Almost a year to the day since my WI story stepped up a gear it was time to again get the tent out, but this time I wasn't heading as far as Nottinghamshire (Tea and Tents is taking a year off this year, much like Glastonbury does when the organisers feel the need to put their feet up for a bit). Instead I was heading to a farm in Ware, Hertfordshire, for the Hertfordshire Federation of Women's Institutes (HFWI) take on Tea and Tents - Wine and Wigwams.I should probably come clean here and tell you that technically I was on the organising committee of Wine and Wigwams, but with life and loads ... read more
Willows Activity Farm Summer Spectacular 2017
Living in St Albans we're incredibly luck to have Willows Activity Farm right on our doorstep. It's close enough that plenty of kids from the children's school go regularly. We tend to keep it as somewhere that we go on a special occasion or as a big treat though. Keeping it as a magical place to go for the kids and when they do go they always absolutely love it. It has been a while though since our last visit and since then Willows have become home to CBeebies' Peter Rabbit, so this was the first time that Little Miss C and Master C had been to the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground or ... read more
Hetty Feather at the Foundling Museum
It's hard to remember a time when Little Miss C wasn't a bookworm. Even as a baby she loved being read to, and then since she learnt to read independently (sometime in Year One at school) there's been no stopping her. Her bedroom is full of books. As is her bed. I struggle to understand how she manages to get a decent night's sleep as she's usually got her head next to a pile of books with others all around her and under the duvet and her pillow. As someone who loves a good book myself, it's something that I'll happily support and encourage as I clearly remember how much pleasure I used to get ... read more
Review: Craft Time Mosaics
A recent house move combined with some grotty weather means I've been looking out for some small craft projects to keep the kids entertained on wet days at home. It was therefore perfect timing when I was sent a couple of Craft Time Mosaic kits to review. Little Miss C always loves anything crafty, and Master C's fine motor skills have been coming on in leaps and bounds recently, meaning that he too is actually now enjoying sitting down and completing something like this. We were sent two small kits to review - the kitten and the dragon. With the glittery mosaic stickers LMC wanted to ... read more
Travelling in the Middle East – Traditions You Should Know
The Middle East is a part of the Earth that most of us dream about exploring, but travelling there is nothing like spending a couple of weeks in Europe or the United States. Dubai, in particular, is famous for its strict laws, while other countries and states are steeped in tradition that tourists would do well to respect. Islamic countries have come out of celebrating Ramadan, which is when Muslim followers fast during the daylight hours. This means no food, water, swearing or inappropriate thoughts as the sun shines. While Ramadan is one of the more well-known traditions of ... read more
Using technology to get a good night’s sleep #ElectricSleep
There was a time that we were all told to avoid technology before bedtime if we wanted a good night's sleep. The general idea was that if you were looking at a screen, or interacting with technology in any other way, it would prevent your brain from winding down properly before you drifted off to sleep. Even if you did manage to nod off, the sleep you had would not be as deep or restful. As technology has changed and advanced, opinions towards it and sleep have changed somewhat. It used to be the case that people might curl up with a book in bed, and some old-fashioned types like me still ... read more
Brio Police Transport Set
It goes without saying that Master C loves trains and as I've said before, there's little that he loves more than being sent trains, or train related things, to help me review. Back in January I attended the Toy Fair in London and came home with a load of photos for him of the new Brio Police range that was due out later in the year. Ever since he's been asking about when he will get some "police trains" to review, and so I was delighted to recently be able to give him the new Brio Police Transport Set to test out. The concept of the set is that a baddie is trying to steal the gold on a ... read more
MOKURU – the latest trend hits the UK
When I was at school there was a girl in my A-level maths group who used to amaze me on a daily basis with her ability to twirl a pen on her fingers whenever she was thinking. In a way it was annoying, but it was just what Y did without even being conscious of it. She always use to tell me that it was something that everyone did back in Hong Kong, and strangely I'd forgotten all about it until a couple of weeks ago when I was sent a MOKURU to try out. This amazing wooden toy is perfect for anyone who has had enough of fidget spinners and wants to move on to the next craze that's sweeping ... read more
Interior Inspirations for Summer #InteriorInspirations
July is almost upon us. My birthday month. And to me July always means a long month of summer with lazy days in the sun and plenty of relaxing in the garden with good food, drinks and friends. It's also the time of year when I start to look at my home with different eyes. Start to look at the garden differently, and want to try to combine the two more to embrace summer properly in the home. A friend has recently renovated her house and when I went round for a nosey I completely fell in love with the Sanderson wallpaper that she has hung on her stairs. For me it totally captures the ... read more
Ravensburger Bugs in the Kitchen #GoGadgetFree for National Unplugging Day
This Sunday (27 June 2017) sees us celebrating National Unplugging Day. A day on which parents are pledging to #GoGadgetFree and spend from sun-up to sun-down without technology. It's like a return to a previous time; a time when children weren't glued to screens all day long and played together either using their own imagination or playing a board game together. As part of National Unplugging Day we were asked to review Ravensburger's fantastic game Bugs In The Kitchen. Now I first saw this game when I visited the Toy Fair in London back in January. At the time I was blown away by how ... read more