Miscellaneous - Page 15 of 37

Tooth Fairy Misadventure (part 2): Wot so Funee?

May 28, 2014March 18, 2014

I lost a couple of teeth this week. I’d forgotten about the Tooth Fairy, and her nocturnal burglaries, it’s been that long since we’ve had cause to communicate. There was a time when the Tooth Fairy rocked my entire world, but since Jasmine told me in the back of the car one day that it’s all a myth, and our parents are liars, I’d kind of put her out of my mind. But a tooth became wobbly at school and I secured that bloody tissue I’d often envied friends for in the past. So I gave it a go and …

Wot so Funee? Integrated Marketing

March 11, 2014March 11, 2014

I have not had a good belly laugh in a while. Anecdotes worthy of a #funee are usually cute or elicit a wry smile, and as you know, that kind of humour has been thin on the ground recently. But I just totally busted GG, and instead of getting all sanctimonious about a sneaked sweet, I gave her a grin; and instead of her getting all squealy about being in trouble, she looked suitably shamefaced, and then burst out laughing. She had moments before been reading over my shoulder, but she’d totally forgotten I was in the room as she …

Freezing and capturing movment 365 #11

May 21, 2019March 9, 2014

I’m 2 weeks into a photography course with amazing children’s photographer Stephanie Belton. Last week I learned how to use aperture settings to bring subjects and landscapes into focus; to see Steph’s tips check out my guest post on Love All Blogs Better Photo Project this week. This week I’m not allowed to take my camera off the shutter speed setting, and I’m tasked with freezing and capturing movement. In theory it’s simple – a fast shutter speed means I can snap detail in sharp focus. In practice of course, nothing is as simple as it sounds. But The Bug …

A postcard from Team Honk for International Women’s Day

May 22, 2019March 8, 2014

Not satisfied with inspiring 200 bloggers to carry a baton 600 miles in 6 weeks for Sport Relief, Team Honk is in Tanzania this week to see the inspiring work undertaken by Comic Relief to really change lives. For International Women’s Day 2014 they have sent us this digital postcard of an inpsiring woman. Claudia is an inspirational 54 year old mother and grandmother who, with support from The Gatsby Trust has turned a her hobby of soap making into a profitable business. A year ago when Claudia first starting receiving support for TGT she was producing 20 litres of …

Saturday is Caption Day!

May 22, 2019March 8, 2014

My mate Annie (what? I know she’s an über-blogging-celebrity, but she still draws dinosaurs on my whiteboard when she visits) is abroad. In Tanzania, to be exact, visiting projects funded by Comic Relief with TeamHonk. To find out more read this. In the meantime we are in charge of #SatCap. Which can only mean one thing. Sabotage! Actually, we did consider posting an image of Mammasaurus looking squiffy, but then we decided that this bloke, snapped outside London’s Science Museum at the weekend, was way more loony. Make of it what you will!

World Book Day: 7 tips to get your child reading. #loveliteracy

May 8, 2021March 6, 2014

For World Book Day I’m thrilled to be co-hosting a blog hop all about a love of reading – #loveliteracy. Myself and 7 other bloggers are immersed in children’s literacy in a variety of ways, and on a daily basis. For me, I’m in the most exciting phase so far, as my 9 year old daughter begins to appreciate books that I also love to read, and I’m enjoying discovering and discussing stories with her. But it wasn’t always this way. I remember very clearly the daily struggle to get her to read her school book, and the frustration and …

Wot so Funee? Pre-school butterflies

March 4, 2014

This week I have invited @VaiChin, of Rambling Through Parenthood to write for Wot so Funee? She joins in regularly with both linguistic anecdotes of her bilingual family, and hilarious misunderstandings with her toddler. Here she tells us a top tip for getting children to love going to school: What’s in a name? Quite a lot, apparently. A rose by any other name may smell just as sweet. But the same is not true when it comes to the name of your toddler’s pre-school. I don’t know how or why, but I never got round to telling J the name …

An inspiring woman. Well a girl actually. 365 #09

May 3, 2016March 1, 2014

The fundraising force that is Team Honk has issued a blogging prompt in honour of International Women’s Day next Saturday 8th March. An inspiring woman; someone you admire, who changes your outlook, who you would work hard to be more like. I struggled, to be honest. In life I am influenced by many friends, they inspire me to try new things: better photography, running, dancing, writing. In blogging there are multiple women who support me, prompt me, and give me new ideas. But one woman who makes me want to be a better person? For whom I am prepared to …

Book review The Giants and the Joneses by Julia Donaldson

February 28, 2014

It’s not often that a book inspires us to write a review, but twice recently The Bug has enjoyed a book enough that he has insisted on writing a blog post. He wrote recently about the latest graphic novel, Robotslayer, and as soon as we’d finished reading The Giants and the Joneses it was the first thing he wanted to do. Review – The Giants and The Joneses In a reversal of the standard Jack and the Beanstalk tale, Julia Donaldson describes how a land of giants live in fear of the small people (iggly plops). Until one day a …

