A Mother's Ramblings

Top Ender is rather like me, especially when it comes to Candles. In fact I'm pretty sure that Top Ender has spent almost as much money in Ikea on Candles as I have. We both like to have a scented candle burning when we are working or relaxing and of course we both like to watch flames... Tops just doesn't have the same desire to burn things in Fire Pits!

Since Top Ender has realised that she likes Curry, and both the children know that they like to share a Chinese meal with us the sanctity of the Take Away once the Children are in bed has been destroyed and no longer exists. Now, we have Family Takeaways, which is still fun, but sometimes Daddy and I like to have something a little more grown up, a little more special, a little more, dare I say it? Yes I do, a little more alone time. So what to do? Obviously we could eat a bar of Chocolate, but I'm allergic to Chocolate (I break out in fat if I eat too much ROFL) and I'm not keen on Olives like Daddy is and there are only so many Sundried Tomatoes or slices of Parma ham I can eat. And then Philadephia asked if I wouldn't mind terribly, if they sent me a voucher, to review their new Deliciously Whipped range. At first trying to find these little pots was really hard, it seemed every other person in my local area had decided to go shopping for them and they weren...

Yes, this is a day late. Yes, I am including the food we ate yesterday. No, I don't care. The thing is, the last few days we've been out and about doing our favourite family thing, being together and enjoying the Countryside and well everything else got pushed to one side. This means that I didn't make a shopping list, we ran out of milk and even worse WE'VE RUN OUT OF CHOCOLATE! Saturday - Takeaway We were back late from our family day out and so I decided that we should have a take away, the only issue was what should we have? Kebab was out because I always feel like I have a hangover after eating one, the usual Fast Food places like Burger King and McDonalds were just not tempting enough, Pizza is just too much carbs before bed and I really wasn't hankering after a Chinese. In the end Daddy, Top Ender and I shared a couple of Curries whilst BB had a McDonald's (he isn't that keen on the Curries still). It was one of the nicest meals we've h...

Last night whilst browsing Facebook, I saw an image someone had shared that said something along the lines of "I didn't think my daughter had any of my traits, then she fell over her own feet and I was like Oh! There I am!". Luckily I no longer trip up over my own feet and even more lucky, Top Ender doesn't seem to have inherited that particular trait from me but she has inherited a love of crafting and not actually being that good at it... So when we were asked to review Strand Bands I said yes! Forgetting that we'd be rubbish at it and just thinking that maybe, just maybe we'd finally find a craft we could do. The idea of the set is to make bracelets, anklets, keychains or even rings using elastic-y bands in fun fashion colours. It is of course going to be huge this Christmas and with an age range of eight plus it's not just the Teen market that is going to be clamouring for it. The first thing Top Ender and I did was to unwind one of the bands, s...

When we went Camping, one of the best things was having a Fire Pit. It may be the only reason I want one, but don't let my Husband know that. As far as he's concerned it's because we'll be able to use it to keep warm on Cooler evenings.

When we camping in Dorset, we decided to go to Monkey World . I'd heard of Monkey World a few times in the past, thanks to the TV shows that have featured the Primate residents and the Staff and I thought we'd spend a couple of hours in the sanctuary, before heading back to Camp and then off to the Beach. Actually, I was a little worried before arriving at the sanctuary that we'd even be able to spend an hour there, we ended up spending just over five! Upon arriving at the site, we were directed to park the car with all the other early morning visitors. The parking was good, it was dry so we didn't have to worry that it was a grass field rather than a tarmac surface, which I normally hate driving on. One warning, there were no markers telling you where you were parked, so some people had issues when they were leaving the park as they couldn't remember where they had left their car. Just try to remember the general direction you went towards the entrance gate an...

Hello Everyone! It feels like I've been away for so long, which is so stupid because as you all know I was only away from home for one whole day really but I think so much happened in the three days that we were away (like you know driving and exploring and putting up and taking down a tent) that it just seemed like we were away for longer! So, here's this weeks meal plan! Saturday - Nachos and Popcorn Big Boy and I were chatting this week about what we'd like as our Saturday meal. BB decided that what he really wanted was Nachos! So, that's what we're having tonight. The popcorn was because we were planning on watching a film, but BB has said that he no longer wants to! I shall have to find a way to persuade him to join us. Sunday - Chicken Roast I can't wait for our Roast this week, as I'm going to get a Chicken and ensure that Daddy has the right ingredients for his Gluten Free stuffing, as we haven't had it for AGES. Might even get some C...

