mums the word

28 days and counting

2011-03-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

Recently I was lucky enough to be selected for a 28 day trial on the Jenny Craig program.

I think it has been around for a few years in the US but has only recently come to the UK - basically for the first time of ordering, 28 days worth of food is delivered to you together with a program bible, 4 week menu plans and most importantly a telephone call !! - where the advisors talk you through EVERYTHING and any questions you have they are there to help you, the only thing you have to add is the fresh fruit and veg and any starch, protein snacks you want to add,

now with any diet/healthy eating program my main concern is - 'am I going to be hungry?' but so far with the Jenny Craig program my only concern is ' WHERE AM I GOING TO PUT IT ALL !!' I am used to bulk buying with having a family of 5 but there is seriously so much food - Im on day 1 at the moment - this along with my running there will be nothing left of me ! - I cant wait !

Living the Good Life

2011-03-05T12:43:00.000-08:00

After a Loooooonnngggg break Im back !

Ressurecting this blog .......and do you know what ......Ive missed it !

hot much has happened during the hiatus, nothing spectacular to blog about, so Im starting afresh with a new look- so thank you for sticking with me if you are still here and welcome to any new readers.

The family mindset had changed gradually over the past few months and ill let you know more on that coming soon

So Welcome back and I look forward to sharing my family life with you ........all over again x

Out of the mouths of babes

2010-07-21T02:46:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night - doing battle with my eldest over the dishwasher never a truer word said...

My daughter only has 3 main jobs that she has to do - Practise her cornet, do some reading, and unload/load the dishwasher.

At the end of the school year, all the kids get tired and ratty and to be honest dont want to do anything job-related, but as was with the reasoning on giving Aimee the dishwasher job, i think kids need to do the boring jobs so that they learn that life isnt always sweetness and light, and so the dishwasher still needs to be done otherwise we will be eating off paper plates !

So Cornet practise was done, then the complaining starts......

I dont want to........... its your job

But its boring .............. it may be boring but boring jobs still have to be done

continued on in this fashion for 35 min - would loved to say that I was cool, calm, and collected but alas not... my arguement was if you spent less time complaining and using that time to get the job done you would have more play time

Any way in the end job was done....hooray!! so off to bed she went, forgetting that she had to make her bed,

Aimee: 'There arent any sheets up here'

Me: ' go downstairs and see in the dryer - thats what I was doing today, the boring jobs so you have clean sheets'

so she turned to me and said 'THATS AN EASY JOB ITS ONLY MOVING THEM FROM ONE MACHINE TO THE NEXT' !!!

I was laughing that much - all I could say was ' isnt that what doing the dishwasher is??'

Made me think though..... thats technically all I do all day...

School Run - Move kids from home to school
Washing - Move clothes from one machine to the other
Cleaning - Move dust from one area to the other
Cooking - Move food from one place to another

Even when I go to work...... I move paper from one place to another

so basically a stand off on ONE job summed up my day completely,

My name is Andrea and I am a SHUFFLER ..... ho hum .......

Im still here !!

2010-07-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

How long has it been? I cant appologise enough its one of those- things happen, and then time goes on and before you know it weeks, months have gone past, so I cant keep appologising but its onwards and upwards so Im sure that I have lost many of my regular followers but for those who have stuck with me - Im back - ! and with the start of the summer holidays and 6 week holiday with the kids just around the corner Im sure that we will have lots of adventures to keep you posted with - and in the meantime I'll try and keep you updated with what has happened since - (if I can remember !! LOL )

Good to be back x x

Make the most of every day x

2010-06-08T04:36:00.001-07:00

Time waits for no-one

See the second hand move swiftly

And the minutes speeding on

Then the hours passing quickly

All too soon the day has gone

Always moving sure and steady

Certain as the endless tide

Father time is not your master

Let him always be your guide

Think of those whose days go slowly

Those whose moments creep along

Think of all the lost and lonely

Ofer hope to make them strong

Watch the minute hand still moving

As the hours slip away

Use each precious moment wisely

Make the most of every day

gone but not forgotten

2010-04-08T03:58:00.000-07:00

I'm still here!

I havent forgotten about this blog but at the moment I am on the last few days left before my Walking Marathon, and rest assured I have not forgotten about you but shhh........ my loyalties have been with another blog ! ......... OK its my other one, the training one, but with life, kids, training, fundraising (dont look at the total on the blog thats not right!) I havent had the time to keep this one updated... so appologies for now but for the time being join me across the cyber space at www.letsfightthis.blogspot.com and see how our team has been getting on in the run up (or should that be 'walk up' !) to the marathon.... then I PROMISE YOU I will be back got lots to keep you updated on , the good and unfortunately the bad :( see you on the other side !!

Remember www.letsfightthis.blogspot.com !

No turning back now !!

2010-03-18T05:33:00.000-07:00

Im officially in !!!

My Race number came yesterday #10737 makes it seem all that bit closer now - which it is of course 1 month away - Ive kept up with my training as much as I can through my coughs/colds/splutterings as well as the families germs and dealing with life in general - even through hubby sending me out on 10 mile walks and ignoring my pleas to 'come and pick me up' and .......'If you LOVED me you'd pick me up' but NO I had to walk the whole way !!

I must admit I am feeling better and have lost just under 2 stone in the process which is always a good thing - just a few more million to go now but we'll get there.. so now Im on the home stretch now then just the actual Marathon to walk (its ok if you say it quick enough :))

T Shirt that our nkotb team will be wearing:

Feeling so good that I am already looking for the next challenge - and I'm looking to run the race for life - debating whether to do the 5k or the 10k ? my thinking is - if I can walk a marathon it seems daft walking for 5k - so I think at the moment I'm going towards - - If I can run it (which is my next personal challenge) then I will do the 5k if Im still only walking I'll do the 10k - Ive still got a bit until I need to make my mind up so I'll let you know....

Paw Ridge Porridge

2010-03-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

I was asked a few weeks ago to review a new product out on the market - Quaker Paw Ridge and to share my opinions with you. 2 of my kids love porridge and could eat it till it comes out of their ears.

We always have a difference in opinion I want them to have (or at least try) the plain oats which make into porridge - tastes exactly the same to me but with 'bits' in, but they both inevitably wan the all dancing, all singing all full of sugar and additives one with the brightest colours on and with the cute mascot, so when these arrived we were both happy.

Paw Ridge comes in individual sachets for ease of use and measuring and you add the milk and then ping in the microwave for 90 seconds - nothing new there BUT Paw Ridge is 'proper' oats milled finely so it has the texture of the instant cereal, no additives or sugar - other than whatever topping you add yourself (if any)

Whenever I have bought the instant cereal in the past I have always bought the loose box and not the sachets for two reasons:

1. With the sachets its not necessarily quicker by the time you put the sachet in, get the measuring jug out measure up to the line .......etc -

Solution: with Paw Ridge they have a measuring line on the sachet, so it really is empty in bowl and then measure milk in the empty sachet up to the mark, it is fiddly to start off with but in no time you will be an expert -no more searching for jugs first thing in the morning

2. Pound for Pound it does work out more expensive than the loose boxes -

Solution : Yes it is slightly more expensive but in our local Asda it is comparitive with the other leading brands, and the ease of use and knowing it is the pure oats is worth its weight in gold especially during the rush in our house on school days-

And Finally - MY KIDS LOVE IT !! which has got to be the best taste test ever ! if I can steer my kids away from the additive full version its a winner with me and they still like the taste and the look of the cereal its a win-win

Paw Ridge also have an interactive web site ( http://www.pawridge.co.uk/) for the kids full of jokes and activities etc and also has a page for parents information - obviously more detail than I can give you I can only give my opinion and what my family thought of it and know nothing of the technical side of it !

In the easter issue of the ASDA magazine there is a voucher for 50p off so give it a try - yum yum x xx

St Patricks Day Recipe

2010-03-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

St Patricks day on Wednesday and many an excuse to have a few (responsible !?) drinks and to have traditional Irish Stew (or Scouse as we call it in Liverpool) which I know its not for a few days but this yummy dish ALWAYS tastes better the day after - dont ask me why- but it does

My Recipe:

500g Lamb or Beef diced

2lb potatoes peeled and cut up some small some larger

4 large Carrots peeled and chopped

1 Large onion peeled and chopped

4 meat Stock cubes I use Oxo

2 pints water

Brown the meat off in a LARGE saucepan then literally throw all of the other ingredients in the pan, crumble the oxos onto the top and add water. Turn the gas down and leave to simmer for 2 hrs onwards. you really can leave it for as long as you need, stir occasionally to make sure it doesnt stick to the bottom, add more water if needed and thats it

Its hard to put the ingredients down on paper this is really one of those recipes that you are born knowing how to make it and the quantities just 'feel right' or you know by looking at it and is one that will be unique each time you use it and you will tweek to your own families taste, it willbe a winner every time - and dont forget to double the quantites to freeze

Serve with a chunk of crusty bread

oh ...............

and dont forget a pint of the black stuff !!!!

