We've had a big weekend in the DG household: Dimples turned the big 4. She requested a Dora Craft party. She was very specific about the crafts and the guests and the food. But less so about the decor. Which gave me a bit of a challenge because this is not a house that lends itself to easy party decorating: some of the party would take place in the kitchen, the family room, the hallway, the corridor, the sitting room. Then a parcel arrived … [Read more...]
Gifts to buy a Four Year Old Girl.
I have a four-year-old. A four-year-old! I'm sure it hasn't been a year since I gave my suggestions for Gifts to Buy a Three Year Old Girl. It can be challenging to know what to buy a four-year-old girl, if you don't have one, so here are some fabulous suggestions for gifts to buy a Four Year Old Girl. 1. Activity Books: sticker books, drawing books, work books. If your child is like mine they stand on the precipice of learning how to … [Read more...]
Banana Chocolate filled Crepes
Less than a month until Pancake Day on March 4th so I thought I'd share our current favourite filling: Banana Chocolate filled Crepes. You need a sliced banana- do please use fairtrade bananas if you can- and a packet of chocolate buttons. You can make these as you go along, or else, make a stack of fresh pancakes- the crepe-style one rather than the American-style one- then pop them back into a warm frying pan for a minute or so. Once … [Read more...]
{Review} DK First Aid Manual
When LBG was born, I organised a First Aid Course through an awesome company that sent a nurse to our house. It was a little like a Tupperware Party: everyone came to us and we supplied drinks and nibbles. The babies slept in a collection of travel cots dotted around the house whilst we practised resuscitation downstairs on a doll version of the real-life babies we now possessed. It was simultaneously reassuring and terrifying, but we were all … [Read more...]
Blossom Magazine launches World Book Day Writing Competition
With Half Term on the doorstep it's great news that there is a new girls' magazine on the market called Blossom- for girls who love to learn. Magazines are perfect for taking on long journeys, to restaurants, or to keep my girls occupied for a couple of hours whilst I try to get things done. I always stock up on magazines before we go on holiday as they are light, easy to pack and offer hours of entertainment. Though the Girls, when given free … [Read more...]
Potato Spinach and Dolcelatte Pizza
A lifetime ago I spent summers in France, working. every week a van would rock up to the outskirts of the Burgundy Village that I called home, producing the most amazing pizzas from a tiny interior. They are commonplace now- I pass one every Friday as I collect my children from school- but twenty years ago they were extraordinary. As were the pizzas- light and crisp and filled with flavour. One in particular stayed with me: the memory of … [Read more...]
Rapunzel in the tower Bookmarks and a dozen other great Fairytale Crafts
LBG is on her way with reading: she came home screaming with joy last week because she has moved up a reading stage and is utterly delighted with herself. DH and I are so happy to see her love of reading grow by the day. Now that she has moved on to larger longer books, she often needs to leave some pages for the following day, so we have been plunged into the world of the bookmark. With the awful weather beating down all around, The Girls and … [Read more...]
