Make going to the supermarket educational 16
The summer is the perfect time to have an ed-venture. An ed-venture I hear you say, Jen it is time to use your spell check, they are adventures!
Monthly Archives: July 2015
Pixar’s Inside Out stress balls 11
Have you seen Disney Pixar’s Inside Out? If not you HAVE to go and see it. We loved it. It was a huge hit with us all in The Mad House and I have NOT been paid to say that! As soon as I saw it I could see so many crafts and activities to link to it. I love that it explores emotions and it inspired me to make these Inside Out stress balls.
What to have in a Mums travel first aid kit 16
So summer is upon us and it means lots of trips to the beach, park, woodlands and moors. For me it means making sure I have all that I might need including a first aid kit in my bag. I have learnt over the years that it pays to be prepared! So I am bringing you this post in conjunction with The British Red Cross.
How to shop the summer sales for kids 13
We are back this month with our picks from the Melijoe summer sale. I love a great sale shop and get most of the boys clothes in the sale, so I am going to share my summer sale shopping tips and the boys picks
Share your kids goal celebrations #CelebrateBetter 16
Do your kids love sports? Both my boys are sports mad. Football, cricket, tennis and athletics, they love them all. We are so lucky that I do not have to encourage my children to enjoy sport. It is part of their everyday, especially during the summer.
Free travel printables perfect for train journeys 15
We are big fan of travel printables. Especially as I have one child that gets travel sick if on electronics too long whilst travelling. We also love letting the train take the strain when we are travelling too.
Simple Kids Birthday Cake 20
We were challenged by Stork to bake a simple kids birthday cake devised by Ruth from The Pink Whisk. Well, it was perfect timing as my best friends youngest was about to turn four. .
Maths and Art Collide = Parabolic curves 15
Both my boys are maths geeks. They have loved numbers and maths since they were small and are great with mental maths. They have also always loved art and crafts, but the older they get (they are nine and ten) they do less art and I want to encourage them. This is where maths and art collide – parabolics.
Yarn wrapped sticks 23
Sticks, when is a stick not a stick? Well a stick can be and often is everything in this house. You can find a pile of sticks at the front door as my boys pick up sticks wherever we go and this “treasure” is part of childhood and I love it! But I also love doing something with these sticks and we decided to practice some fine motor skills and make some yarn wrapped sticks.
Mini Pizza Bites – cooking with kids 18
My boys are bottomless. They are both really active kids and eat pretty healthily most of the time and these mini pizza bites are a delicious after school snack or lunchbox treat.
Free Dreamworks Home colouring pages 18
This year has been a really great year for family movies, what with Minions, Paddington and now Dreamworks Home. Both my boys adored Home when they saw it at the cinema with MadDad and are delighted that DreamWorks Animation’s HOME is out now on Digital HD, Blu-ray and DVD. As a mum I love it when movies are released with some great activity and colouring pages and we have some fab free Dreamworks Home colouring pages to share with you.
How to make a toy surfboard or windsurf board 22
Don’t you just love how children see the world differently to us adults. This summer activity was inspired by my childrens love of water and by a walk on the beach watching the surfers with them. This is a great activity where you can make a mini surfboard with your child and their sprinkle of imagination will provide them with hours of fun. Even better they are made with something you would normally throw out. Read on to find out how to make a toy surfboard or windsurf board that floats!
Get the Best Value School Uniform 20
Now is the time to get your kids school uniform for next year. Over the years my boys have tried and tested pretty much all the school uniform out there and one has always come out best value time and time again. So read on if you want to find out how and where to get the best value school uniform for your kids…
How to make God’s Eyes/Ojo de Dios 11
Make an easy God’s Eye Craft, also known as Ojo de Dios (oh-ho-day-DEE-ohs), with yarn, sticks – we used popsicle sticks, and scissors.
Getting kids to sleep – the holy grail of parenting 16
Even before children are born they are affecting your sleep patterns. Did you get a good night’s sleep in your third trimester? After both my boys were born all I wanted to do was sleep for a week. Little did I know that sleep is for the weak and that lack of sleep theirs and mine was something that I was going to learn to live with for years to come.
Win fab personalised bedding sets 165
Today I have a great competition to share with you thanks to Tobias Baker. You could win one of three whole makeover sets, which includes butterflies personalised duvet set in single or double, butterflies lined curtains in either of the 2 sizes, matching quilted bed runner and boudoir cushion and square filled cushion.
Bircher Muesli, the original overnight oats 13
It is official, I am hooked. After an amazing trip to the Mornflake factory and seeing oats go from seed to bowl. I decided to try making bircher muesli and we all love them. They are the perfect simple breakfast for summer days and the origional overnight oats.
A Minions Milkshake – Kids in the kitchen 20
We are currently enjoying Minion madness here in the mad house after watching The Minions last week. We all love the minions, we have done since we first saw Despicable Me. If you know anything about Minions then you know that our lovable sidekicks love bananas, so they are a big part of our Minions Milkshake.
Is your child a spender or saver? 20
Do you worry about your children being money savvy? I am going to admit that I do. I have one child that is currently a spender and one that is a saver and I really want to drum money management in to both of them.
A weekend Unplugged with Forest Holidays 22
With two boys aged nine and ten unplugging can be an issue sometimes. Not the time spent unplugged but the high tech tantrums when I tell them that it is time to turn off! We call it reluctance to transition in The Mad House. We recently had an unplugged weekend at Sherwood Pines (Nottinghamshire) with Forest Holidays and it was a huge success.