Valentines activity week

Hi there everyone,  So last Friday was Valentines day.  I hope you all had a wonderful day, I myself love Valentines day as I think it's a day that people who have busy lives can concentrate on just themselves.  I wanted to share this week with my son doing valentine activities. The first thing we did was Actually the Saturday before the week had started.  But to be fair between Sunday and Tuesday he is at his father.  So you could say I was making up for lost time.

Valentine Chocolates

So I've now subscribed to this magazine called Something Sweet.  I don't normally subscribe to magazines as my mother made the great mistake of doing that when I was young and it was a lesson well learnt.  However I couldn't help but subscribe to this magazine as it was such a great bargain at only £2.99 per issue.  Anyway, in the first issue I got I received some heart molds which was perfect timing.  (it also came with a box and some gold foil you could wrap them in, how cute!)

So first things first I melted the chocolate away from David.  As the hob was on I didn't want to risk David getting hurt, which is why I have a stairgate on my kitchen.  After I melted the chocolate I brang it over to the counter and got the mold ready.  This was when David joined in,  I was a bit worried that he would just eat the chocolate from the bowl,  however my son did me proud and actually wanted to help!

So you can see why they were a bit messy but no problem as I scraped the remains off.  I did this with David before bed so that in the morning they would be set and he could have them the next day as a treat.  I remember getting them out was a pain as I had to rinse my hands with cold water several times to get them out. but this was the finished product and I can safely say David enjoyed at least one :).

Making the card

So the next thing me and David did was make Matthews card. I wanted David to be a part of this as he loves Matthew too and it shouldn't just be about me and Matthew souly. I started off by making his foot prints into a V shape.  Though when i painted his feet he got all ticklish so it was a bit wonky ha ha

Instead of having just white card inside I decided to cut out some red card to glue in place.  I was a bit unsure if I should let David try and glue it at first, but I thought I should give him the benefit of the doubt.  I showed him first and he indeed did copy.  After we did that I try showing him how to glue heart felts on but he wasn't really feeling it.  Probably because they were quite small.

Heart Biscuits (well most of them)

So I got talking to the lovely Rachel (snap!) over at Activites 4 kidz , about doing themed weekly activities with our children.  Her blog is brilliant but I haven't had much time to read blogs recently (you believe how much I am behind on!) I decided to have a quick nose and saw a brilliant biscuit recipe, it reminded me of how I used to make them with my mum.  I thought it would be the perfect excuse to do some more baking with David and try out our new shape cutters that I had brought a while ago.  Considering he was good with chocolate I let David join in straight away.  I asked him nicely to wait while I put the flour in and we talked about measurements and numbers.  Surprisingly yet again he wanted to help, this time to put the butter in.  So I started cutting the butter up for him (with a spoon just incase) and he placed in the bowl.  Soon enough HE wanted to do that too.

Not a very good picture but you get the idea

 Next it was time to turn the butter and flour into bread crumbs.  David was trying to make hand prints bless him.  I think he thought it was salt dough or something.  Let me tell you it was very hard to get a picture and it took a long time to turn it into the "bread crumbs".  David kept pushing my hands out as he wanted the bowl all to himself! Ha ha, he is so independent now it's getting quite scary.

Next thing on our list was to roll out the dough.  David soon wan't to join in so after we had cut out a few I let him roll some.  He was quite good at it rolling it back on forth, however slightly put too much pressure on the roller ha ha.  Still A for effort.  I didn't get any pictures of us actually cutting them out, but I got the finished product which is pretty much the same thing.  You can probably tell what heart David did all on his own without mummies help.  They were really yummy David kept going back for more the cheeky monkey.  He did share a biscuit with me bless him, I didn't even ask, he's getting so much better with his sharing which I'm proud of.

oh my look at all that flour

Valentine sensory and craft

So I made this little sensory box a while back, but kept it hidden from David until Valentines day.  In it I put fake rose petals, cut out hearts from felt, pink and red ribbon, toilet roll tube that I painted red and then made into heart shapes.  I was going to add some red rice on the day but during the day I noticed David was yet again trying to eat again which is a common sign of him teething.  I decided to opt out due to this reason. I gave the sensory box to David and he seemed quite interested at first.  That soon ended with him throwing everything about. I didn't mind so much but he was becoming violent with it in his actions, it wasn't playful throwing if that makes sense?  So it didn't last very long. 

