From Hungary to happy in less than 5 mins.

After a day at school followed by swimming lessons my two little ones tumble into the house wanting to be fed IMMEDIATELY.

So when i saw the challenge set by BritMums to try out the Richmond Mini Meatballs in a quick and tasty meal i knew my kids would be big fans.

I am pleased to say this meal only took 10 mins but if you wanted to microwave the meatballs instead of cooking them like i did it would only take the 5 minutes it takes to boil the quick cook pasta.

Best of all is that all the ingredients are cupboard staples so you can rustle this meal up without a trip to the supermarket.

I started out by cooking some pasta - swirls, tubes, shells anything that keeps it interesting. Then i defrosted some cubes of frozen spinach which you can buy in any supermarket and it works out much much cheaper than the fresh alternative.

Then once the meatballs are cooked mix the spinach and some grated cheese in with the pasta and top with the meatballs.

My kids gave the Meatball Popeye top marks and they didn't even leave me any on their plates.

This post is an entry for BritMums' Hungry to Happy Challenge sponsored by Richmond Mini Meatballs.

Pirate picnic with Walkers Hoops and Crosses

What little boy wouldn't like a pirate themed lunch box?

When i picked up a packet of Walkers Hoops and Crosses i knew straight away what i would do with them. 

First i made a boring sandwich into a treasure map with 'X' marking the spot.

  
Then I turned a simple Babybel into a Pirate cheese with some nifty knife work and a little black cake icing. 

 
And finally, what does every treasure island need? A treasure trunk full of the good stuff. In this case a handful of the Walkers Hoops which i think make a fun alternative to gold coins. 

  

The whole idea was really easy to do and only took a few moments longer than a normal lunch box. I'm so happy with it i may just recycle some of the ideas for a Pirate birthday party later in the year. 

This has been my entry for the Tots100 #HoopsandCrosses competition.

If I could offer you one tip...

Aptaclub have launched a brilliant new ‘Preparing for Birth’ app to help Mums through the last trimester of pregnancy. The app is designed to help mum stay organised through editable checklists and answer questions with tips and advice. Little stuff have been asking Mums to remember back to the things they wish they'd known beforehand and here are the things I wish I had known.

Do you remember the Sunscreen graduation speech that Baz Luhrmann made into a song reminding the class of '99 to wear sunscreen. Well my tips for preparing for impending parenthood are much like that. I will dispense this advice now.....feel free to add background music if you like.

Only 5 % of women go into labour on their due date. You are likely to be in the other 95%. Think of it more as a due month.
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The cup of tea the midwife gives you after you give birth will be the best cup of tea you will ever taste. The toast she brings you will be eaten by your husband.
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Breast may be best but this does not mean that bottle is bad. Breastfeeding may be the most natural thing in the world but that doesn’t mean that it comes naturally to mother or even every baby. Give it a try but if it isn’t for you don’t feel guilty. Look at your adult friends, you cannot tell which ones were breast fed and which had a bottle.
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Don’t be too quick to put a sleeping 8 week old down so that you can wash the dishes or put the washing on. Enjoy the cuddle. The dirty dishes can wait, whilst the 8 week old will turn into a feisty 5 year old in the blink of an eye.
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Babies cry. You do not need to pick them up at the first squeal. If you do you will get absolutely nothing done for the rest of your life. A little crying is good exercise and will give you just enough time to finish putting your trousers / deodorant / mascara on.
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If you come across a mother whose 3 week old sleeps through the night and whose 18 month old eats all his food consider the fact that she may well be lying.  Take what she says with a pinch of salt.
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Do not be afraid of using the TV as a free babysitter. Not all day everyday but half an hour of Mr. Tumble while you cook dinner is perfectly acceptable.
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Maybe you’ll have 3 boys or maybe you’ll just have one girl. Whichever you get, teach the boys how to play with dolls, make the girls watch Star Wars at least once. Take photos as proof; you may need them as leverage one day.
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It is important to do something for yourself sometimes even if that is only something simple like locking the toilet door for a minute’s peace while you use the toilet. Using the toilet in peace on your own will become a rarity, treasure it when you can. The same can be said for a bath, a hot cup of tea and a full episode of Revenge.

It is possible to type one handed whilst holding a baby.
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Make time to get your roots done / hair cut. Remember that a happy Mum equals a happy baby. Use this mantra at all times.
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Do not stress if your child will not give up his or her dummy. Eventually they will. As long as they are not going on their first date aged 18 with it in their mouth you are fine.
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Finally, remember that there are no prizes in motherhood. (other than your childs love which is unconditional) It does not matter how you gave birth, how you fed your baby or when they came out of nappies….what matters is that you enjoy the experience.

Laugh. With your children, at your children and at yourself. When you laugh you remember the crazy happy person you were before the sleep deprivation began.

This post is Vanessa Smiths entry into the Aptaclub ‘If Only I’d Known…’ competition”

We 'heart' Whoopie Pies

Take 2 children with a day off school, a pregnant Mum with chocolate cravings and lashings of rain, mix it all together and you end up with 12 amazingly yummy heart shaped Whoopie pies for Mummy to eat!

We used the Whoopie pie recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery cookery book which involves hunting down a jar of Marshmallow fluff for the filling. Luckily we already had a jar in the cupboard so the baking began.

The kids had great fun mixing up the cake ingredients but had even better fun when i let them lick the bowl of the filling leftovers. This gave me a 5 minutes for a peaceful cup of tea. Happiness all round.

Once the cakes had cooled, we used a heart shaped cookie cutter to turn the normal shaped whoopie pies into heart shaped whoopie pies to give to Daddy.

This meant that some of the cake was left over and so the kids promptly polished that off. Not much lunch was eaten but everyone was happy!

This has been my entry for the Cook with Kids Rangecookers competition to win an amazing Select 90df Range Cooker (my dream kitchen NEEDS one of these!) which you can see here.