Lockdown Life Skills - what new skills many of us learnt during lockdown

We tried our hand at making bath bombs * Contains Affiliate links With much of the past year spent in lockdown, life as we know it has been flipped upside down, even when restrictions are lifted, life at the moment isn't the same. Gone are the days of rushing here and there and travelling for hours to work with many opting to work from home for the long haul, has meant for some extra time saved on the commute and more time to try new things  These are some of the most popular hobbies people have taken up over the past year Running It’s no surprise that a lot of us decided to take up running as our “one form of exercise”. With many calling it a “lockdown lifesaver”, research from Macmillan Cancer Support has found that almost one in 10 Brits have started running or jogging to look after their mental health during the pandemic. Running app Couch to 5K has become hugely popular and the London Marathon in October is set to be the biggest ever. Photography Lockdown has certainly taugh......

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Being resourceful with what you have during lockdown

*This post contains affiliate links  For many of us, lockdown and the pandemic, in general, has been a story of two halves. On the one hand (and most pressingly,) we’ve faced changes to our daily routines, disruptions to schooling, and worries for our loved ones. As if that weren’t enough, though, many of us have also had to deal with the problematic reality of panic buying and supply issues entirely unravelling our weekly shops. In the grand scheme of things, this latter point isn’t such a big issue. If we have our health, it really shouldn’t matter if we can’t do a big shop during lockdown . But, when you consider how much we’ve got going on already, a lack of supplies does still deserve a look-in. Luckily, supply chains are mostly back up to pre-pandemic levels, and bulk buying has undoubtedly calmed down at least a little. Still, shoppers are finding that essential items like flour and cleaning supplies are still in high demand. That’s why we’re going to look at a few thi......

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Easter Adventures to be had across the UK

The days are getting longer, and the kids are on their Easter holiday break so if you’re stuck for ideas when it comes to keeping the kids entertained over the school break, don't worry, I have it sorted. There are eggs-cellent events for families taking place across the Easter school break all over the UK – and they don't all involve eating chocolate! Whether you want to take the family to an Easter-egg hunt or take a trip to a museum, check out my top Easter activities for kids in the UK. Whether you want to take it slow, wake up, get the waffle mix out and whip up a batch of waffles and have no plans or you want to pack as much in as possible, here are a few ideas.  RHS Flower Show Cardiff 12-14th April For the past three years I have taken my boys to the RHS Flower show and have always had a blast as there is an array of things to see and do and makes for a great day out. Located in Bute Park in the heart of the city, it the perfect way to get some garden insp......

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Tips for moving on from the baby to toddler stage with Little Freddie

As you may already know I am working with the awesome organic food company that is Little Freddie this year and recently told you all about the steps they are taking to be more sustainable by launching the UK first pouch recycling scheme, do read more about this positive initiative. Being a busy mum on the go I can say first hand how important it is for me to make sure I have some healthy snacks on me at all times to avoid those hangry moments but also so I know they are getting all their nutritional needs met. Having successful weaned two children know I feel like I have something to offer in ways of practical advice for those parents out there who are juggling it all, working, parenting, school runs, play dates, weekend adventures, family trips and everything else life throws at you and at those times if often when we let things slip such as well balanced family eating. Little Freddie have recently launched their new range of healthy smoothies and finger food to help mak......

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5 Meaningful Gifts for Mothers this Christmas

Gender roles aside, Mother's or those who assume a mothering role,  are often the glue that is holding things together plays while we are often balancing work life, home life, family admin, school runs and everything in between. Personally, I know there are many times when we prioritise everything else before ourselves as long as our family is happy and healthy and it's true what they say I know appreciate my own mother a hundred times over seeing how many balls she had juggling in the air at all times. I think that it's really important for every role in the household to be celebrated although acknowledging everything a mother does really goes a long way, especially when parenting comes with so many highs and lows, even if it's just treating her to a cup of coffee & baked treat. Here are a few meaningful ways to show the woman in your life that you car. 1. Never underestimate the power of a homemade Card It may be a little cliche and perhaps I'm j......

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7 Simple Ways to Celebrate Autumn as a Family

Autumn is such a wonderful time of the year and offers up a lot of fun activities to do with children and as a family. However it's very easy to get caught up in the commercialisation of every seasonal holiday and also with Christmas on the horizon it can feel very manic as well as expensive but it really needn't be. In fact Autumn is the perfect time to slow down, recalibrate and reconnect with the people that mean the most to you as well as move forward towards Christmas feeling more balanced.  So I thought I would share a few easy ways to celebrate Autumn with kids for free, or very little as some of the suggestions do require basic ingredients but none of what I have shared should cost more than £2. 1. Head out on a Hike or Walk in the Woods Don't underestimate the power of fresh air and Autumn is the perfect time get outside as much as possible before it gets too cold so head to your local country park or woodlands and take in all those beautiful autumnal c......

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Create your own Chocolate with Cadbury Inventor

Over the summer holidays the normal daily routine for us all goes out of the window and we tend to embrace the moment as well as indulge in a few treats a long the way. We love to bake and get creative and naturally my boys love chocolate (as do I) and I still have memories of baking chocolate cakes and brownies with my mother and it's something I like to do now as a family as it's a chance for all of us to get a little creative as well as experiment with different flavours. I know at one point or another we all wished that we could own our own chocolate factory and have a go at making our own mad-capped inventions while now you can have the chance with Cadbury Inventor which is a fun interactive website that allows you to create your own Cadbury Dairy Milk with the chance of it being made into a real Limited Edition Cadbury Dairy Milk bar. There are over 90,000 possible combinations which means you can get as crazy and weird as you want with flavour combo such as poppi......

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How to Have More Fun with Your Kids in Winter

Recently it feels like all it's done is rain and while Christmas distracted us from the cold of winter it now seems to be really lingering with many of us looking for those early signs of spring. It can be easy to get a little cabin fever around this time of the year, even when your passionate about getting outdoors as much as possible it's just so cold that most head back inside after an hour which means we need to get creative when it comes to having fun as a family. Spending time with your children is one of life’s greatest pleasures, but between keeping on top of the house, work, the weather, things can gets in the way of making fun memories that will last a lifetime and even when we are all stuck inside it's easy to reach for the remote rather than connect over some fun activities so here are a few low budget ideas on having fun this winter. Have an indoor Picnic My boys absolutely love having picnics and get really excited when the weather becomes warmer a......

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Christmas Traditions with The Snowman and the Snowdog

Love this cute Snowdog Christmas decoration from Wild In Art I'm really excited to have been invited to be apart of The Snowman and Snowdog Advent Blog tour and like most families we have a few festive traditions we do together in the run up to Christmas, some have been carried on from my childhood while others are new and have developed over the past few years with my boys. I think the run up to the big day is as important as the actual day itself and we love nothing more than getting into the festive spirit. While we usually start on the first day of advent we have slowly been embracing Christmas we some low key things such as baking gingerbread and enjoying my sons school winter fair this past weekend. One of the traditions that has followed on through from my childhood is watching and reading The Snowman, even growing up in South Africa my mother being Welsh made sure that there was always a bit of a British influence when it come to things like this. It's......

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