Thinly Spread - Parenting From Tots To Teens

Posted by Chris on Apr 16, 2014

How to Make Easter Bonnets

I do love an Easter parade, I like all the pagan undertones as the bonnets with their bunnies and chicks and all the symbols of new life, fertility and abundance adorn heads across the land! We make Easter bonnets and crowns every year so it is becoming a challenge to come up with something new. Last year we went for traditional straw boaters with pom-pom critters, this year it’s all about Spring...

Posted by Chris on Apr 15, 2014

Easy Easter Crafts with Yellow Moon

I know not all of you are happy crafters and that one or two of you are very willing but just a little bit terrified, this is where Yellow Moon comes in! Easter crafts needn’t be scary, you don’t have to know how to blow an egg, the recipe for papier-mâché or what to make with loo roll inners; these crafts are simple and satisfying and the results are pretty! We made candles with the egg...

Posted by Chris on Apr 10, 2014

This is Our Chance to Change Medical History – The Saatchi Bill

A few weeks ago I attended a meeting in the House of Lords on the day that the public consultation launched for Lord Saatchi’s Medical Innovation Bill . I’ve written about the Bill and why I think it is important here and here but, in a nutshell, the Bill aims to remove barriers to innovation in medicine which currently see us using outdated treatments for patients, regardless of their...

Posted by Chris on Apr 2, 2014

What Can I Use This Biscuiteers Biscuit Tin For?

I have a serious tin habit. I drool over tins both vintage and new and find them very hard to resist. Once they have been emptied of their contents they are repurposed to hold cakes, buttons, sewing paraphernalia, toys, craft materials, fabric, wool and more. They take their place in every room of the house and, if they leave the house to transport baked goods to school, the children know they must be...

Posted by Chris on Mar 31, 2014

Simple Things – Spring Springing and Earth Hour

There’s been an annoying virus thing hanging around the place at Thinly Spread but this weekend we threw it off and sank into the Simple Things which are guaranteed to make us feel better. Spring is really getting into its stride and on Saturday the garden called. The signs of Spring are everywhere, six spotted ladybirds were easy to spot (!) amongst the borders as I weeded until my back ached and...

Posted by Chris on Mar 25, 2014

Rosehips on A Kitchen Table – Seasonal Recipes

Emails asking me to review things tend to remain at the bottom of my ‘to do’ list for longer than is seemly. I’m not a gatherer of things so I think very carefully before I agree to anything – this time, however, I pinged a reply back so quickly I think Jess, the lovely marketing manager at publisher Frances Lincoln, was knocked off her chair! A book of seasonal recipes, full of...

Posted by Chris on Mar 14, 2014

If Britain Were Syria

Tomorrow, 15th March 2014, marks THREE YEARS of conflict in Syria. THREE YEARS of lost childhoods. My eldest was 14 when it started, he’s now 17 and about to sit his A Levels before leaving for Uni, I’m proud as proud and my heart is aching My Second Born was 13 when it started, he’s now 16 and about to sit his GCSEs, he’s one of the kindest people I know, he’d do anything to...

Posted by Chris on Mar 6, 2014

Winnie the Pooh Activities for #LoveLiteracy & World Book Day

It can hardly have escaped your notice, particularly if you are a parent to a school aged child, that today is World Book Day. In the UK this has come to mean small children all over the country dressing up as a book character which is either Absolutely Wonderful or just Incredibly Stressful for frazzled parents and reluctant children alike. This year Bonus Boy’s school have combined it with their...