• The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep
    book review - competition - parenting

    Win a copy of The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep

    September 26, 2016 - By 

    Last year The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep became a ground-breaking best-seller – and a bedtime saviour – as parents across the globe extolled the success of the book in helping their children to fall asleep at night. This new story, The Little Elephant Who Wants to Fall Asleep, will be another welcome solution to help turn the often-trying bedtime routine into a special end-of-day ritual. The Little Elephant, features an all-new cast of lovable characters, but has been created with the same objective of helping children fall asleep. Written by behavioural scientist and parent, Carl-Johan Forssén Ehrlin, the…

  • Lanhydrock House in Cornwall
    Cornwall - days out - parenting

    A week in Cornwall

    September 23, 2016 - By 

    Cornwall is a long way from where we live in West London but we always have a great time when we go. A few years ago the whole extended family rented a lovely old house in the picturesque village of Looe. It was a great base to explore that part of Cornwall and pretty much the perfect family holiday. We’ve always been National Trust members. They look after some of the most beautiful countryside, stately homes, buildings, art collections and more. I love knowing our membership fee helps contribute (in a tiny way) to saving and preserving some of these…

  • Wicked Uncle logo
    birthday - parenting - shopping

    Choosing the perfect birthday present for kids {Wicked Uncle Challenge}

    September 22, 2016 - By 

    A few weeks ago we heard about the Wicked Uncle Challenge. We al know how hard it can be to buy the right present for a child. I know my own children and they can be a nightmare. They ask for something for ages. They receive it for Christmas or a birthday and look blankly when they open it as they no longer want it or have grown out of it. These days with so many new toys constantly coming out it can be hard choosing the perfect birthday present for kids. This is where Wicked Uncle comes in. Never…

  • Avebury Stone Circle with kids
    days out - parenting - Wiltshire

    Exploring Avebury Stone Circle with children

    September 10, 2016 - By 

    Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the pretty village of Avebury in Wiltshire. It also happens to be between my Mum’s house and ours so we often stop off on the way home. Exploring Avebury Stone Circle with children is a great day out as there is so much to see and do so I thought I would tell you about our latest trip. Exploring Avebury Stone Circle with children Avebury comprises of a large henge (a bank and a ditch) with a large outer stone circle and two separate smaller stone circles inside the…

  • Fit To Dance
    competition - days out - parenting

    Could you be Disney On Ice’s Fit To Dance champion?

    September 7, 2016 - By 

    Last week we received a special invitation from Disney On Ice to attend an exclusive VIP Fit To Dance class event with Disney On Ice skaters and Disney On Ice super fan Peter Andre! I’m not sure my children know who Peter Andre is but I quite like him so off we went to the Dominion Theatre in the West End. Disney On Ice’s Fit To Dance Fir To Dance is a new programme that gives your children a chance to share in the magical world of Disney On Ice by creating their own wonderful stories, and then telling them through dance. We’ve…

  • Westwood Manor Wiltshire
    days out - National Trust - parenting - Wiltshire

    Westwood Manor {a National Trust day out}

    September 3, 2016 - By 

    Last week we had a few days with my mum in Wiltshire. We’ve always wanted to visit Westwood Manor, a small National Trust property near Bradford on Avon. Although owned by the NT it has live in tenants so is only open for a few days in the year. We usually travel home on Sundays but thanks to the Bank Holiday we were staying for the long weekend so could visit! With two youngish children I have to admit that this year we haven’t renewed our National Trust membership for the first time in about 10 years. We usually visit Hughenden…

  • The Great Big Rhino Project and Trail
    days out - holidays - parenting - Sculpture trails - Summer

    The Great Big Rhino Project and Trail

    August 28, 2016 - By 

    We’ve finally been able to leave London behind and visit family and friends in Devon. We come a couple of times each year so always have our favourite places to re-visit around Exeter. This year we stayed in a fab hotel in central Exeter which was  a great base for exploring the city. The weather has been perfect so we spent a fun afternoon down by the Quay as well as walking around the Cathedral, City walls and historic buildings. On our first day we discovered a colourful life-sized painted rhino and quickly realised this was a really fun public…

  • Star Wars sensory bin
    Crafts for kids - Star Wars crafts

    DIY Star Wars sensory bin for kids

    August 23, 2016 - By 

    I have been thinking about different ways for my children to play with their toys and I thought of combining their favourite Star Wars toys with our tuff spot. Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best and our Star Wars sensory bin has been recreated several times. For our DIY Star Wars sensory bin for kids we used: Selection of Star Wars toys Tuff spot Sand Wooden stars DIY Star Wars sensory bin for kids: Our tuff spot gets a lot of use at this time of year. The last time the children played with this the sun was shining…

  • scooting in the park
    days out - parenting

    Getting the most from a scooter {tips and tricks from Halfords}

    August 16, 2016 - By 

    There’s something about long summer days that makes us all want to be outside as much as possible. We’ve had some lovely weather lately, packed up a picnic and gone out for the day. At the beginning of the school holidays we popped down to Halfords and bought both children lovely new bikes. They’ve been out on these quite a lot but their scooters haven’t been forgotten. As we live so close to school the kids scoot to school every day. They love their scooters and it’s always easy to identify them. My 4 year old has customised hers with…