Month: August 2015

Parenting: The truth about diabetes

Today is a difficult day. Today I have mixed emotions. On this day last year I took my nine-year-old daughter to the GP, expecting to come home with a prescription for antibiotics. Instead, we were sent straight to hospital and admitted for training in how to manage type 1 diabetes, and life as we knew it was over. I asked her how she wanted to mark the anniversary of her diagnosis; if she wanted to just forget about it, or if she’d like to celebrate how far she has come since that awful day. She saw it as an excuse to …

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Travel: an Incredible Day aboard the Thames Clippers

Seeing London from a boat's-eye-view gives you a whole new perspective on the capital

  Yesterday we spent the day on the river Thames. I say we spent the day; in actual fact we spent just two 30 minute trips on the Thames, and filled the rest of our time on its banks, enjoying some of the things that – despite living a 20 minute train ride away from the Capital – we’ve never bothered to do before. It was such a fun day, that we will definitely be going back. We were invited as guests of MBNA Thames Clippers, to experience their fleet of boats that transport both tourists and commuters across London. …

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Passion Fruit Ice Cream Recipe with White Chocolate Chunks

This passion fruit and white chocolate ice-cream was really easy to make in our Sage ice-cream maker

How good does that look? That, my friends, is passion fruit ice cream, made in our new Sage by Heston Blumenthal ice-cream maker. Stuff of dreams, right? Now, imagine if every bite had a small chunk of white chocolate to go with the tang of all that passion fruit. I can see you nodding, so here you go… If you love a good gadget read how our family pizza nights have become legendary since we got the brilliant Roccbox pizza oven Passion fruit and white chocolate ice cream We’re reviewing the Sage by Heston Blumenthal Smart Scoop ice-cream maker this summer. It …

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Home: A Star Wars Room Makeover

How to create a Star Wars room makeover

Recently, the Bug celebrated his eighth birthday. It has taken me eight years to give him the bedroom of his dreams, and four to post about phase 1. With phase 2 completed when he moved into his new bunk bed, I decided it was finally time to publish the cuteness that is him discovering his new Star Wars bedroom – he was four! How to create a Star Wars room makeover From the age of four, my son has been obsessed with Star Wars. Other themes have drifted in and out of his life (Skylanders, Moshi Monsters, Minions), but Star Wars …

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Travel: A Sleepover at the Zoo

Sleepover at the zoo

What do Frubes, Minions, and chimps have in common? Not much at first glance, but when you bring them together they’re a huge amount of fun. This week the people from Frubes took us on the experience of a lifetime – a sleepover at the zoo! To celebrate their partnership with the new Minions movie, Frubes have launched a limited edition banana flavour, and they were keen to let us sample the new packs during an overnight stay in the lodges at Whipsnade Zoo. Jane, from Northern Mum sips wine on deck. The Lookout Lodges are set across the road …

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Being Brave: BritMums and Type 1 Diabetes

In June 2015 I attended the BritMums Live conference for parenting bloggers. I have been many times to the event, and have transitioned from nervous new blogger to being relaxed and excited to catch up with friends and discover new brands. I have spoken at the event in previous years, and gained valuable experience in public-speaking. I have even read a blogger keynote speech before – a funny one that gave me the satisfaction of a few audience laughs. This year though, I was brave. This year I spoke out about what it means to suffer a life-changing event in …

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