Woolsthorpe Manor

Regular readers will know that we love a good day out and many of our adventures come in the form of a trip to National Trust properties. We've been members of the National Trust since a trip to the Lake District a couple of years ago and we try and use our passes at least six times a year.

We are frequent visitors to Belton House and not far from there, and similar travel difference from home, is place we'd never been too, Woolsthorpe Manor. A new place seemed a great way to start our adventures for the year.

Set in a Lincolnshire village, Woolsthorpe Manor is a 17th century manor house and childhood home of Sir Issac Newton. 

Essentials For Crafting With Kids

So, you want to get more creative with the kids. Get the paints out. Turn toilet rolls into amazing things. Whether you're a seasoned crafter or someone that has never crafted before, either with or without the kids, there's a couple of things you may need to get you started!

April Giveaway!

It's a little late in the month but lets have a last minute giveaway shall we!

I've decided to go with an item that many of you can make use of! A voucher for one of the biggest online stores in the world, Amazon! 

Seaside Spotters

We Brits love to be beside the seaside! Whether it be winter or summer, a shock February heatwave or a late summer day, a little bit of good weather sees people flock to the beach and revel in the sunshine.

Lots of you love the sunshine and you love my spotting activities for the kids too, so lets combine the two!

So, can you spot.............


The beach

3 Budget Parent Dates For Under £20

Recently, Daddy and I have started to spend a little more one on one time together. Once a month he's taking a day off work and whilst Joseph's at school we go on a little day date together.

5 Free Things You Can Do With Kids

Having kids can be expensive, especially when you're keeping them entertained during the school holidays. Sometimes everything you look at seems to have gone up in price or got very expensive and I know from experience how it feels to sit scrolling through your phone at things to do with the kids only to realise you can't afford them.

So, here's 5 free things you can do with kids.

A trip to the park
Most kids love a trip to the park but if you're regulars at the local swings your kids might not feel all that excited. 

30 Minute Quiet Time Activities To Do With Your Child

So, you're kids are over excited about something, hyper after school, wired on sugar after a friends party, or maybe they simply want your attention, but they are loud and need to settle down.

Maybe you've had a long, tiring day and you'd like to have a few minutes of quiet time too, or maybe you just want to sit alongside your child, cuddle them and do something together.

Well, here's a few things you and your child can do together for a quiet 30 minutes.

Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles are something I used to do a lot of as a child and our son also took a shine to them from a very young age. 

5 Budget Easter Activities

Easter and half term are here, or just around the corner dependent on where you live! Whether your little ones are always asking for snacks, need constant entertainment or you've got the additional childcare costs, half terms are expensive!

Easter Tray Bake

As a cake lover I always find a bake for most occasions! Last year's Easter creation was very yummy so I thought it was only right for another new one, and here it is!

Tidy Stuff - Bras

Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head. No, not coconuts! Boobs! If' you've got them the chances are you've got bras too, but whether they are big or small, bras can be a bit fiddly to keep tidy and organised. 

5 Things You Need To Know Before Going To Disney With Under 5's

So, you've planned, or you're planning, to go to Disney and you're taking your little ones on the most magical adventure.

I've already written about planning your trip, how to get the best interactions, what you need for a day in the parks and our favourite rides. I've even shared our first experience of taking a toddler, so with these posts and everything else you've read online you're probably all prepared.

The Dishes You Should Have Mastered By The Time You Turn 30

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Cooking is often seen as a basic life skill and something that we all need to learn, and it's not just for the enjoyment of food. Being able fill your tummy and nourish yourself is part of being what I call a proper grownup! Not being able to cook will cause you to rely on takeouts and convenience foods, which are usually filled with all the bad stuff and aren't good for you.

Ideally by the time you're an adulting adult of 30 you will have mastered some of the basics of cooking and enjoy it. You may have even mastered a couple of signature dishes that are your go to when cooking for friends or family. But if you're reading this and thinking I'm not quite up to that level yet don't worry! As long as you can master these dishes you are off to a good start in the kitchen!

3 Budget Ideas To Get Your Little One Involved In The Garden

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It’s March and following the equinox on the 20^th, many people now say it is officially spring! The nights are lighter, the days brighter and air a little warmer. I’ve even started to hang washing out on the line so it must be warm!!

For many, and if budget allows, we start to think about holidays, school breaks and enjoying the outdoors. This year things will be low budget for us and we plan to have some time away in our little old bargain caravan!

