year for his novel An Eagle in the Snow. Many of his novels have been adapted into stage shows and several of his titles have been made into films, most famously the Steven Spielberg-directed War Horse. Some of Michael’s most…

  • 80 Poems by Roger McGough
    competition - parenting

    Win a copy of 80 Poems by Roger McGough

    October 9, 2017 - By 

    80 sees eighty favourite poems from one of the nation’s best-loved poets. Roger McGough, brought together for the first time in a hugely enjoyable new volume. Poems include The Power of Poets, Apostrophe, Snuggles, Teapet, Trees Are Great and The Rolling Meatball. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always inventive and often unexpected, the enormous variety of poems will never cease to amaze and delight children of all ages. 80 is a wonderful collection, truly with something for everyone, to be enjoyed again and again, read together or independently, at home or in a classroom. Published around National Poetry Day and in…

  • Amazing Creatures book review and giveaway
    competition - crafts

    Amazing Creatures book review and giveaway

    September 27, 2017 - By 

    I’ve always loved adult colouring books and my children do too. We were recently introduced to a lovely book we’ve all been fighting over. Amazing Creatures by Shobhna Patel is a gorgeous colouring book but goes one step further as you can turn your coloured pictures into 3D sculpture artworks. The whole family loves colouring in and Amazing Creatures contains 24 different pages, full of amazing animals, to colour in. Once you have created your finished coloured sheet you can push up the ready cut flaps from behind the page to create simple lift-the-flaps. To add more interest you can also curl the…

  • competition - parenting - STEM activity

    Calling all aspiring inventors! {Young Imagineers competition}

    September 26, 2017 - By 

    Today I wanted to tell you about a new STEM competition, Young Imagineers, which has just been launched by the Science Museum and Statoil, the Norwegian energy company. Aimed at encouraging children’s involvement in the STEM subjects, the Young Imagineers competition asks children, aged 7-14, “What invention would you create to make tomorrow’s world a better place?” Entry is easy. All children need to do to enter is fill in a form on the competition website:  https://youngimagineers.statoil.com/, including a sketch and a short 100 word summary of their idea. The competition is open until 6 October 2017. Statoil has brought…

  • competition

    Win a personalised jigsaw puzzle from Tinyme

    September 24, 2017 - By 

    My poor daughter has one of those special names which are never found on pencils, rubbers, notebooks or magnets. Whenever she sees a giftshop she always looks out for something with her name on – but never finds anything! Her name is beautiful and uncommon but I always feel a little sad for her that she can’t buy stickers or a door hanger with her name on it, unlike her brother. So when Tinyme got in touch and asked us to review their new personalised jigsaw puzzles I jumped at the chance to get one made with her name on. Tinyme…

  • Win tickets to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace
    competition - homestyle - Local Review - London

    Win tickets to the Knitting and Stitching Show London

    September 20, 2017 - By 

    Are you looking for inspiration for your next craft project?  Ticket lines are now open for The Knitting & Stitching Show London which takes place at Alexandra Palace (affectionately known as Ally Pally) from 11th-15th October 2017. This unique show is the biggest event for the UK’s textile art, craft and design community and there is no better place to get great ideas, learn new skills and meet like-minded people.  The show attracts over 30,000 visitors and hosts Textile Galleries by world-leading artists and groups. Headline exhibitions for 2017 are: Units of Possibility – The Reknit Revolution (supported by Rugby…