Category Archives: Family Life

Embrace the Chaos

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{My Crazy Gang: They don’t half drive me mad sometimes but I love them to the moon and back}

This has been one of those weeks when we’ve been rushing around, late for everything, with tempers fraying left, right and centre. I love my three children more than anything in the world but sometimes the mixture of toddler tantrums, pre-teen hormones, sibling fighting and refusal to listen can drive me up the wall (especially when they’re all going on at the same time!)  Both boys left their scooters behind at school on the same day this week (I don’t know how they managed that – obviously forgetfulness runs in the family!) which meant that trying to get out of the house on Wednesday morning was even more fraught than usual. I had to take deep breaths and count to ten many a time this week, but I’m sure that one day when they’re all grown up I will look back and miss all the noise and mess!

But for now I’m just enjoying the peace and quiet that has descended over the house this evening as we all relax after our busy week. My father-in-law and his wife are visiting us from France this weekend so I’m going to dim the lights to hide all the dust, light some candles and put a bottle of bubbly in the fridge.

Happy Friday to you all! X

This (or rather last..) Week’s Favourites

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I just got back from my little jaunt to the spa hotel this afternoon and have been trying to hold onto that relaxed, pampered feeling while supervising homework, negotiating sibling arguments and cooking tea. Not that easy at times but I did feel more chilled than usual and even managed to keep my serene demeanor when I caught my eldest trying to find out how many ‘bad words’ his seven-year-old brother knows (and eagerly offering to teach him any that he’s not yet familiar with..)

So my weekly favourites post is once again later than usual but at least I have a very good excuse – and even if I had wanted to, I couldn’t have posted it yesterday as we could not get any Wi-fi connection at the hotel.

1. It seems a long time ago now, but for Cameron’s birthday last Monday we went for brunch at a local restaurant at his request: Full English breakfast, Eggs Benedict and French toast – a great way to start the day!

2.The weather turned colder this week and no one could have been more pleased than Clemmie who finally got to wear her leopard print hat (or ‘tiger hat’ as she calls it)

3. You know that Christmas is getting closer when the Gingerbread lattes arrive at Starbucks! As much as I love the Pumpkin Spice one, this is my hands down favourite and I shall be having at least one a week between now and Christmas Day.

4. Casper’s Beaver Scout group had a visit from a blind man and his guide dog last week and all the boys were tasked with making a tactile picture of the dog. Here is Casper’s contribution, made with some sticky-back felt I found in the crafts box.

5. Reading material for my night away: Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon’s memoir In My Shoes and the latest issue of British Vogue.

6. We arrived at the hotel mid-morning and had a cappuccino in the restaurant while we were waiting for the room to be ready.

7. They say a change is as good as a rest and swapping the congested roads in our pretty but densely populated village for rolling hills and fresh air certainly did wonders for the mind and soul.

8. Yesterday we stopped for lunch at The Mulberry pub (which incidentally is owned by radio and TV celeb Chris Evans) down the road from the hotel.

9. A facial and a manicure were among the treatments I indulged in. I love this OPI nail polish but unfortunately I forgot to ask what the colour is called.

Thank you so much for stopping by my blog. Due to the lack of Wi-fi, I am a bit behind with replying to comments and reading your blogs but I’m sure I’ll catch up in the next couple of days. Hope you’ve had a great start to the week. X

Listen up People – It’s Friday!!

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{I love being a mum but sometimes we all deserve a bit of time off}

We have had a lovely afternoon with my sister and her kids who are visiting from Sweden. When the boys came home from school it turned into a bit of a mad house with five children aged from 2 to 10 running around, but it was great for all the cousins to get together as they hadn’t seen each other since August.

Now it’s winding down time, the children have just got out of the bath and are deciding which movie to watch for their Friday night treat. The rain is pouring down outside but it’s lovely and cosy inside. I’m going to light some candles, have a glass of wine and enjoy the peace and quiet before I cook dinner.

A great weekend (I hope!) lies ahead:  tomorrow night I am going out for dinner with my sister – a rare occurrence as we live in different countries. Then on Sunday I am going an even rarer trip to a spa with a friend. We are only going for one night but we have lots of nice treatments booked and I hope it will be a chance to recharge the batteries before the run-up to Christmas.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend! X

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This Week’s Favourites

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This week's faves 03:10

Hello again! Just a quick one tonight as I’m totally exhausted after Cameron’s 10th birthday party this afternoon for 17 of his friends at a mini golf course near our house. His actual birthday is tomorrow and I’ve just finished making a cake and wrapping the presents (his main present is a bicycle but he’ll get to choose it himself so we’ve just printed out a picture of a cool bike and stuck it in a birthday card).

