Project Kids Rooms

Over the summer I had a decision to make, to move or not to move. I live in a lovely 3 bedroom house but with all the stuff that comes with kids, it feels very small some days. The main issue I had was that B had no space to store things in her room and never spent time in her room so most of her stuff lived downstairs. Similarly with H, her room still felt like a nursery, although to be honest was just a dumping ground for things that wouldn’t go anywhere else. Her old baby toys were in there but nothing else. She slept in there and that was it. My tenancy runs out in November so I was thinking about moving. Trouble is, if I moved would it be just me and the girls or would the move involve Mr D? So we had the conversation and both agreed we like our own space as well as time together and now isn’t the time. Neither of us said it never would be the time so now my decision was 1 – stay put until we reach a point where we all move together or 2 – move, but then possibly move again in a years time if we decide to make that move! To be honest, I decided that November isn’t the easiest time of year to move house and so got thinking of how I could make this house work better for us.

For 3 weeks in the summer the girls were with their dad so me and Mr D had our adult holiday and then on the day we got home I decided over dinner and on no sleep for 36 hours that I would not only decorate the girls rooms but would swap their rooms over and get new bunk bed’s for B, and I would start the next day! I don’t know how I did it but I did, between work and decorating I didn’t miss my babies as much as I would have normally and now we are much more organised at home so mission complete!!

              

This was H’s room, soon to become B’s room with a bit of inspiration:

 

 

      

 

Next up we have what was once B’s room, being transformed into a Princess bedroom for a Princess!

     

         

 

I still can’t quite believe I got it all done, who says girls can’t do blue jobs?? Although if you’re reading Mr D….B still needs her shelf putting up!!!

Olive the Ostrich

Kids TV is great isn’t it? Ok, maybe some of it is and some of it can drive parents mad. Every once in a while a new show pops up and as a parent I think, yes, that’s a good one.

Nick Jr have just launched one of those kids programmes  and if you haven’t yet seen it look out for Olive the Ostrich.

Olive is an ostrich with a huge heart and a big imagination. When she buries her head in the sand she goes on fantastical adventures, popping up somewhere new in every episode. She is friendly, enthusiastic and loves to solve problems wherever she goes.

Narrated by Rolf Harris, each episode of Olive the Ostrich features characters, props and backgrounds created by children aged 6 to 9 years. Selected schools from across the UK hosted workshops to inspire creativity and develop storytelling skills. Pupils learnt about the film making process and created artwork which was used in the finished episodes, after being brought to life by the show’s animators.

Olive the Ostrich is created in partnership with The Prince’s Foundation for Children and the Arts.

I was asked to review the program with H so this evening we sat after dinner and watched 2 episodes. H thought it was great, she commented on how colourful and happy it was. She then spent 10 minutes singing the theme tune!  Now in my eyes, that means she enjoyed it!! Even B watched it with us and she was engrossed, considering she is 8 that just shows how versatile this program is.

As for me, well I found myself chuckling along. Rolf Harris narrates wonderfully clearly, and hearing him reminded me of my own childhood. The episodes we watched saw Olive travel to a theatre to see William Shakesbear and to a cowboy ranch where she met a goat called Billy the Kid, oh and not to mention at one point we saw Olive crowd surfing!

Olive the Ostrich can also be found on the Nick Jr website where you can find colouring activities and clips to watch so why not check it out here.

Each episode is just 5 minutes long, which is ideal for little minds as it’s not to long that they lose interest half way through. At 8:15am and 6:30pm you can find Olive the Ostrich on Nick Jr, so let your little ones check it out. I’ve not got Nick Jr until my Sky gets installed in a fortnight, but I have already promised H that she can watch it once we have the channel!!

Back to school range at Clintons!!

It’s that time of year again and everone is shouting about their amazing Back to School range, it can sometimes be a bit daunting as to where to start and what your kids actually need, so when I was approached to review Clintons back to school range I thought that would be an ideal way to see what’s out there.

Clintons is here to help get the new school year off to a great start – from themed pencil cases, lunch boxes and notepads to thoughtful back to school cards, yes you really can get cards for everything these days! Clintons is also making it easier for parents by offering 3-for-2 on its back to school range from 16^th August (whilst stocks last), helping you treat your little ones within budget.

I have to say I was really impressed when I looked at the products. Here’s some of the items in the range and what I thought:

Stay organised with this colourful Boofle Notepad – £3.99

It’s so cute, perfect for any girl at school, whatever the age! B loves this and she is 8, but I would imagine many teenagers will like this too. It has a cute dangly tag on the spine and an elastic band meaning if your kids want to keep loose bits of paper in with their notebook, it will all be held together!

 

 

 

This set of two Boofle Pens will help to inspire wonderful words – £3.99

Not only are these great for back to school, but they are of good quality, you could put these away for friends birthdays. Pens always go missing so the fact this is a pack of two is great – one for now and one for when the first gets lost!!

 

Keep all of your school stationary in order with this funky Tokyo Toys Pencil Case – £3.99

This pencil case is fantastic. The small pocket on the front is fab for pencil sharpeners meaning no annoying shavings getting all over those brand new pencils and pens! And they really have it right with the danglies, kids love them! This is great quality and just the right size for kids of the younger age range, who only need a few bits!

 

                                           

And then we have the important stuff, lunch time is not just about food and Clinton have seen that and bring these fantastic products out. The lunch bag is priced at £7.99 and the bottle at £3.99. What I really love though is that the bag has an elastic strap in it, meaning you can put the bottle in, or anything else, and be assured it will stay upright by making sure it’s sat in the strap. It’s a decent size, I think I could even fit my own lunch in there!!

 

Clinton Cards is the largest specialist retailer of quality greetings cards, gifts and related products in the UK. Founded in 1968, Clinton Cards now has over 650 stores nationwide and two million shoppers through its doors each week.

 

I have to admit, I wouldn’t have thought about going to a card shop for my back to school supplies, but after trying out some of the range, I will definitely be heading over there to see what else is about, and would recommend these products without a doubt!!