• Niamh Wimperis’ bee embroidery gift
    Crafts for adults

    Summer Bee embroidery hoop

    July 24, 2020 - By 

    Regular readers will know that every month I challenge myself to make the Mollie Makes magazine cover gift. I’ve subscribed since it first came out and have had a drawer full of unopened kits – but no more! I’ve been making more time for grown up crafting and I love to make the kits and hopefully try something new. Summer Bee embroidery hoop Mollie Makes took a break over the worst of the lockdown period. I really missed my monthly treat but was kept busy with my Sew A Little Happiness Everyday sampler. I was so happy to see a copy land on…

  • Family Life

    Staycation 2020 – what to pack?

    July 23, 2020 - By 

    Looking through some photos I took earlier this year, I realised that I never wrote about our first Airbnb experience. It was something we had wanted to do for a while and took the chance in February half term. That seems like a lifetime ago now but as we’ve just booked to go back to the same place, I thought I would take the opportunity to write a little post about Project Staycation 2020. What is a Staycation? Just in case you didn’t know, a staycation is simply a holiday in your home country, rather that going abroad. We’ve always…

  • Oh! My Gif collectible gifbits from Moose
    Family Life

    AD/Oh! My Gif collectible gifbits from Moose

    July 22, 2020 - By 

    We’ve been sent some lovely new toys recently including Oh! My Gif, a new exciting collectible range from Moose. Launching this month, the new range of toys is inspired by the online social language of GIFs and is THE new way to express yourself!! This definitely sounded like something my 10 year old would enjoy and we couldn’t wait to find out more about them. Oh! My Gif collectible gifbits from Moose Oh! My Gif bBrings the hilarious world of digital GIFs, memes and stickers to life through a range of GIFbit characters. Available in single packs and in the…

  • Win a jigsaw puzzle for Rebel Girls
    competition

    Win a jigsaw puzzle for Rebel Girls

    July 21, 2020 - By 

    Last week we told you about the new jigsaw puzzles for Rebel Girls which we enjoyed so much. Gibsons partnered with the Rebel Girls team behind the internationally best-selling book series, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, to launch two inspiring Jigsaw Puzzles for Rebel Girls that celebrate heroic women throughout history. Designed to let children explore, learn and play, the new puzzle collection features queens, activists, scientists, artists, sporting champions, iconic world leaders and little-known pioneers. There are 2 jigsaws in the series. The 100 piece Jigsaw Puzzle for Rebel Girls is ideal for children from 5yrs+. It features…

  • pup in bib
    Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List {Week 301}

    July 20, 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. Life has changed considerably for us and everyone else in the UK over the last few months but we’re beginning to see a little more fun in our week. As the UK is no longer in lockdown I’m reverting back to the original title of this weekly post. Monday Happy List…

  • Enjoy the festival season at home with POPFest!
    Family Life

    Enjoy the festival season at home with POPFest!

    July 19, 2020 - By 

    The weather is so lovely for the first day of the school holidays. As we can’t do any of the things we usually do we spent the morning writing a little list of the things we can do. These include reading via the Summer Reading Challenge, being creative thanks to Draw With Rob and taking part in a festival at home with POPFest! Enjoy the festival season at home with POPFest! I’m sure we’ll be spending lots of time at the park now it’s finally re-opened. It’s been the only thing my daughter has wanted to do for weeks and…

  • Exploring Pynchester Moat, Ickenham
    days out - Hillingdon - Local Review - London

    Exploring Pynchester Moat, Ickenham

    July 18, 2020 - By 

    Now lockdown is easing we don’t seem to be exploring as much as we were. We can go further afield and more attractions are opening up, which means we are going further for our days out. On one of our many puppy walks/geocaching expeditions we came across Pynchester Moat in Ickenham. We went on a lovely sunny evening and it was the perfect length of walk for our pup. Exploring Pynchester Moat, Ickenham The moated site known as Pynchester lies in a bend of the River Pinn, behind houses in Copthall Road West and just within Harefield Parish. It’s a…

  • How to get free Blue Peter badges
    Crafts for kids

    How to get free Blue Peter badges {and free entry to attractions}

    July 17, 2020 - By 

    I’ve been meaning to write this post for ages. We’ve been sharing ideas on how to keep the kids busy over the summer holidays. We’ve shared all kinds of ideas from den building to geocaching, joining the Summer Reading Challenge to rock painting. Summer doesn’t have to be expensive and I will be trying my hardest to not spend too much this year. With two active children I need an endless supply of activities to keep them busy and one of our favourite low-cost activities is collecting free Blue Peter badges. How to get free Blue Peter badges {and free…

  • Rebel Girls jigsaw puzzles from Gibsons
    Family Life

    AD/ Rebel Girls jigsaw puzzles from Gibsons

    July 16, 2020 - By 

    Rebel Girls is an award-winning cultural media engine, spanning over 70 countries. Through a combination of thought-provoking stories, creative expression, and crowd funding, there is now a range of products to inspire the next female generation. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls Ddi you know that the Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls (a series of two children’s books) were both funded through Kickstarter, and broke site records for fundraising for literature publication? The women behind the idea researched the lack of female role models in children’s literature, decided to write books which told a different story, and sold over…