Santa may be a little less jolly this year when he discovers how many calories a mince pie contains – especially if that mince pie has come from Asda, research reveals. If you are looking to avoid piling on the pounds this Christmas, you may want to check which supermarkets are stocking the lowest calorie version of your favourite seasonal treats.
When it comes to counting down the advent period, I recall those advent candle wreaths that were made on Blue Peter. The ones made from two wire coat hangers, tinsel and candles. With each candle lit each week leading up to Christmas. Not quite sure it would be passed by health and safety nowadays, with the combination of tinsel and naked flames.
Did you know that In the Night Garden is celebrating it’s 10th birthday this year? For the past 10 years, it has featured within the bedtime hour for many children – including my own. A can still remember a colleague telling me about how her twins adored In The Night Garden and that I should introduce it to Roo. From that first episode, she was hooked. Awaiting for the CBeebies bedtime hour to come on each evening so that she could capture a glimpse of Upsy Daisy, Iggle Piggle, Makka Pakka and all their friends.
When it comes to welcoming a pet into our home, whether it is a cat or a dog you want it to feel at home. To feel like one of the family, so owners will often face a dilemma when it comes to ‘parenting’ their pet. One of the big debates is whether you should allow your pets in your bedroom or not?
As a family, we like to mix up our family adventures. Between theme parks, animal parks and more educational (yet fun) trips. Warwick Castle is a happy blend of education and fun for all the family. We visited a couple of years ago when I was pregnant with Piglet so it was lovely to plan another trip over as a complete family.
In typical British fashion, the weather was slightly against us with the rain starting as we got about an hour away. Not to be put off we donned our Joules coats and we were right as rain. After all, there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing (or so the saying goes).
As a child, I can remember that decorating the Christmas tree was always being a big occasion. My mum would pull out all the decorations from where she’d been hiding them all year. Before we each got the chance to place the mixture of old and new decorations on the tree. From the glass baubles that had been handed down to her from her own childhood. To the handmade snowman made from an old tin can and white webbing, that she and her grandmother made when she was little. The snowman has adorned the top of my mums Christmas tree each year, with us each taking a turn at getting to place it on the top.
This festive season, Harry Potter fans are invited to experience Christmas time at Hogwarts and discover how film-makers created fire, ice…
One of the objectives on Roo’s school report from the last term was for her to broaden her reading repertoire. Whilst she is a confident reader, there are authors and genres that she turns to time and time again. With this in mind, we have been browsing bookstores for different titles. Earlier this month Roo received The Fizzle Trilogy by Tim Walker. Following the exploits of Polly and Tom as they seek to unravel the mystery of a special, seemingly magical water known as the Fizzle. Their action-packed adventures, set first in Shipley Manor – the ship-shaped country house in which Polly lives – then in the Caribbean and finally the Arctic, see them overcome a host of evil villains and deadly perils as they draw ever closer to meeting the Fizzle’s creator and discovering its true purpose.
I seem to be playing catch up all the time at the moment. That juggling act of running myself down versus letting people down. Any thoughts of being organised etc. are firmly on hold. From constant illness that is sweeping through our house, which I wish quite frankly would do one. To family life feeling especially hectic with birthdays, activities and school events. I can’t even console myself that it will get better in the next few weeks as we are now in the run up to Christmas.
Gone are the times when the kitchen was purely for cooking and washing up. Contemporary kitchens these days are hard-working multi-purpose spaces that act as a social hub where dining, family conversations, and social entertaining takes place. And if the kitchen is the heart of the home, the kitchen island must surely be the heart of the kitchen.
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