As I’m typing this with only one eye open, here is a quick round-up of our week:

1. Apart from today’s party, Halloween was without a doubt the highlight of our week. When we went to our local farm shop we ran into this Pumpkin Princess who kindly agreed to have her picture taken with the kids.

2. The Halloween decorations were brought down from the loft and the children immediately tried on the bat hairbands. Clemmie kept hers on for two days and even took it into bed at night.

3. On Wednesday the sun graced us with its presence and we took advantage of the crisp autumn weather with a trip to a nearby adventure park and farm.

4. It has been lovely spending every day with my boys this half term. They have tomorrow off as well but on Tuesday it’s back to school.

5. The pumpkins took pride of place on our doorstep on Thursday as we hosted a small tea party for friends before trick or treating around the neighbourhood.

6. The kids all dressed up in their scary finery.

7. Cameron’s golf themed birthday cake (no I didn’t make it, cake decorating is not a strength of mine..) went down a treat at the party today.

8. My football crazy son holding one of his favourite birthday presents.

9. It’s bonfire weekend so after the party we went to see an amazing fireworks display.

It’s now almost 11pm and high time I went to bed, I suspect the birthday boy will not let us have a lie-in tomorrow morning. Good night to you all. X

Happy Weekend!

Posted in Family Life by

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Friday again! What are your plans this weekend? Do you see the weekend as a chance to get out and experience new things or do you prefer to stay at home, flop on the sofa and relax? Go out for dinner, entertain at home, catch up on chores or go to the gym (maybe even all of them and more)? Or are weekends just another working day(s) for you?

I can hardly remember weekends pre-children but they definitely used to involve going out on both Friday and Saturday night. These days I probably need a week to recover if I go out two nights in a row! If I cast my mind back ten years ago, my hazy memory also seems to recall long brunches with a cheeky Bloody Mary or two (where we actually got to read the papers instead of just snatching a quick glance at the headlines while trying to stop the kids from wrecking the place), perhaps a spot of shopping on the King’s Road or a matinee showing of a film that didn’t carry a U rating.

As it’s half term, this weekend is gloriously free of kids’ activities which means no hunting around for football boots and swimming goggles (how come they’re never in the same place from one weekend to the next?) first thing tomorrow morning. Our autumn birthday marathon is nearing the finish line, culminating in my eldest son’s tenth birthday on Monday (double figures! Or as he keeps saying to me ‘mum I’m almost a teenager now!’ 😱) so on Sunday it’s time for his party which seems to have escalated to include 19 kids…Luckily we have roped in some friends to help but I’m thinking of bringing my ear plugs…

As Cameron’s party is so close to bonfire night it is customary for us to go to a fireworks display in the evening after his party, complete with fairground rides and toffee apples for the kids and mulled wine for the adults.

Anyway, enough about me. Please share your plans or your ideal weekend – I’d love to know 🙂 And whatever you’re doing, have a good one! X

Happy Halloween!

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From all of us to all of you: A Very Happy Halloween!

So Halloween has finally arrived and the excitement is running high in our household. The pumpkins have been carved and we have finished putting up the decorations in preparation for a little tea party for six of the children’s friends which will be followed by trick-or-treating around the neighborhood.

The boys have then requested a ‘scary movie’ so I think we will watch ParaNorman or Aliens in the Attic while they eat some of their sweets. If past years are anything to go by, they’ll each end up with a whole bucket full of candy so I will stash most of it away in the top cupboard to avoid complete sugar overload.

Here are some pictures of our Halloween decorations:

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This Week’s Favourites

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Wow, two parties in one day! First the Maison Bentley Style Blog Party hosted by the fabulous Kate – such a great idea and I met some lovely bloggers. Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by A Spoonful of Style – I really enjoyed spending time with you all and look forward to following your blogs.

Then, it was time for Casper’s seventh birthday bash, a swimming party for 12 of his friends at our local gym. All the kids were exhausted and high on sugar (should be an impossible combination but believe me it is not!) by the end of it so I think we can safely say it was a huge success.

