Pick your own...

When we arrived at Primrose Vale this morning, it wasn't looking good for strawberries. The weather over the last few days meant that the crop had taken a battering. Thankfully we managed to find enough survivors to fill a punnet, but they're now taking a little break to replenish their stocks. Don't worry though, as raspberries, loganberries, blackberries and more were all available in abundance and there's a blackboard on the front of the building letting you know what's available, along with prices and picking tips.

The picking areas are vast and really well organised. They are all labelled and there are plenty of staff members on hand to answer any questions you may have.

There is free parking on site and enough to keep you occupied for a couple of hours in my opinion. Honey absolutely loved the new play area, especially the clamber stack at the end of the wooden trim trail, but she was also pleased to see that her old favourites (the vintage tractor and the drainpipe slide) were still there!

There's plenty of space for you to bring your own picnics to eat on site, or alternatively there are plenty of delicious goodies available to buy in the farm shop. The ice cream menu looked amazing too, so we will definitely be heading back to sample it soon!

Honey wears... Pink shorts from Tu at Sainsbury's 

A Squash and a Squeeze...

The summer holidays are officially in full swing here. We have a list of summer ideas as long as your arm, some home based, some local adventures and some days out. Most are free, some will only cost us the petrol it takes to get there and lots will help us 'use up' activity and craft packs Honey has collected over the years.

This morning we went to the cinema to watch Toy Story 4 (which was awesome, but definitely was not free) and this afternoon we made our own play dough. I found a recipe online which promised I'd only need things from my store cupboard, and excited to find out how to make play dough from a tub of out of date Angel Delight and some ice cream cones from last summer, we began.

Obviously, the Angel Delight and ice cream cones are still in the cupboard, but using plain flour, salt, vegetable oil and water, we were able to make ourselves some cloudy soft lumps of dough, adding food colouring to create different colours.

The recipe (credit to BBC Good Food)

8 tbsp plain flour

2 tbsp table salt

60ml warm water

Food colouring

1 tbsp vegetable oil

There is a detailed explanation on the BBC Good Food web page, but we basically combined everything then kneaded it on a flour covered chopping board until smooth.

Honey did all the measuring and mixing, then Ace got involved when the time came for kneading. They both enjoyed the making process, but definitely loved playing with it even more! We all loved the vibrant colours, although unsurprisingly they aren't quite as vibrant now they've been slightly mushed together to make triple scoop ice creams and monster trucks! I've reused some bags that Honey's school uniform came in to create airtight packages, so hopefully we will get a few more play sessions out of this lot.

Honey wears... Apron by Emma Bridgewater

Ace wears... Apron by Daphne and Margot

Pack your bags...

Honey has an app that counts down to exciting, upcoming events. The next event on her radar is a week away, camping down in Cornwall. When we go camping, everything is really relaxed and chilled out. Ace has a nap whenever and wherever he falls asleep, most meals are picnics and bedtime is whenever someone asks to go to bed. At home, we encourage our children to be as independent as possible, while being on hand to help if required and when we are away, we try to carry on in the same vein. A great place to start with this is packing.

If your children are involved in packing, they will be aware of what's available to them while you're away and what's not. They will be able to help you find and fetch things you need while you're away because they know you packed the colander in the Paw Patrol bag for life and that their wellies are inside your wellies...

Here are just a few things we use to make packing easy and ensure that everything can be found in an instant when we reach our destination!

1. Packing Cubes
These were all over Instagram last summer, I love anything to do with tidying and organising to I invested £4.29 in a set from Ebay. Almost as soon as they arrived, I packed Honey's holiday clothing and loved being able to group items according to different criteria (e.g. underwear, socks) as well as being able to roll whole outfits up together, making it easy for me to ask Honey to put on activity appropriate outfits each day. After packing Honey's things, I ordered two more sets of cubes for Ace and myself. I love them!

2. Tiddlers and Nippers Swimming Bag
You can read our full review of this super product here, but in a nutshell, this bag and the Tiddlers and Nippers microfibre towel save us space in the car, mean that we can put all our stuff in one locker at the pool and mean that the kids can pack, carry and unpack their own swimming kits.

3. Tiddlers and Nippers Wash Bag
This little gem has a carry handle so little ones can take responsibility for carrying their own bags to the shower block. There are 3 open top pockets, perfect for toothbrush, toothpaste and and small bottle of hair and body wash, then there's a mesh pocket which is great for their sponge/facecloth and a small pocket which is the perfect size for hairbands, packets of teetha granules or even earrings for older children. When open, the bag has a hook that means it can be hung over a shower door or tent pocket. We adore Tiddlers and Nippers products and you can use our discount code HONEY10 if you decide to order anything from their website.

