Babies and children are big business. From toys and games to toddler activities, this particular market offers limitless money making opportunities for those in the know. With parents powerless to resist the hard sell, our homes often become a haven to consumerism and the material trappings of the toddler to teen years. These days, playgroup is increasingly passé and toddlers are often treated to a schedule of organised activities. Swimming and soft play sessions have upped their game, with increasingly expensive activities promising everything from educational benefits to borderline enlightenment. With more and more families feeling the pinch, why not…
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We’ve been baking a lot recently. Both my children love the process of baking and making food (and eating the results!) and as their current favourite book is The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson we made Gruffalo cupcakes. How to make Gruffalo cupcakes First of all we made a batch of delicious chocolate cupcakes. When they were cool and covered with a gooey chocolate icing my 3 year old sat at the table with bowls of decorations. We talked about The Gruffalo and what we could use to make his eyes, nose, teeth and everything else. He has terrible tusks, and…
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Are you excited about the Winter Olympic Games which start in Sochi this week? I love watching all the different sports so I’m hoping to catch some of the action, can’t wait to see what my 3 year old makes of it all. We were talking about it this morning and he wanted to take part, think he’ll be waiting a couple more years for that! When London hosted the Olympics we were lucky enough to watch the synchronised swimming at the Aquatics Centre. We had an amazing day out and found it all really child-friendly. We also enjoyed making…
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Something came over me the other evening, the desire to make delicious things to eat. Before Christmas I had bought a block of marzipan to make some marzipan fruits for Christmas, but I ran out of time. Instead I made some pretty marzipan hearts and dipped them in white chocolate for a naughty treat. They were really simple to make as you can probably see from the photographs above. First I added a little red food colouring to half a block of marzipan and mixed it well, I rolled it out quite thin and cut out my shapes with a…
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Now you may not think that this is the time of year we typically enjoy ice cream. However our family loves nothing better than cold ice cream with hot puddings, especially on a lazy Sunday like the one we had today. Recently we’ve been trying out the amazing ChillFactor Ice Cream Maker which means you can make your very own ice cream treats at home in minutes. You make the ice cream in four easy steps: 1. Remove the lid from the ChillFactor Ice Cream Maker and place the cone on the freezer for 4-6 hours or until frozen. 2.…
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A couple of days ago I shared with you my handbag essentials, brilliant Rescue Cream and Balm. I enjoyed writing that post as I’m beginning to enjoy trying out new beauty products, so today I have something else to share – Klorane Nettle Shampoo, a deeply cleansing formula for those prone to oiliness. This gentle, effective treatment shampoo gives you more time between washes, working to regularise the amount of oil your scalp produces while slowing its spread throughout the hair. The star ingredient of the shampoo is scopoletine, an extract from nettle, which restores balance to the scalp. I had forgotten…
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Join Justin on a quest to follow his heart… Produced by Antonio Banderas and featuring the voice talent of an all-star cast Justin and the Knights of Valour is a charming, animated adventure full of fun characters that will be loved by families. Young Justin lives in a kingdom without knights! He dreams of following in his Grandfather’s footsteps and becoming one of the famed Knights of Valour but his father wants him to settle down to a life without adventure. Inspired by his Grandmother, Justin decides to follow his heart and embarks upon a daring quest to become a knight by himself. Along the way he meets…
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Last week an exciting packet of craft supplies landed on my doormat from Bostik. I didn’t know they made glue and sticky foam pads but they do, and I was sent some to try out. They also sent some sparkly red felt, red and white card, and asked me to make something for Valentines Day. I thought I would make a fun little treat for my children so whipped up some easy Valentine crackers. Here’s how I did it: First of all I bought some tubes of Love Hearts, and cut a piece of the red felt long enough to…
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Originally made in 1954 as a novelty gift in Christmas crackers, the Love Heart sweets were so popular that they soon went into full production. This year Love Hearts, the iconic sweet brand, is celebrating its landmark 60 year anniversary. To kick off the celebrations, Love Hearts are giving fans of the brand the opportunity to win a money can’t buy experience – the chance to design and create their own Love Hearts message and to win a VIP tour of the factory to see their very own Love Heart being made! More information and details on how to enter…
