There are many many reasons I love my local branch of the WI. I've met some lovely women and had a great laugh with them. But most of all I love that fact that one evening a month I get to leave the house and the responsibilities of being a mum behind for an evening and I go and do something for myself. Our particular WI branch is what many refer to as "one of those modern ones" in that it's about as far removed from the stereotypical Jam and Jerusalem image of the WI as you can get. With ages between 24 and 70-something (as far as I remember) they're a really refreshing bunch of women with ... read more
Supertato – Sue Hendry
I'd be slightly scared to work out just how many picture books Little Miss C and I have read together now. We're definitely well in to the hundreds though and I'm now declaring ourselves experts on what works in our family book-wise and what doesn't. Rarely have I found a book though where I'm still chuckling about it a few hours later, but with Supertato that's exactly what happened. I mean, when did you last read a book about a super-hero potato protecting the other supermarket occupants against an evil frozen pea? The concept is so completely bonkers that it's brilliant! No only are ... read more
Salmon, Shiitake and Mixed Mushroom Egg Fried Rice #MushroomMeals
It seems that Master C isn't the only picky eater in our family. As my mum is keen to remind me, I went through my own fussy patch when younger and for quite a while the only two things I would eat were mushroom soup and baked beans. Cold. Neither sound particularly great cold, but when you consider how fussy some kids can be about mushrooms also a surprising choice. We're still struggling to get Master C to put any non-bread food past his lips at meal-times, but luckily Little Miss C seems to have put her fussy days behind her (let's hope I'm not tempting fate by saying that!) and is ... read more
seven days
A busy week, so very difficult to choose just one photo to sum it all up. Someone's had a birthday here... A weekly photograph capturing one of the magic moments of the last seven days. ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: Dinosaurs
It seems last week's Ladybird Tuesday post went a bit AWOL. I'm pretty sure I remember writing it, but it's certainly no where to be seen online, and the book I thought I wrote about was actually covered months ago on here. Maybe I imagined the whole thing! Anyway - on to this week. I've chosen to go back to the Ladybird Leaders series (series 737) this week and in particular book number seven from that series - dinosaurs. The whole idea behind the Leaders series was that they were first information books, designed for enquiring minds and to stimulate reluctant readers. I've heard many ... read more
Challenge Complete
I did it! The weather was hot, hot, hot. The sun relentless and the hills bigger and harder than I remembered them being. But I managed it. 5km round Verulamium Park, only breaking into a walk for a few seconds when the people in front of me slowed down at a narrowing in the path. I crossed the finishing line though and had a medal placed round my neck. Challenge complete. The route looped round this large park and zig-zagged up the hills towards the highest point in the park. The terrain varied from short grass, to hard paths, to long grass and even mud through the wooded areas. A large ... read more
seven days
The most colourful fun I've ever had running. A weekly photograph capturing one of the magic moments of the last seven days. ... read more
My Amazing Dad – Ross Collins
Father's Day is fast approaching (15th June this year here in the UK) and so it's the perfect time for children to find a book to share with their dad and to help them realise just what makes their Dad so special. My Amazing Dad is exactly that book. Snip the crocodile isn't too sure what his dad does all day. His best friend Max's dad swings through the jungle. Stripe the zebra's Dad is the best at hiding. Trunkle the elephant's dad can spray water higher than the tallest trees. Max, Stripe and Trunkle all want to be like their dads when they grow up. But what about Snip and his dad? Is he ... read more
The Sleepy Train – Mark Marshall
I've said it many time on here, but I love books that promote conversation and prompt Little Miss C to ask questions and discover new things. The Sleepy Train is a sweet book in which Bear and his friends take a journey on the sleepy train all the way to the Land of Nod. Written in rhyming couplets it's got a good rhythm to read out loud at bedtime and has lovely illustrations with lots for young children to recognise and spot, especially in terms of animals. I did have to explain the whole concept of the Land of Nod to LMC as it was a phrase that she wasn't at all familiar with. What ... read more
The Mouse Who Ate the Moon – Petr Horacek
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about the benefits of reading with young children. In fact, Chris Evans wrote about it beautifully in the run up to last week's 500 words competition that he ran on Radio 2 in conjunction with the Hay Festival. I love reading with my children, not just at bedtime, but what fascinates me most is how their thoughts and questions are influenced by what we've been reading. So often we'll be reading one book and Little Miss C will reference back to another one and talk about how they're similar or different. She'll even spot themes that I haven't even really ... read more