Personal Grocery Challenge

2010-03-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

I have noticed on a few other blogs, and other websites that there are a fair bit of personal challenges going on - decluttering, debt repaying etc, one that I like the look of (and indirectly helping in our debt repaying) is the Grocery challenge - Now as a family of 5 plus a dog we normally spend about £50 per week and this includes normal food, packed lunches, cleaning, toiletries, and pet food which I dont think is too bad? but there is always room for improvement - and so for the rest of March I am going to try and reduce this gradually by £5-£10 and then to reduce this by £10 permanently from April onwards so that our grocery shopping will be £40 per week, I have been inspired by the book title Family feasts $75 per month (I assume this is per person as it is a family of 10(I think) )which by my calculations is roughly £48 and I know I cant spend out £48 per month for a family of 5 (as much as I would love to !!) so that is the challenge and to obviously not scrimp on the quality or quantity of the food, I'll let you know how we get on.........

Where is everybody?

2010-03-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

I follow a few blogs and if they don't post for a while I often wonder why - not in a nosey way but just out of interest is it because they have nothing to blog about?, are they ill ? or are they busy and havent had time?

Well in my defence .... again !! ....I have been busy (ish) over the past few weeks I have been preparing the garden and pots for planting the spring vegetables which always takes twice as long with little helpers !

So we have to date:

Seedlings: Early tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Sweet Peas (although technically I dont think they class as a vegetable !)

Planted: Potatoes, Carrots, Mangetout all waiting to come out of their snuggly seeds to burst out of the ground and hop onto our plates

Greenhouse is going up in a few days so will be able to repot the seedlings and sit back and wait patiently

So far if I do say so myself Im doing really well remembering to plant the seeds, in the right order, in the right month, and in the right spot.. making a really concious decision this year to maximise on the growing season, to save money and to store the produce well to last us a fair while, which is one side of the veg I need to do some more research on, we can eat it fresh but I need to find info on the canning, freezing etc ... hmm leave that one with me and Ill get back to you.

Mummy's Little Helper - hmmmmmm

ICE

2010-02-25T13:16:00.000-08:00

Our eldest is now 9 (nearly 10 as she keeps reminding us !) and is wanting to start venturing out on her own to the local shops we are luck where we are because the shop is about 5 minutes away with one road complete with green man crossing, but that doesnt stop me for panicking every time she goes out of the door, but my head says that I need to start giving her a bit of freedom.

So before she goes out we always make sure she gives us the rules to make sure she knows what to do, we also make sure that she has her mobile phone CHARGED !! and kept seperately from her bag, but most importantly we have entered ICE into her contact list along with my mobile number - I must admit that I only found out about this service a year or so ago ICE stands for In Case of Emergency and is the first port of call any emergency service will use for an emergency contact.

Now all I need to do is to appreciate that she is growing up into a wonderful independant young lady, but my heart always wins and shouts out "but shes my baby" :(

yummy mummy Monday

2010-02-08T06:26:00.000-08:00

I SPOKE TOO SOON!!!!

After doing really well yesterday on my walk we are now a man down !!!

Suspected broken little toe/ pulled tendons :(

Got up this morning getting kids ready for school, bowl of rice crispies for baby, walking through, tripped over chair leg, rice crispies up in the air, put other foot down, SLIPPED on Spilt milk and went flat on my back hence the toe, I wondered where I was going !!!

So after picking myself up, trying to keep my dignity with the kids laughing at me - I am now 2 toes down luckily it was my little one so I'm not completely out of action !

Ho Hum this exercise lark is a doddle its daily life that gets me every time !!

Thought of the day

2010-02-07T13:29:00.000-08:00

I know its Sunday and I dont normally post on a Sunday but had a bizarre thought today.

I was doing my long walk as part of my training for the moonlit marathon walk and did my route worn out, legs tired - getting funny looks off people then realising Im singing along out loud to my mp4 (not good at the best of times lol) then getting home, having a bath, changed and then.................... having to go back out AGAIN in the car along the SAME route to find out how far I had gone so I could update my record - how bizarre and I was wondering how many other people go through all this ....hmmmmm that thought has kept me entertained all day ! walk went well by the way !!

30 day challenge

2010-02-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

This should have been posted yesterday - I appologise !!

As part of my yummy mummy with no tummy ongoing saga, my gym, curves have issued a 30 day challenge to all members wishing to take part, we pay £5 to enter and are weighed and measured on 1st Feb then work out like machines for 30 days !! then get weighed and measured and the one who has lost the most inches (not weight) wins all the money and a t-shirt, so double incentive, one to lose the weight as we have 2 family parties in March and as you all know I have entered the Moonlit marathon walk so if I do win then all the money will go towards my sponsorship funds, so you will have to excuse me, I can write about exercise till the cows come home, but that doesnt get the challenge won !!!!! hup hup hup 30 reps 4 sets etc ..............

Sisters together

2010-01-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother.

As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in herglass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

" Don't forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirlingthe tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters.

Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.''Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women...your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do..

'What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought.

Haven't I just gotten married?

Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about.

As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.Life happens.Distance separates.Children grow up.Jobs come and go.Love waxes and wanes.

Men don't do what they're supposed to do.Hearts break.Parents die.Colleagues forget favors.Careers end.
BUT.........
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach..When you have to walk that lonesome valley and youhave to walk it by yourself, the women in your lifewill be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,praying for you, pulling for you, intervening onyour behalf, and waiting with open arms at thevalley's end.Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walkbeside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.

Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.

:There are more than twenty angels in this world.Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds. Nine areplaying. And one is reading this at this moment.

yummy mummy Monday

2010-01-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

day late I know !

Yummy Mummy Monday update:

Well I did it - - I ventured back to the gym had to face the music after the Christmas indulgences.

I normally have a weigh and measure on the 9th (ish) of each month to measure, weight loss/inch loss and body fat loss and my last one was November missed December and before you know it weve moved onto January.

So bring it on getthe bad news over and done with and then move onwards and upwards and as it turns out............ I LOST 8LBS !!!!!! and 1/2 inch from somewhere and 0.5% body fat to be honest I dont remember much of what else they told me I was stunned that I had lost the weight - I dont honestly feel that I have lost the weight or feel that I deserve to lose the weight, I dont feel that I have put any weight on just all untoned through not going to the gym

I am so pleased to say the least though and am working hard to keep up the momentum and carry on in the right direction

Bubbling Boilers !!!!

2010-01-22T12:03:00.000-08:00

I was asked via the British Mummy Blogger website to review the new Thomas the Tank engine series starting on Milkshake Channel 5 Monday 25th January 8.25am.

I had it all planned, I would get the kids off to school then when the post was delivered sit our resident Thomas Nut in front of the DVD to see his reaction and to watch it myself

- well all good plans and all that !!

I forgot it was being delivered next delivery so when the postie came at 8am that was it all notion of trying to get the school run done on time flew out the window.

DVD went on Owen plonked in front of the TV, sitting on the potty actually and we watched although we did actually watch it again properly after school run, with piccies thought it would be better taste than on the potty !

The series looks FANTASTIC !! we had a sneeky peek at the first 3 episodes.

From a Childs point of view, Owen LOVED it - all the same well loved engines with new characters being introduced. It was still the same classic Thomas storylines, where despite the 'confusion and delay' and japers that the engines come across everything always works, with a gentle moral ending, Thomas is still cheeky, Cranky is still .... Cranky, all this but with new and improved computer generated graphics, I must admit when I read that it was computer generated my heart sank a little I thought 'oh here we go theyve spoit another classic series - making it all new and modern' but no I was pleasantly proved wrong it does have a look of 'computer' obviously, and the main difference is that the mouths move rather than just expressions but I love the fact that although it has been updated it still has a feel of the old -

its hard to explain, but to me I loved the fact that you could watch the old Thomas which was an actual train set and then when you bought the toys you could continue the adventure, which I am pleased to say that is still the case.

I think Thomas was, is, and will always be one of those classic tv series, and like anything that has stood the test of time has evolved along with society, by updating it, it keeps the next generation interested but it really does have a feel of the original series and will appeal to kids of all ages, Owen is 3, Holly is 6 and Aimee is 9 and all of them watched it before school and totally enjoyed it, we will be an avid watcher when the full series starts on Monday

After that though it was a mad rush so they weren't late for school, try explaining that one to the teachers !!

REMEMBER: MILKSHAKE FIVER MONDAY 25th JANUARY 8.35am

What to do ?? Im so confused !

2010-01-21T04:55:00.000-08:00

I appologise in advance if any of the confusion that is whizzing round in my head is on here !

Let me explain......

My daughter is 10 (nearly !) and going into year 6 in September, in our school we have the option to choose to as well as the standard SATS papers, whether or not to enter them in for the 11+ - which is basically an entrance exam into the grammar schools - I know thats not exactly what it is but considering you cant get into them without it, so as far as i am concerned it is essentially an entrance exam -

Now there is a HUGE difference in the results tables between grammar schools and state schools and obviously I want the best opportunities I can for the kids.

So herein lies my problem/confusion - the SATS are taught in one way, and we have been told by many, many people that the kids DO NOT STAND A CHANCE of passing the 11+ as it is taught in a completely different way ( I call it 'old school') and they need to do extra tuition starting in year 5 to even consider entering her into the exam.

