I was rather excited to hear that one of the other mums from school was setting up a book group as so often I want to talk about what I've read with someone and there's just no one to talk to. The last time I was involved in a book group it was an online one before Little Miss C was born, but being someone who likes to talk the idea of doing so in person, possible over a glass of wine, is quite thrilling. The first book chosen for us to read is Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson. Now this isn't a book I'd heard of before, but I was gripped from the very first chapter. Christine wakes up ... read more
Dinner at the Vitamin D-iner
Today was just like a return to November weather-wise. Grey, wet and significantly colder than it has been of late, making it appropriate to think about how little Vitamin D our kids are getting here in the UK. Vitamin D is crucial for the under 5s to ensure that they grow healthily and that their bones and teeth develop correctly. But with the weather the way it is here it can be very difficult for children to get enough vitamin D from the sun alone. Now, my kids spend a good amount of time outside every day. We walk to school every day, I walk to town with Master C about three times a ... read more
Ten things to consider when booking your family summer sun holiday
Now that Easter is over and done with and the kids have gone back to school attentions are turning to summer and in particular booking summer holidays in the sunshine somewhere. We all need something in the diary to look forward to! Booking a family holiday can be a bit of a daunting thing. Where do you go? Who do you travel with? Do you book it all yourself or go with a reputable travel firm like First Choice? Everyone's talking about all inclusive holidays to Greece, but Greece is a big country so where do you start looking? What do I actually need to book and organise? I might ... read more
And that was that!
The house is quiet. Little Miss C is finally back at school and her brother is upstairs napping. At my side is a cup of some special tea that the bloke in the local health food shop convinced me to buy this morning. For the first time in about three weeks I'm as close to feeling calm as I have ever done since having children. The Easter holidays are over and despite there being some highs I have to say that boy was that tough! And now I've managed to speak too soon. Master C has magically woken from his nap a whole hour earlier than usual and despite not going to sleep until gone 10 ... read more
Spring is sprung in the veg garden
A comment our neighbour made over the garden fence the other day really got me thinking. So often with two young kids at home it feels pretty much impossible to get any "projects" actually seen through to completion. Everything seems half done and there are a million and one things that both Mr C and I want to start, finish or just make progress on, yet it can be impossible to make time with the kids. However, in July it will be 5 years since we moved to this house and apart from making and growing two small children in that time we have also managed to completely transform our ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: How to Swim and Dive
I was rather proud when Little Miss C came home from her swimming lesson last week with this. She's not even four yet so I really wasn't expecting her to move on to the next class quite so soon, but I'm proud of her for doing so. Her success also helped me decide what I should cover for this week's Ladybird Tuesday - How to Swim and Dive. This book was part of the Hobbies and Interests series (series 633) and covers pretty much everything you need to know to learn how to swim and dive, right from getting into the pool for the first time through to diving and some basic life ... read more
Little Yeo’s for Little C’s
It's hard to believe that it's nearly two years since I went to visit the home of Yeo Valley and really started to understand what a fantastic company they are with a brilliant ethos. If you don't know about them then please, please do go and read the post I wrote after my visit and learn all about this wonderful British family business. Back then I was blown away by the company and its products and the same remains true now - I regularly buy their yogurts and also visit their website frequently for recipes and interesting blog posts. I was therefore delighted to be invited to go ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Flight Three: USA
My entry into yesterday's Magpie Monday shows the latest additions to my Ladybird collection and it's one of those that I'm turning to for this week's Ladybird Tuesday with Flight Three USA. I've been on the look out for books from the various Ladybird travel books since I started collecting them and was thrilled to pick this up for such a bargain price, especially since it was in such excellent condition and I believe a first edition with the original dust jacket completely intact too. The book plate inside the front cover is also a nice ... read more
Magpie Monday – start of the 2014 car boot season
Great excitement here yesterday as Sunday the 6th April seemed to mean the start of the local car boot season. Now I have to say that I am yet to find a really good car boot sale anywhere near St Albans. Ten years of trying and there's still nothing on a par with car boot sales of my youth up in Yorkshire. I keep trying though - determined to discover where Hertfordshire is hiding the good ones! The biggest local one has to be at the Hertfordshire showground and there's generally one there every Sunday throughout the season. Now the first thing I find a bit strange about this car boot ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Lives of the Great Composers Book 2
I find it amazing how many friends of mine now know about my love of vintage Ladybird books thanks to this blog and I love it when one of them surprises me with something they've found at a jumble sale of in a charity shop. Last week I was delighted to receive a mystery parcel with three wonderful Ladybird books in it. I have absolutely no idea who on earth these are from - and there wasn't even a postmark to give me a hint! So, if it was you thank you do much - please reveal yourself though. So now on to one of the books from that mystery parcel - Lives of the Great Composers Book 2. ... read more