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We had a relatively small garden in our old house and were limited on what we could design and fit into it for the children. Since we moved to the new house our garden has almost quadrupled in size, we're making the most of being able to be outside and enjoy the space. One of the things I've always wanted for the children was a outside chalkboard, so with so much more space in the garden and a brick wall to attach it to.

I set the hubby a task of sourcing some MDF. He got and cut to size some moisture resistant MDF. This is the perfect material to use if you're going to leave the board outside as it won't rot due to the rain. We decided to make it a feature so we added a border using architrave. This was an extra feature and the chalkboard would still be fab without it.
He then painted the whole thing on both sides with a grey undercoat to help protect the MDF and make it last longer. My husband is a perfectionist so he filled and sanded every tiny little hole so that the pin marks couldn't be seen. Eva enjoyed helping daddy do this one. He coated the architrave with a light grey paint we had left over from the front door at our old house. 
Jay then attached the chalkboard to the wall so that he could fill and sand the holes before he rolled the chalkboard paint on. He applied two coats of chalk paint and then sanded before applying the final one to help the magnetic effect perform better.
The kids were delighted with the finished product, such a simple fun DIY to make for you're garden. 
We used the Rust-Oleum Magnetic Chalkboard Paint - Black. You can get the same paint here on Amazon. 



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Apart from the beaches in Mexico, we haven't visited a UK beach since we went to Cornwall last year. With the weather being so gorgeous at the moment I've wanted to fit in as much 'outdoors' as we can. We typically go to Bournemouth on a trip out, but with the weather being so good I couldn't cope with the idea of being surrounded by hundreds of people and battling for car parking spaces. I came across Mersea Island whilst doing some research on places to visit in the UK. It's rustic coastal charm and dreamy pastel beach huts drew us in immediately. 
The island was around 2 and half hours from us, but with a smooth drive with no traffic it didn't feel too long at all. You enter the island via the strood which is only possible with the correct tide. Twice a day the sea covers the road and really makes Mersea Island an island. We arrived at 9:30 and headed straight to the small boating harbour and parked up. 
We brought some crabbing equipment and found our spot on the jetty. Straight away we noticed that even on a scorching Sunday it wasn't crowded and everyone had there own space. We ended up sitting there for an hour, there were so many crabs every time we dropped the line we got at least one attached to the net, we had to pour them back in twice as we were getting too many in the bucket. Noah loved being able to do this by himself, it's one of my favourite childhood memories. 
Once we had finished crabbing we packed up our bits and jumped on the wonderful Lady Grace boat trip. We got the boat all to ourselves and for only £3 per person we got a beautiful 20 minute ride around the Packing Shed Island, it was so peaceful to be out on the water. 
We ended our time at this part of the Island with a yummy ice cream and a stop at the wonderful house boats that were along the coast line.
Although you could take a walk to West Mersea beach, we decided with having the kids and all the stuff we would drive over and park in the car park. As soon as you arrive at the beach you're struck by the lines of dreamy pastel beach huts. We spent the rest of the afternoon here, eating our picnic, collecting shells and oyster shells and paddling in the sea. The beach was a mixture of sand and stones, so not the most comfiest to walk on but we found a sandy spot and once the kids got used to it they didn't even notice. Again we noticed that even with it being so lovely the beach didn't feel over crowded and we had so much space.
The Island is famous for its incredible seafood, and I read so many reviews raving about it. The only problem for us is that we don't eat seafood..ha! We opted for the stunning The Coast Inn which overlooked the harbour. They had a great menu, but we really went for the views. It finished our day of perfectly. 
I couldn't recommend the island anymore, if you're looking for a non commercialised coastal town this is for you. We can't wait to head back next year. 



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I haven't mentioned our 5th family member on the blog since we announced we'd brought him, mostly because for the first year I spent every other day considering sending him back to the breeder. 
Thor celebrated his third birthday on Saturday (7th July) and it took some time but I'm madly in love with him. Some might say borderline obsessed, he's well and truly a member of our family. He's cheeky, naughty, hyperactive, he can jump about 6 foot and he still chews the children's toys but I let him off and can't stay mad at his little face. He has the sweetest nature and just wants everyone who steps foot in the door to give him as much love and attention as we do. 

I've got a few facts for anyone who maybe interested in adding a Frenchie into their homes....

* They're ridiculously cute when they are puppies, this is how they lure you in.
* Their farts are deadly, prepare to be constantly poisoned. 
* They have incredibly sensitive tummies, keep baby wipes with you at all times.
* They need to be touched constantly, they will find you where ever you are.
* They lay like frogs and take up more room than a Labrador.
* They snore like you have never heard snoring before, they also spend most of the day snorting like a pig.
* They cannot swim, not even a tiny bit. Cue a sinking Frenchie and a soggy owner.
* People for some reason will find it really difficult to differentiate them from a pug or Boston Terrior.
* They are insanely strong, don't let their size fool you. Even my super strong husband can be jolted forward. 
* They do not appreciate baths, you and you're bathroom will get extremely wet.
* They make the worst guard dogs, if they wake up to someone coming in the house the minute they get attention from them they'll become their new best friend.

The most important point for us is how wonderful they are with children, Thor is Eva's best friend and he is so incredibly gentle with her. 


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I know its a controversial subject but I won't feel guilty for encouraging my daughter to play with pink, girly toys. Most of the time she doesn't need encouraging but if I choose a present for either myself to buy or a family member to get her its normally something from the 'girls' section. My brother got her this gorgeous Fairy Unicorn Garden set for Christmas and we decided to keep it aside for her for when the weather got better and we could keep it outside.
The set comes with a sturdy plastic dish, which is light weight and easy for little ones to manoeuvre. The first step is to fill the dish with soil which isn't provided, so don't do what I do and get it all out ready to start and realise you haven't read the box. It asks you to press the soil flat, this was something Eva could do by herself.
Next up is getting the scene ready, we went by the look on the box as Eva liked that and wanted do it exactly the same. If your child is around 3 they'll need some help with this as some of the bits are tricky to put together. Once you're happy it's how you want it you need to sprinkle your grass seeds all over and water.
A very happy girly with her finished garden.
The box says you should expect to see grass within a few days but ours took at least a week before we got a little sprouting. She was so proud of herself for watering it everyday when she saw it starting to grow.
Ta Da. A perfectly magical fairy garden.
I think this is a great gift for any child ages 3 and above. We've had this finished for a few weeks and it's still going strong, even having a few grass trims. For less than £20 its a great activity gift which a child can get a real sense of pride when they see there hard work pay off.  


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