• how to personalise a playhouse
    homestyle

    Curtains for the playhouse

    September 12, 2017 - By 

    Today I crossed something off my to do list which has been on it for over a year. I made curtains for the children’s playhouse. You probably think that I should have made these at the start of the summer but I just never had the time. So let’s gloss over the fact that I bought the fabric last year from Ikea. I picked something bright and colourful which would complement our playhouse. You may remember we have a cute wooden playhouse at the bottom of the garden. As soon as we built it we painted it in two tones.…

  • Schleich Mobile vet with Hanoverian foal
    parenting - toy review

    Schleich Mobile vet with Hanoverian foal

    September 11, 2017 - By 

    Over the Summer holidays we reviewed some wonderful Schleich toys which we will be sharing with you over the next few weeks. We’re big fans of Schleich toys and have reviewed quite a few. Just in case you haven’t heard of them before, Schleich is a German producer of handpainted toy figurines and accessories. They are highly realistic and detailed and perfect for imaginative play, which we all know is so important for children. Schleich Mobile vet with Hanoverian foal My 5 year old loves horses and has a few sets from the Schleich Horse Club range. She received the…

  • homestyle - mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy Things {Week 154}

    September 11, 2017 - By 

    It was a huge week for us with both kids going back to school. I think they were both happy to see their friends again. My 7 year old started a new school and so far seems really happy, coming home each day with so much to tell me about all the new routines he’s having to learn. I’ve missed them both but I can’t deny it’s been good to have some time to myself. My children love painting rocks and on Saturday we visited our local park to leave some painted rocks. We joined our local painted rocks group…

  • 5 hair care tips for Autumn
    beauty - parenting

    5 hair care tips for Autumn

    September 10, 2017 - By 

    Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash Today I was actually cold! As much as I love Autumn, and it’s pretty much my favourite month, I wasn’t quite as prepared for the change in temperature that we experienced today. It’s been damp, cold and windy and I didn’t like it. This evening we put the heating on and I finally felt warm.I love cosy evenings in but did you know that artificial heat and lack of sunlight affects your hair? Hair responds to sunlight, just as plants do. Our hair loves the warmer months of Spring and Summer but everything changes come Autumn. Photo…

  • 5 pumpkin patches near London for families
    days out - Halloween crafts - parenting

    5 pumpkin patches near London for families

    September 9, 2017 - By 

    As I sit and type this the shutters are closed, I’m wearing an extra jumper and I’m thinking about pumpkins. This evening the heating tried to come on so I don’t think I can pretend that summer is well and truly over. I love Autumn and my youngest has given me quite a collection of acorns and conkers since we started walking to school. The leaves were falling as we played in the park today so it seemed only right to start planning a trip to a pumpkin patch. For some reason I really want to visit a pumpkin patch.…

  • L.O.L. Surprise Series 2 {Collectible Dolls with Mix and Match Accessories}
    parenting - toy review

    L.O.L. Surprise Dolls are back {Series 2}

    September 8, 2017 - By 

    My very own Little Sis just loves making her own unboxing videos. She watches them on YouTube and loves having a new toy to unbox and share. We’ve opened a few of the LOL Surprise dolls and today are sharing you one of the Series 2 LOL Surprise dolls. Little Sis made an unboxing video of her unboxing the LOL Surprise. In case you haven’t heard of them they are collectable dolls and extremely popular with unboxers as you get seven layers of fun with every L.O.L. Surprise doll! Inside there is a secret message sticker, a collectible sticker sheet, a water bottle…

  • Star Wars Story Stones
    crafts - Painted rocks - Star Wars crafts

    Star Wars Story Stones {A-Z Play at Home}

    September 8, 2017 - By 

    Now the children are back at school I have started to get some play prompts ready for them when they get home. The first few days they just wanted to play on the PS4 or watch YouTube. In understand they’re tired but I really don’t want them to get in the habit of switching on and zoning out. My 7 year old loves to create, I guess that’s why he loves Minecraft, so I left out some smooth stones and Posca pens. These are great for drawing on almost any surface and we use them quite a lot. My son…

  • Tom Chaplin at Pizza Express Live (Holborn)
    days out - homestyle - Local Review - London

    Tom Chaplin at Pizza Express Live (Holborn)

    September 7, 2017 - By 

    Last Friday the hottest ticket in town was to see Tom Chaplin at Pizza Express Live Holborn. I knew that you could listen to live music at Pizza Express Soho but it’s been a long time since I went out in the evening thanks to my children and no babysitters nearby. When I heard that Tom Chaplin was playing I knew I had to do – tickets first then worry about a babysitter later. Miraculously we got two tickets! I persuaded my mum to come up for the weekend so she could look after the children and we could go…

  • Sylvanian Families inspired gingerbread biscuits
    baking - gingerbread - homestyle

    Sylvanian Families inspired gingerbread biscuits

    September 7, 2017 - By 

    Over the summer holidays my daughter wanted to bake some biscuits. She’s going through a massive Sylvanian Families obsession at the moment. Our house looks like a toy shop as her playsets cover the floor. For some reason I used a packet mix I picked up at Waitrose. It was one I hadn’t tried before but only needed an egg white so was easy to make with my daughter – I’ve forgotten the name but I’ll add it if I remember. She made the gingerbread dough, we chilled it briefly, before rolling it out. Ages ago she received a plastic…