Family Finances. They can be a bit of a headache can't they? There always seems to be so much to think about and the various rules about tax and allowances can leave you feeling confused and unsure about exactly what you should be doing for the best for you and your family. Children in school are not taught about the basics of budgeting and as a nation we don't really talk about money and finances - it's just not a very British thing to do. But, how are we going to get better if we don't talk about things? And how are we supposed to know what we should be doing if there's no one talking ... read more
Frozen Magic Snow Sleeve Review
If you ask Little Miss C what her favourite film is then I can tell you that she would answer within a heartbeat that it was Frozen. Heck, even if you asked two year old Master C you'd probably get the same response. There's something about the magic that Disney have created that has made it a huge huge hit with children and with the new Frozen Fever film due out on the 27th March, and promises of Frozen 2 to follow, there's no doubt that this obsession is going to run and run. LMC jumps on absolutely anything Frozen related and at the moment her bedroom looks like a shrine to Elsa and ... read more
What do a cute little tin, potato starch and almonds have in common? #StationeryWednesday
I'm pretty sure that none of you will have guessed that the answer is adhesive paste. Or more specifically Coccoina Adhesive Paste, as sold by Bureau Direct. I included a tin of this in a recent review order and to be honest it's sat there on my desk looking incredibly cute for a while now. So much so that I almost didn't want to open it and stop it just looking sweet in any way. But last week I got my Cricut machine out again and when it came to sticking some things I had cut onto cards I reached for the Coccoina instead of my usual glue stick. The Coccoina worked really well as a ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Ladybird by Design
Sorry for being a bit late with today's Ladybird Tuesday. A poorly Master C who has suddenly taken to having three hours of naps a day - all on top of me! - means that everything is running somewhat behind schedule here chez C. And apologies for any extra bits in this post - rather than going to bed he's insisting on sitting on my knee and "helping" me with my work! I'm also looking at something a little bit different this week on Ladybird Tuesday. Rather than featuring an old vintage Ladybird book from my collection I'm instead looking at a new book that has just been published dot tie in ... read more
I Need a Wee – Sue Hendra and Paul Linnet
In my opinion Sue Hendra is quite simply one of the best picture book authors there is. So many of her books (Keith The Cat with the Magic Hat, No-Bot, Doug The Bug That Went Boing!, Supertato to name but a few) have been huge hits in this house and I know that as soon as I open I new one the kids will jump on it straight away. I Need a Wee has to be a brilliant title for a book. It's a phrase that every child shouts regularly and when Little Miss C managed to read the title for herself she just laughed out loud. Like so many children, Alan needs a wee, but he's just too busy to go to the ... read more
100 Family Adventures – The Meek Family
We're huge fans of getting the kids out of the house into the great outdoors and having fun out there. Fresh air is always good for them, and there is so much to do outside to challenge them and teach them too. I've always assumed we were pretty good at this but since reading 100 Family Adventures I've realised that there's actually so much more for us to do as the children get a bit older. The Meek Family are teacher parents Tim and Kerry and their two daughters Amy (11) and Ella (9) and they hit the news when they announced that they were taking a year out of formal education in 2014 - ... read more
Getting crafty with Interplay Fairy Cards
Little Miss C loves crafting at our kitchen table and she's very fortunate that we have a huge amount of craft supplies in the house, and a recycling box overflowing with materials that can be repurposed into something else. But, since she started school full time in September we're finding it harder to fit doing something creative into the school day as I often can't face giving her free rein with the supplies as the clearing up job so we can eat tea at the table is just too much to face. I was really pleased therefore when we were asked to review Fairy Cards by Interplay as it meant I ... read more
More charity shop clothing finds
I've not had much luck in charity shops over the last month or so. Lots of looking but very little that I actually wanted to buy. I either found things I liked but in completely completely the wrong size, or the things in my size (or close to it) were just not my style at all. All that changed this morning though with my usual post knitting group wander around. Both Scope and Oxfam in St Albans came up trumps so have a look at what I came home with for under £35 in total. I've also been having a lot of success with my previous charity shop finds. A George black dress that I featured ... read more
Switching suppliers and embracing green #PowerToSwitch
In my dream world this is what the roof of my house would look like. Solar panels and possibly even a small wind turbine too. I dream of being self sufficient when it comes to electricity and as I sit here on a sunny and windy day it frustrates me so much that I can't be powering the laptop I type on with renewable energy. But, I am. Well, sort of. You see, last year I finally got round to going on to a utilities price comparison site. For some reason I'd been putting it off for years as I'd just always assumed that it was going to be a really tedious process to go through and that I was ... read more
Hooray! It’s a New Royal Baby! – Martha Mumford and Ada Grey
Before Prince George was born there was a flurry of children's books about the Royal Baby and in a way it was to be expected - the baby was going to be King or Queen one day and it was a bit bit of history. Part me though wasn't too sure about it all happening before the baby was born though. It just left me feeling a bit uneasy. Since then there have been several books featuring Prince George and I'm ok with that as it helps children learn a little bit about the little boy that will one day be king. There's going to be a new Royal Baby sometime next month though and I can see that the ... read more