A Taekwondo grading means more than just demonstrating a series of moves in front of an examiner. For children, they must prepare by showing respect to their family, behaving politely, making their beds, cleaning their rooms etc. I'm not kidding. Out comes my son from...
Getting muddy, being sporty and teaching our kids to be safe. These are some of the things we are being encouraged to do this week. I found out about these interesting events, so I thought I'd pass on the information. They involve children, getting outside and being...
Shannon Thompson is back on Friday Fiction again today. She has kindly provided an excerpt from her brand new book, Take me Tomorrow. You read it here first! The link is open as usual if you would like to add your own story (published or unpublished). Just follow the...
Ladyland Farm in Horley, Surrey, calls itself 'the living classroom'. Open during term time for school visits and birthdays only, it aims to create a hands-on farm experience geared specifically to the ages of the visitors. For the reception children on their school...
World Cup fever hits outer space! I'm delighted to have guest author, Karen Inglis provide an extract from her book, Eeek! The Runaway Alien this week. We're big fans of Karen's books in our house. I hope you enjoy this too. Now I knew Eeek was a runaway alien, many...
I recently wrote a set of articles about encouraging children to go beyond earning their weekly pocket money and develop their business ideas as a young entrepreneur. This came about because we were experiencing a lot of negativity from our eldest daughter, which we...
Our second city break of the year took us to Rome. This is a place that both my husband and I have already visited, so we had the advantage of having prior knowledge of the city. Previously I have climbed to the top of St. Peter's cathedral, toured the Vatican...
How do you teach your little ones the value of true friendship? Forming relationships with peers is an integral part of development, but not always an easy task. Friends will come and go and there will be heart break along the way. It's not easy to see your children...
The bar is crammed full of people, standing close together in their groups, chatting loudly and animatedly. I push my way through, trying to ignore the feeling of claustrophobia that is starting to descend upon me. Mixed with the smell of sweat and alcohol, my stomach...
FOR GLUTEN AND DAIRY FREE RECIPES AND INFORMATION, PLEASE VISIT A 'FREE FROM' LIFE. Eating out with children when you're on holiday can be challenging, especially when you have a child who is gluten and dairy free. As much as is possible, I do my research before hand...
The crazy boy has been up to his funny antics again. We were in Rome last week and he was fascinated by the Coliseum. The funny thing about this place is that around the outside you find numerous 'Roman Soldiers' eager to have their photos taken with the tourists and...
I'm linking up with mutteringmummy's blog once again with a round up of what I have been reading in May. Take Me Home - Daniela Sacerdoti At the start of this book we learn that Scottish girl, Inary, has the gift of sight, which enables her to see spirits, but at the...
This week's Friday Fiction guest author is Pamela S Thibodeaux, with an excerpt from her novel, In His Sight. The link is open as usual if you would like to add your own story (published or unpublished). Just follow the link at the bottom of this post. Alternatively...
My middle daughter took her first ballet and tap exams last week. The children had been practising their routines for a few weeks and were well prepared and the build up had been kept as low key as possible. But this didn't stop my daughter from worrying about them. A...
My five year old son is the joker of our household. He makes us laugh on a daily basis with his crazy, typical cheeky boy antics. His latest thing is to create characters using his clothes. Oh my goodness did I laugh when I saw the strategic placement of the toy cat....
The weather is being typically British at the moment, having lured us in to a false sense of security by letting us think that summer may just have arrived, only to blow our hopes a week later. It's our own fault for daring to put away our winter clothes and start to...
This week I warmly welcome author Stacy Juba, with an excerpt of her book Twenty-Five Years Ago Today, from the Characters at Crossroads series. The link is open as usual if you would like to add your own story (published or unpublished). Just follow the link at the...
Have you ever found yourself wondering who your primary aged children's homework is actually for, them or you? Starting from reception age, most UK children are given some task or other to complete on a weekly basis. It's not compulsory by law or anything, but yet it...
4 Successful marketing campaigns: simple ideas, huge impact When it comes to marketing, simple ideas can often be the most successful. I've taken 4 examples of very different campaigns, to examine why they worked so well. What lessons can we take from these successes...
This week I warmly welcome author Shannon Thompson, with an extract of her book Minutes Before Sunset, which was awarded Goodreads book of the month in July 2013. The link is open as usual if you would like to add your own story (published or unpublished). Just follow...