Positive thinking leads to organised cleaning

Hi everyone, so recently I've done a lot of new cleaning.  I'm not going to lie for a while I've been on the lazy side of cleaning.  Obviously I would still clean the living room, David's bedroom, do the washing, wash the dishes.  I never really thought about doing other stuff though because I was so busy and well I didn't really know what to do as odd as that sounds.  I know this blog post will probably get attack by a certain OCD girl but I don't care as this is ME and I am my own person.  

When growing up I didn't have any chores, heck I was the normal teenager who thought a mess was an organised mess.  I never helped my parents clean anything we never had to do any jobs around the house. We never had pocket money we would just ask for money when we wanted it.  Obviously this made me very lazy but my parents probably didn't realise the effect it would have.  Having my own house now I obviously want to keep the house to a good clean standard.  With David now being a toddler this has become even more difficult.  He's having tantrums everyday especially when he doesn't get his own way. He's started to throw things too, this results me taking whatever he has thrown and not giving it back to him for the rest of the day. If he repeats this a number of times he then gets sent to his bedroom for 2 minutes. I do a minute for how old he is and well he is nearly 2 years old. For months I've tried to tidy whilst he is downstairs but you know what apart from the kitchen and the laundry sometimes (he likes to "help" me by putting all the dry stuff in the bucket back on the airer =_=) oh and vacuuming I can't do much else. 

I don't mind some of his toys being on the floor but for some reason it really bugs me when he's got EVERY toy out on the floor.  I'm learning to let go now as well it's now impossible to tidy up his toys as he'll get the toy out again as soon as I'm done putting that toy away. I now leave it to the end of the day and sometimes Matthew will even help me which is nice.  To remind myself of tasks that aren't so obvious to me that need doing I found a great website with a Cleaning Calendar 2014.  Not only does it have monthly tasks but it also has weekly and even DAILY tasks.  Some of these are obvious but to someone like me not all of them are.

I've been using this for just under a week now and I've seen improvements in my routine and cleanliness of the house and my mindset.  I mean I'm sorry but who actually enjoys cleaning? Maybe some people find it relaxing but I bloody well don't.  I mean yes the out come is obviously nice but then I've just got the mindset usually of "what's the point it's just going to get messy again".  With this calendar though it has motivated me more. I think organisation just motivates me in general I love organising things.

If your interested in this calendar and want to say more then feel free to go to here.  Obviously some of them are in American language so Automobile, obviously stands for car and  baseboards means skirting boards. I hope you find this useful and if not well I hope you at least enjoyed reading my blog.  Do you have difficulty with getting in the mindset of cleaning?  How has your childhood effected the way you clean?  Has anything changed?

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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

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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!

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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 .:)



 

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Guest Post | Amy, school life

If you'd have seen Candyflosscloud asking me to write this guest blog post, you would probably have been a bit confused as to why she would consider asking a 15 year old girl to write for a parental blog, what do I know about children? Well, the truth is, I don't know anything about being a parent or even looking after a baby as my sister is only 2 years younger than me. And so for this reason alone, I could understand your confusion. But I know almost everything there is to know about being a daughter and therefore I also know a lot about being a child. Most people on parent blogs come up with tips for parents to help them cope with a young child, but what happens as they get older? This is something I admit to being an expert in; I know what it takes to make a child truly appreciate their parent/s. I know that as I got older, I realised just how glad I was to have parents who could help me with homework and made an effort to be involved in my life. So although I understand that for a lot of you, having a teenager is something you really don't want to think about, I'm going to help you make that transition a lot easier. 

Most of you reading this will probably be in your thirties, and without trying to make you sound old, high school was quite a long time ago for you and it's changed quite significantly in the last few years. I'm in my last year at high school, and I've felt the true extent of a lot of these changes.

For me, a normal day at school involves 5-one hour each- lessons, a 20 minute break and a 40 minute lunch. Here I have chosen 1 day of the week to hopefully help enlighten you on an average day at high school.

This is my easiest school day, but even though I know it seems like I don't do much, it really is exhausting. 

Now you're probably wondering why I've told you about my school day, right? Well as parents, you need to start getting used to the idea that as soon as your child or children reach high school, you're never going to know exactly what goes on in their lives, even though you might think you do. When your child is a toddler you can pretty much decide what they do, what they eat and who they talk to, but that control goes away. You won't know about that one boy who makes a rude comment every time he sees your child, how they won't eat much at school to fit in, or how they have to fight their way through the shoves in the corridors. And it's a hard thing to accept. But these things do happen.

