GLTC Storage... Cool London theme!

View on GLTC site

London is SO HOT right now! Obviously not temperature wise, it's still in England afterall, but London-inspired products are flying off the shelves. It seems the Jubilee and the Olympics combined are seeing iconic London landmarks becoming the design features of the moment.


Also some people, me included, would rather splash London designs around the place than ones that are purely union-jacked. I love this from GLTC, not only is it a great storage item (which GLTC are well known for) it's also ultra-urban-cool with the eye, Big Ben and the Gerkin in blue and the bright red of the bus and phone box. Super duper GLTC!!

About time the kids got tatts!

What will you be doing this weekend??

The weekend is here, well almost, so what will you and your lot be doing? Playing in the woods? Walking in the countryside? Heading to the coast? Or is it more likely a dash between the ballet-run and the supermarket, with a little arguing and stropping thrown in for good measure?

Allianz Your Cover Insurance has launched its Great British Weekend campaign to encourage families and friends to overcome weekend boredom and is urging everyone to get out and about to make the most of their weekends. Worryingly, their research found that only a third of Britons think they make the most of their weekends: A fifth say their weekends are actually boring! This can't be right - we work so hard all week, and so do the kids, it's time we take leisure time seriously... Andy James of Allianz Your Cover said: "We want to instil a renewed sense of adventure in Britons' weekends and encourage us all to make the most of what Britain has to offer".

So what do we actually like doing at the weekends? Well, according to the research...

• Relaxing at home (40%)
• Enjoying the countryside (23%)
• Watching TV (22%)
• Having a weekend break away (22%)
• Reading a book (21%)

Please do feel free to share your secrets to weekend happiness and let me know the secret to your weekend success!

Join the Allianz Your Cover Insurance Great British Weekends campaign by joining our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/YourCoverUK or by following us on Twitter @YourCoverUK.

Allianz Your Cover Insurance is running a competition for two lucky Twitter followers to win an annual family National Trust membership. Follow @YourCoverUK to enter using #GBWeekend to find out more.

This is a sponsored post.

Tooth Fairy's not Scary!

The first wobbly has wobbled, flipped, flopped, (repulsed), and come out! So now I just have to figure out the going rate for teeth these days (advice welcome) and calm down the little one who is convinced, totally and utterly, that the Tooth Fairy's scary and "no way" should she be allowed in the "owse"!

Summer Celebrations

Kids Hunters from John Lewis

Chest of Drawers their Devon range from Oldrids

Diamond Jubilee fudge from John Lewis

Not British at all but definitely good for celebrating
 Dom Perignon - celebrate the Jubilee in style! 

Pan Sets from Fields of Sidmouth

Boys' t-shirt from Boden

Sailing Clothes from Marine & Outdoor Clothing

Cool blue suede shoes from Clarks sizes  13-5 1/2 

Wholesale Tea from Ringtons

Special Edition Sports/London Carddies play kits

Horseware from Ashe Equestrian

Girls party dress from Joules

As I'm focussing lots on charities on the blog at the moment, it's also worthy to note that Volunteering abroad is very British too!!

My latest for Guardian Teach

This was written for Guardian Teach a month ago and I'm really proud that it got over 200 both tweets and Likes from their site. I also got loads of emails regarding the post, most of them (in fact all but a couple) supportive!


Someone close to me has had Ofsted recently. They work in a school which has an intake from a pretty low socio-economic catchment; they've various challenging issues (think drug and alcohol abuse, high un-employment for starters) and whilst many of the pupils there come from doting, supportive families, a fair few come from those which lack the education, motivation, confidence to even know what doting and supportive encompasses.


This school is an infant and nursery school, so children come at three and move on at seven. So, what do we think the inspectors were looking at when they visited this school of very, very young children? The teaching? The environment? The work? Wrong.


Ofsted have a new framework, nothing to get excited about I promise. They're even more obsessed about stats (and therefore SATS) these days, and even less about what matters. It seems, judging from this inspection anyway, that Ofsted are bothered about one thing - it's got little to do with children and how they actually learn - they're bothered about numbers. Data. Graphs that show how much "value added" has occurred. I'm using the terms "stats" and "data" loosely, I think scientists like Ben Goldacre, author of Bad Science, would have a field day looking at the way they draw huge conclusions from tiny "samples"; if stats is what's all important (and of course it's not) I'm pretty sure if they did any form of statistical test, results would read "insignificant".


Now, my blood pressure is already raised at this stage. Firstly children are complex, complicated; children cannot be quantified in a number. Not at three, nor seven. Furthermore the Ofsted inspectors who came to this school had no history of working with young children, no expertise at all in early years or even primary; this was demonstrated by their bafflement of a thematic approach (which is always considered good practise) and the lack of worksheets (generally considered questionable).


