London Mums Blog

Crazy for Cupcakes

The most selfish Christmas presents I ever made? Vouchers for a cupcake decorating class for the sisters-in-law. Of course, I had to get one for myself, too. After all, it was about spending time together. Decorating culinary delights and stuffing our faces was just the icing on the cake.

The inspirational Jacqueline Wilson

Nothing ever seems to go on in sleepy old Chiswick so when I heard that there was going to be an influx of great authors, I just had to pop along and see what all the fuss was about.

Luckily I managed to grab a few £3 tickets to a talk from a very popular children’s writer. And off we went to the Chiswick Book Festival last Sunday and attended a session hosted by Jacqueline Wilson.

She was very inspirational. She told the story of how as a teenager she went to study to become a secretary and then found a newspaper ad which was looking for articles from teenagers. She wrote in. She sent them stories. She got paid. She wrote a lot more and then, they gave her a job. It was a job with D C Thomson and she was to write for a new magazine. In fact they named it Jackie magazine, after her sweet self.

I love London

As a Londoner, I often forget to do ‘London’ things with the girls. I am so used to seeing the Houses of Parliament from the train when I’m off to buy deadly boring stuff like netball skirts that Pugin’s amazing building has all but lost its charm, while, on a clear day,  you can catch sight of the Gerkin on the school run – enough to make anyone a bit blase.

Last month, though, the magic went back into London living. I went to see the Lord Mayor’s Show for the very first time, with the girls.

Paper dolls ... and other snow day activites!

First, check out the best of the British Mummy Bloggers Carnival, it's up over at A Modern Mother.

And while you are reading blogs, your kids can do this:

Paper Dali.

It's a great site that features FREE historical paper dolls. Choose from Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Biblical Times, American Revolution, King Arthur or the Wild West.

They were created by a home-schooling mother who loves history and doodling. When she couldn't find any colouring books to go with the era, she created her own.

So check it out, it will surely kill at least a half hour...

And if you get bored doing that ... make snow ice cream!

There are ten more tips for educational snow activities here.

This post was written by Susanna, a London Mums Blog founding contributor. You can read more at her blog, A Modern Mother.

Where is Santa? And the official naughty and nice list...

Finally, Christmas Eve arrives and to encourage children to go to bed there is a website that tracks Santa's journey.  Noradsanta.org tracks Santa's journey with video clips featuring Mount Fuji, Sydney Australia and Egyption pyramids. 

 

There is an official time and very official sounding newsclips with some NASA styled commentary with beeps that give weight to its credibility.  Perfect for the doubters.  Apparently, the tracking of Santa has gone on for over 50 years and started by accident.  

 

It's very fun to prove that Santa is on his way.

On a less official website, emailsanta.com there is a naughty and nice list.  Answering a few questions helps the elves to determine what list you may be on for Christmas.  Lighthearted fun but the kiddies have taken to it and are quite concerned where they are listed.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

This post written by Charlene, a London Mums Blog founding contributor.

What to do this weekend? How about the drive-in movies?

Over the past few months Pinewood Studios transformed its water filming facility into a retro Drive-In showcasing some of the best films it has helped to create over the years, including Bridget Jones Diary, Harry Potter, Mama Mia, Slumdog Millionaire, Mission Impossible and Notting Hill.

Question time

As I pulled into the dreaded Sainsburys carpark at 4pm when all the other disgruntled and tired mothers of the day have decided it’s also a good time to zip in and buy milk, Eliza pipes up from the back seat…

For people such as myself who get lost easily. I’ll colour code the conversation. Eliza is Pink and I am Blue

“What’s a Birth canal mum”

Kids bored this Christmas? Put on a Panto!

Panto season has officially begun and to celebrate Robinson's has created Put On A Panto -- a cute web site that gives children everything they need to stage their very own Pantomime -- from planning, to practising to performing. It even includes invitations, posters and suggestions on making costumes.

Come on, I know you want to try it.

 

A Foodie Saturday or Sunday: Take the Kids to a London Farmer’s Market

There is no better way to teach children the enjoyment of fresh fruit and vegetables than an inspired trip to a London Farmer’s Market; all of which feature a very high standard of quality.  

All the fruit, vegetables, meet, cheese, jams, juice and are locally grown or hand made by the farmers themselves.  The markets are not solely organic, but the food is fresh and local with some farmers selling organic crops. Though the harvest season is waning, there are still plenty of fresh, root vegetables to make into a comforting feast to keep the seasonal malaise of Daylight Savings Time at bay.

What makes the London Farmer’s Markets particularly well-suited for families, aside from their wholesome appeal, is their close proximity to fun things for our little ones to do.  If you bring a rucksack to carry your bounty from the market, you and the kids can not only enjoy healthy produce, you can go on to enjoy some near-by attractions.

On the Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum doesn’t expect many visits from the Star.

I’m not sure why this is true, given that its sumptuous cafe – there are glittering chandeliers, high ceilings, domes, columns, impressive interior tiles on the walls and the floors and the ceiling, as well as stained glass windows – was full of families with young children yesterday.

But having sculptures of interestingly textured stone at floor height is an invitation to disaster. Of course you are now so very into your toddler game that, as you saw the Star heading delightedly for a particularly inviting looking East Asian dragon, you reasoned that, as they had put these statues out on display within easy touching distance of all and two-year olds, they must expect, nay, perhaps encourage, a bit of tactile investigation.