Month: June 2017

Beautiful Summer Wine Glasses

*Giveaway ended. Occasionally I try to give up wine. I know, it’s a crazy ambition, but I like to think my cranky old body will miraculously shed pounds and aches, acquiring glitter and pizazz instead if I succeed. Of course, it rarely works for long. I’ll manage a couple of days, then along comes Mr Sunshine and invites me out into the garden for an evening rendezvous with Sir Sauvignon, and I feel instantly so much better! Last week I had an added distraction, in the form of some rather glamorous new wine glasses which were just begging to be …

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School Shoes that Cope well with Playground Antics

I am rocking at parenting today. Today, I sorted out my son’s school shoes for next year. And they look tough enough to withstand 9 months of kicking around the playground as top dog in year 6. Provided he doesn’t grow in the next 9 weeks. School shoes that can handle the worst school run I’m actually thinking of putting a complaint in to his headteacher. In five years, he has never had to wear school shoes. He’s had to own them, but he’s never actually had to wear them. They’ve had this indoor:outdoor shoe policy, whereby they change from their outdoor …

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What’s all the Fuss about 13 Reasons Why?

Everyone is talking about 13 Reasons Why. Have you seen it? Have you deliberately avoided it, not wanting to go to that place where your child is 17 and no longer tells you anything? Has your 12 year old seen it? Did you ban her from watching it? 13 Reasons Why – the take-home message for parents If you don’t know what I’m talking about here, chances are you don’t have a child somewhere between the ages of 11 and 18. 13 Reasons is the Netflix drama about a girl who commits suicide, and the 13 tapes she records to …

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10 Holiday Tips for a Stress-Free Vacation

When you have children to consider, travelling can be more complex than it was when you only had yourself to think about. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy a family trip. Ensuring a stress-free holiday is all in the planning. Here are ten top tips for avoiding stress when you’re travelling. 1. Private Internet Browsing When searching the web for flights and accommodation, enable private browsing to stop websites recognising that you have visited them before. Many sites have algorithms that automatically raise prices on a second or subsequent visit. 2. Insurance matters Travel insurance is a must-have. There are …

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Diabetes: Running without Jelly Babies

You know when someone in the office leaves for pastures new, or when a mum in your group has a new baby, and you want to buy them a gift? Someone starts a group text, someone else has a search on Amazon or Etsy and comes up with the perfect suggestion. Then someone offers to pay, and 25 people all Paypal each other £3.76 each to contribute. It gets messy, right? Well I’ve found another way of doing it. Leetchi.com is a personal crowdfunding website that helps you manage the finances on group projects. Basically, you log on, create a personalised ‘money …

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Travel: Embers Camping and Tips on Picking the Right Campsite for your Family

A couple of weeks ago we decided to go camping. We’re not brilliant campers – we don’t own fold-out tables or shelves; when it rains we seek refuge in the pub; and in the mornings we’re more keen to find a decent coffee shop than we are to boil a collapsible kettle (who even knew there was such a thing?)! But we do like to camp. As a family, there’s nothing more magical than snuggling up together under canvas, telling stories by torchlight, and waking up to the smell of (someone else’s) bacon sizzling over a log fire. Embers kindly …

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