This school is devoted to giving children amazing experiences; visits to London and other cities, trips to theatres and art galleries, their own wood on the grounds, visiting artists and authors, putting on productions, using varied materials, working from different starting points, being autonomous, independent learners - ultimately giving them a positive first experience on their educational journey. Were Ofsted bothered? No, not about any of this.


Ofsted say that you need to have precise data of children at all times, knowing what level they are, in order to move children on. The levels are written in great detail and can be, I'm being genuine here, really, really useful and actually interesting. However teaching cannot be boiled down to a mere flow diagram; if it could if you can read you can teach, right? Not so. Teachers are experienced, knowledgeable and good ones are deeply intuitive too, knowing how each individual child they teach needs to be moved forward, how they need to be challenged and questioned, what works for them.


So schools may not always get their data spot on. Teachers aren't trained statisticians, data analysts. But I guess if we have data in schools, and we damn sure do, then it may as well be correct. My argument though is that it's just such a fraction of what is important. What I want as a parent is a happy child, skipping to school, one that feels safe, nurtured, respected and one that loves learning. None of this can be achieved through data.


• Phoebe Doyle is a former primary teacher who now writes on education, parenting and health issues. She's a parent of two young children and blogs and tweets @tremendously2.

Capturing

My children are the cutest ever. It's actually official. Well, perhaps just to me but still. I find it impossible not to photograph them, almost on a daily basis. Usually though, the image will be taken on my phone and stay there, predominately for me to look at later, or simply they're just forgotten and they're rarely, very rarely ever printed.


I'm making a concious effort though to be more mindful about printing and keeping hard-copies of images so we actually can have them to look back on. I'm sure my iphone will be a piece of history before we know it, but an actual image or product will stand the test of time. Jessops Photo have loads of great products for capturing and keeping special moments. Their Photo Books are ideal if you've been away on holiday or have a lot of photos you want to keep together. Their Photo Gifts like mugs, albums and loads more would be fab for Father's Day. If nothing else, I'll be doing some Photo Printing just to ensure, when my kids are older, they won't have to try and figure out this relic of a phone to see what they got up to!


Find out more about Jessops here.

This is a sponsored post.

Exercise and Mood

I wrote this blog for Tesco Magazine in the new year and they're promoting it again in light of the London Marathon yesterday...

Are you pledging to turn over a new leaf and shed those extra Christmas pounds? Fitness enthusiast and blogger Phoebe Doyle talks about the mood-boosting benefits of regular exercise

Making resolutions is pointless; over 75% of them are cast aside within weeks leaving us feeling disappointed and even more despondent than before.

As a regular gym goer, I’m accustomed to the annual influx of newbies who are adamant they’re about to undergo an impressive metamorphosis into a slimmer, more glamorous version of themselves within a month. I can’t be sure if this aspiration is met because, just as statisticians will tell you, by around the third week of January these resolutions have been long-since banished.


The problem is these once-a-year gym fanatics usually have weight loss as their target and this is riddled with obstacles. Firstly, when people embark on a training regime they often feel hungrier and eat more because they feel they deserve to do so.


Secondly weight loss goals take an age as muscle weight can distort things and fat is notoriously stubborn to shift. Once the goal isn’t being met it’s inevitable that the person becomes downhearted. Asking themselves: “What’s the point?”


I’m not a stranger to weight-loss goals – I’m only human and a female one at that. But I know that a target of shifting half a stone won’t get you to the gym at dawn. A stronger incentive is the mood boost – the feeling exercise can offer.


When it comes to exercise and mood there’s some serious biology at play. Exercise decreases the stress hormones, such as cortisol, and increases endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s natural feel-good chemicals, and when they are released through exercise, your mood is boosted naturally. As well as endorphins, exercise also releases adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine.


The first time you hit the gym or pound the pavements you’ll come back energised. It may seem bizarre that spending energy actually means you end up with more but, trust me, you do.
Now with two young children exercise also offers me an excuse to escape. Friends will often ask me how I find the will-power, the motivation. Are you kidding? Clearly squabbles over breakfast cereals are far more interesting than they are at our place!


The escape issue isn’t just about chore-avoidance though. When I exercise, I can think. I get ideas for work, plan what needs to be done and the clear-headedness I experience through time on my own – dare I say ‘me time’? – allows me to draw conclusions to issues that have previously appeared un-resolvable.


So for me exercise is a boost, a natural high and a good excuse to escape. This year instead of hopping onto the scales when you get back from the gym, just ask yourself: “How do I feel?”


Read on the Tesco site here.

Went to Frankie and Benny's in Lincoln today; never thought of going before but it was really fun!

It reminded me of my trip to America in the 80s when, as a 4 year old, my eyes bulged at the site of cosy booths, smiley waitresses and ultra-American food; and here it was, in Lincoln. Who'd have thunk it!


