Mother Distracted

Friday, 29 July 2016

Full Throttle Family Fun In Cardiff On 3rd September At Monster Jam®

Monster Jam® is back for its only UK date on the 3rd September at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff and tickets are already on sale.

You can expect full throttle family fun from the creative team at Feld Entertainment Inc. who have put together arena spectaculars such as "Disney on Ice" and, coming soon, "Marvel Universe LIVE!"

Monster Jam is the most action-packed live event on four wheels to hit the UK and will see World class drivers compete in both Monster Jam truck racing and freestyle competitions.

Combining high octane entertainment with the ultimate off-road motorsport competition, you'll be left on the edge of your seat by the jaw dropping displays.

This year's Monster Jam® promises the best truck line-up every assembled and will feature 12 of the World's most famous Monster Jam trucks (including Monster Jam World Finals® champions Grave(Digger® and Max DTM).

The spectacular takes place on specially designed tracks that optimise mobility so that the most recognisable trucks in the World can go head to head in wheelies, donuts, obstacle course racing and freestyle competitions that will push the Monster Jam trucks to their limits.

Monster Jam Truck Facts

The Monster Jam trucks stand at 4 metres tall and 4 metres wide and weigh up to 4,500kg. Their engines burn up to 9.5 litres of methanol per run and deliver about 1,500 horsepower. They can reach speeds of up to 110 kms per hour and can jump as far as 130 feet in length.

Some of the custom-designed trucks have needed more than 40 hours of paint time - a real labour of love.

The truck tyres are 1.7m high by 1.1 wide. Carving just one Monster Jam truck tyre requires over 50 hours of exacting labour and the average Monster Jam truck team will go through 8 tyres in one year.

It takes 1500 man hours to build and remove a track. 300 truckloads of dirt are used to build the track and 113 litres of paint are used to paint the track and obstacles.

A Great Day Out

Monster Jam is also known for its pre-show "Party in the Pits" which gives the crowd unprecedented access to the stars of the show. We are looking forward to meeting some of the drivers and getting up close to the Monster Jam trucks.

Tickets

You can purchase tickets through www.monsterjam.co.uk or via Ticketmaster on 0844 847 2255. Find out more on the Monster Jam Facebook page.

Back To School Through The Decades With M&S

Back to school week used to be a magical time when I was growing up. I was born in 1964 so my formative school years were in the 70’s and early 80’s through Harold Wilson’s Labour Government and the Miners’ Strike and Thatcher’s Britain from 1979 onwards. And yes, I can remember the long hot summer of 1976!

Can you tell my mum cut my fringe? Me circa 1974

In my Primary years, we still had morning milk in bottles with silver foil caps and a tuck shop which sold Wagon Wheels which were the size of your head and Crème Eggs that took more than 3 bites to eat them. Crisps used to cost 2d. Yes I am that old, although I have now recovered from decimalisation. I still prefer my temperatures in Fahrenheit though.

Later, my sister and I attended our local comprehensive, St. Cyres, in Penarth and had to wear a school uniform comprising a pleated skirt, white blouse, black jumper and a black and white school tie. In those days school uniform was stocked in one or two local shops and you had to get in quick or there was nothing left.

Hard at work!

The uniform seemed to be stocked in two sizes – either Harry Potter size or Hagrid Rubeus size and was made in material so warm and heavy you could probably survive a week in an Everest base camp wearing it.

Nope - still can't sight read!

Our school shoes had to have heels no more than 2.5 inches high and if your hair touched your shirt collar, you had to wear it up – including the boys. Our headmistress was an absolute stickler for rules and would carry a tape measure to check your heel height. If you failed the test you were sent home. No ifs, no buts. And you could forget jewellery (other than plain gold studs or hoops) or make-up. I suspect if our headmistress had seen a tattoo she would have had a fit of the vapours.

Mum is still cutting my fringe circa 1981

Then there was the excitement of buying a new pencil case and one of those Helix Mathematical Kits which contained a compass and a protractor. In those days, pencils could be bought actually sharpened – there wasn’t so much concern about health and safety then.

The first week of term would see the giving out of fresh new writing books and text books which we would be instructed to go home and cover in sticky backed plastic (much loved from watching Blue Peter).

Everything was new and as fresh as the crisp autumnal air. We’d wear our new school winter coats even in the Indian Summer, cooking nicely on the school bus.