So what do I do? I dont want to confuse her if she is being taught in one way in school, and another at home, as well as different practice papers, - We did start her with a tutor after school to get her geared up for the 11+ who said that she may struggle because she is so far behind in her maths and english (for which she is in the TOP set for both in school) but in daughters defense the tutor said it was nothing to do with Daughter and it is the problem of all the local schools they are not up to the same standard as local private schools.

I also dont want her to have any additional pressure by which I mean when I was in school the 11+ was the norm - you either passed or failed - I dont want her to feel like she failed, At the moment we are putting the spin on it that if you pass it just means that you have more schools to choose from, none of them are any better or worse just more choice.

I could take the easy way out and not put her in for the exam as many parents that I am speaking to aren't even considering it, for which option either dont want to , dont undersand I dont know but I dont want to do the cop-out route and not even give her the opportunity.

Then of course I then have to additional problem of - If I do do the extra work with her, she does pass and does choose to go to a grammar school is she going to stuggle with the work when she gets there??? I am so confused -

After all that I need to have a cup of tea and have a rethink !

I'll let you know what we decide when We decide !

x x

Walkabout Wednesday

2010-01-20T04:29:00.001-08:00

Wednesday already ! where do the days go ??

so Walkabout Wednesday here we go, 3 blogs that I have found for you today.

1. www.funkymammy.blogspot.com a new one that I have recently started following, and I love the mummy/family blogs out there, me, as a stay at home mum, because I love the togetherness between the mums and the 'we're all in this together' attitude and if you are having a bad day you can always find another mummy blog to give you support or has been in a similar situation. love this one

2. www.budgetsarethenewblack.com this one I have literally just found this morning and it is great to find someone who is going through the struggle of getting out of debt, not someone who has been there done that and this is how it should be done but someone who is going through it as we speak, and does falter as we all do and learns as she is going through it.

3. www.letsfightthis.blogspot.com I have to be biased on this one - this is my other blog, charting my weight loss and training with my friends as we have signed up to walk the Moonlit Marathon in Manchester in April so come over and take a look, I do touch on my diet on here but dont go into too much detail.

so, follow, follow, follow x x x x x

National Friendship week

2010-01-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls.

He looked down into the eyes of little boy. "Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller.

Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up... "I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.

The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands." With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.

Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy. "How much?" asked the little boy.

"No charge," answered the farmer,

"There's no charge for love."

The world is full of people who need someone who understands. It's National Friendship Week.

yummy mummy Monday

2010-01-18T12:52:00.000-08:00

Monday again, and I have found that a couple of Blogs are joining in a 'The Yummy Mummy with no Tummy Challenge' and so I have started late last year and then was ill and then we had Christmas - no excuses I know - but it has all gone by the wayside and so January is here again and I have my Moonli Walking Marathon in April so I am back on the treadmill so to speak so here we go embarking on my own yummy mummy challenge and keep you posted and maybe in a few weeks I will be brave enough to post a picture of what I look like now - now as they say ONWARDS AND UPWARDS x x x x

Friday Food for a Fiver (or Less)

2010-01-15T04:21:00.000-08:00

Food for a fiver this week, is a yummy post, mini Victoria Sandwich bites.

Kids love them, I love em, hubby loves em from 1-101 they are a sure fire winner.

Ingredients:

4oz self raising flour 45 (smart price 1.5kg)

4oz butter/margerine 44 (Asda best for baking 250g)

4oz sugar 87 (silverspoon 500g)

2eggs 91 (Asda smart price 6 eggs)

Icing sugar to taste 1.05 (silver spoon 1kg)

Jam any you like 38 (smart price jam)

paper cases 49 (Asda own)

Total 4.59 - prices as of Asda website 15th Jan

You can put all of the ingredients in a blender and mix but I always like to do it the long way round.

pre-heat oven to gas mark 5 180C

Soften butter, mix in with sugar with wooden spoon until blended, whisk eggs together and add to butter mix bit by bit.

Fold in sifted flour bit by bit with a metal spoon, gently to keep as much air in as possible.

divide between paper cases, and put in oven for 15-20min

to check if cooked top will spring back if pressed

leave to cool

for butter cream, soften the rest of the block of butter/marg and add sifted icing sugar to taste (it will probably be about 6oz of icing sugar) add more or less depending on how sweet you want it. add a TINY bit of water just to lighten the mixture.

cut the top half of the cooled cakes off spread jam on 1 half and a spoonful of butter cream, put the top back on the cake and sprinkle with icing sugar.

dont forget the prices are for whole packs of ingredients assuming that you have to buy everything from scratch, but most of these items are store-cupboard staples which will bring the costs down, or you will have enough ingredients to make a MOUNTAIN of cakes !!!

Many many calories, but ideal as a treat or for kids parties !!

BONKERS !!

2010-01-13T04:39:00.000-08:00

BONKERS!!

Just a quick one before I go - speaking of my little man - for some strange reason he is LOOPY at the moment, every night he has taken to stop eating his dinner and start singing at the top of his voice - all of the family around the table and he just bursts out with 'Some people think I'm Bonkers' (yes I know the words are wrong but thats all he knows!) day before it was 'Bad Boys' in Asda it was NKOTB 'Tonight' (although this may be my fault because I am a HUGE NK fan and play them all the time) so I'll keep you posted to what little ditty he comes out with over the next few days, Ive got a little performer on my hands - he's only 2 !!

Walkabout Wednesday

2010-01-13T04:10:00.000-08:00

Back to it now - no posts yesterday Internet off - one of those things you dont know how much you miss it until its gone, not bad considering it is only a relatively new technology, which reminds me I heard on the radio yesterday that during a sermon the pastor asked everybody to put their mobiles,blackberrys etc up in the air during the service and pray for technology! I know I'm attached to my laptop but enough !!

Anyway onwards - back to Walkabout Wednesday, found two great blogs this time, one is www.livingonadime.com I have been following the website for quite a while now but either the blog is new or I havent been reading the newsletter properly ( I know which one I would go for !!) and I know that some of the information is not relevant to us in the UK and you have all the conversion stuff to contend with, but I love it, I find it reassuring that if I find myself slipping back into old habits then to nip on here and it puts me back on track, they also have a great e-book to download on money saving recipes, and another offer at the moment of a budgeting spreadsheet which I am doing my best to get .

The other one that I have found is www.amothersramblings.com title says it all really! its written by a mum and quotes the funny conversations that goes on in her family and other tit-bits all very well written, some very cute pictures x

and so for today this is all I have because my little man has just woken up,

take care until next time x x

Friday Food for a Fiver (or Less)

2010-01-08T03:04:00.000-08:00

I thought that I would share a recipe on a Friday with you, yes I know it has been done before for a £5 or less , but for a family of 5 that works out to £1 p/head and more often than not in our house when you have padded the recipe out it actually feeds us for the meal and enough to either freeze or for leftovers for the following day.

One Moan though to get it out the way, it annoys me so much (dont know about you ) but when you do get a great recipe and it promises to feed a family for £5 then,

1, It is for a family of 4
2, They are more often than not smaller portions which for a postman who is walking 7-8 miles a day in alsorts of weather needs more than sparrow portions

And 3. which for me is my biggest bug-bear

3, Yes it is £5 but that accounts for cost per amount of ingredient (ie 4oz of cheese etc) and doesnt take into account that you have to buy the WHOLE packet just to get the 1/2 oz that you need - which doesnt help one iota when you are trying to budget for family meals

So I promise you that any recipe that I use it is £5 to buy all the ingredients which means that if you have to buy a packet of onions for 89p for example and only use one the 89p is accounted for, which means that you have the rest of the packet for other meals throughout the week without any additional cost

So....

Todays recipe is

BOSTON BEAN BAKE

1 onion 78 (Asda smartprice 2kg)
200g ham cubed 1.24 (Asda premuim lean ham 200g)
1 can tomatoes 35 (Asda smart price )
1 can baked beans 40 (Asda own - not smart price)
125g mushrooms 77 (Asda Smartprice 400g)
1 x 15ml spoon pickle 25 (Asda smartproce pickle - Jar)
1.5 x 5ml spoon cornfour 75 (Asda)

Total £4.54 (all prices as of asda website 8.1.10)

Saute onion and ham in a pan for 2-3min, add tomatoes,baked beans, mushrooms and pickle stir well and simmer for 15-20min

thicken with blended cornflour if needed

you even have enough left over for some lovely fresh crusty bread for the ultimate comfort food !

obviously this is my recipe, please use, and adapt to your own tastes, you will probably find that you tweek it to suit your own family and dont forget the list of ingredients are for whole packets of food so the if you like it the only think you will only need another tin of ham and you already have the stuff left over for another go so that would be another meal for £1.24 - the cost of another can of ham or another idea if you can afford it buy 2 tins at the same time and then make double the amount and freeze, its no extra work because its all in one pan !

Hope you enjoy x x

Today should be follow Friday !!

2010-01-08T03:01:00.000-08:00

WOOOOOO !!!!!!!