World Book Day ideas from Miles Kelly

September 21, 2020February 27, 2014

As you know, I am a compulsive reader. Those pages full of black and white adventure are like a drug I cannot give up. I read everywhere and all the time – I have even been known to get into trouble at school for catching up on my latest chapter when I should be doing maths. Ahem. So the opportunity to receive a book as a gift is never something I would pass up. To promote World Book Day on 6 March, the lovely people at Miles Kelly asked a secret blogger to send us a book they thought we’d …

Young and free: Felixstowe beach 365 #08

October 10, 2016February 23, 2014

We try to visit Grandma during the school holidays. We look forward to the trip – aside from anything else, Grandma has dogs, the thing we most covet at the moment. But even better is the chance to rummage around on Felixstowe beach. It doesn’t have to be swimming weather, and we don’t need buckets and spades; we’re happy with simple things: filling Mum’s pockets full of stones suitable for the rock tumbler finding the perfect stick for drawing in the sand throwing pebbles – distance and skim is not important, it’s the satisfying plop into the foam that we …

Saturday is Caption Day: Felixstowe beach promenade

February 2, 2016February 22, 2014

I haven’t joined in for ages with Annie’s Saturday linky, but as I was scrolling through some lovely images I captured at Felixstowe beach this week on the half-term break, I was stopped in my tracks by this one. Snapping away, I was trying to get a shot of The Bug with Grandma, but what on earth is that on the wall?? Give it a caption, then head over to the Boss lady for more.

Bug can ski!

May 8, 2021February 20, 2014

Two years ago my brother took his first ski lesson. We’re lucky enough to live a short drive from The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead, and I had been skiing a few times already. I’d done ok with the slippery sticks and will happily fling myself face down in the snow whenever I get the chance, so The Bug, quite naturally, was willing to give it a go. To cut a long story short, he managed his first lesson, with some coaxing from my mother, and consented to a second. To which Daddy was the responsible adult. He’s not as …

Ask GG: 5 tips for keeping your bedroom tidy

January 29, 2018February 19, 2014

This post is for Cass from Frugal Family who posted with her lovely comment. Dear GG, my little girl is 11 and she is sooooo messy. Her bedroom is always a mess and I’m always having to tell her to tidy up so I wanted to ask you if your bedroom was tidy x So, I’m going to give you a list of tips for keeping your bedroom tidy as I had a massive clear out the other weekend. Usually my bedroom is a mess but I have lots of tips! 5 tips for keeping your bedroom tidy: Always keep your …

Book review: Middle School by James Patterson

May 8, 2021February 17, 2014

Middle School, by James Patterson. Hi this is actually GG once again and I have to do a book review on a Sunday! I know that in some religions Sunday is a day of rest. Well, in our house that rule doesn’t apply. So, I’m going to write a book review about Middle school: My brother is a big fat liar! Summary: Georgia Khatchadorian, Rafe’s little sister has started sixth grade and everyone is avoiding her because when Rafe was in that school he was very naughty and he got told off a lot. But Georgia desperately needs some friends. …

Ask GG: 7 reasons why I will move to another country if Gove gets his way

May 22, 2019February 12, 2014

By Helen and GG. What children think about longer school hours. Last week Michael Gove announced plans to lengthen the school day in a bid to bring state education closer to that delivered in private schools. We wrote about the proposals on BritMums, and people have asked what the children think, because after all, it is they who would be most directly affected. We asked GG to tell you what she thinks. Dear GG: Michael Gove wants children to spend 10 hours a day in school, and have fewer holidays. What do you think about longer school hours? From …

Please vote in the MAD Blog Awards 2014

May 8, 2021February 11, 2014

Two years ago we won an award. It was the first award won in this household since my mother took temporary custody of a silver-plated cup, aged 16, for being the best flute player in Cheadle. Or maybe it was in her street. Whatever – it had been a while. We squealed down the phone on the night we won the Best MAD Schooldays Blog award at the MAD’s. Mother held the phone up to the mic so the whole room could hear our momentary loss of composure. Luckily her best mate from blogging ‘day zero’ also scooped a trophy, …

Graphic novels for kids: Robotslayer, by Vincent Kamp

February 12, 2014February 8, 2014

I’ve always been a fan of sleep, but since discovering that reading is not only easy, but fun, I appear to have contracted my sister’s virus. It manifests as an inability to keep my head on the pillow at night unless said pillow is also home to a book. I have been discovered several times recently in the middle of the night, with lights blazing and a pile of books littering my duvet. One such book is Robotslayer. I read it. Mummy read it to me. And then I read it again. I’m not the biggest fan of handwriting, but …

Rivers, weirs and floods: project 365 #06

February 2, 2016February 7, 2014

We went to a concert this week. An orchestral performance just for children – just half an hour of short, recognisable, or fun pieces, designed to introduce children to classical music. Both GG and The Bug take violin lessons at school, and they both chose to attend the concert. It took us to Hertford, a place we rarely visit, and into sunshine, a thing we haven’t seen much of recently, so we wandered afterwards, savouring the fresh air. I stopped by the river, to explain what the rain has done, why the water was running so fast. I’m constantly looking …