Now, 30 years on and Caitlin and Ieuan are experiencing both the joy of the long summer holiday and the excitement of returning to start a new school year and ‘back to school’ seems to have become a major event.

If you ask any of the already frazzled parents trying to entertain their brood with activities not involving Pokemon, or an ‘I’ anything, this can only be a good thing.

For a start, high quality school uniform is readily available and comes in sizes to fit every child and you can even still buy Helix Mathematical sets. There are backpacks rather than the old fashioned satchels and more coloured and scented stationery than you can woggle a ruler at.

I think it’s a good thing to encourage kids to be excited about going back to school. It is, after all, where they will spend a sizeable percentage of their time and it makes sense to get them into a mindset of looking forward to learning.

This summer, M&S will be celebrating over a century of helping parents get their kids ready to go back to school so to give Caitlin and Ieuan an idea of what school was like way back then, we took them to the St. Fagans National History Museum just outside Cardiff to see Maestir School which is set up as it was in 1900.

Incidentally the National History Museum at St. Fagans is well worth a visit and features many historic buildings painstakingly resurrected for the public to learn about many aspects of Welsh life through the decades.

Maestir School was a small country school built in 1880 which had just one classroom. It was built from shale-stone taken from the local quarries and had a slate roof using slate from North Wales. The yard at the back was segregated to keep boys and girls apart.

Pupils of all ages – from 5 to 14 – would have been taught in the same classroom and there are desks in a variety of sizes to accommodate them. A far cry from the classroom set up we have today, although I can remember wooden, lidded desks in the early days at comprehensive. I think some of them are still there, together with the graffiti and chewing gum that was stuck underneath to hide it from the teacher.

Caitlin is about to start Year 4 and Ieuan Year 3 and they are both ready for the challenge. Young minds need feeding and near-constant stimulation.

Anything we can do to help create the best learning environment and to get the kids into the right mind-set is well worth the investment in my (text) book.

But you know things haven't changed that much since my sister and I walked to school. There may be more traffic on the roads and more technology to grapple with but our kids are learning broadly what we did and, hopefully, having just as much fun.

You can share your school memories with M&S on social media using #MySchoolYears. Bet you didn't have a fringe as good as mine!

*School uniform courtesy of M&S.

Caitlin wears:-

Girls embroidered pinafore in grey - £12 (T761728)
Girls cotton rich cardigan in navy - £10 (T761339)
Quilted belted coat navy - £27 (T747431J)

Ieuan wears:-

Boys Plus Fit Pleat Front Adjustable Waist Supercrease Trousers in grey - £10 (T764628P)
Outstanding value unisex pure cotton jumper in navy - £7 (T763908)
Padded parka in black - £35 (T879299Y)

How are you all this week? The school summer holidays are well underway and we're already on our second playdate. The kids are surviving so far, although it's a battle to get them to read rather than play with gadgets and iPads. But I will persist! Reading is so important for our youngsters, isn't it?

We're off to Devon shortly and I will be spending lots of time writing endless lists (usually featuring copious amounts of medication and plasters) but making sure that I've plenty to read on the beach.

I'm hoping we may at least see the sun for a couple of days.

Hope you're having a great time wherever you are and if your book pile needs topping up, here are the fab books on offer this week.

For Pre-orders post - PRE-ORDER / genre / title /author

For New Releases post - NEW / genre / title / author

For Free Books post - FREE / genre / title / author / end date

For Bargain Books post - SALE / price / genre / title / author / end date
(Strictly no Erotica please. Steamy romance is fine but watch those covers people, incase any underage child is viewing it!)

Click HERE for this week's awesome selection.

And don't forget you can always add some of your own!

5 Reasons Why You Should Consider A Custom Made Dress

This summer the stores are awash with a huge number of dresses and there is something for every budget but if you are looking for a really unique dress, why not consider having one made - or, if you are gifted with a sewing machine, making one yourself?

Here are 5 great reasons to create your own dress

1. Fit

Nothing fits like a custom made dress. I remember the joy of having my wedding dress fitted to every curve. There is such a variation between dress sizes in the major UK retailers that the perfect size in, say, Wallis, won't be the same in Zara. I find Wallis clothing cut on the larger side and Zara cut on the smaller! No such problems with a made-to-measure dress which can be nipped and tucked around the waist or adapted to cope with those areas where we girls carry a little extra sometimes - hips, tum, thighs and bottom.

