Lavania Oluban

With only ten weeks until Christmas Arlo has already started to point out items he wants to add to his Christmas wish list, and of course as a parent I want to do my best and get him some awesome gifts, however when I think back to my childhood, the most memorable gifts have always … Read more

Arlo is a fan of all creatures great and small so when I met the team from Living World and had a chance to see their product range I knew he would be a fan and was so pleased when they invited us to review one of their animals. Our highland cow arrived via special … Read more

I have waited so long to be back in the audience of a live show. I’ve been a lifelong fan of the theatre and have a memory box full of programmes from performances I have seen, so when The Rep got in touch and asked me to come along to a preview showing of “what’s … Read more

As some of you may know we have all sorts of pets in our household including Parrots and Arlo’s best friend, a fancy mouse named Bingo. Arlo has been asking for a puppy for almost six months but unfortunately we do not have the time for a new pet right now and so this is … Read more

With autumn rolling in we have the odd sunny day where it’s great to get outdoors and enjoy a brisk walk amongst the falling leaves, but most of the time in the U.K. it’s rainy, miserable and cold. It’s really easy to pop on a movie and snuggle up, but very quickly this becomes boring … Read more

I’m writing this on Sunday evening, tomorrow is my actual course introduction so I’m not an expert by any means but my plan, and hope is to be able to find the time each week to sit down and gather my thoughts as I take on this PCGE year and train to become a teacher. … Read more

One thing is very clear – Arlo loves everything about the natural world. He can churn out animal facts all day long and this summer surprised us all when he revealed he had been keeping a secret pet snail in his bedroom for weeks. Having the opportunity to try out the habitats and ecosystems toy … Read more

Arlo has very kindly been sent out a beautiful Elmar bear from Steiff. To commemorate his starting school I thought he needed a special new friend and he makes the perfect gift because he’s just so huggable and soft. In fact this bear is the ideal gift suitable even for newborns. Available to order online … Read more

I’ve written previously about how I lost a sense of self over lockdown. A year of sitting at home with nothing to do but bake really had an impact on my waist line which in turn had an impact on my identity. As the world tentatively re-opened I decided I needed to turn things around … Read more

The award winning Fuzzikins sets are ideal for creative kids. They are a range of small creatures which have a fuzzy texture. Each animal comes with its own customisation kit including pens, felt, stickers and cardboard accessories. They can be coloured in, played with and then washed clean in water for the play to be … Read more

The Mac has done it again. Our first experience of live theatre in over a year was simply delightful. We were transported in to the whimsical world of Sarah and Duck, the BAFTA award winning children’s show for an hour on a summer afternoon. The setting for this performance is the outdoor amphitheatre at the … Read more

If you find yourself in a position where you are looking to rent a home for the first time then you probably have lots of questions. Working out what your budget is and then managing your expectations accordingly is a sharp learning curve but these days there are regulations in place so you shouldn’t be … Read more

(Books provided by Nosy Crow for the purposes of review) We have had a wonderful couple of weeks filled with glorious sunshine, and it’s been great to enjoy the weather, I often write about our adventures when we get out and about but sometimes you need a day at home, especially on days like today … Read more

Our favourite local sunflower field is due to open very soon at Becketts Farm. I’m so excited to revisit that I wanted to share some creative projects using sunflowers as inspiration with you. Of course the first thing I always get to work on for any special up occasion is a custom tee shirt for … Read more

(Magazine provided for the purposes of review) This Fun to Learn Hey Duggee Magazine is an interactive magazine for boys and girls aged 3-5 so perfect for Arlo. We’re facing a long hot summer before he starts in reception and so I’m very conscious of the need to keep him active and engaged. He’s started … Read more

Introducing The Squish  The adorable Doe, Dip, Dee and Dot have arrived. Can YOU resist The Squish?! The My Squishy Little Dumplings from My Squishy Littles are on a world tour. First stop the UK and we were so excited to be the first to get our hands on this new toy. There are four adorable little interactive characters with BIG personalities … Read more

There’s no dessert which screams summer louder than a strawberry Pavlova, and I had to make one at the very first opportunity I had this year with some left over egg whites, having been experimenting with mayonnaise as part of a practical session at uni. Squeezing in this recipe between making three different kinds of … Read more