St Albans is basically where people go when they leave London to have children. You only have to walk around the city centre to notice that the number of people pushing prams or buggies is far higher than elsewhere in the country, and the excellent state schools, large number of parks and green spaces and the quick commute into central London are obvious reasons for that being the case. As a result of this, Facebook is full of local parenting groups with one popular Mums group having over eight and a half thousand members. On there discussions range from how wonderful Derek’s nipple cream ... read more
British Steaks at Aldi – Peppered Steak Recipe
Steak is one of those meals that I love, but one that I don't cook very often. Not because it's difficult or anything like that, but mainly because I always look at it as a bit of a treat and hence something that can be a bit expensive. When Aldi sent me through some steak facts and a tasty looking recipe for Peppered Steak (see below) I thought I'd better rectify that matter. It did prompt some questions between me and the other half about what type of steak we both like, and also how we like our steak cooked. Compatible as we are, it turned out that both of us are in the 22% of the ... read more
Thomas and Friends – Journey Beyond Sodor
My littlest one is train obsessed, so was super excited as we headed into London on the train and then tube for a special screening of the new Thomas the Tank Engine film: Journey Beyond Sodor. Thomas cheekily takes James' trucks and heads over the bridge from Sodor to the mainland, but gets lost and then held hostage, labouring in the steelworks. We meet some new characters, some good, some bad, some weird, but it all comes good in the end, as you might hope. We had fun in the foyer ahead of the film, marvelling at the array of Thomas the Tank Engine toys available, spread out as if in a ... read more
Cutie Stix
As soon as Little Miss C saw a TV advert for Cutie Stix she was convinced that she needed them in her life. Since we've been sent them to review I can now see exactly why. Cutie Stix perfectly combine crafting and cuteness with jewellery, ticking the boxes as far as LMC is concerned. So what exactly are Cutie Stix I hear you ask. Well, a Cutie Stix is basically a rubber stick. There are three sizes in the set - in decreasing order, Mighty Stix, Cutie Stix and Teeny Stix. The idea is that you cut "slices" of the stix, and then put holes in them so that they can be threaded onto ... read more
Thrifty Shortcuts To A Rustic Home
Modern decor styles are quickly falling out of fashion. Go to any new bar or restaurant and you’ll find a rustic look with exposed brick and thrift store furniture everywhere. It looks as though it’s all just been thrown together but in reality, it still takes a lot of planning. It can be quite expensive, even though it looks like everything has been found on the street. If you think that rustic decor would work in your house but you don’t want to spend loads of money on it, then DIY is the way to go. There are countless ways that you can make your own furniture and fixtures to give you that ... read more
I Love My Wok – Nicola Graimes
When I moved house recently a replacement wok was one of the first things I bought for my new kitchen. I've always used a wok loads for cooking a variety of different dishes in, and so I was quite surprised to read a press release for the book I Love My Wok describing it as "often... underused and undervalued". It's far from that in my house! I'm no great cook and have to admit that my wok based meals aren't really thought through as meals designed to be cooked in a wok, more that it's just the thing I choose to use in the kitchen. I was intrigued therefore to take a look at I Love My Wok ... read more
Easy Braids
I feel I should start this blog post with a bit of a disclaimer. I've never exactly been a girly girl. Yes, I do like nice dresses and shoes, and sometimes I've even been known to spend time getting my hair and make up right. But on the flip side I'm equally just as happy in jeans and a t-shirt with my hair scraped back in an elastic band - much as I am when sat here writing this. Little Miss C gets her hair tied back most days in either a pony tail or a plait, but, much to her disappointment, I'm not one for following long winded YouTube tutorials to be able to recreate fancy creations in her ... read more
Ladybird Tuesday: ‘People at Work’ The Fireman
It's been a while since I've bought any new Ladybird books. Partly because I was trying to save money, but also partly because they just weren't to be found in local charity shops at a reasonable place. I've been travelling around the country a lot more recently though, and in doing so discovering new charity shops, and more Ladybird books! The whole of Ladybird Tuesday started with me featuring a book from series 606B, People at Work, when I wrote about In a Hotel. Since then though I've gone on and actually featured quite a few of this series, and it remains one of my absolute ... read more
Wobbly Worm
It's fair to say that my relationship with Wobbly Worm got off to a bit of a shaky start. Or maybe that should have been a wobbly start. I had great hopes for this outdoor toy and thought that it would be perfect to take along to Wine and Wigwams with me for a spot of evening fun after a bit of vino. I packed it in the car along with everything else, but rather stupidly didn't pack any batteries. The Wobbly Worm takes two C size batteries and strangely we couldn't find anything on the campsite that had this size batteries in it at all, so we didn't get any further than putting it together ... read more
what2buy4kids – Toy Time Machine
Anyone who knows me will know that I love everything vintage that relates to children. Especially books and toys. I therefore love this infographic from what2buy4kids. It's fascinating to see how things have changed over the years. But, at the same time, it's great to see how some firm favourites that are still played with regularly here. Master C is especially fond of his Hornby trains and Little Miss C still plays with My Little Pony dolls on a frequent basis. Which of these vintage (or more modern) favourites do you have in your home? ... read more