Preparing your home for the autumn
Preparing your home for the autumn
Preparing your home for the autumn
We love sunshine and getting out and about and unfortunately this Autumn has not been as crisp and bright as we had hoped, but we haven’t let this stop us making the most of our weekends together as a family. Both boys play Junior football, so sunday mornings are usually taken up with a match, but the rest of the weekend we make sure that we have something planned that we can do as a family.
Our recent weekends have included:
A trip to a local Rugby match
Family Bowling
A trip to The National Railway Museum
A trip to Dalby Forest
Car washing
We were sent some great items from Bonprix to test out and the image above shows the boys in their new favorite cardigans. They are fleece lined and so soft and they have a zip in addition to the lovely paddington bear style fastening and are £14.99 each. MadDad and I
There is something about Autumn that sets me off on a mad cleaning frenzy. I know I should do it in spring, but for both me and MadDad it is an Autumn thing. We have just decorated the lounge, sitting room and hall, well painted them and I have the kitchen next on the list.
Cleaning is not my favorite past time, but since having the boys it is something that I get them to help me with. As I want them to help it is important to me that we use natural products, so that I feel safe having them use them too. My cleaning kit at the moment consists of white vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, a gentle soap, borax substitute, tea tree oil and cloths.
All purpose spray cleaner
1/2 cup of white vinegar
2 teaspoons of borax substitute
A dab of liquid soap
5 drops of tea trea oil
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag. I have a bag full of old tea towels t shirts etc that we use in the kitchen, in addition to some microfibre cloths that we use for cleaning. I also have a post about 15 uses for white vinegar over on A Thrifty Mum.
The only time that I really use kitchen roll is when I am cleaning the bin or the toilets, as I can use the sheet and then pop it in the compost bin for hygiene reasons.
I adore Autumn. I love bringing out my thick tights to wear under my skirts and dresses and long sleeved t-shirts to add as an extra layer under them.
Just because the weather has changed doesn’t mean that you need to put your childrens summer clothes away either, especially as most children will have grown out of them by the time the weather changes for them to be able to wear them again. It is all about layers. So I thought I would supply you with some hints and tips for making those clothes last over the colder seasons.
Each season I make a manifesto, rather than setting New Years resolutions and there is something about Autumn and September that calls out to me to make a new start. I think it is something to do with all those years of September. I still lust after new stationery and new beginnings at this time of year.
With the weather getting colder, now is the time to make some plans about activities and crafts you can do on the darker evenings to keep your children occupied and keep. My friend Becky at Baby Budgeting has produced her first ebook which is jam packed full of 50 ideas of things to do with under 5’s in Autumn on a budget. I have a copy and it is a great resource for when you are struggling for ideas. Click here to get your copy best of all it is only £1.50. You could also do some marble painting, which doesn’t have to be messy. Why not have a go at more »
My wonderful Fly friend Wendy sent this craft all ready prepared for the minimads all I added was the colour changing felt tips which had been supplied by my mother in law earlier in the year. Basically she printed out the tree and the leaves and we coloured them in with the colour change felt tips and then changed them to represent the autumnal colours that we see all around us at the moment. This became a discussion on photosynthesis and why some tree lose their leaves and others dont – quite in dept for my 35 year old head, let alone minimads 3 year old brain who thought up all more »
MaxiMad and Mad dad have loved exploring the playmais and decided to do some autumn cards with them to test out their ability to stick to paper and card. MaxiMad decided on an autumn tree and a bonfire He used chalk to colour in the sky and added a moon and stars Aren’t they just fantastic….. Yes the cards are too (dont you just love the little hedgehogs under the tree).
It seems apt to me that it is Autumn, it is a season of change, a season of colour and a season of harvest. I love Autumn and Spring the most. I love crisp days walking through leaves, hearing them crisp underfoot. I love hats and scarfs, I love hot chocolate when you get in to warm up. I love watching the ever changing landscape around us. I love berry picking and eating! I love the closing in of the evenings and closing the curtains. I love that I can peek into other peoples houses when I pass. But what I am trying to say is it just seems right, for more »
Do you have someone in your life that loves Candles, but you are not sure what to get them, then this candle lovers gift guide is for you. I adore candles and now my boys are older I can use them when they are around rather than just late at night when they are asleep like I used to and I think over the years I have developed a keen eye and nose for a good candle.
If you are looking for Halloween activities for half term then you have come to the right place. Halloween falls during half term this year so I have gathered together some fab activities that you can do with the kids on a Halloween and Autumn theme.
I am a massive fan of DIY advent calendars especially in the Scandi style (well they do everything festive so much more stylishly)! Plus they seem to focus on the little things that matter rather than big flashy advent calendars with gifts.
I love any reason to celebrate and if we can not trick or treat this year, then I am certainly sending Halloween cards and these free printable halloween cards to colour are fun for all. How ace would it be to give one to all the key workers that you know.
We love crafting with pinecones. There is something magical about nature crafts and bringing nature into your home. Plus we always have loads of pinecones as the boys always seem to find Autumn treasures, so pinecone crafts for the win!
I have a dark secret…… I LOVE Hallmark seasonal movies, so I am going to share how to get The Hallmark Channel in the UK. Yes, they all have the same formula and become predictable, but in a crazy world then that makes me seriously happy. They are that comfortable blanket that you get out year after year.
This Set of Four Colouring Bookmarks with Quotes, are perfect for book lovers. I have designed four printable quote bookmarks to colour and enjoy.
I love a printable bookmark and these summer reading bookmarks printable are perfect for using over the summer holidays to record what books your children or you have read.
Do you have a Bored Jar? If not now is the perfect time to introduce them into your family. With millions of children being at home and many parents trying to work from home a bored jar is a fabulous resource for busy parents. So we have gathered together all our activity lists and printables for bored Jars.
How do you encourage teenagers not to spend all of their spare time on their phones or video game? Well, we have collected some activities for teens perfect for while school is on break
This Simple and Tasty Pumpkin Pancake Recipe is a paid collaboration with Touchnote who have teamed up with xpat American Instagrammer Hungermama to bring you this tried and tested recipe for Cobwebby Pumpkin Pancakes.