making the most of your small garden

Making the Most of Your Small Garden

Most new houses now come with very small gardens and ours is no exception. It was the compromise we made to have a house we wanted in the right location but it is still something I struggle with even 6 years on. When I sit and watch gardening programmes I dream of having the space to be able to recreate some of their looks, to be able to have a pond or water feature and the land to have a separate play area away from all my plants. One day, when I win the lottery eh! So, for now, I have had to learn how to make the most of our small garden all whilst keeping it functional for all of us as a family. 

Continue reading “Making the Most of Your Small Garden”
Related Posts:
Ten Tips and Quick Recipes for Working Dads Who Cook
dad cooking with daughter

Cooking at home is essential not only for maintaining health but also for nurturing family bonds. Often, the challenge of Read more

Maximizing Your Furnace’s Lifespan: Regular Maintenance and Timely Repairs
thermostat

In today's increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, having a reliable heating system is essential. Your furnace plays a crucial role in Read more

Barbiecore as an interior design trend – What do you need to know?
Barbiecore themed bedroom

Interior design trends are constantly emerging, often driven and inspired by popular culture. While Barbiecore is nothing new, it’s seen Read more

Car Leasing: The Best Kept Secret of Frugality
someone driving a car

When it comes to car ownership, most people think of two options: buying a vehicle outright or financing it through Read more

dinosaur world

Review: Dinosaur World at The Anvil

*Gifted Tickets

Jake is a huge dinosaur fan, so when Anvil Arts invited us along to review the new show Dinosaur World we jumped at the chance. The show is suitable from the age of three and runs for 50 minutes with no interval, which works out well. With this being our third theatre show of the year we have started to learn how long Jake can hold his attention for and anything over an hour has him wriggling in his seat. However, this show is completely different from your usual one. The lights remain up through most of it and photos are permitted throughout which is a nice change.

The Dinosaur World show is performed by Miranda who tells her story of how she came to live on an island inhabited by dinosaurs. She grew up around them and learnt all she could from her parents. She is extremely enthusiastic throughout the show and her on-stage energy keeps the children’s attention. She encourages the audience to shout out and join in as well as asking selected members to join her up on stage to help with each dinosaur.

Continue reading “Review: Dinosaur World at The Anvil”
Related Posts:
Strategies for Improving Your Child’s Reading | Guide for Parents
a small girl reading

The foundation for a child's academic performance and lifetime learning is laid by their ability to read. You, as a Read more

The Fourth Trimester Has Arrived!
the fourth trimester- 3 images of mum and baby

It feels a bit odd to be writing about the fourth trimester when I never actually got the chance to Read more

Review: Taking Our First Steps With Dotty Fish
Taking our first steps with Dotty Fish, a review

*Ad As an ex-shoe shop manager, I have a thing about shoes. For starters, I love them! I have always Read more

The Best Cleaning Hacks and Tips For Busy Parents
the best cleaning hacks and tips for busy parents

*This post contains affiliate links and ads It's hard to keep on top of the housework when you are a Read more

little house of science

Making Learning Fun with Little House of Science

*Collaborative Post

Back in the day, when I was at school, you were there to learn and this meant the classes were usually pretty serious. I always did well in the interactive classes– Music, Science, English– but I struggled with Maths from the start. For me, it was always explained in a very complicated way. If I can relate information I am given to practical situations and it seems logical to me I can take it all in and learn and perhaps if it had all been made more fun I may have been much more engaged. It wasn’t until I failed my Maths GCSE and had to re-do a year at college that I found a teacher who finally made it all ‘click’.

Continue reading “Making Learning Fun with Little House of Science”
Related Posts:
8 Easy and Creative Crafts for Kids
kids crafts

Arts and crafts are not only highly engaging, but they inspire creativity. And, as an added bonus, craft activities can Read more

How to Support Your Partner After a Difficult Birth
baby being born

Childbirth can be a joyful experience for new parents, but it can also be physically and emotionally challenging, especially if Read more

Five Key Areas to Prepare Your Child For Their Future
a child's eyes

All parents want to ensure that their children are prepared to succeed and flourish in adulthood. A child’s upbringing plays Read more

How To Make Salt Dough Dinosaur Fossils
how to make salt dough dinosaur fossils

When it comes to home learning, having fun always works the best for us and if I can find an Read more

me and Jake laughing and smiling sat on the sofa because I may moan but I wouldn't change a thing

Yes, I May Moan, But I Wouldn’t Change A Thing!

