Creating the perfect playroom

We're lucky to have enough space in the house that Noah now has his own playroom. It's been a while in the making, there is never any spare time with a little one to plan, organise and buy. But I'm really happy to say we are finally finished and we love the end result. 

As soon as Noah was on the move he has been into everything. He loves playing with my makeup, perfume, pulling my books from the shelves, oh and chatting on the phone that he has only recently pinched.

He is incredibly inquisitive and loves exploring his surroundings, nothing is safe, he has no fear so will climb on anything to reach something that sparks his interest. 

His favourite pastime over the last few months has been emptying out all his toys over the floor, me dodging the minefield and spending many an hour constantly tidying them up. So I knew finding the right storage would be important.

I deliberately waited over a year to create his playroom, so I had a better idea of his character and personality. I have tried to create a space that gives him the opportunity to explore, play and inspire his creativity with defined zones so that we don't have total chaos! The room will also grow with him. 

The room is lovely and light so I have left the walls white, they are decorated with pictures of Noah out on adventures enjoying himself. 

The playroom has a dedicated area for reading, where I have kept books at Noah's height on small shelves with perfect bookends (OrangeTree £19.99) and a book stand at his height (KidKraft £49.95) 

He has his own bean bag (Asda £20) to sit on, to relax and read. It's a lovely blue with white stars which runs through to his storage (Similar £5.49) for toys and rugs on the floor (Stars Asda £16 and Rocket Similar). The storage unit is from Ikea and the table is perfect for arts and crafts. 

For the reading area I also bought some lovely bits from Etsy: Personalised metal sign £11.53.

Fairytale and storybook signposts £9.50

The play area has a colourful Dwinguler playmat £145 perfect for avoiding bumps and scrapes. 

The mat has also helped Noah play imaginatively, he can often be found with characters marching along the playmat on some adventure. 

His love for creative play also extends to his teepee tent (WayFair) and kitchen (Tildo £79).

He loves whipping up a FoodieForce storm in this kitchen. It's true what they say that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 

What was your favourite space when you were little? Share your ideas for the perfect playroom in the comments below.

The ultimate Lemon, Lime and Garlic Chicken Salad

I have been perfecting my Lemon, Lime and Garlic Chicken since I started cooking. Its simple to make, really tasty and will impress any dinner guest. 

The possibilities of accompanying sides is endless, which means you won't get bored of making it. My personal favourite is artichoke, Feta and mint salad but rice goes equally as well.

For the chicken recipe you will need the following: 

It serves two as a main meal, four as a starter and it can be made in under 30 mins.

So lets get started...

1.Take two cloves of Garlic and finely chop. 

2. Take two chicken breasts and dice. 

3.Juice one Lemon. Seasoning is very personal, I love my chicken zinging so always juice to taste.

4.Juice one Lime. Again seasoning is personal so add to your desired taste.  

5.Pour 1 tbsp of oil in a frying pan and heat on the hob on a high heat. Add the Garlic, Lemon, Lime and Chicken. Stir continuously until the Chicken is cooked and the juices run clear (roughly twenty minutes). The chicken should have a golden coating when complete. 

Need something more visual check out my new YouTube Channel, where I show step by step how to make the recipe:

I would love it if you could go and show the channel some love and subscribe if you like it. 

To make the salad to accompany the chicken you will need:

1. Take one lettuce and chop 

2. Take five cherry tomatoes slice into quarters

3. Chop one Avocado 

4. Measure out 100 grams of Pomegranate seeds. I find de-seeding a Pomegranate therapeutic but if short of time buy ready made.  

5.You will need 180 grams of Artichoke Hearts. Now I personally cannot be bothered to boil Artichoke Hearts so buy mine ready made, but the choice is yours.

6. Three mint sprigs finely chopped 

7. Two spring onions chopped 

8. 200 grams of Greek Feta Cheese 

Mix all ingredients together in one big bowl. 

Need something more visual check out my video:

Decant the salad and top with the Lemon, Lime and Garlic Chicken.

Have a try cooking it this weekend, you won't be disappointed. 

Do you have any good recipes to share? Or anything that you would like me to cook?