Here you’ll find all the posts that have anything to do with family life – from swimming and reading to days out and cloth nappies.
Arts, crafts and creative exercises have long been an established part of teaching, learning and play for children – but, why exactly are they so important?
It may be easy to think of play and art as simply a pleasurable diversion for children, but it can have a profound impact on their development. Art and play can help children to expand their social and cognitive skills, has a lasting impact on personality and shapes the way that they approach and deal with problems.
**Collaborative post
Running the family budget can be a headache. It is not as simple as knowing how much your regular bills add up to and being sure that there is enough money available to cover those. If it was, doing your family budget would take just a few minutes. It is the so-called little things, the day-to-day extras and paying for emergencies that catch you out. Controlling how much you spend on items like that is not easy. But, there are things you can do to make managing this type of expense easier.
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Despite the odd unseasonably warm days we keep having, I think we can all admit that Autumn (or Fall if you’re that way inclined) is well and truly upon us. And as we head into October and the nights are getting darker what better to add a bit of sparkle than some glitter?
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Since starting school Toby has been to dozens of birthday parties but he’s never had one of his own, other than small family parties at home. After his last birthday though he started asking if he could have a party for his 6th birthday with his friends from school.
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**Collaborative Post
Getting your kids motivated about school is either going to be something that’s totally effortless, or something you have to battle with every single day. Some children are just geared up to love education, and right from the moment they enter big school, they dive right into learning, and soak it all in. But there will be some of you that are really struggling to get your kids motivated about school. They would rather be playing with their friends, watching TV, or just playing with their toys. Read more
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably know that our planet is heading for a crisis if we don’t do something about our plastic use. From governments banning single use plastics to zero waste shops popping up all over the place and Richard Attenborough praising Glastonbury for going plastic free, it seems like the war on plastic is starting to gain momentum. But doing the right thing for the environment isn’t always the most convenient but there are changes you can make that are super easy. In this post I’m sharing 13 eco-friendly plastic free swaps that we’ve made recently. Read more
**Paid post in association with Pizza Express
Both my boys love pizza (who doesn’t?) and we have recently started making our own at home. Gabe especially likes kneading the dough and rolling it out ready to put the toppings on. For both boys the best bit about making pizza at home is that they can choose exactly what they want on it. If your kids like making pizzas like mine do then Pizza Express has just launched a competition perfect for all your budding pizzaiolos (that’s pizza chefs to you and me). Read more
We love going on holiday to the Lake District with our two young children – we’ve been at least once a year since Toby was born. All our previous holidays have been in cottages but when I won a two night stay in a glamping pod we were very happy to try something different. So what did we get up to in our 48 hours in the Lake District? Read more
**Advertorial Feature
Becoming a parent for the first time is probably the most overwhelming thing that will ever happen to you. You may have spent 9 months preparing for your new arrival but if you’re anything like me, that first night at home with your newborn will be absolutely terrifying. And it may even have you questioning your life choices. Read more
I’ve written quite a bit in the past about the various swimming lessons Toby and Gabe have done. We have done various different lessons with them over the last five years so I thought it might be interesting to do a post about their experiences of learning to swim. Read more