The Gratitude List

If your a regular reader to my blog you are probably already familiar with my gratitude posts and I usually post them every 2 months or so. I really like to reflect back on some of the small and positive moments in my life that brought happiness and be grateful for the little things and how important they are as it's just so easy to get wrapped up in trivial issues and events these days. This past month however has not been easy with so many ups and downs as I lost someone very close to cancer, in fact this is the second time in 10 months I have lost someone special to this dreadful disease and I've really struggled with the reality of that. Because of this it has been a very up and down month, emotions have been high but I slowed down, took a break from social for a few days and have been practicing some mindfulness and gratitude for my life, health and being present in the moment. So I just wanted to share a few of the moments that have been special this month. 1. A fun......

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Dinosnores & Airbnb Base Camp at The Natural History Museum

Like many kids his age my 7yr old is obsessed with Dinosaurs and natural his also a fan of the Night At The Museum films so the idea of sleeping over at The Natural History Museum as part of Dinosnores was a dream come true on more than one level. Dinosnores runs throughout the year and makes this magical experience a reality for children aged 7-11yrs old and I whole heartedly recommend this, we had a blast. What makes this next year extra special is Airbnb and have collaborated with Dinosnores to offer raffle places to ticket holders to be in the chance of getting one of the coveted Base Camp spots, located at the top balcony of the Hintze Hall besides the 1300 year old giant sequoia overlooking the huge blue whale skeleton, I mean talk about a view! Base Camp  As soon as we arrived at the Natural History Museum the atmosphere was buzzing with so many excited children. Despite there being a fair few school classes, cubs scouts and larger groups it was so we......

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My most Popular Lifestyle & Travel posts of 2017

Well I cannot quite believe that a whole year has flown by and have now waved goodbye to 2017 and have said hello to 2018! I think we can all agree that 2017 was a little bit of an odd one, with so many beautiful moments, amazing stories being shared, random acts of kindness, charities doing fantastic jobs, a real movement towards more sustainable living but then on the flips side Politics went mad and it didn't always bring the best out in people, innocent victims affected by terrorism, displaced families both in the UK and abroad, rather dark moments but as with anything people and communities pull together, inspired and help each other and rise above it. This up and down mixed bag was somewhat mirrored in my own life as we had some fantastic adventures near and far, hit milestones with both boys and shared truly amazing experiences but on the other side I lost a dear childhood friend to cancer (she was only 32!), I had a few bouts of anxiety creep in, I'm still tryi......

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A Christmas Shared

Well can you believe it, almost another year down and I'm still here doing what I love and sharing our  favourite moments with you all and I just wanted to stop for a moment and say thank you to all those that have followed my blog along on my little journey in this somewhat crazy world. Whether you celebrate Christmas or not I hope you have all had a wonderful past couple of weeks, enjoyed and embraced the company of friends and family, have managed to find sometime for yourself amounts the festive madness and are looking forward to the New Year with renewed positivity. I look forward to sharing more of our adventures, my on-going minimalist challenge and hopefully a house move will be on the cards soon as well. Also remember to just take it easy, you don't have to have everything planned as life itself is such a gift just try and find the happy in whatever form that may take. So from my family to yours hope your 2018 is full of wonderful experiences and with......

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Gratitude List and getting creative

Every so often I like to share all the small moments I have been grateful for, I think it's really important to take stock of things in life, slow down and reflect on what one has done and put that perspective. Things have been pretty busy lately and I feel like my balance has been off, work has taken over a little bit too much and when that happens I start to get a little cabin fever from not being outside for a proper dose of fresh air daily. This has mainly been due to the after affects of my MacBook Pro battery exploding and it taking over two weeks to get a replacement, which of course caused a huge backup of work and emails which I am still dealing with now. I know that like most people I can be affect by stress so I always try and slow down regardless of how busy life is because I know I benefit from it, even if it's just a short stroll or a nice hot bath or my favourite pastimes of exploring with the kids and eating good food.  Here is what we have been getting u......

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A weekend exploring London's West End with Kids

I still remember like it was yesterday my own excitement as a child heading into London to see Starlight Express on the West End with my parents, it was a big deal and I was captivated from start to finish, it is one of my favourite childhood memories and I was thrilled to be reliving this experience with my kids. We boarded the train early in the morning and I'm not sure who was more excited, me or the kids about our trip to the Capital, either way I knew it was going to be a fantastic weekend away and  wasn't wrong. As soon as we arrived at Paddington station we made our way to the Lyric Theatre in the West End, picked up our tickets and stood in line as the atmosphere started to build as more families joined. August is the best time to introduce the wonderful world of theatre to your kids as it's Kids Week in London, a month long initiative that allows kids to go to an array of West End productions for free with a full paying adult. Being Julia Donaldson......

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5 sweet & simple things to do this summer

Summertime in the UK is a glorious season (when the rain lets up that is) of sun, garden parties, Pimms and outdoor adventures. I love when these warmer months roll around and I can break out my go-to summer outfits and enjoy spending time in the fresh air with the kids. There’s quite a few things on my to-do-list this summer, easy days out and new places to visit and as always we have a bucket list of things we try to achieve each year. If you need a little inspiration – or just want to get the kids out of the house – here are five small things to bring you and your family some enjoyment this summer. Pick your own fruit One simple joy in life is being able to harvest your own fruit and veg, whether it be in your own allotment or garden, or at one of the many farms around the country. We have a small vegetable patch in our garden but this past year we have taken a break, mainly because my 2yr finds pulling everything we plant out as a game we are going to focus on n......

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The Gratitude List

Around every 2 months or so I like to look back and reflect on the little adventures and things we have got up too, when life can feel chaotic this can be a great way to get some clarity as gratitude should be something we aim to practice daily - but with anything it does take practice. I'm not going to beat around the bush, the past 6 weeks have been somewhat up and down for a variety of reasons - technical issues, John hurting his back, adjusting to being a mum to a school age child and the playground politics, new friendships and emotions that come with that and seeing my son grow and learn so much over this year. I also lost a dear friend to cancer, she was only 32 and its times like these that the little things that make you smile and laugh each day really do count. 1. We recently spent a weekend exploring Basingstoke as part of the Made in Basingstoke Festival . We were excited to find out that Jane Austen was born 7 miles from Basingstoke and as part of the festival th......

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Weekend adventures with the KA+ Part 2

We were set a challenge by Ford to get as much out of a weekend on a very small budget while trying out the new KA+. You may have read our first post about this weekend were we explored Tredegar House, a National Trust Property we had yet to visit and gave us a chance to use our family pass. On the Sunday we had planned to drive up to the Brecon Beacons but after a jaunt into the city and the changeable weather we decided to stay local and go to a nearby country park which was not only fun but also very budget friendly. So we packed the car up with the boys two scooters, a few snacks and headed off to have some outdoor fun. I was really pleasantly surprised at how much the boot of the car can fit in, we had no issues getting in both scooters, our wellies, backpack and bag of snacks and still have plenty of room left. Two days before this I tried out getting my youngest pram into the boot as my mother use to have an old KA and I could never get it in but good news is t......

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