After playing for a while and David going down for a nap I thought he might wake up in a better mood.  I decided to set up in his high chair some crafting bits.  I cut out a heart from the cardboard box that his new carseat came in, after all it was massive and I'm all for recycling.  I then put his sensory box on the high chair table along with some pink finger paint and glue.  I joined in with him hoping to give him some encouragement and for a while it worked.  I painted whilst David decided what to glue down.  It wasn't long though until he started throwing things again so I took it off him to let it dry and but it on the windowsill along with the other decorations for V-day I had.

So there you have it, all the activities we did during Valentines week.  Gosh it's a long one but I hope it was worth it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it.  Please comment and let me know what you think.  Did you do anything with your child for Valentines?  Until next week my fellow fluffy clouds, big hugs from me x

Continue

Four yummy eggs and bread recipes

Hi everyone!,  So today I'm going to be doing something which is rare on my parental blog and give you some recipes that you can do with just two main ingredients. That's right just simply using eggs and bread.  I'm pretty sure most households have these in their house.  It's quite easy though to forget that eggs aren't just for baking especially with all these quick, go snacks laying around.  I decided to make this post as I got asked if I would like to be an ambassador for British Lion Eggs, which got me thinking.  When was the last time I had eggs without needing them for baking sweet treats?  Shocking to my surprise it had been quite a long time.  Some of these you might find obvious some you might not.  Either way I hope it jogs your memory of some great egg recipes and if these don't tickle your taste buds then there are plenty more at www.eggrecipes.co.uk

All the recipes below are purely based on my memory and what I remember.  So please don't blame me if they don't come out perfect. Also these aren't my images as well as much as I love these recipes I've only done one of them in the past week and I was far too busy eating it to take pictures ha ha.

Eggy Bread

This recipe is one of my childhood favourites.  Not a lot of people know about this, I often say "mmm I really fancy some eggy bread" and they are just like "huh? what are you on about".

Ingredients

• Eggs (I start with 3 and add more depending on how many I'm cooking for)
• bread (also depends how many you want)
• a bit of oil to fry with
• milk (optional)

How to

So first of all you'll want to get a bowl and crack your eggs in to said bowl.  My mum sometimes added a little bit of milk in but you don't have to if you don't want to.  Also feel free to add any salt and pepper to your desire.  Whisk until it is basically the same consistency as if you were making an omelette. When you've done that you'll want to heat up your frying pan with a bit of oil to stop anything from sticking.  For a more healthier option use some cooking oil spray.  Once you've done then then you'll be taking your slices of bread and dipping them into the eggy mixture making sure all of the bread has been covered.  Not too much though as you don't want it to break when you pick it up.  Once your satisfied you have enough on your bread then go ahead and place it in the frying pan and fry away!  Not forgetting to flip them every once in a while of course.  When cooked it should look lovely and golden and you can transfer it to a plate.  You can chose to put ketchup on it or heck even sugar!  That's right these can be treated as savoury or sweet.  Pretty cool huh?

Eggs on toast

Sounds pretty simple right?  Your correct it is but I absolutely LOVE it.  It's like the adults version to eggs and soldiers (though adults are always allowed to eat them too ;) )  For the past week I have had this twice it's a big craving of mine and I don't know why. 

Ingredients

• 2 x eggs
• 2 x slices of bread
• a bit of oil to fry with

How to

This is very simple, first heat up your pan to a nice medium temperature. Once the pan is nice and hot crack your egg into the pan.  Whilst it is cooking away place your bread in the toaster and wait for that to pop up.  Go back to your eggs and once the white on top is no longer transparent then your egg is done.  Personally I prefer to flip my eggs over and "seal" the top.  Just incase the white on top isn't quite cooked. If your toast hasn't popped up still take your pan off the heat until they do.  Butter your toast if you like and then transfer the egg onto your toast.  You can try cooking both eggs in the frying pan at once but I personally like to cook them one at a time.

Ideas:
Why not try poached eggs on toast as an alternative;
If you have a metal shape cutter why not cut out your desired shape in your bread and then place the shape cutter in your frying pan and cook your eggs inside it.  Hearts are a cute idea.

