If you follow me over on Instagram then you'll know how much I love to decorate our dining room to celebrate special occasions throughout the year.
With Easter this weekend Poundland asked me to pop to one of their local stores and pick up some goodies to have fun with, with so much to choose from we could of gone a bit mad but I knew what I wanted and we set about picking up some things.
It all starts for me with our dining room table, covering it in an oober bright table cloth. Adding on some fabulously fun plates, napkins, cups and straws and lights it is an Easter eggs-travaganza!
With the addition of some bunny bunting and eggs to our tree it is a colourful array of Easter loveliness.
I loved the little extras that they had in Poundland including these fabulous bunny mask glasses and crackers, my two love crackers at Christmas so this made for fun at Easter too with a little Easter joke, dress up and hat.
With lots of kits for card making, egg and hat decorating, Easter activity packs, cupcake sets and more there are plenty of things to keep your little ones busy over Easter.
And finally a little bit of Easter egg hunting, with Easter Egg hunt kits, plenty of eggs and chocolate to hide we couldn't of asked for more, we managed to get everything we needed for under £20 and I think you'll agree it looks fabulous and we definitely had lots of fun choosing our goodies.
With so much more for the home, food, outdoors, picnics and more I could of spent a lot longer in there and at £1 an item the perfect bargain for the thrifty too.
This is a collaborative post, all words, pictures and opinions are my own.
Happy New Year everyone. I know, I know, we are already near the end of January, but these past few weeks I have been working hard and looking after my two children, so me and my laptop have been having a break.
We are back now though with some pictures from our winter visit to Newstead Abbey. We love exploring the old gardens of this wonderful estate and with many different plants and corners to visit it is always a great adventure.
If you are visiting Nottinghamshire, then this beautiful estate once home to Lord Byron is the perfect place to relax and explore.
Whether you are here in the summer, winter, autumn or spring there is always something to see and do, wrap up warm with a hot chocolate or relax with a picnic on the lawns.
Just up the road from us it is somewhere we visit a lot, with so much to explore it never gets boring.
Whilst we were there we did a little photo shoot for Trespass, my son took some really lovely photos and is becoming quite the little photographer.
We managed to get nice photo of the three of us, our new and adapted little family of three.
What have you been up to so far this year? I certainly wish all of my readers a wonderful 2017.
Last Saturday, we were invited to meet the new autumn/winter range of Baby Annabell dolls at our local Smyths Toy Store. When we arrived the party was in full swing, with face painting, story time and much more. My daughter was most excited about getting to meet the new Baby Annabell dolls and toys, however first she had her face painted.
With some yummy cakes to celebrate and lots of crafts from The Creation Station, it was a great way to spend some time on a Saturday morning.
With a new fold up bedroom, two fab new dolls and probably my favourite, the walking lamb, there were some great toys to play with.
The two new dolls are the stuff of my dreams back when I was my daughters age, with one that drinks and uses the potty and cries, as well as one that learns to crawl and walk, it was great for my daughter to see them up close.
I think these dolls will be on many a Christmas list this year and my daughter thoroughly enjoyed playing with them, I love things that are interactive as they enhance a child's imagination and allow them to take it to the next level.
We had a great morning getting to know the new range of Baby Annabell toys, best of all they have a host of events happening all over the country so why not pop on over to Smyths to see if there is one near you.
We first visited The Big Sheep when my son was about two years old, it was a great day out for us all and so when we went back down to Devon last week, The Big Sheep was high on our list of places to visit. With their new roller coaster, The Big One now open, the children were excited at the prospect of not only seeing some animals but getting to go on some rides too.
First we headed to the barn, where several sheep had just given birth to some very tiny and helpless looking lambs, eyes still closed and still covered in blood, it was amazing to see these mama sheep just have a baby and then carry on looking for food, such a wonderful sight and a sign that spring is well and truly here.
There were other babies to see as well, including some goats, tiny super-cute piglets, collie pups and chicks. It was a great opportunity to get up close and personal, being able to feed the sheep and pet them. The baby goats were a particular favourite and they feel a lot softer than they look.
Afterwards, we headed up to the rides, opening at different times to allow the staff to man all of them, we first tried the swinging chairs, a classic ride and one which never ceases to impress the young or old. The Big One was closed until a bit later so we headed into the show arena to learn all about the different breeds of sheep they have at The Big Sheep.
Being bought out to their own theme tune, each sheep had their turn in the limelight and we got to hear all about their different qualities and how we use them, a very interesting show and being interactive it meant that it kept the attention of the children, a big thumbs up to Vaughn who did the show.
