My children are really enjoying the mini-heatwave we’re currently experiencing. I have to admit that my fair English skin is struggling but with two kids full of energy we are making the most of the good weather by getting out and about. Our family calendar is booked with play dates, picnics and parties which is lovely. Great days out with Capri-Sun Original 50% Less Sugar I’m pretty good at packing a picnic for family days out now. At the weekend we visited Paradise Wildlife Park and with the temperatures soaring I had to make sure to pack plenty of drinks.…
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Mayim Bialik, star of The Big Bang Theory and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Girling Up: How to be Strong, Smart and Spectacular, is turning her attention to teen boys in a new book about the science, pressures, and pitfalls of growing up male in today’s world. In BOYING UP: How to be Brave, Bold and Brilliant, Mayim Bialik uses scientific information from her life as a neuroscientist along with personal anecdotes as a mother of two boys to explain what it means to grow from a boy to a man biologically, psychologically, and sociologically. BOYING UP: How to be Brave, Bold and…
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As I said in a previous post, I’m always looking for ways to save money. If you google the cost of raising a child in the UK, the figure that you get is an incredibly scary £230,000. OK, that’s to the age of twenty-one and it does include the cost of sending them to university, but even so, how do any of us ever manage to do it? No wonder that money is always tight. It makes you realise just how important it is to protect your family financially, so here are my suggestions for making your money go as…
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I’ve been pretty emotional lately, realising that my children are growing up so quickly right in front of my eyes. Last week they were going through their toy boxes and decided to give away so many of their toys they loved when they were younger. I’m not ready for them to be growing up so quickly and really wish I could slow down time. It’s funny that those baby magazines I used to obsessively read before I started my maternity leave were full of pregnancy and baby advice. They never seemed to mentioned that babies would grow into toddlers, be…
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If you’re a parent then you’re probably familiar with Smyths. It’s a huge toy store and we regularly visit our local one as they have a great selection of toys. Whereas me and my husband are happy to shop online it’s no surprise that my children love to visit an actual toy shop. Nothing beats the excitement of walking down an aisle stuffed with the latest toys and choosing a toy to buy. Everything you need with Smyths 2018 Baby Catalogue I find Smyths toys a great experience. They’re big, with wide aisles and it’s easy to find everything. I’m excited…
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We’ve enjoyed a few long car journeys over the summer holidays. As my children have got older they need different things to keep them busy. Gone are the days of a dummy and a cuddly toy. Now my 6 and 7 year olds demand iPads and endless snacks. We’ve always said they can only have screen time in moderation so we balance the use of iPads with other things. With half term in sight I thought it was a good time to pull together my 7 travel essentials for car journeys with kids. 7 travel essentials for car journeys with kids…
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With Valentine’s Day now just 2 weeks away my thoughts have been turning to how to mark the occasion. I’m not a huge fan of overly commercialised days. Instead my husband and I try to make time for each other through the month, rather than go all out on one day each year. We’re huge Netflix fans round here. Lack of a baby sitter means we often watch a film when the children have gone to bed. Sometimes it’s good to plan something which doesn’t revolve around a screen though, so I thought I’d share 5 creative date night ideas…
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Every year my mum organises for the children to receive the NSPCC Letters from Father Christmas. These are sweet personalised letters, and the money goes to a great charity. This year she was super organised and the letters arrived before we had written ours! So yesterday I sat the children down to write their letters to Father Christmas. Writing letters to Father Christmas I would love to tell you I was super organised but I’m not. I had to do a quick search on Pinterest to find a suitable free printable. I really wanted one which included “something I want,…
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My children are so excited for Christmas. I feel a huge amount of responsibility to make it truly magical for them, without making them into spoilt children along the way. I thought this year might be the year that my son discovered that Father Christmas wasn’t real. Thankfully he is still a 100% believer and has been so excited to come downstairs every day, open his Advent calendars and see where our naughty Elf has moved to. Of course Christmas can be magical whether you believe in Father Christmas or not. Christmas is my most favourite time of the year,…