These days it truly does not matter what size we are but it does matter that our clothes fit. Kim Kardashian is a brilliant example of this.

2. Comfort

The other huge benefit of getting your clothes tailored to fit is that they are simply more comfortable to wear. I have tried numerous support garments and most of them have been so uncomfortable I couldn't wait to get rid of them. Many celebs, of course, rely on their Spanx control pants to hold everything in place and many UK retailers offer their own ranges of shapewear. Incidentally, I am still looking for a strapless bra that stays up and gives sufficient support so if you have any recommendations, please let me know in the comments!

Credit: Leopold Terence

3. Fabric

When the latest collections hit the shops not only will you find similar styles but also broadly the same fabrics. Lace and Denim have both been huge this summer and these fabrics have been everywhere. And it looks like the popularity of lace will continue into AW17.

But what if you love the dress but hate the fabric? There's no reason why you couldn't have the dress made in the fabric you love, perhaps in something cool and silky, like satin.

4. Uniqueness

Of course one of the major benefits of having a made-to-measure dress is that you can create something truly unique. There is nothing worse than attending a posh do to find someone is wearing exactly the same dress as you - especially if they look better wearing it!

With a custom made dress you can add your own embellishments, bows, buckles, buttons, jewels, the works. You can also adapt the length to the one that suits you best. For example the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate always wears her skirts and dresses just below the knee so that she looks appropriate but not frumpy.

Having a unique dress is a real asset when you attend a prom or graduation ceremony. Or how about when you are the Mother of the Bride. Of course wedding dresses tend to be unique or at least quite rare since they can be such a high cost purchase but having a civil wedding ceremony or perhaps being an older bride might lead you to source a custom-made dress which better reflects your personality and more mature style.

Credit: Mitch

5. Cost

You might think have a made-to-measure dress is an expensive luxury but whilst you are unlikely to wear your wedding dress more than once, you may find your custom-made clothing is better value because it fits, is more comfortable and you will enjoy wearing it more.

I have several evening dresses in my wardrobe I haven't reworn, either because they are no longer in fashion or because they were uncomfortable to wear - slipping straps, hems that touch too long, a colour that just doesn't go with anything. It's so easy to make a rush purchase when that 'do' is a few days away. I also find it difficult to find the right shoes and outer garment.

Having a custom made dress makes you focus on these points before the cloth is cut and if you calculate the true cost of a garment on how many times you wear it, you'll find that, like me, you have some very expensive pieces already hanging unloved in your wardrobe!

There has been a definite resurgence in the popularity of sewing thanks to programmes like the BBC's "The Great British Sewing Bee" and my Facebook timeline is full of avid knitting and crochet fans.

My mum used to make summer dresses for my sister and I. Perhaps it's worth giving a bit of home-couture a go!

Do you make your own clothes or have you ever had something special made just for you? Let me know in the comments below.

Relationship Dilemmas - What Was I Asked In Week 30?

As you may know, I spend a lot of time responding to the questions I am asked about dating & relationships on Quora.com and I thought I'd share some of my answers with you in case you are going through anything similar.

Obviously I am not an expert but I am a 50-something married mum of two with quite a few years' experience under my belt. I take the view that, sometimes, you need to hear it like you would from your own mother - however tough the truth may be.

Here's just some of the questions I've been asked this week.

Q: How can I be a good boyfriend?

A: Be kind, listen, be supportive. Number one requirement - don’t cheat.

It’s quite simple in theory - less so in practice.

What is important is that you pick a partner who makes YOU happy and who feels the same way about you.

Make sure you have shared interested and talk about things together.

When the initial romantic phase dies down a bit (as it often does), it’s the shared interests and conversation that keep a relationship ticking over.

Roses and chocolates are nice, but someone to make you a cup of tea and fetch you an aspirin when you have a headache is much better.

Q: What do girls want in a boyfriend? I'm insecure because I can't dance and I don't drink.

A: Do you not dance or party because you don’t have the confidence to do these things?

When you’re young it’s very easy to tell yourself you’ll never fit in or find a girlfriend or boyfriend because you are not madly outgoing or a ‘party person’.

Actually, you may well be a lot more fun if you find a way to boost your confidence and learn how to relax in social situations.

Everyone struggles with this at some time or other and it can take years to master being at ease in a crowd.

And if you are quiet and would rather stay at home with a book, then that is fine. You just need to find someone who feels the same way - and there will be plenty.