Egg and soldiers

I think this is probably one that stays with you for life.  It's a great comfort food and one of those recipes that always tastes better if your someone else cooks it for you.  I always remember having these as a kid in the morning.  If I had an exam my dad would wake me up extra early to have a big breakfast and the table would be laid and porridge would be made and whilst I was eating that my dad would do me egg and soldiers.  Pretty sure I didn't need all that food but he would always say "you need your brain to kick start you've got an important exam today".

I'm not going to bother listing the ingredients because honestly all you need is an egg and a slice of bread.

How to

Start with a saucepan and fill it with enough water to cover an egg.  Put your egg inside the saucepan full of water and place on the hob on a high setting.  Once your water starts to boil it's time to set your timer (or mobile phone) to 3 minutes.  Whilst that is cooking place your bread inside the toaster and wait for it to pop up.  Once popped up, spread on some butter and cut long ways to make strips of toast to dunk in your egg.  When the timer goes off it's time to carefully spoon your egg out of the saucepan and place it in a eggcup.  Let it cool for a bit and then get a knife (or spoon whatever you find easier) cut the top off.  The white should be cooked and not runny. 

If your white is still runny then fear not!  What I do if that happens is I get a ladle and I place the egg carefully in it and gently dip part of the spoon in the water of the saucepan and let it boil for a bit longer. 

If your yolk is hard as well as your whites then don't worry you can still eat it.  What I did when this happened was to spoon out the yolk and then spread it on my toast.  Just as yummy but just maybe not as fun.

Egg Mayo

Ah a classic! I must say I always have loved egg mayo.  I remember being picked on in school for liking this sandwich filler because of "eww it smells I hate egg mayo".  Pfft like I care it's yummyyyy.  As much as I like this sandwich filler though I normally only make it when I am having a picnic outside at the park or garden with my friends or son.  Only because I feel it takes quite a lot of time and trust me when you have an impatient son like I do (yeah he gets that from me I'm just as bad) then timing is key.  Still though you can't beat an egg mayo sandwich!

Ingredients (serves 3)

• 3 x eggs (about an egg per person)
• slices of bread
• Mayonnaise
• Salad cream (optional)
• Herbs, salt and pepper if desired.

How to

Right first things first you'll want to boil your eggs.  Fill a saucepan with enough water to cover all your eggs.  When they start to boil, leave them to boil for about 5 minutes.  This is to make sure they are hard.  Once they are boiled drain the water carefully out of the saucepan.  You can do this by carefully pouring the water and eggs into a colander.  Once the saucepan is empty carefully place the eggs back in the saucepan and put under a cold running tap.  This is much quicker then simply allowing them to cool in hot water.

Once the eggs are cold enough it's time to peel the shell.  The easiest way I have found is to wrap an egg in kitchen paper and roll them on the surface with a little pressure.  Much like you would with a lemon before cutting it.  This allows the shell around it to crack making it easier to peel.  Now all your eggs are peeled it's time to mash them. now there are two methods on how to do this (bedsides using a fork) that I have learnt and I shall share both.

Method 1 

Place all your eggs into your bowl and with a potato masher, mash the hell out of the eggs until they are a consistency to which you like.

Method 2 (my new favourite way)

My mum showed me this method after working in a kitchen at the local pub in her town.  Get a grater and on the side your normally grate cheese with grate the eggs into a bowl!  I find this a lot easier then a potato masher and I prefer the consistency.

After you have your eggs in bits get your mayonnaise and add two table spoons worth. My mum also liked to add one table spoon of salad cream, but you don't have to.  Add dash of salt and pepper and any herbs if you wish and then mix away.  Once all the ingredients have mixed together it's time to butter some beard and spread it on and voilà!  Your sandwich is done, phew! 

I hoped your liked this blog it's different to what I normally do but hopefully I've jogged a few of your childhood favourites :)  This post is an entry for the #ShortcutEggsperts Linky Challenge sponsored by British Lion Eggs. Learn more and find recipes at www.eggrecipes.co.uk

Continue

Review | H&A new toddler bubble bath.

