I have to admit I was a bit unsure when the publicity team for Artes Mundi asked me if I’d like to bring my family along to review this year’s exhibition. My children are fairly cultured (I hope!), but I worried whether it would be too much for them. Contemporary...
Officially I’m on maternity leave at the moment but, being self-employed, it’s difficult to completely disappear for nine months as there are clients I really value and don’t want to lose and jobs I love doing. And so every so often, I find myself doing ridiculous things like writing articles...
Yes, yes, I know it is only October and Christmas is still more than two months away, but I’m not going to apologise for bringing it up, because if you want to do this one, you’ll need to get yourself organised fast! I’ve also had three conversations about it in the past...
I have a love-hate relationship with children’s magazines. I love them because I think anything that encourages children to read is a good thing. And as someone who makes a living writing for magazines and newspapers, both print and online, I know that these young readers will be keeping people...
I’ve been overwhelmed by the response to my blogs on 10 books for babies to read before they turn one, and 11 classic books for toddlers. They’ve gone a bit viral and I’ve had so many comments from parents telling me their favourites from my lists. Some parents have said...
We love fancy dress in our house. We have a huge box filled with superhero, princess and pirate costumes, a doctor, police officer and fire officer, not to mention a star, a bumble bee, the odd Mr Man and a selection of animal masks, headwear and other accessories. I deliberately...
We love reading books in our house. It’s one of my favourite things to do with my children and stories have been a big part of their lives since they were new-borns. It’s not uncommon for us to read 15 to 20 books in a day....
Reading bedtime stories to my children is one of my favourite parts of the day. They are squeaky clean and fresh-smelling from their bath, snug in their pyjamas and relaxed and ready to cwtch up before bed. It’s been a big part of our daily routine since they were tiny –...
Now that Little E is at school full-time, Little O holds the title of eldest child between the hours of 9am and 3.15pm. And until Baby I starts to express more of an opinion, I like to give Little O a choice in what we do each day. When I...
I love pizza. It’s my favourite food in the world. Ever. My dessert island meal. When Cardiff Daddy and I went on honeymoon to Italy, I ate pizza pretty much every day. I came home about half a stone heavier, but the pizzas were so amazing, it was worth it....
I couldn’t help but stare at the two children. They were in a wonderful park with a huge climbing frame, several slides, monkey bars, a tunnel to crawl their way through, not to mention the woods and fields surrounding it. Little E and Little O played in the park for...