Little Loves – Prom Suits, Zip Wires and GCSE Exams

by ⋅ 8 Comments

It is always my intention to get my Little Loves post out on a Friday, but I have spectacularly failed this week as it’s now Sunday evening. Looking back it has been a pretty ‘normal’ few weeks, and I can tell from the lack of pictures I have taken that life has been filled with school, work, and just the usual life stuff.

Little Loves

Read

I read a lovely message from one of the teen’s teachers, who said that Morgan was extremely lucky to have such a supportive family, and that it shone through in him. Parenting teens is HARD WORK, and parenting teens going through GCSEs is even harder, so it was lovely to hear that we are getting parts of this parenting journey right.… Continue reading

Money Saving Tips for your Summer Holiday

by ⋅ 8 Comments

There is no denying that if you have school age children, summer holidays are going to be expensive. For the past few years we have chosen to have our main holiday during the Easter break, thus avoiding the high price of a family holiday during peak summer months. But this year due to GCSEs, we were unable to travel during  April and May, and our main holiday this year will be in August.

Money Saving Tips for your Summer Holidays

Determined as always to get the best possible price for our holiday, I share some tips which worked well for me.

Book as early as possible

I started looking for our summer holiday back in September 2017.… Continue reading

Celebrate National Tea Day with Buyagift

by ⋅ 8 Comments

It seems only fitting that I write this blog post accompanied with a large cup of tea, as tomorrow we celebrate National Tea Day here in the UK. Whether you like yours brewed in a teapot, made using a tea strainer, or served to you in your favourite restaurant, Saturday the 21st April is the day to celebrate the good old cuppa.

National Tea Day with Buyagift

I switched from drinking coffee to tea a few years ago, due to suffering with migraines. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a cup of coffee, but you can’t beat the feeling of waking up to a refreshing brew (normally made by my husband, so thank you).… Continue reading

Got a friend who is a new mum ? Gifts they will love

by ⋅ 2 Comments

We all have friends or close family members in our lives that may become a mum at some point, and their journey into parenthood is of course an exciting one. As a mum myself I can just about remember those early days, and you know that your friend has exciting times to come. However, I also know how overwhelming those first few weeks and months can be, and sometimes you just want them to know that you are thinking of them. I thought I would share with you some of the best gifts you could consider giving them, to let them know you care.… Continue reading

A summer of National Citizen Service (NCS) for Morgan

by ⋅ 6 Comments

If you had asked me what the National Citizen Service (NCS) was 6 months ago, I would have shrugged my shoulders and apologised for not knowing. But fast forward to now, and NCS is talked about almost daily in our house. Morgan is counting down the days until his NCS adventure begins at the end of June, 3 days after he finishes school.

NCS

The NCS programme is open to 15-17 year olds (you need to be turning 16 by the 31st August), and aims to bring together young people from different backgrounds and cultures. Morgan heard all about NCS after they came to his school, and delivered an assembly to the year 11s.… Continue reading

Little Loves – New Bedroom, Easter Holidays and Gangsta Granny

by ⋅ 12 Comments

The Easter holidays are coming to an end, and this year it has been slightly different for us. We usually spend a week in Greece at our favourite hotel, but this year we stayed at home due to the impending GCSEs. The teen has been in school nearly every day over the holidays, and thankfully he doesn’t seem to mind. He has been balancing revision with hanging out with his mates, and time on his beloved PlayStation. We did manage a trip to Shrewsbury over the Easter weekend, and it was lovely to get away for a few days.

Little Loves

Read

After reading Lisa Jewell’s gripping book, I found You, I was ready for something a little more light hearted.… Continue reading

Gangsta Granny at The Storyhouse in Chester

by ⋅ 6 Comments

Ever since the Storyhouse in Chester opened its doors in May 2017, I have been longing to see a production there. Located in the heart of the city, The Storyhouse is not just a theatre, but also houses a cinema, arts centre, restaurant, bars, and a pretty impressive library.

Gangsta Granny

Katie and I were invited to the Storyhouse to watch the theatre production of Gangsta Granny, which is based on the book written by David Walliams. The theatre is an impressive 800 seat auditorium, and we found ourselves sitting in row L in the stalls. I would imagine that pretty much all of the seats have a good view of the stage, and booster cushions are provided for little ones.… Continue reading

Bucket List Holidays for Kids

by ⋅ Leave a Comment

Children are only young once, and as parents who love to travel, we always wanted to give Morgan and Katie as many unique experiences of the world as possible. Taking children on lots of holidays and day trips is a great way to open their minds, and expand their knowledge of other places and cultures, giving them a real zest for life.

Bucket List Holidays for Kids

Of course in order for you all to get the most out of your holidays, you need to choose destinations and activities that you can all enjoy. With that in mind, here are some holiday ideas that kids, as well as adults will enjoy.… Continue reading

My Dream Garden – 5 things on my wish list

by ⋅ 4 Comments

Having just finished redecorating our bedroom, I know that pretty soon my thoughts will be turning to our garden. Our poor garden has been unloved all over the winter, and it needs some serious spring maintenance. The decking needs repainting, a few of the fence panels need fixing, hanging baskets need replanting, and the leaves and rubbish that have gathered over the winter months need clearing away.

My Dream Garden

I know that once the garden is looking its best, I will look forward to picnic lunches outside with the kids, and enjoying a glass of wine with the husband on a balmy summer evening.… Continue reading

A Date Night at TGI Fridays

by ⋅ 4 Comments

Once a month the husband and I like to arrange a date night together, and I was especially looking forward to this month as it was during the Easter holidays. Of course I love spending time as a family, but ever since the kids were little, we have always made time for each other. After spending 2 nights in a Premier Inn all together over Easter, I was certainly looking forward to spending some quality time with just the husband at TGI Fridays.

TGI Fridays

It had been 2 years since we had last visited TGI Fridays, and I was looking forward to seeing any changes they had made to the menu.… Continue reading