It's that time of year: we're three quarters of the way through the summer holidays and a new school year is looming. So it is time to think uniform. More specifically, it's time to consider how to name the uniform you spend your money on so that it doesn't go astray. With my two girls moving school over the holidays, I have a whole set of uniform to name, and the new school insists not only that you sew on nametapes, but also where you sew … [Read more...]
A-Dora-ble: our review of Dora the Explorer Live
I hadn't actually watched an entire episode of Dora The Explorer until today when we walked up to the Churchill Theatre to review the Dora The Explorer Live! experience. And it was an experience. The stalls were filled with row upon row of children singing and shouting and stamping and totally engaged with Dora and the cast as they spun their story of the journey to the City of Lost Toys. The show had all the features that you see on … [Read more...]
Eton Mess Eton Mess.
I don't pretend to understand how my mind works, but when I was recently given a bar of Hotel Chocolat Eton Mess, I thought "Wouldn't it be great to make Eton Mess with Eton Mess? A kind of Eton Mess Eton Mess?" Catchy name, I know. So I did. I took a punnet of hulled strawberries and a handful of raspberries and I mashed them with a fork I added a measure of Howard's Of Kent Blackcurrant Hit Vodka. I left them to macerate until … [Read more...]
Set4Sport with Judy Murray #summerfun
DH has no idea that he's going to hear one phrase above all others in the next two weeks whilst we holiday inside the Arctic Circle: "Judy Murray Says". That's the Judy Murray Effect. I credit the Judy Murray Effect with the fact that my children- for the first time in the two weeks they have thus far been on holiday- slept in until 9am this morning. Before we went on holiday, in a cafe in the heart of Kingston, Judy Murray put my … [Read more...]
{BritMums Live} Notes and Quotes
I attended a few sessions and spoke in a few at BritMums Live this year. There were some incredible inspirational speakers, some charismatic speakers, some well-informed speakers and some hilarious speakers. These are the Notes and Quotes I remembered to take from the talks I attended. Finding Your Voice- Judith O'Reilly, Jane Blackmore, Lucy Mangan, Lucy Cavendish Writing is 5% talent and 95% graft- JO'R Writing is 95% talent and … [Read more...]
{Back to School} Pimp my hair bands
My children both attend a school with a fairly rigorous uniform list. The colours are specified right down to what the children wear in their hair. This was challenging enough in their last school, whose colours were yellow and grey- not colours that could be bought off the shelf from all good uniform retailers, it would seem- but from September their colours are purple and grey or black. I do not know a single five-year-old girl who considers … [Read more...]
Scented Lavender Fans to help combat the heatwave
It is warm isn't it? I'm not complaining- much- but my children are. All this week as part of our #summerfun project we are concentrating on crafts related to the sun, so making Scented Lavender Fans to keep us cool in the sun is the perfect craft. Obviously you need lavender- fresh or dried stems. Dried work best as they will keep longest: the fresh lavender I used released a lot of moisture when I laminated them. I used about 6-8 strands, … [Read more...]
