• girl playing in water
    competition - Family Life

    Zuru Bunch O Balloons review and giveaway

    June 29, 2019 - By 

    Thankfully the weather has been amazing over the last few days. My children love to play outside, especially with water whenever they can. The tuff spot has been used for all kinds of water play, it definitely helps keep the children cool on a hot day. Self-sealing water balloons are a firm favourite, especially the Bunch O Balloons ones where 100 water balloons can be filled in just 60 seconds. Bunch O Balloons review and giveaway We were sent a lovely bundle of Bunch o Balloons items to have fun with at home. These included a Bunch O Balloons Towel,…

  • girl holding a Zuru Series 2 Rainbocorns
    Family Life

    Zuru Series 2 Rainbocorns – hatching today!

    June 28, 2019 - By 

    Today is Global Hatching Day for Zuru Series 2 Rainbocorns! Have you heard of Rainbocorns before? Rainbocorns are the latest adorable sparkly, sequin surprises to hatch this year!  Combining even more surprises and sequin magic, Rainbocorns Series 2 brings 10 layers of wonder for an array of sparkling adventures. Zuru Series 2 Rainbocorns Little Sis just loves a sparkly toy and was happy to be #gifted one of the new Series 2 Rainbocorns top open on National Hatching Day. The Rainbocorn Sequin Surprise comes in a huge egg with a unicorn horn! Inside are 10 surprises to hatch. She couldn’t wait to…

  • photo of a road sign featuring elderly people crossing
    Family Life

    Top tips for making your house more accessible

    June 27, 2019 - By 

    Photo by Stéphane Juban on Unsplash We are off to visit my mum this weekend. I can’t wait to get away for a few days. She lives in one of the prettiest villages in Wiltshire and we are never short of anything to do with the kids when we are there. She’s done a lot of work on her house recently. As she’s getting older she’s been adapting her house to make everything more accessible for her. I thought I would share some top tips for making your house more accessible. Top tips for making your house more accessible Top of my list…

  • cover of Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay by Ali McNamara
    Family Life - What I'm reading

    Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay by Ali McNamara

    June 26, 2019 - By 

    A few weeks ago I was sent an early copy of the latest book from Ali McNamara. You may remember that I’ve reviewed some of her previous books including The Summer of Serendipity and Daisy’s Vintage Cornish Camper Van. Tomorrow Sphere will be publishing Ali’s latest book, Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay! They are also celebrating 10 years of publishing Ali’s fantastic books. About Secrets and Seashells at Rainbow Bay Amelia is a single mother, doing her very best to look after her young son, Charlie – but money is tight and times are tough. When she first hears that…

  • Recycled milk jug lantern
    Bostik Family Craft Bloggers Network - Crafts for kids - Recycled crafts

    Recycled milk jug lantern

    June 25, 2019 - By 

    We’ve been doing a lot of junk modelling recently. It’s a great activity to keep the kids busy after school, and also encourages them to learn about what can and can’t be recycled. Today we raided the recycling for empty milk bottles for our latest craft. Recycled milk jug lantern materials Empty milk jug (washed and dried, label removed) Bostik PVA Glue patterned tissue paper beads Bakers twine Scissors How to make a recycled milk jug lantern First of all I removed the top half of the milk jug. I pierced the bottom to make two holes, which I threaded…

  • children wearing Cubs and Beaver uniform
    Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Five Happy Things {Week 246}

    June 24, 2019 - By 

    I love to start the week by writing Five Happy Things. 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 always enjoy writing. Five Happy Things {Week 246} It was another busy week for my children with Science Week for my youngest and Sports Week for the eldest. My 9 year old was appointed official photographer as he couldn’t compete in anything with his broken wrist. I think he is pretty fed up with…

  • three books on a bench
    competition - Family Life

    Win a bundle of children’s books from Stripes Publishing

    June 23, 2019 - By 

    With the Summer holidays looming, now is a great time to stock up on books for your children. Reading is a great way to stop the dreaded Summer Drain Brain and a great way to keep kids learning over the holidays. I was recently sent a bundle of books for young readers from Stripes Publishing. Read on for your chance to win a set of the three books detailed below. Win a bundle of children’s books from Stripes Publishing Vlad the World’s Worst Vampire by Anna Wilson In this latest instalment, Vlad finally has hit Bat Licence, but his mother…

  • Using the Cricut Maker to craft a quilt top
    Crafts for adults - Cricut Maker

    Using the Cricut Maker to craft a quilt top

    June 23, 2019 - By 

    I’ve been pretty terrible at making time for me recently. My poor son broke his wrist and has been demanding a lot of attention – rightly so. Anyway, a few weeks ago I did manage a little progress on my Shipping Forecast quilt (I will finish it this year!). I used my Cricut Maker so thought I would share a few details of how it saved me time with my little Shipping Forecast quilt. Using the Cricut Maker to quilt You may remember I had pieced the felt map of the UK to the backing fabric, and I had cut…

  • boy reading Reign of Terror
    Family Life

    Reign of Terror {a Minecraft graphic novel}

    June 22, 2019 - By 

    My 9 year old loves playing Minecraft so I’m always keen to give him any Minecraft books to encourage him to keep reading. He’s enjoyed official Minecraft books, such as guides and annuals, Minecraft: The Island and Minecraft: The Crash. But he loves the unofficial books too, including the Diary of an 8-Bit Warrior series and The Elementia Chronicles. He’s recently discovered graphic novels so I was excited to be #gifted a copy of The Reign of Terror: the epic graphic novel adventure in a Minecraft world from Carlton Books. The Reign of Terror {a Minecraft graphic novel} Reign of…