09/03/201426/03/2018 by jo

Wisley!

The sun finally arrived this weekend, so plans were hastily made to pay a visit to Wisley with friends. I knew it was close to us, but had no idea by quite how much.

Wisley is just a little further down the A3 from Painshill Park, close to the A3/M25 junction. To get the most out of Wisley, a RHS membership is essential. I’ve spotted a 20% cashback deal via Quidco, or if you collect Tesco Clubcard points then you only need £17 which are pretty good deals. Otherwise it’s around £45 a year for one person, you are able to take a guest for free and children under 5 go free. A RHS membership also gets you into a few other gardens around the country, though the guest rule doesn’t apply.

After spending the best part of a day at Wisley I’m pretty sure it would take a minimum of four trips to get to know it better.

There is a lot of parking, a good thing as it was pretty busy. There are good garden shops too, something Shaun made the most of, getting a Burgon & Ball Verti-Plant which will make our back yard look lovely and is an ideal solution for us – we have no garden here, just pots and plants.

It was a glorious day – we started out with layers and ended up with just t-shirts it was so warm. For some reason I had visions of Wisley being like a large garden centre – I was wrong – it’s a huge garden with many areas and plenty to do for everyone.

There’s water, flowers, sculptures, walks, mud, hills, more hills, plenty of food areas, a great outdoor play area and so much more. Areas to sit and take it all in, and areas to wander around watching the world go by. We spent a while on top of the Fruit Mound – a hill with two spiral pathways to get up to the top (check it on Google Maps, it’s pretty cool), where there are seats and fresh air aplenty.

Wisley

Then there’s the butterflies – so many of them in the hot and humid Glasshouse – we queued for around five minutes to get in though had to keep escaping outside to breathe! The butterflies were amazing, many different kinds (with a handy leaflet to help you identify them – good when you don’t retain information easily like me) – though the exhibition ‘Butterflies in the Glasshouse’ finished today.

If you like National Trust gardens then Wisley will appeal. It gave H and her friend a freedom she hasn’t had for a few weeks, where they could play together in the dens, run around the grounds, spot fish, admire the butterflies and so much more. The daffodils and snowdrops were out, and Wisley was such a lovely bright colourful wonderfully floral smelling kind of place. That and there was also a giant apple to study – part of a sculpture exhibition in the grounds running until the end of March 2014.

H was pretty tired after all the walking around, but enjoyed it. We ate in the Glasshouse Cafe and found the food to be reasonable, a decent vegetarian choice and good strong coffee. They do kids meals in a box with plenty of healthy choice on offer as well.

Linking in to Country Kids, Wisley’s site is over here. Huge thanks to Lianna for allowing me to be her guest!

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

06/03/201423/06/2015 by jo

World Book Day

World Book Day was today. H got her voucher from school and we’ve decided on The Worst Witch as her choice, an activity book.

They didn’t dress up at her school – I’m not sure why. Instead it has been announced they’re doing a week of book related things when at the start of next term.

The relief thinking we’d got away with it turned to “uuuuhhhhh nooooo” when I realised we have to find an appopriate costume for the day. At least we have a month and a half to think about it!

So far my suggestions have been…
A Pigeon (Mo Willems)
Little Miss Naughty (we have the costume)
Topsy (she’ll need a Tim)
My Naughty Little Sister
Milly Molly Mandy
Meg (she can use Jessie Cat as her Mog)

they haven’t had the most enthusiastic response.

Before then we have to get Easter out of the way – there’s a school bonnet parade before the end of term and fortunately Poundland have kits in stock. We just need to make it now…

What did you dress your child in today, or is your school going later too?

Here’s some previous costumes we’ve done!

02/03/201403/03/2014 by jo

Internet Safety and Staying Safe Online

Last weekend we were invited to The Disney Store in Stratford to attend a short talk about internet safety in conjunction with Disney Club Penguin. Now, some might say H is a bit young to be learning about this at four and a half, but I think she’s the perfect age and as parents it doesn’t do us any harm to be reminded of things we may forget.