Im in double figures I now have 10 - - yes 10 followers and am officially in double figures, so thank you to all my new friends

x x x

Thrifty Thursday

2010-01-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

This morning I was going to start from scratch on the Thrifty Thursday tips, but I got to this afternoon and we had an unexpected surprise.... we recieved free tickets to the panto for this afternoon- and I love the panto, so off we went, it was Owens first experience of panto season and he was up and clapping along - for those readers abroad that dont know what a panto is it is an English institution !! it is basically a fairy tale but with men dressed up as women, the hero, the heroine, the love lorne friend, and the villain. The whole audience participates, the banter between the actors and the audience- 'He's Behind yoooouuuuuu!', it is an experience and until you see one you cannot appreciate the fun. so that was a great thrifty day out.!

So for today Thrifty Thursday, as I said I was going to go right back to basics, and that is the rule that I think should be top priority is to look after the things that you have, by all means declutter and organise to your hearts content but if you take care of the things you have and maintain your household correctly then it will be cost efficient in the long run as you wont be replacing lost, broken items saving you pennies right from the start.. more tips next week x x

Wonderful Wirral Winter Wonderland !!

2010-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Instead of walkabout Wednesday today I thought I would do a Walkabout Wirral.

Where I live, the Wirral is tiny a little tiny peninsular (meaning we are surrounded by water on 3 sides) nestled inbetween the Irish Sea and the hills of Wales on one side and the River Mersey and Liverpool on the other and to be honest the majority of the time because of our sheltered area we plod along weather wise, the rest of the country are either snowed in or are experiencing a heatwave, but this week that ALL changed - BRING ON THE SNOW !!!! the kids have a snow day in school today and tomorrow so are happy as larry to have an extra few days holiday, so for today thought I would do a short post and let the pictures do the talking - cos Im off to play in the snow again ............... x x

Menu Plan Monday

2010-01-05T04:33:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know it is technically Tuesday but in my defence the kids had a teacher training day yesterday and didnt go into school until today and basically......... I've lost the plot !!

so until my mind catches up it is still Monday !

With me the New Year brings a desire to get on top of things and to KEEP on top of them (therin lies the difference) we are still plodding along with the spending/saving ratio and because of this and also partially inspired by other blogs I have read January seems to be use whats there month - basically instead of nipping off to the supermarket at the drop of a hat - use up what you already have in the freezer/cupboards which may be a tact I bring in maybe a week per month (probably the last week) or even if it is just for the last couple of the days of the week to tide us over until the next big shopping trip.

So by using these tactics I have gone through the stocks and surprised myself and have managed to come up with 14 meals - which just goes to show the surplus that most of us have lurking about - it means that I may have to go out for vegetables to add but the basics are there.

I have:

Corned Beef Hash, Shepherd Pie, Spagetti Bolognase, Mince and potatoes,Omelette, Chicken and Chips, Roast Dinner, Home made meatballs. Lasagne, Cowmans pie, Scouse (Stew) Sausage Cassarole., Stir Fry and Fried rice

so that is me for menu plan Monday/Tuesday, I will take 5 now and try and convince myself that it is infact TUESDAY now ! lol x x

Until next time

Where do the years go?

2010-01-03T13:22:00.000-08:00

6 years ago I was holding a tiny pink bundle in my arms all 9lb 4oz and introducing her to her big sister, she was a week late due 27th Dec and I remember spending the last two weeks of December leading up to Christmas Day willing her to come out and the 3 days of Christmas willing her to stay in !! as it turned out she hung on there until all the festivities ended.

Iwent into Labour Saturday morning, Mark was at work, Aimee was downstairs with her Step-Brother and I was trying to keep my voice and face steady so she didnt think I was in pain and worry, Mark came home, whizzed me up to hospital, where he proceeded to knock all the shelves off trying to put the radio on - to relax me !!!??, couple of hours later and I remember Westlife's 'Mandy' playing on the radio as she came out.

Now fast fast forward to today and we celebrate her 6th birthday, in the normal way in our household, decorations all over the house, breakfast served on a silver platter, with flowers in a vase for the birthday girl, and toast cut into her initals - she has grown and continues to grow into a loving warm caring child, she is like a little mother hen with her younger brother and is always open for a cuddle, sneeking into our bed for an early morning snuggle, I am so proud to be her mother - I love you Holly, Happy Birthday Bam-Bam x x x

philosophy of the year

2010-01-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

While out and about today looking for final bits and pieces for Hollys birthday tomorrow - I can't believe she is 6 !! (more about that tomorrow) I came across a great book entitled - Downshift to the goodlife its basically a book about escaping the rat race and to move to the country or a small-holding, as much as I would love to move to the country - although we are not exactly inner city where we are - and I dont particulary want a small-holding, I do buy into the thinking of the book and certainly some of the thoughts and ideas raised in the book can easily achieved wherever we are in life, it has 52 ideas 1 per week, two ideas for the day one if you are really ready to up-sticks and another more readily attainable. it also has a defining idea - basically a thought of the day, the first one of the book is:

"Downshifting isn't just about getting away from what you don't want it is also about moving towards what you really want to do" - Nick Williams

To me that sums up my outlook in life, small changes, small steps gradually in the right direction, you may be blown off course but keep plodding away.

Last year we had a go at planting some vegetables from seeds with some success, mainly fails but here we are planning to do it all again - learn from our mistakes and hopefully (fingers crossed) have a bigger bounty to feed the family.

until tomorrow, love to you all x

Happy New Year !!

2010-01-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to you all, January 1st all over again! I personally love the new year I have never been one of these people who frown on the new year unfolding infront of them, to me one of the things I love doing on January 1st is to take a walk somewhere outdoors preferably on my own but just so I can have 5 minutes peace I love to breath in the cold refreshing air and makes me realise that the whole year is spread out infront of us, it is a blank canvas to do our very best on full of promise, opportunites and hope.

So what is everyones resolutions?? or does anyone still make them?

I do still make them, but also think that it is an ongoing process, dont just give up when you fall at the first hurdle, so mine are:

1. To be a more considerate blogger - post more and to comment on blogs that I follow more and to support the blogging community.

2. Spend more time with the family - family outings, holidays, and just connect more day to day, hits me every so often you get so wrapped up in everyday life that you forget to stop and smell the roses

3. Reconnect with my more spiritual side, as with most things pre- children it is another aspect that I have left to dwindle I used to think about things more first rather than just jumping in - or is that just taking time for myself?

4. and the usual suspects !! continue to lose weight- I have signed up for a walking marathon in April so need to get back into training for that, carry on with the budgeting and to have a happy healthy year for my family, friends and fellow blogsters !!

May I take this opportunity to wish you all the best and a fruitful happy healthy year

Im still here !!

2009-11-02T04:08:00.000-08:00

I havent forgotten about you, still here, lots going on, I will let you in on details in a few days then everything will be back on track, so busy at the moment, so appologies to you all - speak to you soon x x x

Money Monday

2009-10-05T05:08:00.000-07:00

Well its around again, Monday, Monday, money round up Monday, its the start of the month, so it is a round up on last month so apart from the little hick up when the baby was in hospital and the spending went a little awry, we had a pretty good month only slightly over budget which is a good start as we only started monitoring the situation recently, so with a few tweeks here and there we should be pretty ok this month.

heres hoping !!

THINKING THURSDAY

2009-10-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

I know its not Thursday but I think that it is important, so am playing catch up, From now on Thursday is now Thinking Thursday - its all about taking 5min to just think about other people who may not be as fortunate as us - the Guiding Association have an annual Thinking Day where they think about other brownies and guides around the world.

Today I have a few people to think about firstly my thoughts go out to all the people devastated by the earthquates and floods in Indonesia and the Philappines, I cannot imagine what they must be going through -

Secondly, a little closer to home an article on North West Tonight last night was regarding families in Liverpool struggling to manage during the recent financial downfall and a charity has been set up for donations of food parcels (enough for 3 days ) to be delivered to the needy, I would love to help in some way and would love for this to be a countrywide charity so if Ican find the details of this charity I will post them on here and hope to get more recognition for this worthy cause.

Lastly, a fantastic may that I am following on Twitter (through my other account) called flossy the boss (@flossytheboss) is collecting clothes for the needy children in Ecuador through the foundation called 'The Shirt off Your back Foundation

Walkabout Wednesday

2009-09-30T04:07:00.002-07:00

New Feature, What is walkabout Wednesday?

Well I thought I love looking at other blogs, I think it gives you an insight into other families and lifestyles and more often than not you pick up fantastic tips and advice that you would never have thought of in a month of Sundays or are so obvious you cant see them, you may also be lucky enough to build a friendship so you can share trials and tribulations. Join me as I 'Walkabout' and take a look at other blogs and if I find any new articles here is where you will find them, and maybe make a comment if an article strikes a chord with me. hope you enjoy them x

1. www.perfectlyhappymum.com

2. www.whosthemummy.co.uk love the post - 'and its not even 9' !

3. www.englishmum.com

take a peek and see what you think - x

Money Monday - small steps

2009-09-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

~ Every journey starts with a single step ~

so despite our little blip when Owen was in hospital our spending this month hasnt been to over the top, although this went awol when we had to pay for tunnel fees, hospital food, petrol, but trust me this was a small price to pay, but we have dusted ourselves off and onwards and upwards, small changes we are going to implement this month.

1. Try and meet all direct debit payments, saving bank charges @ £20 per item

2. Stopped our bank account with an overdraft/debit card and changed to bank account with no overdraft facility and one of the new O2 money manager visa cards, a visa card that you load up as and when and can only use what is available, no cross over transactions and text notifications when money is added or debited.

