Being a photography graduate I'm really picky with photos. Max normally has to stand there and endure multiple takes until I'm just right. With the age of smartphones I normally take that out instead of my DSLR to catch moments on the go. We all know phone quality is never as good as what a DSLR can produce but there's some amazing apps I've discovered that can definitely make your photos Instagram worthy.

Now that I've started Laura Reads, I've decided to change up the format of Friday Reads. Instead of having a post dedicated to a book I'm going to highlight some of my favourite book news that has happened this week.



On The Blog

This week on the blog I've spoken about Solitaire, one of my favourite YA books of last year, it's one of those books that took the internet by storm. I've also been discussing what you can read now that you've devoured Paper Towns by John Green.



Favourite Releases

I love a new release and this week has had some amazing ones! From the new Jamie Oliver to the final Discworld installment there seems to be something for everyone and I know that we are definitely heading towards some super Thursdays.

My kid's highlight is definitely the new Dinosaur That Pooped The Bed book by the McFly boys, whilst my adult highlight is the new Patrick Ness book. I've got a review coming on the blog next week so if you are a fan of YA then definitely check out this amazing book. Waterstones even have an awesome exclusive edition in at the moment.

I've lived in or near Bournemouth most of my life, it's somewhere that I can't see moving away from anytime soon. I love the variety of things that we can do here. Everything from a day at the beach to a day in the forest. It's always easy to find something to do and there's always a new place to explore. So here's some of my favourite places in the Bournemouth area.
First up is Moors Valley. Situated just outside of Bournemouth this place is amazing. A country park with a golf course, Moors Valley has an amazing play trail for kids to run around and explore. We love to grab a load of bloggers and head there for a fun day in the forest! Even better, you only have to pay for parking (around £10 during peak season for the whole day) so it's an awesome day out for next to nothing.



Most of my readers are aware of our love with the Oceanarium. On Bournemouth seafront, this wonderful place is full of any type of marine life you can imagine. They've just added penguins and jellyfish too. For the price of the ticket you get unlimited trips on that day, which is perfect as there are so many talks and feeds that you can pop back whenever you want.
Truly Scrumptious is an adorable old fashioned sweet shop based on the quay in Poole (right next to Bournemouth). Any type of sweet you can imagine they have on site. Not to mention the wonderful handmade fudge that they bake each day for everyone to enjoy. There's nothing better than popping down, grabbing some sweets or ice cream and watching the boats float by on the quay.

Soft play is normally the bane of my life. It's a screaming plastic mess that makes me run for the hills. Treehouse Family Play is a different kind of soft play though. At the top of Bournemouth town centre you can find Treehouse. Made entirely of wood, rope and fake grass this not so soft play is amazing for budding adventurers. The relaxed atmosphere means you can sit and enjoy the fab coffee whilst your kids become explorers.

And after all that exploring there's only one thing left to do, and that's sleep. My personal recommendation for somewhere to say is one of the many Travelodge Bournemouth hotels. We always tend to use Travelodge as you know that they are a chain of hotels you can trust.

We live in a rented flat. Whilst our landlord will let us do some decorating (painting the walls, hanging shelves) I don't want to drill too many holes. It's just too much work to fill and cover them when we leave. Having said that, our flat was looking a bit dull and boring so I decided to come up with an idea to display some of our favourite bits and bobs.
Max is forever sitting and colouring something, it's left us with a wall of pictures in the kitchen (attached with washi tape - genius stuff) but we needed something else for the rest of the house. Our lounge is really long and slim, so we had one completely bare wall that I wanted to fill with something awesome.

I was originally going to make and hang some bunting on the wall but realise that it would take so long and I didn't have any fabric on hand that went with our room colour theme. Instead I decided to take a few Command Hooks (fave thing ever!) and some string and try and make a washing line of sorts.

I simply stuck three of the miniature hooks used for hanging fairy lights etc on the wall at equal intervals. You need to press firmly to make sure they are secure and leave for an hour or so to fully allow them to attach. I love Command Hooks as they are so versatile and easily removable so you can't even tell they have been there.

I then tied some string (I used parcel string from Wilkos) so there was some hang between each hook and securely knotted it around each hook so it didn't slip and slide. Then all I had to do was to peg each thing I wanted onto it. We've got everything from cards to pictures and drawings up.


I love our artwork display. It's a great way to display some of our favourite things but also means it's versatile enough to change whenever we want to add something new. Max loves the fact he can show off his favourite drawings and we know that they aren't shovved in a drawer or folder somewhere.

 Sometimes you make a bit of a hasty call but it turns out to be a great decision! I've been toying with the idea for a while and a late night and some extra money on my card resulted in me buying a url. Which then turned into making a separate blog. Which I think is a great idea!

Scott has always been obsessed with American Football. until I met him I didn't really know what it was and now I can tell you the difference between Safety and Running Back (I think - actually I don't but I can tell you who the team is!).

Of course it meant that once Max came along, Scott was determined to pass the love onto him. And he's succeeded. Not only is it a great bonding activity for them to do, Max is getting the knack of tackling him to the ground in style! According to our pal who's a coach for a local team he's got great moves and there's definitely some potential.

Think he's got the knack of this tackling daddy to the ground thing.

A video posted by Laura (@_laura) on Aug 17, 2015 at 12:02pm PDT

Of course that means a lot of screaming, shouting and laughing in glee when each of them grab the ball off each other. But I love watching them play together, sit and watch games together and obsess about their favourite teams together.

