Street Style Sunday - Stripes and Smiles

I don't think I will ever get bored of Breton stripes, such a classic style and I always find myself wearing a fair amount of it during spring. I have been searching for a decent dress that is also breast feeding friendly, which has been harder than I thought but I did come across this one from JoJo Maman Bebe and you really wouldn't know it's breast feeding friendly as it's so well designed with a double layer just above the waist line. It really works well being paired up with a simple jacket and ankle boots.  Carrying on with the french style theme Mr A has also been channelling some Parisian Chic with this Etre Petite printed French Bulldog t-shirt. It's so cute and beautifully made and I really love this french inspired brand, they have such quirky kids clothes, that is fun and original. Something amazing also happened this week - the blog has been shortlisted for a BIBS Blog Award in the style section and if you enjoy readin......

Read more »

Five Fun Outdoor Activities That Your Child Will Love

Sometimes it can be hard to get your children out the door and into the sunshine, but it’s really just a matter of picking the right activities. When you are trying to choose, do make sure you consider your child’s interests, as well as any costs that may be incurred. If you decide on something a little more involved, you might need some equipment to help you get started, and for activities like skateboarding or blading, specialists like Penny Skateboards UK can help you find the right things for your child. For those of you who may be a little more undecided, here are five activities your child will adore.  Swimming Every child loves playing around in water, and swimming in a pool is good exercise, as well as getting the children out of the house and into the pool. For a special treat, plan a trip to the beach or pool parties with friends, and make it into a fun and social event. Mr A getting to grips with his new Nikon  Photography Photography is ......

Read more »

The cost of bringing up a child

It's a really scary concept when you put everything down on paper how much it costs to bring up a child but I honestly don't believe it has to be that expensive. LV recently complied some new statistics from the Centre of Economic and Business research that states the cost of bring up a child from birth to 21 has gone up in the past year and is now said to average £227,266 which is simply crazy but it's something that as parents we need to take into account. The report was broken down into various categories from childcare to food, clothing, holidays, hobbies, sports, pocket money, driving lessons etc and is quite comprehensive and even though most households are cutting back on a lot of things the cost of living is still rising and can be quite a scary prospect for new parents or people thinking about having there first child or like us our second. There is an amazing natural world out there to explore - for free! I do however feel that personally we don......

Read more »

Keeping your children safe online

With Mr A still being a toddler and without easy access to the online world it is still a concern to me as a parent about how I will keep him safe online in the future. Two years ago I attended a really interesting seminar at Cybher blogger conference about online safety and felt it was time to share hint and tips on this pressing topic. As technology continues to grow quickly, our children are also following suit. Children as young as 2 are being given use of Smartphones and tablets (strictly off-bounds to Mr A). This can have a serious impact on development and family life. Schools have started incorporating laptops and the internet into their daily lessons. However, they haven't yet provided much information on how children can stay safe online. Therefore it's down to parents to teach them everything they need to know about the potential dangers lurking on the internet. With a demanding lifestyle, parents often don't have time to find out about the differen......

Read more »

Family camping teaser

So we are back from our family festival and camping trip and we had an amazing time! Wychwood festival was a great start to our summer of fun and their campsite was amazing - big and spacious on Cheltenham racecourse with lots of little hidey holes for children to explore. We spent the whole weekend outside, even though it was windy the sun was out and Mr A loved every second of it. With lots of music, dancing and fun family workshops like working with clay, bubbles fun and storytime in the sun it was a win win all round, plus nothing beats eggs and beans on a camping stove. Here are a few teaser photos from our weekend Walking barefoot Festival ready and watching music with Dad Every week we join in with CoombeMill country kids linky - if you love the outdoors with your little ones why not join in too ...

Read more »

Lovely little Juju's

Don't you remember wearing jelly shoes when you were a little girl or boy - I know I do and in fact I was talking to my mother about it the other day and she was saying she had a pretty little pink pair when she was a girl and this would be going back around 60 years, although unlike today they were not as comfortable as the juju shoes. Juju are iconic in the world of jelly shoes and what I love about them is they are a family company who have been going for 25years and create and make shoes for the whole family in their British factory from locally sourced materials and are recyclable - bonus! They are so cute I simply had to share - John Lewis now stock children sizes which start at £8 and adults start around £18 which is really reasonable and you can find them at stores like Asos and Urban outfitters, I really want to get the glittery see-through pair, something fun for summer. This is NOT a sponsored post - just love them and wanted to share. Babe jelly shoe ......

Read more »

Anisnap watch review and giveaway

Mr A is a little monkey, so it seemed only fitting when Anisnap watches asked if we would review a monkey watch for them. They are fun, innotive and simply snap onto the wrist, even Mr A who is not yet three enjoyed snapping the watch and got the concept almost instantly. It is a little big for his tiny wrist but in another few months it will be perfect and the way the snap strap has been designed means it can grow with your child which is great. The watch and strap are made with a very soft but robust rubber and don't have any sharp edges, even the crown of the watch is hidden so they are really child friendly. They are made by Eternally U which was established in 2011 and it's aims are to make bold and fun watches and these anisnap's for kids are exactly that. Mr A was really taken with the cartoon style monkey character and I think it's a fun way to introduce a first watch and the learning of telling the time. There are three designs - The Monkey, The Rabbi......

Read more »

Chateau De Sable Review

So the wonderful people over at Chateau De Sable were kind enough to send over a lovely french inspired white shirt for little Mr A from their Boy's range that goes from newborn to 12 years. Now there is no point hiding the fact that I love everything about europe - the different cultures, food and fashion and I have been a fan of the french flair for style since I can remember especially when it comes to the free flowing, cute but understated children's clothing. Chateau De Sable is a store that brings designer french clothing for children to the UK, with a store in Chester and a great online store that has a beautiful collection of unique and whimsical clothing that really captures the innocence of childhood. Review The shirt is light and airy and beautifully made. It will be perfect for a summers day, as well as any family get together or outing, it's such a nice shirt it would be perfect for any kind of event. We love the little details and the c......

Read more »