• baby products - charity shopping - Gingerbread house finds - vintage

    Brixham charity shops

    We were lucky to have time to visit the bustling fishing town of Brixham. We’ve been meaning to visit for years and finally found we had a couple of hours spare. It’s a really lovely town, some great independent shops, brilliant charity shops and lots of cafes so you can sit and watch the boats in the harbour. Although our primary purpose wasn’t to look round the charity shops my poor daughter gave me a very good reason. She had a nuclear nappy explosion which resulted in my throwing away the clothes she was wearing. Now when I go charity…

  • baby - competition

    Win a pair of Skeanies’ shoes for children

    My daughter has recently been trying out her first pair of shoes. Starting out in Australia, the SKEANIE brand – loved by little feet around the world – has come to Europe. Its eco-approach only uses off cuts of leather to create stylish shoes that nurture and protect children’s feet. If this sounds like your kind of brand I have a great giveaway so you can win a pair of shoes of your own choice. I ordered a pair of the adorable Infant Mary-Janes in pink for my daughter. SKEANIES are shown in European sizes but the website has a really handy measuring chart…

  • charity shopping - shopping - vintage

    Paignton charity shops

    I had a wander round Paignton today whilst the husband, toddler and grandad went on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway to Kingswear. We go on this beautiful heritage line every year and I always get left in the carriage looking after the bags whilst they rush to take photographs at every halt and stop. This year I decided I would have some time with my 6 month old and explore the shops. The station at the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway has recently been restored and is a great place to start a visit to Paignton. We walked to the sea…

  • shopping - toddler

    Teignmouth charity shops

    Our holiday was going quite well until my husband slipped and twisted his ankle. This meant that yesterday I had to entertain the children whilst my husband went to A&E. After exhausting the possibilities of the play park, beach and pier I thought I deserved a treat. Teignmouth is brilliant for charity shops and I never leave without some bargains. There are at least 8 charity shops which is pretty good for a small seaside town. They are all within easy walking distance of each other and can be visited in under half an hour. I started off by visiting the Rowcroft…

  • Gingerbread house finds - toddler - vintage

    A day at the races

    Today was the first full day of our holiday and my husband kindly agreed we could go to a car boot sale! I was really excited about this as there are never any near us in London and I always hear about people picking up great bargains. The car boot sale was at Newton Abbot Racecourse and opened at 9am. The children never sleep well when we’re away from home so we were all up and out the door and arrived at the Racecourse just after 9. I was surprised to see people were already leaving with armfuls of stuff…

  • film review

    Film review: Looney Tunes Big Faces Box Set

    We are very happy members of the Tots100 Film Club and our latest review is of the humongous Looney Tunes Big Faces Box Set. The box set contains 10 discs: Daffy Duck, Tweety Pie, Taz, Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzales, Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry x2, ROad Runner and Wile E. Coyote. Each disc contains about 15 episodes which are perfect for little people with small attention spans. We’ve been working our way through the set, the toddler picking a disc by the character on the front of each box. This has been great for learning new words although he’s still…

  • competition - London

    Giveaway: win a Chisel & Mouse model for Father’s Day

    Are you looking for the perfect gift for Father’s Day? I have a wonderful giveaway which the winner will receive in time for Father’s Day. Sussex based model-makers, Chisel & Mouse, handcraft iconic buildings in miniature. By blending state-of-the-art techniques with traditional model making skills they have created an inspired collection of high-quality models which are beautiful to the eye and touch. Forget about the mug, magnet and key ring! Football-loving Dad’s can have their own souvenir of Arsenal, Craven Cottage or Ibrox Stadiums – the ultimate stylish memorabilia. There are also some wonderful models of iconic buildings, including Battersea Power…

  • Uncategorized

    Growing up

    I don’t seem to write about my children as much as I used to. I’ve been getting bogged down with offers of lovely items to review which means my blog often goes a way I don’t really want it to. So, I’m going to concentrate on the things I’m actually interested in – like my children, baking, and crafts – and review less irrelevant products! My 6 month old has changed so much. I feel bad that, unlike with her brother, I just haven’t made a note of those silly milestones that are only important to a mother. Life is…

  • baking - handmade

    How to decorate Union Jack biscuits

    I’ve been having a bit of a bake-fest lately. The Jubilee has been inspiring me in lots of ways – sewing, baking, and even a letter to the Queen! Our holiday coincides with the Jubilee weekend so I’ve been making some treats we can all enjoy to get us in the mood. I thought some patriotic biscuits would be nice so made biscuits using the easiest biscuit recipe from my new Biscuiteers book. The biscuits are lovely with just the right crunchy texture and taste. I made a mixture of shapes, some crowns, flags and hearts. I decorated them using…