• Lion Guard Twitter Party invitation
    playing - toy review - Twitter party - UKMums.TV Preferred Blogger

    Lion Guard Twitter Party

    June 29, 2016 - By 

    It’s been a while since we took part in a Twitter Party but I’m pleased to announce the Lion Guard Twitter Party will be happening on Twitter next Wednesday 6th July between 1 and 3pm. At the beginning of the year we attended a preview of The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, a brand new film for television, a precursor to The Lion Guard television series which is shown on Disney Junior. My children absolutely love the Lion Guard so I knew they would want to take part in the Twitter party with me. As we’ll be hosting a…

  • getting ready for Great British Tennis Weekend
    days out - family - parenting

    Tennis for all with the Great British Tennis Weekend

    June 28, 2016 - By 

    We are a family who loves watching tennis, especially Wimbledon, so we’re really happy it started this week! You are never too young to pick up a tennis racket, and when we were on the Ventura last week, we seized the opportunity to play tennis on their very own tennis court! Yep, nothing beats a game when you are on the top deck of a cruise ship! My children are 4 and 6 and they may still be developing their hand eye co-ordination, but they loved it. Tennis is a great way of keeping fit and active for all ages…

  • crafts - Kids crafts - Sports crafts - tutorial

    Tour de France inspired bicycle craft for kids

    June 27, 2016 - By 

    We’re surrounded by big sporting events at the moment. We’re still participating in Euro 2016, Wimbledon started today and we have the Tour de France, the Olympics, Tour of Britain and the Paralympics still to look forward to. Our family love to get outdoors and active so all these sporty events are the perfect inspiration for us. Today we’re sharing a really fun Tour de France-inspired bicycle craft for kids – perfect if the weather is keeping you indoors. You will need: a paper plate black permanent pen contact paper scissors coloured pieces of cellophane How to make a Tour…

  • view from Ventura
    days out - mindfulness

    Monday Happy List – Week 92

    June 27, 2016 - By 

    I’m sure you’re tired of my saying it, but what a busy week! I hadn’t caught my breath from a weekend of Blogtacular and The Secret Life of Pets before we were off again, this time on a mini break on the cruise ship Ventura. We had a great time but I am in serious need of some sleep. We spent Friday in Bruges which is one of my favourite places. We did every touristy thing you can imagine and went back to the ship with a bag full of Belgian chocs and beer. Whilst the children enjoyed the onboard…

  • Duck Tape passport cover tutorial
    crafts - Duck Tape crafts - Kids crafts - tutorial

    Duck Tape passport cover tutorial

    June 26, 2016 - By 

    Very early this morning I opened our cabin curtains to see we had docked back at Southampton. After a few days away on Ventura I was pretty glad to be back on firm ground. Just a few days before I had whipped up some colourful Duck Tape passport covers for the family. Duck Tape passport cover tutorial I love crafting with Duck Tape and have a pretty good selection of prints and patterns. This is a bit of a stash buster craft which I was shamed into doing when my 6 year old counted how many rolls of Duck Tape…

  • Sylvanian Families Brick Oven Bakery
    Friends of Sylvanian Families - playing - toy review

    Sylvanian Families Brick Oven Bakery Set review

    June 25, 2016 - By 

    We love reviewing toys here at the gingerbread house so I’m delighted to be able to share a new addition to the Sylvanian Families range – the Brick Oven Bakery Set. Don’t you just love the smell of freshly baked bread? Help Eleanor Bramble run the brick oven bakery with this well-equipped set. From baking trays to baskets, this set has everything the Sylvanians need to run their own bakery. This is a very sweet set with a lot of accessories. It came straight out of the box ready made so I only needed to put a few stickers on…

  • Easy plant marker
    crawling - die cutting - garden crafts - Sizzix crafts

    Easy plant markers

    June 24, 2016 - By 

    My children recently brought home some little seeds they had been growing at school. This happens every year and we try desperately to nurture the seeds into sunflowers. There was no easy way of telling their plant pots apart so I came up with this fun craft to help them identify theirs. You can find the full tutorial over on the Sizzix blog. You may be interested in my other Sizzix makes: DIY kid-friendly luggage labels How to make Union flag bunting Personalised chalkboard labels Embellished oversized peg craft  Father’s Day Rosette Simple dream catcher tote bag Easy felt flamingo…

  • crafts - garden crafts - Kids crafts - Recycled crafts - Toilet roll crafts - tutorial

    Recycled cardboard tube seed pots

    June 23, 2016 - By 

    Today I’m taking part in Project: recycle and create, a monthly blog celebrating eco-friendly creativity in children. This months theme was cardboard tubes which we always seem to have plenty of, except when you need them! I have been asking everyone to save their cardboard tubes this month so we had a few to play around with to make recycled cardboard tube seed pots. I cut a standard cardboard tube in half using my Swann Morton blade. I placed one half to one side. Using a pair of scissors I cut about a third of the way down the tube.…

  • Max from The Secret Life of Pets
    days out - Family Life - film review

    The Secret Life of Pets film review

    June 22, 2016 - By 

    At the weekend we were fortunate to be invited by Petplan and Universal Pictures to attend a film screening of The Secret Life of Pets. The film is a comedy all about the lives our pets lead after we leave for work or school each day and is released on Friday 24th June. Before the screening there were lots of activities in the foyer including from animal petting, making your own animal ears, and a photo booth. Unfortunately the queues were really long so we opted for the shortest queue – getting your own (human) dog tags. This kept my children…