• DK ProduKtions and London Borough of Hillingdon presents Dick Whittington 2016
    Christmas - Family Life - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    Boxing Day panto – Dick Whittington {Compass Theatre}

    December 26, 2016 - By 

    Last Christmas we went to the pantomime with some friends which we all really enjoyed. It’s nice to get out of the house on Boxing Day and if it’s too cold for a walk then the panto seems like the next best thing. This year I was organised and booked us all tickets to see Dick Whittington at the Compass Theatre in Ickenham. According to Wikipedia pantomime (informally panto), is a type of musical comedy stage production, designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is still performed throughout the United Kingdom, generally during the Christmas and New…

  • FrubesMoves Challenge
    Family Life - parenting

    Breakfast grooves with Angry Birds Frubes

    October 22, 2016 - By 

    Have you seen The Angry Birds Movie? In it you finally find out why the birds are so angry… The movie takes you to an island populated entirely by happy, flightless birds – or almost entirely. In this paradise, Red, a bird with a temper problem, speedy Chuck, and the volatile Bomb have always been outsiders. But when the island is visited by mysterious green piggies, it’s up to these unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to. We watched the movie earlier this Summer and my children have had their favourite characters ever since. This has…

  • outdoor adventures
    Family Life - holidays - homestyle

    Reaching for the tree tops {Center Parcs treehouse adventure}

    August 9, 2016 - By 

    With the school holidays in full swing I can say that we are coping – just 🙂 My husband is still recovering from his abdominal surgery which means we probably won’t be having another holiday this year. Fortunately we live in London so are spoilt for things to do right on our doorstep. It doesn’t stop me day dreaming though, and I’ve found a magical place I would love to go – to a luxury treehouse in the middle of nowhere. We’ve already had a brief glimpse of all that Center Parcs has to offer when we visited the Festival…

  • Max from The Secret Life of Pets
    days out - Family Life - film review

    The Secret Life of Pets film review

    June 22, 2016 - By 

    At the weekend we were fortunate to be invited by Petplan and Universal Pictures to attend a film screening of The Secret Life of Pets. The film is a comedy all about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day and is released on Friday 24th June. Before the screening there were lots of activities in the foyer including from animal petting, making your own animal ears, and a photo booth. Unfortunately the queues were really long so we opted for the shortest queue – getting your own (human) dog tags. This kept my children…

  • vintage fisher price buildings jigsaw
    Family Life - homestyle

    Saving Space In A Forever Growing Home

    April 12, 2016 - By 

    Perhaps you once had a home all to yourself, that you filled purely with your belongings and then you moved in with your partner and you had to make space for their stuff too. Eventually you start having kids and suddenly there is one, two or maybe even more individuals you have to make space for in your house. Sound familiar? You could of course, move to a bigger house. But with the ever-growing property prices alongside the increasingly expensive costs of living, this isn’t always an option. But, fear not, because there are ways to save space in your…

  • baking - days out - Easter - Family Life - Kids crafts

    Getting ready for Easter with Matalan

    March 12, 2016 - By 

    The children enjoy Easter almost as much as Christmas and we love to make Easter cards and decorations, bake Easter treats and go on an Easter egg hunt. This year Matalan kindly sent us a big basket full of their Easter range to show you. Over the last few days we have been busy trying everything out. I usually pop into Matalan to buy clothes for the children. They are always great quality and wear well. I seem to have missed a trick though as I didn’t realise they sell so many other things! The children have already made their…

  • days out - Family Life - London

    A day at London Zoo with YouTube Kids

    December 2, 2015 - By 

    A couple of weeks ago we were invited to spend the day at ZSL London Zoo thanks to YouTube Kids. Now we love the Zoo so it was easy to say yes and we got to London Zoo nice and early so we could visit our favourite animals. Soon it was time to meet everyone at YouTubeKids. We went to a dedicated party room, filled with games, toys, crafts and tablets where we could find out more about YouTube Kids. It is an App which has recently launched in the UK and Ireland, built with parents and children in mind that makes…

  • Cooking - Family Life - Handmade gifts - Tech!

    Messy fun in the kitchen

    December 27, 2014 - By 

    I think one word can pretty much sum up our Christmas – food! After a lovely few days it’s quite nice to emerge out the other side from a family Christmas. We had a traditional family Christmas and the days passed in a blur of baking, crafting, eating, and playing with presents. I don’t think I’ve ever made so many Lego sets in 48 hours! As I said we’re always follow the same Christmas traditions. Every year we enjoy the same meals through Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. We even make the same snacks too, such as homemade…

  • Family Life - playing - toy review

    A classic tale brought to life

    May 7, 2014 - By 

    I was delighted to tune in to CBeebies recently and see the Peter Rabbit animated series. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is one of the first books I remember from my childhood. The stories of Peter Rabbit and his friends are timeless and I think they have translated really well into a programme that my children love to sit and watch. My sister and I had a library of Beatrix Potter books when we were little and I’ve been buying them for my own children whenever I see them in charity shops. There’s something very comforting about reading these simple stories…