Hi guys and gals,  so this week I am reviewing the H&A Thomas & friends bubble bath.  I was unlucky at missing the free sample Tots100 were handing out,  Nevermind I thought I will just go out and buy it as I was told that Asda were "testing" it at the Baby and Toddler Event.  However sadly I couldn't find it.  After asking H&A on their Facebook page if I could purchase it anywhere else I received an email from them.  They told me they would send me their Thomas bubble bath as I couldn't find it.  I felt so honoured and really lucky that they were so kind to send it to me.  I didn't mind Thomas as my son LOVES Thomas and the tank engine.

So you might be wondering 'Hey Rachel why is this post so late'  Well my good friends there is a reason.  Basically when I did my first test I didn't put much water in as I didn't think David was ready for more water in the bath I was so used to only putting a small amount in.  Of course this didn't give much of the bubbles a chance to "activate". However today I put more water in my sons bath (yay!) and the amount of bubbles we got had improved.

bubble fun!

The picture really doesn't do the bubbles justice as my son by this point had already played with them like mad!  I was really shocked about how excited he got as normally he gets in the bath and isn't really that bothered and will only start playing with the bubbles once I start playing with them too.  The bubbles were really light and weren't heavy at all.

The mixture smelt really nice and fresh.  Reminded me of when David was first born.  You know that baby smell?  I miss that but with this I can re-live that smell ah!  Afterwards I was surprised at how smooth David's skin was.  I've used other bubble bath products and they haven't made his skin feel as smooth as this bubble bath did.

A little bit about this bubble bath and H&A

So as well as Nemo and Thomas themed products in the new toddler range.  There is also a Mini Mouse range too.  I think this gives perfect places between all sexes which to be honest I don't see a lot of now days.  There is always girls and boys but not many unisex products (nemo being what I would call unisex, but of course there is nothing wrong with boys liking mini mouse and girls liking Thomas).

mini mouse bubbly bath

Despite being released as the new toddler range these products are safe to use from birth.  Of course like any good bath product it is tear free as well as being hypoallergenic, dermatologically tested and paediatrician approved.  It's not just bubble bath H&A provide though, they also have a great range of shampoo's and fun toys!

Encourage your little ones to read anywhere and everywhere!

H&A's bubble bath costs just £2 (RRP) but most supermarkets I think will do deals so you could probably get it a few pence cheaper.  If you would like to know more about H&A and see more products they have to offer then please visit there website at http://www.handa-uk.com

*Even though I was lucky enough to be sent this product all opinions are my own.  This is part of tots100 ambassador H&A competition....... wish me luck!

Continue

Sensory Activites with my son

 So this week was all about sensory play.  I really want to start doing more activities with my son that promote learning through play.  Although this can be achieved by simply playing with him with his toys I want him to experience new things. There will be times where he will want to play on his own of course.  For the times where he doesn't though I want to be able to do activities with him.

So this was the first sensory "activity" we did.  It wasn't really an activity I suppose but it was still fun to do with David.  As this was a chocking hazard for David I put it in a sandwich bag so he could still feel them to an extent and see them but it was much safer.  We talked about the different colours and how they felt.  He wasn't really interested at first but after a while his interest peaked.

The balls can be found on ebay.  I got 2 for 99p here just soak them in water for 24 hours and wash and drain :D

Next up was his bath,  I normally fill up his bath with lots of bubbles but sadly we had run out and I needed to buy some more (don't worry I've topped up now!).  I got this little dude from Lush it was really cheap too.  can't remember the exact price but around about £1.50

It was quite fun to watch it fizz but sadly it wasn't that blue as I would of liked.  I recommend if you are going to do this add some neon blue food colouring to add to the colour.  It won't stain your bath and is safe for your children :).

Talking about blue food colouring, I decided to make some icecubes for some ice sensory.  I did half white and just a little bit less than half with blue food colouring.  I did this as we STILL haven't had any snow.  This makes me sad as I brought David a sled this year and we haven't been able to use it at all.

Not only did David touch it but he tasted it and we did a bit of colour separation too. Separating the blues from the whites into two different containers.

This next one a lot of parents should be able to do as I'm sure 9/10 of you have megablocks or lego.  What I did was empty the whole carton of Megablocks on the floor and got 4 separate containers.  I then showed David the different colours and put each colour into a different container.

He soon got the idea and was placing only green megablocks into one container.  It didn't last very long as he soon got bored and filled them up and emptied them.  Still I think this a very good way of introducing colours to your toddler.  After he helped me build and clear them up.  All good fun.

