• homestyle - London - reviews

    Help with moving house

    We spent yet another weekend house hunting. Whilst at home we spend our evenings narrowing down an area we want to look round and make sure we can afford. Then we like to bookmark a couple of houses to look at when we’re out and about. There are a couple of apps we usually use on our iPhones and iPad as there are a growing number of apps available. Last weekend we used the new free FindaProperty.com property search app for the iPad, which provides a convenient search tool for those looking to buy, rent, let, sell or simply browse…

  • being green - housekeeping

    Trying to live a sustainable life

    Last week we participated in the P&G Future Friendly Five Days of Sustainable Living challenge. The aim was to do little things each day, reinforcing the idea that you can make your household more sustainable. We were sent a lovely hamper full of P&G Future Friendly products (which are constantly being improved so they use less energy, work with less water and produce less waste) as well as ‘energy saving tips’ to inspire us to live more sustainably and future friendly. Over the week we managed the following: Kitchen hung out the washing (on the only day of sunshine) instead of…

  • playing - toddler

    Encouraging my little builder

    The toddler has become obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and I don’t use the word obsessed lightly. His whole day seems to revolve around the little blue engine which means mine does too. His first words in the morning are Thomas and Gordon, his favourite engines, and the first toy out of his toy box is his Thomas track and engines. I totally blame my husband who wanted to wean him off Chuggington. Little did he know his passion for Chuggington would just become a passion for Thomas. In a bid to reclaim my lounge floor and introduce a…

  • baking - Day Zero - gingerbread - handbags - motherhood - parenting

    Day Zero – Month 19 (April)

    On the 19 September 2010 I started a Day Zero list: a place to record your goals, discover new challenges, and gain motivation to achieve them. I have a list of 100 things I want to do over 1001 days. The list is due to be competed by 16 June 2013. Life with two children is hard. I knew it would be but it’s really hard and I don’t seem to have much time for much besides looking after children. There are also lots of fun times though and I’m never happier than when we’re all snuggled up in bed…

  • film review

    Film review: Bugs Bunny’s Easter Funnies

    The latest film we were offered as part of the Tots100 Film Club was Bugs Bunny’s Easter Funnies. It arrived a week or two after Easter but the weather has been perfect for snuggling up on the sofa and watching dvds. I loved Bugs Bunny when I was a child so I was really hoping the children would love my old favourite too. Bugs Bunny’s Easter Funnies follows the adventures of Bugs Bunny who takes over from the Easter Bunny who is poorly. It features all his adversaries in the shape of Sylvester, Pepe Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn and Daffy…

  • cBeebies - competition

    Giveaway: My First Justin’s Jokes by CBeebies Star Justin Fletcher

    I have a little cBeebies addict, never happier than watching some of his favourite programmes, such as Chuggington, Mike the Knight and of course Mr Tumble. The man behind Mr Tumble, the very talented Justin Fletcher, has just released his first book for pre-schoolers, titled My First Justin’s Jokes. The book is aimed at 2 years+ so perfect for my toddler. We’ve had lots of fun reading the jokes and looking at the pictures of Justin dressed up. Our favourite joke has to be – What do you call an angry pea? Grump pea! The book includes jokes about animals…

  • crafts - Father's Day - handmade - sewing - toddler

    Father’s Day preparations

    Is it too early to be thinking about Fathers Day presents? I have all the important dates in my calendar but rarely have time to get crafty with the kids. This year Father’s Day will be different though – I keep telling myself so. I have plenty of ideas ‘pinned’ on Pinterest and I also have time if I start now. Father’s Day preparations I’m addicted to hand prints so made this last night, a simple embroidered hand print of the toddler. I was going to frame it in a vintage frame I found in a charity shop but the…

  • crafts - handmade - Kids crafts - toddler - tutorial

    How to paint with corks

    I often blog about painting as the toddler absolutely loves getting messy. He knows where the craft cupboard is and will point and say ‘paint’ over and over again until I give in. We always start off by aiming to do a ‘proper’ piece of art with a theme, like handprints or painting with corks (his current favourite). It often descends into total chaos where he forgets about the piece of paper and just uses the tablecloth. We usually have plenty of corks lying around and I now have extended family giving me bags of them as they know how…

  • holiday - toddler

    How to keep kids occupied whilst travelling

    This dreary wet weather has me dreaming of our summer holiday. Last summer we found our dream cottage in a sleepy English seaside town, literally on the beach. We had an amazing time so knew we wanted to go back again this year. The only downside is the fact it’s far away so it’ll be a long drive to get there. If the beach isn’t enough for the toddler there are National Trust properties ranging from country houses to castles, if the weather turns grandad has a lovely indoor swimming pool and there are a plethora of charity shops (for…