So I've told you how in ICT I just gossiped with my friend, but I didn't tell you that in the next lesson my teacher kept standing behind my computer, sent my best-friend out for not concentrating and then rang her mum to complain. I told you that I tried to do as little work in art as possible, but I forgot to mention that I spend that lesson in silence because my teacher doesn't like me and sits me on a table of 2 when the other tables all seat at least 6.  I told you that I tried to understand as much as possible in Spanish, but I didn't say that it's hard to focus in that class because most of the pupils mess around, start singing and shouting, and get sent out.

I hope that my point is coming across. As a parent you will never know what truly goes on at your child's school, which is why the relationship you have with them is so important. I tell my mum things like my best friend getting sent out and me having to sit by myself in art, because I'm close to her. That's the relationship all parents should have with their children. When I was younger and not as close to my mum as I am now, I had a big fall out with my best friends which involved a lot of crying, and my parents didn't find out for months. 

It might seem like I'm lecturing you, which coming from a 15 year old you might think I have no right to do. But it's important that you realise that you need to maintain the close relationship you have now with your child, while they go on their journey through school.

I've never written a blog post like this, which you may or may not be able to tell, but I do have a beauty blog. If you've read this and think I should write more lifestyle posts, please let me know either through my blog or twitter. Thank you for reading this.

Amy's blog

Amy's twitter

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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!

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Essex Urban Games: Burnham Version.

So the Saturday just gone (not to be confused with the Saturday before that, which was Ship of Dreams), me and Jake went to Burnham for the day.  Burnham not long ago had there Skate park re-vamped and for the better!  To celebrate this the council organised an event for the day called SX Urban Games.  There were lots of entertainment throughout the day; Free running, Skate competition and Cheerleaders!  The weather was nice and sunny with no rain so there was no interruptions which was good.  There were loads of people at the Skate Park it was packed! It was a good thing though, like to see so many people down there, though don't get me wrong it was nice.  I didn't really know what to wear at first but I was feeling in the mood for a fishnet top but I lost mine a while back.  So instead I wore my ann summers dress over the top of my casual top and rolled it up.  I think it looks pretty good but here is a picture.

The Outfit

Hat - Ebay

Strap top - Primark

lace over top - Ann Summers

Jeans - Primark

Studded shoes - George (Asda)

When we first got down there the free runners were just finishing setting up as well as practising.  I love free running I think it's pretty cool I just wish I could do it ha ha.  There was a DJ in a van, as I like to call it, and it was pretty awesome.  I'm not going to lie I did have a bit of a sing along to some of the songs. After a bit we got hungry so we popped to the local Tesco.  All the sandwiches were reduced..hell yeah! When we got back we munched on our food and waited for he cheerleaders to start.  I was a bit gutted 'cause I missed Doge-ball and I'm a pro at dodging this ha ha.

David wanted to swap lunches with his dad.

We didn't have to wait for long until the cheerleaders showed up.  All the boys were straight away interested ha ha.  David certainly was, he started getting tired and very difficult. I said to Jake "you just wait as soon as the cheerleaders start there show he will be silent.  Was I right? Of course I was ha ha. I took a few photos of the cheerleaders so I found them on Facebook.  I wasn't that impressed as most of there photos on Facebook looked like they should be on top of cars.  Not really appropriate if you ask me but each to there own. The first performance was okay but nothing to get excited about but the second one (when we came back from dropping David off) was much better.

The Cheerleaders

Not long after they had a guy that preformed some beat boxing and wow! It was amazing I thought to myself that he must of been getting help from the DJ but he wasn't none at all!  I filmed the whole thing so I will edit that later and put it on my Youtube.  Next was the Skate competition. Our friend Tom got through to the finals, it was funny 'cause he only entered so he could skate without so many people getting in the way. Before the actual skate boards first it was the finals of the scooters and there were some pretty impressive stuff for scooters, one guy even did a flip! The BMX round was next and well it was pretty boring, all they did was ride up and down on the ramps. At last was the skating final, there were so many that got through but there were so good footwork and Tom's brother Ryan grinded a few times with his Rollerblades.  I can imagine that being hard so I was impressed. After it has finished we were treated to some pro scooters and they did some amazing tricks!

the scooter flip

Finally was the free running event, I knew this was going to be good and very fast so instead of pictures I decided to take a video and I'm so glad I did 'cause I was right. It was all very impressive and I love free running so I enjoyed it free much. I will be editing the video later on in the week so it will be on my Youtube account soon.  You can find a link to my Youtube account in the "Follow me" section.  I have way more to talk about so a new blog will be posted on here in the next couple of days.  Until then byes ♥

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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 ^_^.

