• Camping at Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Isle of Wight
    Family Life - Isle of Wight

    Camping at Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Isle of Wight

    August 23, 2019 - By 

    Last weekend we finally got our tent and camping stuff up together and went camping at Parkdean Resorts, Nodes Point, Isle of Wight. We had booked a short weekend break with my sister and her family, and were looking forward to camping again. Camping at Parkdean Resorts Nodes Point Isle of Wight We took the Red Funnel ferry over to the Isle of Wight from Southampton. For us, this is when our journey really begins! It was a quick crossing over to West Cowes and we kept the children busy with a selection of Rubik’s toys. From West Cowes it…

  • Tatty Devine X Craft Council exhibition
    Family Life

    Tatty Devine X Craft Council exhibition

    August 21, 2019 - By 

    I haven’t had much time to myself over the holidays (I really miss my day off whilst the children are on holiday!). Earlier in the holidays I did manage to sneak a trip into London to go and see Misshapes: The Making of Tatty Devine at the Lethaby Gallery. This was a free exhibition which has unfortunately now closed, however it is going on tour around the country so Tatty fans will still be able to see it. Tatty Devine X Craft Council exhibition I’ve been a fan of Tatty Devine for a while and now have a small collection…

  • Summer fun with Rubik's
    Family Life

    Summer fun with Rubik’s toys

    August 21, 2019 - By 

    This summer Rubik’s launched a Summer Scrambles campaign with lots of fun new products. We were kindly gifted a bundle of them including Rubik’s Cage, Rubik’s Edge, Rubik’s Orbit, Rubik’s Block, Rubik’s Match and Rubik’s 3×3. We’ve always had the classic Rubik’s cube which my husband learned how to solve (with a bit of help from the website!) so I was keen to show him the new products. Summer fun with Rubik’s toys We’ve had a busy Summer holidays with plenty of trips at home and in Europe, so I always pack a few toys to keep them busy. I…

  • Rumple Buttercrump by Matthew Gray Gubler
    competition - Family Life

    Win a copy of Rumple Buttercrump by Matthew Gray Gubler

    August 16, 2019 - By 

    We’ve been sent some wonderful books to review recently (I have built up quite a stash that I need to go through!). Today I wanted to share a giveaway for a lovely children’s book. It’s a story of bananas, belonging, and being yourself. A charming and inspiring story, written and illustrated by Criminal Minds actor, Matthew Gray Gubler. Rumple Buttercrump by Matthew Gray Gubler “Year after year with his eyes shut tight he would feel the breeze of the changing seasons.” Rumple Buttercup has five crooked teeth, three strands of hair, green skin, and his left foot is slightly bigger…

  • Back to school with the Maped Picnik range
    Family Life - Maped Helix Blogger Ambassador

    Back to school with the Maped Picnik range

    August 16, 2019 - By 

    So the weather forecast is pretty dire today so we’re going to go school shoe shopping. This is probably my least favourite thing to do as a parent as my children’s feet are always growing. School shoes are really expensive but I know it’s important to get good quality shoes that fit properly so I know we’ll go to Clarks on the High Street. Back to school with the Maped Picnik range Fortunately I only have a few things to pick up before school starts (and I’m really glad we still have 2 weeks left of the summer holidays to…

  • Juno the Penguin at London Aquarium
    days out - Family Life - Local Review - London - London Borough of Westminster

    A trip to SEA LIFE London Aquarium with kids

    August 15, 2019 - By 

    I do love a day in London with my kids. We all love exploring our city and London has so much to offer families, especially in the Summer months. Today we were gifted tickets to SEA LIFE London Aquarium on the South Bank in Central London. We hopped on the Underground and soon emerged at Westminster station so we could enjoy a walk over Westminster Bridge in the sunshine. A trip to SEA LIFE London Aquarium with kids It’s been a while since our last visit to SEA LIFE London Aquarium. I had a quick look through my old blog…

  • You Can Code book cover
    Family Life - STEM activity

    You Can Code {book review}

    August 14, 2019 - By 

    My 9 year old really enjoys coding and wants to be a computer game designer when he’s older. I think he would enjoy school more if he had more IT lessons as these are definitely a favourite subject! Last year he signed up to a Coding Club at our local library and we’ve been trying to encourage him to learn more in his spare time. You Can Code: Make your own games, apps and more in Scratch and Python A few weeks ago we were gifted a copy of You Can Code by Kevin Pettman. This is a straightforward guide,…

  • girl on Wassenaar beach
    Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Summer Holidays Edit {Week 253}

    August 12, 2019 - By 

    I love to start the week by writing Five Happy Things. 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 always enjoy writing. We spent last week exploring the Netherlands and Belgium. The weather was amazing and we packed so much into our holiday. Now we’re back home and I have piles of washing and bags to unpack! Five Happy Things {Week 253} We spent Monday exploring Rotterdam which was only 45 minutes from…

  • celebrating World Calligraphy Day
    competition - Family Life

    The art of calligraphy and celebrating World Calligraphy Day

    August 7, 2019 - By 

    Did you know that on the 14th August World Calligraphy Day is celebrated? I didn’t know there was a special day to celebrate calligraphy but I love the sound of it! apparently World Calligraphy Day was started by the Pen Museum in 2017 to celebrate the art of calligraphy and hand lettering. Have you heard of calligraphy before? It’s a visual art of decorative handwriting or handwritten lettering. I was lucky enough to try modern calligraphy with Quill London a few years ago. I also reviewed a fab book called Nib & Ink which is a great workbook if you…