It’s grey and miserable outside, and the light is fading earlier every day. Autumn is well and truly here, and before we know it, we’ll be in the throes of winter. If you’re keen to do some decorating or sprucing at home to create a cosy vibe perfect for chilly climes, you’ve come to the right place. Here are some inspirational ideas to help you snuggle up this autumn/winter. Switching up your colourways When the sun’s shining, and it’s light until you go to bed, it’s wonderful to embrace natural light and try and create crisp, clean spaces. As temperatures fall, it’s increasingly ... read more
Boo at the Zoo – Halloween Half Term fun at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
We've been huge fans of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo for as long as I can remember and ZSL members for years now, yet strangely we've never actually been to their Halloween event, the brilliantly named, Boo at the Zoo before. Today that changed. Much of the Boo at the Zoo fun takes place in the giant marquee in the Base Camp area of the zoo. There you can find Creepy Crafts and the Pumpkin Patch. All three kids enjoyed making bat masks as part of the free creepy crafts activities and if you buy a pumpkin from the shop area just outside the marquee you can then carve a pumpkin and take it home with ... read more
Earn Extra Income During The School Breaks
Having a career that fits around the kids school term is the perfect solution to the age old "who will work and who will stay at home" argument, or something that can be a vital part of life for anyone bringing up children on their own. If you work in education then the paid break is great - however if you work in a role that means you need to lose out on income to benefit from this time off then it can be detrimental to your financial situation. Luckily there are now many different ways to earn income from home during the school breaks without having to be unavailable from 9am to 5pm and here ... read more
Making Your Kid’s Birthday Unforgettable
Picture Source Every parent worries at this time of year. Your child’s birthday is approaching. And you have to somehow top whatever you did last year just to make them happy. Of course, ironically, you’re probably giving this far more thought than your child. Whilst birthdays are definitely important to children, the only thing they care about is having a fun time with their loved ones. They might not say it but that’s the truth. So here are some tips on making your kid’s birthday unforgettable. The party. First of all, any great birthday requires planning. “I know that,” you say. ... read more
Celebrating Halloween American Style with Post Cereals
As a kid I was mesmerised by watching children eat cereal in American films. It always just looked so exciting compared to the boring cornflakes that I always used to have for breakfast. American children's breakfast bowls seemed to full of bright colours. It always looked so much more fun. Fast forward many years and I was still very excited to be contacted by Post Cereals with an offer to send me some of their American cereals, that are now available in UK supermarkets for the first time. That fascination with American cereals continues today though as my 13 year old step-daughter was ... read more
Dating after Divorce
What ever the reason for your divorce, and regardless of whose decision it was, the idea of entering back into dating after divorce can be incredibly scary. Depending on how long you’ve been married, it’s quite likely that the dating scene has changed somewhat from how you remember it. Don’t let any of that put you off though. No matter what your age or circumstances, dating can be fun. The key thing is to go into it with an open mind and to understand what you want to get out of it. Be realistic with yourself. Do you want to find another life partner, or are you just looking to have some ... read more
Setting up a home office space with Kit Out My Office
As a freelancer working from home one of the most important things in my old house was having a bit of office space. Somewhere where I could sit and work and then when I'd finished close up my laptop, walk away, and get on with the rest of my life. Since moving I've simply not had the space to do that, and I've noticed the detrimental effect that it's had on my work and also on my work-life balance. Working on the sofa or the kitchen table is fine, but it's far from ideal. The faff of having to pack everything away anytime that someone else needs the table or wants to sit on the sofa and ... read more
Morphy Richards Toaster and Kettle set
Role play is such a vital part of a child's development. Talk to any Early Years practitioner and they will tell you about what an important stage it is and why pre-schools, nurseries and reception classes all have role play areas and how much the children gain from playing in them. It's part of how they make sense of the world around them and understand their roles within the world. It stimulates their imagination, aids their social development and can also help children understand scenarios that they may have encountered in real life. For most children role playing home situations is ... read more
Five thrifty dating ideas
Dating can be an expensive business. No one wants to use the phrase "cheap date" but if you're testing the dating waters and seeing a few people then it can stack up financially. It needn't do so though. There's plenty you can do without it breaking the bank. Here are my top five ideas for how to have a cheap date without it feeling like a cheap date. Romantic walk It may sound a tad clichéd, but there can be nothing more romantic than a walk somewhere beautiful together. Time to hold hands, put your arms around each other whilst looking at a stunning view, and loads of opportunity to ... read more
The Twelve Dogs of Christmas – Alison Ritchie and Marisa Morea
Christmas picture books are arriving on my doorstep on an almost daily basis right now, with The Twelve Dogs of Christmas one of the most recent, and I'm actually really enjoying starting to get into the Christmas spirit. Master C has already asked how many sleeps there are until Christmas and, for now, seems satisfied with my answer, so I just have to hope that the requests to put up the Christmas tree don't start just yet! The Twelve Dogs of Christmas is a lovely little tale about a puppy's excitement in the lead up to his first Christmas. The lovely rhyming text makes it the perfect sort ... read more