Disney Club Penguin is a social network for kids and has impressed me since we’ve registered – with good security levels I feel protects H well, keeping it age-appropriate. I won’t let her go there on her own, but I feel like she’s safe. Nobody can contact her, and nobody can leave bad messages to her as they have strict guidelines for no bad language or being mean to others.

H signed a pledge last week to be ‘treat people how you want to be treated’ – which is a lot easier when you’re just starting out. CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) who run a great website Think U Know had lots of handy information on the day. They have a simple checklist to help protect your children and decrease the risks they take:

– Ask your child to show you the sites they use
– Ask your child to set their profile settings to private
– Ask your child about their online friends
– Set appropriate parental controls on your child’s computer, mobile and games console.
– If your child is worried about something online, make sure they agree to tell you
– Know where to get help if you’re concerned about your child (the CEOP Safety Centre provides access to a range of services).

According to Disney Club Penguin research, one in three parents admit to feeling baffled by over-complicated user manuals.

To provide ongoing support for parents, Disney Club Penguin is offering a special e-hotline giving parents throughout the chance to e-mail any queries about online safety to saferinternethelp@clubpenguin.com

Disney’s Club Penguin’s online safety campaign, It Starts With You, aims to empower kids to take the lead in spreading positive behaviour online and give their parents the tools to better support them. The campaign, which launched last September in the UK, encourages kids and parents to make the online world a better place.

8 OUT OF 10 UK PARENTS BELIEVE INTERNET SAFETY SHOULD BE A FUNDAMENTAL EDUCATIONAL PILLAR

New research from Disney’s Club Penguin reveals parents believe that inteRnet safety should be the fourth R

1 in 4 kids aged between six and 12 confess to sharing personal information online with strangers

Around 30% of parents cite a compulsory log in for all internet users if they could make one change to the internet.

The report, conducted by the virtual world as part as its ongoing safety initiative, It Starts with You, polled 1,000 parents with children aged six to 12 year olds and their kids, about internet safety, what they think is acceptable behaviour online, and the changes that they would most like to make to the internet, in keeping with Safer Internet Day’s 2014’s theme of “let’s create a better internet together”.

Not speaking to strangers is the number one life lesson children are taught in the real world, however, when it comes to the digital world, one in four (25%) young people aged six to 12 years old confessed that they think it is acceptable to share personal information online, including their full name and address, passwords and images, with people they don’t know. Yet despite mums and dads calling for internet safety to become a matter of course in the classroom, worryingly, almost one in six (15%) also admitted they think the sharing of such personal information with strangers is appropriate.

The report unveiled that more than a third (36%) of mums and dads admit to not regularly monitoring their children’s use of the web, and found that families aren’t aware of the rules of the road when it comes to online safety. Those parents who did admit to overseeing their kids’ online use, cite making sure that they are not speaking to strangers online (43%), or not spending too much time online (24%) as the top two reasons.

Almost a third (27%) of parents stated that they don’t think that there is enough being done to help educate children about online safety, with half calling for more to be done by schools, internet providers and third parties to teach kids e-safety. Furthermore, whilst some parents (9%) believe the safety features on their children’s device will keep them safe, more than one in three (36%) confess to feeling baffled by over-complicated user manuals when it comes to setting them up. One in five (20%) admit to only bothering putting them in place on devices that belong to their children.

This call for education, coupled with parent’s lack of knowledge when it comes to internet-enabled devices, has led to the world’s largest virtual world Disney’s Club Penguin taking steps to tackle these issues head on. To help parents and kids, learn the rules of the online road, Disney’s Club Penguin will be holding free online safety sessions for parents and children across the UK on 15th February, in addition to hosting a special session with Sophie Ellis-Bextor on Safer Internet Day. Fully trained ambassadors from Child Exploitation & Online Protection Centre (CEOP) will be on hand in store providing help and advice for young people on how to navigate safely in the digital world. The Geek Squad will be available to teach mums and dads how to set up those all-important parental controls, so children can surf the web worry free.

