Our Summer holiday essentials

I don’t share a lot of very personal things of my blog but you may have noticed that my blog posts and social media presence have been all over the place for the last 2 weeks. My husband had elective surgery recently but there were some complications, meaning he was in hospital a lot longer than we envisioned. Trying to juggle daily hospital visits whilst keeping the children in a normal routine has been absolutely exhausting and something had to slide. Hopefully my husband will be discharged from hospital any day and I’m hoping to be able to kick back a little and relax.

We are lucky to be sent lots of lovely new products and some have been really useful in keeping my children occupied on our trips to hospital. I thought I would share some of my favourites.

Both my children are bookworms and we receive lots of wonderful books. Paperbacks are perfect for slipping in my handbag and reading on the tube and we’ve been enjoying the new Pom Pom is Super by Sophy Henn.

Whilst all his friends are busy dressing up in capes and pretending to fly, Pom Pom feels a bit left out – he’s never thought of himself as a superhero before, and he doesn’t know WHAT his powers might be. After trying a lot of different things, Pom Pom starts to wonder if he has any at all – until he realises that sometimes, a superpower can just be something that you’re very, very good at. This is a beautiful, bold book which explores self confidence, friendships and the power of determination. It’s published on the 4th August.

Stabilo’s Cappi pens come with a special plastic link that all the pen lids thread onto, so the pens stay together and the kids can’t lose the lids! Plus each pen’s clever tube-shaped design means they don’t roll away off tables. These have been brilliant for using on the tube and out and about. The caps are also really secure and I’m pleased to say they haven’t come off inside my handbag either.

New Miffy books have been perfect for my 4 year old. She’s starting Reception in September and is the perfect age for Miffy Draws which is a wipe clean book. We’ve had a few books of this style and she loves being able to write and wipe clean. She is very conscious of any mistakes she makes so this is great for my little perfectionist. It is also a lovely subtle way to practice her dexterity and fine motor skills over the holidays.

She also received 3 Miffy sticker story books – Miffy on Holiday, Miffy’s First Day and Miffy’s Play Date. Again, the content is really relatable for her and she has been having so much fun with them. You can read the story and add stickers to each page. Once the stickers have been added, a lovely story book remains.