Carolyn Mandache

I'm very pleased "I'm A Celebrity..." is back on our screens. I've always enjoyed the show, Ant and Dec are wonderful presenters. I've realised, there are quite a few comparisons to be made between jungle life, and everyday family life: 1. Bugs and wild animals are always found in unexpected places 2. You go to sleep every night with the fear of being woken by an unwanted visitor(s) 3. You constantly listen to people complaining of being hungry. Sleep deprivation is a common occurrence. 4. Mealtimes feel like a bushtucker trial, homemade meals sometimes get a similar reaction to the horrors being served on the show. 5. Everyday has it's challenges, which can seem like an endurance test. Can you survive homework times 3 without freaking out? 6. As parents, we are our children's personal jungle diary room. We listen as calmly as we can to the "contestants" complaints, and telling tales on each other. ...

 I wrote this post last year, my little Christmas detectives are sure to start their investigations soon. This year I will really have to be on my guard, they'll no longer be Dr. Watson's, I'm sure they'll be  Sherlocks by now! I'm half expecting my son's homemade lie detector to be involved: The Christmas Detectives I am normally a ba humbug type of person in the leadup to Christmas, annoyed by all the Christmas hype which seems to start earlier and earlier every year. This year, however, I have to get into the Christmas mindset now, as I am in a bit of a dilemma... On the one hand, I am very much pro-Santa, encouraging my children to believe as long as possible (case in point, I was secretly delighted when my son briefly fell out with a friend at school for telling him Santa wasn't real). On the other, every year they get that little bit more suspicious, like little Christmas detectives, and it becomes quite tricky to keep up the preten...

"The Bankrupt Tooth Fairy",  is an illustrated, rhyming short story for children aged 6-9 years old. The story tells of Sparkle, the Tooth Fairy, who is sent to find out why children are not taking care of their teeth, and to make changes so that the teeth she collects are healthier, stronger, and sparkly white. Healthy teeth are urgently required to repair Fairy Castle. I'm sure most parents have been asked what the Tooth Fairy does with all the teeth....   The book aims to be fun and entertaining, whilst at the same time encouraging children to look after their teeth. Sparkle enlists the help of a little girl called Anne, who is delighted to assist with such an important mission. Anne, reveals that she has had four teeth removed, and is eager to help, as she doesn't want other children to suffer as she had. Sparkle and Anne become very good friends as the story continues, teaming up to think of ways to make children eat less sugar, and brush thei...