3. Keeping our spending to a limit, our proposed spend on food for October is £200 which averages out at about £50 per month, £50 will be loaded onto the O2 money manager card and kept specifically for food shopping, if we use less then this is carried over to the following week, and any overspend will be saved up for Christmas, which I have always started buying little bits for in September when the kids go back to school

4. Cook properly, I always try to whenever possible cook from scratch, but sometimes I find that it isn't always the most economical way with all the supermarkets competing at the moment, especially when the recipies ask for 1 of and you have to buy a whole packet of, so what I have tried to do is to cook double the quantities of easily freezable stuff (like stews, sauces, cassaroles etc) which I find cheaper and also means that we still have home cooked food on the two days that I do work ( because bless him my hubby still thinks that his version of home cooked is to read the oven instructions !)

5. I am also going to try and eke out meat as much as I can, again working out to be more economical, for example yesterday I cooked a medium chicken for Sunday Lunch, instead of putting loads of meat on the plate I put a little less on and padded the meal out with Vegetables, I took the rest of the meat off the carcass and then boiled the carcass to make a good stock along with whatever meat came off the bones, I can then make a chicken and bacon stew out of the stock and then we can have a chicken omlette with the rest of the meat so out of 1 medium sized chicken we would have made 3 meals

Chicken £ 4.00

Sunday Roast Veg £ 2.00

Stew veg and Bacon £ 1.50

Eggs for omlette £ 1.00

-------

Total £8.50

For 3 meals for a family of 5 - not bad eh !!

see you next time x

Eternal gratitude to the NHS

2009-09-28T03:19:00.000-07:00

2 Posts today to play catch up !

The past fee weeks I have been in a complete flat spin, Our youngest was taken ill, nothing out of the ordinary, watery eyes, slight temperature and a bit of a cough that got worse when he was asleep but when he was up and about he was back to normal, that was the Wednesday, no appointments left in the doctors so Thursday night we thought we would take him to the walk in centre in the hospital, so hubby took him up while I looked after the girls, well within 1/2 hr of being seen at the hospital baby boy was being whizzed down to be incubated to stop his airway closing up, so as you can imagine I have never been so scared in my life, the staff were wonderful with up and never left our side right through to when they transferered him over the Alder Hey Childrens Hospital, anyway, long story short they dont actually know what was the matter with him but were treating him for bacterial croup he came off his tube on the Friday and after a weekend stay in hospital we were released on the Monday - which was actually our wedding anniversary, which we both forgot but in hindsight we had the best anniversary gift ever! - I cannot praise the nurses and doctors enough and even if I started today and continued daily I would not be able to thank them enough, thank you so much x x

Money Monday

2009-09-14T03:56:00.000-07:00

For this post I thought honesty would be the best policy. Now that the kids have gone back to school I have had a mid year recap on what we set out to do in our resolutions. Financially we are still pretty much in the same situation, but has now come to a head and needs to be addressed - not because it is getting worse but just because I am fed up of the money situation dragging on.

So anyway after going to the bookshop to try and find a book to help us in our situation, there isnt one definitive book that I could find that deals only on tips to get out of debt, sure they all contain a chapter on getting out of debt, but then the remaining 3/4 of the book is not relevant to me, why would I need chapters on savings and investments???? give me that when I am OUT of debt, plus all of them held some information but not all, and then I thought, surely the first step in saving money.... is to not spend money on a book telling me how to save money !!

After an indepth look at our finances we are just under £17,000 in debt, (this doesnt include the mortgage) included in this is a £12,000 loan which we took out over 20 years in order to keep the payments down to a minimum but looking at the small print it totals (when you add the interest)that we would owe £35,000 !!!!!!!!!. since looking at our finances I have figured a way that all debt can be paid off within 7 years - without it being too much upheaval or cutbacks.

I also chose to share this information with you at the START of my journey so that we can all live it together if you choose to join me on being debt free rather than sounding all preachy at the end of it, yes it will be tough, yes there will be times im sure I would rather throw the towel in and buy something pretty and blow the budget, but all I can hold onto is that light at the end of 7 years (if not sooner)

We have already had a kick start to our budgeting by default - the second car (which has always been needed for Mark to get to work at 5.30am) failed its MOT and needed to much work to put through so that was scrapped, profit (£80) but on top of this we do not need to pay £120 p/yr Tax, £40 p/yr MOT, £300 p/yr Insurance, £65 p/mth Petrol. so in all it will save us £1240 p/yr

So in order for Mark to get to work now we are in the process of trying to find a small 50cc scooter/moped for him to ride(its too far for a bicyle)which on average will cost us £500 to buy, £15 p/year tax, MOT £15 p/yr, £100 p/yr insurance and £8 p/mth petrol Saving us (without including actual purchase price of scooter) £1014 p/yr.

I have picked up some other tips frugal living, budgeting, saving tips whatever you want to call them, so over the next days, weeks, months, years I will share them with you along the way.

Here we go again !!

2009-09-02T01:51:00.000-07:00

So it is September 2nd 2009 - nothing monumental to the majority of the world but Im sure a fair few will identify with me, today is the day that we started potty training our little man.

we thought as the older kids start school on Friday (why bring them back in for one day is beyond me , but Im sure that it makes sense to the powers that be!) it would be a good time to at least try,

Ill be honest with you, I do have mixed emotions starting the old potty training routine, first thoughts, no more nappy changes, no having to remember changing equipment (even if we have got it down to 2 nappies,wipes and nappy bag),no trying to find changaing facitilies or even a clean dry surface. saving landfill sites as well as saving us a small fortune monthly. There isnt going to be any mad panic when the baby has no nappy on and you husband decides that this is the time to tell you that he used the last one earlier and for got to tell you !!

Then I started to think about the other side, as he is our only son, if we go out for dinner its not going to be me who is on relay to the toilet with a 30 second warning as I have done with our 2 daughter' much to the hilarity of husband - oh revenge is going to be sweet !!

I remember marvelling at how tiny the newborn nappies were, and picking the nappies for the newborns, of course they have to be the softest, comfy to the bottom, snug enough to not let any leaks through, but not tight enough to blemish new born skin, so after all this and me in my hormonal state picked the ones with the cutest picture on the front !

So here we are he is our last (and while we do not in any way 'baby' him) its another part of babyhood that is never going to return to our house, along with the mountain of bottles, the endless sleepless nights that made every day feel like groundhog day but now in hindsight have a rosy nostalgia to them.

but for now so far it has taken me about 2 hours to write this post because, we have had 2 'accidents' flatly refuses to sit on the potty but knows when he needs to go because he asks for his nappy, but is having the time of his life running round with nothing on showing everybody his 'willy' as for me I think Ill have to get out the packet of Thomas the Tank Engine big boy pants as a bit of bribery save him flashing in public only so long you can get away with that for ...

WISH ME LUCK - IM GOING IN !!!

2009-08-19T03:51:00.000-07:00

Poem for Wednesday

2009-08-19T03:05:00.000-07:00

I love this poem, I dont know who wrote it - credits go to whoever it was - but it gets me through some really tough times x

Dont Quit

When things go wrong

as they sometimes will

when the road your trudging

seems all uphill,

When the funds are low

and the debts are high,

and you want to smile

But you have to sigh

When care is pressing you down a bit

rest if you must but dont you quit

Success if failure turned inside out

the silver tint on the cloud of doubt

and you never can tell how close you are

it may be near when it seems afar

so stick to the fight

when you're hardest hit

Its when things seem the worst

that you must not quit

LOVE TO YOU ALL x

I dont know how or why - but I am thankful x

2009-08-13T03:55:00.000-07:00

As you already know I have 3 children and would love more, my dream would be a house full of kids like they are in Cheaper by the Dozen where it is all organised chaos, - we have the organised chaos sorted already, but circumstances and finances dictate that we cant have any more children, I do however love all the films with large families in and love reading books about large families. I recently picked up a fantastic book written by a lovely lady Mary Ostyn who actually writes on of the other blogs that I follow http://www.owlhaven.net/ the book is called The Sane Womans Guide to Raising a Large Family, and Ill be honest with you I have read it minimum 4 times and still love it!!

Anyway in the book it tells the story of how Mary and husband are raising their family, and the financial obstacles that they have overcome in order to adopt, A paragraph stands out so vividly to me (I am summarising here) "adoption is an expensive business but somehow a door always opens and god provides for us, enabling us to proceed with the adoption process and alowing us to open our doors to care for another child" - Sorry Mary I know I havent quoted it exactly !!

Which now brings me to our situation, for the longest time (in fact for as long as I can remember since being with my husband ) we have had to scrimp and save for everything, I am not overly religious but I do believe that something/somebody is looking down taking care of our family. Whenever we have the wolves at our door (collection agencies), just before they manage to get in something always comes our way, I dont believe that it is down to luck, twice it has happend to us this week, we had some concert tickets that we couldnt go to - had them for about 6months no joy in selling them, but this week when we had a Friday deadline for a debt, someone out of the blue said they were unable to get tickets because it was sold out ! this is not the first time, I was crying because of the relief.