Whilst we were away, I figured it was the perfect time for the Children to try out their new Gore-Tex shoes. We've been asked to be an Ambassador family, and the Children are really excited about it and the idea of going on lots of trips together so they can give their shoes a good work out! We figured on day two of Camping holiday, that as we were going to be on our feet for a fair few hours that some comfy shoes were going to be important, the last thing you want when on holiday is sore feet! The lace up shoes Top Ender had been sent reminded me of Bowling Shoes and they weren't the pair I'd pick if I'm honest, but Top Ender loved them. She thought that they were retro looking, she also loved that they were light and sturdy whilst she was walking over uneven ground, or rather climbing over trees in the Woods. Big Boy's shoes were super cute and exactly what I would pick for him. He loved that they were so easy to slip on and off, that they were again supe...

The second day of Camping started with me slightly panicking after someone shone a torch in our tent. It was only a few minutes after I'd got into bed and the Children were both semi awake, which of course as soon as the torch shone into our Tent meant they were both wide awake. I told the Children a story and they went back to sleep, leaving me laying in the tent not feeling sleepy! I was just dozing off when suddenly there was a really weird noise outside the tent. It was like a Screech, the sort of noise you would hear if a Murderer wanted to freak you out before using his knife to tear before open the canvas of your tent and then skin you alive so he could wear you like a coat. And I'd make a great coat. Sleep eventually came to me, and despite hearing the noise several times more luckily the Murderer did not make an appearance. Then, the Sun rose and I woke up thanks to my sleep mask having fallen off and me slowly realising that I was rather cold and by rather col...

The first day of our Camping Trip started with a mixture of nerves and excitement. The Children were excited and I was nervous. The Children couldn't understand why I was nervous, even when I explained that it was just because this was the first time I was doing something alone, well with them of course, but without Daddy. I mean I was a Child and then I was married, I moved from my Mother and Father helping me make choices to being a Wife and my Husband helping me make choices. I've never really been just me now I come to think of it. After a prayer for a good journey  the Children and I set off on our adventure a few minutes later than we had planned, mainly because I was trying to hit my Swagbuck target for the day before we went, but that's another story. We made good time, chatting for the first hour of our journey, listening to and singing along to Top Ender's mix CD for the second hour, trying to work out which lane of traffic was moving faster for the third...

A few days ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. Not Quite A Health Drink - What You Want To Read The one drink that I love more than water, is Dr Pepper. I have been known to "accidentally" drink a whole bottle in a day before, but that's not really very healthy and so the less said about it the better right? So.

This coming week is a good week, well at least I think it will be. The Children and I have decided to go camping, which is good right? Even though I hate camping... The point is, we are looking forward to some family time and after hours of research I've even come up with a few meal ideas for us to have whilst we are away and when we are back home too. Saturday - BBQ Chicken We love our BBQ Chicken Breasts, but we haven't had them for ages so we'll marinade some breasts and grill them before serving in bread rolls with a side salad and even some fries as the Children and Daddy do love fries! Sunday - Lamb Chops and Roast Potatoes Last Sunday, we had Lamb Chops for our evening meal and it was amazing. Daddy hadn't had lamb for a while and so he really enjoyed the change. I decided that we should have them again this week, because I had picked up double the amount I needed last week and well who can say no to Lamb Chops?! Apart from a vegetarian or vegan ...

I have received product from Oreo for this post. It is an entry to the Foodies100 Wonderfilled recipe challenge sponsored by Oreo, which marks the launch of two exciting new flavours: Peanut Butter and Golden. The delicious new flavours are available in all major supermarkets at an RRP of £1.08. To find out more, visit www.facebook.com/oreo Have you ever agreed to do something thinking, "ahh that'll be easy!" only then to work out that actually it isn't that easy? Well, my Oreo Wonderfilled recipe fits into that thinking. When I was asked if I could come up with a recipe using one of the new flavours I was positive I could come up with something funky and exciting and then when it came to actually thinking of something I found out that it wasn't that easy.

One of my friends will often comment on my Facebook posts about what a great Mum I am. The first few times that she put something like that as a comment, I would often wonder what it was that she saw in me that I didn't see in myself. What did she see in the snapshots of life that I posted online that made me seem a great Mum. That's right seem . I'm under no illusion, I'm not always a great Mum. There is a lot of talk about Facebook just being snapshots in time, with only the best moments being shown and I honestly try not to be like that. I want people to know that I'm "normal", that I lose my temper and I forget to make an evening meal and I stay up way too late pinning or playing games on Facebook... Anyway, like I was saying I'm not always a great Mum. This particular friend is older, she has children around my age and she is the very definition of a great Mum. If there was anyone that deserves comments on her Facebook posts sayi...

