'spiderman' cake

I was informed by my boys on Sunday that we were going to be "making a Spiderman cake today"....... reallly??!!

So we did .... and here is how we did in in case you want to try. It was the best recipe I've ever used soo moist, sweet and sugary with a beautiful flavour.
  It is taken from the "Chocolate Box" book, which has the scrummiest recipes in.  I liked this one because it used real chocolate instead of cocoa (which I refuse to pay over £2 a tub for!).
It does tell you the recipe for chocolate butter icing but we just used normal icing sugar and coloured it.

Silent Sunday - 30th March 2014

Happy Mothers Day

It's only this year that I have realised just what a controversial statement that is.

I don't think I've ever really known WHY we celebrate Mothers Day.  Of course I've always done/ received the card and present bit but it's not like Christmas.... my teacher never sat us down and told us a story about why we were making our mummy's a card or why it was never the same date/ day...... same goes for Fathers Day.  So lets start by taking a few minutes to think about the background to the 'celebration' then I'll let you know where I sit and you can leave your comments to give me your opinion.


Mothers Day (or Mothering Sunday)'s roots are not really set in stone.  It seems that different Countries celebrate the occasion on different days for different reasons.

How to be a bad mummy - part 2b - feed them the wrong breakfasts.

After last weeks Bad Mummy moment when I found out I feed my kids the wrong dinners (see here), lets see how I fare when it comes to breakfast.  You can't go wrong there can you?  I mean there aren't THAT many options to fail at ..... right?

spring is here ........ again ....... possibly??

yay we have sunshine and a little bit of warmth and for the first time this year ....... I've put the washing out on the line :)

Is this a sign of things to come?

Flashback Friday - Keypers

Not to be confused with those hideous new Secret Creepers that have been released the 80s version was far prettier and girly.

Your Keyper was where you hid your pennies and treasures from prying brothers and sisters.    Is it just me that always thought these were actually called Secret Keypers?

Modelled on animals, including snails, kangaroos, swans, horses, rabbits and turtles (to name a few) Keypers were marketed in the 80s as part toy, part treasure chest and something every little girl needed!   The secret compartment was hidden in their bellies and could only be opened by its own key.   They also came with a brush and combable hair making them part toy/ part secret box.    Each toy also had a mini toy inside it.

 

Following the success of Keypers Tonka Toys released a range for younger children (as keys and small mouths don't go well together).  The Baby Keypers came with a snappable inner compartment rather than a lockable one.

Not surprisingly Keypers came with their own range of additional murchandise such as annuals, and apparently some cartoons and a board game.

Here's a youtube of the advert from 1986.

weird connections 1

Do you get those moments when something really little will trigger a memory?  songs are a big one for me, I can instantly be transported to my Auntie's old farmhouse if I hear "I saw the sign" or eat chocolate wheetos, play me "build me up buttercup" and I am in Sporties (my university 'club'), whilst "Sk8er Boi" reminds me of working in Boots.  Walking through crisp autumn leaves remind me of walking to the local November 5th firework display as a child.  Balls of wool .... well they remind me of the time I was very sick while in year 4 at primary school.

This weeks strange moment ...... cold roast potatoes.  I opened the fridge and there they were, right were I
left them after dinner, and wow.  I was transported straight back to Christmas/ Boxing Day.  Weird right?  I mean I must eat cold roasties all the time why should they remind me of Christmas?

Do you have any strange connections?

Would you stop to help?

In a social experiment recorded for channel 5 two children pretended to be lost in a London shopping centre to see who helped them.

In the programme, Little Girl Lost, sisters  five year old Maya and seven-year-old Uma stood for an hour in a busy shopping centre in the UK on their own looking lost and worried, with their mum keeping watch from a hiding place nearby.  Out of 617 people who walked by only 1, a grandmother, stopped to check if the younger of the two girls was ok.

Part of me can see entirely why people wouldn't have stopped, we are such a blame culture.  10 years or so ago it was a completely different era, you could stop and make sure a child was ok without being accused of who-knows-what.
   As a mum I know I would be wary of approaching the girls on my own, however if I had one of the kids with me I would feel a lot more happy.   I am soo disappointed and angry that the mum with a pushchair ignore their plight and am sure she will take to social media soon enough with the reasons why she did it... perhaps like me she was shopping in a trance - so concerned with where you are trying to go and getting everything done before heading back for school pick up that I wouldn't notice if my best friend was stood in front of me let alone a small child who can become easily invisible in the crowds.

Tuneful Tuesday - Kool and The Gang: Celebration

Happy Birthday To Me!!

