A Mother's Ramblings

The MADs are open for nominations again (I know, the time flies by right?) and I was lucky enough to receive a nomination from some kind reader or fellow blogger for nominating me in the MAD Blog of the Year. Which is rather cool and to who ever it was thank you very much for enjoying my blog and for having taken the time to nominate me. I've won an award at the MADs before, actually I've won twice but that's besides the point. The point is, that I blog because I love keeping a record of the things that we get up to as a family. I blog because I love the community. I blog because I like to let other people know what I and my family think of new products after all I hardly ever buy something without researching it first and I'd like to know what other people think too. I blog because I want other people to know that there is someone out there just like them and I want other people to see that even if they feel that they are struggling that life will get bett...

It seems my life is about Pancakes at the moment. Not that I'm complaining you understand, I mean Pancakes go with just about everything right? Got some bacon and sausages? Add some pancakes to that. Got some chocolate? Add pancakes to that. Got some honey? Add pancakes to that. Got some cheese? Add pancakes to that. Actually I don't know about that last one... Anyway. Warburtons asked if they could send me some magic pancakes. I was intrigued. Magic pancakes sound really cool and if you combine magic and pancakes then you're on to a winner right? What they planned was to send me a rather lovely box, full of little pots of various flavours which thanks to a magic spinny thingy I could combine on the pancakes! The children had other ideas though, and stole a pack of pancakes to have for a breakfast treat (with butter) and left me to my own devices with regards to the other flavours. I tried them all. I didn't like them all, but I tried them all, so what I wa...

There are two things I need to say before I start this post properly. The first thing is Daddy absolutely hates that I can toss a pancake perfectly, and by perfectly I mean absolute perfection, like I could go on Britain's Got Talent and toss a pancake and get a standing ovation perfect. I mean look at this picture below, see the roundness? I tossed that pancake. It went in the air, out of the pan somersaulted and landed perfectly back in the pan. I promise not to mention it again, but I had to get it out there. The second thing I need to mention, is when I got the email asking if I'd like to take part in the Waitrose ‘World cuisine’ Recipe Challenge  (go take a look at the other recipes) I was thrilled. I was hoping to get Mexico, or Italy or Japan and was really excited. And I got England. England?! Come on! I mean England may be my home, but what great ideas did it bring to mind? None that's what. So I sat and thought. Eventually I wondered what does E...

Top Ender and Big Boy are excited for this years World Book Day (6th March 2014) and so we had a little bit of a fashion show on our last day of half term, using various fancy dress costumes we own, mixing it up with some clothes we have too. This was all so they could decide who it is that they are going to dress up as. and it was the funniest day we've had for ages, with both BB and Tops cracking jokes, throwing some amazing modelling poses and of course pulling the faces that seem to be our families trademark (honestly if you see any pictures of me from blogging events I'm always pulling a face and I have no idea why!). Big Boy decided that he is going to be all of the costumes, which is a bit worrying but understandable as I don't like making decisions either.  Thanks to Angels Costume Finder, Top Ender is going to be going as Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Now, The very important question. What should I go as? ...

I'm ready for the coming week (okay I'm not, but if I keep telling myself I am maybe the week will be fooled right?) and so the meal plans came easily... Daddy is commuting this week, but I'm not cooking for him as such. As it's after 7pm that he'll be in and that's too late for me to eat I'm going to do him some "simple" meals that I can cook quickly and he can eat without me wanting to eat with him. Saturday - Whatever Saturdays are really a case of what ever at the minute, Big Boy and Daddy tend to eat together before I get home from shopping with my Mum (BB needs to eat earlyish) and Tops tends to eat with my Mum and then I eat either whatever is leftover in the fridge or something easy like a salad. Sunday - Sticky Sausage Roast We've not had a Sausage Roast for a few weeks, and we've not had a sticky one for even longer, so today's roast will be very welcome for everyone in the family. Monday - Creamy Chicken Pen...

The other week, Big Boy and I hosted a Zack and Quack party at home, that was part of a bigger Twitter party. You might have seen some of the tweets that were sent out, some of the photos or if you've been round my house since, the giant cardboard Tank, that looks surprisingly like a certain elephant with wheels! The cartoon was a big surprise, the boys (aged between 5 and 7) were all convinced that the show was going to be for babies, and that they being so old wouldn't enjoy it. Not surprisingly, within seconds of the show starting they were all sitting on the floor open mouthed and hooked on the action. I learnt two big things about boys from this party. The first is that boys smell. Seriously, my house smelt of "boy" for ages after the party was over and I'm not a fan of the smell. For me, it's up there with wet dog and chicken manure that they spread on the fields. Actually come to think of it, the smell was a cross of those two... The...

Last Summer, (Yes, I know that it is now Winter, but... actually I have no excuse) Top Ender invited a few of her friends round for a tea party in the garden. It was the sort of thing that Top Ender would love to do for her Birthday, but seeing as she is a January baby it's a little cold in the garden and if we aren't under rain like we have been this year, there is normally a threat of snow. The girls had a great time, using my best china (I was so scared someone was going to drop it!) and there were plenty of cucumber sandwiches, just like there are when we have our  Family Afternoon Tea ! The real reason that the girls were at our house though, was because they wanted to be let loose on the Harumika we'd been sent. I've managed to lose the pictures from last Summer as I it was two phones ago, and I can't find them in the online storage areas. It's kind of good though, because two of the girls didn't want to be on the interwebz and now I don't nee...

