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Whether your half term is just starting or almost wrapping up, we hope you’ve had - or are about to have - a fabulous fun-filled time. It goes without saying that children love this little reprieve from school, but for mums, (well, me to be precise) it’s often a different story.   It’s not that I don’t love my children and don’t want to spend time with them, of course I do! Honestly! It’s more that I’m a lover of routine, certainty and above all, caaaaaaaaaalm. Oh, and a tidy house too. However, unless I do a moonlight flit and leave this life of chaos behind me I don’t think that’s EVER..

Love is all around us yet again as Valentine’s day approaches. Brace yourselves for hearts, flowers and romance. That’s if, as a mother of young children, you can remember what romance is...   In my case, ‘romance’ amounts to fish, chips and prosecco which suits me down to the ground. That, and the card with a question mark from the sender dropped through my letterbox at precisely the moment my hubby leaves for work. Strange that.   Valentine’s day is not just for grown ups though. It’s also a time to remind our little ones they are loved too. Our Looby Lou exclusive collection, f..

Children's bedrooms can often be messy and chaotic. If you're anything like me, you’re constantly picking up toys, clothes and the odd bit of lego that you only discovered because the sole of your foot is now throbbing for England...ouch.   So what is the answer to keeping those bedrooms looking ship shape? Aside from great storage and some brutal decluttering, you could try investing in some hand-painted children's furniture.     Looby Lou Combination Wardrobe   Ok so how will that make a difference exactly? It's simple. When you have a matching collection of beautifu..

January is almost over and so is all hope of me sticking to my new year’s resolutions. I suspect and sincerely hope, I am not alone in such failure. I had resolved to cut out all the bad foods and eat more of the good, while doing a little exercise too. I didn’t do any of it. Not even for one day.   The guilt, oh the guilt! It’s a funny thing is guilt. Instead of spurring me on to squeeze into my lycras and sprint around the block, it just makes me want to reach for those chunky Kit Kats even more and eat the whole (exceedingly tasty) lot in one go. What is that about exactly?   I..

The end of the festivities is something we always dread in our house. The children can’t believe they have to wait another whole year until Christmas and the house looks like it’s taken minimalism a tad too far. “It’s so empty!” they all cry.   However, there is something a little delightful in this ‘emptiness’. I like to see it as my old friend ‘tidiness’. Pre Christmas, pre pine needles and pre Santa delivery. Ah yes, that…   So perhaps it isn’t as tidy as it could be, at least the children’s bedrooms aren’t anyway. But luckily, at Little Lucy Willow, we have storage solutions we..

We hope you’ve all had a really lovely Christmas with some gorgeous gatherings and gifts, and are now gearing up for an equally happy new year...         The children are whacked and I am too after all the festivities and fabulous food. But I think our mellow mood is also because it’s that strange time of year when nothing feels quite how it should. The Christmas lights are still twinkling but there’s a certain sadness in the air that the magic is now over! Early mornings, late nights, plus too much indulgence in bubble-filled beverages have also taken their toll and all we ..

Every so often at Christmas time, a new craze appears on the scene. It's usually something I declare will never catch on and will fade away before you can say ‘figgy pudding’. More often than not, I am wrong about such things. Never more so than in the case of everyone’s new best friends (and foes), the ‘Elves on Shelves’.   Many years ago, a friend of mine who was living in America informed me about these mischievous little creatures. We laughed our socks off at the thought of millions of children being made to toe the line by nothing more than spindly and sinister looking elves.   ..

December is almost here and you’re about to start shopping like you’ve never shopped before! The car parks are full, the weather is atrocious and there isn't a seat to be had in any coffee shop in town. Don’t you just love Christmas shopping? It has been said that lots more of us are buying gifts online nowadays but judging by the chaos on my local high street I beg to differ!   Despite my love of getting all ‘hygge’ before casually browsing for gifts online, there’s still something about the magical mayhem of being out amongst the throng of shoppers. It just has to be done!   Asi..

How many times does the word ‘ipad’ feature in this year’s mountain of Christmas lists I wonder? If you are a parent debating whether or not to take the plunge and buy a tablet for your child, then you might want to think again...   A recent study claims that we are more addicted to our devices than ever before. Not only that, but children who use them are likely to suffer sleep problems leading to poor health and even poorer schoolwork. Even a Little Lucy Willow children’s bed couldn’t fix that lot. Not great news eh?       Could our gorgeous Looby Lou children's double ..

Get those big bad coats on folks, it’s literally freeeeeezing out there! These dark, cold days and even darker, colder nights make me want to be in one place and one place only - MY BED! I’m not one for lounging, I never have been but when it’s arctic, drab and...Monday...why on earth would I want to get up and embrace that?       Looby Lou Double Bed     I recently attempted various life-tweaks to get me out of bed in the morning. Going to sleep earlier, not having that last glass of wine, I even researched and downloaded a new wake-up alarm tone on my phone. The ..

The clocks have gone back and we’ve been plunged into autumn and all its glory! I adore the golden, russet and red leaves falling like confetti through the chilly morning air...until it pours down and we end up wading through clumps of leaf sludge that is...   For now, I am embracing the bright blue skies, the vibrant acers and beautiful beech. If the wind whips up tomorrow and this wonderful scene is destroyed, at least I have had my autumn fill! Finger’s crossed it stays dry for bonfire night too, a personal favourite of mine. Wrapping up, eating comfort food and having a glass of hot ..

The clocks go forward this weekend, or is it back? We google it, we ask around and we triple check by watching the news. In fact there is an easy way to remember - simply ‘spring’ forward and ‘fall’ back. I know, another pesky Americanism, but who cares as long as we don’t turn up to work an hour early!     The official time we go back to Greenwich Mean Time is 2am on Sunday, October 30th, so get those reminders stuck on the fridge and get ready for your lie in! Although we’ve been doing this for years - some more years than others - it still never fails to confuse us. We spend..

So the new school term is well under way. With any luck, your children will be sleeping soundly and waking up happy, refreshed and ready to face each day.   But if not, hang on in there, it WILL get better!       In the meantime take a look at our helpful hints below. Experts say that increasing your child’s sleep by as little as half an hour each day can result in dramatic improvements in their schoolwork, attitude and general well being so it really is worth making the effort to get it right - not least if it means less back chat in the mornings!   Here goes…  ..

October is a FANGtastic and SPOOKtacular month which certainly raises our spirits (and those of a few departed souls too).   I know the month has barely begun but the shops are already full of fancy dress regalia, dangly cobwebs and suitably orange-clad aisles. If only we could just get on with enjoying this BOOtiful month instead of being reminded that the dreaded horrors of Halloween await!   I’m not a huge fan of this overblown occasion if I’m honest. Traipsing around in the dark on what you can guarantee will be a wet and miserable October night is not what I would call fun. A..