• visiting the Duck Pond Market
    parenting

    Siblings {July 2017}

    July 16, 2017 - By 

    I’m sure that I’m feeling like most parents right now – enjoying the feeling of life slowing down for the end of term next week. Life reached fever pitch just around the time my son took his Year 2 SATs and since them I have felt him slowly unwind, becoming the lovely happy boy I know him to be. I think it’s safe to say he has done little work at school this half term. Their Leavers Assembly seems to have taken a silly amount of the school day and they’ve had ‘Golden Time’ daily, rather than on the usual…

  • A day at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
    Buckinghamshire - days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    A day at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre Aylesbury {exploring our local area}

    July 15, 2017 - By 

    Earlier this year we enjoyed a day out exploring a little further afield than normal. We all love heritage railways so visited the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Aylesbury. It is a railway museum based at the old Quainton Road railway station, about 5 miles west of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire. The site is divided into two halves which are joined by two foot-bridges. Each side has a demonstration line with various workshop buildings as well as museum buildings. It is a great place to visit with something always going on. When we arrived and bought our tickets we explored the glass-roofed visitor centre which is actually the…

  • PJ Masks Glow In The Dark Jigsaw Puzzle
    parenting - toy review

    PJ Masks Glow In The Dark Jigsaw Puzzle review

    July 13, 2017 - By 

    My children have always enjoyed puzzles showing their favourite characters. PJ Masks has been really popular with my 5 year old (although I don’t think anything will ever beat her love for Paw Patrol!). She was sent the new PJ Masks Glow In The Dark XL 60 Piece Puzzle to try at home. This puzzle is aimed at children aged 4 and up. Who are PJ Masks? Kids love superheroes, so what could be better than becoming a superhero? That’s exactly what happens at night for young friends Connor, Amaya and Greg. When they put on their pyjamas and activate…

  • Sylvanian Families Starry Point Lighthouse review
    Friends of Sylvanian Families - parenting - playing - toy review

    Sylvanian Families Starry Point Lighthouse review

    July 9, 2017 - By 

    If you have a small child who loves a particular type of toy, then chances are you know the toys and any new products in the pipeline. My 5 year old adores Sylvanian Families so I like to know what new products are coming out. So I was excited to read about the new Starry Point Lighthouse, Ballet Theatre and Sky Ride Adventure Sets. The first two feature exciting interactive elements. The Lighthouse comes with three slides so you can project the night sky, fireworks or even the moon onto your child’s ceiling. The Theatre plays music from Swan Lake…

  • The Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp
    days out - holidays - parenting

    The Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp

    July 8, 2017 - By 

    In all the years we’ve been visiting family in Wiltshire I don’t think I’ve ever written about the Westbury White Horse and Bratton Camp. Both are managed by English Heritage and are free to visit. They are open all year round and are our go-to place when we need to burn off some energy. The Westbury White Horse The White Horse is visible from afar and is a famous local landmark. The kids spend most of our journey to Wiltshire looking for it and they always know we are nearly there when they can see it. Local records suggest the…

  • competition - parenting

    Talking about intimate health {£50 Amazon voucher giveaway}

    July 3, 2017 - By 

    I love my children but the one conversation I’m not looking forward to is any of the grown up ones! Both my children are inquisitive little people and I like and encourage that. I always tell them there’s no such thing as a silly question and if I don’t know the answer I can help them find it. However I know that soon my children will enter the period known as the ‘tween’ years, those troublesome pre-teenager years. I know that I will need to be able to equip them with everything they need to know to navigate those awkward…

  • Unboxing Despicable Me 3 plush goodies
    parenting - toy review

    Unboxing Despicable Me 3 plush goodies

    July 2, 2017 - By 

    There has been a lot of chatter here about the latest Despicable Me film which was released on Friday 30th June. Despicable Me 3 is a brilliant family film. We were lucky to attend the premiere in Leicester Square last weekend and we all thoroughly enjoyed the film. The mischievous Minions hope that Gru will return to a life of crime after the new boss of the Anti-Villain League fires him. Instead, Gru decides to remain retired and travel to Freedonia to meet his long-lost twin brother for the first time. The reunited siblings soon find themselves in an uneasy…

  • Mottisfont House and Gardens
    days out - Hampshire - National Trust - parenting

    A day at Mottisfont House and Gardens

    July 1, 2017 - By 

    A few weekends ago we met up with some friends at Mottisfont House and Gardens in Hampshire. Entry was free with our National Trust membership cards and we had a great day out exploring the house and gardens. The weather wasn’t great (ok, it rained on and off all day) but it didn’t stop us from spending an insane amount of time outside. Mottisfont House is a former Augustinian priory set beside the River Test with an amazing park and garden. The park has ancient trees and an eighteenth century summer house. The Lime Walk was designed by Geoffrey Jellicoe…

  • Hanazuki wearable band and treasure
    Hasbro Toy Tribe - parenting - playing - toy review

    Hanazuki wearable band and treasure

    June 29, 2017 - By 

    Both my children adore YouTube so it’s probably no surprise that they are fans of Hasbro’s YouTube series Hanazuki: Full of Treasures. This is a colourful cartoon from Hasbo which is a great way for children to learn about their emotional intelligence. In each episode, the hero Hanazuki uses her emotion-themed abilities to activate magical treasures to save each moon from the dark force called the Big Bad. She has some little guys, knowns as Hemka, to help her. There is also a fun app (available on iOS and Android) which my 5 and 7 year olds have been enjoying. It…