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We don’t really do lie-ins in our house. Every Saturday morning after a quick breakfast, we get straight in the car to take the boys to their 9am kickboxing class in Wimbledon. It’s brilliant at getting their energy out in a structured, fun way – the boys love their teachers and friends there (and I appreciate a very strong coffee in peace while we watch!). They’re always in a great mood afterwards, too.

My husband and I try to encourage creativity at home, including mealtimes. After kickboxing, we’ll all drive to the supermarket to grab essentials for lunch, dissecting kickboxing moves as we go. The boys help us decide what to buy beforehand by leafing through cookbooks and magazines – usually a rice or pasta dish that they can help whip up (they’re pretty creative in the kitchen and I love seeing what they come up with). We usually have the smart speaker on full-blast while we cook – at the moment it’s a lot of Ed Sheeran.

Our weekends almost always involve some kind of crafting. I run an upcycled accessories and homeware business, made from pre-loved saris. I’ve loved crafting since I was little. My grandmother would visit from India during summer holidays and taught me how to sew. She, like many of that generation, was firmly against anything going to waste, so we’d always repurpose bits of fabric. I’m delighted our boys are following in her footsteps – they’re always creating collages, costumes or miniature buildings out of cardboard – my glue gun gets a lot of use!

London life suits us brilliantly. We used to live in central London and always said we wouldn’t go any further out than where we live now – we love making the most of the city’s galleries and museums. There are so many fantastic free exhibitions and activities all year round and we’ll almost always visit on a Saturday. Our favourites include the V&A, the Royal Academy of Arts and the Science Museum, though it really depends on what’s on. As well as being a lovely way to bond as a family, I really appreciate these places myself – they’re definitely not just for kids!

Often it’s the most random things that pique the kids’ interest. The Museum of London recently had an activity centred around “mudlarking” (searching for historical artefacts in rivers, like the Thames). The session encouraged children to look for ancient “treasures” – it’s amazing how much they’ve talked about it since, keen to point out possible finds as we go about our day. My husband isn’t really a crafter per se, but enjoys anything history or science-based (he works for a pharmaceutical company), so he enjoyed getting stuck in too.

There’s just something about getting outdoors on a weekend. Our local National Trust property, Morden Hall Park, is a 10-minute drive away and there are often brilliant things going on for kids, such as guided walks with the rangers or nature-inspired storytelling. Often the simple stuff wins, like playing pooh sticks in the River Wandle followed by a slice of cake in the lovely Potting Shed garden centre cafe. On our way back to the car, we’ll pop into the secondhand bookshop, found in what was once stalls for the estate’s horses – it’s a gorgeous little place that always has bargains we’ll end up taking home.

We’re usually back by 6pm for dinner as a family, though sometimes we’ll eat out as a treat. Now the boys are at an age where it’s genuinely a relaxing experience (it wasn’t always that way!), so our go-tos are Wahaca, Wagamama and Pizza Express. As the evenings get warmer we might even get the pizza oven out, it’s such an easy win with kids or other families (we love hosting when we can).

As a family we’re big on craft TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off, The Great Pottery Throw Down and The Great British Sewing Bee – we’ll usually watch one as a family before bed. Sometimes the boys potter with mini “projects” while watching – a recent one was their World Book Day outfits.

I have so much respect for parents who can stay up late, but I’m definitely not one of them. My husband and I are usually asleep by 10pm (the boys are up at 6.30am without fail, so I won’t function the next day otherwise). We’ll usually watch a thriller or drama before bed, but I’ll be crafting as we watch – I find it meditative doing something that forces me to put my phone down. One of my bestselling products uses scraps of fabric to make a wreath by knotting the fabric (macramé-style), so I enjoy trying out different techniques or designs to see what works. It feels relaxing but productive at the same time – a win.

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