Your challenge is to find when they hang out so you might be better spending time at your local library rather than at the nightclub.

If you don’t want to drink, there’s absolutely no reason why you have to. If you are of legal drinking age where you are but are scared of being out of control or drunk then that is also understandable but one small drink won’t hurt you (of course you wouldn’t drive) and might help you relax just a little and enjoy yourself. Just don’t go mad and overdo it.

I read here that you are someone who would really like to go out and have a good time when you muster up the confidence.

One great technique is called “acting as if” - you simply pretend to be the person you want to be right now.

Why not pretend you are your favourite celeb. How would they act or behave? You can ‘fake it till you make it’ as they say and I’ll bet nobody would suspect a thing. I bet loads of other people are doing it too.

Q: Where do I stand with my ex-girlfriend?

My ex-girlfriend and her child live in the UK. She doesn't want to be with me, but talks to me everyday and if we don't, she gets mad. Recently, she went on a date because she got mad at me for something I said. Now she regrets the date & wants to live with me in LA. But I told her it'll take time & now she gives up.

A: How did the relationship end? You say she doesn’t want to be with you. Did she just leave and return to the UK with her child (not yours I’m assuming)?

How long were you together? If you were together for a lengthy period of time I am assuming you developed a relationship with her child? Might that be the reason why she wants to talk to you everyday?

What was it you said that got her so mad? It must have been something pretty hurtful if her response was to go out on a date. Were you arguing about the future of your relationship?

There seems to be a lot of game playing going on between you both without either of you being really honest about where the relationship is going.

Do you want her or not?

If you did offer her a home in LA do you think, in all honesty, that she would come? I think the pair of you really need to sort this out - not least because it must be really unsettling for her child. I’d suggest that’s what you should be concentrating on.

Q: Should I tell my acquaintance that I like her?

I met this lady living in the same building when I was selling my car online. I sold her my car for a big discount because I liked her. She in return bought me a couple of lunch. Should I tell her I like her and want to ask her out?

A: I don’t think you have anything to lose - unless the car you sold her was dodgy of course!

Seriously, it sounds like she is interested but unless you ask her out you won’t know. Why not keep it casual and just ask if she fancies joining you for a coffee and take it from there.

Q: Do guys who have a better sense of cleanliness make better husbands?

A: If cleanliness is really important to you, it makes sense that you would want a partner who prioritises this in the same way.

In that sense they may make a ‘better husband’ than someone who slobs around the house in fried chicken stained tracksuit bottoms and never showers.

But I think to most women, a ‘better husband’ is one who is kind, caring, considerate, supportive and faithful.

I think many women would rather have a man who occasionally misses a shower than one who showers away all the other women he’s been dallying with.

Q: Why do they say your man must love you more than you love him? And how can I make him love me more?

A: This is the stuff of romantic fiction where the man always has to chase the woman until he wins her heart.

In reality, every relationship is different and there are really no rules nor a way to measure who loves whom more.

A relationship shouldn’t be hard work where you are constantly calculating the amount of love each has for the other.

In the same way trying to get someone to ‘love you more’ is a bit of a fruitless task because whilst you can be kind, caring, supportive and faithful, there is never any guarantee that your partner will increase his level of love for you.

I do think (old fashioned as it is these days) that men prefer to do the chasing and find women who pursue them relentlessly off-putting.

A better ‘strategy’ if that is what you are looking for is to concentrate on you and what makes you happy.

If you are confident, happy, having fun and taking life as it comes, you are more likely to keep a man than a woman who is obsessing over checks and balances of love and constantly stressing about whether she is being ‘good enough’ to win that extra bit of love.

Concentrate on being an individual and then, ironically, you’ll get a better partner.

Q: Do you think it'll creep him out if I asked him if he wanted to hang out or at least ask for his number?

There's this guy that works at a firework booth and last year my friends and I went to his booth, and he seemed pretty cool and this year we’ll probably go back & i wanted to ask if he wanted to hang out sometime or at least for his number but I don't know if it will creep him out.. Should I take the risk?

A: I get the feeling that you are not very old so my first question is:- is this guy much older than you?

I’m also assuming that you haven’t seen him for a year.

It sounds like you have got a crush on him and are enjoying a little romantic fantasy - nothing wrong with that.

In reality, however, you know absolutely nothing about him - other than that you find him attractive.