The final thing we did was red spaghetti.  I made it red for valentines day.  I didn't think David would like it that much but he loved it!

He put his hands in it and played with it and even took it over to his kitchen to "cook it" and stir it....and put it in his tea cup...odd child ha ha. I definitely think this is one I will be doing again.  maybe green and blue and orange for Halloween :D

 So there you have it my sensory week.  I do apologise for some camera quality issues.  Some where taken on my phone as I lost my camera (turns out it was hiding in my make-up bag *facepalm*).  I will hopefully be doing a food week with David soon.  I'm planning on making lots of things with him from pizza's to chocolate hearts and more.  I shall take pictures (when my hands are free) and tell you how they went. :)  please feel free to comment with similar blog posts and tell me if you are going to do any of these activities with your child .:)



 

Continue

Review | Where has Polly gone?

Where has Polly Gone? A book promoting awareness of ADD/ADHD 

Where has Polly gone (not to be confused with where has all the rum gone ha ha) is a beautiful children's book.  This delightful read is aimed at children and promotes awareness of ADD/ADHD. 

Whilst reading this book I loved the illustrations and thought they were brilliant.  The pictures on their own tell a story which is great for children. As well as 3 other factors.

1.  Children can count and recognise shapes in the illustrations
2.  There are polygons on every page above the text, kind of used like page numbers.  so children can name the polygons and also count the sides each one has.

3.  This one I was not expecting but Geography.  Towards the end of the story Netta (the main character) explores the world.  You can spot out different countries and there monuments.

The story is easily broken up for children which makes reading easy to digest. I know this as I find it hard to read myself.  Don't get me wrong I LOVE books but I can never read them with ease.  I have no idea why but when I get to the end of a page I fall asleep.  Yes even if I'm enjoying it.  I for one would love to see this book in library's AND in schools.  I think it's very important that children learn about the difficulties some people have with life that some people take for granted.

So all in all a great book!

Continue

What David got for Christmas

So everyone has been doing posts about what they got for Christmas.  I wanted to do something different considering this is my parental blog.  So instead I decided to blog about what David for Christmas.  Now don't get me wrong I'm not doing this to show off.  I'm just doing this for fun but hopefully if your little ones birthday is soon I can give you some ideas.

The first thing I brought for David was his kitchen.  I know it may seem a little young but he is so good with his imagination.  He first started "cooking food" when me and his father took him to the children centre not long after he turned one.

To go with the kitchen I got him some play food from Asda.  I didn't think that there was much in there.  I was mistaken and I realised this once David had tipped it all out on the floor...which I don't mind as he enjoys it.

I think David was trying to clean up his food and megablocks bless

This is David's Christmas outfit.  He got it from my boyfriends mum and nan.  He looked so cute and daper in it.  I can't help but dress him smart on Christmas we've always done it in our family. I sadly wasn't able to get him one though as everywhere sold out.  However luckily I have people who think like minded and they phoned me up the very day I was trying to find one asking David's size how lucky is that!

Another present he received was this cute but HUGE Christmas themed mug.  I know it's huge 'cause I couldn't resist using it for a cheeky hot chocolate yes I feel bad but now I'm even more jealous and want one for myself ha ha.  I put the sweets in his sweet tub that I have for him in the fridge as he only has sweets when he good (which is most of the time anyway)

I love this book and I'm so glad David was given it.  It has pockets on every other page and has material inside to match what it says in the book.  In the back is a pop-up section but I won't spoil it for you ;).

This is David's easel board I got him.  I got long lasting presents so he can grow with them.  They cost quite a bit but I managed to save in the Black Friday sale so win!  he loves this as you can see from the markings (ignoring the numbers and smiley face person me and my bf made ha ha)

 I got this for a bargain at only £45!  I know he's a bit to young for it but my god I couldn't pass up this offer look how many pieces there are! Not only does it have a train track but also roads with buses AND trains that go along automatically.  Not only that but you can have boats too so he's going to get ALOT out of this.

 My parents got David this as they couldn't get him the piano I suggested due to stuff I'm not going to go into on here.  I'm glad they got it though as I was planning to add blocks to his alpha blocks collection...he loves tipping them all out of the box just like his food....joy.

