Ok, ok, I admit it. I probably got you here under false pretenses. With a post title like that you might have been hoping for a juicy bit of gossip or similar. But no, quite literally I'm going to be talking about my dirty laundry. Which I hadn't actually realised was all that dirty until I was asked to try Dr Beckmann's Colour & Dirt Collector! Now, the main aim behind Dr Beckmann's is to prevent colours running in the wash, allowing you to wash coloured clothes with whites, with no fear that you're going to end up with your husbands work shirts turning a nice shade of pink due to a ... read more
What’s on my bookcase – shelfie part 2
Thanks to the great response to my first shelfie last week, I'm now back with more. This time I've moved downstairs and am looking at one of the bookcases in my front room. See if it gives away which railway station I listen to, or what as a child I wanted to be when I grew up? Worryingly it also seems to give away just how many books I own that I haven't got round to reading yet! So what's waiting un-read on your bookcase for you? ... read more
Review: Vimto Squeezy
Who doesn't love Vimto? That fruity taste that you can't quite put your finger on just reminds me of childhood summers every time I have it. When I was emailed to ask if I wanted to try their new Vimto Squeezy I was therefore intrigued. I've seen the TV ads for these new "water enhancers" as they are called and I wondered what all the fuss was about. The main target market is people, in particular children, who just don't like the taste of water on its own. You can then carry with you one of the small bottles and add a squirt of it to water when you're out and about and hey presto it's just ... read more
How to Inspire Children’s Creativity #PlayTheHero
One thing I particularly love about blogging is just how diverse the range of things I'm asked to get involved with are. One week can see me writing or talking about everything from parenting issues, to food and drink products, to toy reviews, to children and adult fiction books. Earlier this week was a perfect example. In-between writing about Paddington Bear I also took part in a Google Hangout on behalf of Philips and BritMums where psychologist Chireal Shallow was answering questions from a group of bloggers about how to inspire your children's creativity. Will the long summer holidays ... read more
Featured Post: When Paddington took over #Warbeartons
Just the mention of marmalade sandwiches and several generations instantly think of Paddington Bear. Has any one person (human or bear) ever had such a strong association with a specific food? He was always prepared for any adventure with his sandwiches packed carefully in his little brown suitcase and that's what makes him the perfect bear for Warburtons to team up with this summer. I fondly remember reading the Michael Bond books as a child and also enjoying the television adaptation of it. Strangely I still recall the phrase "Mr and Mrs Brown exchanged glances", which seemed to be used ... read more
Half way through the Year of Thrift
January seems like a long time ago right now and I have to be totally honest and say that over the last couple of months my year of thrift has taken a bit of a back seat in my life. There are plenty of thrifty things that I now do without even thinking of them, but the thing that has most put me off track is actually the response we've had whilst trying to save money on our mortgage. In the early part of the year we went to huge lengths to cut down our outgoings. We changed gas and electricity supplier, we changed our mobile phone contracts and we also shopped around loads for groceries to ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: The Frozen Planet of Azuron
Let's be totally honest about this post upfront. I'm no science fiction fan at all and this is actually the kind of book I normally avoid. But, it is a vintage Ladybird book so when I found it in a charity shop it came home with me and it's certainly part of Ladybird history. The Frozen Planet of Azuron was first published in 1982 as part of series 823. The series contained a total of 4 science fiction titles (The Energy Pirate, The Frozen Planet of Azuron, The Giants of Universal Park and The Planet of Death) and each book contains a short story. The Frozen Planet of Azuron was written ... read more
Planning Paris in a Day
Back in July 2003 Mr C and I celebrated my birthday for the first time as a couple and we headed off to Paris on a Eurostar train for what was then our first holiday together. Since then, before children, we travelled extensively together (at least 20 different countries and going right around the world for our honeymoon) and we loved those trips to foreign cities where we'd explore on foot, stopping for a beer or glass of wine in a bar and people watching when ever we got tired. We both really miss travelling now that we've got kids and often we'll talk about the trips that we've taken in ... read more
What’s on my bookcase – shelfie part 1
I'm super, super excited that later this year St Albans is going to be hosting its first Literary Festival. I'm even more excited as my good friend and fellow blogger Claire from Being a Mummy is actually in charge of the whole thing! With a very small team she's put together a programme with some great speakers for book fans of all types. I've blocked the days out in my diary already and I'm really looking forward to it. In the run up to the festival the other thing I've loved is some of the team sharing shelfie videos in which they talk you through what's on their bookcase. As someone who ... read more
Doing a grand job
Thank you for all your kind words after my outpouring of frustration on here the other day. Things can seem pretty bleak when you're sleep deprived and stuck at home with a poorly one, whilst also having to balance the needs of their sister, plus work obligations. There's no such thing as time off when you're self employed and in the middle of trying to remortgage your house! I'm delighted to say that Master C finally seems to be over the sickness bug that knocked him low for a week. As a result his general mood has improved significantly, making life somewhat easier. Eating is still a ... read more