I’m pretty tired now myself but feeling cosy wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa with candles lit on the mantlepiece as a big storm brews outside. So here’s just a quick recap of the week that once again went by in a flash:

1. On Tuesdays and Fridays when Clemmie doesn’t go to preschool my husband takes the boys to school so we can just chill out at home.

2. I am quickly becoming addicted to the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks and looking forward to the Gingerbread Lattes appearing on the menu in the run-up to Christmas.

3. We went shopping for Halloween costumes and Clemmie decided she would rather be a princess than a witch. Fine by me, the only problem is that the costume sheds glitter EVERYWHERE – the floor, the sofa and my clothes are covered in it.

4. This scary zombie (also known as Cameron) had a great time at his school Halloween disco.

5. A birthday party means lots more presents and an insane amount of Lego sets to build. It will keep Casper busy over half term!

6. Halloween is fast approaching and this morning we went to a nearby farm shop to get our pumpkins. We will be hosting a Halloween party for a few friends on Thursday before we go trick or treating around the neighbourhood.

Next week is half term so all the children will be at home but hopefully I should be able to find some time for blogging as well.

Have a great Sunday night. X

Weekend Photo Challenge: OOTD and Posing :)

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{OOTD: I’m wearing my new (ish) Odd Molly dress and keeping my Autumn resolution of not just reaching for my jeans every day.}

For once I’m actually early (OK then, on time at least) with my Weekend Photo Challenge post. We have had a quiet weekend so far (for a change) and this afternoon my husband has taken the boys off to the golf course, leaving Clemmie and I to relax at home. I have to prepare dinner in a little while but I’ve got time for a quick post. This evening I’m going to the movies with a friend to see the new Woody Allen film, Blue Jasmine. I’m not a huge fan of his but it has got good reviews so fingers crossed it will be a good film. Have any of you seen it?

The second part of this weekend’s challenge was a picture of your child posing. Well, that was easy! When it comes to our family there is no contest: my eldest son has got the posing down to a fine art:

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This Week’s Favourites

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{The walk to school takes twice as long when it’s been raining and there are puddles to jump in}

‘Swoosh’ it said and yet another week went by! Seriously, I’m beginning to think that time really does speed up when your kids start school. The seven weeks between the start of this school year and half term (which is this Friday) have gone by so much quicker than the summer holidays did. It has been a quiet week, mainly spent catching up on things that were were put on hold while preparing for last weekend’s party, like completing my tax return and buying the last of the boys’ birthday presents.

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{Clemmie chose her winter hat when we went into Gap during a shopping trip earlier this week. Leopard print is a firm fave of mine as well – like mother like daughter!}

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{I am one step closer to creating my dream home office after buying this print}

The highlight of the week was undoubtely Casper’s seventh birthday today. My youngest son is very much an old soul – wise, thoughtful and kind but, boy, can he throw a tantrum when that way inclined. Today, however, he was all smiles when we woke him up at 7.30 with presents and cake. As both he and his sister had birthday parties to go to today we’ve delayed his party until next weekend. Then the following weekend is my eldest son’s birthday – a busy month but that’s the way I like it!

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{Big brother helps out with the present opening.}

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{A very happy boy. Judging by the smile, I think we got the present right!}

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{It was a bit of a squeeze to fit seven candles onto a very small cake. There will be a bigger one at the party next weekend.}

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{Someone is enjoying having cake for breakfast}

Weekend Photo Challenge: OOTD and Unsuspecting Subject

Posted in Family Life, Fashion by

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I dug deep into the back of my wardrobe for today’s outfit. Or, to be more specific, my husband was dispatched into the loft to locate a tartan skirt that I bought 17 years ago from a high street chain called Morgan (It was French I think. Does anyone remember it or know what happened to it? I used to buy a lot of things from there in my teens and early 20s). I’m not a big hoarder but there are some things I’ve held on to, including this skirt which I bought when I was doing an internship at a fashion magazine. There are also a handful of pieces which I got rid of that I now regret such as a pair of black knee high lace-up boots that I wore all the time at university. The black top with ruched sleeves is from Zara’s kids section and the necklace was a birthday present from a friend.

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Today’s unsuspecting subject is none other than Casper who turned seven today! Here he is (a few days ago) in his school uniform checking out his new Ben Ten watch. It was an early morning for us today as we got up at 7.15am to sing happy birthday to Casper, eat cake and watch him open his presents which included a new scooter, Lego and a Wii game.

Despite rain being forecast, the sun is shining and it’s shaping up to be a beautiful Autumn day. Happy Sunday to you all! X