Avengers: Age of Ultron Parent's Guide

Avengers: Age of Ultron has a 12A certificate, which, according to the British Board of Classification means: "Containing material that is not generally suitable for children aged under 12. No one younger than 12 may see a 12A film in a cinema unless accompanied by an adult. Adults planning to take a child under 12 to view a 12A film should consider whether the film is suitable for that child." However, as this is a Marvel film and, therefore, heavily marketed at children with costumes widely available for under 10s and Lego set for 6-12 year olds, you may find yourself pestered by a small person to see this film. I saw it today with my 9 year old and thought I would publish this guide, based solely on my opinions. I hope you find it helpful.

My Sunday Photo; Iron Man at the Cinema

Win Philips SHE8000 In-Ear Headphones RRP £25

This week's giveaway is a pair of Philips in-ear headphones, with noise isolation and superior bass. Perfect for some well-earned me-time! Zone out for a while with your favourite tunes and let the world pass you by. Possibly for about five minutes if you have children in the house! make your way through the super-easy Rafflecopter and I hope you win!

Living with MS, Lorna's Story

I have a lovely friend called Lorna, who I have known for a number of years. I am constantly in awe of her, since she is the sort of mum other mums are jealous of. She bakes amazing cakes, she is super-organised, holds down a demanding job and even finds time to be a fantastic Beaver Scout leader! She is amazing. However, one thing you may not notice about Lorna is that she has a Multiple Sclerosis, a serious medical condition that can effect all kinds of areas of function within the body. She has kindly agreed to spend a little time telling you more about it. Her words a truly inspirational and I may just love her a little bit more after reading them! 

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.