Yesterday evening, the plan was that along with a few other bloggers and their famlies, Top Ender, Big Boy and I were going to watch Turbo, which we had been sent on Blu-ray. After having checked yesterday that everything was fine, and watching a Blu-ray film on our PS3, we were excited about watching a film together again tonight, especially one that we'd seen at the cinema and had enjoyed! But fate had other plans. Our PS3 was working, we could hear it loading up, we just couldn't see anything on the TV. So we were a bit stuck. Luckily though, thanks to the genius that is digital copies, we were able to download the film and stream it through the PC to the projector. It was really easy, as I just went to FoxRedeem.com, entered my redemption code and redeemed my movie through my google play account (or I could have chosen Blinkbox, or itunes, or playstation store etc). We got the film up on the projector, and whilst the kids sat on the sofa to watch it, I sneaked off f...

Today Top Ender, Big Boy and I returned to Frosts Garden Centre in Woburn Sands, for our painting birdhouse session. We guessed where to go (the Children's party room) and guessed right, which was lucky as we were running late, thanks to my bad time keeping. The room was fairly busy with several other families also taking part in the craft, but we found some space and settled down, ready to start the activity. The children were given a choice of soft drinks, a bird house each before being handed plastic aprons and a palette of paint. The children were also given a chocolate bird, but they wisely remembered that it was best to put that into my handbag to have later in the day. The children loved the activity and even though I didn't officially have a birdhouse to paint, I did sneakily have a go on the pretence of helping the children. I may have to buy my own birdhouse to paint! Whilst Top Ender claims that she enjoyed our time at the circus last Saturday, I think th...

On Saturday, we went to the circus. Nothing special about that you might think, but actually, for us as a family it was a big event because Daddy had never been to the circus before! We'd been given tickets by Frosts Garden Center , who have some great half term activities for the children planned, at their various stores and we were excited to attend. Top Ender, Big Boy and I had seen this circus before and from what we remembered we knew that it was a lot of fun. So after finding some seats, we settled down with popcorn and candy floss (and the children had some Sausage Rolls we'd brought with us) and waited, all the while joking about the Big Top flying away in the wind or telling our favourite jokes about clowns, circuses and jugglers... What do you do if attacked by a bunch of Circus performers? Go for the Juggler... We were right, the circus was brilliant and fun for children of all ages. The tickets are £5.99 per person (no matter the age), so I think that ...

It's half term this week, so we have a fair bit of fun planned... well as long as the weather plays along with your plans! Saturday - Burgers BB and Daddy are having Burgers tonight, whilst Top Ender eats with my Mum. I've been dieting this week thanks to some encouragement from my sister so I have a lush salad planned! Sunday - Casserole and Dumplings The children asked for casserole this week, so Daddy is making dumplings and mash potato to go with it. Monday - Fish and Chips The children are big fans of fish and chips, and so our Monday treat is some home made take away. Tuesday - Pasta A simple pasta and ragu dish tonight, made by Tops and BB, to celebrate me being their lovely Mum. Oh, okay it's because I've told them to make it! Wednesday - Restaurant Night We're with Daddy this evening, so we'll eat out. We're not sure where yet but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for something yummy! Thursday - Jacket Potatoes We ...

I've mentioned before, that if there is an event in the world that I can celebrate, that I'll join in. I love celebrating different cultures and as hungryhouse  pointed out when they offered me a Chinese to celebrate the Chinese New Year with, if you can celebrate then it's best to do it with food! So, knowing that I couldn't celebrate Chinese New Year, with a Chinese meal on the actual day of Chinese New Year (as from previous experience I've discovered that all the good Chinese restaurants are closed thanks to them celebrating Chinese New Year!) we decided to have Chinese a few days later. We couldn't wait too long though and so after shopping with my Mum on Saturday, Daddy and I placed an order on the hungryhouse website and planned for our Chinese meal to be delivered just in time for me to sit down and eat when I got back. The website was easy to navigate, easy to order from and I loved that I got sent an email telling me that my order was going ...

We're back to normal this week, with my lovely husband at work all week (from Monday) and eating up in Birmingham (well it's up from here in Milton Keynes!) and the children and I doing things at home. There is a bit of news on Thursday though, so make sure you read that one ;) Saturday - Daddy's Choice! I'm going to fast this evening meal, and breakfast tomorrow as it is Fast Sunday and for me that means I don't eat for two consecutive meals. Tops will more than likely eat with my Mum and Daddy and Big Boy will eat together at home, whilst Tops and I are out at my Mums. Sunday - Gluten Free Puff Pastry Sausage Pie I was chatting with Big Boy this morning about what he'd like for dinner this week. He came up with a few ideas which I dismissed because they weren't possible, they weren't gluten free options and then I remembered Daddy had asked me to buy him some Genius Gluten Free Puff Pastry and it was brilliant when he made Sausage Rolls. So w...

Last night Top Ender and I went to Milton Keynes Theatre to see Wicked. It was AMAZING!

This Friday, a new TV series is starting on Nick Jr, and to celebrate the launch and there is a Twitter Party happening. More worryingly I've invited six of Big Boy's school friends round to my house to do some crafting. It's going to be mayhem, with glue sticks and I think that entitles me to announce myself the best Mum ever. The new TV series sounds fun, it takes place in a pop-up world (remember the old pop up books you used to read?) where Zack comes up with ingenious and creative ways of solving any issues that come up and I think that it's going to be a great thing to get all children crafting and thinking about ways to craft things together as well as on their own.

This Wednesday, I'm planning on stopping being wicked. You see, ages ago when I was asked if I'd like to put my name down for a press ticket for the musical Wicked, at Milton Keynes theatre I had so many people offering to go with me that I ended up telling everyone who even vaguely suggested I should think about going with them to the show that it was only one ticket that was being offered, instead of the two that I'd been allocated. I feel guilty about the fib I told, but I planned that I could decide closer to the date who I could take with me.