He probably has a girlfriend, partner or even a wife.

He is probably approached by quite a few girls over the season so unless he makes a concerted effort to get to know you, I would enjoy your fantasy but leave this guy as just that.

Q: Why does my ex-girlfriend lie to me and confuse me about what she wants?

Me and my ex broke up last year. she with someone else but tells me that she single. It was last month She goes to me that she loves me, she miss me, she wants to be with me. Week later she goes I don't know. Today I got txt from her saying ‘I do miss u’ but act like she didn't txt it.

A: This girl clearly doesn’t know what she wants and is keeping you dangling just in case she changes her mind - which is not fair on you.

It sounds as if her new relationship is on the rocks and she wants to keep you in the wings as the fall-back guy.

Rather than wait around to see if she changes her mind, why don’t you concentrate on YOU. Go out and have fun and date someone new.

Don’t rush to respond to her texts or get into lengthy conversations about the state of your relationship. You don’t say why you broke up but if she instigated the break-up by going off with someone else, then in your shoes, I’d be looking for someone else.

If you love her desperately and think she has changed and you want to give your relationship another try, then you need to put this to her and see what she says. But playing text-tag is getting you nowhere.

My reading of this is that she just wants the reassurance of someone who she thinks would take her back if her current relationship fails. Is that what you want? You do have a say in this you know.

Q: What does it mean if you run out of things to say to your girlfriend?

A: If there is an occasional silence between you where you are both happy to just be together then that is one thing.

If that silence is awkward and filled with desperate efforts to make conversation then that isn’t quite so good.

If your relationship is fine in all other aspects, you find each other attractive and you enjoy being together then it’s time to find some shared interests and to make the effort to get to know one another better.

Relationships take work. They won’t evolve unless you put the effort in - and that means both of you.

Does your girlfriend try to talk to you? Are you both shy, introverted people?

If you are realising that you have nothing in common with your girlfriend then it may be time to say goodbye.

But if you are happy and just want to get to know her better then take the initiative and plan a few dates doing something new which will spark conversation. An arty film? A visit to a gallery or museum? Why not try to cook a dish from a different cuisine at home.

There are loads of things you can do to create conversation.

Good luck.

Q: Should I tell this guy to stop being so sweet and nice to me because I have a boyfriend?

I started college and half way through the year I met this guy who I have so much in common with. From the first day I met him I knew that he liked me but I told him that I was in a relationship that made me happy and he backed off. He's very nice and goes out of his way to help me through my troubles. He keeps on doing this stuff for me so one time I decided to test it by being mean to him. He said I want to get you back but I really can't help but be nice to you. I am happy in my other relationship but I still care enough about my friend to let him know that he's wasting his time waiting for me because I can't just leave my boyfriend who hasn't done anything to deserve that. What can I do? When we were talking about relationships he told me he's trying to get over some girl because nothing is going to happen and I'm pretty sure that's me.

A: I think you need to be honest with yourself. You are really enjoying the attention from this other guy.

Why did you feel the need to be ‘mean’ to him just to test the depth of his affection? Surely he didn’t deserve that.

If you are really not interested there is nothing for you and he to fix.

You need to state quite clearly that you are happy in your relationship and that there is no future for you and this guy.

Then you need to stop hanging out with him for a while to give him a chance to get over you and find someone who does want him. When the dust has settled a bit perhaps you can go back to being friends at some point.

Incidentally what does your current boyfriend think about this? Is he not as sweet and nice as this other guy? If he isn’t, perhaps you are actually with the wrong man.

Either way, you are playing with two guys’ feelings and that’s not really fair. You run the risk of both of them getting fed up with it and leaving you alone.

How would you have responded to these questions?

More dating advice on my problem page.

All materials included in this post are intended for informational purposes only. This post/information is not intended to and should not be used to replace medical or psychiatric advice offered by physicians or other health care providers. The author will not be liable for any direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary or other damages arising therefrom.

Whizzing Up Something Nutritious For The House of Fraser Smoothie Challenge

The House of Fraser is on a mission to get us all fitter for summer and enjoying the benefits of a healthy smoothie - one you make yourself, not a shop-bought one packed with sugar and other unhealthy things.

They threw down the gauntlet to the Hobbis Household and sent us a Kenwood Smoothie To Go Blender to create a House of Fraser themed smoothie.