The kids were utterly sorted with loads of colouring stuff given on arrival. Then they were filled to bursting with lashings of spag bol followed by pancakes with chocolate sauce and ice-cream. 

Take a look online here

My pizza. Very nice.

The disclaimer bit:
Frankie and Benny's sent us a voucher so that we could test out     their brand new menu and review. All the opinions expressed  are my own.

On Living...

There was a booming crash of thunder just as we buried my Granddad yesterday. Even I, a sceptic, superstition-free cynic, couldn’t help the goose-bumps coming.

Funerals aren’t happy, but seeing my Granddad the day before he died (he knew his 90 years were now up), the things he said, what he was bothered about there and then, has left me feeling like there needs to be a lot less worry and a lot more living going on.

I was interested to read of the Australian nurse, Bronnie Ware, who’s now written a book based on an article that inspired so many (The Top Five Regrets of the Dying - A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departing).

She writes; “For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.

“People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone's capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.

"So what were the regrets?


1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made.

It is very important to try and honour at least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.


2. I wish I didn't work so hard.

This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.

By simplifying your lifestyle and making conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to your new lifestyle.


3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.

We cannot control the reactions of others. However, although people may initially react when you change the way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.


4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.


5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again."

Bronnie says, “When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and smile again, long before you are dying.”

My latest post for GLTC

My latest post for Great Little Trading Co.



Well, a couple of weeks ago, I wrote on this very blog about being so, so, so happy with it finally being Spring. Ah, Spring glorious Spring; sunshine, sandcastles and dripping ice-creams. Yay!
Hmm. Didn’t seem to go that well did it? Here I am once more, sat at my laptop, in my well-ventilated (blooming freezing) terrace, wearing 3 tops, jeans and my fluffy welly socks. Spring, it would seem, sprung and then swiftly legged it.


And I’m not instinctively a Peppa Pig. I don’t long to jump in muddy puddles. Not One Bit. On a rainy day, give me a hot chocolate, the paper and the promise of some delicious homemade soup. Puddles? Outdoors? Oooo do I have to? Yes, of course I do, there’s children in this house!


Thankfully my children haven’t inherited my wimp gene and are well up for getting out whatever the weather. In fact, last October we spent 5 days in the New Forest in torrential rain, when I was telling a friend the next week that we’d had awful weather, my daughter said, “Did we?” She’d thought it had been bloody brilliant! Wading through shin-deep puddles, getting drenched on a hack, and having to take towels every-time we went to the play park – what fun!

So during this week of April showers I’m going to aim to see the world through the eyes of my ‘glass half full’ offspring; I’m going to try and hide my disappointment as I don my most unattractive of rain coats instead of the gorgeous summer jacket I’m yet to wear. I’ll put on my wellies (the TOMS can wait!) and I’ll laugh as we get splashed by a car.


 All this happiness attacking my intrinsic rain-induced-grumpy-persona may have me looking mildly insane, but still I’m sure the kids could see the benefit in that too!





Phoebe blogs about her gang at Tremendously Two – and we love it too!

I've Just Read: The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson

If you're not a fan of Art House films, if you prefer 'straightforward' over 'quirky', if you think 'kooky' is for creeps, steer well clear of The Family Fang.


Me? I adored this book. Not wanting to give too much away, partly because I genuinely want you to read it and also (mainly) because there's actually quite a lot to describe, the basic premise is that the Fang family are outlandish, obscure, performance artists. The parents, Caleb and Camille, believe photos and paintings are 'dead art'. Their art, their bizarre, risky and risqué, performances, are real art. Their daughter Annie, and son Buster spend their childhood and adolescence pressurised to participate in their parents' crazy stunts; this leaves them with a fair few issues in adulthood.


Annie and Buster are understandably relieved to escape into adulthood and jobs as an actress and a writer, respectively. But hard times necessitate a move back to the family home for them both, and they're hurled back into their parents' chaotic world. The strength of their sibling bond sees them through experiencing the most unimaginable of their parents antics.


This book is unusual and strange but strangely funny and moving too. 

View on play.com

Tea for kids

I've never done a proper posh London hotel tea. I know, it's a sad story that one isn't it? Before children I probably thought I was too young, or possibly too broke, or both. Since kids I only want to eat in establishments so noisy that they drown out my two's chatting/shouting/screaming. And that's noisy.

But the Montcalm Hotel in Mayfair have launched something that we will be daring to try! They've devised a special Teddy's Tea Time menu especially for children. The tea will include chocolate-dipped fresh fruit, ice-cream, pastries and cakes from a Teddy’s Tea Time menu, along with an iced fruit cordial. Children also get a complimentary Montcalm teddy bear to take home. The price is £12.50.


To book: Call Montcalm Hotel on 020 7958 3216 or www.montcalm.co.uk

Reading feature for The School Run

Parents naturally want their child to read to the best of their ability, but often aren’t sure how to help them build on the skills they learn in class. Primary teacher Phoebe Doyle offers some expert tips on what your child needs to know to move to the next reading level.

