Grab yourself a cuppa, pull up a chair and take a look at this week’s 5 stories. From career advice for Mums to rainy day activities and a CD that will get your kids to sleep…

Just the job
A new report by the marvellous ladies at Women Like Us has revealed that more than two thirds of job-hunting mothers (71 per cent) have never recieved careers advice – or at least not since being at school. If you are one of these and could do with some guidance or need to brush-up your interviews and IT skills, why not consider taking one of their low-cost courses? If you are looking for a job you can also visit the sister site Timewise which lists flexible, shorter and term-time only jobs.

A CD to send your little star off to the land of nod
INDEPENDENT REVIEW: Anyone who regularly reads my blog (hello Mum) will know that our kids love listening to CDs. Composer and musician Vaughan Jones got in contact to see if our little audio-monkeys would like to try out Little Star Lullabies and the answer was ‘yes please’. Soothing is not the (only) word – the eight compositions, featuring flutes, glockenspiels, recorders, harps as well as a string orchestra are also beautiful, peaceful and yes, sleep-inducing. Ferne decided to take on the challenge and see if she could stay awake throughout the CD and although she did (she is 5) she stayed laying down, all snuggled up in bed, throughout. The CD is actually aimed at younger children and had it been around when my two were little babies I would have definitely used it, something I’m sure would have been appreciated by Noah and Ferne rather than me singing ‘Mary, Mary’ on loop. A quick look on the Manor House Music site tells me that adults may find it soothing too, so I’m typing this whilst listening to it. I hope you can feel the vibes! Aaahhhhhh……

Go mile high with One Direction
British Airways has announced that One Direction, those five very cute looking whipper snappers, is to host the ultimate competition – a high-flying dinner date on a BA jet! Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn will take to the skies to help raise funds for Comic Relief – and you could be joining them. Mary Barry, British Airways community investment manager, said: “This really is a money-can’t-buy opportunity and a dream come true for eight very lucky fans.” Ladies, as it’s for charity I think it makes entering the competition OK (and even if it doesn’t just remember Caroline Flack-gate!) To find out more visit the British Airways facebook page.

Something for indoors…
Getting Stuck In’s Sarah Berryman must be very busy. Not only is she a Mum to 3 children but she has also been developing a new site and seemingly doing a lot of raindancing (which has worked!) Her site, Getting Stuck In features tons of ideas for things to do when you’re stuck inside – from Cornflour goo to The Chocolate Game. Clever Sarah has also created her own Getting Stuck In Survival Packs featuring stickers, paper, paints, soaps, pens, glue and plenty of ideas of what to create with it all. To celebrate the launch Sarah has a competition to win 5 Survival Kits. Take a look for entry details.

Something for outdoors…

We may not have the weather to grow bananas in the UK but you can still have a giant one  to play with at least. New from Banagrams is the jumbo-sized version of the word game which you can play outdoors at summer barbecues, daytrips to the seaside, beer-garden lunches and in the playground or, if the Great British weather disappoints, equally fun on the living room floor or in the classroom. Reminds me of our wedding – we had a giant Jenga game to play with whilst people sipped their Pimms – great fun! Jumbo Banagrams costs £44.95 and features 144 waterproof, three-inch square tiles packaged in a funky giant yellow banana-shaped tote bag.