Now as you know I am a complete whizz in the kitchen and resisting the urge to do something creative with strawberries and banana, my eye fell on my latest cookery tome "Eat Well For Less" from the BBC TV series of the same name.

How is this relevant you cry? Well, if you want to get maximum value for your budget in all departments, House of Fraser is a very good place to look. Their focus has always been on accessible quality for families.

Our Kenwood Smoothie To Go Blender is a real workhorse of a gadget. It is sturdily built and everything assembles easily with just one click. It can grind spices and quickly create smoothies, soups and sauces with its 350W motor which has 2 blending speeds and a pulse function.

It comes with a 1 litre plastic goblet, a separate mill for spices, herbs, nuts and coffee beans and a smoothie to go goblet ideal for fresh smoothies on the go. The plastic parts are dishwasher safe and the blender comes with a 1 year guarantee. It currently retails at £39.99.

We chose to make Gregg and Chris's Breakfast Smoothie.

Ingredients

500 ml semi-skimmed milk
2 tbsp mixed frozen fruit (just choose your favourite)
2 tbsp blanched almonds
2 tbsp rolled oats
1 tsp runny honey

Combine ingredients in the blending goblet and whizz until smooth.

Makes enough for 2 smoothies.

The Smoothie To Go Goblet comfortably took the full amount of smoothie and fits nicely in the fridge so you could just prepare the night before and grab it on your way out of the door in the morning.

House of Fraser have a wide range of blenders and kitchen gadgets to choose from but I'm sticking with my Kenwood. Simple to use, easy to clean and even I can work out how to put it together!

Now to create my stawberry and banana special....

How To Make The Most Of A Rainy Summer's Day With Kids

The British Summer can be wonderfully unpredictable. Whenever you decide to have a family outing in the sunshine, it rains! Every parent knows the value of a backup plan. So that’s what we’ve compiled for you here; fun suggestions for not letting rainy days dampen the family fun.

Dig Out the Board Games

Every family has a hoard of games. They’ve probably been neglected in favour of smartphone apps, but now is the perfect opportunity to dust off the old-school games! Nothing quite brings a family together like a game of Monopoly or Connect 4. A games board championship provides a new twist and can easily occupy the family all afternoon.

Kid friendly Bake-off

There are lots of cake recipes which do not require kids having to use a hot oven. Rocky road, for example, is delicious yet very easy to make. Bring out your best Mary Berry or Paul Hollywood impressions for the taste test. The losing side has to wash up! Adult supervision will be required for cutting and heating ingredients. Or you could get involved too; boys vs. girls is always an interesting competition.

Image Source

Get crafting!

Arts and crafts are the most popular choice for beating boredom on a rainy day. You don’t need a particularly extensive craft box. Just a few essentials that can be re-used for lots of projects. If you do want to update your supplies, Glue Guns Direct is a great place to start for no-sew crafts. Other than that crepe paper, paints and crayons are some crafting staples. Browse the internet for projects that the whole family can do together- it’s not just for kids!

Family Scrapbooking

There’s never usually time to organize family photos. Have a good sort through all of your albums and loose photos. Have everyone pick out their favourite snapshots to be featured in the scrapbook. All you need is a plain notebook, scissors, glue and pens. Get everyone involved in the decorative process. The kids can draw illustrations while the parents add written quotes.

Image Source

Make a pillow fort

Watching a movie on the sofa is so overrated! Set up a pillow cave for a cosy home cinema experience. If the rain is particularly persistent, get kids to organize a mini-film festival. Handmade posters and popcorn are essential! You could even encourage children to write a film review after viewing. This will ensure their handwriting and literacy skills are being practiced during the holidays.

Get a head start on gifts

Got a birthday or special occasion coming up? Check out these low-cost gift ideas. Even if you don’t make anything, planning the family schedule will keep everyone organized for the next few weeks. Pull down the calendar and write down everything you need to do before the kids go back to school. Remember to make time for more family fun too.

Have a jam session

Most homes will have a musical instrument laying around. If not, make your own! Pots and pans can be used as percussion. Rice in a cardboard tube can become an impromptu rain stick. Singing requires no accessories. You could even have a free karaoke session and use instrumental clips of popular songs from YouTube.

Mother Distracted

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Thursday, 28 July 2016

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Wednesday, 27 July 2016

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Tuesday, 26 July 2016

How To Make The Most Of A Rainy Summer's Day With Kids