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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)

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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

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Yesterday's Happenings

Hi everyone,

so todays blog wassssss supposed to be about the Chelmsford Christmas Event.  Sadly that was a huge flop.  I was so disappointed I knew we got there at 2oclock but considering the lights were not getting switched on until 5/6pm that was no excuse.  When we got there the streets were pretty empty.  They had ponies and reindeer and they were cute but that was about all there was too see.  We walked past the santa and I wasn't impressed at all.  Not only did he have a sleigh that hadn't even been shown any love for ages but the Santa looked like he brought the outfit on Ebay for £5.  There was a snow globe but as it was the only activity to do there was a massive line.  However unlike the Basildon Christmas Event there was no professional photographer.

Anywayyyy enough about that.  The trip wasn't completely wasted as I needed to buy David an advent calendar.  I wanted to make him a box one (decorate it myself) but Hobby Craft had sold out.  I had gone into Asda previously but they only had milkybar,mars and malteaser.  As much as they were fine I really wanted a character one for David.  One like Spiderman or Marvel.  I actually found out from David's father that Asda had sold out on the first day!  That is so crazy. Looks like I'll have to be quicker next time.  In the end I went to Marks and Spencer and got him a Snowman one.  There was a Where's Wally but you couldn't even see the numbers! o__o.

Next I went looking for a wreath but I came back empty handed.  As a Pagan I really wanted to get a traditional one but they were so expensive....of course the one I loved had to be £45...yep couldn't be cheaper could it haha.  They do have one in Asda for only £8.....it only had 2 pinecones and a bow...I'm sorry but no just no.

However it's not all bad as this year I am FINALLLY going to be able to burn a yule log on Yule (Winter Solstice).  It's on the 21st this year and I'm dead excited :D.  It's on a Saturday which is great as I can spend it with David <3.    Oh and by the way if you haven't seen the new Hunger Games movie I suggest you go see it, it's fantastic!  Sorry if this blog seemed a bit boring but I want to leave my Next Fashion blog for my new beauty blog which will be launching in 2014.  Hopefully next weeks blog will be more exciting ha ha.

Lenor giveaway winner

So last week I set up a small Lenor giveaway.  Surprisingly I had quite a good response so I would like to thank you all for entering.  However there can only be one winner.  

That winner is

*drumroll*

Skye Joyce

WELL DONE! I shall send you an email during today to ask for your postal address

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Poem | Falling leaves

So for the November Center Parks Challenge hosted by Tots100, we have been asked to write a Autumn poem. I'm kinda nervous as I haven't wrote poems for a long time.  It used to be a regular thing for me when I was in my teenage years (oh god why does that make me sound so old).  Anyway my poem below is based around the things I have been doing with my son in the past few weeks.  He always inspires me <3

 "I look above at the trees
see the falling autumn leaves
it makes me feel so cosey and warm
the colours remind me of a sunset at dawn

jumping in puddles from crying clouds
quickly back inside wrapped in a towel
muddy footprints on the floor
joyous children running in the hall

Fireworks in the night rise up and explode
watching in your back garden or on the road
firework watching will never get old
but we must wrap up warm so we don't catch a cold

owls twit tewo hello in the morning
struggling to get up in the cold still yawning
onesies its time to come out to play
and once in a while a pajama day

pine cones dropped on the ground
Christmas shopping already in town
weather man always predicting snow
makes me wants hot chocolate by the stove"

This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots 100 November challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Elveden Forest in Brandon, Suffolk.  It looks so lovely and I'd love to visit the lake and the mini farm :D

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Holiday: Wednesday (Doctor Who Experience)

So I haven't talked about the rest of my holiday recently and I'm really sorry I've just been so busy with reviews and other stuff (I still haven't recorded my Sure review vlog yikes!).  I'm here now though and I'm ready to tell you about the rest of it, with pictures of course.

