Or How to turn the least used room in the home into something special for the kids. As a dad, you know there’ll come a time when the kids outgrow their bedroom, and they’ll need more space to play. Lots of families find the living room taken over as a playroom by the little ones,…
Family Camping for beginners – Tips for Packing up camping gear for the winter
Now that the end of the summer holidays are approaching, with the shorter days, lower temperature and everything else that autumn entails, many families will be thinking about putting their camping equipment away for the winter. As much as I’d love to go camping more, it’s a lot harder to persuade my family to head…
Fatherhood: Review – Lego Harry Potter: The Rise of Voldemort (75965)
It’s been a bit of a while since I’ve been able to review a new Lego set, but I was recently contacted about the latest additions to the Lego Harry Potter range – and naturally, I jumped at the chance. The set I was given to review is named ‘The Rise of Voldemort’, and as…
Family Camping for beginners – Next Level Camping Gadgets
One of the main advantages of camping, especially when you have a young family, is the cost-effectiveness it can offer. Sure, you need to buy some equipment to start you off – but once you’re kitted-out to a level you’re happy with, it can be virtually free. But what if you enjoy camping AND have…
Fatherhood: Could Astroturf solve all your family lawn woes?
Until very recently, I’d always written astroturf off as something that only belonged on hockey pitches. This despite the fact that in the past 3 or 4 houses we’ve lived in, our garden lawns have always caused an issue. For instance, in our last house we decided to get rid of the scraggy lawn (about…
Family Camping for beginners – Huttopia Campsites, put to the test
If you’re anything like me, the thought of going to a campsite which is part of a group may fill you with apprehension. Whilst not strictly a “holiday camp”, the idea of these cut-and-paste campsites brings to mind cramped pitches, over-zealous staff and enforced fun – Butlins but with less comfortable beds, basically. Whilst our…
Fatherhood: Setting a budget and sticking to it
Living within your means is always a good idea. It ensures that you never have to suffer the stress of getting into serious debt. But, saying you are not going to overspend is one thing. Achieving it is another. If you want to live a debt-free life setting a budget and sticking to it is…
Guest Post – Gifts for kids that have the potential to help with their future
It feels great to be able to buy your children the things they want. The look on their faces when they realise that their birthday present is exactly what they have asked for is priceless. But, it is important to mix things up a bit and buy them practical things, as well. You need some…
Fatherhood: How to thank your child’s teacher
Now that we’re safely into the summer holiday season, it feels like a good time to discuss teachers. Or more specifically, saying thank you to the saintly folk who teach our little monsters. With the end of term just a week or two past, how did you thank the teacher who has spent the past…
Family Camping for beginners – What are your essentials?
In the process of researching for this latest series of posts, I’ve been reaching out to other camping bloggers to get hints and tips from them. One of the most helpful has been Naomi from the TentSniffer blog – go check her out if you haven’t already. Naomi writes a lot about camping in general,…