What a hit these were at our most recent kids party! And so easy if you use a slow cooker to make the filling!

I took my awesome Nephew, Henry to the park last Wednesday and when we arrived there was a Dad playing with his son on the play equipment. Henry ran straight up to him and asked him ‘Hey, why is it the weekend for you?’ Henry’s Dad, like most of the Dad’s out there, works Monday to Friday and often arrives home either just before bed time or shortly after. This got me thinking, lots of our families are either mums alone, or mums whose partner

If anyone in your family is ever feeling a little run down (aren’t we all!), like a cold is coming on or just feeling like something warm and fuzzy for the winter, this Beef Bone Broth Soup is the perfect pick me up. Made from marrow bones, and cooked over a number of hours, the broth takes on all the goodness from the bones and develops a deliciously rich flavour you can use as a base to any beef recipe. I love to throw in some veg and fresh tortellini, sprinkle with parsley and parmesan and serve pipping hot!

We’ve had a really busy Easter here at My Big Buddy! We have had many families engaging casual temporary buddies just for the holidays as the parents were still at work as well as a big rush to find ongoing after school childcare for after the Easter holidays.

For the 8th year running, our Buddies have once again outdone themselves at the Garden House Summer Fair!

Do you think your kids would benefit from a little extra encouragement this summer when it comes to study?
Although it’s important to give your children a break, we don’t want all that hard work we’ve concentrated on over the past year to go to waste! We also don’t want them starting off the new term behind. The summer can be the perfect opportunity to brush up on skills, improve and get ahead!

As you all know, we don’t encourage screen time and computer games at My Big Buddy, however I’ve just come across this fantastic new app that I think every family will thoroughly enjoy. It’s called “Heads Up” and is available from the App Store for 75p.

Just like adults, kids respond better when they know what to expect. This is why it is so important to have a routine in place within the home. Your Buddy can help with this and if you ever need to replace him, passing on the role will be much easier.
When a new candidate registers with My Big Buddy, we run through a series of induction notes. One of the key sections of these notes is the ‘after school routine’. Here it is so you know what you can expect from your Buddy….

What could be better than a real life Pirate coming to your Pirate Party!

Over the years we have seen that our families have different ways of giving their new Buddies information about their children, house, routine and what to do in an emergency (some families forget that bit!).

We all know how an accident can be quite frightening and shock can sometimes make us forget what to do in an emergency. At My Big Buddy we take the care of our young charges very seriously, so when we came across this Baby and Child First Aid App by the Red Cross, we thought it would be a great App for our Buddies to download onto their phones.

Kids get so much homework these days and the schools have very high expectations of the standard the work should be done to. We think it’s really important for children to strike a good balance of fun, work and down time in their afternoons and our Buddies do a great job at helping to assist with this. Below is a list of tips you can use to encourage your children with their homework:

Many of you have already had the pleasure of speaking or meeting with my new assistant, Jill. As you know, MBb has undergone a huge development this year with our international expansion. This wouldn’t have been possible without the exceptional competence Jill has demonstrated in holding fort whilst I was away.

Once again our team of Big Buddies went above and beyond at this years fair. With half the team arriving at 8am to take care of the set up, heavy lifting and organisation, everything was set up and in place for the arrival of students and parents.

Exciting News for My Big Buddy! After 8 years of success in London, My Big Buddy has officially launched in Melbourne, Australia.

We all know how impossible it is to get most kids any older than 18 months to eat anything GREEN! Well not my nephew! Henry absolutely loves Crispy Kale Chips! Here’s the easy peezy recipe!

Yesterday was my last day with Iggy, 9. The inevitable end of employment with a family you have come to love and feel a part of is the most difficult aspect of my job.

Scones – 2 cups of self raising flour, Pinch of salt, 55g Butter, .3 cup of caster sugar, 150ml of milk, 1 egg, Jam and Cream to serve