After the show had finished, we headed back to the rides, The Big One was finally open so we managed a few rounds on it. I have to say it was more thrilling than I had imagined and the back is definitely the place to be, it is much quicker and super exciting.
We then headed for a tractor ride, a great opportunity to sit down and take in a little more of the park, it was running a little late but that meant we got to stand with the sheep for a bit longer before our ride, there were some Llamas and Kune Kune pigs to see as well. Colin, who drove the tractor was funny and had the kids (and adults) entertained the whole way round.
Next, we headed for some lunch in the cafe, there is a good selection of food and we all found something we liked, there are plenty of spaces around the park for you to bring your own picnic though.
There were then beer tastings in the show barn, so there is plenty of entertainment for children and adults alike, we were a bit late for this so headed straight to the shop to just try some samples. They have their own brewery onsite, so if you fancy some local beer or cider then this is the place to stop.
We then headed back to the show barn to see a sheep being sheared, we had seen this a few times at open farm Sunday, however this was done in a way that it explained the process from start to finish. It was amazing to watch and equally amazing to see the end fleece, completely intact.
Once the sun came back out we went on the rides a few more times, The Big One really was great and with a 90cm height limit (when accompanied by an adult) it was even suitable for our 5 year old daughter. To finish the day we watched the famous sheep race, the sheep run down the hill, jump over a few fences all with little wooly sheep attached to their backs, it's a fun end to the day and my daughter was most upset the pink one didn't win!
After we had left the park, we headed for some dinner, if you are in this area then I can highly recommend The Pig on the Hillat Westward Ho! We had the most amazing meal there and the staff were brilliant, a great end to the day and ideally located to finish off a day at the Big Sheep or visiting Westward Ho! to take in the sea front, play on the arcades and visit some of the shops.
NB: We were given a family ticket in return for the review, however all words and opinions are my own.
We've been on holiday to France many times over the last few years, one thing we have found is that whether you are by the coast or inland, there is always a way to find a beach to visit.
France is dotted with lakes which have small sandy spaces next to them, often with play areas, picnic spots and much more.
This year we found one that was close by to our holiday gite, Base De Loisirs - Jumieges Le Mensil is a smaller version of the one we have visited the past few years but still had everything needed for a visit to the beach and a day out.
With its blue lagoon like water and small but perfectly adequate beach, it is a great place to take the children for some sand castle building and water splashing fun without the worry of tides and deep water. There are lifeguards on duty too, for that extra piece of mind.
As well as the beach this particular lake had a park, cafe and a Go-Ape style tree top adventure park, the water sparkled like diamonds on our visit and there were plenty of picnic spots around to have lunch.
After lunch we explored the rest of the park, which included a huge bouncy castle play area, exercise equipment and climbing frames, a great way to burn off some energy. Both of the children along with all the adults enjoyed a great day out
Without a doubt, I think that these inland beaches are a great source of enjoyment and I only wish we had some in the UK, we've always had so much fun visiting them and hope to visit a few more this week.
On May bank holiday, we went to one of our new local village pubs for a spot of bank holiday fun, balloon models, bouncy castles and a classic Punch & Judy show.
Most of us have seen this fabulous, if not a little un-PC show, with brightly coloured characters and audience interaction, it has something for all the family.
I can't remember the last time I saw the show but it still had me gripped and I felt unbelievably old when I was the only one in the crowd who shouted back 'Oh Yes You Did"!
With plenty of slapstick fun, from a policemen, crocodile, clown, chef and ghost it it wasn't hard to see why this show still makes children laugh
My two both really enjoyed it and with my daft mummy ways I have been reenacting the voices, they fall over with laughter and it just proves it is a format that entertains even this generation, with their TV shows and video games.
Todays weather has been a bit British, you know sunny one minute, snowing and hailing the next followed by more sun and some thunder.
So it's got me thinking about summer again, dreaming of warm evenings, trips to the beach and watching the sun set, exploring, finding beach treasure are just a few of the things we like to do.
Picnics on the beach, snuggling under towels damp and covered in sand, with our house move on the horizon not much else has been on my mind of late but the sun today certainly helped take my mind off things.
What are you looking forward to now the days are getting lighter and warmer?
Last year we went back to a beautiful spot in France, today I am remembering our beautiful holiday and thinking about the sunshine and happy memories with the children.
We spent many a happy hour by the lake on the inland beach...
Building sandcastles...
Splashing, exploring and looking at wildlife...
Bonjour Monsieur Grenouille...
These are the moments that we treasure, these are our magic moments etched on our memories forever...
