My sweetest, pink and purple obessed little girl deserves a room for a princess. She sported purple and pink spica cast for most of last year but now she wants her room adorned in the same sparkly colours.  Laura Ashley and Tales of Annie Bean have set bloggers the chance of winning a room makeover. I want this room makeover! How lovely it would be to have a Laura Ashley inspired and bought room. I have always like white and creams and thankfully Erin is not a grubby child. She wears cream clothes and has lots of pastel colours which suit her. She loves butterflies and being free and so I made  this  the inspiration for the room. My brave girl spent so long couped up, bound from belly to ankles that she loves being free. Like the caterpillar that was in a chrysalis before she broke free, Erin has now been set free to fly high.

Erin’s room is hanging on to her baby days and yet I have to accept my girl is growing up. Spica and DDH has kept Erin young, it kept her dependant on me and as such we forget she is growing fast. One more year and we will be buying a school uniform! Therefore it seems only fair that she has a big girls bedroom.  This is my starting point – yes that is a changing table still in her room and yes she doesn’t wear nappies!  See why I need this????

Therefore I used polyvore for the first time to get some ideas, to design a pretty room. I’m not sure how to use polyvore – but I have tried!

I would love a day bed look, pretty white french style, it looks stylish and delicate. I would use the storage boxes for her special things. I picture her playing with her Sylvanian families sitting on the stripy rug. The butterfly curtains delicately blowing in the breeze. Likewise the bunting giving that vintage feel. Her favourite coat hanging from the coat hooks and the classic wardobe growing with her as her style changes.  All these items are currently available at Laura Ashley  in the children bedroom and accessory section.

Please do leave a comment and what you think of my butterfly inspired room.

We are huge fans of vertbaudet and really enjoying reviewing for them. They have again sent Erin the most gorgeous summer outfit.  This time we are reviewing a short sleeved cotton top that has an embroidered neckline.  I love the detail and it really hangs lovely on Erin.  The sizing is generous and fits Erin really well, it currently costs just over £11 which is a great price.  Erin is wearing it with a taupe tulle skirt also from vertbaudet.  It is zip fastening, has an adjustable waist and is adorned with beautiful flowers.  The skirt costs £21 and is so versatile.  I can Erin getting plenty of wear from this.

I would love to see what you have been buying or reviewing this week so do grab the badge from my sidebar or link back here so I can see what you’ve got!

This post has been prompted after chatting on twitter (as you do) about whether primary school children should be taught about pornography, the debate was started on Radio BBC5Live.  I didn’t hear the broadcast but it did raise questions about what is taught to our primary school age children. 

I have a nine year old boy.  He is into WWE and loves watching it on the TV, many of his friends are also big fans.   Dyl understands the wrestling is staged and it is entertainment and I saw no real harm in it.  Until my husband picked up the iPad and checked the browsing history as he does.  There it was – someone had searched for ‘wwe sexy ladies’ the following search was simply ‘sexy ladies’.  We were shocked and when my husband checked the content we realised we had been naive and had let our son see things that we are not happy about him seeing.  We had a chat about it with him and I don’t think he will search again – well he can’t on the iPad due to a new parental control app.  As teachers we thought we were on the ball with all this stuff, we thought we knew what are children were doing.  We are secondary school teachers and I honestly didn’t think we needed to educate Dyl about images of women.  We want our son to grow up with a healthy, respectful understanding of the genders.  I do not want him believing that the images he saw are a true representation of women.  However I don’t think it is the schools remit to cover this – it is my job as a parent.  Too much seems to have become the responsibility of the school and of teachers, parents need to step up.

The bigger question though is how much has changed since we were that age.  Childhood has changed, the innocence has disappeared.   Dyl is a product of an technological age, born into an era like his teenage sister where having the internet at their fingertips is the norm.  They have grown up with owning a mobile phone as the norm.  Dyl doesn’t own a phone and has no desire to but my teenagers blackberry rarely leaves her hand.  We have a no phones rule at the table but still it invades family time.

As a teacher I see the addiction of mobile phones, although the school has a no phones policy many have them and use them constantly.  They are at the mercy of instant messaging and social media.  I have witnessed the fall out of friendships via social media and messages that are sent that hurt and bully others.  Again this technology has compromised childhood.  It is making children grow up too fast. 