Lucy Woodward, Interactive Live Services Director at Club Penguin comments: “‘As a mum, I know how hard it can be to feel 100% confident having conversations with your children about online safety, especially when it feels like your kids are more comfortable with the internet and technology than you are! That’s why we seek to give parents the tools to support, and educate them, as well as empowering kids to take the lead in making the internet a better place. We want parents and kids to make their pledge to making the web a safer place this Safer Internet Day – it really does start with you!”

Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Disney’s Club Penguin ambassador comments: “My children are all different ages but have all grown up with the web, so it’s important that I know how to make sure that they are safe online, like I do in the real world. It’s great that Club Penguin is helping parents and kids learn the rules of the online road. The internet is an amazing place for learning and discovery, but the potential threats to kids are real, so we need to make sure that parents and children know how to navigate the internet safely.”

Disney’s Club Penguin’s study also revealed that:

· Close to 30% of children (26.8%) would put “internet police” in power if given the tools to create the internet, with parents citing “appropriate content” for kids (32%), “filters and safety technology” (24.9%) and” internet police” on their top internet wish-list (18.2%)

· Children’s most preferred single change to the internet would be safe sites that are checked (27%). Meanwhile parents’ more popular change was online log-ins for users (27%)

It Starts with You, sees Disney’s Club Penguin partner with Childnet and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and aims to empower kids to take the lead in spreading positive behaviour online, and give their parents the tools to better support them. Disney’s Club Penguin has seen 200 million penguins created since launch and spans 190 countries from the UK to Chile across computer and iPad, with more multiplatform launches set to be announced. Parents and young people can visit www.clubpenguin.com/safety to discover how to make the online world a better place. It Starts with You!

24/02/201424/02/2014 by jo

Need Your Heating On At Different Times? Hive Active Heating Can Help.

Half term seems to be one of those times bloggers all tell stories of fabulous trips they’ve had to various places, showing photos of picturesque beauty. Not us. We’ve had to work. H has been in holiday club which makes things easier, mainly as I’ve finished at the same time every day.

In addition to that H has had several trips out for the day and I’ve been instructed (by H) to come a bit later so she can play for longer. I can safely say Holiday Club has been a success.

One thing which can’t be guaranteed is the weather, nor how cold your house is when you get home – especially when you have unpredictable hours (and weather) like we’ve had all week. It’s all well and good setting your timer to come on at the same time every day so it’s warm when you get in, but getting home at different times or even just remembering to change the timer in the morning isn’t always going to happen.

This is where Hive, an offspring of British Gas comes in – a new system which links in to your heating system and can be controlled via your Smartphone or browser. So on Monday when I got to pickup nice and early around 3.15 I could have programmed the Hive Active Heating to come on by the time we got home. On Thursday when it was a 5.15pm pickup I could do the same – saving that couple of hours of heating, but not having to be home to do it.

Hive Active Heating sounds too good to be true – it does loads! It lets you monitor, alter and control your heating and hot water. You can adjust your schedules and temperatures away from home and have alerts sent to your mobile if temperatures reach a certain level.

I tend to do most of my personal stuff on the train to and from work, so knowing I could control Hive this way is something which works for me. Alas, our heating system at home is old and nasty (we even have an immersion switch for our hot water) so getting one installed wouldn’t be possible. A girl can still dream though! (or think about moving house)

Hive costs £199 from British Gas. The app is compatible with iOS and Android devices – and you can even control it via text. You don’t need to change your energy supplier either.

We received payment for this post, all opinions are our own.

18/02/201418/02/2014 by jo

Weekend Box

Weekend Box is a new idea – four easy activities posted to you in a box, aimed at children from 3-8 years old. That’s the simple version, there’s a little more to it than that though – read on to see what we think.

