I realised, last weekend, that I have thrown 15 children’s parties, making me experienced, if far from expert. Since it’s a proposition that seems to throw a number of my friends into the pits of despair, I have written a post with some different types of celebrations that have been tried and tested.
The venues and services listed are local to me, in Cheshire and thereabouts, but there will be equivalents, whereever you are.
Category: Family
Brilliant chapter books – excellent reads for KS2 kiddos.
Some recommendations for brilliant chapter book reads for Key Stage 2 children to entertain your little treasures and make them cleverer than ever.
Back to school
As the summer holidays wind up, here are a few thoughts about the return to school from a teacherly perspective.
The Clowance Estate, Cornwall – a review
This is just going to be a quick post – but after struggling to find much information about The Clowance Estate before our holiday there last week, it struck me that a review might be of use to other holidaymakers. (Just to be clear, we paid in full for our holiday and I have received…
Keeping the masses happy – best buys for holiday harmony.
Mid-Summer holidays, I have compiled a list of books and other activities that I have bought over the last year or two which may be of use in keeping your troops entertained and out of mischief during idle moments or rainy days.
All have been rigorously tested and approved by my little badgers.
Easy peasy birthday cake.
I am writing this from our holiday. I meant to write it before we set off, but birthday demands, end of term shenanigans and holiday packing left spare time in short supply. Apols, therefore for formatting of a poorer standard than usual – there are a number of things I am struggling to work out…
Tracking a ruthless criminal with a Project MC2 Ultimate Spy Bag (review)
Honestly, it’s been rather a fraught few days. The turmoil began last Monday evening, when a tiny little mouse was discovered in the playroom. To a normal person, this may represent a minor shock and inconvenience, but due to a trauma suffered in France at the impressionable age of 20, I was practically in need…
Super speedy Key Lime Pie and Father’s Day fragility.
A late-ish night at a brilliant party on Saturday left me feeling a little ‘tired’ on Sunday. I can only attribute my headache on waking to the loud music we danced to with such skill and vigour. It was a true treat to not be woken at 6 with a request to replace the hair…
The perils of cat ownership.
The house is alarmingly quiet this morning with the little badgers being ‘on holiday’ at Nanny and Papa’s for a full weekend; in part to accommodate our party-going tonight and in part because it’s so much more fun being spoiled rotten there, than being harried by a tiresome mother at home. It has been rather…
French escapades: 5 brilliant things to do in Picardy.
After a lovely week in France, I have been boring anyone who will listen with a litany of Picardy’s virtues. For anyone else thinking of visiting (and it’s lovely, you really should) I’ve compiled a list of brilliant things to do with kids.
Camping for the clueless: my 5 top tips for beginners.
My husband has been promising our firstborn a camping trip for several years. Last summer, in a bid to lend credibility to his promises we bought a tent, but busy lives, disappointing weather – and perhaps a faint undercurrent of reluctance – meant it has lain dormant. Until this last gloriously sunny Bank holiday weekend……
Ditch the sandwiches – some tasty lunchbox options.
After the school holiday reprieve, packed lunches are back with a vengeance. If you’re tired of sandwiches, here are a few ideas for a more interesting lunch box.
Lunchbox friction. And dairy-free banana chocolate biscuits.
About to tackle the second week back at school and the Easter holidays seem like a distant memory, entangled as we are, once more, with Biff and Chip and PE kits and morning rush hours and after-school clubs and snack boxes. Packed lunches are a somewhat contentious issue in our house. The junior takes one…
Fat Rascals. (A treat, not an insult.)
Five days into the school holiday – of which four were the long weekend, where double parental supervision was applied – and we have worked through pretty much everything in the programme of activities I suggested, and now we’re lapping ourselves. It seems hopeful that the dismal drizzle and frosty temperatures may improve as the…
Staying sane in the hols.
School here has just broken up for Easter. I think parental emotions were mixed. Some seemed merely relieved to be avoiding the tyranny of 8:55 registration and appropriate packed lunches for two weeks, others focused on the 24/7 x 2 nature of the upcoming interaction with their progeny. Holidays without plans can be hard-going. I…
Yorkshire Dales delight
My childhood holidays were numerous and wholesome, filled with blustery mountainsides and cycle paths and campsites, and now I find myself repeating the pattern with my own little badgers. This last weekend we had the most lovely stay in the Yorkshire Dales, where many a childhood half term was spent – I was reminded of…
