A pocket of my life

 The summer holidays can be scary for some parents knowing that there budget doesn't stretch far, I try to keep to a strict budget so we don't go beyond our means, this means that some days are in with free activites and crafts. So here are some free/cheap ideas to keep you and the kids entertained over the holidays. Rock painting and hiding Lego building Pet pals workshop (Pets at home) Den making Baking ( Cookies , Cupcakes ) Cinema (kids club) National trust (vouchers are very useful) Beach/park  Summer reading challenge (local libraries) Scavenger hunt / nature hunt These are just a few things that we get up to in the summer holidays. I normally put these and more in an envelope and get the girls to pick something out when the day is slow or there bored. I really hope these help and would love to hear what you get up to as well. Victoria x

  Half way through half term already and we have been on some adventures, our latest was a trip to Sissinghurst castle in Cranbrook, Kent. This is a property owned and looked after by the National trust and is one a highly recommend visiting. This location is a little smaller than some but has some beautiful gardens to expolore, even during spring when they are only just waking, and some beautiful buildings to explore too. The gardens, though quiet this time of year showed some signs of waking up with snow drops and crocuses carpeting some of the flower beds. Some of the trees have been trained to link which I can imagine looks beauiful in full bloom. The orchard was closed at the moment as it looked like they have been tendning to it for the months ahead. One of my favourite parts was this sofa bench close to the houses, it made me smile and reminded me of a big family sofa.  There are many buildings to explore, including the tower, the Priest's house, the south cottage and t...

With half-term term officially starting next week I wanted to share a few ideas that don't break the bank. Trying to keep the kids occupied for a week can be tricky when they are out of routine but I am one of those Mums who loves these weeks, the time to have a slower week and make memories if possible.  1. Cinema: This may sound crazy but I have just got 3 tickets, 1 adult and 2 children for under £10 with ODEON Kids. Throw in a shop bag of popcorn or some of their favourite sweets then we have a morning planned.  2. Make a den: We love making dens in our house with mattresses on the floor with blanket and sheets for a roof. I try to make these as cosy as possible as sometimes they like to sleep in them too.  3. Baking: This is great in many ways, it's good bonding time, they are learning maths if you help them with weighing and you get a yummy treat at the end. We love baking from scratch with many  recipes  on my blog, but we also lov...

What a festive, beautiful afternoon on a hunt for The Snowman. We took a drive out to Sheffield park in Sussex where they have a beautiful event celebrating the beautiful stories written by Raymond Briggs. The walk around the enchanting gardens involved finding 12 decorated sculptures along with some painted boards with the characters and parts from The Snowman and activities along the way, such as snowball target practice and making music. Whilst walking around the trail you are treated to some of the music from the films making it feel like you are fully immersed in the story. With loads of photo opportunities to including a sleigh and decorated trees, you can treasure the memories for years to come. We were very lucky to be able to have met The Snowman too, he is at the event on the 21st of December. It was honestly the best event I've been too and definitely brought me back to my childhood, the girls loved it too.

If you want a lovely family afternoon out then I would highly recommend heading to Bodiam Castle in Sussex, we have been a few times now and its one that the kids love and during half term they have a fantastic event on with a magical prize to claim.  Bodiam castle is part of the National trust and is a beautiful castle surrounded by a moat full of fish, its one that I say really looks like a castle with towers on each corner. Sadly a lot of the castle is gone in the middle but you are still able to climb two of the towers to see the amazing views from the top, but beware, the stairs are steep. The girls took part in the spell quest on their journey around the castle and had to help save the castle from the Wicked Warlock, around the castle are different rooms to explore which have been decorated, some have spells to learn and others a potion to explore. They have some photo opportunities around the castle too to add to the memories. The event costs an extra £3 per child which incl...

Yesterday we took a trip to Scotney Castle for a Halloween adventure we had a voucher for a family pass and thought that this was the perfect time to take the opportunity to have some family fun.  At Scotney castle they are running half term fun in the form of Scotney school of Sorcery, during your visit you will need to find words that are part of a spell and at the end if you need to use the spell and see its it's correct. This has a small charge of £3 for you spell sheet and a prize at the end of an insect gummy. The do encourage dress up too for this event. They have decorated the grounds, castle and house beautifully with pumpkins everywhere and the clues were very spooky and made the day extra fun. The grounds look beautiful right now with the autumn colours everywhere and leaves pathing the grass. The grounds are suitable for wheel and buggy but it does have so steep slopes. We headed down to the old caste first which is part ruin, part house which is surrounded ...

Yesterday we took a trip to Rudyard Kipling's house in Burwash for a little adventure with the kids, Batemans is part of the national trust and is a beautiful place to visit. You are able to walk around the house and see the home that the Kipling family made there home, the gardens are this property are absolutely gorgeous even when its muddy and wet, and the added bonus is Park Mill which you are able to look around and learn about creating flour the old fashioned way.  There is a small tea room which sells cakes, drinks and small lunches which include soup, jacket potatoes and sandwiches. There is also a gift shop which includes sweet treats, nature toys and other beautiful items which help keep the house open for all to see. At the bottom of the gardens there was a little surprise in the form of an old mill, named Park Mill, this property is open to the public and includes the equipment that would have been the original in the mill, a small box of story telling toys ...