Family

My six- and eight-year-old sons are watching an ice hockey match, their noses pressed to the Perspex. They gasp as the star player of the Tigres Blancs, Patrick “Pat” Adin, gets slammed into the barrier by an opponent: his face is squished a few millimetres from theirs. When he then wins back the puck and scores, they erupt with a fervour usually reserved for their football team. All around us, French families and holidaying friends were cheering and chanting Pat’s name. What made this more unusual is that Pat is in his mid-60s, and we later saw him driving the ice resurfacer in the interval and selling refreshments at the end of the match. He also gave us a skating lesson at a group session here the day before. We were in the lesser-known ski resort of La Rosière, which often gets overlooked in favour of its big-hitting neighbour, Les Arcs, just across the Tarentaise valley. The resort is joined with La Thuile across the Italian border to make up the Espace San … [Read more...] about Family skiing in the French Alps – fun on and off the slopes

“Oh,” I say as we pull into a clearing off a dirt track. “It’s really small.” Which should not have come as a surprise, really – “it” being a tiny house and smallness being rather the point of it. But, as I checked my rear-view mirror to see my five-year-old unbuckled and silently trying to release her two-year-old sister from her car seat, I thought again: “That house is very small.” “This would be so nice without kids,” my partner says, quietly. The house sits dwarfed by eucalyptus trees on a rural property in Kangaroo Valley, two hours south of Sydney. Its large window, on the narrow front side, stares patiently west, waiting for the sunset over the small field of ferns which lay before more gumtrees and the escarpment on the horizon. There is nothing else and no one else within sight. It would be so nice without kids. Cheers from the back seat and the unmistakable sound of a small person trying to override a … [Read more...] about Tiny house holiday: can a family of four fit in a 15-square-metre space?

Support offered to families to help with the cost of school uniforms has plummeted, with the vast majority unable to access any help at all, according to new analysis. Financial aid for uniforms has fallen by more than 70% across England since 2010. More than 80% of cash-strapped local councils now offer no assistance, blaming years of cuts. Data collected through the Freedom of Information Act reveals for the first time that the “school uniform grant”, introduced in 1980, has been dramatically scaled back in England over the past decade. While the Department for Education (DfE) still advertises the grant, it is left to struggling councils to find the resources to pay it out. Only 27 out of 149 councils surveyed provide the grant at all. A third of those only do so in cases such as fires, floods or “extreme poverty”. Only three councils offer a grant to low-income children in all school years and in all situations. Many local authorities have cancelled their … [Read more...] about Families in England hit by 70% cut in school uniform grant

The dilemma We’ve had a child since the referendum, and I feel a Brexit-related chasm is opening up between our family’s generations. My husband and I are moderate in our political views and both voted to remain in the EU. My parents and mother-in-law voted to leave. I look at my daughter and feel devastated that her world is potentially going to be smaller than mine, with fewer opportunities to live, love and work as she pleases. Our own parents are dependent upon us for varying levels of care. This has been mildly frustrating in the past, but we both have loving families and a strong sense of duty. We’ve talked about leaving the UK for a more open and inclusive society, but don’t want to leave our parents dependent on paid-for care. Whichever option we explore, we’re increasingly resentful our parents voted for us to be in this position (based on various arguments, some with racist undertones), and that they don’t even recognise the situation. … [Read more...] about My family is split over Brexit, and now we want to move abroad

They got engaged in July this year and have been inseparable ever since.   Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland was spotted out and about in a rain-soaked Beverly Hills with her husband to be, Wells Adams, on Saturday.  Although she's very used to donning stunning ensembles on the red carpet, Sarah, 28, proved she can do both - rocking the casual chic look as she ran errands with Wells, 35.  Errands: Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland was spotted out and about in a rain-soaked Beverly Hills with her husband to be, Wells Adams, on Saturday The actress and singer battled the conditions in a thick black coat, coupling it with skinny blue jeans and comfy flats.  She tied her hair up into a ponytail and went make-up free as Wells strolled along behind her in a cool get up.  RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Modern Family's Sarah Hyland 'pops the champagne' ahead of... Ariel Winter and Sarah Hyland rock body-hugging ensembles as... Sarah Hyland keeps … [Read more...] about Sarah Hyland nails the casual chic look while out in LA with her beau Wells Adams after celebrating Modern Family’s final season premiere