Later that evening, I was taking to Mark (husband) about it and he had thought the same thing - he likes to think that it is his mum looking down on us still taking care of us - I hope so - I dont think that we are ever going to be rich and affording foreign holidays, but we are so much richer than any millionaire who doesnt have to wait and save for anything, I have my family, and we have camping holidays, but my family and the time together with them is so much more precious than any amount of money in the world.

method in the madness !!

2009-08-12T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I would appologise for being so absent again ! but it is the school summer holidays, we have been away camping, recharging batteries and to be honest it has done me the world of good, I sat in the tent just after the kids had gone to bed and have taken the time to sit and think and to take stock of various items that have been gradually been building up in my mind, and because we have so much coming up it was great to take the time to allocate memory space to all the things coming up and to mentally declutter, I think sometimes we all get so busy in day to day life that we dont manage to finish one topic before we go on to the next one, or even have the time to mentally process before adding another juggling ball to the collection. So any way now I have had the time to chill and relax I have processed and sorted my thoughts and am now bursting to share all my ideas and memories with you over the coming months, and for once in my blogging life I am ahead of myself when it comes to subjects to write about, - I look forward to sharing them with you and am going to try and commit to blogging at least 3 times per week, and hope that you will join me on the ride - I love you all for your patience !!

The Iron Men of Crosby

2009-06-22T04:46:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we visited what is locally known as the Iron Men of Crosby, which is in fact a series of statues by artist Antony Gormley entitled 'Another Place' this piece of art has been on the beach for at least 3years but is one of thoses things that people flock to see but because it is only on your doorstep, life gets in the way and time flies and lo and behold it is 3 yrs down the line.

For those of you who have not heard of the iron men, it is 100 iron lifesize statues of men, scattered along a mile or so of beach some further out than others.

Up until now all we have seen or heard of these iron men is that when they were erected the number of calls into the police and coastguard went up because the public thought that they were people stranded, or trying to hurt themselves, and again when the initial shock of them wore off they hit the news when the lease was up and they were due to be removed there was public outcry that they couldnt be moved and were part of the landscape now (rather like the 'superlambbanana' - which has been adoped by the people of liverpool - the artist has got NO chance of getting that back off us !!) so anyway the iron men are here to stay and we went to visit them.

To look at them you can see why all those calls were put in, they are so realistic that as you get nearer to look you expect them to move like the statue artists that you see in Covent Garden. and the way that some are closer to the beach some further out all looking towards the sea, it is an amazing sight, each one numbered so the kids had great fun running up to them finding out the numbers although the cultural side of it was lost on them because all the statues are 'naked' so kids took great delight in shouting across the beach to us that they could see it's willy, and obviously the tide being the tide brings in all sorts of seaweed, barnacles, and litchen that clings to the most in-oportune places, kids were in hysterics, nothing a quick visit to the iron doctor with some iron tablets wont cure !!!!!!

I can highly recommend it to anyone, may think twice on taking a picnic on the beach, may feel a bit uneasy with all the 'visitors' watching me eat !

Happy Fathers Day x x

2009-06-22T03:37:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Fathers day, and it made me think about the different relationships I have and my children have with the male figures in their lives, Obviously the biggest relationship we all have now is that of my husband - the kid' dad, I couldn't ask for a better more patient man to raise and guide our children along the way, it says it all when a grown man goes between knowing all the words to Bob the Builder to Hannah Montana and who doesn't mind getting down to glue and glitter.

Then there are the grandads, my dad, I have always had my dad there but have never had the type of relationship that you could talk him about anything - yet he has a great friendship with his grandchildren, my stepdad, who I very rarely speak to, who shows no interest in the kids, and that leaves us with husbands dad, who is a complete nutter and again who the kids love dearly.

So it just goes to show,that like most things in life, relationships vary in their intenseness (if that is a word?) and that each relationship whether it is as a daughter, son, dad, grandad, is each unique and brings a special quality to the table.

To all the sons, fathers, granddads, uncles out there I hope you had a wonderful Fathers day and remember that you mean to the world to someone x x x

I know, I know !!

2009-06-12T03:26:00.000-07:00

I know, I know I said that I was going to be more organised and have certain days for blogging certain topics, but that obviously didnt take into consideration school holidays, husband being off work and me having tonsilitis ( I honestly didnt have the energy to lift my head off the pillow never mind think of anything interesting to say !!)

So I'm here again begging for forgiveness ! what we have been doing since last writing is teaching our girls how to ride their bike without trainer wheels our eldest managed it last year so only needed a refresher so all efforts were put into our 5yr old, took the trainer wheels off daddy holding onto the seat, we rode along the prom which is a wide open space no cars, she spent the whole length of the prom crying her eyes out (dont forget this was HER idea to ride her bike without the wheels) did this for a few times stopped and rested, asked Aimee our eldest and Holly (5yr old) if they were enjoying themselves riding by themselves both shouted YES !!!!!! (even Holly who had just moments earlier been crying).. so after a rest decided to try again, back in the saddle and AGAIN spent the whole of the prom CRYING AGAIN !!??? - go figure that one ?? very strange .. all this along with out 2yr old son who decided to jump on his trike that very morning

and start peddling away but with no sense of direction Id be merrily walking behind/alongside him then all of a sudden would be sideswiped by a 2yr old with road rage,

so there we all are Aimee whizzing along telling Holly how easy it is , Holly being helped moaning the complete length of the prom and Owen trying desperately to keep up the rest of the family had done 2 lengths of the prom by the time we had got 1/2 way along - Funny days, it was just one of those lovely days, no work or chores to do just a family relaxation day topped off with the obligitory ice cream on the beach afterwards - Holly still hasn't fully sussed out the riding but that can be saved for another posting !! - take care, see you soon

Menu Planning

2009-05-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

Before I start - can I again please appologise for my lack of posting - back up to speed now and am bursting with ideas for you. so for starters here is our menu for this week.

We are having a very cheap week this week not an awful lot of money to spare this week, so have had to draw on all of my budgeting and cooking skills, but seem to have pulled it off !

Sunday - Sausage Cassarole and Mashed Potato
Monday - Shepherds Pie
Tuesday - Chicken in White sauce with Rice
Wednesday - Spanish Omelette
Thusday - Spagetti Bolognase
Friday - Lasagne and Chips

All this including food for school lunches, milk, bread, dog food etc for a family of 5 cost £35.00 not bad eh!

The future plan is to continue in this fashion even on the weeks that money isnt as stretched (its always tight!) then even a couple of pound saved will gradually over time build so that we have a small buffer zone incase of any emergencies

Hope you are all keeping well and I promise I will be more forthcoming with the posts !!

Love to you all x

T-Mobile Mom to Mom Quiz

2009-05-20T03:29:00.000-07:00

T-Mobile Mom to Mom Quiz: "

Take the fun, Mom to Mom quiz and discover your parenting style.

Apparently being a Quick Wit mum means that:

Raising kids, especially teens, requirs a sense of humour. You respond to your teens' antics with intelligent wit and banter that lets them know you love 'em, but they'll have to get up a lot earlier in the morning to sneak something past you.

Hmmm... I hope that when they are teenagers that I can still keep up with them otherwise they'll all be ganging up on me!!!

family business

2009-05-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

Well we are all back to full strength now - (touch wood!!) at least we like sharing things in our family.

Bizarrely though through this time of confinment it gave me the time to actually sit down and reflect on my life and my family. and I have come to the conclusion - I know that I have likened certain aspects to business life- but the running of a family home efficiently is exactly the same as running an efficienct business unfortunately without the sick pay or holiday breaks or any of the other financial perks that paid employment offers and again unfortunately home makers are still unpaid members of society. But still uses exactly the same principals, time management, people management, delegation skills along with the finance section and human resources department. I have drawn on times from when I dod work and have now applied those loosely to family life, we already had the diary/calendar underway a bare minimum requirement for any family, we have the finances under control sort of, and now have the HR dept sorted. only small changes needed to be done, but is surprising at how it has a knock on effect. The children used to have their breakfast on the dining table, but by changing them to eating on the table in the kitchen and by putting a notice board for each child any notes that they need for school or any lists of chores that need to be done can be put on here so that when they are at the reakfast table they are easily seen, I also put a copy of the weeks menu up on the wall so that there is no 'whats for dinner' all week and finally a shopping list is on the main notice board so that if anybody wants anything above and beyond the normal shopping list goes on here and I'll pick it up next time I go to the store. so that is us up to date I think - oh apart from I have also decided that my blog needs more structure instead of posting items as and when I have put a schedule in place so from now on it will be:

Money Monday
Time management Tuesday
Wipeout Wednesday (organising paperwork etc)
Family Thursday
Foody Friday (menu Planning)

So I will try and post something relevant to each subject on each day so that you (and I) know where we are

Speak to you all soon, take care x

Where do I start ???!!!

