A Mother's Ramblings

Whilst I was at Britmums Live, my family learnt that when the doorbell goes at 6pm on a Friday night and there is a Tesco Delivery of food that you didn't order you should think it must be blogging related before turning the driver away. Luckily before the driver left, Daddy half remembered a conversation he'd had with me a few days before and realised that this unexpected delivery of food was for our special Sunday breakfast, thanks to McCain's who were rather pleased about their Hash Browns. Sunday morning found Big Boy happy that I was home with the family, so happy that he insisted I got up with him at a time too early for the morning after a blogging conference. As I came out of my bedroom, I was pretty sure I saw Daddy smile and snuggle down into the duvet as if he'd set Big Boy up to this, so I thought that we should cook breakfast for everyone else in the house, as a sneaky hint that we wanted them to get up too. And so we did. We fried eggs and mushrooms...

For the last week or so, Top Ender has found a few Bees in her bedroom. This is odd, because she doesn't generally open her bedroom window and we haven't found any in the rest of the house. And then when her bedroom door was shut all day we found two in there at bedtime. We realised that there must be a Bees nest near, and it must have a back door to Top's room. Sure enough a quick look on the outside of our house, and we could see a lot of Bees buzzing around a hole in the fascia. We looked in the loft, but we couldn't see a nest, so we guessed the nest/hive must be in the wall cavity and whilst we understand that Bees aren't a problem and that they need our help because they are declining in numbers, we couldn't have Bees in Top Ender's room. So we called a professional, and he came out and he couldn't see the nest after having an explore either. We knew for definite it had to be in the wall cavity and the only way we'd be able to remove t...

Top Ender and I went to the theatre last week to see Cats, it's been a long time favourite of mine, despite never having seen the Show live before... although I have seen the DVD a few hundred thousand times. Tops was amazed by the set, the rubbish from the alley spilling over the edge of the stage and down the steps and as the lights were dimmed we were suddenly aware of green eyes staring at us from the set and over our shoulder as a "Cat" peered at us from behind our seat! There were a few screams followed by laughter as other audience members were spooked by the cats jumping around the auditorium and I was so glad that I had warned Tops this would happen.

I think that lunch may be one of the best meals of the day, if you eat a packed lunch. I love trying to make the lunches special and I know that my two enjoy the little touches that I add. Saturday - Beans on Toast The Children are big fans of Beans on Toast at lunch, as is Daddy. I'm less of a fan, but you know what they say... if you can't beat them join them! Sunday - Fish Finger Sandwiches As we're eating at the Munch and Mingle this evening, I thought that a fish finger sandwich would go down well before we went. Monday - Carrot and Cheese Bagels We've not had these for a while, so I hope the children love them as much as they used to! Tuesday - Ham Sandwich Daddy is in charge of making lunch today, so I've made it nice and easy. Ham Sandwiches (which he can cut into different shapes if he wants) with Cucumber, with a piece of fruit (Pineapple), a drink and a "treat". See easy. Wednesday - Pizza Pittas Big Boy loves making the...

I guess the big news this week is that I'm no longer planning Fast Days for Daddy and I, I'll mention why more over on Pippa World, but lets just say that it didn't work for us... Saturday - Chicken Stir Fry This past week Daddy has been reviewing some meals from ilumi and the last product he has is a Sweet Chilli stir fry sauce which we decided to share between all four of us with rice and my favourite veggies. Sunday - Munch and Mingle Everyone apart from Daddy is at the Munch and Mingle this weekend, so Daddy is making do at home and we're going to eat at the Munch and Mingle. We'll miss our Roast! Monday - Sausages I'm in Sweden today, which means Daddy is in charge of food. As they are going to be a little busy running here and there, they have chosen Sausages and Hash Browns for dinner. Tuesday - Take Away Daddy and the Children are going to be picking me up from the Airport, so they are all going to have a Take Away on route. Knowing ...

Okay, so I'm going to tell you a little secret. I hate Blogger Conferences. I'm not sure if it is because I'm really a shy person (no, really I am), or because I don't like people (that's not going to be true is it), or because I'm lazy (that could be the one), or for some other reason that I just can't put my finger on. And yet I go. I go because I want to meet the people who live inside my computer, I want to talk to people that represent the brands that I love, I want to meet new people, I want to get new ideas, I want to be inspired and I rather like the idea of one day actually knowing what this Blogging lark is all about. It was at BritMums Live this year that I realised something quite important; It's all about Community. I don't know why this has never hit me this way before, but I really felt it at The Brewery. Here were Men and Women (most of whom I have never met before) pleased to see me, pleased to sit next to me, please...

