Hello! I recently went to a lovely gathering of around 10 women who had come together to learn more about home education. Most of their kids were already in school, and a few had kids who were about to start. I shared about our homeschool experience, something that is happening more and more, as it seems like more and more I’m being asked questions or sent messages asking what it looks like for us. About what it looks like to get started, questions around the legalities of homeschooling and what steps are needed to be taken, if any, to deregister. So, if you’re thinking of home educating your child in the UK, whether you're starting from scratch or considering taking your child out of school…

Hello! We have just come back from two wonderful weeks in Canada. That means we have just done the 8 hour flight with three kids (7,4 and 15 months old)! I wanted to write this to help others prepare and feel more equipped! Here are some travel tips for flying with children, and what worked for us!

Hello! Before I even get going, I want to say that I’m not anti-screen time, and this post has NO intentions of making you feel judged for your screen time use because trust me, we’re all trying our best! It’s just our story—where screen time ended over a year and a half ago, what we noticed in our home, what wasn’t working, and the changes we made!

Want to learn how to render your own tallow at home? In this easy, step-by-step guide, I’ll show you how to turn beef fat into a non-toxic, homemade tallow perfect for skincare and cooking. Tallow is a traditional, low-waste way to embrace sustainable living and make your own clean beauty products from scratch. If you’re into ancestral skincare, DIY natural moisturisrs, or just curious about how to make your own tallow, this recipe is for you!

I’ve not done an update since DECEMBER?! What has happened? Well…

We’ve moved house, continue to run a business and homeschool so as you can imagine it’s wildly fun and time is running away. I’m currently sat at the dining room table whilst Moses plays next to me with playdough, Lazaraus is napping and my Mum-in-law is sewing a project with Heppy so this is my MOMENT.

In another post, I shared how we like to keep birthdays simple — but this one’s all about what we actual got up to and how we planned the morning.

This was for Heppy’s 7th birthday, and this year we went with a loose flower garden theme. We wanted something homely, playful, and creative, with different stations set up around the downstairs space for the kids to explore at their own pace.

Click to see what we set up!

My approach to shopping now seems so far removed from 12-year-old me, sat cross-legged in front of an Argos catalogue, circling the Barbie Dream House and electronic diary. Back then, it had never crossed my mind how those toys were made, who made them, or whether they had an environmental cost. All I cared about was that they turned up at my house, wrapped and waiting.

Heppy turned 7 this past week. Seven!! It feels so big. And as if to mark the moment, her first wobbly tooth appeared the next day…AH!

I love birthdays—especially the kids’ birthdays. I love talking about them, dreaming together, and making plans. There’s something magical about wondering what the surprise cake might be, letting them choose their birthday menu for the day (lemon and sugar pancakes, tomato soup for lunch and mac and cheese for dinner for Heppy! (a partially burnt mac n cheese but let’s forget about that)) And you bet I’m there at 6am on the birthday morning buzzing with excitement.

Ad | A few months ago, I was approached by the wonderful Claire, the designer and creator of the Home Education Tracker. She asked if I would be interested in exploring the platform and writing a review.

We've been homeschooling for just over three years, so I suppose you could call me a seasoned pro—just kidding! Most days, I feel like I’m completely winging it, and maybe that’s how it will always be. Our days are filled with bowls of porridge and colouring, digging worms out of the mud, navigating curriculums (and sometimes ditching them), unused sandpaper letters, and tiny hands clutching precious trinkets. There are curious questions from strangers and endless discoveries—not just about the patterns and rhythms of my children, but about myself as well.

This was all set to be a November favourites post and somehow out of NOWHERE, we’re in December. Mid-December, one-week-til-Christmas-December! Arghhh. Time is flying which is great when your kids want that magical morning to arrive as fast as possible but not when you want to hold on to every day of brown-eyed gazes and double chins from your little babe but they are now pulling up and crawling and leaving a blessed trail of destruction. You can find October favourites here but for now, here are some updates and insights from this month so far.

I guess I’m a homeschooling mum?! Three years in I think I can say we’re really doing it! It’s funny how many people have got things to say. Lots of fun opinions, thoughts and beliefs that people make sure you know. I have no problem with the conversation opening up, I just thought it would be fun to de-bunk some myths, or some of the most common assumptions I’ve heard. Let’s go.

They’re here! Ethical and sustainable gift guides 2024. It’s always my hope to help you to buy better when you need to.

Enjoy!

For more articles about ethical buying:

Here’s is a list of 100 brands that pay a fair wage in case you needed other inspiration this year. 

And you can find 23’s gift guide here, 22’s gift guide here, 2021’s gift guide here, and 2020’s here. These still remain presents I would buy from brands I love. There’s also an alternative gift guide here, with lots of free and creative ideas too.

October was my birthday month, can that be my first favourite?! I thought it could be fun to do a quick roundup each month letting you know a few insights- what we’ve been eating, reading, listening to etc. Enjoy.

I managed a few books this month! I devoured ‘The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry’ I wanted something light but with heart and it fitted the brief I pitched to the friend who lent it to me entirely! I hadn’t realised it was a movie and turns out lots of people are talking about it- have I been sleeping?

Some tips and thoughts on how to raise kids who enjoy their food and in turn create altogether more positive meal times!

It’s your first year of homeschooling, you’re wondering whether you need a printer, or the beautifully fancy Pinterest curriculum but more than that you’re wondering what on earth you’re doing and whether you’re about to single-handedly mess up your child s opportunities in life forever. The truth is you’re not and another piece of truth, it’s often far simpler than we make it out to be! Here are the items we used most in our first year of homeschooling!

For the last 5 years or so I’ve tried to find a suncream I’m happy with and I have miserably failed. The ingredients aren’t quite right, it’s too tricky to apply on the kids, I want one we can all wear. Well, this year was different! I finally found one to keep buying!

On the back of Lazarus’s birth, before everything was erased from my memory, I wanted to write down some of the things I found most useful to have on hand. Of course ‘Essentials’ will be different to everybody and depending on what birth you are hoping for, but these are some of the things I found useful!

If you’ve followed me a while, you probably will be aware of my other two birth stories. Both unique- you can read them here and here, but both ended in retained membranes/placenta and a significant blood loss. Moses’ birth was also during covid which obviously meant things looked completely different to how they were intended to. I had birth trauma resoultion after each birth with the wonderful Tracy- I cannot recommend her enough.