In the run up to Halloween- the main event during half-term, I've been pinning dozens of Pumpkin-related ideas over on Pinterest. I have always been taken with all the pumkpin-styled glass votives that are around, but was a bit nervous about using them with a) a good handful of pre-schoolers and b) a live flame, especially after the terrible injuries that Claudia Winkelman's daughter last Halloween. So, I created the child-friendly Pumpkin … [Read more...]
Cuts and Grazes Handbag First Aid Kit
There is no doubt that as the months of Parenthood progress, the Baby Bag becomes a symbol, a beacon, a veritable Mary Poppins bag in which you could find things that would protect you in event of a natural disaster if necessary. From nappy changing to clothes changing to feeding and playing and carrying: if you need it regularly, the chances are you are carrying it about your person. By which I mean, you are pushing the pushchair which is … [Read more...]
Summer holidays are a time of magic
Summer holidays are a time of magic. With any luck the unpredictable British Weather will smile for most of those long lazy days and the sun will shine. My childhood summers stretched endlessly in front of me, filled with possibilities. There were no summer holidays that you have in the UK: when you live on a Mediterranean island, you don't really need to go anywhere. Every day I would leave the house with friends and wander the "wilderness", … [Read more...]
Cost free Utility Room Makeover
Sometimes the simple changes can be the ones that have the biggest impact. It's true that you can achieve a makeover on even a very small budget but this one cost nothing at all, and whilst I know that not everyone has a Utility Room, the changes that I made would work in any kitchen too. Our Utility Room is a small narrow room just off the kitchen. It has sliding door because it wouldn't be deep enough for a door to open into it. It is … [Read more...]
Fridge Makeover with HP Instant Ink #HPFreeYourPics
When we first moved into The Cottage we had an integrated fridge. It was neatly tucked away out of sight, which was good from a cleaning perspective, but it meant we had nowhere to stick precious photographs, art works and aides-memoires that display the life of a young family. Last summer, the fridge that came with the house gave up working and rather than replace it with the same style, we bought a large family-sized fridge which in turn … [Read more...]
Music, panacea and the Goodmans Oxford Radio
The radio makes all the difference in the morning. Once I'm up and dressed, I head to the kitchen and turn on the music. As the cottage is all on one level, the upbeat songs drift down the hallway to The Girls and bring them into the kitchen to get dressed. It's an early start for us, and in the winter when we leave the house in the dark it's particularly hard so happy music is our soundtrack. They love turning the sound up loud, … [Read more...]
Weekend Project: Paint Sample Pinboard upcycle
Pinboards are, for the main part, plain and functional. You can of course buy fabric covered ones but when I was searching for a large pinboard for each of The Girls' rooms, I couldn't find anything I liked. So I ordered the size I wanted, then headed to my local DIY store for some paint samples for a Paint Sample Pinboard upcycle, if you will. Dimples has explained repeatedly of late that she likes "every colour of the rainbow" rather … [Read more...]