We also plan to have a lot of time out in the garden and hope to spend some time entertaining friends and having a tipple or two! Every year we say we are going to make use of our garden and keep it weed free and well maintained but we never do! Now, with a four year old to entertain we’re finally acting like proper grownups and have made an early start. As mentioned in my Prepare Your Winter Garden For Spring post, we’ve cleaned and spruced, jet washed and scrubbed, weeded and cutback and planted seeds and bulbs. We still have some maintenance to do and, if I can get it cheap enough, I’d like some comfortable garden furniture but we are almost there.

Getting Mother's Day Crafty With Stampin' Up

Gifted

Mother's Day is just around the corner and if you're the crafty kind that's lots to craft and make. With cards, scrapbooks or a piece of artwork by the kids, there's lots to try.

But if you're wanting to try something new and take your crafting up a notch, stamping is an easy route to take. My mother in law is a big stamper and card maker and has a room full of supplies and although I've scrapbooked with her before, I've never made cards.

With a gifted bundle from Stampin' Up I've been able to get creative and make some cute little cards for Mother's Day.

5 Things You Need To Battle The Chickenpox

Disclaimer - I'm just a mum trying her best and am in no shape or form a medical professional. If you're concerned about your child's health please seek professional medical advice.

It'll be no surprise to those of you that follow me on Instagram that my latest blog post is about chickenpox!!

Just over a week ago we spotted the first few spots on JJ as we started to get ready for his friend's birthday party. As the afternoon went on there were more and more and soon enough they were everywhere! We had a really scary experience with JJ a few months ago were his temperature was out of control and he was monitored through the night by a GP via the 111 service and was very nearly admitted to hospital. With this in mind I was keen to get things under control and keep him as well as possible.

Using advice from the NHS website and from those that had recently had it themselves or children had, we complied our essentials for battling chickenpox.

How To Get Your Home Ready For Spring

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Spring is here and it is at this time of year when we start to think about a big spring clean or making some home improvements.  

March Giveaway!

It's a new month so it's time for a new giveaway! 

The team at Danilo have kindly gifted this month's prize, a Peppa Pig calendar from their My First Calendar range. 

My First Calendar

Gifted

Since starting school back in September, JJ has become a little obsessed with the days of the week. Is it P.E. today? Is it the weekend yet? What day is scooter day? But when is Friday? We seem to have the same conversations everyday about where we are in the week, and then there's the seasons! When is it summer? Is it warm enough for shorts? It goes on and on!

So, when I heard Danilo had created My First Calendar range to help little ones get to grips with the days of the week, months and seasons, I was extremely excited! Could this bring the end of the what day is it and what are we doing today questions?!!

RedKangaroo

Gifted Trip

Trampolining parks are quickly growing in popularity and are a great place for kids to burn off some energy! Having never had a trip to a trampoline park, we were excited when RedKangaroo invited us for a bounce at their Nottingham branch.

Tidy Stuff - 5 Ways To Store Lego

Lego is a wonderful creative toy. Kids can spend hours and hours playing and building amazing things, but lets be honest......it can be a nightmare to store and clean.

3 Tips for Personalising Your Home (So That It’s Not Just a Generic Living Space)

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'Home is where the heart is', as the old saying goes, but with many of us shopping in the same places, more and more of us are living in homes with similar interiors and our homes are become a little bit generic, rather than personalised environments which bear our own unique mark.

6 Facts About Fertility Everyone Should Know

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Regular readers will know that this blog first started as diary of our fertility struggle and I've recently decided to do more posts on the subject. Fertility is something lots of people struggle with and I'm a strong believe in being open about our journey and to stop the subject being taboo.

If you’re currently trying for a baby, or would like to start a family at some point in the future, you’ll find the following infographic particularly helpful. It contains six facts about fertility that have been compiled by a fertility clinic in London and may help you improve your chances of conception.

Here's Why Indonesia Should Be Your 2019 Travel Destination

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Are you still thinking of where to go for your big vacation this year? I'm sure that you've already got a few ideas whizzing around your head, but whittling it down to just the one could be proving difficult to do. 

Well, I could make things easier for you (or harder if you're indecisive!) and share a place that is proving to be really popular in 2019......Indonesia! It's the perfect spot to travel to if you want to experience the relaxation of a tropical beach getaway, but there are also lots of great activities and things to see and do! You certainly won't be bored!

Living DNA - The Results!!

Gifted

A few month's ago I reviewed the first part of the Living DNA ancestry testing. With the ability to breakdown ancestry to 80 worldwide regions, including 21 with the UK, Living DNA gives one of the most deep and accurate results around.

How To Help Your Child Learn A Foreign Language

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Learning a language can open up a whole new world for your children. But where should you start? Mill Hill School share their top tips on how you can help lay the foundations for your child’s foreign language learning success…



Start early

The earlier you introduce a second language, the easier it will be for your child to learn it later on. Start by introducing your chosen language to your child by learning a few words at a time.

