• Fashion

    Shopping for a weekend away with #MonksCrossStyleHacks

    I love fashion, clothes and shopping and although I spend lots of time reading style blogs, checking out instagram posts from my favourite fashion bloggers and watching how stylish people I see out and about dress, I don’t often blog about it. Mainly because I…

  • Lavender and elderflower gins
    Food

    Lavender and Elderflower Floral Gins

    Regular readers of my blog will know I love a gin and tonic, from the time I sampled the local gin at Slingsby’s in Harrogate to the creation of a simple gin bar in the corner of my kitchen. It’s a top drink and I…

  • Sam, Flo and Jules on the balcony
    Me and Mine

    Me and Mine – A Family Portrait for May 2017

    You may or may not have noticed I’ve had a bit of a break on my blog, my writing has slowed and I’ve probably posted a little less on social media too. I seem to have had such a busy month that time spent on…

  • Sam and Flo by the river in May
    Family, Family life

    Siblings in May

    It’s been more than a year since I wrote an update on my two and how they are growing up together. I just checked and the last siblings update was in March 2016; they have grown a lot since then and so much has changed…

  • Jules outside the house in Derbyshire
    Holidays

    A girls’ weekend away in Derbyshire

    I feel really lucky in that I’ve made a lot of really good friends in my life so far, and manage to keep in touch with most of them with regular meet-ups and of course now online, by chatting regularly on social media. I have…

  • Cabbage White from Canva
    Family

    Butterflies and Those Tiny Reminders

    I saw my first butterfly of the year yesterday. A sign that summer is on its way, but also a reminder for me of my husband – who died nearly two years ago now – and how life changes. Butterflies are seen as a symbol…

  • Five under five in May
    Five under 5

    Five under £5 for May 2017

    The first of my five things under a fiver this month has caused a bit of a stir in my house. My glittery cat phone cover (£4.99 from H&M) has been a hit with Sam and Flo, who think it’s super cute but at the…

  • Me and Mine in Filey 2
    Family, Me and Mine

    Me and Mine – A Portrait for April 2017

    Do you sometimes get to the end of the month and think, what have we actually done in the past four weeks?! I’ve just been looking back on my blog for the month of April and it seems like a really long month that we…

  • Jules and Flo on the beach
    Family

    Being a Single Parent and the Childcare Juggle

    When you’re a parent it’s pretty hard to find – or make time for yourself, and even if you’re part of a couple it’s not the easiest of tasks. When you’re a single parent, it’s much more difficult as most of the week you are…

  • Just So entrance
    Family life, Outings

    We’re going to Just So Festival

    Of all the firsts we will do this year one will be our first family camping trip. I mean we’ve spent a weekend in a mobile home, and we did have a caravan which we sadly decided to sell (regular single mum trips in the…

  • Ben, Steven, Sally and Jules
    Family life

    My Club Tropicana 40th party

    Turning 40 was a milestone I wanted to mark and make sure it went with as much fun and laughter as possible. In this life the good times need to be cheered and I wanted to celebrate as much as I could with my family…

  • Browns inside piano side Leeds http://rainbeaubelle.com
    Food

    Eating Out at Brown’s | The Light, Leeds

    Being a working mum means one of the best times for socialising is early evening. That way, I can meet up with friends after work and still get home early enough to put my children to bed – it’s a win-win for a mid-week night…

  • Five under five closer up April 2017
    Five under 5

    Five under £5 for April 2017

    With April being the month of Easter, it was a bit of a struggle this month to find five things to feature that weren’t all chocolate! What have I bought for under £5 this month, hmm, chocolate bunnies, chocolate eggs, kinder eggs, mini eggs, the…