40 Days of Summer - Days 1 to 10

Today is the first day of the summer holidays for us. It's amazing how quickly the time goes. It doesn't seem five minutes ago my son had his nose pressed up against the window, praying for snow, yet now, here we are, waving another school year goodbye. He is eight now and today we were talking about making the summer holidays count. Even he is beginning to notice how quickly they fly by! So, we came up with a plan. 40 Days of Summer. The idea is to make a point of doing something fun every day of the holidays. As he is getting older, I am aware that it won't be long before he is off doing his own thing and won't be so interested in the little activities together as a family. I thought this would be a great way to make some memories and share some great summer adventures!



Day 1: Make a Rocket Cake!

L has a bit of a cold and it was insanely hot today, so we stayed in for some of the day and made a rocket cake. It was a variation of our trusty Pizza Cake recipe, because I found this brilliant new cake tin in Sainsburys in the sale for just over £5! It's great for the money, sturdy and the cake comes straight out of the tin every time.

The beauty of it is, it's really fun to decorate and very appealing, especially for boys who need dragging away from the iPad or Playstation! I recommend Cadbury's Giant Chocolate Buttons for the port holes and we used orange Midget Gems for the fiery tail!

Make a Kite

Kites are a cheap and easy way to while away an afternoon. You wouldn't believe how much enjoyment my children (and the grown ups!) get from watching a little square of plastic soar above the rooftops! There's a real sense of achievement from actually making the thing fly, but it's actually not that hard. The smaller and lighter the kite is, the easier it will fly, which is why I always buy really cheap kites. It also has the added advantage of not being the end of the world if they get lost or end up stuck in a tree. If you don't have access to a cheap purveyor of kites (such as Poundland) or need one in a hurry, it's pretty easy to make one. This is my husband's 'recipe', just in case you think I am the owner of those hairy hands!

Sunday Photo; Flying Photo Bomber!

Family Life with Sensory Processing Disorder (Guest Post)

There follows a guest post from my lovely friend Emma, who has kindly agreed to write, in her own words, about her experience of a condition that affects up to one in twenty children, to varying degrees. I think she's amazing and I hope her story will encourage other families facing similar challenges. 

My Sunday Photo; Messing About in a Wheelbarrow

Bloglovin'

Can you believe I'm not on Bloglovin'? Apparently, according to my wiser blogging friends, this is a travesty and should be corrected. Which sounds like a good excuse for a new competition! If you would be so kind as to hop over to the Giveaway Tab and give The Parent Game some Bloglovin' love, you could be rewarded with some awesome Muppet goodies! In the meantime, I have been ordered by the Bloglovin people to post this link on my blog in order to activate my shiny new account.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin and don't forget to enter the competition!

A Holiday Memory (sort of!)

Nothing's ever straight forward with me, is it? I can't just write a holiday memory, I just have to make it complicated! It's basically because we haven't had a holiday since 2010, and that was with my Dad. We haven't been on holiday where it's been just us, as a family, for eight or nine years, I can't quite remember. It's mainly a financial issue, along with my husband's tricky working hours. As much as I feel horribly guilty about that, it's not all bad news. My chidren have an advantage that a lot of others don't have. We live in some of the best countryside the UK has to offer.

Sensible Censorship: Young Adult Literature

I've been reading a lot lately about censorship and children's books. Censorship is an issue around the world and Young Adult fiction features prominently, accounting for six of the ten most challenged titles last year alone. As always, with any healthy debate, there are arguments for both sides. Literature is an important part of our culture and a valuable tool to allow young people to share in other people's experiences and develop a more rounded view of the world. Also, censorship in general is something that should be considered very carefully. Do we have the right to dictate what young people can, or can't, read?