Summer Living

Summer is coming and this year I am determined to make the most of the long summer nights by spending more time in the garden while the weather is good.

And what better time to start planning for the perfect looking garden than over the less than sunny Easter weekend break. Some quick and easy retail therapy on the Debenhams website came up trumps with some fantastic pieces to turn my rather drab back garden into a haven of relaxed outdoor living.

So to start, here is the blank canvas we are starting with. My main aim is to create clearly defined areas or zones. I plan to keep the bottom bit of flat grass for the kids to run and play football but then the top tier is going to be my personal haven.

The top right is the sun trap so this is where I plan to add some garden seating and loungers. My lounge isn't big enough for a corner seat sofa but in true outdoor living fashion I am going to recreate my perfect lounge outdoors with this fantastic corner seated sofa. 

The finishing touch for my outdoor living area will be these amazing golf ball ourdoor lights and firepit from Debenhams and so that even when the sun goes down the area stays lit and warm into the evening.

Not only do I plan to create a lounging corner to the garden, on the other side of the top tier I am planning on having a BBQ and eating area. The Yin to my gardens Yang.

A professional Landmann BBQ will easily cope with cooking for 5 and a splash of colour from this outdoor table and chairs set will be just what my garden needs to make all of my neighbours jealous.

The pieces I have chosen on my mood board for the Debenhams Easter Blogger competition to win a garden party set are:

Landman Memphis Firepit
Landman Premium 2 burned gas BBQ
Litecraft Bali outdoor light
Grey Victoria small square sofa
White Futura table and 6 blue Iowa chairs

Mornings....Get, set & go go go go

Morning always seem to start much earlier than I would like in my house. The blackout blinds don't seem to stop my 3 from rising at the crack of dawn so long ago I realised resistance was futile so up I get.

Normally I will be greeted with cries of  "can we watch TV Mum". The answer is no everytime but it doesn't stop them from asking! The kettle goes on, bottles get made, porridge goes on and I start the lunch boxes.

My oldest will read his school book out to me while my daughter will help pack the lunches into the correct lunch boxes.

Once we are all fed and watered it's getting ready time. Clothes, suncream, teeth and hair. Check.

Back downstairs we go to another cry of "Can we watch TV Mum?" The answer is no again because 2 hours have managed to pass in the blink of an eye and it's time to go.

Pram out, coats and shoes on. Lock the door, get 5 minutes down the road, turn around and head back in for forgotten lunch boxes and then it's off for sure.

No wonder I'm so hungry when I return from the school run. I feel like I've done a full day by 9.30 am. 


This post is an entry for #MorningStories Linky Challenge sponsored by belVita Breakfast. Learn more at www.facebook.com/belVitaUK

Very Versatile Vegetarian dinner

As I write this I have just come back from the school run completely drenched after what feels like months and months of wind and rain. It's May and I'm fed up of the cold weather and even the kids don't see the fun in putting on their coats and wellies for some outside play at the moment it seems. 

The folks at Betta Living are running a competition to find the best original vegetarian recipe so tonight I'm making a quick and easy dinner that will warm the kids and us grown ups right up. The best bit (for me) is that I made a big batch of sauce up at the weekend so all I need to do is defrost the sauce, cook some vegetarian mince and some pasta and we have an instant belly warming dinner of Vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognase.

The recipe is one I put together myself to try and get my kids to eat more vegetables without realising it.
The ingredients are:
1 Onion
1 Red Pepper (or a bag of frozen peppers)
6 Carrots chopped
2 Courgettes chopped
1 Celery chopped
2 tins of baked beans
2 tins of plum tomatoes
2 pints of vegetable stock.
Tomato puree paste to taste
Vegetarian Mince and Spaghetti 

To make the sauce you just pop everything into two big saucepans and leave to simmer for about half an hour or until the veg are soft. Then you blend with a hand blender until smooth. 

You can use this sauce on vegetarian mince to make a great spaghetti bolognese or add some kidney beans for an easy chilli. You can add some extra tomato puree and seasoning to the adult portions if you want. If you need a quick and easy kids meal you can just pop some of the vegetable sauce over pasta tubes or bows and top with some grated cheese.

The ingredients above will make enough for about 3 meals each feeding 5 of us. (2 adults and 3 kids) I usually freeze the other two portions so i always have an emergency meal when I'm running short of time.

I would say it takes about 10 minutes prep at the start, 30 minutes simmering and then 10 minutes at the end. 

This sauce is so versatile it also tastes great with Vegetarian meatballs.

Best of all everyone loves it at the end of a cold and miserable day or a hot summers day.



The Betta Living competition can be found at www.tots100.co.uk

Didn't expect to be Ms Glam.

