Time to step back a couple of weeks to our wonderful holiday in Cornwall. Determined to make the most of our National Trust membership yet again we set off this morning to Trelissick Garden. Now Trelissick isn't like all the other National Trust gardens as there's something very special about its setting - on its own peninsular. The garden is high up with some spectacular views of the River Fal and some lovely twisting paths that lead you down to the water, and the ferry port at the bottom. When we were there the colours were absolutely amazing - with the hydrangeas providing a palate ... read more
My 42 days of summer – #sweeet link challenge
The summer holidays. It's a phrase that seems to divide parents. Some look forward to that extra time with their children. Others, like me, dread them somewhat. I mean, 42 days is an awfully long time to be with someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Until I was asked to write this post for BritMums I think I was in denial as to how long it really was - for the sake of my sanity! But, as I sit here now I'm at the dawn on day 27 (over the halfway point) and they're actually no where near as bad as I feared. So, what are my tips for a great summer holiday? Plan. But not too ... read more
Summer 2014: Day 25 – Off to London to play with GoldieBlox
After all yesterday's Lollibop excitement Sunday started somewhat slower. Mr C and I were actually woken by our alarm rather than a screaming child and it was 8.30 before either of them got out of bed. Lollibop really must have exhausted them more than I'd realised. Our Sunday morning was mainly spent at home with me trying to catch up on the housework whilst Little Miss C caught up with Frozen (again!) and Master C happily played with his toy cars. We then dashed to town quickly to pick up some school trousers that we'd ordered and to shoot into the supermarket to stock up on a couple of ... read more
Summer 2014: Day 24 – Lollibop
Apologies for jumping around in my record of our summer, but three hours after leaving Lollibop today and my head is still buzzing with everything, so it seemed the appropriate time to write about it all. Now, What exactly is Lollibop for those of you who haven't been before? They describe themselves as The big bash for little people and that's pretty much what they do. It's a daytime festival (over three days) aimed at children and featuring some of the stars and brands that our little ones know and love. They've been running for a few years now and after a successful start had a bit ... read more
Summer 2014: Day 11 – A first feed run, a train journey and hitting the beach
Our first full day at Coombe Mill started off pretty much perfectly. A reasonable night's sleep (never likely to be good whilst looking after Master C!) and a beautiful morning. So nice in fact that I was able to sit outside with my morning cuppa and listen to the birds and the River Camel running through the site. A much more relaxed start to the day than I'm used to. Once the kids had woken up though everyone was buzzing with excitement as this was our first morning on the famous Coombe Mill feed run. The way this works is that every morning, bar changeover day, Farmer Nick (or one of ... read more
Back to School – Retro lunchbox ideas
Dare I say the dreaded words "back to school yet"? By my calculations we're now past the halfway point in the school holidays and in my desperate attempts to be organised by September I'm starting to think about all the things that I need to do before Little Miss C goes back to school on 3rd September. There's more (bigger) uniform to buy and water bottles to name. A book bag to find and school shoes to polish. With her being at Infant School she qualifies for free school meals come September which will not only save us money, but also mean that I don't have to get a lunchbox ready every ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: The Story of Saint Paul
There's nothing like a Ladybird book for making you realise just how little you know! That's certainly the case with the second of my finds from our Cornwall holiday - The story of Saint Paul. I was rather pleased with this find as it's my first book from their Religious series (series 522), but when I came to read it I soon discovered how much of my Religious Education from school I've either forgotten, or was never taught in the first place. Now St Paul was actually born around the same time as Jesus and as a child was called Saul. He was the son of two prominent Jews in the Mediterranean ... read more
Ten things to take on a self-catering holiday
Self-catering holidays always seem to involve a lot of planning - especially with regards to what to take. Having just returned from our self-catering family trip to Coombe Mill in Cornwall here are my top ten things to remember when you're going self-catering. 1. Towels Even if all the bedding is included where you're staying it doesn't necessarily mean that towels will be. It's certainly worth checking - for both bathroom towels and a tea towel. Don't forget that you may also want to take a bath mat too. 2. Tea bags If you're a complete tea addict like me then you'll definitely ... read more
Featured Post: How motherhood has changed over the years
One of my strongest memories from being pregnant with Little Miss C is actually the first time that my mum and I went shopping for "baby things". I'd met up with her and my Dad in central London for the day and after a cuppa and a cake we headed off to a certain well know Oxford Street department store's nursery department. At the time I had friends who had recently had kids and despite only being a mum to be I had a bit of an idea as to what was available these days that came under the "baby paraphernalia" category, however I think my mum's jaw hit the floor as we came up the escalator and ... read more
Summer 2014: Day 10 – Travelling to Cornwall
Finally the day was here - holiday time! Now, this year was our first real holiday with both children and the first proper holiday we've been away for in years, so we were pretty determined to make it memorable. Not feeling brave enough to fly with the kids again yet we instead went for a UK holiday and after seeing so many rave reviews online we opted to stay at Coombe Mill in Cornwall. If you've not heard of Coombe Mill, let me set the scene. Imagine a small farm, run by a family, where children are at the centre of the holiday. The whole site is set up so that they have an absolute ball, ... read more