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Monica

Hi, I'm Monica! This is my family lifestyle blog where I share posts about motherhood and microadventures.

Today’s blog post is a Panasonic bread maker review as I share how I make fresh bread everyday. I know, I know. I didn’t think I’d be this person either! No one is more surprised than I am that I make a fresh loaf of bread most days. We bought our Panasonic bread maker two …

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Looking for travel gifts for her? I’ve got you covered with 25 Christmas travel gifts for the ladies in your life. Whether you’re buying for your mum, your wife, your friend, a colleague, a family member or, more importantly, looking for travel gift ideas for yourself! I’ll be honest, everything on this list is things …

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Can you see Paris in 2 days? Yes you can! There is so much to see and do in this gorgeous city so I’ve created a list of the best things to see in Paris in 2 days. Of course, there are a million more things to see in Paris but you won’t want to …

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I’ve been using a sleep tracking watch for two years now and I’m regularly asked if tracking my sleep helps me get a better night’s sleep? It’s a hard question to answer because, for some people, tracking your sleep can actually be detrimental. Some people find it stressful and the anxiety of waking up to …

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Healthy family meal ideas This post has been created in collaboration with AvaCare Multivitamins Meal times are a big thing in our family and everyone loves their food! But coming up with healthy family meal ideas can be so tough, especially at the moment when we’re eating all of our meals at home and I’m …

Read More about What my family eat in a day: Healthy family meal ideas for a busy family of 5

Some of you may remember the time I was a millionaire for a day. I can feel a handful of people nodding enthusiastically while the rest of you frown in confusion. Whaaat? In 2015 I worked with The National Lottery during a campaign where people were entered into a raffle each week to win £1 …

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This is my honest Bundlee review, based on my personal experience using Bundlee with my third baby.  I was so excited when I first discovered Bundlee baby clothes rental as I’d been saying for years that someone should start a baby clothes and equipment rental company in the UK. New parents spend a fortune on …

Read More about Bundlee Review: Is the sustainable baby clothes rental company as good as it sounds?

Finally, after the longest January of all, it’s February! I feel like there’s been a collective boost in morale today as we’ve said goodbye to the longest and hardest month so far. It helps that the sun is shining in Wales, the snowdrops are proudly bursting through the soil and everyone has a spring in …

Read More about February goals and finding the thing that makes us happy?

Today’s post is all about glamping essentials and everything you should pack for a glamping trip. One of the benefits of glamping over camping is that you don’t need to pack nearly as much stuff! Most glamping sites will provide you with all the basic equipment you will need so your car won’t be bursting …

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I’m a little unorthodox when it comes to how I write a blog post. I started blogging as a journaler back in 2009 and the rules on how to write a blog post were very different back then! I was more of a creative writer and writing stories came to me easily. I write for …

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This post was created in collaboration with bonusprint. It would be easy to write-off 2020 as an awful year we all want to forget, but it was still special and there were many moments I want to remember forever. It was a smaller year in many ways and the big adventures were replaced with microadventures. …

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If you’re a travel lover then I’ve got no doubt you’ll be feeling like you’ve had your wings clipped right now. I know some people are optimistically booking holidays abroad for this year and I’m sure many of those holidays will go ahead, but I’m also sure many of them won’t! I haven’t booked any …

Read More about The holidays you should actually be booking for 2022

Do you have a blogging editorial calendar? It’s one of those things that some bloggers swear by to help them stay on track, plan ahead, get organised and grow their online presence. While other bloggers will reject the idea of a blogging editorial calendar because it goes against their creative nature. It’s lovely to write …

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I’m the first to admit that our lockdown routine isn’t always perfect. Some days it doesn’t go to plan and it’s absolute carnage in our house! But some days we do stick to this rough routine and it works really well. It isn’t a lockdown routine I ever sat down and made a formal schedule …

Read More about Our lockdown routine: Homeschooling and working from home with three kids

New Year’s Resolutions have had a bad rep for the past few years. The message that we’re all ‘perfect as we are’ is a wonderful and uplifting message that we all need reminding of at times! It’s an especially important message because a lot of the New Year’s resolutions messaging comes from the diet industry …

