The idea of your child having to spend even one night away from your protection and the comforts of home might be traumatic, so spare a thought for the tens of thousands of youngsters who are sleeping rough night after night on the streets of Senegal’s capital city Dakar. These vulnerable children often lack access to the basics they need to stay healthy. Keep reading to find out more about their plight, and what you can do to help. Shocking statistics The charity Human Appeal, which is involved in a project to help these youngsters, states on its website that around 50,000 children are ... read more
The ultimate guide to designing a child’s bedroom
If you’re planning on giving your little one’s bedroom an overhaul, keep reading. In this guide, you’ll be able to find some useful design hints and tips on how you can transform your child’s sleeping space in style. The perfect theme Firstly, it’s important that you pick the perfect theme to carry throughout the room. Since most kids love bright colours and wild, funky patterns, there’s no reason why you should hold back when you’re deciding on your decor in this space. From the paint palette you go for, to the type of flooring you select, to the soft furnishings you include, there are ... read more
Review: Ravensburger’s My First Clock
It's not just Master C that I've been trying to do educational stuff with this summer. Little Miss C hasn't escaped my attempts to be a good parent, so I've had her helping me to review Ravensburger's My First Clock which also comes from their Play & Learn range. The game consists of a clock with movable hands and 27 clock cards. Each off these shows a time on an analogue clock on one side and then on the reverse there is the same time shown on a digital clock. Now, what I find a tad strange about this is that the digital side shows the time twice, one for morning and once for ... read more
Review: Ravensburger’s Ready, Set, Count!
Master C starts the pre-school year at the local infant school today. Today! How on earth has that happened? It's hard to believe that it was three years ago that Little Miss C was in that same position. There are so many differences between my two kids and if I'm honest quite a few differences between they way that they've been brought up. After all LMC was an only child for the first two and a bit years of her life, yet Master C has always had to fight for attention against his older sister - I just wish he didn't do that quite so literally at times! It's also fair to say that as LMC was ... read more
School Reviewer: Empowering parents with knowledge
There's no denying it - St Albans is one of those places that people move to to have a family. It means that the local parents Facebook groups and online forums are absolutely full of questions about local schools. Things about how big the intake is, where the catchment area stretches to and where they can find the latest Ofsted report. Information about all these things is out there somewhere on the internet, but the relaunched School Reviewer website brings it all together beautifully. As a parent, your child's education is one of the most important things you can plan for and parents are ... read more
Meeting Num Noms at Bella Italia
My kids really love nothing more than coming on one of Mummy's work trip - mainly because they usually seem to involve food and getting to play with toys! I often wonder how they describe what I do to their friends and what sort of a warped version of events their teachers get. Thing is that the recent Num Noms Party at Bella Italia involved lots of food, activities and the biggest pile of Num Noms you have ever seen. Now I'll be honest and say that Num Noms had completely passed me by until now, but Little Miss C is no where near as ignorant as I am and instantly started jumping up and ... read more
PornBurger – Mathew Ramsey
Burger Porn. Now I don't know about you, but when an email came into my inbox featuring those two words I simply had to read on. I love a burger. The juicier and larger the better. There's something about them that is just utterly gorgeous but at the same time slightly dirty. Let's be honest, eating the best burgers is often a messy affair. The whole process normally involves juices dripping everywhere and you're bound to get sauce on your fingers too. And then there's the whole matter of whether or not you can actually fit it in your mouth or not. Eating one in front of someone else always ... read more
Wide-awake Hedgehog – Rosie Wellesley
Is it totally wrong of me to say that I've got to the stage of the year where I'm actually starting to get a teeny bit excited about autumn coming around again? I guess I like every season really, but I also always seems to feel ready for the next one to roll around and there's something about autumn that I really enjoy. Walks in the crisp air. Leaves changing colour. Snuggling up under a blanket on the sofa on a dark evening. I also find that it's the time of year when we get some very cute children's books coming out and Wide-awake Hedgehog is a great example. Many children will have ... read more
Odd Dog Out – Rob Biddulph
Sometimes I find myself reading a book to the children at bedtime and just falling completely and utterly in love with it. With Odd Dog Out though, not only did I fall in love, but I also found myself shedding a small tear in the process. If only all books could get things as spot on as Rob Biddulph's managed here and the world would be a far better place in my opinion. As anyone who knows me in "real life" will know - I'm not exactly someone who always conforms and as a result there can be times when I don't exactly fit in with those around me. That can make the world a lonely place, ... read more
Capturing Shared Moment with Memory Lane
As a busy parent it can be so simple to over look those special moments that happen with your kids just as part of everyday life. You tend to really remember the trips out to theme parks, things you did on holiday or the big events like birthdays, but there are so many other special things that happen without quite so much fanfare which can for just as precious memories. I was therefore delighted to be asked to work with Channel Mum and Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons to record and share three such special moments and to show you how you can use the new Memory Lane tool to help capture and share ... read more