2009-04-23T02:48:00.000-07:00

AGGhhhhh where do I start, My Little boy was ill Monday, I had it all worked out the kids went back to school Tuesday, and I thought if he was still under the weather he could lounge on the sofa and Ill catch up with my blog and let you know of our first camping adventure over the Easter holiday, but we are now on Thursday, Monday/Tuesday Owen was ill, then Holly Joined in Tuesday evening, Holly and Owen both ill Wednesday either end of the sofa, Holly back to school Today and Owen is still not 100% sleeping the last of it away I think - I hope - and through all this Aimee is getting fed up becasue Holly had a day off school and she still had to go in, Aimee moaning cos she had to go in and Holly moaning cos she Couldnt- go figure that one out ?? in the meantime I am up to my eyes in sicky children and sicky washing - thats not even mentioning what is in the nappies !! wondering what to clean up first, and deciding that the washing can go on first then clean the kids up, poor washing machine wonders whats hit it and I am thanking my stars that we got the added warrenty on it and wonders if over use is ok as an excuse if it blows up??? and in the meantime what am I doing??? - I dont know all I know is that I am meeting myself coming backwards and hoping it will pass soon : ) when it does I will get myself back on track and let you know of our holidays- hopefully tomorrow x

Daddys birthday present

2009-04-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

It is Mark's (my Husband) birthday on Tuesday 14th and I dont know about you but a homemade gift that the children have thought about and has taken the effort to create means so much more to me than any amount of shop bought presents and luckily Mark is of the same feeling, we do buy each other a present but we also try and get the kids to make something, we find that it gets them to really think about the person that they are making it for and the look of concentration on ther faces and watching them bursting to tell the recipient when they see them is priceless.

So that is what we were doing yesterday, put the baby to bed (only so much 'help' you need!) the we sat down to make the present and we made a loving memory jar cost was minimal which in the current climate is always grateful.

Needed

Pretty Jar £2

Paper Couple of sheets £ minimal

Ribbon £1

Memories £ priceless

With a drink and a snack to get the kids concentrating we sat down and all thought of the things that we love about daddy and the things we love to do when we spend time with him, each child noted about 5 down as did I and filled some in for the baby.

We then typed them out spaced out on sheets in a pretty font.

cut them into strips about 10cm wide each one with a memory on and whose its was

roll up and tie with a piece of ribbon into a scroll

put all the scrolls into the jar (I added a few of his favourite sweets (which happen to be love hearts - quite apt ) for good measure)

then everytime he is having a hard day or having a bad day with any of the children he can take himself off and remind himself that it is only a phase and that we all really do love him - which we do LOTS x x

budgeting planning

2009-04-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

One of the additonal tools that I have implemented, is I have started to carry along 2 small notebooks, 1 for day to day spending, (or you can adapt your day to day diary for this) one of the problems that I personally have is that I have an amount of money in my purse and by the end of the day it has been frittered away and you spend the next half hour or so trying to recall where you have been throughout the day, that is where the notebook comes in when you have paid and are waiting for your change just make a quick note on how much the purchase was, you may get some strange looks from other customers but as far as I'm concerned you probably wont see them again (unless they follow you around to see what you are writing!) and you will then have at the end of the day a concise record of where your pennies are disappearing to.
The other notebook is what I do my menu planning in. One page, menu for the week, next page shopping list, and next to the items I write in a rough costing of how much each item is (or how much I want to spend up to) with being on a tight budget this gives me the scope to adjust the list to fit in with the budget. Finally when I get home, - and this may seem a pointless and thankless task - I go through the receipt and then list by each item the actual cost, and then to list seperately items that have been bought not on the list, this is where I normally find all the extras that have slipped into the trolley which is where of course all the extra pennies slip away. Although this may seem time consuming, its a task that only needs to be done as often as you shop. and if you are living to a tight budget or trying to pay off debts - or in our case both it needs to be done, make every penny count, and as the saying goes look after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves.

The Other Love of my Life

2009-03-31T12:36:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time many many years ago when I was only knee high to a grasshopper a pop group burst onto the scene sparkled so brightly and then left, left me in a wilderness until earlier last year when they announced they were reforming I was beside myself with excitement who am I talking about - New Kids On The Block - as soon as I heard I was like a teenager again - much to the entertainment of my hubby who has never seen me like this before and I finally got to meet them, paid an extortionate amount of money (which probably accounts for budgeting going pear shapped in previous post !!) by attended a meet and greet with them and finally got to meet my heart throb - Donnie Wahlberg !!!! I presented him with a Liverpool Football club shirt and then he wore it EVERY night in the last song of the show - what an amazing experience - cant wait to do it all again - will budget more carefully this time ! Lets Get This !! I love em x x x x

Budgeting

2009-03-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

So we are coming up to the end of the financial year, tying up loose ends, filing all up to date, ready to be archived.

Right.... and then I woke up and smelt the coffee, unfortunately towards the latter end of the financial year things have gone a bit pear shaped, so another one of my mid-year resolutions is to get more organised, and to try and get straight financially.

I'll be honest with you this year has been a struggle, living from one pay day to the next, and for a family of five, with a mortgage and loan to pay off it really hits home.

The things that you do learn along the way are lessons that money cant buy such as:

1. who your friends are - your real friends are the ones who accept that things are tight at the moment and wont pressure you or treat you any differently

2. How to cook properly - I have always (as far as I can- and I do have the odd slip up !) made meals from scratch, even on junk food saturday we make our pizza, but I have learnt how to cook more creatively with leftovers, making stock and making up stews, bulking meals out with more vegetables and freezing leftovers and also turning the ratio to putting veg on plate first and adding meat as a side dish.

3. how to budget, although we are paying off loans, - if we stick to our budget plan (pear shaping taken into account ! we still aim to have these paid off by mid next year, I have also found a great web site that has great advice http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ advice and tips for claiming back any money due to you and up to date money saving coupons, and much much more

4. that any family can adapt no matter how young or old each family member is, you may have to explain in simpler terms but we try and explain to the whole family that there wont be any luxuries for a while and they seem to accept the small changes.

5. the wide variety of free activities that are available it may take a while to find them by searching various sites but the rewards are amazing.

6. Love of my family, as dramatic as it sounds - with my husband and my children by my side we are a team against the world, in times of crisis, be it financial, emotional or physical we pull together no questions asked, we as parents lead by example and if we manage to keep the family buyant then the kids are great.

anyway going back to my organisation for budgeting, in advance of 6th April I have, 2 lever arch files, one for wage slips/bank statements and the other for bills, a diary to write down any upcoming direct debit /standing order dates, 2 small notebooks (one for menu planning and one for day to day spending records) so we are all cooking on gas ready for the start of the new year and together we will do this - debt free future here we come hopefully - Ill keep you updated as we travel along this rocky road - wish me luck - Im going in !! x

Nature v's Nurture

2009-03-30T04:12:00.000-07:00

I was always one that thought that boys and girls behaved depending on how they were raised, but how come I have 2 girls (9 & 5) who are proper girly girls, they seem to have fairy dust that follows them with all the glitter that is thrown around,they play princesses and school and are so engrossed in paint and sequins that it looks like an explosion in a factory,

Then comes along my son (2)( who's daddy is admittedly a footy nut but the football is mainly on in the evening after bedtime) who thinks nothing of using the lounge as an inpromtu football pitch and really boots the football (maybe another Gerrard on our hands), who sits under his highchair pretending to be in a car driving, and then lies under his trike with pencils pretending to fix it like a mechanic.

Maybe its a genetic link as Hubby used to be a mechanic but changed jobs before son was born, who knows, all I know now is that I now have Princesses riding round on Thomas the Tank Engines, and still go skating on a strategically placed car every now and again - ahh well crash helmets at the ready!!

2009-03-20T05:17:00.000-07:00

Come and join me for the ultimate blog party,

I'm new to blogging and as far as I can see so far is still relatively new in the uk - certainly none of my friends do it or have even heard of it - so I hope to meet lots of new friends at the party.

follow my blog and find how one happy housewife from Liverpool muddles through life and hopefully comes out the other side smiling - I have my work cut out for me I am a mum of 3 ( 9, 5, and 2), a wife, and a housewife - and I love it !! hard sometimes but so rewarding, look forward to hearing from you all - love to you all x x

Thought of the day

2009-03-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

It is better to have lived one day as a tiger

than a thousand years as a sheep

Frugal Living

2009-03-15T14:03:00.000-07:00

So this weekend the whole family was set to work, husband has just put up our new greenhouse, and the kids and myself have all spent the day planting seeds in our new resolve to :

1. cut back on weekly foodbill helping the family budget by growing our own vegetables

2. eat more healthily

so here we are, surrounded by trays of soil, full of the wonder of nature waiting to burst out. so far we have planted 2 types of tomatoes, strawberries and carrots, to be joined next week by 3 sacks waiting to be filled with differing varieties of potatoes. keeps us all healthy, helps to teach the kids where food comes from and how easy it is to produce these small nuggets in your own back garden. we have, by no means an orchard in our garden we have an average sized garden, but one tip that I have learned is that no matter how small your garden is you can always find space to plant some seeds, be it, herbs in flower beds, or hanging varieties of tomatoes and strawberries to plant in hanging baskets, (although hang them in the back garden otherwise all your visitors will eat them while they wait for you answer the door !!)

so hopefully, in a few weeks I'll have some seedlings to show you before they are planted out in the big world.

Wish me luck !!x

wife and mother

2009-03-14T06:44:00.000-07:00

Now what I am about to say will go against what a lot of people agree with or have strived to achieve over the past few decades.

