Beating the Chicken Pox Blues

So last week the dreaded chicken pox hit us. What started off with a couple of dubious looking spots, turned into a full on covering less than 24 hours later. With the sun shining and Max being full of beans we were truly gutted it hit us when it did. Of course being struck by chicken pox means staying in to risk contaminating others until the spots have scabbed over. Here's a few things we got up to to stave off the chicken pox blues.


  • Made a blanket fort and watched classic 80's movies.
  • Wrote a script for a short film that Max wants to shoot in Easter Holidays.
  • Did lots of colouring in, decorating the flat with gorgeous Easter pictures.
  • Played music loud and danced in our pyjamas.
  • Read every book in the house.
Max has gone back to school today (hooray!) but we had a lovely time together despite the itchy pox irritating him.
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Arts In Dorset and #KidsArtsDorset


Many of my readers know that I'm part way through my journey with Digital Mums. As part of our journey we have to create and run our own digital campaign of our choosing. As I'm a massive fan of promoting things in the local area, and I'm a bit of a theatre/cinema/art junkie, I wanted to bring those together.

Arts In Dorset is a combination of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram platforms that will showcase some of the best arts for kids and families in the Dorset area. Everything from theatre, music, film and the arts to capture the imagination. I'm hoping that this is something that will really engage with the local community as there is so much on offer to see and do.

By using the #KidsArtsDorset and #ArtsInDorset hashtags I hope to share some of the best things I've seen going on in the area, things that I don't want people to miss and the opportunity for others to share what they have been doing in the area too. So any local bloggers/businesses feel free to use the tag and I'll be sure to feature you.
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Not All Letting Agents Are Bad...


Me and Scott have always lived in private rented accommodation. We know it isn't ideal and the dream is to own our own home one day so we can put our own stamp on it. In our time renting we've come across some hellish horror stories (viewing properties with animal poo smeared up the wall for one!) and letting agencies fobbing us off with constant lies and excuses. 

When we moved into our flat last year we had heard mixed things about our letting agents. People had told us they were a nightmare and others said they were the best they've discovered in the area. But at the end of the day, everyone's experience is their own. 

We were lucky that Roberts told us about our property before they put it on the market, we were the first to view and signed the bond just as it had hit Right Move. I remember hearing in the background of the building the staff having to turn people down as we had snapped it up at exactly the right time. 

We like to think that we are good tenants. We keep the place as tidy as it can be with a 5 year old and two people that half work from home. But we have had a few problems. I'm always cautious about reporting issues, mainly because I don't want to be seen as those complaining tenants. But Roberts have put me right at ease, giving me constant updates, responding swiftly and reassuring me that problems shouldn't always be fixed with the tenant.

What I'm trying to say is that letting agents get a bad rep. But not all of them are bad, at the end of the day they are only allowed to do what the landlord recommends they do. Sometimes that's everything and sometimes that's nothing. They are providing a service and I can honestly put my hands up and say mine are doing a stellar job. 


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Young Women's Trust Residential #2




Many of my readers know that for the past 6 months I have been part of the Young Women's Trust Advisory Panel. As part of my role we come together every 6 months for a residential to talk over how things are going with the charity, look forward and help plan new ideas and also have fun together. This time around our residential was in Crewe so I headed up on the Friday along with some of the other girls from the South of England. As a surprise for the girls I decided to wrap up some books that I thought were awesome for the girls to take as a book blind date. Let's just say it was a massive hit!


The residential itself was an amazing combination of charity updates, campaign ideas and inspiring ladies. We had the absolutely incredible Deanna Rodger join us on Saturday afternoon for a poetry/creative writing workshop. It's always something that has really interested me and it was great to see how you can put together an awesome poem if you have some creative minds. 

On Sunday I took part in a public speaking workshop. Whilst I'm a dab hand at performance (from doing youth theatre for years) I still get full of nerves and don't know what to do or say. Ore, our public speaking coach was really great with guiding us through how to behave and engage on stage. I left with such confidence that I can't wait to face any public speaking events that might come my way. 


