My Sunday Photo: The Lord Mayor's Chapel, Bristol

Quality Built to Last with Vorwerk's Kobold VK200

There was a time when, if you bought something, such as a fridge, or a toaster, you would assume it would last for years. In my parent's day, no one expected to replace an electrical appliance. Perhaps perform a repair now and again, but you would anticipate having the same one until it got a bit battered and loved, then replacing it would be a major event. In today's 'consumable' society, everything seems to need replacing every few years and its driving me mad. In the last five years, I have been through three vacuum cleaners, the quality has been that bad. So, in this review I am investigating what you get for your money when you invest in the Kobold VK200, from Vorwerk. An appliance designed to last.

Win a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Duvet Set

Camping Must-Haves and What You CAN Leave Home Without!

Camping can be ideal as a low-cost family holiday option when money is a bit tight. However, on your first camping trip, it can be very easy to get bogged down with the different products available to buy, until you end up spending the cost of a week in the Algarve. As we've got better at camping, we have found some products that have been invaluable, and some that haven't. This is our guide to your camping essentials and how to keep the costs down by avoiding what you really don't need. This post contains items we've bought, and some we were sent to try and really liked. I have marked the review items, with an asterisk * for clarity.

Improving Children's Handwriting with Free Printables

There are a lot of positives to the advance of the digital age. Laptops and iPads are providing a wealth of opportunities for children to develop their writing. Without the limitation of forming the words individually using a pencil and paper (which many children struggle with) it's proving much quicker for them to get their ideas down, so their story writing and other subjects are progressing much faster. However, the downside is that it might discourage them from persevering with the important skill of good handwriting and, at some stage, they will still need to write nicely. It is so much easier to start good habits early, so here are some ideas to encourage good handwriting in children. 

Win a Bertie Brum and Friends Car Transporter

Top Tips for Camping When it Rains

Everyone hopes for good weather when it comes to the annual family holiday, but none more so than the dediated family camper. Like all holidays, once it's booked, it's booked and you are pretty much condemned to suffer whatever is thrown at you and, usually, the worst of these will be the weather. We've just returned from our third camping trip, through Campsites.co.uk and we had spells of dreadful weather during each of them. This time, the tail end of a hurricane made us glad of our storm pegs, and this was just one of the things we learned from our previous trips. With this in mind, this post contains advice from myself and other campers on how to brave the worst of the British weather in a tent! 

Forest Glade Holiday Park: Family Campsite Review

Regular readers will know that sometimes I review things I've been sent to try and sometimes I review things I have purchased myself, but I am always honest in my reviews and upfront about where they come from. This time, though, it's a bit more complicated, because I bought and paid for this holiday, but the lovely owner gave me a refund when I said I would be happy to review it. The park is just stunning and there is so much I want to tell you about it, along with millions of photos I've taken for you, which I've tried to whittle down a bit. I hope you enjoy my unbiased review of the beautiful Forest Glade Holiday Park, situated in the Blackdown Hills between Cullompton and Honiton in East Devon. 

Sister Act: The High- Energy Musical Extravaganza

I had been looking forward to this performance for weeks. This has been a favourite film of mine since the 90's and it was so exciting to imagine it transferred to the stage, it is such a show-stopper anyway. This is our review of Sister Act The Musical, which turned out to be pretty surprising in many ways. It's always interesting to see how a film transforms on the stage and Craig Revel Horwood's direction brought some twists and turns I was not expecting. We are lucky enough to get press tickets for shows at the Bristol Hippodrome and you can read our previous reviews of Gangsta Granny and Dirty Dancing by clicking the links, if you would like to.

Win a 16" Marvel Iron Man Action Figure

Making Informed Lottery Choices Just got Easier with Lottoland

Like most people, I have played the lottery in this country since it opened in 1997 and dreamed of a big win ever since. It soon became apparent though, that lottery players in other countries were getting a much better deal. In the dark ages; BG (before Google), it wasn't as easy to find out what was happening in other countries, but sometimes news of huge lottery wins would come through from the U.S. where they would roll over seemingly indefinitely until someone picked the right combination, resulting in piles of dollars that couldn't even be imagined. I also found out that the Irish Lotto, at the time, had way better odds than the British Lottery and my much younger, more self-assured, self was not happy about this. 

