• days out - family - London - parenting

    The Gruffalo Live at The Lyric Theatre

    July 9, 2016 - By 

    This July everyone’s favourite furry monster roars back into the West End in celebration of his 15th anniversary on stage! Tall Stories’ hugely popular production of The Gruffalo first opened on 12 May 2001 – just 18 months after the book was first published. The show returns to the Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London from 6 July and has just extended through to 8 January 2017, forming a huge part of this year’s West End calendar. Based on the much loved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, Tall Stories’ adaptation combines songs, laughter and storytelling theatre with just…

  • getting ready for Great British Tennis Weekend
    days out - family - parenting

    Tennis for all with the Great British Tennis Weekend

    June 28, 2016 - By 

    We are a family who loves watching tennis, especially Wimbledon, so we’re really happy it started this week! You are never too young to pick up a tennis racket, and when we were on the Ventura last week, we seized the opportunity to play tennis on their very own tennis court! Yep, nothing beats a game when you are on the top deck of a cruise ship! My children are 4 and 6 and they may still be developing their hand eye co-ordination, but they loved it. Tennis is a great way of keeping fit and active for all ages…

  • playing small world with Schleich
    family - parenting - playing - toy review - UKMums.TV Preferred Blogger

    Educational Play the Schleich Way

    June 9, 2016 - By 

    My 4 year old loves small world play. She often spends her mornings building small worlds in the tuff spot with her favourite toys. We’ve built up a great collection of Schleich toys and these are perfect for small world play. In fact there is so much play potential with them that Schleich have created a free 16-page brochure which is designed to be a guide to the best in imaginative play and development (link in sidebar). The brochure covers topics such as a balanced play diet, encouraging imagination and early language skills. It also comes with helpful hints and tips…

  • HayMax Kids allergen barrier balm
    competition - family - parenting

    Win HayMax Kids allergen barrier balm

    May 22, 2016 - By 

    What does this time of year mean to your family? To us it means picnics, day trips and lots of fresh air. Unfortunately for my poor 6 year he also has to deal with hay fever which means itchy eyes and a snuffy nose. I’ve never suffered with hay fever but my husband does and was able to recognise his symptoms. I spent a while looking for something to ease his symptoms and have recently been trying out HayMax Kids allergen barrier balm. HayMax Kids allergen barrier balm is a prevention rather than a cure and acts to trap pollen, dust or…

  • Ground control to Major Clanger
    days out - family - London - parenting

    Ground control to Major Clanger

    May 21, 2016 - By 

    My 6 year old loves The Clangers so when I heard that Tiny and Small were making a special appearance at Kings Cross this morning, I knew we would have to go along to meet them. For one morning only we were able to ‘Call the Clangers’ via a pop-up pink knitted London phone box with a phone line straight through to our favourite little blue planet. Infamous UK yarnstormer Deadly Knitshade created a Clangers phone box cosy, and the art installation magically transformed a traditional red London phone box into a fun Clangers experience. Via a special pink phone we were…

  • Mr Kipling Cake Stand
    parenting - playing - toy review

    Tea time with the Mr Kipling Cake Stand

    May 19, 2016 - By 

    I’m lucky that I still have my youngest daughter at home with me in the mornings, for the next couple of months before she heads off to Reception in September. Our mornings are filled with playing, baking, crafting and playdates. Today we baked a batch of daisy cakes, so called because the tops are decorated with cherries and flaked almonds to look like flowers. Whilst they were in the oven my 4 year old got out her Mr Kipling Cake Stand playset. Everyone adores Mr Kipling’s cakes! The Mr Kipling Cake Stand playset from Casdon features replicas of the much-loved cakes…

  • British icons
    family - parenting

    Things which make me proud to be British

    May 18, 2016 - By 

    I love having something to celebrate with the whole family and we’ve been busy celebrating The Queen’s 90th birthday for a few weeks now. Last week both children had tea parties at school and my 6 year old keeps sharing everything he has been learning about The Queen, her homes, her children and everything! At times like this I feel very proud to be British. I think my love of the Royal family has something to do with my Grandparents as I remember my Nan kept a scrapbook of all her favourite newspaper cuttings about the Royal family. I have some…

  • Jump aboard for Thomas & Friends: The Great Race
    family - film review - parenting

    Jump aboard for Thomas & Friends: The Great Race

    May 17, 2016 - By 

    I have some exciting news to share for any fans of Thomas & Friends as they are back with a new feature length adventure, including a line-up of 13 magnificent new international engines, steaming in to cinemas nationwide for a special weekend of screenings on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd of May. My children were lucky to receive a sneak preview of Thomas & Friends: The Great Race and it’s a really fun and entertaining film. Thomas & Friends: The Great Race sees Thomas wishing he could represent Sodor at the Great Railway Show, which is taking place on the mainland. But the bigger…

  • baby - baby products - parenting

    Celebrating Little Champions with Pampers and Jessica Ennis-Hill

    May 16, 2016 - By 

    My children have kept me on my toes since the day they were born. After a particularly busy weekend, once again running around after my children, I am beginning to wonder if it will ever end 🙂 Pampers have teamed up with Jessica Ennis-Hill CBE, Olympic Heptathlon Champion, to launch the ‘Little Champions Campaign’ which will help to shine a light on the next generation of little athletes and encourage parents to celebrate their own little champions too. You can take a look at the video by clicking here. Celebrating Little Champions with Pampers Did you know – a crawling baby moves…