thatmummysmile, Author at Laura Rutherford

The best Diner in town

1st March 2015 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

We had the pleasure of experiencing our friend’s new American Diner, the best Diner in town without a doubt! Sent directly over from the States, our friend Tom is running this 1940’s Fatboy’s Diner which is based in Trinity Buoy Wharf. Directly next to the River Thames, Harry loved it! There is also a lighthouse onsite with fantastic views from the top, of the Millennium Dome.

Complete with vintage juke boxes, red leather-clad bar stools and booths, fresh milkshakes and the tastiest burgers EVER, this is the place to be and we definitely won’t be eating cheesy fries or onion rings anywhere else! Tom and his crew are there to provide you with the ultimate authentic diner experience, serving the food in red baskets to your table straight from the grill.

Between us we ordered burgers, fries, mac and cheese and onion rings, washed down with a chocolate milkshake and cherry coke. Stanley sat on my lap as it’s not particularly practical for a pushchair.

Formally known as Randy’s Roast Beef in downtown Georgetown, USA, the interior is barely unchanged. Take a look at the vintage photos of the Diner at- www.dinerhotline.wordpress.com
If breakfast is more your thing, I’ve heard the pancakes are to die for. To try it out for yourself, head over there and you wont be disappointed 🙂
www.fatboysdiner.co.uk

The rain never stopped us!

1st March 2015 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

I’ve lived in London all of my life and there are still places I’ve not been to. This weekend has been quite wet but didn’t put us off from doing a spot of sightseeing! Armed with brolly’s, coats, hats and scarves we set off on our tourist day out… The rain never stopped us!

Our first port of call was Borough Market. I can’t believe it’s taken me until now to experience the sights and smells of the vast array of yummy stalls. There was enough to get our mouths watering not least Harry’s. He was like a kid in a candy shop! He’s always had a Mediterranean palette so getting to sample a variety of cheeses, salami, breads and olives was his idea of heaven. Then came the Paella stall.. After 3 taster fork-full’s (and that was just Harry ), we gave in and purchased a tub of it. Which we all devoured of course. Let’s just say, don’t turn up at Borough market of you are hungry!

Being here was a great opportunity for us to show Harry the Shard and London Bridge. He’s been learning about famous landmark’s at school recently so we can tick this off 😉
We found the Cross Bones Graveyard down the road, a long-forgotten graveyard with an unusual history. For centuries Cross Bones was a burial site for outcasts. The bodies of 15,000 paupers and prostitutes are believed to have been buried here before it was closed more than 150 years ago. It was rediscovered in the 1990s and is now a place of pilgrimage and where people come to honour the outcasts of society. It was certainly eerie and filled me with slight uneasiness. Nevertheless fascinating.

We then moved on to Greenwich to see the Cutty Sark. The Cutty Sark was one of the last British tea clippers, built in 1869. The first time I saw it was when I was about 10years old and I have fond memories of my grandparents taking my sister and I on a day trip via a taxi boat up the Thames. I left the tour down to Tye and Harry as I wasn’t too comfortable with carting the pushchair around, so Stanley and I went on our own tour of Greenwich market and the Oxfam bookshop where I purchased one of the few Shirley Hughes books that we actually don’t have!

It was an eventful, jam-packed day, that came to a close when the daylight began to dim, so the boys and I made our way home to the warm and our pj’s!

DIY hot air balloon craft

1st March 2015 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

This DIY hot air balloon craft we actually began in half term, but we didn’t get round to finishing it. Then this week it was Harry’s turn for ‘show and tell’ at school so he wanted to take in the finished article.
Mr fussy didn’t want to get his hands dirty, so it was down to me to paper mâché! To start, we inflated a regular latex balloon. Then we tore strips of newspaper which we were going to use for the paper mâché. Now the messy part (which harry had nothing to do with!). I initially covered (using my hands) the balloon in PVA glue as a base then started sticking the newspaper pieces on, layering up and continued to lather on the glue. I chose to use glue rather than making up a paste just out of convenience as we had a big tub of it at hand. Once I had fully covered the entire balloon with at least 4 layers of paper, we set it aside to dry overnight.