Choking Hazards and Children - Prevention Better than Cure

When my daughter was small, she choked on a Hula Hoop crisp. It was at our local playgroup and, whilst I was just a few feet away, it was the quick-thinking mum who was nearest who picked her up and slapped her back. She was instantly sick and disaster was very much averted. I was a member of the St John's Ambulance Brigade from the age of 12, so I was trained in first aid from an early age. I have always been relatively confident in emergency situations, but not everyone is, or would be able to remember under pressure. It's also very distressing for the child, and the parent, so this post is about preventing choking situations occurring in the first place.

Cleaning Short Cuts and Tips to Keep Up with the Housework

It's very easy to get completely overwhelmed with housework. I do. It feels like I blink (or get absorbed in Facebook arguments) for a second couple of hours, and Armeggedon appears, uninvited, in my house. There are various issues that can cause this unwelcome phenomenon to occur. Maybe you are a bit of a hoarder, or have a brood of mini-hoarders, or just have other things you'd rather be doing. Whatever the reason, you are left with two choices; you can either dedicate yourself to a life maintaining a spotless showhome, worthy of a spot in Good Housekeeping or, you can do what I do and cheat a bit, fake it, and have a clean and happy home, without the hours of rubber-gloved drudgery. Here's how.

Win the New Look Astonish Range

My Sunday Photo: Long Nose Shrew

Review of The Gorgeous Buddy Box from The Blurt Foundation

I have bored everyone for quite a while with the devastion caused by the death of my best friend, but, as I mentioned in my previous post, a few good things came out of it too, not least the kindness of others. Many of my friends came through with all kinds of offers of help and support and it amazed me how thoughtful and understanding everyone was when I needed them most. Although, it shouldn't have done, because friends are amazing. One particular act of kindness made me smile so much, though, I've decided to give it a post of its own. Introducing the Buddy Box, from the mental health charity The Blurt Foundation. It's a hug in a box! 

SS Great Britain Summer Events Programme

School is finally out for us and the last few weeks have been crazy busy. Along with school plays, leavers' celebrations and other events, we somehow managed to squeeze in a visit to one of our favourite Bristol tourist attractions to find out what's on over the summer. The SS Great Britain is somewhere we have always been fond of, as it has a way of growing with children. Each time we go, we discover something different that we hadn't appreciated before. During the summer break, you can get even more for your ticket price with the addition of some amazing extras that will amuse your brood, whatever their age.

Win a Creature Peeper and Get to Know Your Critters!

Smoking - How I Nailed Giving Up with No Substitutes

I am proud to say that my husband has finally managed to give up smoking and the amazing part is, there was virtually no trauma involved! I've always known him as a smoker and I've always accepted it as part of life. As a non-smoker, I've never felt able to judge something I haven't experienced, so I never questioned it. I remember when he first admitted he was a smoker, on our first date. He was clearly embarrassed about it, but it never really bothered me. There have been massive advantages to him giving up smoking though, not least to our bank balance and you won't believe how he did it. This guest post, in his own words, explains it all.

My Sunday Photo: Clash of Ages

Globenfeld Men's Rose Gold Automatic Watch Review

We have reviewed a Globenfeld sports watch before and the husband was very pleased with it, so when I was offered this limited edition, rose gold automatic watch to review, I was thrilled. It looked beautiful in the picture and I was really looking forward to receiving it. I was not disappointed, it is truly stunning. I have never seen anything quite like it, as it doesn't have a battery, but also doesn't need winding. It works through a complicated network of 110 tiny moving parts, some of which can be seen through the windows, which give the watch its unique look and old-style charm. It's a real homage to traditional watch makers of old and has a great deal of appeal as a gift purchase, or treat for yourself.

Win a Disney Travel Easel - Ends 30/07

20 Ways to Encourage Children to be More Active

We all know how important it is to encourage our children to be active, and the summer sunshine makes it all the more obvious, but not all children appreciate it. This might be open to a bit of a 'nature versus nurture' debate, but, in my opinion, all children are different and this aspect is no exception. There are some children who would prefer to be indoors, probably, shock, horror, on their playstations. So, I've made a list of 20 ways to encourage your child to get outside and be more active. I've tried to include different age groups in this, as it does get harder as they get older, but some ideas will overlap anyway. 

