ENGLISH MUM

Loving… Holiday Extras’ new Travelling with a Baby guide.   I’m already a huge fan of Holiday Extras after their fantastic effort during the Icelandic volcanic ash disruptions.  Their CEO was posting travel updates every day on their website – a service that was invaluable to loads of people (including me) stranded all over the globe.   If you’ve ever travelled with a baby (or...

So what do you do if Xbox call you up and ask if you’re busy next week? You pack up your kids and your Hubby and arrive at the Radisson Blu Hotel at Stansted with absolutely no idea what you’re letting yourself in for, that’s what. Arriving confused at Cologne airport, all was revealed. Turned out, we were to be the ‘Xbox Kinect Family’ at the Cologne gaming convention, Gamescom...

So it’s been a pretty mixed summer.  We had plenty of sunshine early on (in fact, nearly melting in my conservatory/oven became such a regular feature that I abandoned it for good for a while), but lately it’s been rainy and a bit miserable. Typical British weather. Still, I managed to take this snap of #1 bowling at a cricket match (note his Grandad, my Disreputable Dad, complete with ancient...

Lots of lovely cakey buns for you today.  First up is *drumroll* the winner of the Big Bakeoff (and that fabulous Cook’s Hamper from Green and Black’s), the lovely Amy Lane’s amazing Summer Strawberry Cupcakes: And the children’s winner, the utterly gorgeous ‘Top Ender’ and ‘Baby Boy’ (and their mummy, Pippa from A Mother’s Ramblings) and their Wheat Free...

*NEWSFLASH* The winners are now listed on Eggs Cream and Honey! Contratulations to little Top Ender and Baby Boy who scooped the children’s prize, and lovely Amy Lane who won the overall prize with her delicious strawberry cupcakes! Kids Entry Kids...

Scoffing… …fabulous bags of Warburton’s ChippidyDooDaas – yummy scrummy bags of baked pitta chips, and SnackaDoodles – little crunchy doofers which are 70% wholegrain, making them healthier and with 60% LESS fat than regular crisps, meaning, naturally, that you can have two bags with your glass of wine *cough* Fiddling… …with my new mad gadgets from Oxo.  My faves:...

So the entries have been coming in thick and fast, and if you want to take part in the Big Bakeoff, and have a chance of winning that fantastic Green and Black’s cook’s hamper, you must get your entry to me by midnight on 31st July! Want to have a little sneak peak at the competition (chosen totally at random)?  Well it’s tough, I’ll tell you that.  First up (above) is Working Mum...

Soooo the Super Soaraway Sun (is it still called that?) are doing another of their 2 for 1 days out offers for this summer.  Basically you just pick up a copy of The Sun (from this Saturday until Friday 30th), and you’ll find 2-4-1 vouchers for 800 of the UK’s best attractions to keep you busy over that long, long slog that is the school holidays. There’s more information (and bonus vouchers)...

Oh go on, go on, go on, go on, go on…. (In the Lifestyle section please – I know I’m a fashion guru as well, but y’know, I don’t want to spread myself too thin.)

Poras Chaudhary, India Daisy Gillardini, Switzerland Courtney Krawec, Australia So here’s one for my lovely photography-mad friend, Tara Cain, and her absolutely fantastic ‘Gallery‘ contributors: The 2010 International Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) are now open for business! The competition is open to anyone, anywhere – whether you’re a professional photographer,...