Category:

1. Country Kids : Finding some fresh air

   Posted on 9:27pm Sunday 31st Aug 2014

   This week we have been ravaged by a sickness bug. 

   We went into hibernation for a while. Every single one of us caught it.

   I began to feel a little like I had cabin fever.

   I wanted to go outside.

   The girls wanted to go outside.

   We missed my nephews first birthday party, I was gutted. The girls were gutted.

   But we didn't want to pass the bug onto anyone that hadn't already had it. So we sat inside and waited for it to pass.

   Then today, we braved it outside and went to Nanny & Grandad's house.

   A place that is always home.

   A place you can go when you are happy, sad, excited, scared ..... or in this case, poorly.

   

   It is also a place that the little one can go outside and feed the fish, when she needs a little fresh air too (with a little help from Grandad).

   

   

   Tweet

2. Country Kids : Exploring the water park

   Posted on 7:55pm Sunday 24th Aug 2014

   Yesterday was a PJ day. A whole day in the house, not getting dressed, just doing nothing and enjoying every minute of it. I cannot remember the last time we literally did nothing. It was bliss.

   However, that meant we needed some fresh air today, so we threw together a picnic and went to our local water park. It is so easy forget the fabulous things that are on our doorstep and it was good to prise the girls away from the technology and back to nature.

   

   

   I think I lost a whole loaf of bread to the ducks, geese and swans today. Although the tween also lost a little bit of her bravery when she was surrounded by geese!!

   

   We went exploring .......

   

   The tween tested the water to see how cold it was and needless to say, we didn't go on the pedal boats today.

   

    And then of course, we were in the woods so we "had" to go on a bear hunt!

   What a beautiful day!

   

   Tweet

3. Scottish Book Trust - Chae Strathie Signed Book Competition

   Posted on 3:37pm Saturday 16th Aug 2014

   If you have been on our Facebook or Twitter feed recently, you will have seen that we are big fans of reading, so when we were asked to host a competition for the Scottish Book Trust, we couldn't resist sharing these adorable titles with you.

   You may or may not be aware but the 2014 Scottish Friendly Children's Book Tour kicked off with award winning Jonathan Meres in January. During June the tour travelled to hot beaches Brighton and Hove with award-winning Scottish picture book author Chae Strathie.

       

   The book tour (organised by Scottish Book Trust) takes the very best UK and international authors directly into schools across Scotland and the UK to inspire a love of reading, writing and illustration. Up next is the fantastic zoologist and children's author Nicola Davies and she will be visiting Argyll & Bute this September to inspire and excite pupils!

   So would you like to win a signed copy of one of these gorgeous books? We are giving you the chance to win Bedtime for Tiny Mouse, a charming tale is ideal for sharing with little ones - and is the perfect addition to a soothing bedtime routine which will help them sleep soundly.

   All you need to do is simply enter below;

    a Rafflecopter giveaway

   You can find out more about each of the tours above by reading the daily blogs written by the authors on the road as well as seeing photos and videos from each tour on Scottish Friendly’s Facebook page and Twitter account @BooksOnTour.

   Tweet

    

   The prize was provided by Scottish Book Trust in association with :

   Scottish Friendly

4. Almondella Review

   Posted on 9:47pm Tuesday 1st Jul 2014

   A little while ago, we ran a giveaway with Almondella and since then, our baby blogger has had the chance to review one of their gorgeous boxes, here is what she thought.

   

   I recently received a beautiful box of surprises for me and my baby boy from Almondella. I knew straight away that there was going to be something beautiful inside, even though I did not have a clue what to expect! 

   Almondella tailor each box to the age of your child, providing you with monthly delights of organic, safe and hip products from small boutique labels mainly from Scandinavia. You can even preview the box before it arrives, so you can decide whether or not you want it that month.

   
   

   In our Almondella box, carefully wrapped in tissue, I first noticed a lovely bright hooded baby towel that felt lovely and soft with a cute lion embroidered on the hood, perfect for my little munchkin! The theme of the box soon became clear that it was around bath time and included baby flannels, a soft bristled brush, some grooming products and creams. All the products are organic and seem extremely well made and luxurious but without being fussy. I think this is the Scandinavian influence of the products and design coming through. 

   

   
   I love shopping for my baby boy and there are some great baby stores on the high street, but I must admit I do like something different too and this box of surprises just feels that little bit extra special. I think it would make a really wonderful gift but admittedly the idea of receiving a monthly box of carefully thought out surprises for me and my boy is very tempting too!

   Tweet