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I don't know about you but I just love the snow! Waking up and seeing the snow flakes falling brings so much excitement. I also love the softness that we experience when it snows and the way everywhere seems to quiet. Taking a walk and hearing the crunch underfoot, perhaps hearing the tweet of the birds in a nearby tree and noticing the snow sitting carefully on the branches. 

I have been very fortunate to go on some wonderful adventures to Northern Finland and Canada and even as an adult the snow has truly fascinated me. Like the way it sticks to the trees in the -10 temperatures! I loved how in Finland the streets were given a cosy glow in the middle of winter with candles dotted in the snow lighting the way.  So when it was snowing here in Bradford today I just couldn't wait to bring in some of that joy of snow into our day. 

In today's blog I wanted to share three ways you can embrace some open ended snow play this winter. 

Set up a snow kitchen

Here we take the good old ...

The darker nights are here, the days are getting cooler and we're in the middle of a busy term with the children. You may be finding yourself feeling sad that 'summer's over' but I want to show you some simple ways you can feel hygge to de-stress this Autumn. 

The Danes are great at slowing down and finding the greatness that each season brings. 

1. Plant Tulips

Plant some tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs in a pot and daydream about the happiness and beauty they are going to bring to you early spring next year. I love flicking through the bulb catalogues each year and taking the time to look for unusual bulb types. Each spring i'm always filled with joy when I see my bulbs open up as i've often forgotten what i've planted and they are a wonderful surprise. Last year my favourites were the Tulipa 'Angélique' and I planted these in a spot by my front door for the whole family and visitors to admire!

Working in the soil will also make you feel happier too as scientists have ...

Autumn time has to be one of my favourite times of the year. Having Oliver now makes it even more exciting too as I take a moment to stand back and watch him experience everything.

We have loved getting outside each day and doing a daily walk. Talking about all the things we notice each day and notice any changes. Doing this is very much inspired by the practice of the Danes with the daily walk children in early education do. We stop at our favourite tree as well to document its changes as we move through the year. 

I also think it's important that we as adults take the time to just pause and appreciate the slow moments of joy in the day. We can't teach hygge and living well if we don't model it ourselves. I've built this into our daily walk and we will often find a little spot to just sit and watch what's going on. 

On our walk yesterday we took great enjoyment in collecting up some of the fallen leaves and twigs. We then brought these back and I popped them in some water in our tu...