Review: Lapland Mailroom

There are plenty of Christmas websites where you can ask Santa to send your children a letter, this year Santa contacted me and asked us to return to the Lapland Mailroom, after last year I couldn't say no.

Should our children be taught to be competitive?

........and if so who should this role fall to?

Should our children be taught that competition is only ok in certain circumstances and subjects?

This Tuesday was Ben's 'sports day', one of only 3 days of the year where I take time off work to go to school and see him achieve something or perform to the best of his ability.  But this year sports day was very different, we were told that the head teacher didn't believe children should be competitive any more.  I almost thought I had misheard but no, sports day was going to be a team event rather then individual competition.    They had all survived their Reception sports day unscathed (Y1 was cancelled) but now they are in Y2 we are being told that children cannot cope with disappointment until Y6 so sports day will be changing.

This year the children were split into teams of 9/10 children and would be scoring points towards a team total at individual activity stations, when the time was up someone else went to that activity and you moved on.  Let me share how sporty some of these were with you....

Throw a bean bag in a hoop.  Depending on which hoop it lands in you get 1, 2 or 3 points for your team.

12 weeks to go .... Halloween Party Ideas

The next few months are really busy for us.....
I still have a few days camping with the boys planned with my mum in August
Back to school and the start of a new job for me in September
Both Ben and hubby's birthday's in October
Bonfire night in November
then Christmas in December.........

Before we know it we'll be singing Auld Lang Syne and hoping next year doesn't go so quickly.

Capturing precious moments with CanvasPop

I take so many photos of the boys and recently started having professional ones taken, the only

trouble is my husband takes so long to put them up that the boys have changed considerably by the time it's hung.  For this reason I've always avoided canvas prints.    Don't get me wrong though I absolutely love them.  When I left my final teaching placement the children, under teacher supervision, made me 2 gorgeous canvas' (one patterned one hand prints) that hung in my room until they sadly got damaged in a house move a few years ago :(

I may have got a little too excited when, last week, CanvasPop approached me and asked if I would like to try their service (for free).  It didn't take me long to reply to them (and check they did actually mean lil' old me!).... then I had to find a great photo.

I don't know about you but it's becoming increasingly more difficult to get my 2 boys in the same photo, and when I do to get them both with happy faces and not one looking like he is being strangled or wants to be somewhere else.
  I was stuck, I didn't want to go too far back (they change so much), I looked back over the last few months and really surprised myself at just how few pictures I do have of them both together (and how bad some of my photo's really are). I did manage to find one, after deliberation over whether I really loved it and seeking friends approval (this was not a decision to be taken lightly) I sent off my photo.

Christmas Gift Guide ...... for Her

I don't know about you but I am always stuck when it comes to the question "what do you want for Christmas" because I spend so much of my life trying to know what the kids and the husband would like that I never get time to think about me.  That and I am so money concious that I think "mmm I'd like that but do I really want them to spend £40 on something that I wouldn't pay that much for myself?

But this year I have really enjoyed looking at what there is on offer and creating my own Christmas List either of the top 5 things I would love or things I have enjoyed and think you might like, or to give you ideas for someone else.  Feel free to print it off and circle your favourites and leave for the loved ones in your life to find.

Trick or Treat?

I was young .... once

We love Halloween, we don't go trick or treating ourselves (I was never allowed as a child) but that
doesn't stop me and the boys dressing up, eating junk food and having a fab time and this year it'll taste even better as Swizzels have teamed up with Gulliver Theme's parks.

This year sees the first ever Swizzels Trick Or Treat Trail at all three Gulliver’s theme parks in Warrington, Matlock Bath and Milton Keynes throughout October half term through to Halloween weekend and we've been invited to go along and experience the spooky magic (I am already planning the outfit) on Monday.  I cannot wait to tell you all about it when we get back.

Shoutykid by Simon Mayle

"Hi there

My name is Harry Riddles and I’m ten years old, which my mum says is too young to have problems but she’s WRONG.

My dad just lost his job, so I need money to make my mega-amazing zombie movie and save this family, but there’s NO WAY I’m selling my Xbox! So I’ve written to the Queen, Harry Styles and a bunch of other famous people, who MIGHT lend me a hand, or a tenner, but so far no one’s written back…

If you have any bright ideas for making money I’d love to hear them.

Good luck and have fun.

Harry Riddles

P. S. If you wanna know how to get past level six on World of Zombies I can definitely help you out."

My boys are both shouty and obsessed with Zombies (I blame daddy's games) so when I found out about Shoutykid (full title:  Shoutykid, How Harry Riddles Made a MEGA-amazing Zombie Movie") I had to try and get a copy for our family.

Swizzels Matlow Squashies Giveaway

if you've seen my #FlashbackFriday post about the history of Swizzels and considered entering the Love Hearts competition you will be aware of the new great tasting sweet from Swizzels Matlow "Squashies".

Squashies feature the great taste of your retro favourites; Love Hearts, Drumsticks, Refreshers and Double Lollies in a new gummy format.

Love Hearts at 60!! 1954 to NOW

By far the best selling products for Swizzels Matlow are their Love Hearts. And they are 60 years old this year!!  

Just how did Swizzels Matlow Ltd develop their famous product over these years?  
Lets take a look shall we........


1950s

Launched in 1954, Love Hearts were initially put as gifts in Christmas Crackers with the simple phrase, "I love you".  In these early days the packaging was all painted by hand, they proved so popular that the range was produced as an ongoing product.



With new technology always being produced it was in the late 1950's that the first 3-dimensional messages started being produced on the sweets.

Winter Warming Recipe - Deconstructed Shepherds Pie

It's soo cold outside, we had snow this morning.  So as much as my post-Christmas body is crying out for salad and fruit my head is screaming junk food and fatty warm hearty meals.

After shopping in my local supermarket the other night I was drawn to some lamb mince.  So as part of the The Co-operative Electrical's competition for the chance to win  £750 worth of electrical goods here's tonight's very simple recipe for deconstructed shepherds pie..... ok mince, veg and mash.

I'll admit it, I am a little bit of a cheat, but I'm a full time working mum, there isn't time when I get in at 6 o'clock to make mash potato from scratch, especially when it is soo cheap to buy frozen.  I also don't 'do' quantities (as you'll know if you read my sweeter posts, such as Rocky Road) if I have it I throw it in.