Festival of Light

The Festival of Light has returned to the Esplanade at West Quay. 

Running from 15-24th Feb #letlightinWQ

The Cookin' Kidz - Cooking classes for children

Today we tried something completely new and popped along to The Cookin' Kidz, located in Whiteley, Hampshire.

The Cookin' Kidz is the perfect place for children to explore cooking, baking and making healthy delicious snacks in a supportive, friendly and fun environment. 

Cooking and baking takes place in the Bakin' Barn, a beautiful little barn tastefully decorated with calm colours and equipped with modern appliances and even a little bathroom (perfect for potty training tots- when you've gotta go, you've gotta go!)

Corrine was so welcoming and on arrival we washed our hands and put on our (adorably cute) little aprons.

All ingredients had been measured out and put in handy little bowls ready for the children, and utensils laid out next to them. There were clear step by instructions as we poured, scooped, mixed and squeezed.

Children are encouraged to use all their senses and tasting the ingredients is allowed, Oscar and Lottie loved dipping their fingers into the sugar, yogurt and even tried the squeezed lemon juice used for our iced toppings.

We made lemony poppy seed muffins and whilst they were baking there was colouring activities and blackcurrant/ orange squash. (This cooking is thirsty work)

You're given a little recipe card to take home so you can make the dish again and as you collect the cards you can fill a folder full of delicious recipes.

You can see the passion and devotion Corrine has put into The Cookin' Kidz, she's thought of everything and there are a few set rules to the Bakin' Barn, for example ingredients which aren't for consumption are always put into red bowls, this indicates to the children that these ingredients are not wise for consumption before baking and cooking, such as the raw eggs. Other rules included washing hands before baking and not touching or tasting hot food removed from the oven until and adult has said it is safe to do so. The final rule is to make sure you have fun, and we certainly did.

The Cookin' Kidz is suitable from 2.5 years upwards but younger siblings are still welcome and there is a highchair in the Bakin' Barn.

We had a wonderful morning and couldn't recommend the cookery classes enough.

It's clear to see just how much the children enjoyed the class:

Oscar and Lottie were excited to see what they'd made and were extremely impressed when their lemon muffins came out of the oven. After covering them with icing and decorative sprinkles they wasted no time tucking in and tasting their baked goods.

If you're interested in trying The Cookin' Kidz they can be found on Facebook and  their website, where you can find out more information on the class times and term prices. 

Hubby is always asking what we've done with our days so I know he'll be pleased to come home to a freshly baked lemony poppy seed muffin lovingly made by these two. 

What's in your Christmas Eve Box?

It's our very first year of introducing a Christmas Eve box. We thought it would be a nice tradition for the children to enjoy the night before Christmas.

We didn't want it to be something too big or a huge expense so Oscar and Lottie have a box to share with a few little treats.

I managed to pick this festive tin from Homebargains for £1.99 to store all their treats, shall we take a look inside?

There are some cheeky little elves inside, one each of course, these cute little cuddlies were just 99p from Card Factory and a sweet festive soft toy.

We placed cotton will balls inside the tin to create an effect of snow. Underneath the snow is some reindeer food which we made with the children (simply rolled oats and glitter) we will be placing this in a bowl for Santa's reindeer and then discarding it so local wildlife don't try and feast upon it (the specks of glitter can damage their digestive systems, so we won't be sprinkling it on the lawn)

We love this activity because it encourages the whole imagination and getting the children involved in the build up to Christmas Day.

As we delve further we have a key for Santa, we don't have a chimney so of course Santa is going to need a way in. The key has a little Santa attached so it's clear to the children who it's for.

Finally what would a Christmas Eve box be without some sweeties, we opted for a chocolate reindeer lolly and cookie each as snacks to have with a cup of milk before bed. 

We didn't opt for a fresh set of pyjamas as the kids already have their favourite nightwear and we didn't want to spend a fortune on filling the box up. Oscar's all time favourite We're Going On A Bear Hunt is broadcasting this evening at 7.30pm on Channel 4, so we skipped on purchasing a Christmas movie too. We absolutely cannot wait to watch it and then have our Santa's plate to place a mine pie, carrot and a drink on before heading up to bed.

We feel so grateful, as our wonderful friends also gifted us a Christmas Eve family box full of treats, including handmade and framed candy cane fingerprints from the children, a  gorgeous wooden 'Santa Please Stop Here' door hanger, personalised scented candles and hot chocolate for us all, so we've been truly spoilt this year. I think I love this one even more because it's been so lovingly and thoughtfully put together.

Merry Christmas to everyone, we hope you all have a magical day tomorrow with family and loved ones.

Keepsake Jewellery

Ever since having children I've become a bit of a sucker for keepsakes. I love making things with the kids and I adore treasuring all their things to keep for the future and to look back on. Now I'm not encouraging hoarding the entire lot here but some things are wonderful to keep hold of for the memories.

And this is kind of how I feel about this piece of jewellery.

If you're looking for something really unique and the option for custom pieces then I have the full recommendation for you at the end of this post.The jewellery is handcrafted and all materials sourced in the UK. ( I love supporting items made on our doorstep and supporting small businesses ventures)

I was able to completely customise the size of the jewel in my ring, choose the setting and even the colour and tone of the jewel.

This piece is kind of irreplaceable to me but one I have shyed away from talking about, purely due to a reaction I had surrounding the whole process of having it made and what it entailed. You see the ring is part of me and part of my baby girl and our journey together. The vintage style gem is not mother of pearl, opal or even moonstone it is in fact made from mummy's milk, the milk that fed and helped our little Lottie grow and flourish each day.

I had a bit of a love/ hate relationship with breastfeeding Oscar so when Lottie and I got on with it really well, I was sad to stop feeding her (her call and we went with her naturally weaning at a year of age) 

I had a tiny bit of milk left in the fridge and was still producing milk weeks after she stopped feeding so I topped this up. 

So there it was sat in the fridge, receiving the odd comical remark about adding a dash to the tea when we were out of milk and didn't have the energy to dash to the shops. It sat there, and sat there and for some reason I just couldn't throw it out, probably because I never really seemed to produce much- just enough to fulfll Lottie's needs. It never felt right to just pour it down the sink or chuck it in the bin.

One evening whilst browsing online I stumbled across milk jewellery, a process in which milk is mixed with a special resin and created into jewellery. 

It seemed the perfect way to cherish  our breastfeeding together and I shipped off the milk (double bagged) and look what came back a few weeks later:

The ring is simply stunning, it's got a real vintage style and feel to it and a slight shimmer which catches the light, it's so unique and I love it. I've mentioned the concept of it to mummy friends and they've all been really intrigued by it and some amazed with the end result. 

On the other hand I've had some look puzzled at the idea and think it's a little odd. But the beauty is, it doesn't really matter, it's like anything some people will love the idea and others will be at loss with the whole concept and think you're bonkers.

I think I'm going to treasure this one forever, and I'm proud to share the talented Rejewelled shop in this post.

Rejewelled don't only use milk as inclusions but also items such as locks of hair and ashes. 

I think it's a beautiful way to keep something very close to your heart and fashion it into something you can appreciate and treasure forever. If you're interested in transforming something you hold close to your heart into a jewellery keepsake please take a look at their site. Tracy the artist and Mic admin for the page are such a brilliant team and so accommodating.

You can check out some of their beautiful products and designs here: Rejewelled UK

Pick your own pumpkins- Autumnal fun.

I know this has been blogged about quite a lot recently especially by those living locally to Pickwell Farm and you can clearly see why.

We took a trip down to the farm this morning with friends and it was the most fun catch up with the kids.

They adored exploring the fields and the various fruit and veg growing, running around in the fresh air and picking their own to take home.

We popped them in a wheelbarrow (provided at the farm) and bumped and bounced along the fields in the fresh air.

Pickwell Farm is located just off the M27 Junction 8 in Bursledon and is a family run 'pick your own' farm. It is a wonderful place to escape everyday life for a few hours and we easily spent almost three hours with the children exploring all the fields and the wonderful crops to enjoy.

Currently Pickwell Farm has pumpkins, sweetcorn, rhubarb, blackberries and delicious raspberries. 

We also saw kurly kale and Brussel Sprouts growing.

This post might be a bit picture heavy because I simply adore the Autumnal background of the vibrant orange pumpkins dotted around the fields. Autumn is such a beautiful season to capture, with crisp cool mornings ,beautiful blue skies and the changing colours of the leaves.

We loved all the shapes and sizes of the pumpkins and the huge variety of them. The supermarket pumpkins just don't compare to exploring all the interesting ones we found out in the open fields. To top this off it doesn't matter which pumpkin you choose they're all priced at a reasonable £2 each.

I let Oscar choose which pumpkin he wanted, we picked up a couple of corns and I couldn't resist a beautiful blue squash. I've never seen them this colour before but it's a very pastel duck egg blue shade. Apparently it is a Blue Hokkaido, a winter squash with a bright orange flesh of a subtle sweet but nutty flavour. I'm going to enjoy looking up some recipes for our blue squash but at the moment it's just sitting pretty in the living room.

The children were so inquisitive on our visit and it was nice to show them where produce comes from and how crops grow, it is just as much an educational and sensory activity with us all able to touch, smell and even sample a little taste of the fruit and veg we picked.

I can't recommend visiting enough, if you have a spare hour or so then pop along to the pick your own fields or even the shop, they have an immense range of delicious fresh produce.

To top our visit off we saw Zeeberry from the Marwell Zany Zebra trail arrive at Pickwell's Farm today. The Zebra sculptures and trail were dotted around Southampton during the Summer as part of a campaign to raise awareness and funds for the Grevy Zebra species. Pickwell were sponsors of Zeeberry and secured the sculpture in the recent auction this week. It's delightful that this beautiful piece of public art will remain at the farm for people to continue to enjoy.

In the afternoon we painted our pumpkins and covered them with glue and glitter to show Daddy when he got home.

We'll definitely be returning to Pickwell Farm again soon, if you're thinking of popping along then there are still heaps of pumpkins to pick in time for Halloween.

We're going on a bear hunt, we're going to catch a BIG one- Birthday Celebrations.

I can't believe it's this time of the year again but it's party season and Oscar's 3rd birthday has arrived. Recently he's been rather infactuated with the story book 'We're going on a bear hunt' written by Michael Rosen ,we didn't fancy the cost of hiring out a hall or the whole party planning shenanigans so thought we'd have a gathering with friends at home.

We decided to entertain the children with a little activity, a story and a obstacle course running through the garden and fortunately the weather stayed bright and clear for us.

For anyone who hasn't read the book 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' it's a cute and simple story about adventuring outside with the family in search for a bear. The family pass through various obstacles on their walk including swishy swoshy grass, a deep cold river, sticky oozy mud, a forest and a hailing snowstorm before reaching a cave with a grizzly brown bear inside which follows them home.

The children each had a set of binoculars (2 toilet roll middles covered with wrapping paper) which they decorated with stickers, this activity was a nice interactive way to start the party and gave the children the perfect tool for 'bear watching'.

We took great inspiration from Pinterest and Mudpie Fridays for putting our party together and for some fabulous activities to fill the afternoon, they are both full of creative ideas for a bear themed party.

We watched 'We're going on a Bear Hunt' the animated version so that each of the children were aware of the story before we started.

Then outside was our bear hunt obstacle course, we recreated all the scenes from the book for the children to walk through and to find the bear hidden in the garden.

The children seemed a bit apprehensive to start, but once out in the fresh air they throughly enjoyed the course and playing outside.

The food buffet was bear themed ,with Pom Bear crisps, Billy Bear sandwich ham, Barny Bear cake bars and even an 'Oscar the Bear' birthday cake (thanks Sainsburys)

Rather than gift bags we gave each of the children a bear themed book to take home which we ordered from The Works.  The Works have an online offer £10 for 10x children's books and we loved the idea of the kids taking home a story to keep and enjoy.

I think we're well and truly 'beared out' for the day but hope all the children had a wonderful time.

We're pleased to say that the binoculars and brown bear have now been donated to a local preschool so more children can enjoy the fun and adventures of keeping on the look out for the brown fuzzy bear. 

Zany Zebratastic Event

If you have any spare time this weekend and enjoyed the Marwell Zany Zebra trail that ran over the Summer then I'd throughly recommend a visit to the Zebratastic Event being held at The Ageas Bowl over the next three days.

The Zany Zebra Trail was introduced this year following the success of the public art trail featuring Rhinos back in 2011.

Marwell teamed up with local businesses and organisations as sponsors to decorate the sculptures. The large sculptures were adorned by talented artists and the street art has been enjoyed by thousands of local residents and visitors to the city. 

Schools and Colleges also took part in the Zany Zebras Education Programme giving them an opportunity to join in with the fun and get creative designing their own miniature Zebras.

If booked in advance tickets for this farewell event were only £2.50 per person and under 3's are free to enter. (Entry at the gate is £4 per person)

The event is being held inside the Ageas Bowl and the whole collection of Zebra's can be seen across two floors (there's a lift for buggies and wheelchair access)

My kids absolutely loved it as it was a unique opportunity to see all the Zebra's up close without needing to trek across the city (a saviour on little legs)

We had seen a couple of the zebras across town and some of the smaller ones at Marwell but this gave us a lovely close up look at them all and their amazing and beautiful paintwork and designs.

There was also a raffle to enter for your chance to win your very own Zany Zebra and raise money for the cause.

There are 197 Zebras to see in total including all the sculptures and miniatures. 

The event is running 14-17 October, 2016. Doors open at 9.30am until 4pm each day (last entry is 3pm)

Following the goodbye event the sculptures are being auctioned off, the charity auction will take place on Tuesday 18, October 2016 commencing at 7pm. 

If you want to go that step further and be in with a chance of owning a Zebra sculpture you can bid online here.

Marwell Wildlife Auction

The trail has been aimed at raising awareness for the plight of the Grevy's zebra breed, all monies raised will go towards conservation projects undertaken by Marwell Wildlife with organisations in Kenya. It is a sad statistic that there are less than 3,000 Grevy Zebras in the wild.

Lordington Lavendar.

This is one of my favourite things to blog about, a family day out with some beautiful photo opportunities.

What more could you want than a beautiful summers day surrounded by the gorgeous scents of Lavendar, buzzing bees in the fields and the children exploring the countryside and enjoying the fresh air.

When we saw Lordington Lavendar was holding an open day we were keen to visit, we packed a picnic and off we head to West Sussex where there farm is located.

The journey was about 45 minutes in the car and entry was £4 per adult (under 16's were free) part of this was donated to The Rowan's Hospice. 

There were some gorgeous Lavendar products for sale on site, planted Lavendar pots and refreshments including coffee and cake.

The Lavendar fields are a breathtaking sight and truly a worthwhile visit. They're beautiful to just sit in and relax and to walk amongst.

Here are just a few of the photographs captured:

The children simply loved exploring and we felt honoured to be invited to view the stunning Lavendar fields.

If this is something you'd be interested in take a look at the Lordington Lavendar website and Facebook page. Here you can find updates on events taking place and products made straight from the Lavendar on the farm.

Prosecco, Nerves & Canapés - My first Bloggers event.

Well I thought it was about time I escape the comfort of my tiny little corner of the web and got out there to mingle with some of my fellow local bloggers.

I am fortunate to have a real life friend in Rachel who also happens to be a blogger ( a very fabulous one at that) over at The Illistrated Teacup and has introduced me to the more sociable side of the whole blogging world and the people behind the web pages.

Southampton Bloggers organise fantastic events year round and I was lucky enough to receive an invitation to the HomeSense event in June. This was perfect for me. It involved perusing a store full of wonderful goodies, gave me a couple of much needed and enjoyed hours to myself and was not too far from home.

So off I travelled down to HomeSense Hedge End store and was welcomed by the lovely Fran & Emma from Publicasity with Prosecco, canapés and a cute little #SouthamptonLoves tag to capture photos of all the items in store that I loved.

There was absolutely no reason to be nervous as everyone at the event were really friendly and welcoming. I was glad to see Alice from Annie Writes Beauty, Alice & Jess work hard to secure some fantastic opportunities and meet ups for the Southampton Blogging network.

It was so much fun looking around the store and rummaging through all the unique products. This is what I love about HomeSense, it's not rows and rows of the same thing it really is like a treasure trove of delights which get your interior design juices flowing.

You're simply spoilt for choice with beautiful dishes, centrepieces and decor of all kinds. There really is something here for everyone. 

I saw some colourful and quirky foot stalls, ornaments inspired from around the globe and they even have a kitchenware, garden section and crafts aisle. If you're looking for some tasty treats to fill your home or a delicious gift for family & friends you're also spoilt for choice with the gourmet food emporium and an appetising selection of wines.

Featured throughout the store were items from one of my personal favourite designers Orla Kiely including a beautiful home journal and bedding sets. I would never dream of being able to afford Orla's designs usually but with the help of HomeSense some of her range becomes much more accessible. 

Despite all the temptations I kept my sensible mummy head on and aimed to find something practical for the home. I decided to treat us to a new duvet set and the home furnishings didn't disappoint.

You can find some top brands here including another one of my absolute favourites Scion, famous for their Mr Fox.

In the end I actually opted for a Helena Springfield bedding set from her Rise and Shine Range. With its over sized floral motifs and retro style design it's very much in line with my favourite styles and had some gorgeous pastel shades. On the reverse it also features a mini floral print in a beautiful duck egg blue.

I had a really enjoyable evening with the blogging girls and the event felt really relaxed and informal. Not stuffy or bewildering at all (especially for those sometimes nervy types like me) So if you're looking to get more involved in the blogging community please don't hesitate. You can check out their Twitter Page here.

I'd throughly recommend a trip to HomeSense if you're looking for something unique, a talking point piece (there are some wonderful wall mounted wooden African Giraffes, Gold and Jewel encrusted Buddas, Giant bell jars- delightful filled with fairy lights- the list is endless) or just if you want to deck out the house with some designer goodies at great prices. It's definitely worth a visit.

All views are  of my own opinion and is a true and honest reflection having visited HomeSense Hedge End store in person. Chosen product was kindly gifted as part of the Blogger's event attended.

Top tips for travelling with tots.

So we've just adventured to Cornwall for a family holiday and there is far too much to review and write up about. So instead of a narrative of our holiday I thought I'd summarise with some pictures and top tips for holidaying with a toddler in tow.

Here's some of our top tips for travelling and holidaying with tots!

Pack for any weather.

Our holiday was a total mixed bag of weather (thank you UK) we checked the forecast before leaving and suspected as much but when we left home the sun was shining and it was lovely and mild. The optimist in me threw all the sandals, shorts, sun hats and beach gear in the suitcase dreaming of sand castles and laying on a inflatable lilo in the sea. We did get some lovely weather but it also turned and we had some wash out days.I was so grateful I'd also packed the rain macs, closed toe shoes and a few jumpers for cooler evenings.

Buy your suncream before you go.

Some of the sunny days totally snuck up on us and it's never great to be caught without sun lotion. Keep the children safe from the sun and be sure you have sun cream to hand whatever the weather. Some of the smaller shops sometimes quickly go out of stock if a bit of a heat wave appears and no one wants to spend their precious holiday time driving around looking for lotion. If you are caught without sun cream and the sun is basking down on the kids don't forget other families often have lotion with them and are quite happy to lend a little to keep the kids safe from those harsh rays, this can help tie you over until you can buy some of your own. (Of course be cautious of those little ones with sensitive skin if borrowing a product, a sun hat and a thin blanket or long sleeved tee can help protect from burning if you're really stuck) 

Bring some toys.

We stayed in a beautiful old cottage but there wasn't much there in the way of entertaining the children indoors. Pack a soft play mat some puzzles, books, shape sorter etc to keep the kids happy. They also come in handy for long spells in the car, flicking through a book or having a puzzle toy to play with is far more entertaining then looking at the back of a car seat for hours on end.

Stock up on snacks.

You never know when the kids might get peckish. Avoid those meltdowns and make sure you have lots of nibbles. Yogurt drops, fruit, crisps, snack bars etc are all great to curb those hunger pangs whilst out and about.

Wipe clean bibs.

Avoid having to pack a heap load of cloth bibs and take plastic wipeable ones. We only packed 2 of these and they lasted us all week. It saves on washing and packing space. Once the kids have chucked their food all down their front you can wipe them clean, wash them up in soapy bubbles and dry them for the next meal time. (We did still have a few cloth bibs with us but found the wipeable ones much more manageable)

Bottled water.

Carry round a bottle of water in your changing bag. So handy for topping up sippy cups when you're off the beaten track.

Bring a toy tie

If your tot has a favourite cuddly toy be sure to keep them tied to the pushchair/ car seat/ bags. We have a toy tie so if Lottie flings Nutbrown hare out the buggy she doesn't fall to the floor to be lost forever. Lottie sleeps with her Nutbrown Hare and they pretty much go everywhere together so losing her is not really an option. ( we even have a spare)

Have a wind down/ rest day.

Holidays can be quite daunting for little people. They're somewhere they haven't been before, the familiarity of home and comforts are suddenly gone. Make sure you take some time out to rest and have some quiet time so the children don't get overwhelmed. We had a morning of swimming at the cottage and then the children spent an afternoon with grandparents one day. This gave us a lovely chance to spend some couple time together too and everyone could recharge their batteries. 

Pack a picnic.

We must have saved so much money taking packed lunches out for the day. Nanny made us some lovely cheese wraps, veg sticks, yogurts, crisps, and lemon cake which meant we could lunch when and where we liked. We did treat ourselves to a couple of meals out to Rick Steins fish restaurants early evening but for lunchtimes we found taking a picnic worked really well.

Hope some of these tips are helpful when travelling, holidays with tots are always a big fun adventure!

Lottie turns 1- An Afternoon Tea Party

I can't believe I'm actually writing this,it appears our baby girl has officially turned 1, where has the time gone.

It really does feel like yesterday that she arrived in our arms and we were back to that newborn phase enjoying sleepless nights, baby screams/cries, the joys of cracked nipples and some pretty impressive explosive poo nappies. But I'll give our little girl her due she's been an absolute delight. Yes there have been hard days/nights/weeks well months in fact but overall Lottie is such a contented, happy and intelligent little thing and we couldn't be prouder. This little lady really has made our little family whole and it's hard to imagine life without her now.

Lottie has also made some pretty wonderful baby friends who we feel blessed to have and to have shared all our firsts with. It's been a fun year!

We decided to mark the special occasion with a little afternoon tea party joined my loved ones and a delicious spread of sandwiches, scones and sweet treats not forgetting to mention a big red velvet birthday cake topped with vanilla icing and sugar star sprinkles (thanks Betty Crocker for your help) 

We ordered Lottie a fun little Tutu from the very talented Tinky Winks Boutique, it was dusty pink and gold and I picked out a design for a frilled vest top for her to wear to the party. This was printed locally at Spoilt Rotten Workshop (Fareham) , a really quaint little shop tucked away a few doors along from the Aldi store on West Street. I choose a gorgeous custom font called Magnolia Sky and a gold vinyl which matched the tutu really nicely.

We didn't go mad on presents or catering and made everything between us and the family in house. For gifts we picked out a huge beige bashful bunny from the Jellycat range. It's around 50cm in height and about the same size as Lottie herself. Lottie has been attached to her Little Nutbrown Hare since birth (they go everywhere together) so we thought it was quite apt to mark her 1st birthday with a bunny her own size. The bashful bunny actually also comes in a giant size (70 cm in height) too but this will set you back a whopping £80. 

Nanny kindly offered to host the party at their house tucked away in the New Forest and made some delicious sandwiches, shortbread and strawberries and cream. We brought along a 85 piece dessert platter from Iceland for a bargain £5, some cheese savouries and the birthday cake, it made for quite a spread.

Nanny and Grandad put up some pretty pink balloons and I made some homemade bunting with some simple pastel card stock. 

We finished off the afternoon by stopping in to Ashurst Birth Centre where Lottie was born to say hello to the team. They were very welcoming and pleased to see her. The Ashurst Birth Centre is an amazing facility and we are so fortunate to have a great team of midwives there on top of the labour ward and Broadlands Services at Princess Anne. NFBC holds a special place in our hearts after Oscar and I were cared for there following my accident so close to full term. We are always happy to return and see the team of smiling faces. After a family stroll along Calshot and a second helping of food and cake we were all tuckered out from the days celebrations. 

Looking back I was naturally a little anxious about having siblings so close in age and how it might change the family dynamics (I absolutely cherish my son and we have an amazingly close bond) but there was no need to be, Oscar adores his baby sister and words really don't come near to expressing how wonderful having her in our lives is.

How will you be celebrating your baby's milestone 1st birthday? A cake smash? A day out? A meal with family/friends or a children's party at a local hall? Would love to hear your ideas.

Happy birthday little Lottie Florence we all hope you had a beautiful day x