Castor oil packs have been quietly circulating in natural health circles for decades, often passed from one generation to the next as a remedy for everything from bloating to hormone imbalance. Recently, they have resurfaced on social media, with people claiming they help with liver support, fertility, digestion, inflammation, lymphatic drainage, and even anxiety.
For many parents, the moment a child starts drifting away from books can feel quietly worrying. Bedtime stories turn into resistance, reading time becomes a negotiation, and screens begin to dominate the space where books once lived. It often happens gradually — and not because children can’t read, but because reading no longer feels exciting.
We don’t have pets, but it feels as if we do, which is actually really wonderful. We’ve made a few additions to our garden lately to encourage the wildlife, so I thought I’d share a few of these.
Les Arcs has a bit of a reputation for being “serious skier” territory — big mountains, huge lift systems, and miles of pistes disappearing off into the distance. What people don’t always realise is that it’s also one of the most family-friendly winter resorts in the French Alps, especially if you’re travelling with children of different ages, confidence levels and energy reserves.
Children today are not broken readers — they are overwhelmed by choice and stimulation. What they need are books that meet them where they are.
Most families are doing their best with food. Meals are planned around time, budgets, preferences and routines, not perfection. Yet even balanced home cooking can fall short of meeting everyone’s nutritional needs — particularly when children are selective eaters or schedules are demanding.
Growing food at home is something many families aspire to, but limited space, time and confidence can make it feel unrealistic. While vegetable patches and allotments require planning and upkeep, mushroom growing offers a far more accessible (and less frustrating) entry point into home food production.
The mornings in winter might seem particularly cruel. The alarm rings, the room is cold, and the bed is impossible to leave, and suddenly, even motivation seems sucked up under the covers. If you have ever Googled how to get out of bed in the morning in winter, rest assured that you are not alone.
