If you live in the UK you must have been living under a stone if you haven't noticed that there's going to be a General Election in May this year. Here we are just a week in to 2015 and already all the political parties seem to be setting off in full election mode determined to get our votes in what is possibly going to be one of the closest run elections that we've had for many years. The mainstream media is obviously already starting to get excited about this, but it may seem a bit early to start blogging about it, apart from the fact that in my ward in St Albans we're actually off to the ... read more
When maps meet stationery – part 2 #StationeryWednesday
Don't you just love it when two of your favourite things come together? I got all excited back in November with the vintage map washi tape that I found at Bureau Direct, but now I think the team there must have realised that a love of stationery and maps goes hand in hand as look at what I've found now. This Paperways Handy MemoPad comes with a map of Europe on it and is just the perfect size for keeping handy in the kitchen and writing a shopping list or similar on. There's a world map version too (although the map is obviously at 90 degrees to the way up you'd normally have the pad - ... read more
When notebooks go technical… #StationeryWednesday
When you think of notebooks in this modern age they're often seen as being a bit old fashioned and quaint, especially when you talk to people who keep all their notes digitally on their smart phone. But then again many of us like this old fashioned way of connecting pen with paper and I find that my brain flows somewhat better with a pen in my hand than it does at the keyboard. Possibly a strange thing for a blogger to say, but I find that some of my best blog posts come when I've sat down and made handwritten notes first. In these days of cloud computing and backing up everything though ... read more
Fathomless Riches – Rev Richard Coles
The Rev Richard Coles might not be a name that you instantly recognise, but if you were to see a photo of him you'd probably think his face is familiar, as well it is, as he seems to pop up all over the BBC these days on everything from Songs of Praise to Have I Got News For You. His voice is even more recognisable as he is also a regular host of BBC Radio 4's Saturday Live. All rather impressive when you consider how few vicars have a public profile outside their parish. That alone may be considered impressive, but when you add to it that fact that the Rev Richard Coles is also gay, has ... read more
The magic of a white Christmas
Here we are on the first day of a new year. Mr C is back to work tomorrow, Master C back to nursery and I think it's therefore time to say that Christmas 2014 is over. The last ten days seem to have vanished in a bit of a whirlwind, but I think it fair to say we had a good Christmas. The emergency dentist appointment for me and both kids being at the GPs on the Monday and Tuesday of Christmas week made me wonder if we were going to be a house full of sick people for the big day itself, but luckily I think we dodged a bullet there. We just had my mum staying with us for Christmas itself and ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Christmas Special!
Ladybird Tuesday often goes a bit AWOL over the festive period, but seeing as I always mean, but fail, to do a round up of Ladybird inspire gifts before each Christmas I though that instead I'd do a quick round up of the Ladybird presents I was lucky enough to receive on Christmas day. First up was a gift from my husband that I'd actually put on my Christmas list - The Ladybird Story. This book started life as a PhD thesis on the history of Ladybird books and whilst it is written very much in an academic style, it is completely fascinating. I've not yet had the time to read it all ... read more
Review: Pamper Parcels
It's is exhausting being a mum. To be honest I'm finding having a four year old and a two year old more exhausting than the newborn days. There are still some sleepless nights, but there's also all the stuff that needs doing in the daytime. Masses of laundry, school homework, forms that need returning, pre-school visits to do, school run, nursery run, swimming lessons, playgroup, shopping, cleaning, school uniform to mend, school shoes to buy, the daily routine of getting through meals and bath and bed time. It can feel like an endless treadmill. Christmas just adds to the workload. There ... read more
Christmas Crafting with Bostik
We started our Christmas crafting early here this year, and by the time our Bostik Blogger box of goodies arrived from CraftMerrily we'd already made angels, cards and gift tags. It was therefore with a bit of hesitation that I gave Little Miss C what was possibly the best early Christmas present she'd ever had - completely free rein to do whatever she wanted with the box of craft goodies. Normally I'm a complete control freak when it comes to the boxes of goodies that arrive from CraftMerrily, planning out everything we can make before she gets a look in. I then left her and Mr C alone at the ... read more
Dog on Stilts – James Thorp and Angus Mackinnon
I do love discovering children's books from smaller publishers as often they have a freshness to them that makes them stand out from the crowd, and that seems to be the case with Dog on Stilts. Medium Dog is, well, ordinary. All the other dogs that he encounters seem much more interesting than he is, and that's making him a bit glum. Then, he comes up with a way to stand out from the crowd. Literally! The premise for the Dog on Stilts story is just bonkers - after all, as my four year old pointed out, dog's can't walk on stilts - but it made both my kids laugh like absolute drains when I ... read more
Have yourself a very thrifty Christmas
Christmas. Let's face it, it's an expensive time of the year. Well, at least it can be, but here are some of my top tips for having a thrifty Christmas in 2014. Save on Christmas presents If I'm honest here, the really serious thrifty folk will have already done the bulk of their Christmas back in the January sales! Don't despair though if you're reading this in December and thinking you don't have a chance of saving money - you do. Firstly consider who you have to get gifts for. Do they really all need a present? If there are a lot of family members then why not suggest doing a ... read more