Making a Sensory Board for Under £30

My boy is turning 1 in a few days' time and is always on the move, exploring the world. Be it the potted plant, the TV or the cupboards, nothing is safe from his tiny, curious hands. And since we have little boy transport systems sorted for the next few years, what better to occupy …

Time to Say Goodbye – And Hello New Opportunities!

School's well and truly out for summer. It's been an interesting term and a bit, with highs certainly being the lovely welcome back I received from many of my students and some of the wonderful new colleagues our department gained while I was off on maternity leave. I even shed a tear or two at …

The Little Creative Moments: Card Making

My husband and I have a rule: once a week, for an hour, he takes the children off me for a bit of me-time. This is a trade-off for me doing the nights with the boy. It means that, once a week, I get to have a little bit of time for my hobbies. And …

Mayo-free Potato Salad

Where would the Germans bee without potato salad. A side for barbecues, a main for summer - by no means light, but very delicious. Ingredients (serves 4-6): 1.5-2kg white potatoes 4-6 rashers streaky smoked bacon 2 small onions 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1/2 tsp pepper 1-2tbsp dried dill   Boil the potatoes in water until …

German Pasta Salad

Eww... pasta and salad? Sweet, sour and yet savoury? There are some things the Germans do really well, and weird food combinations, which sound gross on paper, but actually work really well once combined, is one of them. That, and cars. Definitely cars. Ingredients (serves 4) 250g Fusilli or similar pasta shapes 5 Frankfurters 1 …

Baby Memory Keepsakes

As my little baby boy is nearing his first birthday, I am starting to reflect on the memories we have kept of his first year of life. There were many plans - as, I believe, is always the case when you're engulfed by pregnant fantasies of what life with a new baby would be like …