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So how’s everyone holding up?

Lockdown life is certainly trying but it seems many of us are turning to the art of making food to get us through it.

I’m not much of a baker to be honest but I can proudly say I’ve officially become a member of the FAB Flour Easy Peasy Baking Campaign 😂

I used their simple recipe to make flatbread and a tzatziki dip with the toddler – yes I could have done it faster by myself and yes he made a mess, but it kept him occupied for like, um, 20 minutes or so 🤣🙈

Bonus points were achieved when both kids actually ate it and gave the dish the thumbs up 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾

Definitely worth following @fab_flour for more simple baking and cooking ideas, especially if you’re like me and are currently serving up the same few dishes on repeat.

Here are their recipes for the flatbread and of course, the infamous banana bread which seems to be most people’s go to at the moment!

Easy Peasy Flatbreads with Tzatziki Dip

Vegan Banana Bread

Good luck!

 

Recipes from the FAB Flour Easy Peasy Baking campaign, launched by nabim. You can find more Easy Peasy Baking recipes and information on the campaign over on the FAB Flour website: https://fabflour.co.uk/easy-peasy-bakes/ or on social: @fab_flour on Instagram or @fabflour on Facebook and Twitter.

What’s that I hear you say? Another celebrity trying her hand at designing?

Well, yes – but in a good way. This time around the one doing the designing is Jools, the wife of celeb chef Jamie Oliver and as the mother of four kids, you’d hope she’d have a pretty idea of what makes for a good baby and toddler clothing range…

And thankfully she does, both myself and my two year old daughter instantly fell in love with the samples we were given to test out – a vivid yellow cardigan, some ribbed tights (one pink, one navy blue), a pink and purple striped top and a beautiful vintage style white shirt.

Jools follows in the footsteps of fellow celebrity mum Myleene Klass, who has also put her name to collections at the high street retailer, but if my memory serves me correctly the Little Bird range is slightly more affordable than Klass’ Baby K collection.

The pictured pink/purple top is about £8, the shirt £13. A cardigan from the range is about £15. There wasn’t a piece that I didn’t like, but my note with the tights would be that as my little one has been blessed with long legs, I’d probably go up a size from the age 2-3 I was given to try out.

The quality is that which you would expect from Mothercare, with words and phrases like ‘eclectic mix of traditional prints and vintage novelty’ and ‘a timeless look’ to describe the range for little ones aged up to five years, these elements have helped create a hit with customers, with pieces flying out of stores.

I’m sure Jools will be glad to hear that it’s also a thumbs up from The Media Mummy!

www.littlebirdbyjools.com 

While it may be my job to be up to date on who was performing at this year’s V Festival and the names of celebrities set to grace the VIP areas, with my life currently being run by a three year old girl, my mind was focused on every parent’s event of the summer – LolliBop festival.

Where children and toddlers are the priority, this was my second year of coming along to ‘The Big Bash for Little People’ and I couldn’t have been more excited.

This year moving from Regent’s Park to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, it was also a perfect opportunity for those who never managed to visit the site during London 2012 to catch a glimpse of where it all went down.

The chance for your child to see their cartoon favourites  – Poppy Cat, Postman Pat, Hello Kitty, etc – come to life definitely makes for a fun afternoon. And it’s hilarious to see the likes of Dick & Dom and Justin Fletcher (aka Mr Tumble) treated like rockstars – with Fletcher obviously taking top billing!

This year there did seem to be even more activities for the children to get involved with – we tried our hand at windmill making, decorating bandanas and some glitter fun in Lalaloopsy Land – all without too much queuing or waiting.

In fact, the only nightmare queue experienced throughout the day was the one for food, which may have been a combination of the peak lunchtime hours and the fact that the burger van we’d chosen only had two women serving (something I only realised once I’d been in the queue for over half an hour)…

I think the Saturday we visited the event was at capacity and that was easy to believe as you fought through prams and toddlers on the run to get to each area.

I was certainly exhausted long before my little one was ready to go home and although it wasn’t exactly my idea of ‘fun’ (even as a parent, I’m up for anything that involves a glass of wine and some adult conversation…!) – I know my daughter had an amazing time and that’s of course what counts.

So, see you next year LolliBop.

www.lollibopfestival.co.uk

With a voice cast boasting the likes of Rob Schneider, Heather Graham, James Corden, Bill Nighy and Colm Meaney, it’s no surprise a crowd of VIPs and their children braved the cold to enjoy a Sunday morning screening of latest Lionsgate offering Norm of the North.

Singer Una Foden stepped out with her three year old mini me, daughter Aoife Belle – the pair clad in matching denim ensembles.

Other celebrities taking part in the ‘fun in the foyer’ activities included Cherry Healey, Justin Lee Collins and former X Factor contestants The Brooks, before TV presenter Kate Garraway introduced the film to a packed screening room at London’s Empire Leicester Square cinema.

In the film Schneider voices a dancing polar bear who can speak to humans, tasked with saving his Arctic home from property developers.

My six year old enjoyed the film but a big part of that was probably due to the soundtrack – which included Walk to the Moon’s catchy Shut Up and Dance – rather than any riveting storyline.

While the animated offering is not on a par with Disney’s Frozen which is of course loved by children and adults alike(!), I did find myself sniggering at some of the jokes. And judging from the reaction of children at the screening, they also seemed to find the film amusing.

Norm of the North hits UK cinemas on March 18.

www.normofthenorth.co.uk