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.

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.  

It is May and all three of my children have now spent time as inpatients in the local childrens ward this year, yes this year!  Chloe for breaking her ankle, Erin for grommets and now Dylan due to his hayfever and the infection it causes.  I only commented last week how we had a busy week with upcoming hospital visits and that was before Dyl threw his hat into the mix!

Friends joke that I should get a discount in the coffee shop. The nurses know my name. Only today one of Erin’s favourite health care assistants asked Dylan if he wanted lunch and looked to me, then said in a surprised tone, this is the third child! How is Erin?

It leaves me exasperated, what is it about my kids? My friends seem to avoid hospital stays and yet all three of mine are currently regular visitors. 

Dylan has allergies, as a baby he had bad eczema and had a dairy free diet which controlled it. Now he eats what he wants and hayfever is the only allergy he has. April is usually Dylan’s worst month, the tree pollen and first grass cuts are his nemesis.  Wednesday morning he awoke with tiny little bumps under his eye.  I know what these mean, I know the course they run.  After school I took Dyl to the surgery, we had no appointment but they also know that this has hospitalised Dyl twice already.  I thought we had caught it quick enough.  Yet Thursday saw no signs of improvement and by Friday the blisters were becoming infected.  I took him back to the surgery hedging my bets as to where we would end up next.  I was right and not surprised when the GP said Dylan needed to be seen by the paeds team.  Knowing the drill we went prepared we nipped home grabbed the iPad, DS, snacks and magazines before heading back.  I dropped Erin with a friend and headed to hospital. Initially the GP was concerned that the blisters looked viral more than bacterial, he suspected shingles.  As I said Dylan only gets this at this time of year but the doctors and peads don’t have a textbook answer that links this infection with hayfever.  Dyl has been on IV antibiotics for four days now and we are starting to see signs of improvement.  However no one is entirely sure what causes this.  It has been suggested that it is due to the MRSA he had as toddler (that was never actually confirmed as MRSA as they couldn’t admit that  – as he had just had an operation in the hospital – rather they have always called it a staphylococcal infection).  As this has reoccured he will now being a specialist – hopefully an eye specialist tomorrow. 

In the meantime I am yet again drinking hospital coffee and watching the clock.  This week will yet again be busy and dominated with appointments.  Erin is seeing the rheumatologist on Wednesday and we shall see what the consultant says for Dyl tomorrow.

It’s nearly my wedding anniversary. We will have been married for eleven years on June 1st and I can still remember the day so clearly. I loved my wedding day, everything about it was wonderful from getting ready at my mums house, to the ceremony and the party. My wedding dress is still my ideal dress.  Sadly it sits in the garage, I can’t bear to part with it but wont wear it again.  I would love to know what other people  have done with their dress.I think I would still choose much of what I did. I think if I were to do it now, I would have more added extras for the evening do. I would have a sweet shop I think and some giant games like jenga and connect four for everyone to play outside. We had glorious weather and Lee got burnt having the photos taken!  I seemed to drink enough Malibu to sink a ship except I remained sober.

We really should celebrate our wedding anniversary but we are quite lazy really – and circumstances have made it very difficult. Last year should have been one to celebrate, a decade of marriage. However Erin was in spica having recently had her big salters operation. We couldn’t very well swan off which is how I would have liked to celebrate.  This year neither of us have mentioned it so I guess we are doing anything!  This fun quiz though is set to see how much we agree about things like ‘what is our favourite experience together?’  I challenge you to ake the quiz with either your other half or the best friend!  See who you know the best!!

Disclosure: I have been entered into a competition to win a night away for posting the app. I need a weekend away and it really is almost my wedding anniversary!