As soon as your child starts to learn new words and begins to develop their vocabulary, start to point out to your child that food, animals and objects can all have two names. You can also use children’s music and television shows in a second language to encourage learning.

Use flashcards or labels

Using flashcard or labeling objects around your house is a quick and easy way to help your children learn the names of everyday items in another language. Simply purchase a pack of ready-made flashcards or make your own labels using sticky notes and a bold marker.

Reading the labels, whenever your child spots them around your home, will help them to store the names of the objects in their memory.

Online lessons and apps

There are many useful and often free online courses and apps that will allow your child to learn from the comfort of their own home. These resources can help to make learning a new language more fun and engaging for children by using interactive games.

These simple starting points will help to provide the essential language learning tools.

Learning languages doesn’t need to be a tiresome task. It is important to make the process fun and interesting for children. Try to incorporate language learning into your everyday lifestyle and use fun activities to increase attention and focus.

Mummy Snowy Owl
xx

Tidy Stuff - Trying To Achieve A Tidy Home

Whether you're kid free and working, managing a brood of little ones as a stay at home parent or doing something between the two, keeping a tidy home can be hard work.

When I was kid free and working full-time I always struggled to stay on top of laundry and ironing. Now, as a parent, it's keeping toys tidy and crumbs off the floor!

Boots Made For Memories

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Having fun means making memories, which often means exploring. We frolic through the trees quite often, and to do that, we need boots. They keep our feet warm, they're comfortable, and they provide support when we want to trollop through the leaves.

I always make sure I have a good pair of boots around for adventures such as these. Here are some of the tried and true styles that work for style, comfort, and use in all outdoor exploring weather.

Another February Giveaway!

As promised in the earlier giveaway post, this month there is a second giveway!!

This one is also book related but is for the grown-ups!! If you love books and TV, especially a good adaptation then these pair are for you.

February Giveaway!

This month's giveaway is a little late to the party but it's finally here! As Reading Week has taken place at our son's school this term and with World Book Day next month, I thought it was fit to have a book giveaway! Two of them!

The first is this selection of ten children's books! 

39 Ways To Make Money From Your Crafting Hobby

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Crafting is a great way of separating yourself from the day and letting your mind wander into something more creative. It’s also a fantastic way of making a little bit of extra cash here and there and if you don’t have time to run a full crafting business, you might be wondering how you can earn some extra money from your hobby. So, to help you out, here are some great way of making money from your crafting hobby.

Giving Conception The Best Start With Dr Fertility

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When I first started blogging 7 years ago it was all about our fertility struggle. It was an outlet for my emotions and a diary of our journey into eventual parenthood.

Becoming parents was a long road for us. Hospital referrals, two lap and dyes, endometriosis diagnosis, cauterisation, tube flush, repeated miscarriage and a round of Clomid, finally resulted in us having our wonderful, albeit a little feral and crazy, redheaded boy.

It was an incredibly hard 6 years of trying to conceive and at the time it was very lonely and isolating time, but when I began to be more open, I found others were too. The support of a select few then helped us through the darker days. Opening up the conversation helped both myself and others speak more freely about trying to conceive and the different struggles to do so.

Love Heart Cake

In our house there's a sweet treat for every occasion. Birthday? Let's bake a cake. Friends coming round? Let's bake a couple of dozen cookies. 

So, why not preheat the oven and bake a little V day treat like this one?

Getting Crafty With DesignBundles.net

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Many of you will know I love a bit of crafting! Most of my projects are aimed at children and are created from my years of experience as Brownie leader (aka Snowy Owl).

Just like when I create crafts and activities for my Brownies, a lot of the ones here on Mummy Snowy Owl are budget ones. Nobody wants to spend a lot of money on craft items that they may not use again. Many of us also don’t have the money to buy expensive craft materials or equipment that might only be used on a couple of projects.

Growing Your Business Via Email

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When I first started this blog it was all about fertility and our struggle to conceive. Then under the name of The Katie C Blog, it was an outlet for my emotions. The arrival of our son saw me moving things forward with posts on pregnancy and parenting. I then began to mix in craft ideas from my experience of being a Snowy Owl (Brownie leader) and Mummy Snowy Owl was born.
 

How We Potty Trained In A Week!

It's been a while since we potty trained, but after commenting on a couple of posts on social media about how long it took us and getting a lot of 'wow, that was so fast' and 'how did you do it', I thought I'd share our potty training experience with you.

Please don't mistake me for any kind of earth wonder mother or child psychologist though. Like many parents the thought of potty training filled me with dread and the thought of pee and poop on my carpet, furniture and me, made me feel a bit sick. As our little boy approached his third birthday though, it was time to get on with it!