Spiderman: Homecoming - A Parent's Guide

Another Marvel film has been released in UK cinemas, and many young children will be desperate to see their favourite hero in action. The reason for this is, of course, because Marvel characters are very much marketed at children, despite the films being  routinely given a 12A certificate. The CBBFC defines this as: Films suitable for children aged 12 and over. People younger than 12 may see a 12A so long as they are accompanied by an adult. Responsibility for allowing a child under 12 to view lies with the adult. Which means parents need to be sure their children can handle it and that the language and references are appropriate for them. So, I went to see Spiderman: Homecoming and this is my parent's guide to help you decide. 

Win Beyonce Heat Rush 30ml Eau de Toilette Spray

Can the Combover! Thoughts on Male Pattern Baldness

There has been much speculation about the authenticity of Mr Trump's barnet. Everything about it is wrong. The colour, the sculpted, undulating waves, the fact you never see an individual strand move, it's all a bit... unnatural. Experts seem to have concluded that it isn't a toupe, despite its resemblance to a well-groomed dead animal. The jury is still out on how he is doing it, and more importantly, why, but it got me thinking; why do a lot of men, especially celebrities, worry so much about their hair? It would be sexist not to expect them to care about their appearance, but some women find bald men sexy, so should they be concerned? 

Dirty Dancing at The Bristol Hippodrome - Review

When I first heard about the stage version of Dirty Dancing, I was really curious as to how they would handle some of the bigger scenes from the 1987 film. It might have been 30 years ago, but it's such a classic that I still watch it now and again, so was very aware that there would be some challenges for the production team. The stage show has enjoyed three successful West End seasons and is now midway through a nationwide tour, taking in no less than 16 UK towns and cities. So how does a dance-based film, with a large cast and many iconic scenes, filmed in some diverse locations, transfer to the stage? We received free tickets for our review, which will hopefully provide the answer.

Thoughts on Saying Goodbye

I went to put up a Sunday Photo today and realised that I hadn't posted since last Sunday, which seems impossible, but this week has gone in kind of a blur. So, I thought instead, I would write a bit about why I have been so unnaturally quiet this week and what's been happening in between. The reason for my absence hasn't been a happy one, but sometimes you just have to write what's in your heart and hope no one minds. I often, like now, right these introductions before I write the actual post, so I don't know how they are going to turn out. However, I do know that I am going to try to end it on a bit more of an upbeat note, so try to hang in there, if you can.

My Sunday Photo #CopASelfie

How to be a Proper Blogger

I have nearly reached five years of blogging and, during that time, my approach to blogging has changed dramatically. I started blogging purely because I like writing. I didn't consider making money from it for a good three years. After that, it sort of happened accidentally and I now enjoy the fact that I can make money from doing something I love. The downside is, it's been a major contributor in changing the way I blog and the way I think about blogging. Over time I've become more interested in whether I'm blogging 'properly'. I look at other bloggers, and I wonder if I should be blogging more like them, if I could be more professional, perhaps. These are my thoughts on 'proper' blogging.

Swansea Beach Review and General Thoughts

I decided to review Swansea seafront after visiting over the weekend. It was different in many ways to other beaches we've visited, for good and bad reasons, so I really felt it would be useful to note down a few points for anyone who is considering going. Swansea is the second largest city in Wales, with over 260 shops, and 25 car parks, so it's easy to forget that it is also home to a pretty impressive stretch of coastline. However, if you are thinking of making a visit to the beach, there are a few things you might need to know, particularly if you have little ones, or anyone elderly or infirm in your travelling party. We've been to Swansea, and here's what we learned.

Snooker, a Cheap and Fun All Weather Family Activity

I don't know about you, but we really struggle sometimes to think of new ideas for places to go on rainy days. Sometimes, even in the summer, it seems to rain for days and days and boredom sets in for everybody. I think, as a family, it's important to try to get out of the house as much as possible, in order to get away from all the distractions. Everyone relaxes more outside the home; the grown ups can't think about housework, DIY and other chores and the screentime thing doesn't have to be an issue with the children, so everyone wins. This doesn't have to be a 'dad and lad' activity, but for us it definitely was, as part of the 'Please bring the boy back when he's tired' initiative. Thus, the boys took the photos. *sigh*