Weekend Box were offering a free box via Facebook, and being someone who loves to try before I buy I went for the offer – and a week or so later our first box arrived.

The weather hasn’t been great lately and while we’ve got out, there are only so many games of Pop Up Pirate you can have before it’s quite nice to do something different. Add to that we’ve all been full of cold and thinking of things can be an effort, especially when there’s some preparation involved. The Weekend Box is like a takeaway of decent kids activities, posted twice a month in a letterbox sized box.

This was our only problem – the box had come undone so some parts were missing. A quick email and the missing bits were posted and arrived two days later which is great customer service. There is a list on the website of what you should get which is really handy.

Each box has four activities – Something to Make, Something to Cook, Something to Read or Write and Something Green. Ours were to make some Snowballs, make a Miniature Kite, some Finger Painting and some Map Making. All these activities are perfect for H – she often comes home with a map she’s created at school, loves flying kites and loves baking so we opted for the latter two.

When each activity is done there’s a small sticker to put on each page, and one bigger sticker to add to a poster – when you’ve completed a certain number of activities you can send Weekend Box a picture and get a surprise.

There is also an option to rate each box after you’ve tried it which is handy.

Would you like to try a box for free? If so, my referral code is JO1848 – put that code in when you register (which only takes a minute). Each box costs £7.50 which if you consider the convenience (they even include glue) isn’t too steep a price to pay if you know you’ll do the activities. 100% of the Weekend Box contents are reusable or recyclable; 95% come from recycled material.

The snowballs were good, and H took charge while we were making them (Shaun took care of the baking). The kite was also made with one of our old Ocado bags and flies quite nicely indoors too if you happen to move fast enough; we haven’t dared brave the winds yet, they’ve been strong and loud.

My favourite part of the Weekend Box was being advised of the extras we’d need to do the activities – more often than not we’ll get things we don’t have in stock, and as I do my online shopping at the weekend for the following week it’s nice to plan a few days ahead.

The Weekend Box is fortnightly, I love the organisation of it, and like other boxes you can stop your subscription at any time, thanks to their new customer portal. We’ve had our second (paid for) Weekend Box, but I will be pausing ours, if only to catch up!

12/02/2014 by jo

Topsy and Tim are Coming Back to Cbeebies!

Newsflash!

Topsy and Tim are coming back to Cbeebies – there’ll be some episodes repeated from the 17th February at 5.30pm, with brand new episodes from Monday 24th February – so that’s a big hurrah from us!

We were invited to visit Twickenham Studios where it was filmed late last year to watch some of the final episodes being filmed – they finished a week or two before Christmas. I did a brief writeup over on the Adequate Parent. There are a lot of episodes so it isn’t going to disappear just yet though, so don’t worry too much!

So yes, tune in to Cbeebies next week and get ready for new episodes – we can’t wait!

09/02/201410/02/2014 by jo

H Got a New Bike

H keeps growing. She’s going to be a tall girl, this we already know – but I had no idea a tall girl would go through two bikes in a year due to growing so much. Another one of those things they don’t tell you when you’re thinking ahead. We went for a cycle in Beddington Park in January where I took this photo. Later on we were looking at it and had an ‘uh-ohhhh’ moment. Look where her knees are.

We knew it was time to shop for a new bike, less than a year after getting the Apollo Pom Pom bike – a 14″ one. On looking at all the 16″ options, one thing stood out – no stabilisers. I know my daughter well enough to know that she’s not ready for two wheels yet, she doesn’t have the confidence. We’re in no rush, but for the first time in a long time we’ve had to really think about the kind of bike we’d like her to have.

Argos have a good range of bikes – I liked the Zinc range but don’t feel we’re quite there yet as far as getting a bulkier outdoor bike goes – so opted instead for the Silverfox Glitz. I could have done without the girly pink (which is why the Zinc range appeals with reds and purples), but spotted our chosen bike comes with mudguards. You can fit a parent handle onto it which could help with H’s confidence too (we need to buy it separately, Halfords have some for under £20).

