• days out - Local Review - parenting - Somerset

    Haynes International Motor Museum {day out with kids}

    We visit Wiltshire quite a few times a year as my mum lives there. It can be difficult to find time for days out but over the last few years we’ve visited Westbury Manor as well as Bratton Camp and the Westbury White Horse. Today we visited the Haynes International Motor Museum with the children (aged 5 and 7). It’s based in Sparkford, near Yeovil in Somerset, and we’ve driven past a few times, always meaning to stop. If you’re looking for something to do with children on the Somerset/Wiltshire border then this makes a great day out. Haynes International Motor Museum…

  • days out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London - parenting

    Eastcote House Gardens {exploring the local area}

    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…

  • Easter - parenting

    How to hold an Easter Egg Hunt at home {with a little help from Cadbury}

    Did you know a whopping 255,000 Cadbury Easter Eggs are made at the Bournville factory every day? That’s 10,625 Cadbury Easter Eggs made per hour… and 177 per minute! I’m sure that’s something my children would love to see as they just can’t get enough Easter eggs at this time of year. In fact it’s safe to say that Easter is their second favourite holiday after Christmas. I love Easter too and a few days ago I gave them an Easter crate full of crafts and activities to keep them busy over the Easter holidays. How to hold an Easter Egg…

  • days out - Local Review - London - parenting

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

    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…

  • parenting - playing - toy review

    Schleich Showjumper with Horse

    The children have been enjoying some much needed downtime recently and playing with all their toys. They were delighted to add to their Schleich collection with the Show jumper with Horse set. Schleich are brilliant quality and my children never have any trouble recognising the animals. This fun set includes 1x Hanoverian Mare, 1x rider, 1x saddle, 1x reins and bridle. Schleich figures are perfect for encouraging imaginative play and children’s imaginations are instantly inspired by these realistic animals. We love the fact there is always a little story with the figures or sets: This showjumper has long harboured a…

  • Easter - parenting - toy review

    L.O.L. Surprise! Easter hunt

    My children love an Easter Egg hunt. A little bit of me blames those YouTube videos I keep finding them watching. They would spend hours watching other children unboxing very large eggs if they could. However, this love of unboxing videos meant I didn’t hesitate when offered our very own L.O.L. Surprise! Easter hunt. Little Sis loves her dolls and the L.O.L. Surprise is just her thing. L.O.L. Surprise is a collectible doll with mix and match accessories. The clever part is that they come in a round ball which contains 7 layers of surprise inside! Oh yes, and L.O.L. Surprise stands for…

  • parenting - Tech! - toy review

    YO-KAI WATCH 2: Bony Spirits review

    Do your children love anything YO-KAI WATCH? In case you haven’t heard it’s a role-playing video game which has branched into more games, manga, anime, music and merchandise. The games are based around a male or female character and in it you explore Springdale, meet new and familiar Yo-Kai and all the curious occurrences. My children love their Nintendo and were excited to receive a copy of the sequel to the hugely popular Yo-Kai Watch – YO-KAI WATCH 2: Bony Spirits to play. I’m a huge fan of the Nintendo 3DS which we have. It’s small and compact and its perfectly…

  • days out - Local Review - London - parenting

    Introducing children to opera {Silver Electra by the ETO}

    With our Easter holiday in full swing, today I had a real treat for my children, tickets for Silver Electra by the English Touring Opera. The performance was taking place at Wilton’s Music Hall in London, the oldest grand music hall in the world. Silver Electra by the English Touring Opera Silver Electra is a show written for children and is suitable for the whole family, reimagining the story of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly the Atlantic. My children love watching live performances so I thought they would enjoy trying something new. The English Touring Opera is the leading…

  • days out - parenting

    Free #TennisForKids with the Lawn Tennis Association

    We celebrated the first day of our Easter holidays yesterday with a trip to our local park. It’s a wonderful open space with formal gardens, a play area and tennis courts. My children were looking longingly at the tennis courts as it’s been months since they last played tennis (when we went on our mini-cruise last year). Tennis is a really fun family activity, perfect for all ages and abilities. Free #TennisForKids with the Lawn Tennis Association Luckily for them there are clubs all around the UK which make getting involved in tennis really easy. The Lawn Tennis Association’s #TennisForKids…