Hello I am back from a very long break

Hello everybody,
Very long time I know, almost 10 months! I didn't mean to disappear for quite so long but I guess life happened! About a month before my last blog post I started a new nanny position and went back to working full time all the time and didn't have so much the luxury of time to write blogs. I actually quite liked writing them but they can be time consuming especially if you want to gather proper photos etc.  I would like to get back to writing posts more regularly but hopefully improve the quality of the way the blogs are displayed and are set out.   Hopefully also grow my audience etc.
I now am looking after three gorgeous boys and have settled in after nearly a year with them already, seriously where does time go.  So be back very soon with some amazing content...well hopefully!


Nanny Bicester X

DIY Christmas Baubles-How to make step by step

 1. Gather all your bits and pieces to make your baubles.

 2. Attach main item into the bottom of the bauble.  I used blue tack but double sided tape would be good also.

 3.Tip some fake snow and glitter in to one half of the bauble and attach the other half of it together.  shake it gently to mix everything together.

4. Use festive ribbon to make a pretty tie or to stick around the seam of the bauble. I advise you use superglue or double sided tape as mine kept falling off.


I hope you enjoyed this blog.  Everything I used was from the Christmas craft section at Hobbycraft where most things were under £5.  Ill leave the link below to take you to the shop page.

http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/christmas/christmas-decorations/fillable-baubles

Stocking Fillers for Older Children Under £20

Today's blog is going to hopefully give you all some inspiration when buying stocking fillers for older children when maybe they are not necessarily into toys anymore.  I have included ideas for boys, girls and some are unisex.

                             

Oxford United Football £17.50

Small Emma Bridgewater mug-£19 John Lewis 

Christmas pjs from Asda £9

zoella warm and toasty gift set- £18 Boots
http://www.boots.com/zoella-warm-and-toasty-10234860

Football merchandise(generic)-lunch boss, bags, stationary etc

Phone mini speakers-    Amazon 

Lush bath bombs-£4.50

https://uk.lush.com/products/bath-bombs/luxury-lush-pud

Need

Warwick Castle day trip-October 17

Last weekend I had a really fun day trip with my parents to Warwick Castle in Warwickshire.  It's been a place on my list to go for a while and as the parents were visiting we decided to go.

It's quite expensive I'll be honest especially if you don't book in advance or don't have a merlin pass/annual pass holder. Details below on pricing but I would recommend booking in advance online as you save a lot of money.
https://www.warwick-castle.com/booking/day-tickets.aspx
That being said you can definitely make a day of it and there is lots going on in the holidays with special events.

We paid for the dungeon experience as extra and oh migod it was so scary.  I think they advise that children to be 10 or over and I would  agree with this as it's full of people jumping out at you, loud noises, spooky music and very dark rooms! We were taking the mickey out of my mother but actually I think she had the last laugh.  I won't say anymore to ruin it but if you like scary thrills definitely do it.

The castle grounds and inside have lots of interesting artefacts and things to learn to hold your little ones interest but without being to long winded. I loved how they had lots of pumpkins dotted around the grounds to be very seasonal.





You have a small choice on food and drink stalls and there is a restaurant.  I didn't go in so can not comment on the food quality but had snack and a nice donut from one of the outside stalls.  As I always say you can always save money on taking your lunch which I would always do with young children as they can be a little fussy at times can't they?

Accessibility is good in the grounds for all needs and abilities as its flat with disabled access.  You don't have to walk far between things. We botched up on going to the right car park though and had to walk for about ten minutes so bare that in mind.

Also to note we spotted that you can stay onsite in log cabins.  These looked really cool so would love to maybe do this at some point in the future.

Important info
https://www.warwick-castle.com
Warick Castle Twitter
facebook link

Best advent calendars for children 2017

Cadbury chocolate calendar , widely available 

Tesco free from chocolate advent calendar 

Crayola Advent calendar, widely available

There is a wide range of advent calendars available these days and it's not just about the chocolate. This post will include some different ideas for younger and older children. I have included a few faves that are available to buy this year. Check out my Nov 16 blog on DIY calendar ideas.

Zoella lifestyle calendar £50 Boots

Playmobil calendar, around £20 and widely available

2017 Half term Halloween Activities

Half term is nearly upon us so I thought I would look at what there is to do in Oxfordshire and beyond to keep the kids entertained (don't worry its only a week!).

Stowe Landscape a Gardens Halloween Trail
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/8ef4cbcd-3b5b-4f94-85c6-c69f139fbadd/pages/details
National trust venues all over the country will be hosting their own half term events so go check out their website for more information. I love a good trail as it really engages children in their surroundings and the activity.

Have you read any of my mini blog series? Over the last couple of weeks I have posted 6 different Autumn activites to do. These would be great to do in half term and are not costly to do. Follow the links below to explore.
Leaf Printing Pumpkin Picking Conkers Autumn Treasure Basket

Warrick castle Halloween events
https://www.warwick-castle.com/explore/halloween-haunted-castle.aspx
Warrick castle are putting on some Halloween events this half term that I thought looked good.I am going here hopefully on Saturday so expect a review blog soon.

Prepare and carve those pumpkins! If you have been pumpkin picking you now need to do something with it. Carve them, use the seeds for messy play and use the insides for pumpkin soup.

Trick or treating- now I do understand that most children will be back at school for Halloween but some have two week half terms so didn't want to miss it out of this post. Who doesn't love a chance to dress up and use some face paint.

Just a few ideas to get you started hope you have a fantastic half term.

Autumn Activities 6- Leaf Puppets

I found a great idea on Pinterest for another Autumn based activity and that's Leaf puppets.

Here's some images I found to give you an idea of how they could look.

Ideas on you will need to create your leaf puppet;

• Selection of leaves
• Lollipop sticks
• Wobbly stick on eyes
• Felt tip pens
• Glitter
• Paint
• Glue/sellotape
• Buttons
• Glitter

Hope you have enjoyed my Autumn activity blogs mini series. This will be my last one as I'm going to be writing some Halloween based blogs.