The London Mummy, Author at The London Mummy

Giffords Circus: Nationwide

Giffords Circus is coming to town! Giffords is a family-run vintage circus that each summer returns with a show for families and film stars alike. They experiment with the circus form, weaving theatre, opera, dance and puppetry into a 90 minute fun filled show. They are always idiosyncratic, beautifully designed creations featuring a live orchestra, clowns, acrobats, horses, handmade costumes and a much loved goose. The show also includes animals, illusionists, Gypsy violinists, tap dancers, tight-rope walkers, trapeze artistes, stunt riders, opera singers, magicians, illusionists and gymnasts, so there is lots to keep the little ones engaged.

Giffords will be at Chiswick House for their London dates from 11th – 24th June.

Chiswick House

You burn off some steam before the performance in their beautiful grounds, feeding the ducks and a play in the great little playground.

How much do the shows cost?

All shows are priced at adults £22, children £14, with the exception of Chiswick House & Gardens which are priced at adults £25, children £15…

Children under the age of 3 do not need a ticket but must sit on a lap.

How long is the show?

The show is approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes (including a 15 minute interval). Arrive half an hour before show time as seating is unreserved.

Venues

Other than having the rather undesirable ‘Easyjet’ rush for seats together, I am definitely going to give it a whirl – but I may buy an extra seat for the 2 year old!

To book tickets call the Hotline 0845 459 7469

www.giffordscircus.com

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Family Life People Services Spotlight

Little Learning Seeds: Help You Help Your Child

Little Learning Seeds offers many services to support a child’s learning; including 1:1 tuition, homework help, parent workshops, school workshops and online support through her blog. It was founded and established by Laura Clifford.

Laura

She has over 10 years of teaching experience and after speaking to many confused parents and researching what parents really wanted, Little Learning Seeds was created.

Her main focus is on early learning and supporting children through pre-school and the first few years of formal education. Her aim is to give confidence to parents in supporting their child’s learning at home, so if anyone is struggling with how and what to help their little ones with, Laura is your lady.

Laura’s Favourite’s

Shop: Darts Farm in Topham, Devon
Website: www.pinterest.com
Restaurant: Busaba Eathai
Hotel: La Petite Ferme in Franschhoek, South Africa.
Place to go: Any beach in the West Country

I urge you to contact her if you are not sure about the UK school system, your child is struggling in a particular area or you don’t have a clue what you are meant to be doing!

See her website for more information

www.littlelearningseeds.com/services/

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Fashion Little Products Spotlight

BONNIE: Pure Wool Jumpers

Antonia set up BONNIE after an unsuccessful search for a pure wool cardigan for one of her daughters. The high street knitwear was a synthetic mix which she knew wasn’t going to last, wouldn’t be warm and she wasn’t prepared to buy cashmere at cashmere prices … ‘you have to grow into that’ she exclaimed!

Antonia with her family

All the BONNIE designs were drawn at her kitchen table and were then lovingly made in a Scottish mill in the Borders. BONNIE jumpers are very soft, come in great styles and colours. Most importantly are machine washable. You really can wear them everyday. Mothers and children alike love them because they are sensibly priced, look fabulous and the wool warm & durable.

The quality, price and timeless style creates a wonderful line and would be a great addition to a child’s wardrobe. I’m hoping she starts a line for adults!

Antonia’s Favourite’s

Shop: Zara

Website: The White Company

Restauant: Strada

Hotel: Hotel Banyan in St Anton, Austria
Place to go: Bray Beach, CornwallSee BONNIE online
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Family Life Services

Word On The Street

It’s that time of year again. The Au Pair search. Our lovely Spanish Au Pair is leaving at the end of the month and I need a ~~Mary Poppins~~ replacement.

Earlier this month, I wrote about the advantages of having an Au Pair and questions to ask a prospective one. I am going to heed my own advice and start by putting up a profile on Au Pair World This will hopefully narrow down a couple of goodies that I can ask this list of questions to!

These are current positions available that I can recommend, so drop me an email if you want to be put in touch.

CURRENT

Available

~~A1. Lovely 29 yr Venezuelan nanny, looking for two full days on Mondays and Wednesdays. Greater London.~~

~~A2. Delightful and hardworking 24yr Spanish girl who has completed a year as an Au Pair and deserves to become a become a Nanny. From September. London.~~

~~A3. Excellent experienced 30 yr old Turkish nanny looking for a new live out nanny job. From September. 7 years experience. CRB Checked and First AID.~~

A4. Experienced part time midwife available for adhoc days and nights with newborn. She is a great help with siblings too.

~~A5. Spanish University student wanting to come to UK to be an au pair for two months in the summer to practice her English.~~

~~A6. Early 40s Filipino lady. Qualified nanny – firm but very fair and adores children. Free Available Monday’s, Tuesdays and Fridays.~~

~~A7. Jessica, Spanish, 23 years old. Looking for work as aupair/live-in. She only speaks Spanish. She is a very honest helpful girl.~~

A8. Julia, from Macedonia, 27 years old. She speaks English fluently, always has a big smile on her face, and is looking for work in the mornings (she works in the afternoon). She can do housework and take care of children.