Read full article at www.theschoolrun.com/improve-KS1-reading

So hard to say goodbye to lovely Cornwall

Silent Sunday

Playing Schools

My favourite thing to do as a child was to play schools; boy was I hard on those imaginary children! It seems this obsession with playing schools is hereditary as my eldest now likes nothing more than bossing around my youngest in a way which I'm sure is far more authoritarian (or even dictatorial!) than she hears from her teachers at school.

We were thrilled when GLTC sent this Pretend School set. It includes everything a wannabe teacher/bossy big sister could want; stickers, clock, maps, dry wipe board, calender and loads more. Rosie loved the authenticity of it and I love the way that whilst it helps support this imaginative play it's not at all prescriptive - leaving plenty of room for creativity. 

Pretend School from GLTC 

Boden mid-season sale here!

Was nice to be asked to blog for GLTC again. This one went live today, but as you may gather - was written in the sunshine of last week.

When I’m writing I try to keep parental-smugness to a minimum – I’m certainly always up for sharing my parenting faux pas (of which there are bucket loads of), much more than I am for disclosing my ‘perfect parenting’ moments (which can be fairly fleeting). But even I have to admit that a little Springtime sunshine does make good parenting easy – or easier at least!

I don’t think it’s merely Vitamin D that the sunshine offers, but Vitamin Happiness, Vitamin Energy and Vitamin Can I be bothered? YES I CAN! Whilst most of the winter I spend my time putting off errands and ventures out – in the sunshine I’ll actually invent items needed to be purchased, “hmmm, running a bit low on tuna – best get some in”, “do we really not have any mustard powder? Let’s walk  to the shop, just on the off chance….”

And being more energetic seems to have a perpetuating effect; it’s the most bizarre of phenomena, but the more we spend energy – the more we get in return. On the days when I’ve been to the gym or for a run, you’re must more likely to see me pelting down the road, chasing my kids on scooters later, and in the same way, getting ‘out there’ in the sunshine makes me want to walk more, play more and actually smile more!

So I hope you’re all enjoying this sunshine and poppies vibe of the moment – you know by June we’ll be back in our duffel coats, but at this time of year, just keep the blissful ignorance about the inevitable suspect summer alive!

Great Outdoors

3 Wheeled Scooters from GLTC

Hartman Garden Furniture from Bents

Children's Folding Chairs from GLTC

Summer Colours Paddling Pool from John Lewis

Fishing Rods and Fishing Tackle from North East Tackle

Joules Women's Wellies

Own up, who's a comment addict?

I think it's great the whole 'Comments' thing, at the end of blogs or online articles. I do. I think it's fantastic people get to debate, discuss. What could possibly be wrong with that?


Well, let me tell you a story. Long, long ago, say late 2011, I became a member of this huge club in this country quite obsessed by a guilty pleasure of reading one particular newspaper's online comments. You've got it, Mail Online. It all began when I clicked onto the Showbiz section of their App (I really have no defence for this, I just did OK? We all do bad things, I can only apologise). The first story was about Martine McCutcheon and the rather pressing issue of whether she was too fat to advertise healthy yoghurt. So, yes I know any decent person, should have sidled off and onto The Times app at this very instant, but I didn't, there I stayed - ashamed, amazed but alarmingly intrigued.Then at the bottom I saw there was over 300 (300 god-damn-it)comments on this issue - all commenters with their own (surprisingly strong) view. Many venomously against Martine and her non-size-8 (how very dare she?) frame, others saying "she's got a pretty face though". Which I'm sure Martine found great solace in. And on it went, 300 comments. Oh. My. God.


But alas it's not just a phenomena of the Mail readers. My preferred paper, The Guardian, has comments that can be equally poisonous, if made in a slightly more intelligent (and definitely more cutting ) way. When reading a column by Tim Dowling recently, a light-hearted one about running,  someone had started their attack with, "so many mis-conceptions, so little time". Nice.


And this morning I find (I wasn't googling myself honest!) a whole blog post dedicated to me, my name in the title and everything. Wow, I'm famous.... well, notorious, but same difference. I'm referred to as a 'so-called former teacher' - not a 'so-called expert' or a 'so called know it all', a 'so-called former teacher'... hmm. 


The same blogger had left comments on a couple of my Guardian posts saying "they're surprised the Guardian gives space to this nonsense/left wing dribble/tripe" at which I felt a slight stab I'll admit, less so though when I read identical comments they'd left for other bloggers and journalists. I think if you find yourself consistently surprised by what your paper is publishing, you might be actually reading the wrong paper. There is one paper I can think of with next to no left wing dribble at all actually, and lots of fascinating tripe and nonsense about beautiful people being actually very fat and very ugly.