• Zog the dragon animation brings magic this Christmas
    Family Life - Julia Donaldson crafts

    Zog the dragon animation brings magic this Christmas

    December 14, 2018 - By 

    With a little over a week until Christmas we have bought the Christmas edition of the Radio Times. This is one of our Christmas traditions. Is there anyone who doesn’t love to see what they can watch with the family over the Christmas holidays? BBC One and Magic Light Pictures recently announced that an animated adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Zog is set for BBC One this Christmas. This follows the success of The Highway Rat’s Christmas premiere in 2017, voiced by David Tennant and Rob Brydon amongst other stars. Previous Magic Light productions include The Gruffalo, Stick…

  • book review - Family Life

    The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan

    December 14, 2018 - By 

    I love a good book and seem to read a lot more during the Winter months. I have just finished reading The Christmas Lights by bestselling-author Karen Swan, set on the scenic fjords of Norway, it’s a moving Christmas tale of love and heartbreak. The Christmas Lights by Karen Swan December 2018, and free-spirited influencers Bo Loxley and her partner Zac are living a life of wanderlust, travelling the globe and sharing their adventures with their millions of fans. Booked to spend Christmas in the Norwegian fjords, they set up home in a remote farm owned by enigmatic mountain guide…

  • Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Cubes tutorial
    Crafts for adults - gingerbread - Handmade gifts

    Gingerbread Sugar Scrub Cubes tutorial

    December 13, 2018 - By 

    The end is in sight people. This time next week we will have survived the longest school term ever and be ready to embrace the madness which is the Christmas school holiday. I can’t wait for those two weeks with my family and have planned absolutely nothing. We want to build Lego, watch Christmas films and eat Quality Street – and that is all. However, first we have to get through the last week of term and give gifts to all our wonderful teachers. I couldn’t resist a little handmade gift giving and wanted to share how to make Gingerbread…

  • Handmade Christmas cards with Stampin' Up!
    Christmas - Crafts for adults - Paper craft

    Handmade Christmas cards with Stampin’ Up!

    December 12, 2018 - By 

    A few weeks I received a lovely bundle of craft supplies from Stampin’ Up!. You may remember I was first introduced to them back in 2012 when I attended a lovely craft event to learn more about them and their products. Stampin’ Up! are leaders in decorative stamps, handmade greeting cards, and papercrafting. They make products which inspire people to discover and share their creativity. Handmade Christmas cards with Stampin’ Up! I received Stampin’ Up’s! Christmas Card Kit which included the Making Christmas Bright Photopolymer Stamp Set, Clear Block D, All Is Bright A4 Cardstock Pack, Whisper White Thick A4 Cardstock, Call Me…

  • Family Life

    Regaining Your Living Room: Bringing the Kid’s Playroom to Their Bedroom

    December 12, 2018 - By 

    Photo by Hannah Rodrigo on Unsplash No toddler-parent in the world can confidently say that their house is mess free, especially when it comes to the downstairs living room. Pre-toddler, your room would be the ideal place for you to chill out in, whereas now you can’t sit on the sofa without a small piece of Lego digging into you. Bringing the Kid’s Playroom to Their Bedroom Wouldn’t it be great if you could ensure that your children play in their own bedroom, rather than taking over every room in the house? Here is some advice on how you can make sure that your child loves…

  • Blogger Board Game Club review: SET card game
    Blogger Board Game Club - Family Life

    Blogger Board Game Club review: SET card game

    December 11, 2018 - By 

    We are counting down the days until the Christmas holidays begin. Both children had their Christmas plays today and are looking really tired. We have been making lots of time to relax and wind down after school, and have been enjoying games of SET. Blogger Board Game Club review: SET card game Have you heard of SET before? Set has won over 35 best game awards including Mensa select. It’s a perfect travel game and a party favourite! The object of the game is to identify sets of three cards. Each card is unique in its four features: shape, colour, number…

  • Mindful Christmas crafting and Crafternoons
    Crafts for adults - mindfulness

    Mindful Christmas crafting and Crafternoons

    December 11, 2018 - By 

    {This is a guest post I am happily hosting to promote awareness of the mental health charity Mind and their Crafternoons, written by Jayanthi Ezekiel. The official ‘day’ for Crafternoon was 1st December, however, Mind are encouraging people to host their Crafternoon on a day that suits you and feel there are still opportunities for Christmas crafternoons to take place this month! I’m a huge advocate of the benefits of crafting so please read on.} Mindful Christmas crafting and Crafternoons For most of us, Christmas is hectic. Presents to wrap, cards to write, social events to shine at – phew! However,…

  • Monopoly Fortnite Edition
    Family Life - Hasbro Toy Tribe

    Monopoly Fortnite Edition

    December 10, 2018 - By 

    If you’re a parent of a tween like me, you must be aware of Fornite. The multi-player video game has taken over the world since its release last year and there’s no escaping it. It’s all I hear about from my son at home, and all I hear about at the school I work. Every child seems to know the Fortnite dances, regardless of whether they play Fortnite or not. Monopoly Fortnite Edition from Hasbro We were excited to be offered the new Monopoly Fortnite from Hasbro to review. We are huge fans of traditional Monopoly so were keen to…

  • Family Life - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday Mindfulness – 5 Happy Things

    December 10, 2018 - By 

    Happy Monday everyone. Hope you had a great weekend. Each week I start off by writing my Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things blog post. It’s a great chance to 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. Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things I love this time of year as there is so much going on. I enjoy my Christmas crafting too and had fun creating some Chocolate Christmas Tree Pretzels. You can find the full recipe here…