Max has decided he's only a Seahawks fan when they're playing. Beyond that he's a Chiefs fan. Much to Scott's dismay! At least they aren't rivals eh.

Unfortunately there isn't anything American Football for kids and touch rugby isn't really Max's style. Of course it's because the game is only really starting to get popular over here. But that doesn't mean we won't be heading up to Wembley for the pre game entertainment so Max can finally soak in the atmosphere.

Until then he's going to continue tackling daddy to the ground in spectacular fashion!

I love the theatre. I spent the majority of my childhood in youth theatre and made some of the best mates I could think of there. So when I get to go and see a musical or show, it's a great day out.

As it was my birthday we were treated to tickets to see Annie take to the Mayflower stage in Southampton. I adore Annie, not only does it have a great set of songs, the story is also really heartwarming and ideal for all ages. Max has been to loads of bits of theatre but never a full blown musical before so this was a great first experience.

But that's where the Young Women's Trust come in. More than ever, young women need to have their voices heard. They are an organisation that are there to help young women make sure their potential and talents don't go to waste. That these amazing individuals know they have a future and they can inspire others to do the same.

The YWT is an organisation that stands up for young women. Their Work It Out coaching sessions allow young women to get the confidence they need to take the next step of whatever path they want to follow.

They campaign on things such as youth unemployment, education and low pay and challenge the negative stereotypes that are placed on young women to showcase the amazing things that these women can do.

I honestly wish that I had known about the YWT when I was in my difficult situation a few years ago. Knowing how amazing they are it would have been so nice to have them support me through it rather than the stumbling that I did. But now I know about this amazing organisation I want to shout from the rooftops and let everyone know how special they really are.

Young women have it tough. If they become young mothers they are judged, if they want to work in an industry dominated by men then they are judged and if they want to further themselves in education then they are judged. It would be amazing to live in a society where women are treated the same as men, but until that point we need to do everything we can to change opinions.

Most people dream of home offices, man caves and play rooms. My ideal secret shed would be a reading nook. I'm a book nerd. I've always got about three or four books on the go. So for me a space to rest and read would be the perfect place. First of all I would be grabbing a gorgeous shed from Tiger Sheds. One that would sit in the corner of a garden hidden away from everyone. My own secret escape!

Last week we decided to make the most of our holiday staycation and we ventured over to the Winchester Science Centre for some clever fun. Me and Scott spent the car journey reminiscing about the place as we both went on many a school trip there (which was always the highlight of the year). But it did leave us wondering if anything had changed and how it had moved on to the next generation.

As Max is still 4 we read him about 3-4 picture books each night. Not only is is lovely to snuggle up and read a short and sweet book, but it's also great for engaging them in a story and helping them learn to read. We go through so many books that I thought I would share some of our favourites at the moment.



First up is Max and the Won't Go to Bed Show by Mark Sperring. We love this book as it is our Max down to a T. Max won't go to bed, he has a spectacular show and other great excuses as to why it's not time to sleep. The First Hippo On The Moon is a great story by David Walliams. It tells the tale of a hippo that goes to the moon (bit obvious!) but as you can imagine a hippo may not be the best astronaut. Talking of animals, if you haven't added You Can't Take An Elephant On The Bus by Patricia Cleveland Peck into your basket then do! It's such a hilarious book about what a fuss it would be if you tried to take an elephant on a bus. William Heads to Hollywood is a great sequel by Helen Hancocks and follows up on our favourite cat detective as he heads to the lights of Hollywood to solve yet another mystery.



Grandad's Island by Benji Davies is a beautiful story about loss. In the book the small boy loses his grandfather but this would be perfect for any situation surrounding the theme of loss. Oi Frog is a hilarious book about rhyming nonsense. Kes Gray does an amazing job at thinking up so many funny rhyming patterns that even parents will be rolling about laughing. Sticking with the theme of animals we still adore Blown Away by Rob Biddulph. A penguin decides to sail a kite but ends up in the most unexpected of places and must find his way home. Going a bit off tangent, The Dinosaur That Pooped the Past by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter is a firm favourite of ours. Not just because it's got poo in it, but it's also so incredibly funny!


There are some books that we can't put down years later. One of those is The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales by Heather Amery. I remember reading these at a young age and love the fact that max has the collection too. They're great for learning to read.  Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers is still one of our favourites and picked up at least once a week. A tale about a boy who finds a lost penguin and takes him home will tug at everyone's heart strings. If you haven't read We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen then you need to add it to your shelves. An amazing tale of adventure to find a bear through the winds and woods. Finally our favourite book, Where the Wild Things Are is a book that actually gave us the inspiration for Max's name. Maurice Sendak tells the tale of a wild boy called Max who meets the wild things and becomes their king, all before dinner.


What are your favourite bedtime reads at the moment?

I've seen this tag floating around many a blogger's page recently and when I was asked to join in I thought it would be a great opportunity to let some people know why I blog. 



I have been blogging on and off for years. Mostly within the Tumblr community. When things started to get a bit too bitchy over there (the parenting community is pretty horrendous) I realised that I wanted to create a platform to share what me and Max had done with our day. I didn't expect people to even read it but surprisingly a few of you do! I had pretty severe postnatal depression and when someone suggested writing as a coping method it really helped. It's something that has grown into an extension of me now.