Today Big Brother and I were invited to meet the Moomins on a summer musical adventure at the Polka Theatre in south London. It’s not often we go out without Little Sis but as the show is recommended for age 4+ I thought it would be a nice opportunity to see this show together. Tove Jansson’s most iconic characters the Moomins, who have charmed children for generations, take to the stage for Moominsummer Madness. With breathtaking puppetry, heart-warming humour and original songs performed live by actor-musician puppeteers, this musical adventure makes the perfect summer family treat. We arrived at the theatre…
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Regular readers will know that I love to craft and upcycle. So it’s probably no surprise that I adore Reloved magazine. It’s a brilliant magazine for people who want a little creativity in their lives and upcycling is a great way to make beautiful, practical things for a fraction of the cost of buying them in the shops. The latest issue of Reloved magazine is a Summer Special with 29 fun new craft projects. As usual there are Midweek Makes, Fashion Fixes, Home Refurbs, 3 Ways With… and a Furniture Revamp. There’s a great mix of projects for upcycling furniture,…
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One of my favourite upcycled crafts has been transforming our old Ikea coffee table into a Lego Duplo table for the children. It’s probably the piece of furniture we’ve had the longest as I think we bought it 8 years ago when we first moved in together. It’s served us well. A couple of years ago it got its first transformation. It was given a coat or two of blackboard paint so the toddler could do his mark making on it. He quickly got bored of that idea (walls were much more appealing) so it was pretty un-used and even…
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This week we sent off a parcel to the Reading Residence as part of the 2014 Love Books Summer Exchange. We took part last year and had a lot of fun with it. Basically you send a book and related craft suitable for the age of your child and receive the same. My son eagerly awaits the Postman knocking on the door as he often receives packages with things to review. You can imagine his expression when he opened the door to a large cardboard box! It contained a copy of Herman’s Letter by Tom Percival, and everything needed to…
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Yesterday I told you how much fun we had at the Gruffalo Activity Trail at Wendover Woods. After running about in the woods, building dens, climbing trees and hunting for the Gruffalo we had all built up quite an appetite. We took a picnic as we were out all day and I made a special Gruffalo Bento Box for the children. I had so much fun putting together the Gruffalo Bento Box that I thought I would share it with you today. How to make a Gruffalo Bento Box I knew I wanted to give the children Roasted Fox, Owl Ice…
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Did you know The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler is celebrating his 15th anniversary? The Forestry Commission are marking the anniversary with special trails in some amazing woodlands around the country. My children adore the story of The Gruffalo so we were very excited to head off to our nearest Gruffalo activity trail at Wendover Woods. Wendover Woods is lovely with numerous walking, cycle and horse riding trails; a children’s play area; a Cafe in the Woods; toilets; fixed barbecue stands you can book in advance and Go Ape adventure course for the very adventurous. You can buy a…
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I’ve just finished reading a book I’ve been telling all my friends about. The Forgotten Daughter by Renita D’Silva was one of those books I was able to get into straight away and looked forward to reading a couple of chapters every evening. “You were adopted” Three simple words, in a letter accompanying her parent’s will, tear Nisha’s carefully ordered world apart. Raised in England, by her caring but emotionally reserved parents, Nisha has never been one to take risks. Now, with the scrawled address of an Indian convent begins a search for the mother and family she never knew…
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My children are very keen little bookworms and have recently received some lovely new books to read and review. Stop Sticking, Stan! by Nicola Killen Meet Stan. His favourite, favourite thing to do is COLLECT things. He has a collection of buttons, a collection of odd socks, a collection of string and a collection of coat hangers. One day, his mum gives him a reward for tidying his bedroom and he begins a whole new collection – STICKERS! Stan sticks his stickers everywhere and soon things are getting a little out of hand … can anything persuade Stan to stop…
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My 4 year old has developed a sudden obsession with Spiderman and other superheroes. I blame the Marvel Kinder Eggs he’s been collecting and the Lego set he bought recently. I was excited to hear about an exciting partnership inspired by Spider-Man, the Philips Marvel Spider-Man range which inspires little heroes’ creativity, projecting a world of light around them to make playtime more vivid. Come bedtime, Spider-Man helps kids feel safe and sound by comforting them with a touch of light throughout the night, when it’s needed most. Some of my favourite products are – the Wall light Spider-Man: give…