• Miffy books
    book review - Miffy Mums - parenting - What I'm reading

    Our Summer holiday essentials

    July 24, 2016 - By 

    I don’t share a lot of very personal things of my blog but you may have noticed that my blog posts and social media presence have been all over the place for the last 2 weeks. My husband had elective surgery recently but there were some complications, meaning he was in hospital a lot longer than we envisioned. Trying to juggle daily hospital visits whilst keeping the children in a normal routine has been absolutely exhausting and something had to slide. Hopefully my husband will be discharged from hospital any day and I’m hoping to be able to kick back…

  • Swallows and Amazons London tickets
    crafts - days out - film review - London - parenting

    Swallows and Amazons {2016 film adaptation}

    July 23, 2016 - By 

    I know there are some amazing and hotly anticipated films coming out this summer; think Finding Dory, Ghostbusters and The BFG. So I was pretty excited to learn about the new adaptation of Swallows and Amazons, the classic children’s story by Arthur Ransome, was being updated for the big screen. This morning we were invited along to watch it before it is released on 19th August. Swallows and Amazon is a classic, I read the book when I was a child and longed for the same adventures as John, Susan, Titty and Roger Walker. There has been one adaptation, back…

  • gingerbread men at Paperchase
    mindfulness - parenting

    Monday Happy List – Week 95

    July 18, 2016 - By 

    I’m so excited that my children have their last few days of school. We are all so ready for a more relaxed routine and to de-school. The end of term has brought it’s usual flurry of activities: Both my children had excellent School reports so I’ve been the proudest mum imaginable. I’m so glad they enjoy school and do well at everything they try. One of my 6 year olds’ after school clubs is football and I was surprised when he was named Footballer of the Year. I think this is for making so much progress over the year. I…

  • 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…