It’s well known that children learn by mimicking the behaviour around them. The adage “do what I say and not what I want” doesn’t work with them. Parents who want their children to keep their room tidy need to show how it’s done by keeping the home clean and organised. Similarly, it’s likely that kids who are shouted at as a punishment adopt this kind of behavior too: loud children = loud parenting. So, it’s your responsibility to show your children the behaviour that you expect them to copy. This goes for social skills as well as developing healthy habits. If you want your children to learn ... read more
Craft Tools That Can Take You From Amateur To Pro
pexels Crafting is becoming something of a popular hobby these days. Many people are turning their back on rank consumerism and enjoying the fruits of their own labor, and instead of splashing out huge amounts of money on new furniture, ornaments, and artwork, they are doing it all themselves. And why not? Regular readers of this blog will know how much I love a good craft project - there is nothing in the world more satisfying than creating something beautiful yourself. You can even start making some money from crafting, too, if you put your mind to it. But make no mistake, if you do ... read more
What to take camping – a camping packing list
I like to think that I'm a bit of a seasoned camper now. I've certainly been enough times that I know what I'm doing and perhaps most importantly I know what I think I need to take with me. I know that when we started out camping understanding what kit to buy and take with us was one of the hardest things. I even blogged about how we had what we thought was all the kit, but absolutely no idea if it was what we needed or not. With summer here again, I keep finding myself being asked for advice on what you should take camping so I thought it time to pull it all together into one blog post ... read more
Say Zoop! – Herve Tullet
As I'm sure regular readers know, one of my hobbies is collecting vintage children's books. There are so, so many things I love about them, but at the same time I also celebrate just how much children's books have moved on since my childhood. Back then books were just stories or factual. If your parents read you a bedtime story it was usually quite a old fashioned thing where they read and you listened. There were a few noticeable exceptions and I always remember the story my mum tells me about reading Wind in the Willows and how that book taught her about the sound of words. The use of ... read more
Wine and Wigwams – more WI summer fun
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
The Mid-Summer Spruces Your Gorgeous Garden Needs
https://www.pexels.com/photo/flowers-flower-pink-17666/ When it comes to summer, the last thing we all want to be doing is work. But, a lot of the time, there are chores that still have to be done. When you’ve got through your spring clean, and your house is fit for summer, it’s then onto the garden. After all, we all tend to spend a lot more time outside during the warmer months. So, you definitely want your outdoor space to look and feel good. To do that, you’re going to need to spruce. If you’re feeling a little less than motivated or you need a little guidance, here are a few areas to ... 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
5 Ways To Help Your Child Get A Good Night’s Sleep
(image: wikimedia) We all need a good night’s sleep, and your kids are no exception. Having to deal with cranky moods and behavior issues when they are tired is no easy task. Of course, getting them to go to bed isn’t easy either. However, we are here to help. In this article, we have put together five ways in which you can help your child get a better night’s sleep. Follow these tips, and you might even get to bed on time too! Keep your kids active After a long day at school, the last thing your kids want to do is exercise. Watching tv and playing video games may be a more attractive ... read more