I thought "Happy Birthday" was a bit too original for todays Tuneful Tuesday .... so how about a bit of Kool and The Gang's Celebration?

Here's the lyrics, and a you tube video incase you need a reminder .....

Amazing Roast Dinner

I wouldn't normally blog about my Sunday dinner but yesterday I came across a couple of really great ways of cooking foods or tips that I thought I'd share.

Silent Sunday 23rd March 2014

How to be a bad mummy.... part 2 .... feed them completely the wrong foods!!

I love those random links you find popping up on feeds on Twitter or Facebook, you know the type - the ones that take you to pages of things you always knew or random funny photos.

Well the one I found the other day was for "10 Worst Dinners to Feed Your Children!", yes this woman actually posted on a site called http://www.activebeat.com/ the 10 worst dinners for a child to be fed.   I am guessing she has children and lives on a tight budget as well as working full time and therefore her advise should be well headed ........ how do you fare?!

Lets take a look at her helpful suggestions shall we.......

Flashback Friday - Playdays, Playbus, Playschool

Playdays (Playbus, Play School)

Where does it go? Where does it stop? Watch for the sign on the lollipop.....


I grew up with Playdays, but those a bit older will have known it as Playbus or Play School.   There was a slightly different format between Play School and Playdays/ Playbus but the overall aim was the same.... to create a fun educational pre-school programme for BBC.

My wish list

As it's nearly my birthday (and mothers day) hubby has asked what I want ... so here's my list, organised by shop of course to make it easier for him.

#nomakeupselfie can you help #beat breast cancer

I don't do photo's.... I don't do them WITH make up or without.  In fact if you see a picture of me you should really take note of whatever I'm saying.

But saying that I am all up for a challenge ...

Like many others I have participated in the #nomakeupselfie to help #breastcancerawareness.  Please support this fantastic cause with their research by texting "BEAT" to 70099 to donate £3.

To find out more you can visit  @BCCare or http://www.breastcancercare.org.uk/

Have you posted a selfie?  post a link to it in the comments.

Superhero Afghan - update March 2014

My 2 boys love their superheroes so I bought lots of little pixel people from Pixel Power which I am gradually stitching onto an Afghan for them.  If they are lucky it will be finished before they are 16 lol.
The biggest reason I keep putting it down is because it is SOO bulky.  Hubby has bought me a HUGE frame to stitch it in but it's just not comfortable and I don't really like floor frames.

When I put it down, back in *cough* October, I had only 5 people stitched, all have their name stitched with them.

I picked it up again last week and since then have managed:

  and  

and a square with Noahs name and date of birth on.

A lighthearted look at Parenthood

We all think it ....... and if you don't - please swap kids with me.

Slow Cooked Lasagne

An easy favourite in our house, especially with picky "that bits too hard" boys and a mum who will do anything for am easy tea.  Ok so it may not look as nice as when you make it in the oven but the taste is lovely.

Not just that but it's pretty cheap to make too.  We got a large pack (900g of mince conveniently already split into 2 halves) for half price as short dated.  The Dolmio Lasagne packs (5 family) are less than £2 in Home Bargains which is considerably cheaper then supermarkets.

How good are your school meals?

Ben's a fussy eater, when I say fussy he's your typical 5 years old.  One day he eats pasta the next he won't, one week all he wants are cheese sandwiches but next week cries if he doesn't have ham in them, I've lost count of how many times noodles are gone in and out of fashion in the last month.

Friday night MVD Daddy raised a point about free school dinners and we got onto the topic of September when they will be free for all YR - Y2 children.  He said the same thing others I've spoken to did the "picky eater" won't touch them.   I always think "yes kids are fussy but if they are taking sandwiches it'll still save a few quid for them to get them free" ....... but no ..... his LEA do not offer a sandwich option.  In fact i was astonished at the lack of choice available for the kids (and not surprised a picky eater wouldn't touch it, my boys wouldn't).

Flashback Friday - Stoppit and Tidyup

Stoppit and Tidyup 

Stoppit and Tidyup is a children's animated cartoon series that was made in Britain and originally broadcast by the BBC in 1988. Each episode was five minutes in length and each was based around a different character.

Do the pictures look familiar?  It was created by Charles Mills and Terry Brain, the duo behind The Trap Door (I'll cover that at a later date). There were lots of very lovable characters who lived  in the Land of Do As You're Told.    The names all stemed from things parents say every day. None of the characters actually speak real words instead they gabble, grunt, squeak, and hum whilst narrator, Terry Wogan, tell the tale.