So on Wednesday it was pretty bad weather, we were very lucky to get the sun we did for the past few days but now the heavens decided to open.  So I wanted to take advantage of this weather and go somewhere that was indoors.  We decided to head to Cardiff for the day and me and Jake went to the Doctor Who Experience!  It was handy actually as mum wanted to go and get some new shoes and there was a big shopping centre in Cardiff so everyone was happy.  When we got the Cardiff we was very confused as the sat nav took us to some hotels.  We found out afterwards that dad had actually entered the wrong post code.  Even more reason why I prefer maps over Sat navs haha.  Once we put the right post code in we got there fine but we couldn't drive up to the building as it was buses only.  Not that I was bothered even if it was raining, I was in the mood to walk. Whilst walking over the bridge I noticed a Tardis by the docks which was unsual.

We didn't have to walk that far until we were at the building.  We were welcomed by Doctor Who themed doors and a Tardis sign.  When we went in I straight away noticed all the beautiful art work on the wall.  Whoever painted it was very talented, not only this but they also had a Tardis made out of Lego which was pretty cool to see.  I had always seen them on the TV but never in real life.  We brought our tickets and only had to wait 15 minutes which was quite good.  I'm kinda glad we had to wait a while as it gave me a chance to change David's nappy and take photos of all the props and art in the room.  We did have to leave the buggy in a room as we couldn't take it due to the moving floor which was understandable.  Time passed quickly before we were ready to go into the "Doctor Who Experience".  As this was a interactive episode kinda of tour (the first bit anyway) we weren't allowed to take photos which kinda sucked as I would of loved to show everyone.  I suppose it would ruin the surprise though for visitors.  We were the first in the queue so I was even more excited!

Entrance

Lego Dalek

wall art

Tickets to go in

So after the leader of our group gave us the rule talk we all went inside.  In the first section we sat down and watched a short film where we were part of the "episode". Jake quite quickly guessed that the wall that they were showing the film on would "crack" and open into the next part of the experience.  We went to the next room after the film had created a "split in time".  I can't remember what the film was called but it had lots of Doctor Who memorabilia.  It also had a screen where the current doctor (Matt Smith) was stuck inside another Pandora's Box. He went on to complain that the Daleks could of at least chosen a different colour which I found amusing.  So far David had been quite entertained and he seemed to like Doctor Who.  The next part the Tardis appeared behind a hidden wall which I found very clever as I didn't even notice that the wall beside me was infact made out of different material.  The doors opened and we stepped inside the Tardis.  Next we had to "land" it and children could use the sticks to "control" the Tardis the floors moved as we were travelling through space. David liked it but was getting a bit restless and noisy (swapping between me and Jake) so I decided to give him a dummy as I didn't want to ruin the experience for other people.

Once that Tardis had landed we had to get out quickly as Matt Smith told us to hurry up and not to try and play with the controls as we had already landed and they wouldn't worked.  I found his comments funny.  We then entered the woods with the scary angels in them.  We had to move quickly through it and was reminded not to blink.  For the next stage we had been captured by the Daleks and were about to be terminated before the Doctor once again saved us.  We then went forward and were handed 3D glasses for final part of our own Experience.  As you can imagine it was another 3D short film of how we saved the Doctor and closed the rip in space. It was all very nifty and I enjoyed it quite a lot.  I think David would of enjoyed it more if he wasn't so tired. 

We then went into the museum section where all the props, clothes and equipment were displayed.  I was really impressed as most of the stuff that was on display were originals. All the Tardis keys/sonic screwdrivers were originals except for the current one, which is obviously understandable.  All the clothing was original too!  They had so much to see I really do feel like I got my moneys worth.  They had the monsters, most of the assistants and the latest Christmas special globe.  It was good that they had a colouring table as well incase children got bored.

After we finished the Doctor Who experience we went to meet my parents in central Cardiff.  I mentioned before how I was in a walking mood so we decided to walk 2 miles to the centre.  It was a nice long walk and I took a few photos of the surrounding area on my way.  When we met up we decided to go to Pizza Hut after the parents brought some shoes in Clark (I also got Davids feet measured) of course Pizza Hut was very yummy indeed (always is) afterwards I went to go to Mothercare to get David some new shoes.  On the way I spotted a Bubble Tea place!  Yay I was so happy as bubble tea cafes are hard to come by!  Sadly Jakes drink tasted much better then mine!  I also managed to buy myself some red creepers at the bargain price of £10 (woohoo).  When we got to Mothercare they did have a 2 for 1 offer on all shoes...I was glad I guessed correctly and said not to buy any incase he starts walking and I curse it...cause next week he did!  I'll leave you with some pictures below and say bye for now.  This was a pretty long post so I will talk about Thursday another day. Bye for now xxx

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