Month: November 2015

Christmas: a magical email from Santa

*Checks no-one is looking* Shhhh. I’ve just finished organising the kids’ videos from Santa. *Turns up TV and locks door* Get an email from Santa They’ve both been really good this year; at least that’s what I told Santa when I held a secret conference call with him earlier today. Ahem. He’s promised to bring what they’ve asked for on Christmas Eve, and has even emailed them a video of the mailing room where their letters have been received. Not only that, but in the video, he takes them on a tour of an elf’s house, and shows them his reindeer. It’s …

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Review: the new SEAT Alhambra

How to start your car - the new SEAT Alhambra!

Deciding on a family car is a minefield, isn’t it? Do you sacrifice style for space, cool factor for safety, or cram everyone into an ego-booster? And if the latter, where will you put the buggy, the dog, and the monumental amount of shopping you seem to get through every week? Not to mention all the crap that the kids cart into the back seats and which disappears into various pockets until the loss of something important (a hairband, or a Match Attax card) drives them to a mass clearout. Recently we were asked to test drive the new SEAT …

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A virtual tour of Beaches Resorts Negril

Review: A virtual tour of Beaches Resorts Negril

  Honestly, I could go on (and on) about our trip to Negril with Beaches Resorts all day long. But I don’t want to cause mass jealousy (well, alright, maybe a tiny bit), and also, every time I write about it, I wonder why I came home. So for this post I’m just going to show you the resort in video. Because, let’s face it, what you really want to see is how good they are at towel art, right?     Useful information about Beaches Resorts Negril Rooms Rooms at Beaches Negril come in 3 levels: Luxury (from $292 …

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The gloves are on!

Heat Holder gloves have a tog rating to help keep fingers warmer in winter

This afternoon I saw the tell-tale signs of Winter arriving. No, it wasn’t the first frost, or the last leaf dropping from the trees. It wasn’t the darker mornings, or the need for the electric blanket before bed. It started with a tingle in my fingertips as I finished typing for the day; it progressed to an icy cold sensation as I headed out on the school run; and by the time I got home my fingers were white. I’ve always had cold hands and feet. I remember quite clearly as a teenager doing my homework with a hot water …

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Travel: Why food might your first priority at Beaches Resorts

Stewfish, at Beaches Resorts Negril, is the most stunning location for a meal

What do you go on holiday for? Relaxation? A change of scenery, time off from the usual mundane chores of life? Time with family and friends, a suntan, a chance to do something different? Chances are it’s all of those things, but shall I tell you what figures high on my list of reasons to leave home for a week or so? Food. As a mum, just not having to plan it, shop for it, cook it, and clear it all away three times a day is a holiday. Food is an essential part of travel for me. Which is …

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Travel: Getting to Beaches Jamaica and why we love Virgin

Travelling to Jamaica with Virgin Airlines made the kids very happy! Find out why...

If you’ve followed our social media accounts over the last few weeks it will not have escaped your notice that we’ve been on holiday. Somewhere rather lovely. Sorry. Being at Beaches Resorts in Negril, Jamaica is the most wonderfully relaxing experience (they call it coming home). We visited at half term, so we only had one week (and an extra day off school, actually, given my failure to register that leaving the Caribbean on a Sunday didn’t mean we’d get back on a Sunday – oops). Normally we’d book any holiday that required a nine hour flight to get to for …

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Beaches Resorts Negril: coming home

Beaches Resort Negril really does feel like one big happy family

Coming home from Jamaica last week was hard. Not because of the sudden shift in temperature (Jamaica rests at around thirty degrees celsius most of the year – a glorious climate!); not due to the nine hour overnight flight with two children either – that was a breeze with Virgin; nor was it down to mine and my daughter’s complete diabetes failure, as both of us exited the plane without her ‘sugar bag,’ which contains the sugar and insulin she needs round the clock (oops). No, for the first time ever, I left my holiday haven feeling actually homesick. The Beaches Resorts …

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APH Meet and Greet take the stress out of family air travel

It is twenty-four hours since we arrived home from the most relaxing, and luxurious holiday we’ve ever had, and I’m feeling pretty good. It’s a nine hour flight from Jamaica’s Montego Bay airport to London Gatwick. Jamaican time is five hours behind the UK, putting me right now at cocktail-o-clock, when actually I’m working at my desk, and contemplating the afternoon school run. And I can honestly say, I’m not jet-lagged. That might have something to do with the bright light therapy clock I took with me, and recently reviewed for Space In Your Case, but I think a lot …

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A globe to inspire a love of travel and the stars

The Earth and Constellations globe is a must for any child who loves finding out about the stars

The Bug is a fan of the stars. He has glow stars stuck to his ceiling, a room totally devoted to Star Wars, and he’s constantly on the lookout for a falling star, now that the nights are getting longer. Whenever we’re out at night, especially on a camping trip, he spends hours browsing the Skywalk app, trying to figure out what he’s looking at in the night sky. It’s a lovely thing to love, I think. But when you marry that interest with a love of travelling, and understanding the world, you’ve really got a recipe for inspiring a …

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