My girls see football as a boy sport. They know so many boys who are football crazy: they play football at football clubs in school, games at weekends and knock-arounds in break time. But it never occurs to The Girls to join in. So when we were given the opportunity to meet an actual female football player I jumped at the chance to show them that football is not just for boys. We drove to local Petts Wood FC to meet Casey Stoney, one half … [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...]
Duinrell Holland may be the best holiday you’ll ever have
I'll confess that when the DH told me we were going to be staying in a Lodge Tent, I didn't immediately picture Holland. But when we spent May half-term glamping at Duinrell last year, I was won over. In fact if you have come across me in real life or online talking holidays since then, you're likely to have heard all about it. DH and I may well be responsible for the Lodge Tents being booked out this year, so enthusiastic are we about it as a … [Read more...]
Days Out with Kids: Drusilla’s Park, Sussex
Dimples knew immediately that she wasn't going on the school trip. She was so ill she didn't even cry. So whilst her school class went to Drusilla's Park, Sussex - a trip she had looked forward to all term- she lay on the sofa, alternately sleeping and being sick. I was heartbroken. And then, a few days later, I received an email inviting me to a Drusilla's Park Press Day- to celebrate Drusilla's 90th birthday- in the Easter holidays and was … [Read more...]
Banana Passionfruit and Coconut Pancakes
When we were in France last summer, our lovely host made my children Paleo Banana Pancakes. They could not get enough of them, and beg me on a regular basis to make them. The challenge is that they are tricky to handle and turn as the mixture is very wet. So I tinkered with the concept, mostly because I had some too-ripe-for-Dimples bananas and a surplus of eggs. I added a few other things I had lying around the kitchen and the … [Read more...]
Can do. Kano Computer kids can build themselves.
When I was eight years old, Santa brought our family a ZX Spectrum. A black keyboard with tape deck, it plugged into the TV and changed our lives. That year I got a similarly black "ghetto blaster" which kept me occupied the endless hours when my father and brothers dominated the computer and TV playing American football. I never really got a look in. Fast forward 30 years, I spend a lot of my time on computers but I still have no idea how … [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...]