Come the following day, the paper had set and hardened. Then came the fun part- popping the balloon, this was a task harry wasn’t going to pass on! So we now had our shell. Luckily for me, harry was keen to get fully involved with the rest of the project. He chose which tissue paper colours he wanted on his balloon (notice the absence of pink and purple ‘girlie’ colours!) and tore into strips. This time, but using a large paintbrush rather than his bare hands, he followed the same glue process as before. Again, leaving the balloon over night to set, dry and harden.
A trip to our local Poundland provided us with the relevant materials we needed for this craft. We found a pack of small plant pots which we knew would be perfect for the balloon ‘basket’. Piercing holes in either side, we thread through some string, making knots to secure, then again at the opening to the paper balloon. We now had our hanging basket to complete our hot air balloon.
Fun for everyone!

Homeware loves

1st March 2015 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

I love buying things for my home. I tend to shop more for the house than I do for myself (or even the children!). My top two favourite Homeware loves have to be Zara Home and Anthropologie- of which I am particularly obsessed with their SALES! I don’t often buy things full priced but rather wait for everything to be reduced. That way, the bits I’ve kept my eye on become even more affordable and then it feels more of a treat so I can really go ‘all out’ 🙂
My mum also has a love for Anthropologie and with the recent opening of the Marylebone High Street branch, which is her local, she’s been treating herself to a new mug each week. They’re priced between £10-£14. So far she’s got a great collection going!

I’m slightly envious, however I have my eye on their bowls at the moment. Bowls in our house seem to disappear (along with tea spoons?!!) so I’m keen to grab some of these fabulous ones.
We have a vast collection of plates, which are all different and ALL second hand. I have collected them over the years from Brocante’s in France. Each plate has only cost me €1-3 euro’s. I knew I never wanted anything matching and I can never resist a bargain! We have a collection of mugs that are from Emma Bridgewater. Her designs are wonderful. I particularly have a fondness for the birds and animals.

When it comes to soft furnishings, Zara Home always has a lot of choice. Their bed linen is perfect. I have recently had a splurge in H&M Home and got myself a couple of cushions for the sofas. From what I know, there are very few H&M stores that stock their home range, but you can purchase online. We happen to have a branch in Kensington that stocks ‘home’. It’s ridiculously affordable and they are regularly refreshing their stock 🙂

Half term madness

21st February 2015 By thatmummysmile Leave a Comment

We’ve come to the end of our half term and I have to say I’m actually quite relieved. As half term’s usually go, I’m not one to moan, as I love packing it out with lots of activities. However this week little Stan has been quite poorly, so we’ve been restricted to mainly indoor fun!

Luckily for Harry, he had his friend over for a couple of days which was a welcoming distraction for him.

The house this week has been turned upside down- but that’s what half terms are about right? We’ve had den building in pretty much every room…cushions sprawled everywhere and blankets pulled out for optimum effect.

The arts and crafts mat has been a constant addition to the living room floor, hosting paper mâché activities, painting, and drawing. I’ve had to vanish spray my carpet a good few times!

We did have a couple of outings, which were much needed for some fresh air and for my own sanity.

We ventured to Parliament Hill one sunny day, which was beautiful. So fresh and the sky was blue. Unfortunately we forgot our wellies but that didn’t stop harry from getting knee deep in the mud (it never does!)!

Midweek, we went to visit my sister and her family. Harry and his cousins played the whole time and we even had a sleepover. We bought some ceramic heart coasters from Asda and a pack of Sharpie pens to design. I found this idea on Pinterest so we were keen to give it a go.

The kids loved it. Once you’ve finished you put them in the oven on the highest heat for 30mins, to seal the pen. They came out great! Although annoyingly the rubber pads on the base of the coasters came off! But we’ve decided to buy some magnets to stick on the back of them so they can go on the fridge instead. Harry and I made ours for my mum for Mothers Day 😉