• Family Life

    Love in the Time of Cholera

    August 1, 2020 - By 

    Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash The pandemic has changed our lives in so many ways but after so many weeks of being isolated in our family bubble it feels good to be venturing out more. This weekend we had brunch in our favourite local cafe and a socially distanced playdate with school friends. We took the puppy out for a walk and tidied up the garden. I like that we have more freedom and a choice of things to do. Keeping in touch online I’m hoping that weeks of home learning and endless zoom meetings will be a thing…

  • Win The New Legends Of Monkey merch
    competition

    Win The New Legends Of Monkey merch

    August 1, 2020 - By 

    Emmy-winning adventure series THE NEW LEGENDS OF MONKEY is back on Netflix for a second series (launching Friday August 7th) and to celebrate we’re giving you the chance to get your hands on some amazing Monkey merch! The New Legends Of Monkey Series 2 Series Two sees fallen God, Monkey, and his band of fellow misfits, Tripitaka, Sandy and Pigsy back for more adventures, continuing their search for the sacred scrolls they need in order to overcome the chaos of demon rule in their kingdom. Following their Emmy-winning adventures in series one, where the team escaped Jade Mountain with the…

  • 6 things to do with kids in Hillingdon this summer
    Family Life - Hillingdon

    6 things to do with kids in Hillingdon this summer

    July 31, 2020 - By 

    The school holidays are not what we were expecting but we still need to make the most of it. We’ve lived in the London Borough of Hillingdon for over 6 years now and are still discovering wonderful new places to explore. We live in north of the borough and have already shared our 10 favourite places to visit in Ruislip this summer, so today I’m sharing our favourite places to visit in Hillingdon (and if they have re-opened). 6 things to do with kids in Hillingdon this summer Top of my list would have been the Battle of Britain Bunker…

  • Win Conservation Crisis
    competition

    {Giveaway} Conservation Crisis board game

    July 30, 2020 - By 

    It seems that my readers love a competition so I am happy to have a fun little giveaway to share with you all today. Yesterday we told you all about the latest board game we have been enjoying – Conservation Crisis. This is a fun and engaging game of strategy where you take control of a wildlife reserve in crisis and save an endangered species! ​It’s quite straightforward to play. You have $100,000 of funding per round and have to choose which projects to build and staff to hire to rebuild your reserve and keep your wildlife safe. ​The more you play,…

  • Crafts for kids - STEM activity

    Skittles vs Smarties experiment

    July 30, 2020 - By 

    My 8 year old absolutely loves science. It’s one of the topics that she was really keen on during our period of home learning (I probably don’t need to share her reluctance over the daily Maths and English she was set!). Thankfully the timetable provided by school included lots of science and easy experiments we could do at home. We also did some of the experiments she had seen on YouTube which was fun. It’s so easy to do science experiments at home and one of her favourites is making a sweet rainbow from sweets with Skittles. It’s so simple…

  • Conservation Crisis from Tunza Games
    Family Life

    Conservation Crisis {board game review}

    July 29, 2020 - By 

    How are the school holidays treating you? With our normal kids clubs cancelled we are spending a lot of time at home or the local play park. The weather has been kind to us which helps and we are having fun playing with all our toys and games. We’re always happy to receive something new though and recently received a copy of Conservation Crisis by Tunza Games to enjoy at home. Pop on over to this post for your chance to win the game! Conservation Crisis from Tunza Games I liked the sound of Conservation Crisis because it is based on…

  • How to join in with Draw With Rob {free activity pack}
    Crafts for kids

    How to join in with Draw With Rob {free activity pack}

    July 28, 2020 - By 

    I’m not sure how we first came across Rob Biddulph but he helped keep the children busy during lockdown. He’s a best-selling children’s author and artist and has been sharing how to draw some of his best-loved characters over on his YouTube channels since lockdown started. Rob’s original hit videos are also available at www.robbiddulph.com, and on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. How to join in with #DrawWithRob We took part in his World Record Breaking attempt back in May and the children were hooked. Rob teamed up with Art World Records to smash the record for the largest ever…

  • first blackberries of autumn 2020
    Monday Happy List

    Summer Holidays edit {Week 302}

    July 27, 2020 - By 

    I love to start the week by writing the Monday Happy List. It’s a chance for me to sit down and reflect on the things that made me happy in the previous week, as well as to record some of our family adventures. It’s a post I love to write. Summer Holidays edit {Week 302} We are all so excited that the summer holidays have started. We all needed a break from home learning and the children have enjoyed doing all the things they love to do – mainly den building in the garden, finding art lessons on YouTube, baking cakes…

  • Catching up with my 2020 reading list
    Family Life

    Catching up with my 2020 reading list

    July 25, 2020 - By 

    Top of my list of things to do over the next 6 weeks is to catch up on my reading. I thought I would read a lot during the lockdown period but I didn’t. Home learning took up most of the week, normal household duties and taking the dog for a walk seemed to take up the rest. However I want to return to work with a few things crossed off my to do list including working through a pile of new books, making my own clothes, and taking a few online courses. So far this year I’ve read 14…