"In your Easter bonnet, with all the frills upon it, you'll be thegrandest lady in the Easter parade."

Sunday night. Last minute emails. Lesson planning. That dreaded 'back to school' feeling.

Easter is over.

WAAAAAAAAA.

Molly was a spoilt little bunny this year - and of course, mummy has to help demolish the mountain of eggs we still have. I'm nice like that.

We were even sent a fabulous Easter box from that gorgeous lot at Nick Jr - full of games to play, cake silicone cases, a chef hat & a Dora dvd.

But now, it is back to earth with a bang, and heavy one at that ;-)

Did you have a nice Easter? What did you get up to Dolly-rama's?

xxx

My day with Nick Jr!

So, a few weeks ago, I was kindly invited up to London to have a LIVE web chat with the utterly gorgeous Helena Dowling and scrummy mummy Becky Overton (writer of Arnie & Barnie's Bedtime Stories on Nick Jr).

I had arrived fairly calm and collected, and just excited to meet the lovely team, when a voice perked up -  "Holly, would you like to have a look at the set?", 'Sure" I said, you know like I do this thing all the time. One look at the cameras and lights, and BAM! 'hello' heart beating REALLY fast, and oh 'not seen you in a while' sweaty palms. The nerves had kicked in.

It wasn't so much the topic or the fact I was being filmed, more to the point it was going to be LIVE!
If you know me, you know that I am a bit of a klutz  sometimes I don't think before I speak, and a lot of the time I am quite clumsy. I had visions of Bridget Jones in her first live TV appearance where she got stuck down a fireman's pole (ooh matron).

But, once we got started, it was just such an amazing time. Becky Overton, is just the easiest person to talk to and instantly put me at ease and Helena is, of course, a pro.

You can catch the clip on the post below. I am far too critical of myself, so have watched it once and that is enough...

A huge thank you to Jessica Feldman, Sarah (lovely PR wonder woman) and Becky, the Arnie & Barnie producer who were all so so lovely.

Blimey, it's like I have won a bloody Oscar...

That's next year...

The Importance of Bedtime Stories

Hey y'all!!!

Ok, so have a little blog breather for a little while and turns out I am coming back with a BANG!!

Nick Jr have been in touch (as you do) and liked my blog (gulp - looks at last blog post date) and have asked me to have a little discussion on the importance of bedtime stories with the lovely Helena Dowling, presenter with Nick Jr, and Becky Overton, British children's bedtime story writer.

Me? Scared? YUP!!

BUT, it is a subject I feel quite strongly about as I LOVE story time and so does my little crumble!!

Anyway, if want to watch the discussion or just laugh at me, then do have a read of all the show info below. You can also submit a question if you want to.

Wish me luck!!

The Importance of Bedtime Stories

Watch our live show with Becky Overton, British children’s bedtime story writer, and TV presenter Helena Dowling to discuss why bedtime stories are so important for our little ones.



Show date: Friday 22nd March

Show time: 12:30pm

Many parents can find bedtime stressful, but that needn’t be the case. Reading bedtime stories can really help your children relax and fall asleep more easily, and create an emotional bond between parent and child. Not only does a bedtime story help create a sense of occasion but it can also give children something to really look forward to before they turn out the light.

While some of us might lack confidence in our ability to read to our children, some of us are unsure of what tone or volume to use, or even what stories are suitable for bedtime reading - fear not, help is at hand.

So if you are worried about how you can read your children bedtime stories, don’t know exactly what the benefits of reading with your little ones are or want to share your tips and advice to other parents, then log onto our live show.

Becky Overton, a British Children’s Writer, whose stories are featured on A Bedtime Story with Arnie & Barnie on Nick Jr. and read by well-known celebrities such as Greg Rutherford and Kimberly Wyatt, is on hand to answer your questions, alongside TV presenter Helena Dowling and Holly Driscoll from Dolly and Daydreams.

WEBTV SHOW LOGISTICS

Becky Overton, Helena Dowling and Holly Driscoll join us live online athttp://www.studiotalk.tv/show/the-importance-of-bedtime-stories on Friday 22nd March at 12:30pm
Click here to submit questions before the show http://www.studiotalk.tv/show/the-importance-of-bedtime-stories

FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT


Website: www.nickjr.com/read<http://www.nickjr.com/read>

The Day That... REVIEW

The day you give birth to your child is a day you will NEVER forget. Good bits & bad bits. ( the horrendous pain!) and I was sent a gift that will cherish this moment forever.
The Day That... Has an army of photographers who take photos of dawn breaking at various locations. It does evoke all the emotion and significance of that special day.

So of course, they sent me a beautiful framed photo, which I chose from a variety of photos, online. You get to say what the photo is for and choose your frame. Easy.As.That.

When it arrived, it was beautifully packaged and very secure inside the box.

When I saw the breathtaking photograph, it brought a lump to my throat and tears in my eyes.

My beautiful baby girl was born on that beautiful special day.

A unique beautiful gift and I am so very grateful for receiving this!

www.thedaythat.co.uk

Review: Prince Lionheart BoosterPod

Due to my hectic work schedule - principle of my dance school DanceJam, Freelance dance teacher and part-time social media junior exec, *I AM SUPERWOMAN* - Molly spends a couple of days with her nanny. Where she is spoilt rotten!

We didn't want to buy a highchair as Molly is getting bigger by the day and a highchair would just be a complete waste of money.
Prince Lionheart came to the rescue. Last year, I reviewed the bebePod as an alternative to the Bumbo, and this is a step up.

Straps on to the chair, it allows your toddler to feel more a part of the family dinner table and the seat looks incredibly squishy and comfy!

Molly actually sits in it for fun. I promise I don't deprive her of actual fun.

Prince Lionheart always manages to come up trumps when it comes to style, use-a-bility but above all, comfort!

Here's Molly and some boosterPod lovin':

Don't forget to check out Prince Lionheart's other products here.

This is an honest review and I recieved the boosterPod on behalf of Prince Lionheart.

Fittie McVitie Friday

PHWOAAAAR.

Image taken from ryanlochte.com

Peppa Pig World @ Paultons Park

I have always been lucky to live so close to Paultons Park - my Nan and Granddad used to take me and my sisters there all the time when we were younger, but I distinctly remember getting really bored of it. Nothing had been updated for years and just looked really old and out of date.

Roll on 20 years or so (jeez, kill me now, I AM OLD!) and Paultons Park has had a HUGE revamp, with lots of new rides and play areas and now Peppa Pig World, and who doesn't love Peppa Pig!

Well, Molly for one, is obsessed. Except she likes to call it Peppa Duck! So to see her little face where she could see lots of gorgeous pastel colours and the famous Peppa theme tune in the near distance was one to treasure.

We went on lots of the rides, although some of the queues were horrendous, so we steered clear. But Molly loved the little boat ride and car ride, all rides are perfectly suitable for her age.

There are lots of places to eat, so we grabbed lunch back in Paultons Park. I do have to say, the burger I bought was pretty grim looking, so I left that.

And of course, I couldn't resist the gift shop. Its pretty hard to resist....especially if you are a shopaholic like me! So Molly is now the owner of a lovely Princess Peppa toy, Peppa book and some cute hair clips - which she hates!

If your child loves Peppa Pig, or even theme parks, you must go!!!

Paultons Park