Top 6 Gifts For A 5 Year Old Girl

Why does it always seem to be someone's birthday?

My children have been invited to so many birthday parties recently and because I like to go shopping with them for interesting gifts to give to their friends, it gave me the idea of putting together a little gift guide for when you find yourself without a gift and need some ideas.

Pick Your Own Fruit, Yes Please!

On a beautiful sunny day I can think of nothing better to do than spend an hour or so in fresh air picking fruit from trees and bushes, and that's exactly what was next on our list for things to do with the family this summer.
We hadn't had very good weather for a few days so when we saw the forecast for some truly summery weather coming our way, we jumped at the chance to plan a day out in the sunshine. If you read my blog regularly you will know that we live in the countryside which makes activities like this slightly easier and we found a place not too far away where we could go and pick fruit ourselves.

Time For A Nature Hunt

Summer is a great time to be out and about, especially with the little ones. When it's nice weather you don't want to be cooped up inside, you want to be outside enjoying the sunshine but what can you do so the kids don't get bored? Well here's a seriously easy and low-cost idea...

Healthy Chicken Wraps // Family Meals

I am on a constant search for meals for my family that are healthy, fulfilling and affordable. I want to make sure that we get the right nutrients that contribute to a balanced diet so I'm really happy when I can pull together a relatively simple meal like this that the whole family (including picky eaters) will enjoy.

Turning 31!

I can't believe that it's been a whole year since I entered into my thirties! Where did the time go? I feel like I was only just getting used to the big 30 and now I've got to add a one onto it.
I'm not afraid of aging as we experience things differently as we get older and I must admit that since last year I have been looking at my life and the world through new eyes.
I didn't want a party or anything like that this year because I didn't really see the point anymore. Instead my friends and family wished me happy birthday and gave me a few small gifts (even though I told them not to get me anything) and to be honest; I enjoyed this birthday far more than in previous years. Perhaps it is because I had no expectations and instead just concentrated on enjoying the day. I was in a seriously positive mood and the sun was shining so I just enjoyed my day and continued on with my normal daily life with the added bonus of cake ;)

Are you in your early 30's or about to enter them? Do you see things differently than you did in your twenties?

Have a great day!

An Afternoon At The Beach

Summer is finally here and the school holidays are fast approaching. If you are like me then you're probably putting your thinking cap firmly on and trying to come up with ideas of what to do with the little ones that won't cost an arm and a leg. It's no secret that money is tighter nowadays than ever and most 'family days out' just aren't very affordable so I thought I'd start a new theme of posts about finding things to do with the kids that cost as little as possible but will still be lots of fun.

5 Tips To Help Your Child To Brush Their Teeth Better

Teaching your children how to brush their teeth properly can be a bit tedious at times, especially when they're really small and don't completely understand why you want to stick a brush with slimy toothpaste on it into their mouths.

Packing Guide For A Sleepover

 

As any parent will undoubtedly encounter, there comes a time when your child will have their first sleepover. This is a time filled with mixed feelings of worry that they'll be away from home for the first time and also of elation that you will finally have the evening all to yourselves without having to be concerned whether the TV is too loud.

Bars Of Soap Are Making A Comeback

Just a quick one today as we head into the weekend. When I was growing up we always had lovely smelling bars of soap with which to wash with, but somewhere along the way bars of soap went 'out of fashion'. I'm not sure when this happened exactly but everyone began using liquid soap and I must admit that we followed suit. I don't know why. Especially when you consider that liquid soap is way more expensive, packaged in plastic and lasts a fraction of the time. Bars of soap became something that granny's use and weren't 'hip' anymore.

Healthy Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry

I am on a mission to find healthy meals to feed the family, which can appear like a tall order sometimes. Fortunately there are loads of recipes around at the moment and everyone seems to be concentrating on these two key factors; healthy and cheap.

What to wear... Summer Dress Edition

Are you stuck for ideas on what to wear this summer?
You want to look nice and stay cool as we welcome in the glorious season that is summer. Here you'll find a selection of dresses that range from pretty florals to catchy prints and can be easily adapted for day and night.

Golden Flapjacks

I've been thinking about making something yummy for a while now and I've been a huge fan of oats since I had my youngest daughter. Having never made flapjacks before, I began perusing the internet for recipes and found that there are many different ways of making them. As I didn't find one that I was completely happy with, I decided to adapt one in my own way.

10 Ideas For The Easter Break

 

Only a couple of days left until a nice long weekend filled with chocolate, goodies and hopefully lots of fun! I am seriously looking forward to it so have been trawling through Pinterest (like I need an excuse) looking for ideas for food and fun things to do with the kids this weekend.

Decorating of The Easter Branch // Paastak versieren

Spring is here and Easter is almost upon us and here in the Netherlands you can find an abundance of chocolate eggs and decorations in the shops. You can also find these particular Easter branches (paastakken) for sale in supermarkets and florists. I'm not sure whether this tradition exists only in the Netherlands or if people also do it elsewhere in Europe, but the idea of it is to have these branches in your home to celebrate the arrival of the spring season.

March Beauty Faves & Chit Chat

It's warming up outside and winter is fast becoming a faded memory, finally! March was a busy month for me and I kept it pretty neutral and basic when it came to the beauty products that I used.

My Night Time Routine

I think that everyone has their own routine at the end of a busy day. That could be jumping straight into your pajamas or having a long soak in the bath. Whatever suits you to unwind and get ready for some well earned beauty sleep.

5 DIY projects to try this weekend

I'm always on the lookout for new ideas to add quirky splashes of colour and design to my home. Here are 5 DIY projects that are easy to do and have a great result, enjoy!

What I've been up to // Update

Well it's been a busy couple of weeks but I've managed to squeeze in some time to do a few things like baking and cooking healthier meals. I can't stand being bored but at the same time I don't like being rushed off my feet because I'm so busy. I prefer my days to be somewhere in between but unfortunately it cannot always be that way. Anyway, what have I been up to?

hola, amigos! // Learning a new language

Learning a new language is never easy and especially for someone like me who has never been able to truly wrap my head around any other language than my mother tongue. But that doesn't mean a girl can't try though and I've decided to take up learning Spanish.

Bursting blueberry muffins

When you're trying to live a happier, healthier life I think it's extremely important to treat yourself from time to time. That's why we decided that if we're going to have a dessert, then we'd only have one during the weekends. This doesn't mean that we pig out on loads of bad stuff after dinner, but more like we make our own desserts when we fancy it. When you make something yourself you know exactly what you're putting into it and therefore cut out most (if not all) of the preservatives and unexpected additives that food manufacturers add into the desserts you can buy ready done.