Globalisation and consumption are an ever growing challenge for tweens and teens.  I do believe that this is eroding childhood as it is blurring the boundries.  Girls are pressurised to look a certain way, the magazines encourage the obsession with a celebrity culture and celebrity lifestyle.  Ask many girls who their role model is and it will be someone young and rich.  I want girls to have aspirations but the aspiration should be about being successful in a chosen career. 

In one way childhood has been extended, young people are staying longer in education, they are reliant on their parents for longer financially.   We have become boomerang families where after university young adults often come home through lack of jobs and the high cost of living.  Yet at the same time teenagers are under more pressure than ever.

There has been a rise in mental health issues for teenagers, anorexia has been in the news again with it beng claimed that 1 in 10 teenagers having an eating disorder.  Therefore it shows how much childhood has disappeared and as a society we need to do what we can to give children a safe, secure and happy childhood.   

Now is the time to get out and make time to play with your child, it is so important.  Children learn best through simple playtimes which enhances problem solving skills, attention span, social development and creativity therefore if we want happy adults we need to provide happy childhoods.  Childhoods where play is encouraged and healthy relationships between children and parents are fostered.  It will help keep the communication channels open and then parents can parent and children can be children.

Enjoying playtime.

With the weather in the UK being somewhat unpredictable to say the least, parents with younger children understandably look for family holidays in UK that will not be completely ruined should the weather start playing up. Indeed, what is normally considered foul weather can actually add to the excitement in an area like Cumbria – provided you take the right clothes with you and there are other activities and attractions close by to keep the kids in the party pleasantly occupied.  

Lake District

The English Lake District has been a firm favourite with native holidaymakers for many decades now, and whether it’s bucketing down, as often happens, or the sun is shining, the kids always love it here.

Even if you have no intention of tackling the summit of Helvellyn and neighbouring peaks to take in the view, just a short boat trip on the likes of Lake Windermere will be more than enough to fully appreciate the vastness and breathtaking beauty of this unique corner of Britain with its glacial lakes, soaring peaks and legendary fells.

Most of the best attractions here are also completely free, with plenty of walks along the lake shores and in the surrounding hills that have been especially designed for different levels of expertise, families included. You can take pleasure boats and launches onto most of the lakes, and there are picturesque towns like Bowness on Lake Windermere for shopping and refreshments. 

Cornwall

Cornwall has long been a popular UK holiday destination because of its world-famous beaches, sublime summer climate and wonderful scenery. It’s one of the most attractive parts of the British Isles and has a range of attractions for holidaymakers, with visitors flocking to the hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, camping and caravan sites both in the winter and in the summer months.

The entire coastline is pitted with rocky coves and neat little fishing villages with fine views across the sea, and the beaches here are second to none. On the northern shoreline stretching away from Newquay it’s a veritable surfers’ paradise and as you move further towards Land’s End you encounter St Ives and other remarkably attractive seaside towns that have drawn visitors since Victorian days.

This is where many of the best beaches are to be found too, and further inland there are the wild and wonderful moorlands where scattered castles, abbeys and abandoned tin mines create a mysterious and atmospheric landscape to explore.

Scotland

Scotland has its own distinctive character, somewhat more rugged than you’ll encounter south of the border perhaps but no less welcoming, and there are plenty of things to do for families worried about the weather prospects.

On fine days you can get out and about on the roads to see the fabulous scenery of gorse- and heather-covered peaks, or stay in the great urban centres like Glasgow or Edinburgh when it gets wet and cloudy. There are wildlife parks, aquariums and zoos to visit as well as some of the best castles in the UK, and many urban attractions are free, such as Edinburgh’s National Museum of Scotland and the Riverside Museum in gritty Glasgow.

The Yorkshire Dales

The Yorkshire Dales has a rich cultural heritage and its great range of wildlife and extensive sandy beaches attract families whatever the weather. It’s an ideal region for activities holidays, with cycling and rambling particular favourites, and there are lots of local attractions such as museums and adventure parks that don’t depend on sunshine for their enjoyment. In Dalby Forest kids can swing through the trees like monkeys, or at Bedale visit Aerial Extreme for adventure rope courses that all the family can take part in. With steam railways bisecting the countryside and a landscape with its fair share of ruined castles and abbeys, there’s plenty on offer here for everybody throughout the year.

David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.