That’s a pretty awesome name isn’t it? Professor Scrubbington’s Emporium of Clean. I don’t remember kids’ toiletries being quite so funky when I was small. Wasn’t it just Matey or nothing? I did love a bit of Matey though, but who didn’t? I can smell it now.

*sigh*

Still, things move on, times change. Now it’s not enough just to rinse your kids under a cold tap once a week, you have to actually care about what you put on their skin. Apparently. Everything in Professor Scrubbington’s range is designed with this in mind, so the hand wash, body wash, shampoo and conditioner are all free from parabens and SLS.

(That’s Sodium Lauryl Sulphate for all you parents thinking ‘who? Weren’t they on X Factor?’ No, that’s JLS.) View Post

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When my sister left the country, we were saying goodbye not just to them, but to the house that has been one of the constants throughout my whole life. My Grandad built it at the beginning of the 1950s and lived in it with my Grandma for the next 60 years or so. My Grandma then sadly died, followed swiftly by my Grandad, and my sister and her family have lived in it for the last three years.

It feels silly to feel so attached to a house, but it has just always been there. I even cried when my brother-in-law moved the kitchen door. I have a bad memory, but if I shut my eyes now I can walk through the whole house, (being careful on the shiny parquet floor), just as it always was when I was small. I can picture every detail and smell every smell.

Just to make sure I don’t ever forget, these are some of the things I remember most vividly about my Grandma and Grandad and their house:

I remember the closeness between them, never seeing one without the other.

I remember the smell of sage and onion as you came through the side door into the kitchen, even though I don’t remember eating many roast dinners. View Post

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You may remember me writing about festival fashion for kids a little while ago, when I shared with you some of my favourite pieces from Melijoe.com, a site that’s full of funky, fashionable and great quality kids’ clothes that children love as much as parents.

If you’ve been to a festival already this year, and are now back at home, chances are you’re already starting to think about that time that always seems to creep up on us every year – back to school time. If like me you spend the last week of August running around frantically searching for school skirts, lunchboxes and pencil cases and standing in line for shoe fittings, you’ll know how stressful shopping for school stuff is.

However, Melijoe.com has some lovely back to school items at the moment, so you can check some things off that list now!  View Post

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I’m no stranger to financial troubles. As a young, single parent, I found myself in a good amount of debt, and totally understand how easy it is for money issues to spiral out of control. Fortunately pay day loans weren’t so prevalent 15 years ago, or I could have ended up in a proper pickle. 

Luckily, payday loans aren’t the only option if you need money urgently. You might be able to get a budgeting loan, hardship payment, short term benefit advance, or even a grant. Single parent charity Gingerbread has put together this really handy video, to tell you all about your options, whether you need help with paying the rent, utility bills, or for a one-off purchase.

Gingerbread provides advice and practical support to single parents, and campaigns to make sure their voices are heard. You can find out more on their website.

Please do share this video with any friends you think may be in need of help or support.

 

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That makes it sound terribly dramatic doesn’t it? Like she might be off to New Zealand or something, never to be seen again.

She’s not, she’s only going to Ireland, but that is a whole other country, and it will be the farthest away she has ever been from me. I know it’s not technically that far, but at the moment she lives 20 minutes away, and you can’t very easily just go to Ireland for tea can you?

Needless to say, I will miss her very much.

There is something very special about a sibling. You share a complete history, from a very similar perspective, and it gives you a unique bond that you can never really have with anyone else. Nobody else will ever appreciate the fun in a game of ‘Estate Agents’ quite like she will. I also rely on her completely for all of my childhood memories, partly because my memory is terrible, but also because she is the night owl, and I was always in bed before all of the exciting things happened. View Post

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All summer long we’re bombarded with emails, social media posts, TV adverts and posters about how to get that perfect “festival fashion” look. By this point I know we are all sick to death of seeing images of 20 year olds sat around a fire wearing brown suede fringe crop tops, but not all festival fashion has to be worn by an unusually skinny girl with dirty blonde hair, laughing manically at a sunset.

If you’re off to a family festival with your kids this summer, you can all still look the part too. It’s a big part of the festival experience and your kids will love getting into the spirit of things with some cute new outfits. Over at melijoe.com there are loads of lovely pieces that will get your kids in the mood for a summer of great family festival memories.

Here’s a summery summary of my favourite new items on the site: View Post

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Last weekend we went down to the River Dart Country Park for the day. One of the perks of having moved back to Somerset from Bristol is that you’re that bit closer to all of the nice bits of the south west, and so it only took us an hour to get there.