 

Yes, I may moan, but I wouldn’t change a thing…

 

I may moan about the serious lack of sleep, why at three he still doesn’t feel the need to sleep through the night I still can’t quite fathom out. I may moan about the mess he makes again and again and I definitely moan when his strops escalate over the smallest of issues but I have a secret to tell you

Continue reading “Yes, I May Moan, But I Wouldn’t Change A Thing!”
Related Posts:
Our Morning Routine – No Frills, Plenty of Spills, Plus a Dash of Shouting!
3 alarm clocks, one laughing, one worried one crying, like us on the morning routine school run

Have you ever sat down and watched those YouTube videos that are solely dedicated to a morning routine? I have Read more

Why Baby Cardigans Are a Must-Have in Your Little One’s Wardrobe
baby cardigan

New parents always desire to dress their little ones in the best clothing. However, buying clothes for newborns can be Read more

Fitting Kid’s Shoes Yourself
child in adult shoe- fitting kid's shoes

So, I used to work for a very well-known shoe retailer. I worked my way up in the company to Read more

What Order Do Babies Teeth Come Through?
teething baby

What order do babies teeth come through?... This is probably one of the main questions that parents ask in parenting Read more

Mr bloom's Nursery Live

Review: Mr Bloom’s Nursery Live Show

*Gifted Tickets

When we were invited along to review the new Mr Bloom’s Nursery Live Show I was just as excited as Jake. We had really enjoyed his very first trip to the theatre last month to watch Room on the Broom and as he is a Mr Bloom fan I knew he would love to see him on stage.

We chose to watch the show in Reading at The Hexagon Theatre as this was the nearest venue to us. We were greeted at the box office to collect our tickets and were offered a booster seat for Jake so he could get a better view which I thought was a brilliant idea (these were £2 to hire and you received £1 back after the show– although there wasn’t anyone manning the desk when we left and we chose not to hang around for the sake of £1). Once we sat down the veggies took it in turns to speak and let us know how long it was until the show started which got the kids in the audience very excited. Once the show begins the lights do dim but the stage is so brightly coloured there wasn’t any upset from the children in the audience.

Continue reading “Review: Mr Bloom’s Nursery Live Show”
Related Posts:
Starting Swimming Lessons For My 4 Year Old With Turtle Tots
3 images of a child and Mum having swimming lessons

Swimming has always been an activity that I have done with my children from an early age. It is something Read more

A Year of Breastfeeding
a year of breastfeeding with photos of me breastfeeding

We made it to a year of breastfeeding and I just want to celebrate that fact. I listed making it Read more

How To Teach Your Child To Be a Good Person
a mum and daughter sitting by water with the little girl smiling up

*Collaborative Post Being a parent is a huge responsibility and a great joy at the same time. However, raising a Read more

Save Money And Cut Carbon With LED Bulbs
LED bulbs on a white background

*Ad When it comes to living more sustainably, there isn't just one clear cut way of achieving this. We all Read more

teddy bear's picnic feature post

Making a Difference with a Teddy Bear’s Picnic

 

″If you go down to the woods today you’re sure of a big surprise…″

The surprise being that you can help towards raising funds to build a new Children’s Emergency & Trauma Department at Southampton University Hospital which will be a ground-breaking major trauma unit supplying state of the art, life-saving equipment. The Ginormous Teddy Bear’s picnic is taking place between 5th and 11th June this year as part of the #2millionsteps campaign and you too can get involved! All you need to do is sign up, get your friends, neighbours, groups or schools involved and start planning your ‘bear-illiant’ picnic! Each person will need to donate the suggested amount of £1 (more would be gratefully received as every penny counts) to this great cause and the only other requirement is to just have fun!

Continue reading “Making a Difference with a Teddy Bear’s Picnic”
Related Posts:
The Benefits of Having An Extending Dining Table For Homeschooling
extending dining table in my kitchen

*Collaborative Post I cannot stress enough, how much I LOVE my extending dining table! It’s been an absolute life-saver in Read more

The Ideal Finishing Touches For Boys’ Bedrooms
The ideal finishing touches for boys' bedrooms

*Collaborative Post Updating my home has become quite a hobby for me now and my latest projects have certainly kept Read more

DIY: Building a Bughouse
collage of boy, bug house and bugs

It may seem like we are always trying to get rid of unwanted pests and bugs in our garden but Read more

Comparing Three Of The Disney Parks Of The World- Orlando, California and Paris
Epcot Disney Park

As I am off on my holiday to Florida, I wanted to be able to provide relevant content for you as Read more

baby on its side

Teething is NOT a Myth!

Believe it or not, there are a certain amount of health practitioners out there who have claimed that teething pain does not exist. That teething is, in fact, a myth. Whilst researching for my book I came across articles that claimed every symptom parents’ have ever reported, over hundreds of years, are not linked to teething, that children get approximately 20 viral infections in their first couple of years and coincidentally they get 20 teeth, so we are mistaking teething for colds and that most of the signs are in fact made up in our own minds. According to some dentists, teething pain doesn’t even exist… tell that to the next adult who complains about their wisdom teeth.

Continue reading “Teething is NOT a Myth!”
Related Posts:
Is My Baby Teething?
teething baby

Ahh, one of the most common questions that seems to come up in parenting groups and I'm sure it is Read more

The Perfect Bedtime Routine for Your Teething Baby
The perfect bedtime routine for your teething baby text over three images of a teething baby

As you know, a teething baby is hard work at bedtime. The pain tends to wake them more often, their Read more

Breastfeeding and Teething
breastfeeding and teething, baby with a smile and teeth showing

Breastfeeding and teething are topics that are covered quite a bit in articles and via parenting sites. We usually talk Read more

What Order Do Babies Teeth Come Through?
teething baby

What order do babies teeth come through?... This is probably one of the main questions that parents ask in parenting Read more