When Life Hits a Fart Dump, er, I Mean Speed Bump, with Lebara!

I just did a quick survey amongst my friends about what they would miss most if they lived abroad. For me, it would probably be tea. No one does tea quite like the British. Some of the answers that came up though, included Marmite, Chocolate Fingers, Heinz Beans and Oxo! Home comforts are so important to relieve homesickness and inject a sense of familiarity into a new routine. What else would we miss? Our Health Service, maybe? How about British television? An obvious one would be the English language in general. The language barrier can prove difficult to navigate and the results can be hilarious! Here are some of my favourite examples of innocent English that doesn't translate well abroad.

Making Teaching Times Tables Fun!

Multiplication is very, very dull. If you are of a certain age, you will remember those endless, repetitive lessons at school, chanting times tables over and over again. Thankfully, lessons have improved somewhat since then and these days all good schools move mountains to make learning a bit more interesting. How can we help at home, though? I know that, at my son's Parent's Evenings, the two most recommended areas to work on at home are reading and times tables. Reading is relatively easy, but I have always found tables difficult to teach. It's just... so... boring! Ok, I'll admit, Maths isn't really my thing, but it has to be done. So, I did the only thing I could do, in the face of an apathy uprising from my son, introduced chocolate!

The Writing on the Wall: Thoughts on the General Election

It really makes me cross that the General Election is the only time when I feel like I have a voice concerning the important matters affecting this country. I keep hearing about how I can make a difference with my vote, how if I don't vote, I won't be able to help change things, but I am not sure if it's enough. The cross on the paper is all very well, but are the candidates really aware of what I am saying with my vote? I have been wishing for some time that I had a medium to be heard, some way to make the government listen to how life is on this side of the fence. It's not that I think I am more important than anyone else, the opposite in fact. It's not about me.

Sunday Photo; Purple Flower in Close Up

My Sunday Photo; Dandelion Clock in Action

Win a Real Leather iPad Air Folio Case from Xqisit

Last week we gave away a tablet case for children, so this week, it's one for the grown ups! This week's giveaway is an exquisite (see what I did there?!)  iPad Air case, featuring Sleep Mode. It's in a lovely leather colour, so the boys don't feel left out. Make your way through the Rafflecopter doofah and lots of luck to you!

Time for Tea with Teatulia

We love tea parties in our house. It might be old fashioned and a little bit daft, but it's actually really fun, and doesn't have to cost much. You can make your own cakes or pastries, which is a fun activity for children, and then have a proper teapot and cups and saucers, a la Downton Abbey. We even have a cake stand. Oh yes. In the summer this becomes an outdoor activity, like a tiny garden party with just a few select guests. My daughter is a big tea fan and a bit of a connoisseur, so I thought it only right that she contributed to this review of a selection of teas from Teatulia. 

Robert Downey Jr; A Beacon of Hope!

I don't generally get involved in celebrities. I don't read shiny magazines and I could not name two characters from TOWIE if my life depended on it. I just don't care. I'm sure they are lovely people, but I'm just not that interested in other people's lives. I also don't take a lot of notice of what I read in the papers. Let's face it, a lot of it is probably made up and I can't help thinking that people like Jordan, Victoria Beckham, Gwyneth Paltrow, whoever is making this week's headlines, are just people trying to raise a family. Probably with the same issues and parent-worries that the rest of us have. Something happened yesterday, though, that made me want to write this post and I hope you will go on to see why it matters so much to me.