A Mother's Ramblings

On August 31st I posted " September the time for New School Year Resolutions " and listed ten resolutions that I wanted to make sure I kept with regards to this school year and I was convinced that I was only going to make it through the first two weeks. Today marks a whole month having passed since I made these resolutions so I thought I would take a quick check at how I am doing...

Today is my Wedding Anniversary and due to some crazy work schedules, Daddy and I might not be able to have dinner together, or even spend more than half an hour together where we aren't getting dressed or asleep! Of course we both feel terrible about this and over the last few days I have been lucky enough to receive a lovely Photograph, Flowers and Chocolates which have cheered me up! The gifts are not from my adoring husband though. Not even from a Secret Admirer. Nope, they came from people who know that I like getting presents in the post!

This was Loi Krathong as celebrated by us here at A Mothers Ramblings  a couple of years ago. If you want to know more please look at this Facebook album by me!

So if you were following my tweets on Sunday you will know that I was able to sneak into the Robinsons Search For A Star Children's Chorus Auditions at The Milton Keynes Theatre, as a member of the press. You will also know that Top Ender was auditioning, as I had previously mentioned in my blog post about when Top Ender and I met Joanna Page !

Sometimes we get asked to do reviews for companies that as a family we know of. Vertbaudet are a company that we as a family know, with their boys clothing and girls clothing both having featured in Baby Boy and Top Enders wardrobes in the past. In fact there are a few items that I brought for Top Ender when she was first born that I saved for Baby Boy when he was born, but I haven't really thought about buying more key items from them in the last year or so. So as you might of guessed Vertbaudet sent us some clothes to try out.

I can't think of any words today, so I thought you might all forgive me if I just posted some pictures that I like instead.

Baby Boy and I went to one of the local lakes to feed the ducks and to have a bit of a walk. Feeding the ducks is something that Baby Boy and I haven't done really and so it was a grand adventure for us! Baby Boy had decided that the only lake worth visiting was Mickey Lake as seen in the TV programme Mickey Mouse Clubhouse... luckily he believes that I'm Magic and Know Everything and so when we pulled up and I told him we had arrived, he believed me!

Top Ender knows all the words to all the songs from Hairspray. It wasn't me that taught her (although I do know them all too), it was her school. You see as they walk in and out of Assembly, there is normally a CD playing and from what I can tell from Top Ender's ramblings after school, it was the soundtrack to Hairspray for quite some time.

Two things; 1) Top Ender is obviously Psychic as she was the one that said Fark the other day in the Top Ender Giggles - Growing up Post 2) Makers of Weetabix Chocolate flavour this is also not an acceptable new flavour. I don't want Dark Chocolate, I don't want Fark Chocolate I want Milk Chocolate okay?!

Whilst I was away at The MAD's , Daddy held down the fort at home. Baby Boy didn't actually notice that I was gone for the most part (which was nice of him) but he did ask where I had gone.

Top Ender has gone all Under the Sea on me! Toys R Us gave us this rather snazy packet of Snazaroo Face Paints which cost £9.99 and is the sort of thing that give parents up and down the country heart attacks when they see them, as the children want them and the parents have no idea what to do with them. 

At the end of the last school year a letter came home with Top Ender, asking if we wanted to know more about the possibility of Top Ender learning to play the Violin. The costs associated with it, didn't seem to be too extortionate (although they are a small fortune!) and so we said we would like to know more.

When I got home after The MAD's the children were of course pleased to see me (and the bag of Mega Bloks that I was carrying and the packets of chocolate hidden in my bags) and so was Daddy. We started sharing stories about what had happened, who we had seen, what we had done (and who we had done it with!) and generally catching up when suddenly Daddy passed me an envelope with a flower drawn on the front.

( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmScjudwVyw )

I have tried writing this post about The MADs so many times since Monday evening and I just can't, so let me get the one thing out of the way that is holding me back, the one thing that I know that you all already know as you have read it on Twitter and on other peoples blogs and then I can get on to what I want to say about the MADs and the time I spent at Butlins Bognor Regis without you all wondering.