We picked up the bike yesterday, all packaged in a box ready to be assembled. The tools were included so last night Shaun assembled it, and H had a good play on it today, working on balance. She finds two wheels scary at the moment so we’re lucky she hasn’t outgrown her old bike yet, just almost. I’m hoping by April she’ll be on two wheels and confident.

Given she’s moved into larger helmets recently, I’m hoping this bike will last for more than eight months – keep your fingers crossed! The balancing on two wheels updates will be happening from time to time on here – we’ve never had a balance bike so we’re going cold turkey. Wish us luck….

This post is in association with Argos, all opinions are my own

28/01/201405/02/2017 by jo

Moments That Matter

Back in 2007 Shaun made a decision, a big decision. He’d often fancied studying something again (something I could never do) but didn’t know quite what. Then an opportunity with his work came along – to study for the ACCA qualification.

We knew it would be a hard slog, but we really weren’t prepared for what kind of a slog it would be. The first exams were straightforward enough, multiple choice on a computer which we found out he’d passed straight away. Phew, I guess we thought at this point it would be a breeze.

BUT.

We knew the exams would be hard too. You always hear that. We weren’t prepared for just how hard they’d be. Working on an assumption that he’d be finished in three years (taking twelve exams, sometimes two at a time) it felt achievable. However, things never quite go to plan – H appeared along the way in 2009 which ate into his study time, as well as failed exams which you have to wait for the next cycle of exams to retake.

It almost got inconvenient at one point. We’ve only really been able to go to Australia at Christmas time – getting out there in early December when flights are still cheap. However, the December exams are usually mid-month. Lucky for us ACCA exams are the same all over the world, and after a few emails we found it it was possible for Shaun to take the same exams in Perth – so H and I spent two weeks doing fun things with Shaun’s family while he stayed home (in Perth) and studied. Fortunately he had a nice place to do his study.

Shaun also missed H meeting Santa for two years in a row – first in Australia and second at Painshill Park. The following year we made sure he could go as he’d missed so much – but study was more important and we could show him photos.

By 2011 things were dragging, getting to the point it was painful thinking about sitting (or re-sitting) a further exam. Any retakes came out of our own pockets and they don’t come cheap. But we knew he was well over half way done and it was just a case of getting on with it. There were crazy ideas like taking three lots at once (he failed two) and having weekends away on study seminars. H and I would find things to do but you can’t help but wish you could share the time with Shaun too (who’d be at home studying while we went to watch Peppa Pig or The Wiggles live or went for daytrips to fun places).

My blogging was pretty active as essentially for the best part of six years I had a husband upstairs studying for large chunks of the year.

His last exam was December 2012. Every event our friends invited us to we cancelled, he HAD to study. We couldn’t pay for another re-take, he had to pass the exam. February 2013 we finally got the good news – he’d passed his final part. RELIEF. It was over – no more studying, freedom!

ACCA exams are hard. There is a lot of study involved. It took Shaun six years to get there, but he’d done it. The relief in our house as we finally got our time as a family back – we could do things at weekends whenever we wanted to.

Realising that was our moment that mattered. Possibly more than H starting school. Anyone who takes up studying when they’re older gets my admiration – it’s tough, especially when things don’t go to plan. Especially when you have a baby mid-way through it all. I am SO glad it’s all over!

Here’s a selection of our moments, and finally the moment that mattered when his exams were passed and we got our family time back.

(pictures – H meeting Santa in Australia, at Painshill Park a year later, at our local fair, at Painshill again, Shaun studying in Australia (lucky thing), water play without daddy, meeting Yellow Wiggle (you can just see her hand) without daddy, meeting Dora, playing at Wakehurst place and finally some quality time with daddy)

18/01/2014 by jo

Travel Money Using a PrePaid Debit Card

So we’re heading to Australia this year and I’m looking for a good prepaid debit card.

