There's been a bit of a shortage of Thrifty Mrs C posts of late. Not because I haven't been thrifty. Oh no. More a lack of time to write about being thrifty. I've also been getting the feeling that my Thrifty Friday Five just wasn't working - some weeks I had something I wanted to write about, but as I could only think of four points I didn't. Or there were other subjects where I had so much to say that I couldn't distill it down to just five points. So, I'm moving on and instead I'm just going to aim for a Thrifty Friday post instead. So, what to write about ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Pond Life
When looking back at the original Ladybird series one thing that always amazes me is just how many books were published on wildlife and nature. The whole of series 536 was about nature and when you see the list of titles together you quickly realise just how much they cover. Everything from flowers and trees to sealife, birds and rocks and minerals. Together they are the perfect grounding for future Chris Packhams and David Bellamys. Pond Life is just one of the books in this series and an excellent example of the genre. It opens your eyes to the huge amount of life that is in and around ... read more
How the National Trust get it right when it comes to children
I've been a National Trust member for as long as I can remember. First as a child on my parent's family membership, then an adult member in my own right, and now as a joint member with Mr C. The kids aren't yet old enough for us to need family membership, but I'm pretty sure that will come next. Every year when I pay the annual direct debit I have to admit that I do briefly wonder if it really is worth it, but just a few moments remembering some of the amazing days out we've had and there's no question that we'll continue. These last few weeks we've been making ... read more
Names fit for a Royal baby!
I've felt a certain amount of pride in knowing that William and Kate copied us in naming their child. I'm pretty sure that it was us they copied rather than any historical royal names. When choosing names for any baby it can be difficult. Imagine how hard it must be when the whole world is waiting to hear what you've chosen. It seems they've got it right though as I'm yet to hear anyone say anything against George as a name. Something I'm rather relieved about too. It is fascinating to see the history and meaning of the names within the royal family, and to see just how ... read more
A Royal Fairytale – Ink Robin
I've held off writing a review of A Royal Fairytale for several weeks now as it just seemed a bit wrong to write about this before the royal baby had safely arrived. A Royal Fairytale is quite simply the story of Kate and William. A modern fairytale telling of how they met at university, how they fell in love, married and had a baby. The love story of a Prince and Princess and to Little Miss C that's exactly what the book was at first. To then go on and explain to her that the Prince and Princess were real did blow her mind slightly as to her stories are stories, not things ... read more
The Storm Whale – Benji Davies
If you're of a sensitive disposition I'd definitely recommend grabbing some tissues before you read The Storm Whale for the first time. Whilst this is a lovely little story, it's also rather sad. Noi lives in a small cottage by the sea, with his dad and six cats. His father is a fisherman and leaves the house early every morning and comes home after dark. Poor Noi is lonely. One morning after a great storm Noi heads down to the beach to see if anything interesting has been washed up. As he walks along the beach he spots something in the distance. When he gets ... read more
How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth – Michelle Robinson & Kate Hindley
Well, How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth has certainly raised some questions in our house! "Mummy, what's a woolly mammoth?" "Mummy, can we see a woolly mammoth at the zoo please?" "Why do we need to wash it mummy?" "How did it get dirty mummy?" They always say books are good for discussion and this one is no different. This book is basically exactly what the titles suggests - a step by step guide as to how to wash a wooly mammoth. I was left wondering why you'd want to wash one, but sometimes with children's books you just ... read more
Why this week I’m going to shout praise for Tesco!
On my Working with Mrs C page I've always said that if a company really impresses me then I'm more than happy to provide them with some free advertising here on my blog. In the past I've happily dished out some of this free love to small independents and local shops, but today it's time to actually give praise to a huge company who I know already have a substantial advertising budget. But, they've impressed me so much with one little thing that I want to tell you about it here anyway. The company in question is Tesco and what has impressed me so much is actually ... read more
The Little Lowry – Catherine de Duve
As we sat in my mum's dining room one day having Sunday lunch, Little Miss C suddenly pointed at a Lowry print on the wall and exclaimed "just like Grandma's shopping bag". That to me is what sums up Lowry's individual style so perfectly - the fact that a then two year old could recognise a piece of his work. As someone born and brought up in the North I find that I really love his industrial and mill scenes in particular and feel like I can really identify with them. A few years ago I was also lucky enough to visit The Lowry gallery in Salford and really enjoyed seeing such a large collection ... read more
Review : Ecover Bio Laundry Gel
I've been a fan of Ecover products for several years now so I was rather pleased to be asked if I wanted to review some of their range. I first chose to try the range as I was impressed by the company's eco credentials and then I found that I really liked the products too. Win, win. First up I was sent a bottle of the Ecover Bio Laundry Gel. Now, I should say that I normally use the Ecover non-Bio Laundry Liquid for all the household laundry and I've been happy with it for a couple of years now, so that is what I will be comparing the laundry gel to. The first big difference I ... read more