~~A9. Afternoon nanny/housekeeper available. Cleo is fabulous and comes highly recommended by her her employers who are moving to the country. Pref Fulham.~~

~~A10. Wonderful Argentinian Au Pair available from 3rd August – 3rd February.~~

Let me know if you can recommend a person for Word On The Street.

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Family Life People Services

The Nub Theory

I am writing this post with trepidation as I know it is not everyone’s cup of tea, however a few people have asked, so here we go…

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU ARE PREGNANT/PLANNING ON BEING PREGNANT AND DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT GENDER YOU ARE HAVING PLEASE MOVE ON

When I was pregnant with number 2, intrigue got the better of me and I ‘Googled’ Old Wives Tales on what gender I could be having. I stumbled across a post from America about The Nub Theory.

What an earth am I talking about? The Nub Theory is basically a ‘theory’ that can tell you what gender you are having from your 12 week scan ultrasound photo.

Between 11 and 14 weeks’ gestation both genders have a protuberance between the legs. They look incredibly similar at this point, except for the angle at which they are pointing. Sometimes there are males and females at this stage which are in the ‘grey area’, but essentially a boy’s protuberance is 30 degrees up relative to the backbone and a girl’s is below 30 degrees, or parallel to the base of the spine. The starting point is to look for a bright white line at the base of the body.

If you get your scan at 11 weeks, it can be difficult to tell the difference between the genders. A scan at 12 weeks is around 75% accurate and at 13 weeks it’s closer to 95% accurate.

I often get sent my friends 12 week scan pictures who want me to hazard a guess. When you know what to look for, it is quite obvious. However if you do want to know and you think what I am saying is barking mad, you can always pop to The London Ultra Sound Centre for a Gender Identification Scan from 15 weeks to hear it from a professional!

www.thelondonultrasoundcentre.co.uk

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Books Products Spotlight

Whimsey Wood Children’s Books

Despite having 2 wonderful daughters, a cheeky baby son, a great husband, 2 rescue cats and 2 squeaky guinea pigs, Sarah Hill still manages to find time to write her wonderful children’s books. I read Posie Pixie and The Snowstorm to my 4 year old son and he hung on every word.

Sarah

‘Whimsy Wood’ children’s series consists of 35 books, which are divided into 5 sets each containing 7 books. Every book is written for a specific month in the calendar, so the flora and fauna change as you read through the series. There is also a proverb tucked into every story for the reader to find, giving her books real meaning. They would make a lovely present for a little one. 10% of her ‘Whimsy Wood’ book sales are donated to The Wildlife Trusts UK.

Her 6th Whimsey Wood book

Sarah’s ‘5 Favourite’s’

Shop: White Stuff

Website: www.uksafari.com

Restaurant: The Bath Priory, Bath

Hotel: Charlton House Spa Hotel, Somerset

Place: Westonbirt Arboretum

Click here to purchase the latest ‘Whimsy Wood’ book, ‘Posie Pixie And The Snowstorm’ direct from the publisher, Abela Publishing

For all 5 books on special offer click here

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Activities Days Out Places

Putt In The Park: Keeping Daddy Happy

How many activities can you think of that keep the whole family happy? I think I have found one!

Putt In The Park is a stunning, spacious and fun Pitch and Putt located by the river in Wandsworth Park, London.

There was a cafe for the baby and I (the coffee was rather good, unlike most ‘ditch water’ serving park cafe’s), junior sized clubs for the young ones and water, tunnels and bridges for the toddler (he basically treated it like an outdoor soft play) Above all, it is under the umbrella of GOLF so easily sold to your other half as a viable weekend activity…

The Cafe

It has been such a success, they are shortly opening a sister Putt In The Park in Battersea Park – with an outdoor pizza oven!

No booking is necessary, it is very reasonably priced and there is plenty of parking. It’s a punchy call – but the playground next to it has to be one of the best I have visited. All in all, a fantastic activity for the whole family.

www.puttinthepark.com

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Interiors Products Spotlight

Cellandia: Cards For All Occasions

Beautiful stationary is one of life’s little luxuries. It’s one luxury I don’t have enough of. I rummaged through my stationary draw this week to find a suitable thank you for a Christening this last weekend and all that I could come up with, was old regulation writing paper from boarding school and a couple of the free packs of cards you get sent by charities at Christmas.

Luckily, I have somewhere to turn. Lovely London based Laura, has cornered a gap in the luxury card market with her original prints and themes, inspired by her love of photography.

Laura with little Olivia

Her company, Cellandia, has a beautiful range of personalised cards – birth announcements, stationary sets and a full wedding range from invitations through to final thank you’s. They are handmade to the highest quality and beautifully presented. They are available to view and order online.

Birth Announcements

Laura’s ‘5 Favourite’s’

Restaurant: The Bingham in Richmond, Surrey
Hotel: Ardanaiseig in Argyl, Scotland
Website: www.princessandthepram.co.uk
Shop: Luma in Barnes, London
Place to go with Children: Wisley in Woking, Surrey

I urge you to spring clean your stationary drawer and visit her online shop.

www.cellandia.com

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