We had only ever been once before, camping for a weekend back in May for my nephew’s sixth birthday, and it rained pretty much the whole time. Belle was keen to go again in nicer weather, so that she could have another go on the high ropes and drag us out on a canoe.

Our first attempt at the high ropes was rather shameful. We bought tickets for all three of us, and we all made it as far as the start of the course, but it turns out that neither my fiancé nor I have the guts that Belle does, and we ended up watching her complete the course from solid ground. It was a little embarrassing, but much better, I felt, to chicken out right at the beginning than to have to be airlifted from a tree half way round.

I surprised myself if I’m honest. I’m not the most physical of people, it’s true, but I’d never really thought of myself as being scared of heights or afraid to try new things. When I got to the edge of the first rope net though, I was terrified. I got as far as putting out one foot, but I just couldn’t do it – I felt paralysed. Is it an age thing I wonder? I’m pretty sure I’d have done it at Belle’s age, so do we just get more afraid of adventure as we get older? View Post

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We dropped Belle off at school this morning at 7.45am for her end of term trip to London. She’s going to be away until Friday night and, as you might imagine, she has been a good mix of nervous and excited for quite a long time now. Having finally resolved the dilemma of whether or not to take her teddy – (she consulted a friend and they agreed they would take a very small one each) – we left her, suitcase in hand, on the curb outside school.

“Do I get a kiss?” I asked, very aware that two of her friends were standing next to her but also aware that if she went without one she would secretly be sad.

“Sure,” she said, shuffling awkwardly. 

And then she was gone.

Belle is going to be 13 this year and it seems incredible to think how quickly she has grown up. I look back at posts like this one that I wrote in January 2010, where Belle got excited about sliced bread, and it’s just bizarre to think how much has changed. It makes me so grateful for blogging, as my memory is hopeless and I’m sure the only way I’m going to be able to remember family events and holidays in years to come is to read about them. View Post

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Before we start, I have to say up front that I am not a big shopper. I particularly don’t like trying on clothes and seeing my bottom in mirrors.

However, I do like a relaxed mooch around a few well chosen shops, looking at cushions and notebooks, followed by a spot of tasty lunch. I also like it when shops are lined up in a nice row or circle, so I don’t get too befuddled by choice, which I why I normally prefer doing serious shopping in a shopping centre rather than a town; then I can be sure I have visited everywhere, and not be worried that I’ve missed a gem in a back alley somewhere.

(I do appreciate that this probably makes me very unfashionable, and I do support local, independent retailers, but on big days out I just like a bit of order thank you.)

This weekend we went off to explore the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Swindon, never having been before, and I was immediately comforted by the fact that everything was laid out in a circle and that there was a map, where I could tick things off. I also liked that up to five hours parking was only a pound – bargainorama. It was very easy to find, just off the M4, and by the time we arrived Belle had only said ‘I want to go to Claire’s Accessories!’ about 27 times, so it was all good. View Post

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It’s on! It’s happening! The countdown to the summer holidays has begun!

What am I saying? Belle has been counting down for about the last two months. She has been crossing days off on an actual calendar, like they do in films.

I feel like I’m a bit down on the summer holidays sometimes, so I wanted to write something to show I’m not a complete misery. I did offer you a £50 Tesco voucher don’t forget, to add to the holiday fun times, so it can’t all be bad.

So, here are some things I’m looking forward to this summer holiday:

1. A trip around Ireland in a motorhome. Do you remember last summer, we took that Bailey motorhome around England, ticking off all the counties? Well, Bailey have very kindly offered to lend us a van again, and this time we are venturing into Europe. I’m a little nervous about the driving, but keep remembering what an amazing time we had last year. View Post

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My summer holiday planning tends to go something like this in my head:

“Tra la la la la! Plenty of time to think about the summer holidays yet, it’s only the beginning of July… GAH…. HANG ON!!!”

The start of term sneaks up on my in similar way. ‘Buy new school shoes’ is on my mental list for weeks, and then suddenly it’s the last weekend in August and I’m in a 27 strong queue of parents in my local shoe shop.

Getting back into the swing of things after a holiday, or even starting school for the first time, can be pretty stressful for everyone, so to make the process go as smoothly as possible, here are my top five tips: View Post

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Do you remember a little while ago when Belle and her friends made the lovely little video slide show thing about her new clothes?

Cute wasn’t it?

So cute in fact, that I made her do another one.

I mean, I didn’t make her, there were no threats or head locks or anything, that would be cruel. I just asked nicely, about 47 times, over the period of about a month, until she finally relented.

And here it is:

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