Beauty in the Aldi aisles.

I really hate food shopping. The crush in the aisles. The stress of the checkout. The godawful unpacking once home. It truly is one of my least favourite things to do. I do much of my shopping in Aldi these days, and I don’t think this helps any of the problems aforementioned. Our town offers…

Sustaining ginger nuts.

I was a very reluctant gym visitor this morning. I dressed appropriately, but my heart wasn’t really in it and I was rather hoping to bump into a friend on the way and be diverted to coffee. No such luck. After showing myself up with my inability to operate the vending machine (I was after…

Swimming hell. Spa heaven. And smoothies.

Swimming this morning was pretty much the least enjoyable way imaginable to spend a portion of the weekend. On any day, it is abysmal, with the cramped changing rooms, cold, trickling showers and the inevitability of a key item of clothing ending up in a puddle, but the perishing conditions outside meant that even the swimming…

Are we nearly there yet? Ideas for keeping kids entertained on long car journeys.

Much of the time, as I force feed vegetables and limit tv hours I feel as though I may be the sole adult in this house. However, when it comes to car journeys the tables turn and really, I may as well be in the back squabbling over legroom. I hate long car journeys. Loathe…

Story time: brilliant books for young children.

It sounds revolting, in retrospect, but when my oldest daughter was in Special Care as a premature bambino, I took picture books in to read to her. I thought – maybe was told? – that it was important she heard my voice even from her incubator, but it was hard to make one-sided conversation with…

Healthy pancakes. And morning mayhem.

This morning, yet again, I was disappointed by the lack of any sort of medal awarded at the school gates for getting two little minxes in on time; clean(ish), dressed, fed, appropriately accessorised with water bottles and snacks and swimming kit. BUT NOTHING. Having been woken at 6:00am, thanks to our reliable 5 year old…

Ode to Cornwall.

After three nights in Cornwall I am consumed with thoughts of bracing sea air and cliff top walks and clotted cream.