Parenting advice, news, opinion and life with my mini moo
Halloween increasingly overshadows bonfire night - certainly compared to when I was a child when I don’t really recall Halloween being a particularly big deal. But with October 31 and November 5 falling in the same week, families with young children are far more likely to do a Halloween themed day out - as fireworks... Continue Reading →
Godstone Farm in Surrey is a great place for a family day out, and one of the closest children’s activity farms (apart from city farms) to London, so it is popular with families with children of all ages. It offers a chance to see, learn about and feed farm animals, from goats and sheep to... Continue Reading →
It's still only September but bookings are already filling up for seeing Santa. Last year (2021) with all the uncertainty still around COVID-19 for a second Christmas in a row, we were a little cautious about booking to see Santa somewhere expensive and then having to cancel. As our daughter was only three we felt... Continue Reading →
What is a good gift for my child’s teachers? When my daughter left nursery we wanted to give three types of gift: something handmade for her key workers; something all members of staff could share; and a present for the nursery itself, I.e. a toy or book that the younger children and future children could... Continue Reading →
It was my daughter’s last day of nursery on Friday! She has been going full time since she was 14 months old (when I had a delayed return to work after maternity leave due to needing to find another job). She’s had a lovely time at nursery and learnt a lot; I will never forget... Continue Reading →
If you have a splash park near you then make the most of it! Children love to run around under sprinklers and get wet when it’s hot, and there are parks with dedicated areas all over the country. They tend not to have paddling pools which keeps it cleaner and arguably safer, and some are... Continue Reading →
This was my second visit to Butlin’s in the space of 12 months and like last time, we (me, husband, four year old daughter) opted for the Dinearound plan. My husband isn’t keen on buffets, which ruled out hotel dining; we like the flexibility and variety of eating in the different restaurants on site and... Continue Reading →
Having initially approached Butlin's with some scepticism (my husband) and nothing more than a rose tinted memory from my childhood (me), we enjoyed our Just for Tots break at Bognor Regis in 2021 so much that we went back in 2022! Our daughter was now four so still eligible for a Just for Tots break... Continue Reading →
Which Butlin's hotel is best? Which hotel at Butlin's Bognor Regis is best for children? In my opinion, the answer to both those questions is the Shoreline hotel - though admittedly we had the best room - the Nelson Stateroom. There are, by my calculations, eight such rooms, and they are well worth the extra... Continue Reading →
We went to a birthday party at Monkey Bizness soft play in Southampton in late 2021 and found it offered just the right degree of challenge for my three (almost four) year-old and her just-turned-five year-old cousin, who was the birthday girl. There’s what is essentially a two storey structure but it isn’t strictly on... Continue Reading →
Mini Moo Life 