I was so happy when I got the chance to work with Homebase and their line of paints, as it meant I could road test an idea I've had in the back of my mind for months!

Painting with ice cream! 

What could be more fun than sensory play for a 2 year old, that means when your hands get messy, you can just lick them! The texture and temperature of ice cream makes for a great play idea.

Do you find that there is always a little bit of ice cream left in the tub that has been frozen and refrozen to the point that you think, "Do I really want to eat that?" and then you remember it is ice cream, sludgy or not! 

That funny bit at the bottom of the tub would make a great sensory, messy play idea. 

I let Ollie loose with a few paintbrushes and a few balls of ice cream. Don't worry he didn't lick the paint!

I wanted to show off just how similar the paint range is to delicious flavours! Meadow is spot on to mint choc chip and the Jazberry instantly reminded me of blackcurrant sorbet.

Like walls you would want to lick! 

I am very tempted to paint one wall of my office in raspberry coulis.

And I think he looked totally adorable in my floral pinny! 

I couldn't believe the concentration he put into his great gelato masterpiece. Every brush stroke was greeted with a smile for approval! 

Which flavour is your favourite?! I have always and will always be, a mint choc chip girl. 

It was a big week in the Heath house last week. 

2 boys, 2 new uniforms and 2 pairs of sparkly new shoes. How have my boys got such large feet for such tiny boys?!

I wanted to make their first lunches special – for Sammy a big school Bento box (as he is used to having Bento style lunches at pre school – you see lots of his lunches here) and for Ollie a fishy adventure in a packed lunch!

Ollie is attending the same pre school that Sammy has just graduated from. They each have a label with their name on and a symbol to help them recognise it. Ollie is an octopus! So now he is known as "Jolly Ollie Octopus" – how lovely!

There were no tears from either of them, just beaming smiles and empty lunch boxes at pick up time.

It's great to see so many parents embracing the principle of Bento. I am a huge fan and have been bleating on about the great ways that with a little time, effort and creativity on your part, you can go a long way to expanding their taste buds, get their 5 portions of fruit and veg into them in potentially one sitting, and make lunch more fun.

Great Little Trading Company are big fans of the Bento principle too and wrote this very lovely post promoting healthy eating with hint and tips referencing this Bento Babies feature on my blog.

It's a great way to stop you getting bored of making the same old ham sandwiches every day!

Featured in the big boy school Bento Babies box: 

• Flatbread with ham and chorizo slices
• Babybel cheese
• Fromage frais raspberry pouch
• Fresh strawberries
• Mini cocktail sausages
• Cheese fish crackers
• Dried orange fruit buttons
• Cranberries and raisins

In a smaller boy's first day at pre school Fishy Adventure Bento Babies box: 

• Flatbread with tuna (for the beach!)
• Babybel cheese hiding under mini pop tarts
• Mini cocktail sausages
• Strawberries and orange fruit buttons
• Lots of fish crackers in the sea! 

You can see I used almost identical ingredients but presented them slightly differently. 

I am thrilled to see so many Bento ideas being shared on Facebook and Twitter so please do link up your ideas – tweet them to me using #BentoBabies and I will pin them to the Pinterest board.

Great Little Trading Company are offering lovely Bento Babies fans 15% off any order over £50 with the code GOLDFISH in honour of the fishy adventure lunch idea!

This post was kindly sponsored by Great Little Trading Company,

Winner of the Best Children's Retailer 2013 at the UK's Mail Order Industry Awards

(for the sixth year running!)

Come and sit with me at my desk, in my office and let's make something.

I can't bear looking at all the sad plants in our house. We are always scooting around the country visiting family and friends, that I am just hopeless with houseplants. 

They end up droopy, beyond salvation and I actually have found great beauty in artificial  greenery. They look incredibly realistic, especially if you stick to natural colours.

I used two rustic wall planters (I think they are really for the garden!) and you can fill them as full as you like. Make a topiary ball and hang them for another idea. 

What are you making this weekend?

ps. if you fancy a peek at our whole living room, have a look here. 

This post was kindly sponsored by Hobbycraft  - check them out and go make something of your own!