When Big Boy and I had a treat last week, we decided to have Sticky Popcorn. Okay, so I decided to have Sticky Popcorn and Big Boy decided that I had picked a winning treat! To make this popcorn, all I did was pop some corn and then whilst the pan was warm, I threw in some Marshmallows (I added more than a handful but less than two) and gently heated the two ingredients, gently stirring them together until they combined. Simple right? What's your favourite way to top Popcorn?

Wow, August is flying by! This past week I had Big Boy all to myself as Top Ender and Daddy were off camping, they had a fab week, find out what they were up to on Day One , Day Two , Day Three and Day Four and as a special bonus find out what Daddy and Big Boy got up to on Day Five! The First Week Of August The weekend was brilliant, when very early Saturday morning Daddy, Top Ender, Big Boy and I headed up to Campbell Park to watch the Sunrise before spending the day getting ready for Top Ender and Daddy's camping trip, going shopping, not falling asleep and ending the day watching the sunset at Dunstable Downs! It was brilliant and even Daddy who wasn't originally going to join us for the Sunrise, seeing as how it was so early, enjoyed it and I think that he might be a convert to watching the sunrise! Of course Daddy already loves watching the Sunset, even if he doesn't want to join us in a mug of Hot Chocolate! On Sunday, we went to Church (well it is S...

Last week, BB and I had loads of fun with our meals, but we're back this week with having some "normal" meals and hopefully some proper meals where there are at least two vegetables and lunch everyday isn't a ham wrap made for me by BB! Saturday - Chicken Stir Fry With Daddy and Big Boy not getting back until gone 10pm from their day out we didn't get to have to Stir fry we were intending to have... so we're going to have it tonight instead. Sunday - Lamb Chops Whilst talking with Daddy about something we fancied for our evening meal this week, Daddy decided that we hadn't had Lamb Chops for a while and so we had to have them for Sunday. Instead of the small New Potatoes that we've been having recently, we're going to have some proper Roasties too, so I'm really looking forward to our evening meal! Monday - Fish Pie When we had Fish Pie the other week, the Children loved it, so we're having it again tonight! I'm goin...

Sorry, I couldn't help my self highlighting the pet aspect in comPETition! Look, see I did it again! I promise to stop now. Look, here's a cute Kitten picture to distract me... So. Argos asked if I would mind letting everyone know that they have a little competition going at the moment, where if you follow Argos Pets on Facebook or Twitter and send them a selfie of you and your cat using the hashtag you could win £50 to spend in Argos.

Hello all, Daddy here again with my final diary entry from my camping trip with Top Ender. We had to be away from the campsite before 10am today, so we allowed ourselves a good two hours to pack up the tent and put all our belongings in the car. In the end we only needed an hour, so we were soon on our way. Now I am home, it's less likely any Daddy groupies are going to turn up at the campsite, so it's safe to tell you that we had stayed at Neil's Place Farm Campsite , just outside Canterbury. A great site - a friendly family that run it, great amenities - and we shall certainly return. Having exhausted all the places we had hoped to visit in Kent this week, it was a bit of a free choice for the day. Having read about The Hop Farm earlier but discounted it as it was in the wrong direction, we realised it was only a short detour on the way home, so we headed there. The great place about this theme park is that entry is free, and then all the rides and attracti...

A few days ago, I asked my friends on Facebook if they were to read a blog post written by me, what would they like it to be about? This is one of the posts, based on those suggestions. Summer Holiday Survival Skills! I'm not one of the parents who has everything in control, I don't have manicured nails, a perfect lawn, flower beds with no weeds or a kitchen that doesn't have a rather odd smell coming from somewhere that I haven't quite located yet. My children sometimes look like not only did they get dressed in the dark, but it was from clothes that were either in the donate pile, or more likely the wash box or the ironing pile.

Hello, Daddy here again with the latest instalment in our camping diary, made possible by the presence of an iPad and great 3G signal! After a disturbed night which featured an almighty crash and bang, screeching of tyres and then an hour of emergency service sirens (no we haven't found out what it was yet), we emerged from the tent at the rather pleasant hour of 8am to a third day of glorious sunshine and clear blue skies. Our campsite is only a stones throw from Canterbury centre, so a quick breakfast and short drive later, we were at Canterbury Cathedral , free child voucher in hand, to be one of the first visitors through the doors. I have visited before when I was Top Ender's age - but I don't remember it, well hardly at all. The Cathedral is cavernous inside and, save for some occasional ropes blocking the red carpets, most of the building is open to explore at your leisure. At opening time we stood reverently while they read The Lords Prayer over the t...