PHOTOGRAPHY: A Seasonal Outdoor Calendar

Taking photographs has quickly become a passion of mine and something I love to learn more about. As a blogger I have taken countless photos over the past five years, from documenting the run up to our wedding day, through pregnancy and onto parenthood. But my real love for capturing those special moments came when we had children. These days children are incredibly lucky to have so much of their lives captured through photos, films and memory books; they'll quite literally be able to relive their childhood when they're older. How amazing is that? My childhood is contained within a handful of photo albums and there are almost no moving pictures, so I take it upon myself to really try hard to take beautiful pictures of my daughters. I want them to be able to look back at all of our family adventures with fondness and gratefulness that so much was captured.

CHILDREN: The Ultimate List of Fun Garden Activities to do this Summer

Summer is well and truly here, which I for one am so thankful for! Parenting two children while being stuck indoors thanks to the rain is hard work, so we are truly making the most of being able to be outdoors all day long. As the UK summer holidays are quickly approaching I thought I'd put together some of our favourite garden activities that will keep children of all ages busy for hours and hours. There are activities for children that love being creative, sporty and/or imaginative, so hopefully something for everyone. 

TODDLER: Encouraging Play Outdoors with the Plum Play Toddlers Tower + Competition

The great outdoors. A place to learn, discover and play when you're a child, with so much to see and do. As a family we love nothing more than exploring the outdoors together, whether that be a beautiful walled garden attached to a big old house, a park or simply in our garden. The combination of fresh air and lots of space makes being outside the perfect place for toddlers and children alike, as they can burn off their seemingly endless energy and learn through play. Plum Play create a wide range of garden play equipment to enable children to do just that, with something for all ages and garden sizes.

WINTER DAY OUT: Exploring Croft Castle & Parkland, Herefordshire

On the way to our latest mini break in Wales (see where we stayed here) we stopped off at Croft Castle & Parkland in Herefordshire to stretch our legs and get some fresh air. Croft Castle is nestled in 1500 acres of beautiful woodland, farm and parkland, so the perfect place for children to explore nature at its best. You can either pay for entrance to both the castle and parkland or just the parkland, which is what we opted for. As it was January when we visited the gardens weren't in their prime, with a lack of colour and variety, yet they were still beautiful. 

TODDLER: My Tips for Turning #TearsIntoSmiles with Elastoplast

Spending hours playing outside is often such a huge part of someone's childhood - building dens, observing insects, playing with a ball, exploring the world around them. We spend a lot of time either in the garden, at local parks, visiting old houses with beautiful gardens or simply walking around our village. The outside is the perfect place to teach children new things, how to stay safe and start conversations with them. Isabella and I often walk up to the village shop or post box and we will chat away - sometimes about the pretty flowers or about crossing the road safely or spotting wildlife or what we're doing for the day or what we need to buy from the shop.

TODDLER: Tips for Embracing the Outdoors with #MamiaDaysOut

Exploring the outdoors with a child in tow has to be one of the best ways to spend a day. Enabling them to discover the world around them, burn off some of their endless energy and all for free! What's not to like? Believe it or not prior to Isabella I used to think I loved the outdoor, but when it came to it I would much prefer to cosy up with a cup of tea inside. That all changed when Isabella was born, the outdoors has become my favourite place to be and somewhere we spend most of our time.

DAY OUT: Conker hunting, playing in leaves and tree top walking at Salcey Forest

When it comes to autumn I am more than happy to completely immerse myself in all things autumnal as soon as I can. I love the cooler days, wrapping up warm and the changing scenery. So when it comes to family days out where better to experience all of these but in a forest? We searched around for a forest that had some facilities (a day out without a toilet is no fun for anyone) and we came across Salcey Forest in Northamptonshire. It's owned by the Forestry Commission, with parking, toilets, café, tree top walk and trials to discover. Parking is £4 a day, so very reasonable for a full day of fun!

TODDLER: 12 Easy Garden Activities

Despite almost being in June the weather in the England has been very unpredictable. We've had it all: hot days, rainy days, days that were rainy, cold, hot, hailing and cloudy all in one. However, we've not let that stop use having fun in the garden.

BABY: Exploring the Outdoors with Trespass

Spending time outside in the fresh air is something I have loved embracing since Isabella's been born. It's refreshing for both of us and since Isabella has gotten older she is a lot more inquisitive about the world around her. There's so much to learn and discover! She has shown this interest much more since turning 6 months, which happened to be at the end of autumn and beginning of winter. It's not typically the most ideal time to be exploring the outdoors, as the weather becomes very cold and it's generally a lot more miserable. However we haven't let this stop us enjoying family walks, trips to the park, farm and paddling in puddles!