Joining the YWT Advisory Panel has been one of the best things I've done. I've made loads of new friends, experienced loads of new things and learnt skills I never knew I needed. The Young Women's Trust is one of those charities that has helped so many young women and will continue to help them and fight for their rights. For more information about joining the panel or all the work they do then please visit Young Women's Trust.


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Colouring with Crayola


Adult colouring has become a massive craze. Not only is it great for relaxing and mindfulness it's also a great way to switch off from the digital world that we live in. I've always been a bit dubious of the colouring craze. I'm not the most artistic and can find the idea of colouring in the lines tedious. But when Crayola offered me some pens, pencils and their new colouring book, I thought I would bite the bullet. 

When they arrived I was so surprised. I was expecting pages full of tiny intricate patterns but the colouring book was great. Each page has a perforated edge, are one sided and contains a variety of patterns for different levels of skill. This is perfect as you can take each sheet out one at a time and not have to worry about bleeding colours and ruined colouring. 


Along with the colouring book I was sent a selection of pencils and pens. The pack of 50 pencils includes every shade you can imagine with the traditional Crayola branding and print like they have on their crayons. I was really impressed at the depth of the colour. I know from experience that some colouring pencils really aren't the colour they say they are but these packed the punch. 

I also got sent some fine line markers. They come in a selection of 12 different colours and have a brush tip as a marker. I've not used these as much for colouring as I prefer blending with pencils but I'm in the process of doing a big Easter display at work and these have been perfect for creating bold and bright typography.


When the colouring craze first came around I didn't understand it, I couldn't fathom how it could be relaxing and calming. Let's just say I was totally wrong. Not only do I feel so much calmer but even just 5 or 10 minutes of colouring helps me forget all my daily worries. Thank you Crayola for bringing a bit of mindfulness and calm into my busy life!
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Mother's Day At Beefeater Somerford


I am away this Mother's Day so we decided to celebrate it this past weekend. Fortunately we were invited to Beefeater in Somerford, Christchurch to try their menu. 

Beefeater has just gone through a massive refit and have ditched the dark and dingy interiors for light and open spaces that could seriously be a step out of the posh interiors magazines! I spent a good amount of the time wondering what colour the paint was and where they got their light fittings from because I loved them!


Sitting down we took a look at the menus to decide what we were going to have. I was so impressed at the selection of things on there. Famous for their steaks and grills, most of the menu was full of delicious meat choices. Scott was really torn between the Steak or ribs, in the end he opted for the half rack of ribs with chicken which he said was perfectly cooked with a great spicy bbq kick.

I opted for a small portion of fish and chips. The fish was great and the chips were absolutely delicious, they were triple cooked if you wanted to know the not so secret. Both portions were perfectly sized and great for a Sunday lunch. They arrived quickly to the table and were hot and cooked throughout. We couldn't find any faults!

Max went for the mac and cheese with a size of veggie fingers and garlic bread. There was such a great variety on the menu and you were able to switch any of the side dishes out for anything else on the menu so you know that everything you picked is something the little ones love. 



Of course you can't go out without having dessert and this meal was no exception. Me and Scott shared a warm chocolate brownie that was sweet, filling and definitely chocolatey. Max went for the fun make your own sundae that included a selection of sweets alongside a cone and two scoops of ice cream. Max had a barrel of laughs building his ice cream and looping the laces into funny patterns. 

All in all the food was some of the best we've had out for a long time. It left us full way beyond dinner time and we've subsequently told all the parents at the school gate how amazing it was. On top of that the service was amazing. The friendly staff were great engaging with Max and keeping him occupied and things arrived promptly. 




I can't fault the meal we had at Beefeater, Somerford. From the great food to the great service. It was the perfect pre-Mother's Day meal and it was the perfect time spent with my little family. Thank you Beefeater for inviting me. There is still time to book a table for a Mother's Day treat so go ahead and spoil her!

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