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I have two children who love music. We always have music streaming in one room or another or in the car, and the children are able to pick the music they want to listen to as they go to sleep at night. We all use one streaming system in the house which means the children have access to our musical tastes, and vice versa! So when we were asked if we wanted to take part in the new Bratz campaign it was an easy decision. My little 4 year old loves singing and I often hear her humming away when…
I know I keep going on about the weather but it’s been warm, and sunny, which means the children can play outside more! They love playing outside and our tuff spot is one thing which really facilitates outdoor play. Farm life small world play with Schleich We were sent some of the new sets from the Farm Life range from Schleich to review. As soon as my children saw the packaging they were really excited as they love Schleich toys. The two sets were: Stable cleaning kit with calf and lamb (41422) Every morning, the farmer gets up early to…
I can’t believe I’ve managed to keep posting the 5 things which make me happy for well over a year now. It’s a great way of marking the passing weeks which are going so quickly. This week has been busy with a big birthday and the school Christmas Fayre, which I helped organise. I’m not sure how I managed to do anything else – but I did! We upcycled a wooden crate into a sleigh to hold our Book Advent. I painted it in my favourite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint Emperor’s Silk which is a gorgeous, deep red colour. You…
We treated ourselves to a weekend away visiting my sister on the Isle of Wight. We didn’t need beach towels but the cold weather didn’t stop us enjoying the trip and the children had an amazing time with their cousins. There was a boat trip, long pub lunches, face painting for the toddler, and some rare child-free hours for me to go charity shopping which was really lovely and much appreciated. Staying in a hotel is never easy with two young children. Our routine goes out of the window and mealtimes and bedtimes slip. The children did go to bed…
We’re looking forward to a big family Easter this year. Looking back at this photo, which was only taken a year ago, Edward looks so small. Now he’s a toddler stomping around, keeping me on my toes all day long. Every year my mum puts on an Easter egg hunt for her children and grandchildren. Last year I helped Edward put the chocolate eggs in his basket and Daddy ate them. I expect this year I’ll be running around after him making sure he doesn’t pick up his cousins’ eggs. I’m hoping Daddy will eat the eggs too as, after…
I’m not sure who coined the phrase gramping but I love it! It sums up our holidays perfectly since the arrival of Edward last year. Apparently three quarters of families with young children intend to go on holiday this year with the grandparents in tow, according to a survey by netmums. We had our first three-generations holiday when Edward was a few months old. The extended family of us, my mum, my sister and my niece all headed to Cornwall for a week. It was great, perfect weather, perfect accommodation but I don’t remember negotiating leaving Edward with a family…
I’m surprised to admit I love traveling on steam trains. There’s something about the smell, the atmosphere, the style and comfort of the carriages. Today we took our little one to the 36th Island Steam Show at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, a beautifully restored stretch of the old line which once crossed the island. We were fortunate to have a carriage to ourselves and sat back and enjoyed the view on the hour-long round trip. Edward seemed to enjoy every second of our day out, from his first ride on the miniature steam train to the vintage traction…
Despite the constant rain and gusty breeze we are enjoying some time on the Isle of Wight with our family. Whenever we come down we fall into a bit of a routine which includes visiting Busy Bee Nursery and looking round the charity shops in Ryde. However this morning we set off for another reclamation yard in Ryde, looking for the elusive missing parts for our fireplace. We managed to find a couple of suitable looking pieces and snapped them up for the bargain price of £15 (unbelievably cheap compared to what we were told in London last weekend). Then…