Reviews

Wringer and Mangle: a VERY cool bar in London Fields

Some VERY cool areas to hang out at Wringer and Mangle

Grain sacks and a pommel horse make for lounging seats at Wringer and Mangle. If you frequent London Fields in East London for its social scene, chances are you’re more Superdry than Boden, drink Fever Tree not Schweppes, and prefer Snapchat over Facebook. But make the effort to venture a bit further east than your mainstream safety zone London staples, and you’ll find two great levellers: Time Run – an against the clock maze of team challenges reminiscent of the Crystal Maze (find out more on Space In Your Case); and Wringer and Mangle. Wringer and Mangle (review) We had …

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Free to Dream (Freestyle Libre review)

A blood glucose reading whenever you want, without finger pricks - here's our Freestyle Libre review #freetodream

Hey, stop what you’re doing for a minute, will you? I just need you to do something for me. It will take about 2 minutes – if you’re lucky – then you can carry on with your work/play/nap/dancing (delete as appropriate). Hey, can you stop again please? Sorry, I just need you to do that thing again, won’t take too long. I know, I know, you’re dancing/singing/talking to your friends/marking coursework. Sorry, but it’s got to be done. Hey, sorry to interrupt AGAIN, but can you just… yes, again, yep I know you’re busy, I know it’s important, you’re having …

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How to Save Smarter (#SaveSmarter)

This post is sponsored by Aviva. Do read it though – it’s fun! A Fun Way to Save Smarter I always seem to have just enough money in the bank; never any spare, but even on a bad month, we always seem to be able to scrape something from somewhere to pay for what we need – usually involving some activity of the kids! We’re lucky. That said, I live in fear of something happening to the house that requires expense. It’s a bit of a dinosaur, our house, and something seems to fall apart at least once a year, …

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How to buy for less online

Kids just want so much stuff, don’t they? And none of it is in favour for more than a few months, but it is absolutely vital that they have it when they need it, otherwise they’ll be the only one in the playground without the latest thing. My house is overflowing with discarded loom bands (remember those?), I have a huge tub full of mechanical hamster-type things, and occasionally a Furby will turn evil in the night and pipe up from under a cushion somewhere. Toy manufacturers know how to appeal to kids, they know when to pitch the product …

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Review: Children’s Snow Boots from Mountain Warehouse

  Every Sunday morning, Actually Daddy would return from the Bug’s football match with cold feet, and trainers that were unrecognisable from standing up to his ankles in mud. “Why can’t I have snow boots like the kids?” he would complain. It’s understandable. Look what the kids wear when they’re kicking around outside in the cold:   We decided on snow boots for the kids this year, because we knew we’d be going skiing. Let’s face it, the UK doesn’t often have snow, and when it does, we’ve made do with a pair of wellies and an extra pair of socks. But …

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Up All Night

  You know when people joke about how, when you have a baby, you’re not going to get much sleep? You’ll be up all night, they say, and you laugh. Then your newborn arrives, and you realise it’s true. You never knew you could survive on so little sleep. You’re amazing. Up All Night After a couple of weeks though, the excitement settles, the adrenalin wears off, and you’re tired to your bones. You ache all over, you eat badly, propping yourself up with sugar, caffeine and stimulants. You don’t know how you will carry on. You do though, because …

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Fennel and Bean Soup recipe with an added something!

This fennel and bean soup recipe will give you two of your five-a-day with an added extra special treat

I’m not always the healthiest eater. As a busy mum, who works, and whose nights are frequently interrupted, I’m prone to reaching for coffee and muffins in the mornings, followed up by a lunch of crumpets and cheese. And who doesn’t like that stuff? It’s a quick fix, it acts as comfort after an exhausting night, and an even longer day. And we all know what calls at five o’clock. But there comes a point when the body craves more than just comfort; it needs vitamins, fibre, good protein, and a little bit less of the quick fixes. I may …

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Guess the cost, and win my exclusive craft shopping haul with E.ON

GIVEAWAY NOW ENDED It’s easy to lose track of how much you’re spending when out shopping for things you love. Whether it’s a jacket you’ve been staring at in a shop window for the past few weeks or that impulse purchase on the way to the checkout, your tightly controlled budget can quickly be forgotten – and this doesn’t just happen on the high street. With months of darker, colder evenings ahead, it can become all too easy for energy bills to rise far beyond the expected – especially as there’s no price tag to keep you in check. So, I …

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Theatre: A Curiouser Alice in Wonderland for teenagers

A new kind of Alice In Wonderland in London examines teen issues in the digital world - Wonder.land review

  “I totally, utterly hate being me!” Not something we’ve heard yet here, but at 11, I’m aware that this statement is a possible assertion for my daughter at some point in the next few years. Just before Christmas we went together to see Wonder.land at the National Theatre, to discover what might be lurking round the corner of her teenage years. The first thing to say about Damon Albarn’s musical adaptation of the Lewis Carroll classic, is that it’s not suitable for children under the age of 10. It says so on the website, and it’s true, not just …

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Food, Beers, Beds, and Shopping: The Old Stocks Inn – review

It's never too early for cocktails at the Old Stocks Inn (review)

The first thing we noticed at the Old Stocks Inn, in Stow-on-the-Wold (after the lovely warm welcome) was the bar. Quick, let’s go and explore, so we can get back here and have a drink! we decided, and we did. We visited the Cotswolds on a typical British winter weekend, and the dark afternoon made our frosty breath and the twinkly Christmas lights feel festive and exciting. All we needed was a cosy bar and a pint to top it off perfectly. As we wandered around the market square, popping in and out of charming little shops, marvelling at interesting gifts and old-fashioned …

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Perfect Stocking Fillers for Girls from Little Ondine

Review: Little Ondine odour free nail polish

Recently my girl turned 11. There is some grace to a birthday celebration at this age. Gone are the full-scale parties for 25 with an entertainer and endless curly sandwiches that used to see me collapse into a glass of wine at the end. Now she just wants sleepovers with a few friends. Easy! They run it themselves, and all I have to do is order pizza.   The hoard of make-up and tinctures that took up residence on my kitchen table was a sight to be believed. These 5 girls have more make up between them than I think …

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A Reggae Catamaran, and a Dolphin Kiss at Beaches Negril

A Reggae Catamaran cruise is exactly what you need on a Beaches Resorts holiday!

How beautiful is that? That’s the catamaran you’ll dance on. Oh yes you will, because you won’t be able to stop yourself. Once you’ve arrived at Beaches Resorts Negril, there’s not much you’d want to leave for. It truly is paradise (take a look at our virtual tour review if you don’t believe me). But there are one or two things on offer that you really will be glad you paid the extra for. Here are our two favourites: Reggae Catamaran Cruise I have to confess I was dubious. I had visions of Club 18-30, and whilst that does look …

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Travel: The 7 Best things for Kids at Beaches Resorts Negril

Best things for kids at Beaches Resorts Negril - the beach!

  It’s easy to think that Beaches Resorts is all about you. Whoever you are. As a parent, it was ALL about me: the cocktails brought directly to me at the poolside, the restaurants, the comfy sun-loungers, the stunning beach, and the kids clubs that actually felt welcoming enough for my kids to want to go there, and safe enough for me to let them. Yep, it was all done for my benefit. But actually, I’m pretty sure the kids thought the whole resort had been put together with their particular desires in mind. Here’s what they loved: 7 Best …

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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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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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