• Blogger Board Game Club - Family Life

    Blogger Board Game Club: Cortex Challenge

    We love being part of Asmodee’s Blogger Board Game Club and were delighted to receive Cortex Challenge to review. It seems a long time ago since half term when we reviewed Dice Academy, so much has changed since then! We were so pleased to have a new game to add to our collection and Cortex Challenge has been a huge hit with the whole family. Cortex Challenge game review Challenge your brain in a fun game that tests your thinking, memory and speed skills! Compete with other players in 8 different challenges which will make you use all your brain power:…

  • Family Life

    Making plans to travel again

    Disclosure – this is a collaborative post Did you have plans to travel this year? We’re always a bit last minute so hadn’t thought further than February half term. Luckily we had a lovely few days in an Airbnb (which I hope to write more about at some point). With any travel plans on hold for the next few months, now is the time to start making our dream wish list for when life returns to normal. Making plans to travel again For the past two years we’ve visited Duinrell in The Netherlands. The first time we booked with Eurocamp,…

  • Family Life

    How to make the most of a small garden

    Disclosure – this is a collaborative post with Brabantia. Top of our list when we moved to our current house was a garden. With two active children we knew we wanted plenty of space for them to run around, as well as somewhere for us to sit and relax. The garden we ended up with was a lot smaller than we wanted but we decided to compromise on it as the house was in a great location. Over the years we’ve made a few adjustments so I thought I would share my tips on how to make the most of…

  • Family Life - screen-free activities

    Positively puzzling with Ravensburger’s Dog’s Delight

    If you’re looking for a screen-free activity to keep the kids busy then look no further than a jigsaw puzzle. We’ve always enjoyed an activity that the whole family can enjoy together and puzzles tick all the boxes for us. The dining room table is the heart of our home and the perfect place to sit and puzzle. The history of the jigsaw puzzle Did you know that John Spilsbury, an engraver and mapmaker, is credited with inventing the first jigsaw puzzle in 1767? He used a map, and since then, pretty much anything has been made into a puzzle,…

  • Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List {Week 283}

    I love to start the week by writing the Monday Happy List. It’s a chance for me to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures – it’s a post I love to write. Monday Happy List {Week 283} The last week has been pretty crazy. It’s been hard to hide from the news as it’s all anyone has been talking about. My husband’s office has been closed for the foreseeable future and we’re waiting to hear when the school I work at will…

  • Family Life

    How to Design a Minimalist Bathroom

    Your bathroom is one of the most used spaces in your home. In fact, The Huffington Post reveals that British homeowners spend around three hours of their week inside their bathrooms, which is more time than one would typically spend exercising in the gym. This is why it’s important to make sure that your bathroom is a space where you can relax. But how do you go about doing this? How to Design a Minimalist Bathroom While the saying “less is more” is a rather worn-out cliché, there may be some truth to it after all. The BBC discusses how…

  • Family Life

    10 ways to encourage kids to wash their hands

    We all know that good hand hygiene is important to encourage in our children. My children needs plenty of gentle encouragement to wash their hands when they come home from school or before meal times. Of course it’s important for everyone to keep their hands clean to prevent spreading germs, especially at times of seasonal outbreaks. How to you encourage your children to stop spreading germs We’ve been following the NHS guidelines for the last few weeks. These include: Wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds Always wash your hands when…

  • Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List {Week 282}

    I love to start the week by writing the Monday Happy List. It’s a chance for me to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures – it’s a post I love to write. Monday Happy List {Week 282} As a family of book worms we just love World Book Day. This year the children took their favourite non-fiction book to school and we were all relieved they didn’t have to dress up. The Secondary school where I work held a scavenger hunt for…

  • baking - Family Life - gingerbread

    {Recipe} Chewy Gingerbread molasses cookies

    We’ve been baking a lot lately. The whole family love gingerbread and there’s nothing better than some Saturday morning baking, especially if the cookies last all weekend! I really enjoyed making some chewy gingerbread molasses cookies. These make the perfect cookie to go with a hot drink after a long, bracing walk with the family. This recipe makes 24 cookies Chewy Gingerbread molasses cookies ingredients: 3/4 Cup unsalted sweet cream butter, softened 1 Cup light brown sugar 1 large egg 1/4 Cup molasses 2 Cup flour 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground…