When Very asked me to talk to you about spring cleaning, I jumped at the chance.  Not because I am a Mrs Hinch style cleaner, but because I am rather on the other end of the scale!  I think the single biggest contributor to the mess in our house (other than the kids of course!) is the fact that we have little storage and the storage we do have is badly organised.  So, this has meant a good opportunity to get things sorted out!     I love these plastic storage crates, they are so useful for all sorts of things, from kids toys to storing tools.  We are slowly repla ..read more

Mothers’ Day is on Sunday the 19th of March this year, so there is plenty of time to plan how you are going to spoil your mum.  We are going out for Sunday Lunch in York and I am hoping that lots of cups of tea will be made for me also!   I was really pleased when Very got in touch with me to ask me to talk about their Mothers’ Day offerings – they have lots of lovely things!  If you are a foody mum like me, you will be interested in their range of hampers (who doesn’t love a hamper!).  I chose this Love Chocolate hamper.   It comes boxed, but inside is this ..read more

Mothers’ Day is around the corner again, so don’t forget to get the mum (or mums) in your life a card and a gift!  I think my lot are taking me out for lunch (well, in fairness, I know they are as I booked it to make sure!!).  We have been sent lots of lovely items to review for you for the most up to date Mothers’ Day Gifts.   ARRAN – Sense of Scotland  We love the products from ARRAN – Sense of Scotland.  “This Mother’s Day, show them you care with our limited edition After the Rain Bath Gift Set. This luxurious gift set exclusively contains our brand new After the R ..read more

The Family Suite at Raithwaite Sandsend Review – Raithwaite Sandsend is a luxury hotel in Sandsend just outside of Whitby. The beach is right opposite the start of the drive to the hotel, (which is actually a ten minute walk as the hotel grounds are huge!). The hotel is surrounded by woodland that makes for some lovely walks.   Part of the grounds at Raithwaite Sandsend   I received a call from the hotel concierge a couple of days before our stay to make sure that they had all our details correct (they did), and to check whether we wanted to ask any questions or book any services suc ..read more

DUKES London One Bedroom Suite Review.  Last week I headed back down to London to meet up with the lovely Vikki and her eleven year old daughter from Family Travel with Ellie.  Vikki is shortly moving to New Zealand so it will be a while till we are able to meet up again.  I wanted to make sure they had a proper send off, so our day began with afternoon tea, followed by a matinee performance of Pretty Woman (it was fabulous!) and then to top the day off in style, we got to stay in a one-bedroomed suite at DUKES London.     DUKES London is a 5* hotel, perfectly sit ..read more

I recently visited The Runnymede on Thames Hotel and Spa to catch up with a good friend – Erica from The Incidental Parent.  I hadn’t seen her for a long time so a spa break seemed the perfect excuse for a good natter!  It’s in a great location, just 40 minutes by train from London Waterloo on the banks of the River Thames.   Erica, from The Incidental Parent  Overview of the Twin Bedroom We shared a twin room with a fabulous view overlooking the River Thames.  We visited in January and the view was great, it must be stunning in the summer.     View from ..read more

Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge Review.  We like to have a weekend away at this time of year, it’s my birthday and I love Christmas so it’s a perfect way to combine the two.  For our Christmas/Birthday weekend away destination, this year we chose Edinburgh.  While Mr W and I have been to Edinburgh a couple of times in the past, we have never taken the children and I thought it was a perfect opportunity to visit their Christmas market too.   We stayed at the Moxy Edinburgh Fountainbridge.  It’s in a great location and a short walk or taxi to the majority of Edinburgh att ..read more

It’s that time of the year again. The time where I spend far too much time thinking that I would make the perfect panto dame!  Oh yes I would!  Last week, we took our annual trip to City Varieties in Leeds to check out this years Rock n’ Roll panto offering – Dick Whittington.  Rock n’ Roll panto has a hardcore following of people who attend every year, but for those not in the know Rock n’ Roll Panto is an eclectic blend of traditional panto, classic rock and party anthems. You can expect dad jokes, audience participation, a possible soaking, a sing-along and (most importantly ..read more

You may not conflate your MOT and go away for the holidays – after all, most MOTs will fall in March or September, the two dates when new registrations are issued in the UK. This is because drivers will sometimes hold on for a few months in order to get the new registration, rather than risk their new ride becoming ‘dated’ sooner than they’d like. But in all honesty, the MOT checklist is a useful way to make sure your car is ready for all the holiday driving in areas like London or Yorkshire (if you are planning to  meet your friends or family in the area). Let’s look into this a bit more ..read more

Christmas Gift Guides for Kids!  At this time of year we are often sent a selection of what’s new in the shops that is perfect for presents at Christmas. We like to put them all together in appropriate lists and today is the turn for toys and gifts for kids.   Zecar Styled by Gaga Casari, Zecar came in to this world for a very important mission, other than to entertain us. All of the proceeds from the royalties will go towards reforestation projects in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. The funds will contribute to the planting of thousands of trees a year to help restore part of the Atla ..read more