I am a Housewife and Proud of it

When I had my first child I went back to work part time and it broke my heart to leave her each morning at nursery, luckily my husband is very supportive and so when I had my second daughter and then my son said that if I wanted to stay at home then he would totally support my decision, which trust me is no soft option to stay at home.

I work harder, longer and have picked up a wide spectrum of skills that I would have never experienced through sitting behind a desk in an air conditioned office.

I love the warm feeling that you have when you watch the old 1950’s films where the mother stays at home pinny on baking all day (not that it happens in reality!!) I don’t feel that I was born in the wrong era, I love the independence, and strength that modern day women have, but I personally feel that my best job is to stay at home, running a busy household and making sure that the children are ready and to respective classes on time.

During my time as a housewife I have learnt to

Budget as a single income family, which is no mean fete as hubby is a postman so not earning millions – yet !

Time Manage – trying to co-ordinate 3 children, 1 husband, 1 dog and 1 rabbit, remembering, school, after school classes, parties etc

Cleaner – refer to previous post and my 6 binbags full, and that’s just the start.

Cook – working out how to cook nutritional food, healthy, within budget and more importantly that the kids will eat, not always the same thing

And these jobs are only the ones that spring easily to mind, if I was an executive I would be hailed as a wonder for my multi-tasking and paid a small fortune, yet I do all of this for nothing, just for the love for my family, the respect from my family and the wet sloppy kisses that I have off the kids when their faces light up when I am there every morning and afternoon to pick up and drop off at school.. we have very little money spare….money can’t buy everything….and do you know what….. I wouldn’t have it any other way x x

End of an era

2009-03-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

Early last year I embarked on a business venture, I started my own business, www.mumztheword.biz making and selling nappy cakes and baby shower/party goods, and unfortunatly have nad to succumb to the old credit crunch, and had to close the business, just had to put the last few items on ebay, really disappointed, and maybe even secretly hoping that they dont sell ! my youngest is now 2 and with doing the nappy cakes was such a good excuse to have newborn goodies around the house - there is something about the smell of baby talc or lotion, - oh well I'll just have to go and lurk around the baby aisles in the supermarkets instead x x x

new member, check it out

2009-03-10T14:21:00.001-07:00

spring cleaning in La La land

2009-03-09T14:10:00.002-07:00

Being a parent involves several skills that you won’t find in any parenting book, you will need all the peacemaking skills to give Kofi Annan a run for his money and all the secrecy and espionage to put James Bond to shame. The latter of which was put into practice over the past week, I braced myself and battled my way through the waste ground that according to our house deeds is a second bedroom commonly know as my daughters bedroom. As we have our two daughters sharing a room we cant really afford to have it too messy, which is where I come in, while the kids are at school I go in like a stealth bomber and blitz the whole room, so that when they arrive home from school everything is pristine (for at least 10 min !!)
Last week it took me 2 days, I managed to get 7 bin bags full of junk out of their room, (don’t know where from) and after those 2 days it didn’t look any different – why?
It does get easier though, before, when my youngest daughter was only in playgroup for a couple for hours in the morning, I had to move fast, tidy, dust and dispose of rubbish down to the tip before picking her up, couple of times we were late, daughter all seatbelted up in car, picking up binbags that start playing all sorts of tinny, tinkly music when you pick them up, so there we are unpacking all sorts of trinkets never used but as soon as I try and throw them out they become treasured possessions (until next time !!)
Which brings me back to last week, and my 7 bags of rubbish, and the icing on the cake is a 2.5ft tall La La courtesy of the teletubbies, hasn’t been looked at for the longest time hence the top of the rubbish pile, as the clearing had taken so long we were late to the rubbish tip so had to go after school pick up. Down to the rubbish tip we go, 7 bags of rubbish into the skip, no problem, soon as we get to La La, youngest daughters bottom lip starts to wobble, oh ohh….. so back home we go, trip to the tip over, and we have a visitor with us, yes La La has decided to extend his visit with us indefinatly – so now he is back home, gracefully decorating the kitchen floor, twice I have moved him, along with the several times the baby has tripped over him…… seriously outstaying his welcome…….till next time !!!

Shirley Valentine Syndrome

2009-03-09T14:09:00.001-07:00

"Hello Wall - Its me Shirley"
Anybody remember the 80's film Shirley Valentine, where Shirley tried to escape her humdrum life and spoke to the kitchen wall with the hope that someone would listen and whisk her away to sunnier climes, well as soon as I finished my last post I thought about it and dont you think that blogging is like a modern day Shirley Valentine? you take a few moments every day share your thoughts with your pc and hope that someone, somewhere listens to you and helps your day just that little bit sunnier, well wall I'm off now, I'll speak to you tomorrow

So many thoughts, so little time

2009-03-09T14:07:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion that as soon as I had my kids I have become the queen of lists, I write a list of what I need to do then write another list of lists AAGGHH - lists of lists!! I have no time which is why I write lists at least it gives me a sense of some organisation - - One list that I do write and try to keep to is that of the new years resolution, although it is March, I dont think that you have to start in January as long as you take the time at some point throughout the year - (preferably before december and the next new year is due up) which is why at about the end of Feb/Beginning of March after all the festivities have calmed down (and we also have daughters birthday January sons at the end of February) I take a morning to sit down and take stock on what I want to achieve throughout the following few months, which is where I am today.

My mid-year resolutions

1. Start a blog - and to take at least 15 min per day to get to grips with blogging and to learn as many tips as I can to make this the best blog that I can for my own personal achievement

2. Start to scrapbook - I have so many photos all in wallets/folders fro our wedding, Children born, Holidays, relatives no longer with us, and what better way that to take the time to arrange them in such a creative way and what better way to reminisce as you are arranging the pages together with loved ones

3. Learn how to make cupcakes - I've got the baking of the muffins/cupcakes down - no problem but I love the way that they are decorated with the buttercream on top and to also learn how to decorate cakes I would love to have the discipline to sit down and to take the time to make icing/marzipan roses.

4. To chill out more and to not live by the lists as much as I been !!

5. and the old favourite ----- to declutter as we go along so that I dont need to have a full blown blitz every couple of months, logic says do it as you do along, practicality says - I'll do it tomorrow. not no more - down in black and white now (even though that goes against number 4 about the lists - o oh ! its started already !!!)

pointers for the day

2009-03-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

20 Affirmations for Busy Mom BloggersBy Jennifer James
I have been blogging since January 2004 and now, five years later, I feel a powerful shift in mom blogging taking place. There is an incessant flurry of blogging information to soak up and learn, more and more companies to connect with, phenomenal opportunities around every corner, tons of products to review, and increasing competition to rise to the “tipping point” ranks of the mom blogosphere. To be sure, it is a thrilling time to be a mom blogger. But it is also an optimal time to take a moment to reflect on why we all started blogging in the first place. For me, it was to connect with moms, voice my opinion to the world, and hone my skills as a writer and I never want to forget that.Here are 20 affirmations for busy mom bloggers perfect for times when life seems to go a little too fast and blogging seems like it’s more of an obligation than a gift.
1. I love my blog.
2. My job as a mom blogger is to be true to myself.
3. There are plenty of opportunities for everyone.
4. Meeting new mom bloggers is an experience I treasure.
5. Mom blogging is a cherished gift.
6. I am a great blogger.
7. I am not afraid to challenge myself as a blogger.
8. I have an influential voice in the blogosphere.
9. I am grateful for my blog.
10. I am thankful for each and every one of my readers.
11. I am appreciative that my family supports my need to blog.
12. Every experience I have had as a blogger has been worth it.
13. I am thankful for my ability to write.
14. It is gratifying to know I am chronicling my life’s journey for my children and grandchildren.
15. My blog is my personal sanctuary.
16. I will do my part to make the mom blogosphere a nurturing community.
17. My blog is an extension of myself, not my whole self.
18. I will cherish every comment.
19. I love being a creator of good content.
20. I am a mom blogger and I love it.

got the house back

2009-03-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well the kids are back in school after the half term holidays and husband is back to work, baby is in bed and I am sitting with a HOT cup of tea. Normally running around so much cup of tea is luke warm by the time I get to it, so, tradition is 1st day that the house is back to normal I do nothing, put a video on and settle down with a hot drink - lovely ! take 5 min to myself get organised ready for tomorrow onwards - oh and before I forget we have parents evening to look forward to this evening- let you know how we get on

Isnt it funny how life catches up on you!

2009-03-09T14:01:00.000-07:00

Just the other day I went to the shops to buy a magazine - nothing unusual there but isn't it funny how your tastes change as you get older, and reflects where you are in life- years ago it was the Beano comic then, Smash Hits and all the teenage angst, through pregnancy magazines, and the inevitable diet ones to follow after the bundle of joy was born (although I'm still on the dieting ones !!) and now I am at the other end when articles are starting to look interesting in Prima and Good Houskeeping - yet I can assure you that I most certainly dont feel older than I did when I was buying Smash Hits, which brings me to today, and here on blogging, taking a few moments in the day couple of times a week to catch up, get my head straight to tackle the rest of the week as a busy, wife and mother it takes time to get organised - so through the blog as it develops hope you enjoy the little snippits that I share with you on here - and welcome to my world x x x