We're having what I think you would call a few "issues" with the kids at the moment when it comes to meal times. Little Miss C (who is now three and a half) is becoming increasingly fussy over food and Master C (now near enough 17 months old) seems to prefer throwing food rather than eating it. Needless to say it's driving me mad and making mealtimes rather stressful for everyone. When Netmums got in touch saying that they were looking for bloggers to review PaediaSure I jumped at the chance. I'm constantly worried that Little Miss C is not getting the balanced diet that ... read more
A Stationery Addicts Dream – Smiggle
I can still remember the first time that I had stationery envy. I was about 7 years old and had gone on a playdate to Lucie's house. I think most of the girls in my class were slightly in awe of Lucie as she had an older sister, and in those days an older sister meant that you knew and understood what was on trend at the time - and back then fancy stationery was THE thing to have. I clearly remember Lucie showing me her new pencil case and the new pens, pencils, ruler, rubber and pencil sharpener that she had inside. Ever since that day I have just loved stationery. There's part of me ... read more
Save the Children Bloggers Conference
Last Saturday saw me once again leave the children with Mr C and head into London on the train for another blogging event. This time I was headed to the Save the Children bloggers conference at their offices near Farringdon station. Save the Children have held these conferences for a few years now, and are a worldwide charity that I'm sure pretty much everyone has heard of, but if I'm totally honest I only really became aware of the work that they were doing with bloggers when I got to know DorkyMum during her time living in Harpenden. Chats with Ruth really opened my eyes ... read more
Marmaduke the Very Different Dragon – Rachel Valentine and Ed Eaves
Teaching our children that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being different is one of those lessons that many children's books have tried to cover and it's the main theme in Marmaduke the Very Different Dragon. Marmaduke is different from the other dragons. His ears are too big and he's noticed that his wings aren't the same as the ones on the other dragons so he's too scared to try to fly with them. He just wants to be like the others and protect a princess like they do and he feels so very very lonely. Princess Meg also isn't like the other ... read more
Aldi Demystified
As part of my year of thrift one of the most obvious outgoings to look at was how much I'm spending every week on supermarket shopping. Loads of people have told me that they'd saved quite a lot by swapping to either Aldi or Lidl instead of one of the main supermarkets so I thought it was worth a go myself. There is no Lidl close by so instead I headed to Hatfield and our local branch of Aldi. Before going I asked some of my blogger friends for their hints and tips and was fascinated to hear what they had to say - so much so that I hope to demystify the whole experience of shopping at ... read more
Reef 2 Activity Sheets
You don't even need to look out of the window at the moment to know that the weather is pretty damn miserable out there. It certainly doesn't bode well for half term next week. I know that I'm always saying that there's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing, but after all this rain and wind that's really starting to wear thin now! I'm definitely thinking that indoor activities are the way to go next week and I'm therefore delighted to have been asked to share these Reef 2 activity sheets with you. Reef 2 High Tide is being released on DVD ... read more
Bigjigs Wooden Safari Animal Building Blocks
Little Miss C has already learnt to recognise Play Patrol parcels from Bigjigs and this latest one was no exception. As well as some wonderful things for LMC herself (which will be included in a video review, just as soon as I shift this cold and can talk properly again!) there was also a package in there for Master C which he was very keen to get to grips with. The Safari Building Blocks are aimed at children aged one plus and they seem to be the perfect to move on to after the standard cube building blocks (you know the ones that you get either in the push along trolly, or that ... read more
There’s a Dinosaur in my Bathtub – Catalina Echeverri
I think there must be a bit of thing going on for dinosaurs at the moment as I seem to have been sent loads of books with them in to review. Little Miss C and I certainly aren't complaining though - we love a good dinosaur tale. The first one we're reviewing is There's a Dinosaur in My Bathtub. Just the title of this one made LMC laugh out loud. This particular dinosaur is French, has a very slick moustache and calls himself Pierre - obviously. Pierre has come to live in Amelia's bathtub and he's so good at hiding that only Amelia has seen him. Together the two of ... read more
Team Honk, the Mayor of St Albans and her Sport Relief Onesie!
Introducing the Mayor of St Albans, Cllr Annie Brewster If there's one thing I've learnt with blogging it's to expect the unexpected. And that was certainly very true on Tuesday when the Team Honk blogger relay came to St Albans. After something of a sleepless night, Tuesday morning saw the usual nerves that come with helping to organise something like this. What if it rained? What if the Mayor forgot to show up? What if the baton was late? What about if something happened to one of the school kids taking part? What if the local paper came and yet there was nothing to photograph? ... read more
An afternoon’s crafting
When an email arrived with a subject line of "Crafty fun at 'Sew Over It' sewing cafe" I have to admit that I let out a little squeal of excitement without even reading the contents. I've read about So Over It many times before online and always dreamt of being able to escape there one afternoon to properly indulge myself. I've even seen the founder Lisa Comfort on Channel 4's Kirstie's Vintage Home. The idea of actually going there, for a "mums" afternoon was an amazing one. So much so that if I'm honest it took two reads of the email before I ... read more