Feel good Summer Giveaway

We all need a little pick me up after the year we have had an I am hopeful this summer will bring an element of normality, even if that doesnt mean overseas travel or big concerts, meeting friends for a bbq and some staycations are just as good right now. So I have put together a little feel good hamper for one lucky reader to win and there should be something for everyone. If you looking to relax and slow down then Mindfulness & the Art of Drawing  is a great book to help inspire you to reconnect with your creativity in a calm and peaceful way. If music is more your jam then the super stylish House of Marley, Smile Jamaica , in-ear headphones which have been crafted from mindfully sourced materials and FSC certified wood. For those planning on going camping this summer then the Pits & Bits Filthy Festival wash kit will come in handy esepically as no water is required and has everything you need to keep you clean. The kit includes a Shampoo, Body wash and expanding wash wi......

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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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Warrior Women Events Cardiff

There has been a long-overdue wave of change in Cardiff over the past year for creative women starting their own businesses. For years it's been a bit stop-start in the city when it comes to well organised all-women gatherings for the more creative types and making a space for like minded women to come together, swap ideas, support each other and build on both social and working relationships. Considering Cardiff is a small city and has a lot to offer in term of freelancers, makers, designers and digital workers it's great to see events like this starting to pop up over the city. Starting a business or deciding to go freelance can be a scary step to take and often we are juggling more than one ball especially if you have a growing family or external responsibilities which is why I feel it's so important to surround yourself with an empowering and encouraging community and that is what these Warrior Women events intend to do. Being someone who is self employed, run......

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Cardiff RHS Flower Show

Last month we headed off to Bute Park and the RHS Flower Show , it's actually the third year I have taken my eldest and the second time for my youngest and it has become somewhat of an annual tradition for us and a fantastic day out. This year I also attended with my friend Kelly, a Cardiff based blogger whose children are a similar age to my eldest and due to the popularity of the event I would recommend if you are taking kids to go with someone as it's so busy an extra pair of eyes is very handy.  With the Flower show taking place in Bute Park, the most central green space in the city centre, there is a real buzz as you get closer to the venue as people near and far travel to the Welsh Capital for a day full of colour, flowers, food and festivities.  What keeps bringing us back year after year is how family friendly it is and as soon as we passed through the gates we were asked if the kids would like to do a treasure hunt with a prize to everyone who ......

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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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Gratitude List and Being Mindful

Every month or so I like to go back through my Instagram which works as a bit of a memory capsule of what we have done over the last couple of weeks and reflect on these moments. In the run up to Christmas I have felt like many very rushed, stressed and short on time, we made big plans for everything we want to do and sometimes just due to not having enough hours in the day those plans don't quite turn out how you would like. However in context to others who are facing real hardship at this time of the year, despite my own personal ups and downs it's really important to remind yourself of the small moments that have made up the month and be grateful for those times. Here is my little list of things I am currently really grateful as well as trying to seek some mindfulness in the festive rush 1.  Despite the sudden drop in temperature we have been making the most of each weekend and heaving out to some of our favourite places. This was taken at Dyffryn Gardens , a beauti......

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Capturing Your Childs Wild Side With Forrest & Fox

I really enjoyed featuring and showcasing local talent and small businesses and as some may know that I studied photography at University so its certainly something I am passionate about and I always get very excited when I come across creative projects that are inspiring and unique, especially from home grown independent businesses. I actually stumbled across Forrest & Fox on Facebook when it somehow came up in my feed showcasing their amazing portraits and new "The Wild Ones" event so when they got in touch it let me know more about this it seemed perfect as they are based in Swansea which is just over a half an hour drive from me. I have to be honest, we have never taken the kids for a photoshoot for the simple reason is I really don't like the white background, cheesy smiles and harsh flash. It can be hard to find photographers who think out of the box and really aim to capture the uniqueness of each child not just a conveyor belt of similar photos, which is......

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Celebrating National Handwriting Day

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #CollectiveBias As some of you may already know today is National Hand Writing Day and there is something really wonderful about putting pen to paper in this digital world we live in. Ever since I had my youngest each year I write him a letter which I will present to him on his 21st Birthday. They are simply documentations of our times together, memories, antidotes and milestones. I know we will all enjoy reading them in years to come and that is what is so fantastic about actually writing a letter and having a material thing to hold onto.  There is also something very therapeutic about picking up a pen and writing and the freedom that brings, you can decorate your words and paper, add pictures and get creative in a way that is far more instant than if you tried to replicate it digitally and there is something about it that I will never get bored of. ......

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Creating the perfect minimalist workspace

As they say a messy home is a messy mind and if you work from home that can certainly affect your productivity as well as creativity. Most home offices are fairly limited in space and can easily become cluttered if you don't keep on top of things and even if the house is not anywhere near minimalist (as is mine right now…I’m working on that) than at least try and make your workstation as simple as possible and a space that allows you to think clearly and work more efficiently. So how do you go about creating a minimalist (or at-least clutter free) haven to work from ? Find a Quite spo t with lots of natural light- besides your laptop and possibly your mobile phone, you really want to be as far away from any other technology or distractions such as TV, and Hi-Fi. It’s also important to find somewhere that is preferable light and airy, loft conversions are usually great for this as they have large roof windows that help full the room with sunshine.    A s......

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