• Christmas - parenting

    Stay strong this Christmas with Actimel #ad

    December 19, 2016 - By 

    As much as I love this time of year I can feel my stress levels rising. Both me and my husband have been battling our way through illness this week which has put a stop to my Christmas preparations. I like to be organised but try not to do anything until my daughter has celebrated her birthday at the end of November. This means that December is full of present buying, card writing, meal planning, Christmas concerts and trying to keep the children calm in the run up to the big day (no mean feat!). However, I am trying not…

  • mindfulness - Monday Happy List

    Monday Happy List – Week 117

    December 19, 2016 - By 

    Yay, it’s Monday and I only have three days to finish wrapping my Christmas gifts before my children finish school. Time for my weekly post, my Monday Happy List. Last week I went to see my daughter in her Reception class Christmas concert, as well as my son in his Year 2 Christmas concert. Thankfully both classes did a different play but I have to admit the songs were a little familiar! My children have been singing their songs for weeks. Not only did I have to supply their costumes, I also had to pay for tickets to see their…

  • Monster Trucks film preview
    days out - Local Review - London

    Monster fun at KidZania and the Monster Trucks film preview

    December 18, 2016 - By 

    This morning we were invited to enjoy some monster fun at KidZania London and attend a film preview of Monster Trucks. We love KidZania and are always happy to spend a few hours there. It was lovely to be there on a Sunday morning as it was really quiet and the children were able to try some of their favourite activities. KidZania was all decorated for Christmas and they had some lovely special events for the festive season, including the UK’s first Christmas market run by kids for kids! We’ve been to KidZania a few times now and the children…

  • FurReal Friends Torch My Blazing Dragon
    Hasbro Toy Tribe - playing - toy review

    FurReal Friends Torch My Blazing Dragon

    December 17, 2016 - By 

    We were recently sent FurReal Friends Torch My Blazing Dragon to review. My daughter loves dragons so I thought she would enjoy this toy. He’s a new animatronic baby dragon from Hasbro that breathes flame-coloured mist, toasts marshmallows and responds with 50+ sound and motion combinations. My children love interactive toys so we couldn’t wait to put Torch through the toy test. FurReal Friends Torch My Blazing Dragon This baby dragon looks great and my daughter was excited by the large box he comes in. He is also a lovely baby blue for which he got bonus points, blue being my daughter’s favourite…

  • A Portable North Pole video message from Santa
    Christmas

    A Portable North Pole video message from Santa

    December 17, 2016 - By 

    If you follow me on Instagram you’ll know that every evening I’ve been setting up our elf, Buddy, in different positions around the house. So far he’s fought a Stormtrooper, packed my son’s lunch in Christmas paper and even decorated our Christmas tree with loo paper! Today he brought the children a very special video message from Father Christmas via PNP. The most magical time of the year is here, and for many families worldwide, the Christmas holiday wouldn’t be complete without personalised video messages from Santa to the kids and kids-at-heart by Portable North Pole (PNP). The No 1…

  • Buckinghamshire - Christmas - days out - National Trust - parenting

    A fairytale Christmas at Hughenden Manor

    December 17, 2016 - By 

    I’ve mentioned Hughenden Manor a few times on my blog. It’s a local National Trust property and a great family day out. We’ve recently re-joined the National Trust as we realised how much we missed being members so I am looking forward to lots more great days out in 2017! We visited Hughenden in October to go pumpkin carving. You can read all about our Halloween experience here. As we were leaving one of the volunteers mentioned we should book early for Christmas and I did. I read a little more about it on their website and knew it sounded…

  • Christmas - Crafts for adults - Elf on the Shelf - sewing

    DIY one hour felt elf hat

    December 16, 2016 - By 

    There is so much going on at this time of year but when my 5 year old daughter turned to me and asked me to make her a elf hat I couldn’t resist. They are having a party at school on Tuesday and she really wanted a special hat to wear. How could I refuse? I whipped up an elf hat in an hour and I thought I would share it here in case it was helpful, I find you can never have enough festive dressing up gear at this time of year. Equipment needed to make a child’s elf…

  • Pastry squares with chestnut, turkey and kalettes
    Christmas - Cooking - eating

    Pastry squares with chestnut, turkey and kalettes

    December 16, 2016 - By 

    A big part of Christmas for me is the food. I spend weeks dreaming of our Christmas lunch and have a Pinterest board for all of my ideas. Oven Pride challenged me to think outside of the box and create a traditional Christmas dinner, but with a ‘seasonal’ twist. They wanted to hear about some funky Christmas flavours that would not usually be associated with your standard dinner. I’m a huge fan of ginger in any form. Not only is it packed full of magical properties but it adds great flavour to any dish. After a lot of thought I…

  • DreamWorks Trolls Hug Time Poppy 
    Hasbro Toy Tribe - playing - toy review

    DreamWorks Trolls Hug Time Poppy 

    December 15, 2016 - By 

    The Trolls film continues to be something we talk about in our household. We saw the film and loved it. the soundtrack seems to constantly play in our house, and why not?! It is full of happy tunes, perfect for getting the children moving in the morning! My daughter loves the main character Poppy, so was excited to be sent the DreamWorks Trolls Hug Time Poppy doll to review from Hasbro. In case you haven’t seen it yet, the film features Poppy, the optimistic leader of the Trolls, and her polar opposite, Branch. They embark on an adventure that takes them…