David recently has had a love of all things cleaning.  Give him a baby wipe and he'll go clean a side (even if it's spotless) he's spilt something give him a towel he'll mop it up.  However give him a adult sized broom and he'll accidentaly hit you on the head with it...or so my sister found out which then knocked the idea into her head to buy him a broom (I made a pun yay!)

So this is the last of the presents I got David. the Aqua Doodle.  Now if you haven't heard about an Aqua Doodle then let me tell you this is going to be your new best friend and your little ones best friend if they get paint everywhere.  Also if they love water.  Not only does it draw without paint but the way it works all you need is water which means this is great for summer.  they can put there hands or feet in a container full of water and do loads of prints.  Not only feet and hands but try experimenting with textures like cars and shoe prints!

Well this is all of the presents David got I hope it gave you some ideas if your stuck for any birthdays coming up.  If you have any similar posts I'd love to see them.  Until next time.

Last weeks blog

Continue

New family, new traditions

So the title may be a little mis-leading as I don't have a newish family, infact my first Christmas with David was last year but apart from the opening of presents and the dinner it didn't really FEEL like Christmas due to all the stress and what with us being cramped in a tiny 1 bedroom house.  This year I feel so much better I'm in a 2 bedroom house where David has his own bedroom and although I'm no longer with his father I am much happier.  So today I want to talk about the traditions I grew up with and the new traditions I want to introduce with my own family.

My childhood Christmas traditions (basically a rant)

So when I was younger Christmas well I think it made me more impatient then ever.  We would wake up and have our stockings.  Our stockings were pretty good not gonna lie but because they were knitted everything would get caught..all except the orange....typical.  Then you would think that we would go downstairs and open all our presents up....WRONG.  No infact we weren't allowed to open up our presents until after dinner.  When was dinner time I hear you ask?  Not until 3pm!  Yep that's right I swear Christmas was sometimes like hell. Dinner consisted of the average Christmas meal and of course we all had to say Amen and say thank you for the food.  You'd think my mum would be the one going round the table "have you got enough" but actually infact it was my dad.  Due to the Peter Kay sketch I call him the Rivita man. We also had to watch the Queen's speech every year (no offense queeny but when I'm growing up of course it's gunna be boring). Oh by the way before I get to the opening of presents I would just like to say that we were not allowed at all to decorate the tree in the way we liked, oh no.  My mum had a strict routine,  lights first, tinsel and beads second then decorations.  That sounds simple enough but wrong again certain decorations had to be put in certain places or they "wouldn't look right".

 Right back to the present so like I was saying we wouldn't be allowed to open our presents up until the afternoon (this being that this was the way mum was raised due to her mother (my nan) being chruchy and it was a tradition that Christians would not open presents up until after the afternoon Christmas service).  Not only did we have to wait agessss but we also had to take note of who they were from so we could write down the names to write thank you letters.  My mum also used to try and get us to open the presents up nicely so she could save the wrapping paper....yeah that never happened. After all that we sat down and played with our new toys and sometimes went round to visit our nan on Christmas if not boxing day as well.  We would sit there and play board games and watch my brother lose control and get angry 'cause he was a sore loser which was hilarious to watch.  Not to mention get fat eating cheese and watch my mum go through a whole packet of salted nuts and my dad the same with his bombay mix.  Christmas was good but it made me impatient and in the mornings made me angry with my mum but with the help of my siblings we slowly but surely changed that. (even if she still obsesses over that damn tree!)

My family traditions

So first of, my son and any future children I may have will be opening up their presents as soon as they wake up I am not gunna be stopping them.  Right got that out of my system, however lets start with Christmas eve.  I never have in my life got new PJ's on Christmas Eve I never even thought to start this tradition before I saw it on the net.  I looked at this Christmas Eve box that was going viral and thought....my god this is amazing and fun :D.  So from now on every Christmas Eve my son shall get a Christmas Eve box.  This year I shall be filling it with new PJ's, mini marshmallows, a new book to read before bed, a dvd to watch together, a new cup and a sachet of hot chocolate.

chibi avenger PJ's from Next

When David wakes up he will wake to a stocking at the end of his bed (just like I did) this year it will be filled with: 4 bath toys, a bath book, another new book, play dough with number cutters, chocolate, an orange, whiteboard pens, cutlery set and a car.