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I think we can all agree that 2020 was an absolute shitter of a year and we’re all sat at home optimistically hoping for bigger and better things for 2021.  I wrote a blog post this time last year, ‘20 things I want to do in 2020‘, and I actually did do most of them! …

Read More about My plans, goals, hopes and dreams for 2021 and the most important thing 2020 taught me

I’ve had my Danner Boots for three years now and I thought it was finally time to write a Danner Boots review! A lot of you guys ask if they’re worth it because they’re so nice…but so expensive. Danner boots also look a bit different to your modern hiking boots so I get a lot …

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This is the first year we’ve made homemade damson gin using the damsons that grow in our garden. We’ve lived here for five summers now and I can’t believe we hadn’t done it sooner because damson gin is so delicious!  Our first batch of homemade damson gin is rich and fruity and sweet. It’s so …

Read More about Making homemade damson gin for DIY gifts

Christmas Eve boxes are a fairly new trend in the UK so if you’re after Christmas Eve box ideas then I’ve got a load for you! I think we’ve adopted Christmas Eve traditions from a few different countries and made our own new tradition which is a lovely little box filled with goodies on Christmas …

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This self care Sunday post has been created in partnership with WeDrifters and their gorgeous loungewear with anti-insect technology. There’s more info about WeDrifters at the end of the post plus a 20% discount code. Self care is a real buzzword at the moment. It seems that for years we’ve all been taking care of …

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Today I’m reviewing the Micralite ProFold, a compact stroller perfect for both travelling and everyday adventures. As the name suggests, it’s the fold of this pushchair that is a real selling point and one of my favourite features! This pushchair was gifted in exchange for an honest review. We’ve had a few compact strollers over …

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If you want to know how to get your baby to sleep through the night and in their own bed then you’ve come to the right place! Today I’m sharing what we did to get our baby to sleep through the night and some tips to help you transition your baby into their own bed …

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If you’re trying to cut down on the amount of single use plastic you use then I can’t recommend beeswax wraps enough. I’ve been using beeswax wraps for about six weeks now and my first reaction was, ‘Why haven’t we always used these!?’ What are beeswax wraps? Beeswax wraps are simply cotton sheets infused with …

Read More about A beginner’s guide to using beeswax wraps: Colourful reusable food wraps

I’m fairly new to using natural beauty products but I’ve had loads of questions from you guys about what I’m using, how I’m using them and what I think. Before we go any further, can I just say – wow. Wow, wow, wow. I LOVE using these natural beauty products and now I’ve discovered them …

Read More about Getting started with natural beauty products and homemade facial oils

We’re almost two weeks into our second lockdown in Wales and as England are going into their second lockdown, I thought I’d share some tips that have really helped me this time. I’m sure we’ve all seen lots of tips by now suggesting we go for a daily walk, FaceTime our friends, bake a banana …

Read More about What was the second lockdown like in Wales and tips to get through Lockdown 2.0

COVID-19 has affected us all in one way or another but small businesses have really felt the impact of lockdown. Being closed for weeks on end combined with the nation’s financial uncertainty means they’ve been hit hard. Lots of my friends run small businesses and it’s been heartbreaking to see the struggles they face. Even …

Read More about How small businesses can use social media to promote themselves during lockdown

I asked if you had any blogging related questions on Instagram stories last night and when the questions started coming in I realised they all required much longer answers than what I could give on a quick story! Many of the same questions came up a few times, such as if it’s worth starting a …

Read More about My blogging Q&A for 2020: Is it worth starting a blog in 2020?

Have yourself a merry little Fishmas… Hang on, that’s not right. Or is it? Today I want to tell you about Fishmas and my posh, homemade fish and chips which is approximately eight billion times better than the fish and chips you’ll find at your local chippy!  Sam and I had it last night for …

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There’s something magical about Anglesey that gives me tingles whenever I cross the bridge. The beautiful island on the northwest coast of Wales is one of my special places where I instantly feel happy. We all have our special places; we have countries that hold our hearts, cities filled with special memories, towns we return …

Read More about A historical cycling tour on Anglesey with Green Lane Bike Tours

Alton Towers is a place of childhood dreams so we were really excited to take our kids there last week. After a long and difficult summer, it was the perfect treat before our kids went back to school! But, like many of you, we did have some reservations about visiting Alton Towers during the COVID-19 …

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