Tidy Stuff - How To Wash Lego!

We love, love, love Lego!

Don't get me wrong walking on it isn't my favourite thing to do, but Lego is one one of out favourite toys. It gives the opportunity for creative play and a huge amount of imagination. Lots of play though can mean the Lego gets grubby. Sticky fingers, uncaught sneezes and crumbs can make it dirty but it's not all that easy to clean. 

Charity Spotlight - Calendar Boys & CALM

As January comes to a close it's time to share another good cause and charity with you. Although, it's a little late to be sharing January's Charity Spotlight it is certainly no lesser a good cause. It is in fact a very important one.

I recently came across the Calendar Boys on Twitter after a blogger friend retweeted one of their tweets, and because I'm nosy I headed over to their page to have a look. 

Calendar Boys are a group of men that met via a Slimming World Facebook group. Initially sharing ideas and support whilst on their weight loss journey, an ideal to do something for a great cause was formed. Later in the year the Calendar Boys will be releasing a 2020 calendar in aid of CALM.

Cherry & Apricot Cookies

We love a good cookie and they're one of my specialties! It's been a while since I've made a batch so I decided on a new recipe and this is the outcome.

How To Add Some Fun To Your Home Design

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If you want to do something a little different with your home, you might want to consider adding some fun to it. I realise this sounds a bit strange and you may be thinking 'how do I add fun to my home design?'! 

Well, it's much simpler than you think and this post is to help you step away from standard designs and go for fun ones!

Tinpo

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I don't know about any other parents but I get super excited when there's a new TV show in town. If, like Joseph, your little one watches the same shows on repeat a new bright and interesting kids TV show can act as light relief!

Tinpo is a brand new kids TV show for preschoolers, brought to you by the teams behind Thomas and Friends, and Nelly and Nora, so you know that it's going to be good!

New Year, New Home?

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So you've perfected the Rightmove scroll. You've filtered your search, set your radius, maybe even set up an alert for new properties, and then there it is! The home of your dreams! It's in the area that you want and at a price that you can afford, but your house isn't even on the market yet!

                                 

So, what do you need to do to get your home sale ready and ensure your prepared for moving house? 

Keeping Your Home Warm In Winter

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I recently posted about preparing for winter storms and as the temperature takes a dip it's time to think about keeping warm!

Colder weather can mean a chill in the house and our house used to be so draughty! But after we were part of a sustainable living project we began to think about how we could stay warm and keep out the cold, and now I'm going to share a few tips to help you too!

Preparing Your Winter Garden For The Spring

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Every year I plan to make a super early start on our garden so it's full of blooms come spring, but I'm always a little late to the planting party! This year though I'm keen to stick to my plan and have blooms in my garden come Easter! 

3 Little Tips For Buying A New Mattress!

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A bad night's sleep can ruin a day. Whether you're employed, a stay at home parent or a mix of both, having a bad night's sleep can leave you not able to function properly and a bit grumpy!

A bad night's sleep can happen for a number of reasons. Newborn babies, well any children for that matter, can play their part, as can noisy neighbours or the snoring of your other half. For many of us though, and myself included, it's simply because you can't get comfortable, but what's the reason?

If you can't get comfy the chances are it's time to think about buying a new mattress. 

19 Books For 2019!

I love books and when I was younger I was a keen reader but as I've got older I've found that I barely read. Distracted by the TV or busy scrolling social media I rarely pick up a book, but do you know what I buy a lot of or ask for every birthday or Christmas?

BOOKS!!

5 Tips To Help You Prepare For Winter Storms

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Believe it or not we're currently half way through winter! If last year is anything to go by though the end of February and the arrival of March will bring cold, snow and a winter that rolls into spring.

3 Sleep & Productivity Tips For Busy Mothers

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Being productive and getting a good sleep can be a challenge when you’re running a tight ship. While you may have the perfect plan in place and try to schedule everything to get the hours of sleep you need, you never know when an emergency can pop up and throw a wrench in your plans. 

There are some things that you can do as a mother to help you improve your sleep quality and be more productive too!

Popcorn Shed

Gifted

National Popcorn Day is approaching and we're big fans of popcorn! 

We regularly have a family movie night and popcorn is always one of the treats we have. Daddy and Joseph like sweet and salted, but I prefer the toffee kind so we often have a variety.

When I heard about all the different flavours that Popcorn Shed had created we were all keen to give them a try and there was definitely lots of ooooooosss when the gifted box of popcorn arrived!

January Giveaway!

January's giveaway is here and this time its a selection of Deep Freeze goodies.

Designed for muscle and joint pain, sprains and strains, Deep Freeze provides pain relief combined with cold therapy.