filled right to the top O_O

Then we shall start off with breakfast whilst he plays with his stocking. Breakfast this year will just be a normal breakfast though next year I shall be buying the little boxes of cereal you can get I always loved that as a child and think David will too. After that it's time to open up presents! I'll let David go mad (though I might have to help him a bit lol) we shall be swimming in wrapping paper and we all won't care as I'll see the smile on his face.  Normally I'd be making dinner at this point (well I would of put the turkey on the night before) though this year we are going out for Christmas dinner as I've been invited by Matt's parents. I've never eaten outside the house before on Christmas day so it should be a new and fun experience.  Whilst in the area I shall visit my family where we shall spend some time together.  After that go back and assemble all of David's presents if we have not done that before hand lol.  Next year will be difficult as I don't know what will happen with David and his fathers contact.  This year his father is to spend time with him on Christmas Eve,  I said to him that he can keep him for a bit longer as he won't have him Christmas Day.  Next year hopefully we shall get on better and he can have David on Christmas Day and I have David on boxing day though I admit it shall feel weird.  Though Christmas is just another day and I shall turn my boxing day into Christmas Day and make it extra special. Though I'm hoping in the future me and David's father can both spend Christmas together for David's sake and David can wake up here and his father can arrive early morning and we can both cook Christmas dinner and watch our son be happy together.  That's in the future though something that probably won't happen for a long time.

Well that's it for this blog....went on quite more then I thought I would ha ha.  I hope you have a fantastic Christmas!  Do you have any traditions any new ones?  If so please comment I would love to know ^_^.

Continue

My London trip with friends

 Westfield Grotto and Christmas Shopping.

Hi everyone! First off I want to apologise for this post being so late.  I didn't have internet so was relying on other peoples internet but great news, I now have my own!  So what I wanted to talk to you about is what I was doing last week.  I went to London to Westfields with my best friend Clare and her adorable daughter Hollie.  Now sadly I don't have any pictures as I left my camera at my boyfriends mums house. Also I was feeling really poorly as the few days prior I had a bad fever.  However I wasn't going to let that stop me!  Oh hell no!

We got to London at about midday, I'm so glad we did as I felt far more comfortable and relaxed, though on the way there I nearly was sick.  When we got there we were all starving, so we decided to head to the food court for something to eat. Clare and her sister got Pizza and me and Matt had ramen (though I didn't get to finish all mine :( ) Then Hollie and David both shared a kids savoly and chips.  I got them a kids meal to share as I feel now a days kids meals are really big.  When we ordered our food we got a black device that would flash and beep to tell us when it was ready.  I thought this was pretty cool as it gave people a chance to find some seating if they didn't already.  That and it meant you didn't have to stand around and could get on with other stuff or just simply chat amongst your friends.

After we finished we had a quick toilet break then it was off to find the grotto.  I kinda knew where it was but was really shocked and surprised there were no signs outside or inside the shopping centre. I would of thought that they would of at least put some sort of signing to help people. I mean it only takes a few removable stickers right?  When we got there we were actually half an hour early as I thought it started at 2pm but infact it didn't start until 2:35pm.  It got worse though, it actually turns out that the tickets I ordered were for the Sheppard's Bush Grotto. I was absolutely devastated, not due to the fact me, Matt or David couldn't go but more so due to the fact Clare and Hollie couldn't go as Hollie had never been to see Santa before and this was my treat to them.  However the staff were VERY friendly and kind and said that if not everyone turned up then we could go in.  As it turned out 3 people didn't turn up.  I asked my friend Clare if she minded taking David with her and Hollie and thankfully she didn't mind. Though I felt guilty afterwards as Hollie and David broke her arms as they did not want to be put down lol.  After they had their pictures taken with Santa I went in and brought a singular photo.  The photo of David wasn't that good as like an idiot I didn't take David's coat off before he went in.  Oh well he already has a photo with the Basildon grotto :).