Top Ender is allowed to watch films in bed on a Friday and Saturday night, it is the weekend after all. whilst she was looking through the extensive selection of DVD's that we own with Daddy she saw the DVD case for a Barbie film that she hadn't watched for a while.

So I know that in a few minutes you are all going to start reading Tweets (using the hash tag #themads) from various attendees of the awards tonight, but I wanted you all to see what I am wearing first, I mean I kind of owe it to you all as you were kind enough to nominate me and then to vote for me.

At the weekend we went to our local Fire Station Open Day. They have it every year at around the same time (as my blog post in August 2009  proves!) and despite having lived less than ten minutes by car away for the last ten years I had never been before. In fact the closest I have been to the inside of a Fire Station is when playing with the Fireman Sam Fire Station !

Huggies recently held a comedy evening, "Little Bundles of Laughs" as most people who have ever been pregnant, know someone who has been pregnant, adopted, or has children in any way shape or form knows that there is always one story that can be told that will keep everyone listening entertained before they collapse in a puddle of tears from laughter.

Hi Everyone this is Top Ender. Mummy has said that I can tell you about a film that I really liked that is going to be out on DVD on the 20th September called The Tooth Fairy.

When we got our first box of Toys as official Toys R Us Toyologists, Baby Boy saw a package that he knew was for him. The box was on top of the other toys and it was the Fireman Sam Deluxe Fire Station Playset, complete with Fireman Sam and Fire Officer Steel. Longtime readers of my blog will know that Fireman Sam saved my life earlier this year and since then anything to do with Fireman Sam has been well loved in this household.

Baby Boy is two years old and loves to play on the Wii, unfortunately for him, most of the games are just a little too complicated for him to play with any great success. When Ubisoft asked if I would be interested in reviewing a new Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends Game titled "Hero of the Rails" I knew that Thomas mad Baby Boy would adore the game.

Sylvanian Families at Home Set has an RRP of £12.99 and is part of the "At Home Set".

An update to my Wordless Wednesday post one year ago One Year Changes Everything .

As requested this is the recipe that was seen in my Ladybird Books - A Gurgle Girls Review . This was a recipe that I "borrowed" from a family member, and it works well with Gluten/wheat free flour so I use it to make biscuits or Gingerbread a lot. I tend to find that my mixture is always sticky and so I have to add extra flour to keep it from looking like a batter and more like a biscuit mixture!

The other evening we decided to have some unhealthy but very tasty Burger King for tea. Whilst waiting for the full meals to be passed to us Daddy stole a chip from the bag. "Wow! That's hot" he stated still happily chewing away "In fact it was so hot I have one word to say that starts with  'F' and ends with 'uck'"

When I look back on this summer I think that my overall memory is going to be this was the summer of Lego for my family. Baby Boy discovered Duplo and has been busy making buildings, cars, rockets and what ever else his imagination comes up with and Top Ender and Daddy brought a tub of Lego from the Lego store that has grown since our visit to Legoland and has also been turned into so many different creations I wouldn't know where to start in naming them.

I think that I can now safely say that Summer is at an end, and that it is time to start thinking about how we are going to make sure we all have enough memories to get us through the rain filled, snow covered, wind blown days of Autumn, Winter and Spring... please don't throw things at me! Look cute pictures of Baby Boy and Top Ender all wrapped up warm, don't throw things at me!

With many children starting back at school (or starting school for the first time!) over the next couple of weeks parents up and down the country are going to be ready with their own New School Year Resolutions about helping their child with essential skills that they will be using everyday like reading and writing.

We were given a free sample, but don't not read this post just because of that; We don't let free things change our opinions! A few weeks back Daddy and Top Ender decided that it was time to buy some Lego. Whilst Daddy was busy filling up a large tub from our local Lego store I took Top Ender further into the store to where the really good bits were - the Minifigures! Today a new series of the Lego Minifigures is released and here is the full line up.

The Best Sandwich... Ever.