Lavania Oluban

Yes you read that right, I had to double take when I noticed this new card game on the shelves in my local Smyths Superstore. I’m familiar with the concept of the game as I’ve played an adult version many times and with the kids in our family having active imaginations and a crazy sense … Read more

When we were sent on a special mission to find and review a Cats vs. Pickles collectible plushie, Arlo was most excited and we went on a little trip to our local Smyths toy store to hint down these Mischievous characters. I have to admit that I had no idea where or why these have … Read more

When summer arrives the best thing to do is take eating outdoors, and fire up the barbecue. Of course you just have to have all manner of marinades and sauces to pack in the flavour and ketchup is probably the priority for burgers and hotdogs. I’ve got my own tomato plant growing nicely but for … Read more

Paddling pools are the number one summer garden accessory. When you think about how many hours the kids spend jumping in and out of the water they’re fabulous value for money. My advice having had many different types of pool over the years is to go for a simple shape rather than one with all … Read more

This is a really simple way to enter in to the world of preserve making and is made from foraged dandelions, offering a vegan version of honey. The finished result is sweet and has a fragrant flavour, useful to use as a honey substitute in baking recipes and in things like salad dressings and marinades … Read more

These Nerf Bunkr inflatable cubes are the stuff of childhood dreams. We were delighted to be given the opportunity to review them. In the picture above Arlo is hiding right behind them, camouflaged and ready to take aim and fire with his nerf guns to unsuspecting mother over here who’s been the unfortunate target all … Read more

This summer is promising to be a good one. After a year of lockdown it’s fabulous that restrictions have lifted and we can head out and about on adventures, but of course we can’t head out to attractions every day as we don’t have the budget. I’m looking forward to sunny days in parks and … Read more

As most of you know I’m a bit of a geek, and I’m proud of it. I love all things science related and so when it comes to covering educational topics such as “space” with Arlo of course I have involve some fiction along with facts to bring it all to life for him because … Read more

Life has changed so much for us over the last twelve months, just like it has for everyone. As the pace of life slowed right down I realised just how much money I was wasting on things which aren’t at all necessary. I’ve gone a year without drinks from coffee shops on my daily commute … Read more

Arlo is getting to the stage now where he’s interested in games and competition. He’s always claiming he’s the winner, it’s always a race to brush your teeth the fastest or climb up to top of a hill first, and so I began to introduce games to him at Christmas. One of our absolute favourites … Read more

Yesterday we visited All things Wild, a family attraction based near Evesham in Worcester. I have nothing but positive feedback for this place as we had such a wonderful time yesterday and we can’t wait to revisit. Of course yesterday the sun shone down and for the first time in forever we were wandering around … Read more

Arlo is absolutely obsessed with all things relating to the natural world. He could name a dozen animals before he could recognise colours and he continually surprises us now with amazing nature facts. Just yesterday on our way to the Safari Park he told me that ants were one of the strongest animals – I … Read more

You might know that I’m a little bit of a chocoholic – and that’s because it runs in the bloodstream. My mum (in the pic above) is a chocolatier and so we get lots of chocolatey treats all year round, and especially at Easter. There’s just something about Easter Egg chocolate that fills me with … Read more

Now that spring has finally made an appearance there’s an abundance of colour bursting in to life at the Botanical Gardens. We have been visiting the gardens since the 1980’s when I was a little girl so trips to the gardens are always nostalgic for me. There’s some areas of the gardens which remain unchanged … Read more

This beautiful Manor House and it’s grounds is certainly worth a visit if you’re in the Midlands, it’s just around the corner from Kingsbury water park, and makes for a delightful couple of hours outdoors. The hall is currently closed due to covid restrictions but with spring in bloom there’s plenty to explore within the … Read more

The last twelve months has been a time of upheavals for everyone. We’ve all had time to reassess our priorities and for many of us it’s not likely that we’ll be going “back to normal” once lockdown finally ends. Working from home made me really value my living space and I decided back last spring … Read more

The school holidays are about to commence, another few weeks at home, after only being back for a few weeks seems almost crazy! We’ve covered every messy play idea imaginable and it’s fabulous that parks and tourist attractions are starting to open up. Like most families we all still need a bit of down time … Read more

Easter bonnets are a tradition I remember participating in when I was a little girl. I was so excited when the nursery asked us to get craft as parents as they’re having a bonnet parade this week before the holiday break, but of course when I asked Arlo what he wanted to make he didn’t … Read more