• An Easter Egg Hunt at NT Compton Castle
    Devon - Family Life

    An Easter Egg Hunt at NT Compton Castle

    April 19, 2019 - By 

    It doesn’t seem to be the Easter holidays unless we visit a NT property and take part in an Easter Egg Hunt. This year we found ourselves near to Compton Castle in Devon. As the property is still lived in the opening hours are limited. Luckily we managed to visit on a day it was open and were delighted to find they were running a Cadbury’s Easter Egg Hunt for the children. NT Compton Castle Compton Castle calls itself a fortified manor house but it is so much more than that! Nestled amongst the hills of south Devon you suddenly…

  • Alternative Easter gift guide for kids
    competition - Family Life - Gift guide

    Alternative Easter gift guide for kids {giveaway}

    April 17, 2019 - By 

    As much as I love Easter I really don’t want to give my children endless chocolate eggs. A few years ago we started our own Easter tradition of giving a small gift alongside a chocolate egg. This way they get to pick a yummy edible treat but enjoy something that will last a little longer too. An ‘alternative Easter gift guide’ It seems we are not the only parents to think like this as we have received some lovely toys to tell you about which would make great alternative Easter gifts. Earlier this month we told you about the Beaker…

  • An Easter egg hunt with Smash Eggs and Dinosaurs
    Family Life

    An Easter egg hunt with Smash Eggs and Dinosaurs! {Smashers Series 3: Dino}

    April 16, 2019 - By 

    If you have a little lady who just loves Easter and dinosaurs then you may wonder how you can combine the two this Easter. Luckily Smashers Series 3 have just been launched with perfect timing for Easter. Each Smasher egg is shaped like an egg and contains a collectible dino! Last year we had so much fun unboxing the new Smashers from Zuru. The first series featured a sports-themed collectible toy. They came in a red Smashball which you smashed to reveal the collectible toy inside. Smashers Series 2 launched just in time for Halloween. Each Smashball was decorated to…

  • Where is Peter Rabbit? cast
    Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy Things {Week 236}

    April 15, 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. Five Happy Things {Week 236} We were all ready for the Easter holidays. We spent last week at home and enjoyed lots of days out. On Tuesday we went into London, spending some time exploring Hamley’s which my children loved, before heading to the Theatre Royal Haymarket for the press performance…

  • Oops Scoops game review
    Family Life

    Oops Scoops game review

    April 11, 2019 - By 

    We were recently sent a brand new game to try out at home. Called Oops Scoops it looked colourful and fun and I was looking forward to trying it with my children. Oops Scoops game review So what was inside the box? Why not take a look at our unboxing video to find out!  As you can see the game included a vibrating ice cream cone, 12 coloured ice cream scoops, 2 difficulty level base scoops, a scoop with built in spinner and a cone stand. You will need 2 x AAA batteries before you start. The idea of…

  • Beaker Creatures
    competition - Family Life - STEM activity

    Beaker Creatures Reactor Pod review and giveaway

    April 10, 2019 - By 

    With the Easter holidays in full swing we have been having so much fun with playdates and trips to London. The weather has been pretty terrible so I was delighted to introduce my children to the new Beaker Creatures, an exciting new range of science-themed collectibles, from Learning Resources. They have recently landed, and come to Earth in search of science adventures. Beaker Creatures Reactor Pod After travelling through space in their Reactor Pods from their tiny distant planets, Beaker Creatures uniquely combine the thrill of collecting with hands-on science experiments, building skills and sparking curiosity! By dissolving the Reactor Pods,…

  • freak storm in London
    Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy Things {Week 235}

    April 8, 2019 - By 

    We made it to the Easter holidays! I am so happy to have 2 weeks off school to spend with my children. I have planned lots of activities to keep them busy and we are going into London to watch the London premiere of Where is Peter Rabbit?, a Beatrix Potter musical adventure with puppets! 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…

  • Alternative Easter gifts for kids Easter baskets
    Family Life - Gift guide

    Alternative Easter gifts for kids’ Easter baskets

    April 4, 2019 - By 

    I’m so excited that we only have a few days left until the Easter holidays start. I always enjoy shopping for Easter gifts for my family. Every year I try and put an Easter basket together for my children. I’ve already bought the chocolate gifts but like to add a few alternative Easter gifts too, just to balance out all the chocolate. There are some lovely items around and some which have caught my eye include Cutetito’s, the Little Lucky Lunchbox range and the brand new My Little Pony Retro. Alternative Easter gifts for kids Easter baskets Cutetitos There’s nothing…

  • Family Life

    Which mobile apps can help keep kids safe?

    April 3, 2019 - By 

    Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash While a true helicopter parent would have no qualms about taking their child’s smartphone each evening to check up on their activity, most of us realise that this is a clear breach of trust and not a good way to deal with things. Not only will it build barriers between ourselves and our kids, you probably won’t get the full picture anyway. Ofcom research shows that 46% of 12 to 15 year olds know how to delete their browsing history, and more than a quarter have done so in the past. Around a third (36%) know how…