When I took the 'What's your home style?" quiz i had expected my result to come back with something refined like City dweller Duchess Katherine so imagine my suprise to see that my answers put me in the same category as TOWIE personalities Joey Essex or Sam Faiers. On reflection though while i may be a slummy mummy in my day to day running round the town perhaps my answers show that one i am home with the doors locked i am keen to exude an air of glamourpuss. 

To me everyones home is their own personal 'Great British home', the place they can show off their own personality and the collective personality of their family.

I am sure that my husband would be very happy for me to increase the glamour quota in the house so this result has spurred me on to tidy away some of the clutter and head out to the shops for a few extra touches of glamour to spruce up our house.

“This post is an entry for the #GreatBritishHome Challenge  sponsored by Victoria Plumb, a source of quality bathrooms for every type of home. Take its “What’s Your Celebrity Home Style?” quiz to discover what your home says about you.”


You can take the test here  

This year what mattered the most

This year I have been lucky enough to send my time with the kids before they go off to school next year. However this year i decided to push myself a little bit further and take an idea I've had in the back of my mind for years into a fully fledged business. 

For years we have taken family camping trips around the UK and along the way i have looked on jealously at the various luxury Bell tents that some other campers have been lucky enough to holiday in.

After every trip i would return home check the internet for my very own piece of luxury camping, put a Bell tent into my shopping basket and then change my mind when the reality of spending over £500 on a piece of canvas hit home.
 

Then in occurred to me that there must be a lot of people out there like me who wanted the use of a fabulous tent for the weekend without the huge financial outlay. If i could buy the tent and hire it out i could use it any weeks that it wasn't booked out and maybe even make a profit.

My plan wasn't without problems. I needed the money to buy the tent, i had to call in favours to get a website made and i needed a back up fund of money to pay for expenses i hadn't imagined such as rain proofing the tent but i'm proud to say i did it and next year i have plans to add another tent to the family as this year was such a success.

This is my entry for the Lloyds bank What mattered most this year competition.

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. 

 

Packing list...bikini , credit card , passport, Cravendale .

For me half the fun of a summer holiday is the looking forward to the summer holiday. When I can’t get to sleep at night instead of counting sheep I think to myself….what do I want to do when I get on holiday and more importantly what delicious foods can I eat when I get there. 

If I could pack a bag just for myself it might look something a bit like this…..and yes I would get use out of all 3 itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikinis.

But long gone are the days when I could book a last minute £79 deal, come home from work, throw a few things in a bag and be gone the same night. Nowadays the chickens need booking into a hen hotel, prescriptions need ordering in advance and the childrens luggage needs organising with military perfection. Forget a friendly dinosaur cuddly toy or a favourite book and my two weeks of heaven will descend to hell.

So seeing as a happy Mum generally equals a happy family I have come up with a few handy hints to make sure the start of the holiday runs smoothly.  

First off instead of writing out a new list of packing essentials every year I have done something very boring but useful. I spent ten minutes a couple of years ago and wrote them all out onto a Excel spreadsheet.  So now, as soon as holiday time approaches I simply print out the spreadsheet and tick off the various items as I pack them. Never again will I forget the camera or the armbands and best of all if something new becomes essential (Yes, that would be you friendly dinosaur) I just add it to the worksheet and it’s there forever (or until something else becomes toy of the moment).

Tip two is to buy air saving zip lock bags whenever you see them on sale. Poundland have a set of 3 for a pound at the moment. Their purpose: when it’s time to come back home and you seem to have tripled your luggage put everything into space saving bags and your suitcase will do up like a dream. Plus if you put all the dirty laundry into one / two you just need to pop the contents straight into the washing machine as soon as you get home.

Tip three is an obvious one: have clean work clothes / school clothes ready and laid out to save on last minute washing and ironing. But the first thing everyone wants to do when they get home is to put the kettle on for a cup of proper British tea. So tip four is to make sure that you stock up a bottle or two of Cravendale milk. Pop it in the fridge before you go and because the clever people at Cravendale spend the time to finely filter their milk, taking out even more of the bacteria that can turn milk sour, your Cravendale milk will stay fresh for a full 3 weeks if kept in the fridge unopened. And if you've already opened your Cravendale, it will be fine when you get back from holiday if you've only been gone for a few days as it keeps fresh for 7 days if opened. So pop the kettle on and make a big cup of tea before you set about opening the huge pile of post that has arrived while you've been gone.

This has been my entry to the Britmumsblog Come Home to a Cuppa Linky Challenge, sponsored by Cravendale. Five people will get to win a years supply of Cravendale and everyone who enters will get a voucher for a free 2 litre bottle of Cravendale.....lets just hope we all get to go on holiday somewhere with blue sea and palm trees just like in the Cravendale picture above.

Might be time for a new fridge freezer, this one is looking a bit dog eared now....

Easter basket of chicks

So it has taken me 3 days and lots have been eaten along the way and i'm not sure it worked out cheaper than buying eggs from the Supermarket but it was a lot more fun.

Do something different....bake All American iced cookies. Done.