Ayuda House B&B, in Bowden near Altrincham, Cheshire is the winner of the Hidden Gem North West award from eviivo - and as soon as you arrive at this huge family home tucked away on a quiet cul-de-sac corner, you know that description is perfect.


Ayuda means 'Helpful', and I honestly believe that is the owner Melinda's raison d'etre. Before we even set off, we'd been warned via text message where roadworks were so that we could avoid a 20 minute detour, and offered a sandwich when we arrived. It wasn't far for us, so not necessary. Ayuda house is incredibly easy to find, 4 miles from Manchester Airport and 10 miles from Manchester city centre.


Melinda and her partner Derek were ready to greet us, and spoke to the children as well as the adults - something I'm always impressed with. The boys were anxious to investigate, so we were shown the downstairs shared areas.

Yesterday I went over to The Arndale Centre in Manchester - not to shop, but instead to have my brain waves read by some of the latest technology. It's not the sort of thing that usually happens to me on any given Tuesday, but it was fascinating and I highly recommend it.


Explore, the Small Group Adventure Holiday company, had set up their unique #explorethemoment experiment – the first of its kind ever to take place in the UK - to give some holiday inspiration to members of the public. I felt I had only one place in the world on my bucket list, so inspiration could only be a good thing..

Danny Dingle's Fantastic Finds: The Metal-Mobile is the first in a series of books written by Angie Lake and illustrated by Suruchi Sati and Shanith MM, and published by Sweet Cherry Publishing. Aimed at independent readers aged around 7-8+, it is very quirky, and a great read for any child who is just becoming confident reading alone.


Our hero Danny (aka Experimental Face) intends to be the super secret spy assistant to the world's best superhero, Metal Face, when he grows up. Metal Face doesn't yet exist, so Danny and his mate Percy spend their time preparing by conducting scientific experiments... like seeing how loud a fart is if you are sitting on concrete, or how to save an egg from smashing when it's launched into the air.

Write Size are a range of differently sized children's pencils designed especially to help with handwriting. There are 3 sizes, each with specific design features to help younger children learn to write neatly without the frustrations standard pencils can pose.


I first saw Write Size Pencils at Blog On September, and I was really interested. Having watched and helped all of our children learn to write, we've had many struggles with grip, or pencils with lead that snaps every 15 seconds. I was really intrigued to see how Write Size were different, and how that works in reality.

The kids have been back at school for 1 week and already one of mine has brought home some visitors. Not the kind of guests who eat all your food and don't put the loo seat down, these are the kind who turn up uninvited and make you itch...


Head lice and nits are a constant battle for parents in most parts of the UK, it's only in remote areas you are likely to escape. Before you feel disgusted, just bear in mind that a child has to have friends in order to catch head lice. They pretty much need to have head to head contact, so the little blighters can walk from one person to another. Your child is spending time playing with other children, so it isn't all bad.

I am delighted to say that we have the opportunity to return to the Just So Family Arts Festival again in August this year, and this time we should be camping! Yeeay! Just So is produced by Wild Rumpus, and provides an imaginative outdoor adventure that is truly like no other.


We've been twice now, and had the most amazing time. I've previously written a 2015 Just So Festival Review and  2016 Just So Festival Review, as well as a special post for the LEGO Scooby Doo Mystery Machine On Tour.


This year Just So Festival will take over it's usual site at the gorgeous Rode Hall Estate in Cheshire from 18th-20th August. There is a real emphasis on creating your own fun out of seeming very little, and all of the arts are celebrated.

 Doesn't the living room look huge without the Christmas tree....said everyone each January...

So Christmas happened, and for us it was good. Lots of relaxed time, nice food and family movies. There may also have been a little LEGO. We spent the New Year with some great friends, and even the return to 'normality' was a bit less stressed because my children only went back to school this week.

2 weeks with our 19 year old home from University really was a pleasure (it's amazing how much you miss them when they move away) and the whole family were ALL able to enjoy Christmas Dinner together as we always have, on Christmas Eve night. It was a very special meal.

It was sadly also patently obvious we had an empty chair at the table, and that night a space in the room where someone else could place their stocking... Christmas makes it very easy to miss those who aren't there.

January is very hard for a lot of people, and a few of my own friends and family have already stumbled. It's dismal and dark and cold, and we have no mid-Winter Festivals to look forward to, only the long stretch towards Summer and sunlight. Head down, strap on the fin and just keep swimming is a great short-term solution, but it's exhausting and brooding, and it means we miss what is happening around us.

It might seem at first backward, but I hope we all get some snow. You can't deny the calming beauty. Crisp fresh air and a clean slate to the world. It blows away the cobwebs, makes you talk to your neighbours, and gives everyone some vitamin D - intentionally or not. It still works even when you are de-icing your car or clearing the driveway... it still breaks through the gloom. It forces change, it makes us wake up, and even if it gives us something to moan about, judging by Facebook, that alone makes a lot of people very happy.

It's a lovely day when I'm sent something that I liked the sound of, and it far surpasses my expectations. One Third Stories have really achieved that. Their ideal is that every child should have the chance to be bilingual - they want to start a language learning revolution through stories - and their first books are available now. We've been sent the French Language Learning Bundle to review.


I have reviewed children's books now for several years and I was introduced to One Third Stories at a very early stage when they launched on Kickstarter. I liked the sound of it so much that I agreed to promote it - and I'm very pleased I did. The finished product is gorgeous, and it really works!


The French Lanuage Learning Bundle we've been contains a Story Book (with excellent illustrations by Hannah Hutchings), Activity Book (in 4 languages), sheets of double-sided press-out Flash Cards (one side English) and a French Fact File.

We're big fans of children's festivals, and this year we'll be going to Arley Hall in Cheshire from 27th-29th May to review the 2017 Geronimo Festival. This is a brand new location for the festival, which hosts over 130 fun filled activities for families with children under 13, split over ten zones.


The Main Stage at Geronimo boasts shows from some of the biggest children's TV celebrities - including Andy Day, Katie Ashworth, Alex Winters, Luke And Emma, Sohan and more. 

Towards the end of November we were invited by Anki Overdrive to go down to London and have a bit of fun at their Christmas Party. We love the Anki Overdrive, it's great all-round entertainment here, so how could we refuse?


Anki had done some magic, because they'd managed to set up 4 different playable tracks on 3 floors of The Driver - an impressive feat when you remember the cars are robotic and controlled by bluetooth connections. We've reviewed the Anki Family Bundle previously, and regularly play 4-player, but I'm still really impressed they could maintain connection despite the building being so busy.