Prepaid debit cards are ideal for overseas travel – and it’s something we need to look into. Previous visits to Australia have had us use our Nationwide cards as they offered 0% on cash withdrawals from ATM’s (though the less said about the last time the better when my faulty card was eaten by a machine in Toodyay) – not any more though.

These days Nationwide have a set fee – not huge but I’d rather save money where I can. So we’re looking at what’s out there to see if there’s something which suits us.

The main things I’m looking for are :

0% for ATM withdrawals
0% on purchases
something which will control my spending and that I can monitor online when I need to.

At the moment the only card which seems to suit my needs is the Travelex Passport – I can order a card with minimal currency and put a little in there each month until we go, then spend it anywhere which has a Mastercard symbol on our travels.

If I need to transfer more money into my account I can do it online and don’t need to be in the UK to do so which is essential.

In fact, as far as I can see the only thing which could go wrong is forgetting to take the cards with us!

There’s a Post Office prepaid debit card but you’re charged $3 per ATM transaction. I always like to carry a good amount of dollars with me so this isn’t the end of the world, but actually those $3 will add up and I may as well use my Nationwide card! The bonus is there are no fees on transactions which is a good thing as I do tend to use cash for eating out and my card to buy when we’re shopping or need petrol.

The other thing I need to consider – I need a visa to enter the country. Shaun and H both have Australian passports so don’t, but if I buy using my Nationwide card I’ll be charged an additional interest fee which isn’t ideal. If I use a prepaid debit card which can be used for online purchases that’s a good thing too.

So I’m asking on this rainy Saturday night, what have you used when you’ve travelled? The Travelex card sounds ideal for us, and especially for online purchases and gets a good writeup and Money Saving Expert too.

12/01/2014 by jo

A Waterproof Weekend

So last week I bought H an all in one waterproof in Debenhams which was documented over at the other place. I think I can safely say it was to benefit me as well as H – she hates getting muddy and I hate having to deal with it. It’s a win-win situation for us – a simple all in one which goes over her warm clothes and coat, and comes off easily too.

We didn’t get a chance to try it on Saturday. We put off going to the coast on New Years Day as is our tradition, and instead went to Brighton when it was gloriously sunny and eight degrees. Walking around there was a cold air which hit us from time to time, but the sun tamed it so we didn’t freeze. Fortunately Brighton also has a Lego shop which we had to pay a visit.

A brisk walk along the seafront and H got to have a scoot about, before we headed to Brighton Pier for some lunch (Fish and chips of course, although vegetarian options weren’t great for me), tricked H into thinking she wasn’t tall enough for the rides (she was fine but we didn’t have any money with us), before scooting back along the seafront, watching the sunset and driving back to London, making it home before 7.

Today was a bit colder, windier, rainier so the waterproof made its debut. As well as this, I’d picked up some wellies in the Disney Store featuring Sulley from Monsters Inc (for a bargain – £6!) which go perfectly with the waterproof. This was from the boys section of course as apparently girls only like princesses and babies in the Disney Store… ahem. We decided to go for a walk in Banstead Woods.

Banstead Woods is local place where people tend to walk their dogs. It’s where there’s a weekly parkrun. It’s also a great place to wander around the woods when you need fresh air and don’t want to travel too far. Hills, tracks, wood, trees, the sound of guns firing off in the distance as someone has some random shoot in the country (hm), bluebells from May! But fresh air, a new waterproof suit and new wellies meant that H had a new freedom – she didn’t want to hold our hands all the time in case she fell over and wanted to tell us where to go through the woods (using her National Trust compass of course).

I don’t know why it has taken me so long to get her a waterproof, but this new level of freedom has entered our lives – she’s not worried about falling in the mud (we’ve still got waterproof gloves and a hat that fits to buy), and I’m not worried about dirty clothes being ruined. Silly things that shouldn’t matter that don’t any more. How weird a piece of clothing can do that?

It was a good weekend – one of those ones where we didn’t spend much money at all, which is a good thing, and still had a great time.

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