celebrations – the joy of five

Birthdays, Cakes, Children, Families, Family Life, Food, Gifts, Large Families, Photography, Reigate, Restaurants, Siblings, Soft Play, Sons, Surrey

Now We Are Six:Happy Birthday Frankie

January 8, 2018by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment

When I was one, I had just begun.
When I was two, I was nearly new.
When I was three, I was hardly me.
When I was four, I was not much more.
When I was five, I was just alive.
But now I am six, I’m as clever as clever.
So I think I’ll be six now forever and ever.

A.A. Milne

This was one of my favourite poems from my childhood and now as I’ve grown and become a mother I can relate to the words with each year that passes in my little ones lives and I have to agree that six is a pretty perfect age.

On frankie’s six birthday where his birthday request has simply been, ‘Lego and mussels’ I look on in wonder at the beautiful little boy he has become in those six short years.

He is certainly my most vibrant child that has a charater and tenacity that is heartwarming and alluring and his charming personality never fails to fill a room.

He is strong willed, determined and passionate and although this obviously comes with its challenges I wouldn’t change it for the world.

In fact it was his head strong ways that saw my big birthday plans of a trip to a Lego exhibition in town for him come crashing down when he insisted on a simple day of softplay with his little brother and a lunch of mussels to finish.

Baking, Birthdays, Cakes, Children, Christmas, Families, Family Life, Giveaways, Uncategorized

Poppet Creations Cake Topper Giveaway

October 18, 2017October 18, 2017by thejoyoffive91 Comments

Cake toppers have become a hugely popular over the past year or so and give a really special feel to the simplest of cakes.

One lady has got these down to a tee and whether you are planning a special birthday or the birth of a little one, celebrating your wedding or getting the festive feel for Christmas then Poppet Creations has everything you need.

The lovely Tania runs a fantastic small business whilst juggling life as a busy Mum creating stunning cake toppers from single sided glitter card that make a real statement on any cake.

You can simply choose your wording and colour from the drop down menu on the site and your very own personalised topper will be ready within only 24 hours..perfect for last minute people like me!

If it was something a little different you were after then Tania can also create bespoke designs to fit to your specific needs.

If these toppers have caught your eye as much as they have mine then I am offering one lucky reader a chance to win a cake topper of their own.

Simply let me know what the toppers are made from in the comments below and the winner will be picked by random and announced on the 15th November.

Good luck!

T’s&C’s – The competition closes on 15th November 2017. The prize is non-transferable and nocash alternativewill be offered.

Children, Families, Family Life, Photography

My Sunday Photo:A Rainy Royal Celebration

June 12, 2016June 12, 2016by thejoyoffive10 Comments

This weekend was not the best on the weather front for the many parties that went ahead to celebrate The Queen’s 90th birthday.

We all soldiered on down my Mum and Dad’s road and dashed in and out of houses as and when we needed. Nothing brings people together more than trying to get out of the rain!

This is one of my favourite photos of the day that has me wondering if number five will ever remember this day in years to come!

Blogging, Fashion, Kid Bloggers

A Thank You For Sticking With Me

April 26, 2016April 26, 2016by thejoyoffive4 Comments

At the end of February my blog turned a year. In my usual unorganised fashion the date came and went and I did nothing to recognise this.

After a bit of a reflective day in which I have decided to get myself more organised I thought it would be fitting to take a look back on how my blog has progressed over the past year.

I started my blog mainly due to my lovely sister really. I had a lot of interest through my personal Facebook with friends asking where best to go with the children and she said it would be worth setting up a blog as people seemed interested in what we get up to.

After some time I bit the bullet and wrote my first post. The whole thing had to be set up by my sister and my son as I’m such a ‘techno phobe’ and to be honest I’m still running to them with even the simplest technical issue!

It wasn’t long before I got the bug, and to be honest I am now completely hooked – my Husband would definitely verify this.

I love everything about it. The feedback you get when you publish a post, the wonderful blogging community I have come to know and love and the wonderful opportunities it has opened up to the whole family.

It has been an outlet for me to express my feelings good or bad and have the comfort of people sharing their opinions and advice with me.

I have met some wonderful fellow bloggers along the way and be it online or in person I would now class a good number of them friends that have all helped me out along the way.

We have been to many events as a family trying out new products and getting to enjoy some fabulous days out and trips away. One of our favourites had to be Chessington World Of Adventure which we have been lucky enough to experience twice.
One of my first product reviews was with the wonderful ladies from Lara and Ollie. I thought it would be fitting to work with them again and offer all of my lovely readers the opportunity to win one of their fabulous necklaces. Please click below for your chance to win.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

It does take up a huge amount of my time and the social media side of things really drags me in and it’s something that I need to rectify as it is a huge asset to my blog but also a massive time waster that I can’t seem to switch off from!

This said my hard work has paid off in many ways and I have managed to get into the top 100 in the Parent Bloggers Leaderboard and I’m currently ranking 226 in the Tots100 charts which has around 8000 blogs registered.

I hope that you will all continue reading and enjoying as much as I love writing and fingers crossed I will still be around to tell my tales next year!

Baking, Cakes, Food, Reviews, Uncategorized

Baker Days Cake Review And Givaway

August 22, 2015August 23, 2015by thejoyoffiveLeave a Comment

With our anniversary only a week away I was so happy to be asked by the fabulous Baker Days to review their ingenious letter box cakes. There was a large range of designs to choose from and lots of yummy flavours. I opted for a personalised cake so that I could have one of our wedding pictures on the top.

When I first read that the cake would be sent in the post and simply popped thought the letterbox I must admit I was a little sceptical on what it would look like on arrival. I was amazed that when I opened the box and the pretty tin it was presented it there was a lovely, perfectly intact cake inside.

The image covered the entire cake and not just a topper like you normally get. It was perfect for a reminder of our special day.

We are a greedy family but this would easily give you four good sized portions. The cake itself was soft and moist and the icing was wonderfully sweet.

I will definitely be using Bakerdays in the future and would be very interested in trying out the personalised cupcakes as I find these a good option for children’s birthday parties as they save on the fuss of party bags.