Showing posts with label baby london. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby london. Show all posts

Thursday, 25 August 2011

The Art of Living: last of summer days in London

The National Theatre Square is alive with theatre, fire, circus, juggling, music, dance and street performance for the annual WATCH THIS SPACE free festival of outdoor entertainment for the summer - another reminder of what makes London so special and why we love the Southbank. And there's plenty happening this August bank holiday weekend!

image courtesy of TIME OUT - go to website for listings & info here
The Alternative Village Fete sounds like our cup of tea (and there has to be tea and cake!): a riotous Bank Holiday weekend of unconventional artists, cunning craftmakers and alternative produce stalls in a modern urban take on the traditional village fête in the concrete jungle.

image courtsey of www.nationaltheatre.org.uk
Friday night is the Big Sleepover - it's now sold out, but what a great idea: Theatre Square becomes a giant inner-city campsite for The Big Sleepover. As the campfire blazes and the barbecue crackles, join us to roast marshmallows, have a singsong and tell spooky stories. Then, for a very limited number, there will be the chance to spend the night under canvas on the South Bank; you’ll need to bring a sleeping bag and warm clothes; adventerous kids (age 7+) are welcome in the family sleeping area. You’ll make your own eggcup, fired in a kiln overnight, ready for breakfast. 
If I was a 7 year old I would be so excited to be doing this, though it's not so easy to crawl back to your own bed in the middle of the night when you get the heebie-jeebies, like we always did when we camped out in the back garden!



image courtsey of www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

WATCH THIS SPACE runs until September 11th, so it gives us some more time to make the most of the rest of the summer holidays before back to school!

It's worth knowing that the Society of London Producers have declared August 12 to September 4 to be Kids Week in the West End: children aged between five and 16 go free to participating theatre shows when accompanied by an adult paying full price. Read more here... 



The Tiger who Came to Tea, recently reviewed as 'thoroughly enchanting and enjoyable! by Nat at Bambino Goodies, is part of the Kids Week event, so go grab some tickets!



This is part of the Art of Living series of posts that bring you all the things we are passionate about and the things we discover in our lives as mamas.

In our Wednesday Woo blog post series we present a selection of things from the Sisters Guild Boutique.

We also have a Monday Makery with ideas for things to make yourself.

And for a glimpse behind the scenes of Sisters Guild we have the A-Z of Sisters Guild here 

www.sistersguild.co.uk

Thursday, 21 April 2011

The Art of Living: Taschen's London, Paris, New York

These Taschen books have been on my wishlist for some time and today I had the opportunity to peek at them in the Taschen Bookstore on the Duke of York Square, just off the Kings Road (right next to the Saatchi Gallery).  It was a very brief look inside, as I was with my sticky-lolly-hands-son and the two don't really mix!


They have wonderful illustrations. I love how London is depicted with a baby-faced Jamie Oliver:


Paris of course conjours up the glamour of the cafes and brasserie life:


And New York...well, say no more, such an amazing city. I've only been there in the freezing cold for a January birthday many moons ago with Carla (who herself has been many times).  There's so much to see and do...and the shopping!  The Taschen book includes a map guide:


Each book is a guide to the charming, modern and cool places to sleep, eat, drink and shop in the capital cities. All amazingly photographed:


These books are large at 23.8 x 30.2 cm, so they are not meant to be pocket city guides. They are to have on your bookshelf at home to peruse, plan and dream.

They are edited by Angelika Taschen who sounds like she has quite an amazing career:  She studied art history and German literature in Heidelberg, gaining her doctorate in 1986. Working for TASCHEN from 1987 to 2010, she has published numerous titles on art, architecture, photography, design, travel, and lifestyle.

The books are available from Taschen here

For more visual inspiration for interiors in different cities the Edition Paumes series of books are full of beautiful images - have a browse here



This is part of our Art of Living posts that bring you all the things we are passionate about and the things we discover in our lives as mamas and beyond.

If there's anything that you've discovered that inspires you - events, places, people, books etc - we welcome any guest blogs - please contact us via our contact page here

Thursday, 7 April 2011

The Art of Living: Making Easter Plans

For planning half-term and the Easter bank holiday I can't live without the following resources. I confess my obsession with always having to know what is on and where!



Netmums is a  resource I use a lot as it has so much information for families.  I can always rely on Netmums for a recipe and to find out about places to go.  It also has good information about Playgroups, Nurseries, Pre-School Classes and After School Clubs, plus plenty of Easter craft ideas. A page that is also really handy is 101 things for Free Family Fun


The new site that has been rocking my world is childfriendlybrighton.  This is a site I was crying out for when my son was born and I wanted to go places, meet people, get involved and find out where exactly was child-friendly.  I'm guessing the Founder of the site Shoshana felt the same and thus created childfriendlybrighton. We are exteremely grateful! It really is incredibly useful as you can view events by date. So it's a case of saying ' oh what is happening on such and such a day' and click there you have it! Just take a look at the calendar page.
There's information on all the cafes, farms, parks, libraries as well as classes for all ages.  Makes me realise how much there is to do in Brighton and Hove and why I love living here! And if it's childcare you need Zoe at the Baby Rock Agency is the one to get in touch with.




For Londoners or visitors to London a copy of Time Out is essential when it comes to what's on in the capital - with things to do for kids as well as adults (though it's been a long time since I looked at the clubbing listings!).  When I first moved out of London I still subscribed to Time Out for years as I HAD to know everything that was happening even if I couldn't be there!



Another good mag to pick up is Angels & Urchins - a fantastic resource for places and ideas.  The website also has London what's on listings and features such as Easter Camps.  And I just spotted the Just so Stories at the Pleasance Theatre which is well-timed for our London visit.



Baby London is also great for London listings with a handy quick glance calendar alongside the events page.  There's Baby Surrey and Baby Hampshire too - great coverage of all the exciting events.



Daily Candy Kids is good to browse for inspiration and there's a London newsletter for news and events including fashion news. I've just received a newsletter this morning with dates of a Paul Smith Warehouse Sale which is a very tempting holiday shopping treat for me!





ABC magazine is a long-established free parenting magazine that covers EVERYTHING. The Sussex edition I can't do without.  You can check on the ABC website to find out where to pick up a copy that covers your local area.



Bambino Goodies is THE best place to discover childrens lifestyle and design news but also 'Cool Spots'and 'Hot Spots' in their Places to Go section.

If I've forgotten any essential online resources or if you have any tips to add, please do leave a comment.

Happy Easter holidays!
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