There's a School trip this week, so our lunches are all building up to a very special day out! Saturday - Daddy Decides I'm still at Britmums Live, so I don't get to eat with the family today, which means that Daddy gets to work out what everyone will have. If he was after a suggestion I'd suggest going shopping as we have no bread... Sunday - Nothing Well, that's not true. The children will have a little sandwich, because BB needs to keep his blood sugars regular but we're having a very nice breakfast so we won't need a lunch! Monday - Sausage Kebabs I'm making up some little Sausage Kebabs for the Children to have at lunch today and hopefully if I get a chance I will be able to bake something nice for them to have with them. Tuesday - Carrot Sushi Sandwiches The children love these and it's a great way to get them to eat an extra veggie without actually realising that they are! Wednesday - Mini Quiches I actually didn't...

I don't really have anyone to talk to about Diabetes. I mean of course Daddy and I talk about Big Boy's diabetes, and we have a fantastic consultant and Diabetic care team, but I haven't connected with other parents of children with Diabetes. I know it will be important for BB and even for Top Ender to connect with children in similar positions in the future, but I've been so wrapped up in my own little diabetes bubble that I've just not looked elsewhere. Today at BritMums Live, I bumped into Jane . Jane's daughter was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic, just a short three months after Big Boy. Other than a few Americans, Jane is the only other person who I know who knows what I'm thinking. Which is probably why I found myself in tears talking to her earlier today. You see even though it's almost a year since BB has been diagnosed I'm still angry about his diagnosis. Why is my baby the one that has a lifetime of blood tests, injections and oth...

It's been an odd week, with one thing and another and one which has very much seemed to have speeded by. So with that in mind I haven't spent much time working out what we're eating this week. Maybe that will mean that next week will seem slower... Saturday - Daddy Decides I won't be back from Britmums Live until the Children's bedtime (although I know they will stay up late seeing as it is a Saturday), so I'm leaving Daddy in charge. Luckily he is not only a brilliant cook, but he plans meals everyone loves so I know everyone will be happy. Sunday - Roast Chicken Yup. Same meal yet again, but that's because it's a Sunday and a Sunday isn't a Sunday unless you have a roast in our house. Monday - Fast - Beef Steak We're having Steak with Salad as our fast meal today. I always feel better having a Salad with our meal as it takes a lot of Salad to make up the calories and so I always feel full. It'll be nice to have it Steak with f...

There isn't anything like doing something at the last minute is there? Tomorrow morning, I'm jumping on a train and heading into London and joining all the lovely people at Britmums 2013. Between going to sessions that have caught my eye, I'll be catching up with friends, making new ones and hopefully bumping into lots of people who'll say something along the lines of; "Aren't you PippaD from A Mother's Ramblings? I love all your blogs!" I always like being asked that, ever since I was "spotted" in a lift at a conference a few years back. Made my weekend that did. Anyway, this post is the last minute bit of it all, because I've known I've been going to Britmums for AGES and it's all thanks to Coca-Cola who have sponsored me. Rather kind of them really, but then again they do know of my HUGE love of Dr Pepper... So, today I'm posting this post to let you all know that I'll be there. I'm packing my bag with...

It's funny how not eating twice a week (well if you're an adult in this house) suddenly has you appreciating food more. The meals I'm planning on making suddenly seem a little more grown up, although I'm not sure what the Children will think. Saturday - Ham Rolls With lunch happening before we go Food Shopping, there isn't a lot to choose from but we do have ham and rolls a plenty! Sunday - Lamb, Feta, Mint and Salad Sandwich Daddy was reading Twitter the other night and saw a lamb sandwich that caught his imagination. We now can't find that sandwich so we've decided to make our own Lamb, Feta, Mint and Salad Sandwiches for lunch. As I'm nice I'll make a plain lamb sandwich for BB. Monday - Chicken and Sweetcorn BBQ Wrap This is combining yesterday's leftover chicken with some Sweetcorn and Big Boy's favourite dip. I'm hoping it'll taste great as I'll have the leftovers for lunch later this week. Tuesday - Pizza ...

It's the start of the second week with two fast days in for Daddy and I, and to be honest other than having to think up some tasty filling 500 calorie meals for us in the evening it's surprisingly easy. The Children haven't noticed seeing as how they've been eating earlier in the day anyway and I haven't seen any weight loss this week but I wasn't expecting to really. Saturday - Baked Sloppy Joes I really do think that this is one of our favourite meals now, it's simple to make and is a nice way to have mince other than in a Shepherd's pie or with pasta. Sunday - Roast Chicken Even though today is Father's Day, Daddy will still be cooking the full roast by himself. Luckily he rather enjoys it! Monday - Fast Day - Prawn Stir fry Daddy and I are fasting today, so I'm doing a prawn stir-fry for us in the evening. I decided on this because the amount of food you get is quite high as the stir fry vegetables are rather low in calories bu...

