Sunday Photo; A Perfect Cup of Tea

Bristol does Summer!

This week we had a lovely day out in Bristol. We headed down to The Habourside and spent a couple of hours relaxing in the conveniently placed deckchairs, in front of At-Bristol, the science museum we love. You can read our review of At-Bristol by clicking the link. Meanwhile, highlights of the Commonwealth Games were showing on the big screen, while L frolicked in the splash pools. It was such a lovely, laid back atmoshpere and all the children played really happily together. This brilliant facility is provided free of charge and there were plenty of people unpacking picnics and settling in for the day. 

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