• The Sanctuary, Avebury
    days out - parenting - Wiltshire

    The Sanctuary, Avebury {exploring Wiltshire}

    November 17, 2017 - By 

    Every time we travel down to visit my mum in Wiltshire we try and stop off around Avebury. It’s a beautiful part of Wiltshire with so much history to explore. We usually stop off for a picnic around Silbury Hill. It’s almost exactly half way in our journey and an amazing landmark for the children to look out for. You can see it for miles around and the children know it’s time to stop for lunch and we’re well into our journey. On our last visit we had our niece with us too. We parked up at The Seven Barrows…

  • Kawaii box reveal and giveaway
    competition - homestyle - subscription box

    Kawaii box reveal and giveaway

    November 16, 2017 - By 

    I’m so excited to share with you the contents of a Kawaii Box today. As you know, I *LOVE* subscription boxes. I think I could happily sit and open them all day. My kids love them too, so were happy to sit and help me open the latest Kawaii Box. What’s inside the latest Kawaii Box? The November 2017 Kawaii Box was called the Kawaii Thanksgiving Parade. Living in the UK we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving at all so I was interested to see what was inside the box. It’s been a while since we last reviewed a Kawaii Box. They…

  • Delicious Swedish Ginger Cake recipe
    baking - gingerbread - homestyle

    Swedish Ginger Cake recipe

    November 16, 2017 - By 

    I really love ginger in any form. When I spotted a recipe for Swedish Ginger Cakes in Christmas Prima Makes magazine I knew I would have to make them for myself. I adapted the recipe slightly as I couldn’t find black treacle. Ingredients to make Swedish Ginger Cake 100g butter 175g light brown muscovado sugar 2 balls of stem ginger, chopped 1 tbsp of the syrup from the stem ginger 200g plain flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp mixed spice 2 medium eggs 150 ml soured cream How to make Swedish Ginger Cake Melt the…

  • Get outdoors with BEAR PAWS!
    crafts - Happy By Nature

    Get outdoors with BEAR PAWS!

    November 15, 2017 - By 

    This half term we were busy with some planned days out and plenty of days at home too. The children have been re-discovering some of their favourite toys and making the most of the garden, before it got too chilly. We made them special Half Term Reward charts, which were more a list of things to do, in case they ran out of ideas. Top of the list was spending time outdoors, as we all know that fresh air and activity helps children sleep better! I love working with BEAR Nibbles because, like me, they believe in getting little cubs…

  • Win The Son of Bigfoot DVD and more
    competition - parenting

    Win The Son of Bigfoot on DVD and more

    November 15, 2017 - By 

    From the creators of ROBINSON CRUSOE and THE HOUSE OF MAGIC, STUDIOCANAL is pleased to announce that THE SON OF BIGFOOT – the epic coming-of-age adventure for all the family that tells the legendary tale of Bigfoot – will be available on DVD and Digital Download from the 20th November 2017. To celebrate, today we’re giving away a copy of The Son of Bigfoot on DVD in a bundle along with The House of Magic, A Turtle’s Tale and Robinson Crusoe. The Son of Bigfoot Adam, a thirteen-year-old outsider, sets out on a daring quest to uncover the mystery behind…

  • DIY Sylvanian Families gingerbread house
    crafts - Friends of Sylvanian Families - upcycling

    Sylvanian Families gingerbread house

    November 14, 2017 - By 

    My daughter has a great collection of Sylvanian Families buildings. She can create her own little rural Sylvania with her tree house, log cabin and other buildings. I recently bought her the Baby Sleigh Ride Set, she just *loves* the babies. It’s a sweet little Christmas set but got me thinking. The only thing missing was our Sylvanian set up was a gingerbread house! So I made one. Sylvanian Families gingerbread house I bought a pretty shabby village Post Office Shop which came with a counter and accessories. The cardboard detail was ripped and bent which I thought made it…

  • Mollie Makes Reindeer Tree Decoration
    crafts - Mollie Makes crafts

    Mollie Makes Reindeer Tree Decoration

    November 14, 2017 - 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. Mollie Makes Reindeer Tree Decoration The Reindeer Tree Decoration in Mollie Makes Issue 86 was designed by Jenny Blair and contained felt, thread, pom pom trim, stuffing and a needle. I cut out the templates from the magazine and got cutting. I love making things…

  • What is Stir up Sunday
    baking - Christmas - homestyle

    Stir up Sunday comes early

    November 13, 2017 - By 

    Have you heard of Stir up Sunday? It’s the day when you make your Christmas puddings. They taste best if are cooked in advance and left to mature for a few weeks. Now is the time to get yours ready for Christmas! Stir up Sunday came very early this year. Traditionally Stir up Sunday falls on the last Sunday before Advent, this year that will be Sunday 26th November. However we made a head start on ours at half term when we visited my mum. The first thing we did was to leave the dried fruit to soak overnight. You can…

  • homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday mindfulness {5 happy things}

    November 13, 2017 - By 

    I’m really struggling to sit down and write today. I think it has something to do with my ridiculously long to do list. My daughters birthday is coming up and I have a fun birthday party to organise! She has opted for a party at our local soft play centre and can’t wait to play with all her friends. On Saturday I attended the first Mumsnet Micro-Influencers event at Huckletree in West London. I’d stopped going to blog conferences as I found they were always pitched at bloggers starting out. This was a much more targeted event for micro-influencers. I’ve…