One of the things that I appear to be known for these days, are the lunches that I make for Tops and Big Boy and occasionally for Daddy and myself. So, it probably isn't a surprise that when we have a picnic, we kind of go all out with the different foods that we take. Big Boy and Top Ender are very certain of what types of food should be included in a picnic, as am I and when I was asked to celebrate National Picnic Week (17th-23rd June 2013) by the Unilever Kitchen by creating a recipe using products from their brands I knew what it was that I wanted to make. The only problem was I had the additional restriction of only using the foods that I had in my kitchen as I had already spent my food budget for the week. After everyone had a good look into the hamper that Unilever sent, stuffed full of their products my family left me to it, knowing that I'd create something they'd love to eat. Apart from the pictures here, you can see some more in our Facebook album as in th...

The lunches this week for me (Other than the ones listed on Saturday and Sunday) are Salads, Daddy has whatever he has at work and on our fast days we won't be eating. Well I won't, Daddy will be eating soup because he gets extra calories being a chap. Saturday - Erm... We actually have no food in the house and I don't normally go shopping until the afternoon as I go with my Mum... so today we'll be eating whatever we can scrounge up! Sunday - Cheese Ham and Mustard Sandwiches Unless you are me or Big Boy that is. I'm eating my cheese and ham with salad leaves as the "bread" and Big Boy will only be having ham, as he's pretty sure that cheese isn't a suitable food anymore. Monday - Cream Cheese Bagels Don't tell Big Boy that cream cheese is cheese okay?! Tuesday - Chicken Wraps Sunday's Chicken leftovers in a wrap and if the children are lucky some cucumber too! Wednesday - Ham Sandwiches I know that they only had...

I've found that giving Big Boy his dinner earlier with Top Ender has been brilliant for his blood sugar levels come bedtime. Just in case I haven't made it clear in the past, or you haven't ever read the blog before, with Big Boy being a Type 1 Diabetic, we need to make sure that his blood sugars are kept at an even level (around 5 to 7) because if they are too high it can lead to a coma and death and if they are too low it can lead to a coma and death. This isn't me over dramatising BB's condition, this is the reality that we live with everyday. There are of course other complications that can arise from Big Boy having high blood sugars for a sustained period of time, but I'm not worrying about that just now. Right now I'm all about trying to maintain his sugar levels. Anyway. This is meaning that the Children and Daddy and I are pretty much eating separately from each other and so makes it kind of perfect to start on the 5:2 diet which Daddy is convi...

As Top Ender plays the Violin and has done for a few years now, this past School year, Tops has been a part of the School Orchestra. I love going to the School Concerts, to hear how the Children are developing their musical talents and I love that the teachers that can play an instrument are also encourage to join in the fun. Last week was what one of the other Mums and I swear is normally called the Summer Concert, although this time it was just called the School Concert. The concert was brilliant, all the children who I know (and those I don't) performed BRILLIANTLY and it was great to see the children enjoying playing for others and realising that their talent was bringing joy to others. It's made me want to start to play, not just the Guitar (Which I will get out of the cupboard in the next few days) but another instrument. I just have to decide which one. I used to play the trombone, I was never any good at it and then with my Brace it made it painful to play and s...

We're trying to eat earlier than we normally do at the moment (it's part of a master plan) and so my Slow Cooker has been coming to the rescue more often than it should. I'm basically adapting all my recipes and meal plans so that the meal can be thrown in to the Slow Cooker and then be eaten when we're ready. This is how I adapted the Jambalaya for the Slow Cooker. This will easily serve four hungry adults, with possibly a bit left over for seconds. Ingredients Olive Oil (for frying) 430g Cubbed Chicken (roughly two Chicken breasts) 1 Onion 1/2 Sliced Red Pepper 1/2 Sliced Yellow Pepper 1/2 Sliced Green Pepper 2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed 1 Red Chilli, (Large) chopped finely 400g Long Grain Rice 900ml Chicken Stock 1 Chorizo Sausage, sliced (Circles) 400g Chopped Tomatoes 100ml Water 230g Prawns Method Gently fry the chicken pieces in a little olive oil over a medium heat, whilst you finely dice the onion. Add the chopped peppers, the chopped...

This week we are back to School (well the Children are, I'm going to still be at home) and so we have some lunches to celebrate this! Saturday - Fish Finger Sandwiches We are all big Fish Finger fans and sandwiches, when filled with fish fingers are the best. Especially if there is a lot of butter and ketchup and salad involved. Sunday - Ham Rolls I'm fasting today (it's Fast Sunday, as it is the first Sunday of the month) so Daddy will be making lunch for the children and himself and I'm hoping that he'll be making ham Rolls, because they don't smell strongly and won't make my hungry! Monday - Cheese Sandwich Top Ender is off to a Music Day today and so I'm doing her a special music themed lunch. Big Boy and I will be at home, so we'll be having a treat together that isn't the Cheese sandwich! Tuesday - Chicken Wrap Today is the first day back at School and having a Chicken wrap isn't really to celebrate, but is just to u...