• Free Highway Rat activity trail {at Haldon Forest}
    days out - Family Life

    Free Highway Rat activity trail {at Haldon Forest}

    December 29, 2017 - By 

    The Highway Rat is the latest Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler book to be brought to life on our screens. Did you watch the animated version which was shown on Christmas Day? We made sure we had opened all our presents and finished our Christmas dinner so we could sit down and watch it together. It’s the latest activity trail which you can follow for free, thanks to the Forestry Commission England. Free Highway Rat activity trails in England We were looking for something to do between Christmas and New Year so headed off to the Highway Rat trail. Our…

  • 24 new Elf on the Shelf ideas
    Christmas - Elf on the Shelf - Family Life

    24 new Elf on the Shelf ideas

    December 28, 2017 - By 

    December is such a busy month for any parent. Sometimes I wonder why I make life extra hard for myself but whilst the children are young we have an Elf on the Shelf. I bought our Elf on the Shelf from Amazon a few years ago. It was really expensive at the time but they are a lot more affordable now. It came in a presentation box with a story book.The idea of the Elf on a Shelf is that he keeps an eye on children during December, reporting good and bad behaviour back to Father Christmas. It’s definitely a…

  • Lego Star Wars Ahch-To Island Training set
    Family Life - Monday Happy List

    Wednesday mindfulness – 5 happy things

    December 27, 2017 - By 

    Slightly later than usual I bring you my weekly Monday Wednesday mindfulness post, about 5 happy things from the previous week. I popped into London for some last minute Christmas shopping. I really wanted to check out the new HEMA store on Tottenham Court Road and the Tatty Devine decorated Christmas trees on the South Bank. The two Smalls finished school which they were both very happy about. My son brought home 3 achievement certificates for gaining a certain level of House Points. I know I shouldn’t have but I bought myself the Lego Star Wars Ahch-To Island Training set. We…

  • L.O.L. Surprise! Pets unboxing
    Family Life

    L.O.L. Surprise! Pets unboxing

    December 24, 2017 - By 

    My 6 year old loves here L.O.L. collection. She’s been so lucky to receive a few to unbox at home and they are an adorable toy. She was the lucky recipient of a new L.O.L. Surprise! Pets toy which she really enjoyed opening. L.O.L. Surprise! Pets L.O.L. Surprise! Pets is the latest toy in the L.O.L. range. L.O.L. Surprise! Pets includes puppies, kitties, bunnies and hamsters. Just as before, discover 7 layers of surprise in each L.O.L. Surprise! Pet! As you unbox each layer a new surprise is unveiled. This is the ultimate unboxing toy so we had to make an unboxing video…

  • Handprint robin for winter
    Crafts for kids - Winter

    Handprint robin for winter

    December 23, 2017 - By 

    It doesn’t feel like we’ve made too many winter crafts this year. With a few days before Christmas though the children just want to make things which suits me. Everything is done and ready so that’s pretty much all I want to do too. We all love to watch the birds in our garden, especially a very friendly little robin, who inspired our handprint robins. Handprint robin for winter My daughter loves using her hands to make art. Handprint art is fun and I love watching her cover herself in paint every time! for this craft activity we used brown…

  • Family Life

    New year, new room for my daughter

    December 22, 2017 - By 

    Photo by Mariana Yarritu on Unsplash As much as I love December and Christmas, I also love January. It’s generally a quiet month when we plan and do lots of jobs around the home. Top of our list for January is my daughter’s room which hasn’t been decorated for a good few years. When we moved in she was just 2 years old and loved pink. It’s fair to say she has changed a lot over the last few years. New year, new room for my daughter I’ve been really enjoying the last fews days. I’ve been super-organised this month. All the Christmas…

  • Visiting The Gingerbread City
    Family Life - gingerbread house

    Visiting The Gingerbread City

    December 22, 2017 - By 

    Today we visited the rather wonderful Gingerbread City in London. I heard about this a few days ago and knew we had to visit. London’s best architects have created an the incredible city made of gingerbread! As well as visiting the Gingerbread City you could also attend Gingerbread House Making Workshops and visit the little gingerbread shop. The Gingerbread City The Gingerbread City was organised by The Museum of Architecture. This is the second year of its successful Gingerbread City project, a fundraising exhibition that invites architects, urban planners and landscape designers to design a city made entirely of gingerbread. Building on…

  • Brown paper bag gingerbread house
    Crafts for kids - gingerbread house

    Brown paper bag gingerbread house craft for kids

    December 21, 2017 - By 

    With the children finally finished school we have been able to spend the day making. There have been so many crafts I have wanted to try, so it’s lovely that we finally have the time. Ages ago we received some items in brown paper bags, and I put these to one side until ew had time to transform them into gingerbread houses! It was a quick and easy winter craft so if you are looking for a quick craft to keep your children busy then why not try this. All you need is brown paper bags and white pens or crayons.…

  • How to make Gingerbread Rocky Road
    baking - Christmas - Crafts for adults - gingerbread - gingerbread house - Handmade gifts

    How to make Gingerbread Rocky Road

    December 21, 2017 - By 

    I have wanted to make Gingerbread Rocky Road for a long time. With things slowing down for Christmas I finally got round to it. I love Rocky Road anyway, it’s a kind of cake, containing a mixture of marshmallows, chocolate, and nuts. I’ve adapted my recipe from Nigella’s Christmas Rocky Road recipe. Ingredients to make Gingerbread Rocky Road 250 grams dark chocolate 150 grams milk chocolate 175 grams soft butter 4 tablespoons golden syrup 200 grams broken gingerbread house (I used part of a gingerbread house kit from Flying Tiger) 150 grams brazil nuts 150 grams red glace cherries 125…