Afterwards we shopped around and I got David his own personalised stocking with his name on it.  I love it and am very happy with it....though I might have to get a bigger one when he is older haha.  When we were done we headed to the o2 Arena to go see the coca cola truck. When we arrived there were a lot of people there and then I realised it was the Jingle Bell Ball tonight.  I was quite shocked though at the amount of young people there were. I didn't go to my first concert until I was 15.  What made it worse though was the way some of the girls were dressed as if this was a place to hook up.  There was a girl that seemed to be 13 years of age and the dress she had on...well lets just say she would of made less of an impression if she turned up naked (and she might as well of).  Anyway back to the truck.  The truck was very pretty but there was a queue to get your photo taken, a very long one at that.  I wasn't going to waste my time queuing for hours just for one photo when it was cold outside.

So there were a few mishaps during the day but all in all I had a very good time because I spent it with my best friend, her daughter and her sister.  On the way home David opened up his present from the grotto and it was a lovely book.  I am never disappointed with the books they give out. Next year I am going to the grotto again (without making the mistake lol) and I am taking David to Hamleys so for the first time he can pick out his own present.  Though I won't be letting him have it until Christmas Day.  Why bother buying presents for Christmas if they aren't going to open them on Christmas Day.

Until next time.  I don't know what I will blog about as this was late so if you have any suggestions please comment below and if you don't already follow me on blog lovin (the link is with my social buttons)

Continue

Fruit and Vegtables you should try

Hi there mummies, daddies and everyone else who may be reading my blog.  So some of you may have difficulties feeding your children fruit of veg.  Or maybe some of your children or maybe even you have got bored of the normal fruit and veg you are having.  Well I am here to show you some fantastic fruit and vegetables you may of just walked past in your supermarket and never thought to have even try.

Dragonfruit

Not only is Dragonfruit really pretty it tastes great to.  The taste reminds me somewhat of kiwi but it's pink!  This is sure to be a hit with any girl that has a thing for pink and has a sweet tooth. Most supermarkets should sell this I mean my local Asda sell this and I live in the middle of no-where.  Even if your local supermarket doesn't sell it there are plenty of markets who should.

Health benefits include:

• Low  Cholesterol (near enough 0%)
• High in Vitamin C
• Antioxidants
• Fiber   

Sadly Dragon fruit does have a bit of fruit fat in it due to the seeds.

Sweet potato 

These sweet potatoes are not like normal potatoes they are sweeter and quite rich in flavor.  I normally only have one on my plate because I literally cannot each more then once.  I think they would be great if your LO's or even you have got bored of just the same potatoes.  This makes a great colourful picture on your plate especially if you turn it into mash. These are quite common in supermarkets and just last week I brought some for only £1 so there not expensive either which is great for budgeting parents.

Health benefits include:

• High in Vitamin B6
• Good Source of Vitamin C6
• Vitamin D
• Iron
• good source of mag­nesium which causes anti-stress and relaxation

Pomegranate

Yet again this is a great fruit to buy at the moment as it's only a £1 at Asda and probably similar in other stores. Pomegrante's can be a bit messy but they are so worth it considering the benefits they can give you.  This is a great fruit to eat especially if you want help with dry skin and slow down aging and more!  Below I have listed the mass amounts of beauty and health benefits this power superfood contains.

Beauty benefits include:

• Regenerate Cells
• Protection against the sun
• slows down aging
• helps with dry skin
• Helps with the outbreak of acne and minimizes scars

Health benefits include:

• High Antioxidants
• Helps to fight against cancer
• Improve bone quality
• increase appetite
• Cure Anemia
• Promotes blood circulation

Mangos

I love this fruit and I'm guilty of not buying it as much as I really should.  I LOVE drinking mango juice and if you love it to then you have to try an actual Mango.  they are super soft and quite easy to serve.  You can also make it look like a hedgehog which would be fun for kids.

Health benefits include:

• Can fight against cancer
• Clears the skin
• Eye health
• Helps lower Cholesterol
• Vitamin A which helps eye health
• Helps diabetes
•  Vitamin E

Aubergine

So most of the items on this list have been fruit but my last one is a vegetable.  These can be cooked simply by either boiling or grilling them.  They are a great edition to any type of pasta meal.  This is another super food as well as pomegranate.  It also has beauty as well as health benefits.

Beauty benefits include: 

• Keeps skin hydrated
• helps hair stay healthy

Health benefit include:

• Helps stimulate the brain
• Helps create Iron
• Lowers Cholesterol
• Helps you to quiet smoking
• Reduces the chance of heart disease

Continue