• mum+child
    Mum Life

    Would you have Another Child?

    I’ve been wanting to write a post about this for a long time and something made me think more about the question recently. As a parent, you’re asked so many questions by so many different people. It starts from when you’re pregnant: “Are you planning to breast feed?” or “Have you thought about co-sleeping?”. When your baby is born, you get asked a lot about their development: “Can they lift their head yet?” or “How long are they sleeping through at night?” There is one question though that’s asked about a parent’s intentions in relation to their family. This one is usually asked of those with newborns and quite little…

  • white+choc+chip+cupcakes
    Baking

    White Choc Chip Cupcakes

    Until recently, I always swayed more to milk or dark chocolate. Now I don’t know what’s happened but I’ve become completely obsessed with white chocolate. I’m honestly not sure where that’s come from but I cannot get enough of it! So much so that I can no longer buy the 200g bars from Asda because once that bad boy is open, there’s no stopping me! I had to, therefore, find a way of adding this white chocolatey goodness to some of my latest cupcake creations. Well, they did not disappoint. Of course, I had to add some edible glitter, because, why not (insert cheesy grin gif) Anyway, onto the recipe.…

  • haribo+ice+lolly
    Crafting

    Haribo Ice Lollies

    Now I’m a big kid when it comes to sweets, especially Haribo! So of course I had to do a half term activity that included these. Haribo Ice Lollies are perfect for spring and summer days. They’re also really simple to make and the ice lolly moulds can be used multiple times. What You’ll Need Ice Lolly Moulds Lemonade 4 x Haribo treat bags Step 1 Fill the bottom of the ice lolly moulds with 6-7 mini Haribos. Tip: Don’t drop your mould like I did! Hence, the chip in the top left. Step 2 Top up each of the moulds with lemonade. Step 3 Place the ice lolly tops…

  • bruce+handprint+picture
    Crafting

    Handprint Animals

    This craft was so easy to do and my little boy loved it. We themed the picture specially for Mother’s day but you could create pictures for any occasion. If you have a larger family, simply add more handprint animals. What You’ll Need 4 pieces of card (2 of the same colour) 4 googly eyes Black pen Glue stick Glitter Scissors Step 1 To make a frame for your picture, draw a border approximately 2 centimeters from the edge of your card and cut out. Step 2 Cover the frame with glue stick and sprinkle on some glitter. Leave to dry whilst you create the picture. Step 3 Draw around…

  • bruce+painting
    Mum Life

    Rainy Day Activities

    Now I’m writing this in the month of March, which, if you live in the UK, isn’t exactly a time known for it’s glorious weather. There have been quite a lot of weekends recently where rainy day activities are an absolute must. My little boy is 6 now and I’ve spent years working out the best way to keep him entertained when we were confined to a limited dry space. Well, I’m still fully working that out. But whilst I’m on my journey of discovering how to entertain a child with an unlimited amount of energy, I thought I’d share some of my favourite activities that I’ve discovered along the…

  • chocolate+orange+bark
    Baking

    Chocolate Orange Bark

    Chocolate bark is one of the simplest things to make. There are lots of different variations but I wanted to first introduce the classic, chocolate orange. This is great to make on your own, with children or with friends. The bark looks so pretty, it could even form a gift for someone on a special occasion. Ingredients 200g milk chocolate 100g white chocolate 1 tsp orange extract Orange gel food colouring (you can also mix yellow and red) Step 1 Line a small, shallow baking tin with greaseproof paper. Step 2 Break the milk chocolate and put into a heatproof bowl over a pan of boiling water. Do the same…

  • a lucky charm cupcake suprise using an easy vanilla cupcake recipe
    Baking

    Lucky Charm Cupcake Surprise

    With St Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I wanted to create a fun and playful cupcake recipe that was simple to follow and a perfect addition to the celebrations. The recipe creates a fluffy vanilla cupcake with a vanilla buttercream topping, sprinkles and a hidden golden surprise! Ingredients – Cake 200g butter 200g caster sugar 4 eggs 1 tsp vanilla extract 250g self-raising flour 2 tsp baking powder Green gel food colouring Ingredients – Buttercream and Decoration 150g butter 400g icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 2 tbsp. milk Colourful sprinkles Golden crunch sprinkles Step 1 Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees (fan). Cream the butter and sugar. Step…

  • Mum Life

    Top 6 Books for a 6 Year Old

    Reading with Bruce is my favourite part of the day. Every evening after bathtime, we sit on his bed together and choose 2 stories. Since starting school and becoming a much more confident reader, Bruce usually chooses his school reading book for himself and one from our collection for me to read. I thought I'd share 6 of our favourite reads from over the past few months. If any spark your interest, why not head down to your local library or book store and see if they have one in stock? 1. The Bolds' Great Adventure by Julian Clary This is a such a funny and creative book. There are…

  • finished+marble+fondant+cake
    Baking

    Fondant Marble Cake

    Marbling is an art that’s used across a wide range of mediums. From canvas pictures, to diary covers and even makeup brushes. So why not add the effect to a cake? When you create a marbling effect, the result is always different and can never be fully predicted. The reveal of the result can make it even more fun to complete! Follow my step by step guide below to create your very own stunning fondant marble cake. It makes a great centre piece at parties but you could also create it simply for the joy of making something beautiful! Ingredients – Cake 200g butter 200g caster sugar 4 eggs 2…

  • scones
    Baking

    Grandma’s Fruit Scones

    As a child, I loved my Grandma’s baking, from making delicious fruit cake to those classic fairy cakes. She is definitely my baking inspiration. My Grandma wrote a lot of her recipes in a little note book, some dating back to the 1960s. When my mum passed this onto me, I instantly wanted to dive straight in and start to recreate some her infamous bakes. I’m starting with one of my favourites, the classic fruit scone. I’ve converted all the measurements into metric as I found this easier to work with but add a comment below if you’d like me to pop in the original imperial measurements. Hope you enjoy…