• 8 ways to hold onto summer vibes in winter
    homestyle

    Top tips for holding onto summer vibes in winter

    November 25, 2017 - By 

    In the depths of winter it can be hard to remember that everything is seasonal and although Summer is behind us, it’s not long until the shortest day (check out our winter solstice lamp craft) and we can look forward to Spring. I love living in the UK where life is totally shaped by the seasons. As a parent I get to enjoy the long days of summer with my children. Life is easier in the summer. You can wear minimal clothes, spend all day outside and eat ice cream and salad all day. The winter months are harder. It’s…

  • How do you like your pancakes?
    Pancake Day crafts - recipe - Winter

    How do you like your pancakes? {Hob Pride Pancake Challenge}

    February 21, 2017 - By 

    I love the first few months of the new year. There is so much going on with birthdays and special days that it’s difficult to be bored for a minute. Next week we will be celebrating Pancake Day here in the UK. My husband *always* makes the pancakes in our house so I have been practising so I can make them for a change. Everyone seems to like them served a different way but we’re all agreed that flat pancakes are the way forward. A basic pancakes recipe is cheap and cheerful, it’s what you serve them with that makes…

  • Winter fairy garden play activity for kids
    Fairy garden crafts - parenting - playing - Winter

    Winter fairy garden play

    January 21, 2017 - By 

    We’ve had a run of beautiful but cold days recently. These are my favourite winter days and we’ve all wanted to be outside before coming back in to warm up with a hot chocolate! Over the weekend we spent a bit of time cleaning out our mud kitchen which was looking so sad and neglected. All the pots were full of muddy, frozen water and it needed a good clean up. The children helped clear out the old pinecones and acorns we had collected and sweep away the sand and dust. We left it looking so much cleaner, all ready…

  • Holly and berries winter sun catcher
    Christmas - crafts - Winter

    Holly and berries winter sun catcher

    January 17, 2017 - By 

    My 6 year old has been off school for the past few days with chicken pox. He’s been quite poorly and Minecraft has been the only thing to cheer him up. To scrape him away from it we re-used our cellophane sweet wrappers to make this fun holly and berries winter sun catcher. We used: white card, green and red cellophane pieces, contact paper, scissors Holly and berries winter sun catcher First I drew some holly leaves and berries on a sheet of card. Then I cut them out using my Swann-Morton scalpel. If I made this again I would only…

  • How to make a Winter Solstice ice lamp
    crafts - Nature crafts - STEM activity - Winter

    How to make a Winter Solstice ice lamp

    December 20, 2016 - By 

    Did you know that tomorrow (Wednesday December 21st) at 10.44 GMT is the Winter Solstice. The winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon marking the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It happens when the Sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. To celebrate the Winter Solstice and the shortest day of the year we made a Winter Solstice ice lamp. I’ve wanted to make one for a few years, the kids always enjoy a little science at home, and finally got round to making it with the children. We used: a plastic tub water red…

  • clothing

    Dressing for winter

    February 2, 2013 - By 

    I find this time of year really difficult to dress for. I look outside and see blue sky and think it’s Spring. But when I actually get outside it’s cold and windy. I end up either wearing too many layers or not enough! I invested in a lovely new coat at the end of last year but I needed some more layers to keep me warm. It’s not often I’m asked to review clothes so I was very excited when I was offered a voucher to spend online at Joe Browns. Like most mums I find it really difficult to…