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A Visit to Waddesdon Manor’s Christmas Carnival

Tuesday, November 27, 2018 Permalink
Waddesdon Manor Christmas carnival light display

If you're a regular reader of Hot Pink Wellingtons, you'll know I love a good National Trust property. Waddesdon Manor has been on my wishlist for a visit for ages, but is a fair drive for us, so apart from one Tuesday a few years ago where we turned up to find it closed (top tip - visit Wed-Sun!), it's not made it to the top of our list. But when Waddesdon got in touch to tell me all about their Christmas Carnival, I knew it would be a wonderful time of year to finally make that visit. Waddesdon's Christmas Carnival is open until 2nd January, and it's absolutely crammed with festive activities. The house is all decorated for Christmas, there ...

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It Might Not Be That Bad After All…

Friday, November 9, 2018 Permalink
Shot looking down at little boy playing with Lego on wooden floor

It's fair to say that I've had my doubts and misgivings about how ready Max was for school. He's always seemed young for his age, and I was concerned that the emphasis on reading and writing would turn him off of learning full stop. If it was up to me, I think I'd have kept him home with me forever! But something changed my mind last week. It was a tiny moment in the grand scheme of things. I've been making a big effort to give Max some short one-to-one time where he gets to choose the activity. He chose a Lego set, which we'd built together once before, and I noticed back then just how much direction Max needed to keep ...

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I’m not cut out for life as a school mum!

Monday, October 29, 2018 Permalink
Pile of childrens books with cup on top

It's fair to say that I spent the last year burying my head in the sand about Max starting school. I've made no secret of the fact that I would happily have kept him home with me for much longer, and that I didn't really feel he was ready. My little boy just wasn't grown up enough to be heading off to school 5 days a week! Over the summer, I put so much effort into making sure that Max was ready. I read all those lists of things that your child should be able to do before starting school, and we worked on each thing slowly. Can use cutlery? Check. Can recognise their own name? Check. Can wipe their bottom? ...

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Make Space For Play {With The Great Little Trading Company}

Thursday, October 18, 2018 Permalink
The Gulliver toy storage unit from the Great Little Trading Company

When Max was little, I remember saying that we wouldn't let toys overtake our living room. Sadly we don't have a spare room in our house to turn into a playroom, and I was determined that our living room would stay an adult space, with toys tidied away in the evening. But, as I'm sure happens to us all, slowly the toys started to invade our house. First there was the jumperoo, then the toy cars, then the collection of Toy Story toys. And then Ben, our second child, came along and somewhere along the line we lost all sight of our adult space, just sweeping all the toys to one side once bedtime came along. The Great Little Trading Company ...

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A Visit To Wrest Park

Wednesday, October 17, 2018 Permalink
Mother and little boy hugging underneath a tree in autumn sunshine. The leaves on the tree are red, and both mother and son are laughing

Wrest Park has been on my wish list for a visit for ages, but it's that little bit too far from us to make it an easy trip. Plus it's English Heritage and we don't have membership, which makes it a somewhat pricey day out. But we've recently got a new car and we're no longer limited by mileage like we were in our previous lease car, so last weekend we headed off to Wrest Park to see what it had to offer.     Wrest Park is a Grade I listed House located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, surrounded by acres of beautiful grounds. Most of the house was closed to the public during our visit, as there was a wedding fair on, but ...

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Why A Bedtime Routine Really Can Improve Your Baby’s Sleep

Monday, October 15, 2018 Permalink
Why A Bedtime Routine Really Can Improve Your Baby’s Sleep

This is a paid collaboration as part of my Ambassador role with Johnson’s Baby   It’s fair to say that we’ve had an up and down relationship with bathtime in our house. Both of our boys have had phases where they’ve hated the bath, and although we’re in a good phase now, the thought of doing a bath and then the ensuing crying when you get them out is often too much to face at the end of a long day. Our boys tend to get 2-3 baths a week, rather than the bath forming a key part of our bedtime routine. But what if a stricter bathtime routine could help them to sleep better? The Johnson’s Baby 3-step bedtime routine consists of ...

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The Best Halloween Films for Younger Children

Thursday, October 11, 2018 Permalink
Halloween films for younger children

It's been amazing to see the rise of Halloween in the UK in the last few years. It's gone from being seen as an American celebration, to an occasion that nearly all families celebrate. Last year, Max fully embraced the excitement, getting carried away with the buzz as his nursery and our neighbours all put up decorations and dressed up, and he was keen to watch some 'spooky' films. But, being 3, it was difficult to pick ones that wouldn't give him nightmares! All of the following went down really well and were pitched really well for a 3 year old. We'll be digging them out again this year too, as at 4, he's still not ready for a full ...

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A Visit to Carters Steam Fair

Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Permalink
Toddler riding in a vintage Alfa Romeo on vintage carousel at Carters Steam Fair

For a long time now I've noticed the signs for Carter's Steam Fair when it's near us and been meaning to go, but we've always had something else on that weekend. So when we were invited to visit them last weekend at Englefield Green I jumped at the chance! Carter's Steam Fair isn't your usual funfair. The Carter family have spent the last 40 years collecting and restoring vintage fairground rides and they tour the South East of England. It's a real throwback to a bygone era, with every ride painted in beautiful colours and with pretty lightbulbs everywhere. Carter's have been featured in lots of TV and films too, including Call the Midwife, The Theory of Everything, and, most importantly ...

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Me and Mine: September 2018

Sunday, September 30, 2018 Permalink
Family standing in dappled sunlight in the woods, with autumn leaves on the ground

September feels like it's been the month we've been building up to for so long somehow, as it marked the start of school for Max. It feels like it's been looming over us for so long now, ever since we put the school application in, and as much as I think we tried to pretend that it wasn't happening, we knew that it was on the horizon. And despite all of the worry and anxiety from all of us, it's gone more smoothly than we ever could have imagined. Sure, we've had the expected tiredness and tantrums after school, but it seems that Max is really enjoying it, and we've not yet had so much as a whisper of him ...

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Encouraging Wildlife in the Garden with Boxwild

Monday, September 24, 2018 Permalink
Little boy filling bird feeder with bird seed

We're such big fans of learning about nature as a family and anything that gets us outside in the garden is always a big hit. One of Max's favourite activities is topping up his bird feeder and seeing all the different kinds of birds come flocking to feast on the seed. We loved our Gift Box from Boxwild last year, so it was a lovely surprise for Max to receive their Children's Bird Gift Box from them. It contains a nesting box with paints for you to paint it yourself, along with two packs of birdseed, a bird feeder, and a little scoop. He was so excited to open it up and see that he had his very own bird ...

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