• Family Life - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things

    January 22, 2018 - By 

    Morning and happy Monday peeps. The cold weather made for a loooong weekend, I’m just a little bit grateful that it’s Monday and my children are back at school! Time for my weekly Monday mindfulness post – about the 5 things which made me happy over the last 7 days. Monday mindfulness – 5 happy things Last week was busy for me as I was back in school doing some exam invigilating. I was grateful for the work but it meant I was less present on my blog and social channels. Which was a shame, as I had so much…

  • MULLED WHITE WINE
    Family Life

    Winter Mulled White Wine

    January 21, 2018 - By 

    The weather has been so atrocious today. It was cold and snowy. The children were so excited to see the snow but we soon realised it wasn’t really settling and they wouldn’t be building a snowman anytime soon. We adults needed a pick me up to lift our spirits so made some winter mulled white wine. We love mulled red wine and admit to making quite a lot of it during December. I quite like mulled cider too but I’d never tried a mulled white wine before. January seemed a good time to try making some. White wine is lighter…

  • kid-made Fingerprint heart keepsake
    Crafts for kids - Handmade gifts - Kids crafts - Valentines Day crafts

    Fingerprint heart keepsake for Valentine’s Day

    January 21, 2018 - By 

    We’ve had the most miserable weather all weekend. Days can be very long when you have two kids at home. To bring some colour and joy into our day we decided to make a head start on our Valentine’s Day crafts with some a fingerprint heart keepsake. We love giving handmade gifts. I think I’ve kept almost everything the children have ever made. I want them to understand that the best things are those that have been given a little thought. It doesn’t matter how much they cost but that they have spent their time and energy of giving something…

  • Mini gingerbread house mug hangers
    baking - Crafts for adults - gingerbread house

    Mini gingerbread house mug hangers

    January 20, 2018 - By 

    I’m not sure how many years ago I first Pinned a very cute little gingerbread house that sat on the edge of a cup. I fell in love with the idea but it remained an idea, it looked far too complicated to make at home! Fast forward a few years and just before Christmas I spotted a Make Your Own Gingerbread Cottage kit in Lakeland. I hardly every go to Lakeland. I find their products pretty expensive but I couldn’t resist this – finally a chance to make my own little gingerbread houses! Mini gingerbread house mug hangers This was…

  • join me at the #superzingsparty
    Family Life

    The latest collectible – SuperZings!

    January 19, 2018 - By 

    Kids love collectibles so I’m excited to tell you about the latest one to hit the shelves – SuperZings from Magic Box Toys (who also made Star Monsters and Zomlings). Next Thursday 25th I’m taking part in a Twitter party with Magic Box Toys, PlaytimePR and The Entertainer and you’re all invited! SuperZings Series 1 Heroes and Villains Hitting UK shelves today, the SuperZings are everyday objects brought to life in a fun, comic ‘Hero vs Villain’ rivalry theme. Clad in iconic superhero capes and eye-masks, there are more than 80 multi-coloured figures to collect in total, each with a matching…

  • 11 days out in London for train mad kids
    days out - Family Life - London

    11 days out in London for train mad kids

    January 18, 2018 - By 

    This weekend we are off to the Model Engineering Exhibition at Ally Pally. We try and go every year. You may not think it sounds like a fun day out but we all enjoy it, especially the children. My son has always loved trains. When he was a toddler he had a wooden toy Thomas and Gordon that he took everywhere. He had a wooden train set he loved and we used to go on a lot of trains with him! We’re lucky that we’re surrounded by miniature railways and heritage lines where we live which we can visit. I…

  • sashiko bunny stitching
    Crafts for adults - sewing

    Trying something new: sashiko stitching

    January 17, 2018 - By 

    This year is all about me making things. Finishing projects. This doesn’t come naturally to me. So far this year I’ve stitched the felt bus pincushion and now I can add the sashiko panel to my list. I picked up all the supplies at the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show last year. I bought the panel, special needles and thread. Then it sat in my cupboard for 10 months. I couldn’t read the Japanese instructions so I just searched online for instructions. Sashiko is a Japanese running stitch. The pre-printed panel featured a rabbit inside a circle which seemed pretty…

  • A day out at Barrington Court Somerset
    Family Life - National Trust - Somerset

    A day out at Barrington Court Somerset

    January 16, 2018 - By 

    Between Christmas and New Year we travelled a lot of miles to see family and friends. We had to plan places to stop to break up the journey and picked Barrington Court in Somerset. It’s owned by the National Trust so was free for us as we are members. A day out at Barrington Court Somerset Barrington Court has the honour of being the first house acquired by the National Trust, in 1907. It’s a beautiful Tudor manor house begun around 1538 and completed in the late 1550s, with a vernacular stable court (dated 1675). It was almost derelict when it was acquired by…

  • baking - Crafts for kids - Winter - Winter crafts

    How to make shortbread reindeer biscuits

    January 15, 2018 - By 

    There has been quite a lot of baking this Winter. Who doesn’t love baking? My kids love it too and it always results in some tasty tea-time treats. When we were food shopping one day, one of the children spotted a kit to make your own shortbread reindeer biscuits. We’ve wanted to make these for a while because we all know that reindeer are just gingerbread men upside down! I don’t have much experience of making shortbread as the whole family love gingerbread. But I was pretty happy to try this kit at home as we never have all the…