4. Wheeled Suitcase
Honey used to have a Trunki which was super fun for riding through airports and hotels but not very practical in terms of shape or size. With a cabin sized wheeled suitcase, the packing cubes allow you to make the most of the space available inside the case. You can use the space around the cubes to pack last minute extras like slippers and cuddly toys. I bought Honey and Ace a case with 4 wheels on the bottom, they're really easy for both adults and children to pull along and great for packing into the car, Tetris style! Buying a cabin sized case also takes care of future proofing, hopefully they will still be using them when they're teenagers!

5. Small Backpack 
One of the last things I pack, is a small backpack of toys/activities for each child. They are involved in deciding what to put into their packs and I add in a couple of surprises (usually birthday or Christmas books/toys that they haven't got round to using yet). This means that if it rains or we decide to have a relaxed morning in the tent, they both have things to play with that interest them.

Whether your next trip away is camping, hosteling or going all inclusive, I hope these ideas have helped you get into your packing zone. Happy holidays everyone!

*Some of the Tiddlers and Nippers items pictured have been kindly gifted to us for the purpose of testing and writing honest reviews. All opinions expressed within this blog are my own.

Honey wears... Swimming Bag by Tiddlers and Nippers

Water Babies...

If you're like me, you probably take a huge bag to the pool with plenty of 'just in case' items that never see the light of day! Recently, I had a message from Tiddlers and Nippers asking if we would be interested in reviewing their swimming bag and towel and I seized the opportunity to scale down my packing list in a way that would also mean that Honey and Ace gained the responsibility of carrying their own things.

Firstly, tiddlersandnippers.com is easy to navigate, with all their items grouped in collections such as Bags and Accessories, Tiddler Apparel and Maternity Range. Clicking through the bags and accessories option, I scrolled through fun, colourful prints until I found the swimming bags. Ace was easy, Diggers and Lorries was the obvious choice but Honey took her time and eventually chose the Fabulous Fairies bag.

I received an order confirmation, shipping notification and tracking information very shortly after ordering and my parcel turned up super quickly and with the minimum of packaging.

As soon as they saw the bags, Honey and Ace couldn't wait to use them and packed them ready to go, there and then (unfortunately, coughs and colds meant we had to wait a few days)! In the front, mesh pocket, they put their hair and body wash, moisturiser, goggles and hairbrush. I also clipped our padlock (needed for the lockers at our swimming pool) to the zip so we won't forget to take it. In the main compartment, they stowed their new towels along with their swimsuits. Ace isn't in nappies anymore, but when I posted about the bags on Instagram, I  did have a query about whether a nappy would fit in too and I can confirm that there is enough space to add one if needed and a pack of wipes will fit too. 

The straps on the bags are really easy to adjust, which means that children of all ages will be able to carry their own bags and really take ownership of their swimming experience. The clip helps to get the bags off quickly if your toddler needs help and it is also fab if you want to attach the bag to a buggy (which we did for part of our journey when Honey was riding her bike).

Arriving at the pool, both children automatically started to get themselves changed, excitedly pulling their swimsuits out, unasked. I decided to put their clothes in my bag rather than back in theirs, so that I wouldn't get them wet when I fished the towels out after our swim (although there was definitely room for a pair of leggings, a top and underwear in the bag if you wanted to put them in there). Thanks to the compact size of the bags, all our things fitted into one locker (shoes included, but we left our coats in the car). 

After an hour in the pool, it was time to shower and test out the new towels. The towels a great size and are made from super absorbent microfibre and are incredibly soft on the skin. I hadn't told Honey that we were testing out the towels for a review, but she was absolutely raving about how quickly the towel dried her and I could hear the lady in the next cubicle saying that it sounded like she could do with a towel like that because hers was on its last legs! Ace managed to dry himself brilliantly with his towel, he did keep dropping the corners on the wet floor, but that didn't seem to impede its performance at all. 

Honey and Ace were able to put the towels away by themselves as there was plenty of room for them to go back in unfolded, then I repacked them into their pouches after washing and drying them at home. 

This bag is brilliant for swimming, but I would also recommend it for those who have babies and younger toddlers for quick trips out or when you don't want or need to take a full changing bag. It would even be useful for those who use cloth nappies, as the main compartment is separate and waterproof. 

If you haven't already, why not take a look at Tiddler and Nipper's range of super useful products in fun and funky prints and if you fancy treating your little ones (or yourself) to a bag and towel, use the discount code HONEY25 for 25% off at the checkout until Mother's Day 2019.

*One set of a swimming bag and towel was kindly gifted in order for me to write a review. I thought that the products were such a great idea, that I also bought another set so that they could have one each. All thoughts and opinions within this blog are my own and have not been approved or edited by the brand.

Honey and Ace wear... Bags by Tiddlers and Nippers