I can't be the only one who spends this month every year thinking I should have been more economical over Christmas can I ? And even if you had an economical holiday, there is always the long month before payday and the beginning of the big fuel bills! And despite my plans every year to tax the car for a year in June I never do and have to feed yet more into the money pit which is the government! So this year I have decided (whilst I don't really do new years resolutions!) that I am going to shop smart! I'm not going to just buy the first one I see, but shop around and try and get a … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2014
Sport Relief road trip!
This time last year I got a very special postcard from some lovely people who were there on the ground to see what amazing work Comic Relief does to support the poorest people in Africa and the UK. I can't begin to tell you how honoured I was to support Team Honk in their mammoth fundraising efforts then....... and when they planned this years adventure! I mean how could you not want to join in! So armed with nothing more than silly head gear, a sport relief t shirt and a road map - We're on the move! Think Thelma and Louise but without the fiery death or Brad Pitt … [Read more...]
Make Family Time Quality Time
Spending quality family time together in this day and age is no easy feat. Between school, work, extracurricular activities and preparing to do it all again the next day, families are left with little time to themselves. While it may be difficult, eeking out quality time is one of the most important things any family can do. Whether you organise a game night or just arrange to watch a film together, spending time as a unit serves to strengthen bonds in a way that few other activities can. Preparing Meals Meal times are great times to talk to your family about what happened … [Read more...]
Onesie Overload! Top Ten Styles for All the Family
The funky onesie seems to be all the fashion these days! You name it, they probably make it! From character onesies to sleek and stylish ones that are more ‘cool’ than dazzling, there’s bound to be a onesie on the market for you. If you don’t like the idea of them, which inevitably will be the thought of some, give them a go! You never know, you may surprise yourself and become the latest onesie convert! With so many awesome choices available, there’s bound to be a fab onesie to suit all the family. Here are ten styles that can help to inspire your first steps into the onesie world of fashio … [Read more...]
Big boys toys – well sort of!
I always knew my husband was a big kid...but when I told him dream Toys are available at Argos online here and he could choose one, my suspicions were confirmed! And when you add number Splosh into the equation - second childhoods were had by all! Badgers words..."awesome!" Splosh's...."No dad wait...!" as he ducked for cover! And so our Christmas continued really, surprise attacks, and target shooting with the little ones when they came to visit. Bernard and I hiding in the kitchen raising our eyebrows to the heavens as yet another impromptu battle took place on the stairs! Once they … [Read more...]
52 Cook Books – week 2
So here we are week 2 of the big challenge! Another chance to cook something new. I decided to go with something sweet this week, and something from a new book which I've only had a couple of months. I signed up to the Parragon Books "book buddies" scheme last year and they have sent me some wonderful things! So this week I have used their rather lovely Classic Baking - a beautifully illustrated and easy to use book of yummy cakes and breads. We made a round cake version rather than a traybake, as our square tin was already in use. I also avoided the crumble topping, it's … [Read more...]
Becoming a parent – Life is reborn
When someone asked me what it really felt like to become a parent for the first time, I had to ponder for quite a while, after all is was now 22 years ago, and my memory - as well you all know - is pretty shocking! So how did I feel? pretty overwhelmed I guess, the idea of parent hood is all well and good, I mean you have 9 months to get used to it, preparing clothes, buying a pushchair, stocking up on nappies and wandering the shelves in the local baby shop, over come with the need to buy hundreds of 'gadgets' we all now know you really don't need! And then suddenly one day - you're a … [Read more...]
Me and mine – End of the year!
It's been a while since we joined in with this link, but we don't often get everyone in the same house, and when we do it's hectic round of visiting relatives and cramming as much family time in as we can! So I tried to plan a slot this time to squeeze in a family picture, not just a silly selfie like we did before, but a proper staged shot....... I should have know better with my lot shouldn't I ? We couldn't get beyond sitting on the sofa to plan it before the laughter started! And of course the boys being....well them really. Oh what the hell! who cares, I love this picture … [Read more...]
52 Cook Books – week 1
Well here goes! the first of what we plan to be 52 posts - one a week until the end all year! I the idea is to try something never done before, expand horizons and tickle taste buds! So week one - in this last week of the holidays the kitchen is full of odds and ends, things we bought "in case" and the tail end of things we enjoyed of Christmas, so I thought I would add to this weeks challenge and be thrifty as well as trying something new, and without buying too many ingredients! Cue an afternoon of reading through the books to see if we could come up with a yummy dinner (and we had guests … [Read more...]