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Growing Family

UK home and garden blog sharing ideas, inspiration and tips for busy family life, written by Catherine Hughes

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A foam mattress, but not as you know it: Leesa mattress review plus £100 discount

December 12, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

leesa mattress closeup logo

How comfy is your mattress? I absolutely need a decent night’s sleep to function properly, so a good mattress is a must-have for me.  I’ve recently been trying out the Leesa mattress, to see how it delivers on comfort and support.  Read on to find out how I got on, plus there’s a £100 discount on offer for my readers! We’ve had our Leesa mattress for over a month now, and I’ve deliberately waited this long to write my review.  I think ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Bedroom, Interiors, Leesa, Mattress, Reviews

Review: Stihl RMA339C Cordless Lawn Mower

August 21, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Stihl RMA339C cordless mower

Have you explored the world of cordless garden power tools yet?  Cordless power tools have come a long way in recent years, and the current generation of lithium ion batteries are capable of delivering more than enough power and performance to rival the more traditional electric and petrol options. Our current mower is an electric model, and to cut the whole lawn we need a conga line of extension leads - it’s a faff to set up, a nightmare if the ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Electricals, Family, Gadgets, Garden, Garden tools, gardening, Home, Lawn Mower, Maintenance, Reviews, Stihl

Review: Berghaus outdoor clothing from Simply Hike

June 12, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Berghaus Men's outdoor clothing

Now that the cold weather is firmly a distant memory, have you been getting outdoors and making the most of nature?  We're an active family and we try to make time for outdoor adventures as much as possible; our most recent trip involved climbing Snowdon, which is definitely our most ambitious expedition so far! I've written in the past about the importance of having the right kit and clothing for outdoor pursuits; it makes such a difference ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Berghaus, Clothing, Family, Outdoors, Reviews

Review: First Tunnels Mini Polytunnel

May 17, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

First Tunnels mini polytunnel with netting

If you grow your own fruit and vegetables on any scale, you're probably familiar with trying to keep pests away from your precious crops.  Caterpillars, birds, slugs and snails... there's a seemingly endless list of hungry garden visitors who will happily feast on your plants and crops given the chance.  And while I actively encourage local wildlife to visit our garden and allotment, I do want to enjoy some produce myself too! Some crops are ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Allotment, Crops, Fruit, Garden, gardening, Grow Your Own, Homegrown, Plant protection, Polytunnel, Reviews, Vegetables

Review & Giveaway: RHS I Can Grow a Sunflower

March 23, 2018 by Catherine 77 Comments

I Can Grow A Sunflower spread 2

If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you’ll know that getting children into gardening is a passion of mine.  Gardening fits so well with lots of the things that kids tend to automatically like: hands-on activity, exploring nature, and helping the grown-ups spring instantly to mind, not to mention getting grubby! I’m always on the lookout for products, activities and crafts that encourage a love of gardening in children, and my latest discovery ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Children, Family, Flowers, Garden, gardening, giveaway, Nature, Outdoors, Planting, Plants, Reviews, Seeds, Sunflower

Review & Giveaway: Gardeco Aragon Cast Iron Fire Basket

March 1, 2018 by Catherine 121 Comments

Aragon Cast Iron Fire Basket fire closeup 2

It may still be very much winter out there, but if you're anything like me you'll be itching to get out in the garden and start enjoying it again! We've had some beautiful crisp, sunny days lately (before the snow hit!), and I've been making the most of them by wrapping up warm and doing a bit of garden pottering.  I've been reviewing a lovely cast iron fire basket from www.chimineashop.co.uk, which has been the perfect piece of kit for ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Fire basket, Firepit, Garden, Garden maintenance, giveaway, Outdoors, Reviews

Review: BenQ e-Reading LED Lamp

January 29, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

BenQ e-Reading Lamp

How much time do you spend working on screens each day?  We all worry about the amount of screen time our kids are getting, but chances are as adults we spend much more time than them staring at computers, tablets and smartphones. I spend a lot of time working on screens, and by the end of the day I’m often feeling the strain in my eyes, especially when the natural light in my office is poor, or I’ve been working in artificial light.  Over the ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: BenQ, Desk, Home, Home working, Interiors, Lighting, Reviews

Review: Vine House Farm super suet fat ball bird feed

January 25, 2018 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Hanging fat ball feeder

Our garden has been a hive of activity in the last couple of weeks.  We’ve been reviewing some high energy bird feed from Vine House Farm, and it’s safe to say it’s been a big hit! We always make an extra effort to feed our local wild birds in winter, because this season is really tough for them.  The cold weather causes wild birds to use more energy keeping warm, and also natural food sources are thin on the ground.  Providing a source of ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Bird feed, Birds, Children, Garden, Nature, Outdoors, Reviews, The Wildlife Trusts, Vine House Farm, Wildlife, Winter

Review: Planters Online Visio fibreglass plant trough

November 23, 2017 by Catherine Leave a Comment

Reviewing the Planters Online Visio fibreglass plant trough - a premium, sleek planter ideal for container gardening and a contemporary garden style.

Are you growing plants for winter colour and interest at the moment?  The garden can feel rather bare and brown at this time of year, but if making the whole space look lively is too daunting, it's a great idea to focus your efforts on the bits you can see from your window.  Containers are brilliant for this, as you can position them exactly where you can see them best, and make the most of their display even when you're indoors. Planters ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Bedding plants, Containers, Cyclamen, Foliage plants, Garden, gardening, Heather, Home, Outdoors, Planter, Planters Online, Planting, Plants, review, Trough

Review & Giveaway: GardenSite LED Christmas Reindeer

November 17, 2017 by Catherine 207 Comments

Looking for LED Christmas decorations? We review the GardenSite LED Christmas reindeer, designed to add stylish festive interest to your home or garden.

When do the Christmas decorations go up in your home?  You've probably got a few weeks to go yet, but this review and giveaway will certainly get you in the mood for decking the halls! We've been checking out the range of LED Christmas reindeer decorations from online gardening supplier GardenSite.  They sent us a Twinkling Standing Reindeer to review, and I've also got a gorgeous Premier Crystal Reindeer worth £84.99 to give away to a lucky ...

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Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas decorations, competition, GardenSite, giveaway, Home, LED lights, Outdoors, Reindeer, review

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Welcome!

I’m Catherine, mum, wife, writer and fan of wellies. We love exploring, creating and growing things and my blog shares ideas, inspiration and tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.

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Catherine Hughes is a home & garden blogger sharing ideas, inspiration & tips for making the most of busy family life, indoors and out.
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