20 Questions I Asked Pip

I was recently approached by Shepherds Friendly and asked to take part in their 20 questions to ask your kids project. I had a look at their worksheet and thought it would be a great activity to do with Pip. I ask him questions every day but there were some on the sheet I had never asked so I was keen and curious to see what he had to say. Plus, it's a lovely little way to document these moments in 'real life' and on the blog. He's nearly three and a half now and such a sweet, funny and boisterous little boy. His speech, sense of humour and imagination are developing every day. I took a video of us as I asked the questions and Pip gave his answers, some so funny. It will be lovely to look back at it in the future. Here's a little transcript of the questions I asked & his exact answers, some very cute, some hilarious and some completely unexpected!

Five Tips for a Stress-Free Holiday

The Best Toys for 3+ Year Olds

This year is really rushing by and before we all blink we'll be at the end of 2016. I'm very excited about Christmas this year. Pip is nearly three and a half and at a great age to understand 'Santa' and everything this festive season entails. He has so many toys already so I'm not going to buy him too much this year but I do know what he'll love to receive, usually anything relating to trains and train track. If you need some toy inspiration here are some of the wonderful items I've seen recently.

An Afternoon at the Seaside

This week has been full of rain, wind and gloomy weather unfortunately. But on Friday there was a little window of sunshine so I took the opportunity to take Pip to the seaside. I wrapped us up in layers as it was very cold and the water choppy with a high tide but it was so nice having the warmth of the sunshine on our faces! We took a whole load of selfies with Pip pulling the most funny faces, he is hilarious at the moment and makes me laugh so much. He scooted up and down with me trying to keep up and we stayed to watch the sunset. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Have you been to the coast lately?

Winter Holiday Ideas with Kids

Now that the temperatures have taken a nose dive here in the UK, I have started to crave warmer climates and have been thinking about booking a winter getaway. Other than escaping this colder environment, travelling offers so many benefits and it’s always nice to go away, have a change of scenery, visit new places and relax. Here are some of my ideas for a perfect Winter break.

Sharing Refugee Stories of Hope #WithOxfam

Taking part in a friendly protest in Bethlehem. I'm in the white coat!

Eight years ago I worked in a Palestinian refugee camp, on the outskirts of Bethlehem. The same town that we see in church depictions and every year in Christmas cards. We all know Bethlehem as the birth place of Jesus. Yet, we never hear about all the refugees that live in the same town, those who escaped persecution and live in limbo in one of the three main camps in the area. I worked in a health clinic in the Dheisheh refugee camp all those years ago, with a total population of 13,000 refugees. It was an eye opener to say the least. I learned so much in that time, not only about the political situation and life under occupation but how people live on a daily basis inside a refugee camp. This particular camp doesn't consist of people living in tents since these refugees have been on the same spot for the last 65+ years, since the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. And those born in the camp only know their identity as a refugee. There are very few opportunities with little hope of the situation improving for the future. They are not starving but they have so little and some really struggle to make ends meet. I met a mother who cried when she told me she didn't have enough money to buy her children meat and vegetables. Most of the men in the camp have lost their jobs since the separation wall around Bethlehem has been built meaning they can never cross that line & work for businesses on the other side. Every one knows someone who has been killed either in their own family or those of neighbours, including children sadly.

My Favourite Trip #26

© Captured By Jade

Welcome to #MyFavouriteTrip. How has your week been? Mine has been a busy one! I think it must be the pre-Christmas rush, not too long now! This week's featured post is Trip Details: Brighton by Jade at Captured By Jade. Jade and her family visited Brighton in May this year, their first family holiday. Jade included photos on her blog over the summer but this post includes more informative details such as exactly where her family visited and the cost of travel, hotels and tourist attractions. I think I often forget to mention the cost of things in my posts so it was really interesting to read this from a different angle and is very useful for anyone planning on visiting Brighton. I've mentioned previously that Jade was one of my first blogging friends when I started blogging two years ago and it was lovely to finally meet her and her family when they came to visit. Have a read of her post if you haven't already.

Five Reasons to Visit Bali

I've spent a lot of time in Asia. I lived in Japan for a year teaching English, have family in India and did the whole backpacking tour throughout Thailand and the Philippines in my twenties. Now that my little boy is three and has already been to India, I'd love to return to Asia with him and explore more of the beautiful continent. The combination of stunning beaches, amazing sunsets, delicious food, diverse cultures and ethnicities and wonderful historical sites is all incredible. India will always have a special place in my heart since I have family there and I hope to return as much as I can. I’d also love to return to Japan and the stunning island of Bali, where I visited many years ago. With a population of over 260 million people, the fourth largest in the world, and some 14,000 islands, there is a lot to see in Indonesia! I have really fond memories of Bali and want to focus on five reasons to visit this beautiful island.

My Favourite Trip #25

© Also Coffee

Welcome to another round of #MyFavouriteTrip. Apologies if you visited last week & couldn't find the link up. We had some follow up appointments following our hospital visit and everything took a lot longer than expected so blogging and social media had to take a break for a few days. Pip is much better now though and his results are nearly back to normal.

This week's featured post is a day trip to Hart-Miller Island in Maryland, USA from Also Coffee. It looks like such a beautiful island and I loved all the action shots with the dog, who looks incredibly entertained in the photographs! I've never been to Maryland, the nearest I've visited is New York city but this Hart-Miller Island looks like a peaceful getaway and a wonderful place to explore. Have a read if you haven't already.

Each month I give away £50 to a lucky winner and out of all of the featured posts from October the one that stood out was Mummy Travels and her post on the #take12trips challenge. Congratulations Cathy, a Truprint voucher is on it's way to you!

This week I'm linking up my post on a beautiful Brighton sunset I saw recently. Remember, the definition of a trip is "a journey or excursion, especially for pleasure" so #MyFavouriteTrip is designed for any trip, big or small! 

Autumn Flowers and Chocolate Giveaway

Happy November! I can't believe the year has gone so fast. Summer really did seem to stretch out luckily but the last few months have really flown by for me. Although the weather is colder I do love Autumn and all the vibrant colour it brings. Blossoming Gifts recently sent me one of their beautiful Autumn flower ranges named 'Woodland' which includes orange lilies, cherry brandy roses, burgundy hypericum berries and natural birch. It's a gorgeous bouquet perfect for the season and brightens up my house adding a ray of sunshine on these chilly days.