Events

No sooner are the Christmas holidays behind us and we are looking to half-term!

We love the Imagine Children’s Festival at the Southbank Centre which is on from 11-26 February. It is a great celebration with so much to do from talks from authors to live music, comedy, theatre, workshops and animated film.

Lots of the events are free but if there is something you particularly want to do I would book early. Some of my favourites so far are the Dinosaur Petting Zoo, a comedy about what happens when the queen’s knickers go missing and making a giant lego book!! There is something for all ages.

Take a look at the programme book yourself for some inspiration.

Street Entertainer Belgravia Christmas Sunday 2012

Christmas is fast approaching and what better way to start advent than visiting Elizabeth Street this Sunday....for the Belgravia Christmas Sunday. This is a wnnderful event that has become part of our Christmas traditions.

There is carol singing, Father Christmas, street entertainers, reindeer and last year we have a visit from the three wise men and their camels ( yes, real ones!) . All the shops are open plus lovely market stalls and plenty of Christmas Fayre to eat and drink, from mulled wine to a hog roast. This event is a real Christmas treat.

The Belgravia Christmas Sunday takes place from 12pm - 5pm, Sunday 2nd December 2012 along Elizabeth Street and Pimlico Road. Admission is free. Nearest tubes: Knightsbridge, Sloane Square and Victoria.

The sweetpea team are out and about on The Faberge Big Egg Hunt . My girls have found their first one so only 208 to go!

London is hosting the world’s biggest-ever Easter egg hunt. There are 209 giant decorated Easter eggs on display across 12 Egg Zone across London - clues and cheat sheets are available!!

The eggs have been created by leading artists, jewellers, designers and architects and include famous names such as Mulberry, Marc Quinn, Zandra Rhodes to name but a few.

The competition is to find the eggs, which each have a unique SMS keyword which you send to a dedicated text number. You have a chance of winning a Faberge Diamond Jubilee Egg worth more than £100,000. At the end of the hunt the eggs will be individually auctioned off with proceeds going to Action for Children and Elephant Family.

Get Hunting!!

Smiling is a wonderful thing! It's good for you. It reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, makes you look better and it's contagious! One of the greatest things about babies and children is that they are always generous with their smiles and can make you and strangers smile with no effort at all. One of the first things I noticed when I went out and about with my pram was how more people smiled at me and even now I have seen my spirited three year old make a whole bus smile with her musical renditions!

Today is officially Blue Monday, the most miserable day of the year. Make A Stranger Smile campaigners will be out today with their free hugs, flowers and fake moustaches... so make sure you have your smile ready.

The t-shirt by Beau Loves is part of my collection at sweetpea, how could I resist including it!! It made me smile. Let me know what makes you smile...

The count down for Christmas starts this week. What I love most about the festive season is all the lovely things there are to do! I am already filling the family diary with fairs, carol singing, trips to the theatre as well as catching-up with freinds and family. But this year I found something I haven't seen before. This weekend we will be visiting the Republic of Fritz Hansen, the luxury danish furniture designers, who will be turning their West End shop into a santa's workshop. Families are being invited to make some beautiful Christmas decorations with the waste veneer from their furniture production.  It looks like a lot of fun and you get to take home a beautiful decoration you made yourselves. The workshop will be from 11am-5pm on Sunday 4 December, Margaret Street, London W1 8RN, visit www.fritzhansen.com

Let your children feel part of the books they love. From Thursday the 24 November to Sunday 27 November 2011, the Institute Francais in London will be staging the 14th  annual feastival. It is an amazing event.  Children can meet the authors, learn how to draw their favourite characters, watch plays and films and much more. Some events are free other you need to book. For more information visit www.institute-francais.org.uk

I am a huge fan of Fulham Palace. On any day it's a great place to visit but they also organise some fantastic events through-out the year. And this Saturday 23 October sounds like it will be one of the best yet!! There will be a full day of spooky entertainment from apple bobbing, mummy wrapping as well as face painting and encounters with celebrity reptiles. They also have Sharky & George, Albert & Friends Instant Circus and Amanda 's Action Club to add to the fun. For tickets go to www.onebiggparty.co.uk  look forward to seeing you there.

This is national cupcake week.....a celebration of everything to do with baking!! Our love of the cupcake started in the 18 Century with a cake baked in a small cup. They now sometimes look too good to eat. I would love to hear what your favourite cup cake recipe is sweet or savoury . In our house we are still a big fan of the classic cake and love doing the decorations!

My daughter Eva's 5 birthday was celebrated with Fiary Jem. She was splendid. The children were captivated and instantly under her spell . Eva and her friends believed without a doubt that there was a real fairy at the party. With games, face painting, storytelling, fancy dress, music and lots of fun the party went by without a single hitch. Eva and the rest of the children loved it and the party was a joy for me.  A really great party entertainer. Visit www.jemsfairies.co.uk.

The Big Draw  is a great annual festival to celebrate drawing. At the heart of the campaign is the aim to remove the words 'I can't draw' from our conversations! 

The Campaign for Drawing is an independent charity which raises the profile of drawing as a tool for thought, creativity as well as social and cultural engagement.

There are loads of event across the country for children . We went to our local event in Wimbledon,'The Mouse's Tale', and had lots of fun. See what's on near you and have a go at drawing!