Why France is the perfect Family Destination

The boys in Nice, France France has always been very special to me, especially after living and working in Nice for a couple of months before having children. As a family we love visiting France whether it be a chic city break in Paris or getting a sun tan on the French Riviera or a quick road trip to the Opal Coast - we have always had a fantastic time as a family and it's why I picked France as the country I wanted to celebrate my 30th birthday in a few years ago. I was pregnant at the time with my second and eldest who was four at the time was just coming into his own in terms of his passion for travel. We took the Eurostar from London to Pairs where we spent a few days exploring the array of family friendly museums and gardens before taking the fast TGV down to the South for a week of good food, relaxation, exploring small towns as well as taking in the culture of Nice and Cannes. You can read more about our stay in Valbonne and my 30th birthday celebrations ‘French style......

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Travel essentials - Staying Safe in the Sun

As we wave goodbye to summer and start getting our heads around the idea that Autumn is almost on our doorstep we still need to take precautions when it comes to the sun and looking after our skin, especially if you are planning a winter sun break abroad. In the south of Wales it's been very up and down recently with some unseasonal hot and sunny days and these abnormally sunny spells are what catch people out. Like most parents in the UK as soon as the clouds part we are out the door, exploring everything the Welsh coastline has to offer but just because we are now in the latter stages of summer it doesn't mean you can't burn and therefore precautions still have to be made if your planning a couple of hours outdoors or even a short break in the coming half term, home or away. Having grown up in South Africa we often had talks and lectures on the importance of sun care as skin cancer is a real problem there which is no surprise as Cape Town, my hometown, has very l......

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Winter Sun

It's felt like all it's done since the start of the new year is rain, well in Wales anyway but luckily during the last week we had a blissful break from that, for two days the clouds cleared and sun shone and the blue sky felt endless. We make a point of going out each day regardless of the weather but as you can imagine we made full use of the beautiful winter sun even though it was bitterly cold. As we had planned to pop into my mothers we decided to head up to"The Common" - a lovely greenbelt looking across the welsh valleys with Druid ruins, trees to climb, a small river to splash in and long grass to run through. I normally take Baby G in my Ergo sling but with the dry weather I thought I would put our new Eco friendly Greentom stroller to the test. I will be sharing a proper review of the stroller with you soon but I cant tell people enough how much we love it and it also happens to be "the greenest stroller" on earth with......

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Win a Lindemans wine sunshine hamper

We are not big drinkers in our house but we do like to enjoy a nice glass of wine on a warm summers evening out in the garden or with family and friends at a picnic or al fresco lunch, it's one of those simple pleasures that happens when the sunshine comes out and as I am breast feeding I have been making White Wine spritzers as a refreshing and low alcohol option for these rare but delightful warm evenings.  So I am very happy to be working with Lindmans Wines to give one of my readers the chance to win a personalised Sunshine hamper worth £100. The hamper consists of  Personalised storage crate with winners name engraved on the lid 2 Bottles of Lindemans wine from the Bin Series (winners choice) A pair of John Lewis wine glasses Chalkboard wine stopper Disposable camera with a vintage design Packet of sunflower seeds It's super easy to enter and the giveaway ends on the 17th July 2015 and is open to UK residents over 18 a Rafflecopter giveaway ...

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A family road trip with Fiat 500L Beats

As some of you may already know just before Mr G came into the world we did a final family road trip as just the three of us. The lovely people over at Fiat asked if we would put their new Fiat 500L Beats  Edition to the test as it's designed for family adventures and living life to the full. It'd a real tardis for one thing with a huge boot perfect for weekends away and this would also make a great festival/camping car as you could fit all your gear inside with no problem. Running on the beach at Tenby During our time putting it to the test we enjoyed a great day out at Cosmeston , a little city adventure to the Museum and Bute Park and a overnight trip to Tenby in West Wales were were we had fun at Heatherton Adventure Park and exploring the coastline in the glorious early spring sunshine.  Tenby is such a beautiful and quaint seaside town in West Wales and has become one of our favourite spots during the off-peak season as it......

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Garden parties, picnics and Prosecco

Summer is coming soon and with the recent spell of sunny weather my instagram feed has been filled with photos of picnics and enjoying the outdoors, in fact we have enjoyed no less than three picnics in the past two weeks and how blissful it is to eat Alfresco in the sunshine and in this country we really need to make the most of any warm days. Of course when eating al fresco or throwing a garden party you need to think not only about food but also what to offer guests in terms of drinks with things like Pimms and spritzers popping to mind as well as  Prosecco - a favorite sparkling wine of Venice throughout Italy. Prosecco really is the perfect social picnic companion with its bubbles and pleasant taste of sweet fruits, and it doesn’t break the bank, meaning you can still throw together a fabulous garden party or midday lunch on a budget. Enjoying some family time eating outside in France last year The reason why Prosecco is the sparkling wine of choice, not ......

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Street Style Sunday - LBD

Yeah it's Sunday and that means Street Style Sunday linkup - hope you can come and join in with anything fashion related from what is inspiring you to what you and your family is wearing. The weather has really taken a turn for the better this week, warm spring sunshine and the feeling that summer is just around the corner, which has meant all those heavy winter jacket being packed away and skirts, dresses and chambrays are out. I have also welcomed spring with a slight hairstyle update in the form of a fringe Since I am feeding Baby G it can be pretty hard to find a decent nursing dress, something that is both stylish and practical. While I was pregnant I work this Bibee tunic dress which works both as a maternity and nursing dress and is perfect for this time of year since as it's long sleeved but not too warm and can be worn with leggings on cooler days. Today was also the perfect opportunity to wear these cute Hush Puppies penny loafer style shoes I picked u......

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Trees Trees Trees

Wow what glorious weather we have been having lately and that can only mean one thing, lots of outdoor adventures, exploring new places, picnics and spending time with friends in the wonderful sunshine.  Bute Park right in the heart of Cardiff were running two fun outdoor inspired days during half-term - as Mr A is at home we usually avoid these type of things during half term as they are normally so busy it can be overwhelming and opt for countryside walks but at they were doing a Tree activity day and a Bat day we couldn't resist and to our surprise it was very quiet - I don't think many knew about it. The tree day was a great combination of outdoor fun and educational activities from tree and bark rubbing to making green tree monsters as well as learning about the rings on the trunks and telling it's age as well as planting our own tree seed to take home. The Bat discovery day was more a drop-in style event at the Bute Park Educational centre a......

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Our holiday on the French Riviera with James Villas

Before I had Mr A I spent a season working in Nice in the South of France and ever since then I have always wanted to return with the family in tow and show them what a beautiful part of the world it is, as well as explore more of the wonderful French Riviera, so what a better time than over my 30th birthday. We have all been feeling somewhat sun-starved of late and this week-long break in September to a warmer climate was just what we all needed, in fact I think it's been the longest Mr A has had spent in shorts and a t-shirt, which was really lovely to see. Since having Mr A our preferences when it comes to travelling have obviously changed and we much prefer to stay in self-catering accommodation these days as it's so much more accommodating when it comes to families so we were over the moon to be able to stay in such a beautiful Villa from James Villas  and with the easy driving distance to both Cannes and Nice as well as literally minutes away from the beautiful vill......

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