At this time of year, there’s so much to do, it’s hard to fit it all in. Putting up the tree and decorations, buying, wrapping and delivering presents, planning the food, going to watch the children’s nativity, the list can seem endless. One thing that is a must for many people is a trip to see Santa in his grotto and this year we were lucky enough to be invited to the opening of the Winter Wonderland at Conkers centre in heart of the National Forest.
I hadn’t been to the theatre in so long. I think we took the boys to see Peppa Pig when they were toddlers which was at least five years ago but hadn’t been since. We go to the cinema a couple of times a year. The boys love watching films and are really good at sitting still through the performance which is funny as they never sit still at home! Last week we were invited to The Lakeside Arts Theatre within the University of Nottingham campus to watch The Little Prince.
Looking for an activity to tire out the kids which is fun for the whole family? Great for burning off some energy, getting in your daily exercise, staving off cabin fever on a rainy day, Red Kangaroo has lots of different activities to keep everyone entertained.
I’ve spoken on the blog before about it being important to me that my boys know where their food comes from and to be interested in nature. Last year we bought some vegetable seeds and planted them and it was lovely to see them interested in how they were growing and open to trying new things because they had come from our garden.
When you think of traditional British dishes, the pie should be high up on the list. Originating in ancient Rome, the pie is a hearty meal when served with mashed potato or chips and some form of vegetable. I have to admit that it’s something I don’t make often and when I do, I stick to the same recipe using up roast chicken leftovers so we were excited and interested to try something new at Pieminister in Nottingham City Centre.
Making a Birthday cake for my boys has become a tradition, something that my Mum always did for my brother and I, and so something I wanted to do for my children. Each year I do something a little different but the one constant factor is chocolate! I have been using the same recipe for the sponge and buttercream for five years now and we all love it. The sponge is soft, light and wonderfully chocolatey and the buttercream is just addictive! I’m no pro when it comes to looks and decoration but my boys don’t care, they just like the fact that I made it and that it tastes good. I hope they will remember these cakes just like I remember mine.
A crisp autumnal day, cold but sunny and a beautiful setting. Wollaton Hall & Deer Park (Batman’s house!) is one of our favourite places in Nottingham and it’s the perfect place to see the impressive dinosaur exhibition that is Jurassic Kingdom.
Bedtime in our house can be stressful, two boys that don’t want to go to bed, excuses and distractions to delay getting in bed, too busy watching TV or playing with Lego, messing about getting changed, trying to use our bed as a trampoline, twenty questions as you’re turning off the light, sometimes getting back out of bed to go to the toilet again or to come downstairs and ask us something else.
What do you do to keep your children occupied on holiday when you want some quiet time after lunch and they’re too old to nap? When it’s raining and you’re stuck inside for the day or when it’s the middle of the day and too hot to be in the sun? Do you take toys, colouring, books to read, watch TV or try to stop them jumping off the sofa and using the bed like a trampoline in my case?!
I can’t resist a floral pattern and I also love to make things pretty and unique, so when CaseApp got in touch to ask if I would like to review some of their products, I was really excited to choose a laptop skin and matching iPad case from their website.