• Celebrating Elderflower season with Belvoir
    baking - days out - London

    Celebrating Elderflower season with Belvoir

    May 31, 2017 - By 

    I’m so excited for the start of June tomorrow. May has been a great month but I can’t wait for more sunshine – mainly so the kids can play out more! Did you know that the beginning of June also marks the traditional start of summer when the Elderflower bursts into flower in our English hedgerows? Baking Madeleine Hot Air Balloons with Lisa Faulkner Elderflower sums up Summer perfectly for me. We had an Elderflower tree in the garden of our old house and every year my husband promised to try making our own cordial. We never did get round to…

  • The Diary of a Wimpy Kid screening with Joules Clothing
    days out - film review - London - parenting

    The Diary of a Wimpy Kid screening with Joules Clothing

    May 30, 2017 - By 

    Today we were invited by Joules Clothing to attend a screening of the latest film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, at 20th Century Fox. I’d heard of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series of fiction books, written by the American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. All the main books are the journals of the main character, Greg Heffley. We haven’t read any of the books or watched the previous films but were excited to see the film based on the trailer, which we all thought was funny. We had a lovely afternoon in London before the…

  • Smyths-Toy-Store-party-event-2017
    days out - Local Review - London

    Join the Smyths Toys Superstores party {May 27th}

    May 19, 2017 - By 

    If you’re looking for a fun event for the kids this half term then I have found the perfect event to kick start it. Smyths Toys Superstores are throwing a party and everyone is invited! All of their stores across the UK and NI will be hosting a party in-store that will be bigger and better than ever and it’s taking place on Saturday May 27th from 9am-2pm. Join in the fun in your local Smyths Toys Superstores and collect your FREE goodie bag* which will contain FREE giveaways from your favourites including Play-Doh, My Little Pony and LEGO! There…

  • Dog's Trust Harefield
    days out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    A visit to the Dog’s Trust Harefield {exploring the local area}

    May 13, 2017 - By 

    Living on the outskirts of London we’re lucky to have so much on our doorstep. A quick hop on the tube gets us into London, or we can take off in the car to the country. We’ve mused about having a dog for a few years now but it just doesn’t seem practical. So instead we visit the Dog’s Trust Harefield, which is only about 10 minutes away. The Dog’s Trust Harefield is an animal centre belonging to the Dog’s Trust, the UK’s largest dog welfare charity which aims to help abandoned dogs. Their Harefield Centre is one of 20 re-homing…

  • Cafe Rouge Spring menu review
    eating out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London - parenting - Ruislip

    Enjoying the new Spring menu at Cafe Rouge

    May 7, 2017 - By 

    We have a lovely Cafe Rouge on our local hight street. It’s in a beautiful old building – for some reason this always ticks all my boxes when I’m eating out – and I love to eat local. We were invited along to try the new Spring menu at Cafe Rouge so yesterday, after a day of gardening and relaxing at home, we went along to try it out for ourselves. We’ve been to Cafe Rouge quite a few times now. It’s our go-to place when we have family and friends round as we know there’s always something on the…

  • A visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor
    days out - Hertfordshire - Local Review - London - parenting

    A visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor {exploring the local area}

    April 29, 2017 - By 

    As a stay at home mum I have plenty of free time to help at my children’s school. This is something I love to do. Every week I listen to children read for a couple of hours and I’ve helped on a few school trips too. Last term I was lucky to visit Bhaktivedanta Manor with my son and his year group. Their topic was religion and we had previously visited the local Church of England Church. A visit to Bhaktivedanta Manor Bhaktivedanta Manor is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple, just outside Watford. The Manor is owned and run by the International Society for…

  • things to do in London in 2017
    days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    7 things to do in London in 2017

    April 18, 2017 - By 

    I can’t lie. A small part of me was glad that the children returned to school and the husband to work this morning. I really enjoyed our Easter holidays but the days were just so busy and sociable. I missed my quiet time. We’re not blessed with any family anywhere near us so it’s pretty hard to do anything as a couple. For the last 7 years we’ve been a family and I love our family days out. But occasionally we remember our child-free days of going out after work, lazy weekend lunches and the hottest tickets for the latest…

  • Eastcote House Gardens
    days out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London - parenting

    Eastcote House Gardens {exploring the local area}

    April 13, 2017 - By 

    We’ve now lived in our present house for 4 years. The time has gone so quickly but we’re still discovering local places. I thought it would be fun to write about some of favourite places, and record the new ones we discover too. As the weather is getting warmer we’re so excited to get out and about more. Eastcote House Gardens Eastcote House Gardens is actually one of the first places we visited when we first moved to the area. It’s a large public park, formerly the site of Eastcote House. The house was demolished in the 1960s, leaving a…

  • days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    PAW Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue comes to the UK this summer

    April 12, 2017 - By 

    If you have little ones then you’re going to want to know about PAW Patrol Live! “Race to the rescue” which has just announced the 2017 UK tour calendar. Oh yes, the UK’s favourite pups star in a heroic musical adventure coming to the UK this summer. My children adore PAW Patrol so we’re so excited to go and see our first live show! PAW Patrol Live! “Race to the Rescue” shows that “No job is too big, no pup is too small!” and shares lessons for all ages about community, social skills and problem solving as the characters each use their…