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I didn’t, not until they asked me to take part in the Family fashion challenge. So I let the boys go online and pick what they wanted from the superb choice of boys clothes. They both chose a Long sleeved T each, which at £7.90 each was great value. The hoodies they chose were […]
Did you know that UNIQLO sell Childrens clothes too? Read More »
Most of this summer has been spent making the most of the wonderful weather outside and enjoying a #freerangesummer, but there have been times when we have played games and enjoyed indoor activities. So this is a brief overview of what we have been playing with this summer
What activities have been keeping the boys busy this summer Read More »
When I asked the boys what their favorite experience of the summer was, without pause their answer was our weekend at Kielder Forest in Northumberland. Kielder has the biggest man-made lake in Northern Europe and, at over 250 square miles, the largest working forest in England. For us, our weekend at Leaplish Waterside Park,
top comics
LEGO Club Magazine – Free, quarterly
A free quality childrens magazine, yes I did say free. The boys love their LEGO magazines and are glue to them from the minute they pop through the letter box. There is a Junior magazine for under sevens and it really is filled with hours of fun. It gives you ideas of things to build with your LEGO, stories, comic strips and puzzles too. There is also an interactive version of the magazine too.
Anorak – £6 per addition, quarterly
Anorak is “the ‘happy mag for kids’ is aimed at boys and girls aged between 6 and 12 years old” and it is a beautiful magazine. Printed on recycled paper with vegetable inks, the pages are matt and it has a wonderful book smell. It isn’t a throwaway publication. Just like much loved children’s magazines and annuals of the past, it is designed to be collected and kept. In fact it is in the front of our bookcase and the boys go back to their previous copies on a regular basis.
The Phoenix – £2.99, weekly
This is a 32 page weekly comic, which is aimed at children aged 8 to 12 years old it features 7 or more exciting story strips, a puzzle competition and a new non-fiction strip every week of the year. If you have an avid reader then this is the comic for you. It is fun, full of quality stories and delivered every week. Both the boys love The Phoenix, but it is too regular for us. We would prefer it on a monthly basis as when they are busy they just pile up and you need to read them in order as some of the stories are longer than one week. If you have a very reluctant reader then The Phoenix is available on the IPad.
Top comics for 7 and 8 year old boys – tried and tested by the Mini Mads Read More »
There is no way I could have used a traditional iron and have been so thankful of my Tefal Steam Generator as the iron part is much lighter as the water for the steam is not stored in it, rather it is stored in a separate part. The model I have is the Pro Express Total Auto Control – GV8930, which retails at around £299.
Now I appreciate that this is A LOT of money for what is an iron, but really it is more than that. Since getting mine I have halved my ironing time. I used to take around an hour on a Sunday to iron 5 mens shirts, the boys school shirts and tops and all the rest of the weeks ironing. Now that is down to 30 minutes. Plus is it easier and looks better too.
The Pro Express Total Auto Control means that I do not have to set the irons temperature, but I do have control of steam with its two preset steam levels. It has 5 bar of steam pressure which means that the results are pretty impressive.
It also comes with the following:
Tefal’s unique anti-scale collector and Auto clean soleplate
Unlimited ironing time thanks to the permanent refill and 1.8L detachable water tank
Added safety with the auto-off feature
Environment friendly product with an “Eco” setting saving 20% of energy
The cord winds back in to the iron
The iron locks on to the base, even when hot
The Tefal Steam Generator means I can iron with broken ribs Read More »
Back to school 2013
After what has been an epic summer the boys went back to school today. I am sure that the summer of 2013 will go down in the anals of history. It couldn’t have been better weather wise and they have experienced the summer I have always wanted for them.
I am a little sad to see them go back to school, but know that they have so much to look forward to this coming year. It is also amazing to see how different they are this year in comparison to this time last year and the year previous. How their likes have changed and developed.
Both of the boys had first day nerves today as not only do they have new teachers, but also new class groups too. Maxi is going into year four and Mini year three. Hard to believe that both my boys are in junior school!
My hope for them this year at school is that they have fun, stay happy and learn to get on with new people. I want them to continue to remain individuals and learn to stand by their morals and opinions. I also want them to remember that learning is not a spectator sport. So get stuck in and enjoy it boys, when I look back at my school life, primary where the happiest and most carefree time of my life.
We found using the card no different to a standard credit card, apart from the fact that we had to keep en eye out on the balance on the card, but that was easy to do online. As a mum I think that a card like this would be a perfect way to introduce teens to a card rather than using cash.
Alphabet Index Tabs – Papermash. Oh stationery how much do I love thee! I adore index tabs and these are a little bit quirky with their different fonts.
Shoes – Clement Derby from Hobbs. Not your typical court shoes. I adore these for the understated chic. Perfect for girly dresses or with jeans for the autumn and winter. Grey goes with pretty much everything
Journal – Paperblanks. Nothing screams back to school to me more than a blank journal. The potential of a new book, with words to flow and fill the page. I love the decoration on the outside of this journal which is inspired by Buddhist monks.
Faber-Castell UFO Perfect Pencil – The Pen Company. I love pencils and this is a great way of making a standard HB pencil look that little bit more grown up. I love the fact that it extends the size of pencils and it has a built in sharpener.
Now I just need a fairy godmother to look down on me and fulfil my wish list!
What would be on your back to school wish list?
