7 Years

220,924,800 seconds
3,682,080 minutes
61,368 hours
2557 days
7 years

It's true that time flies when you're having fun and it still feels like yesterday I met the Mr for the very first time - him in a shirt and trousers, me in a pink ruffle dress, at a pub in Northampton. A mutual friend introduced us online and after chatting for a while via MSN we arranged a group night out. Just a week later (14th March 2009) we became a couple officially.

He is an incredibly inspiring man who is hard-working and he has always treated the Mini Mes as his own, something that is obviously so important to me as a parent. He makes me laugh and I would say that we are probably best friends too with all of the silly things we get up to. We are always attacking each other with water, a tea towel or jumping out from behind a door!

I wouldn't change a thing about him... well perhaps the snoring.

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Lalaloopsy Diaper Surprise Dolls (PLUS Your Chance To Win)

 

The magical world of Lalaloopsy has transformed favourite characters into babies and your little ones will have great fun caring for them! Each doll comes complete with a pet shaped water bottle, bowl and spoon to feed them with and when their belly button is pressed they will poop charms into their reusable, colour changing diapers.

There are 2 characters to choose from, Blossom Flowerpot and Peanut Big Top, in a variety of colours and styles. Each doll is suitable for children aged 4 years+ and includes a pretty little charm bracelet for your child to wear.

 

For your chance to win a Lalaloopsy Diaper Doll you can enter via the Gleam entry form below.

The giveaway ends at 11.59pm GMT on 29th October 2015.

Leaving a comment is compulsory but there are additional entry methods available also.

Good luck!

WIN a Lalaloopsy Diaper Doll

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Naturelly Jelly Juice (PLUS Your Chance To WIN)

Hopefully by now your little ones will be settled in their classes and having a great time with new friends, delicious lunch box treats and plenty of fun in the playground. If you're looking for something a little different for their pack ups, an after school snack or fuel for clubs, then it may be worth popping some Naturelly Jelly Juice into your basket when shopping to enjoy!

 

 

 

 Naturelly’s Jelly Juice is a refreshing blend of real fruit juice and gellan gum - a natural

dietary fibre (Gelatine free) – Naturelly has been designed to help keep little tummies

hydrated and fuller until meal time.  It’s the perfect fun treat for health conscious parents

with active kids.

 

• Contains no added sugar of sweeteners

• We’ve added Vitamins A, C and E

• Only 7g of fruit sugar per 100g pouch

• Only 36kcal 

• Suitable for vegetarians and those practicing religious diets

• Approved by the Coeliacs society

• School Approved

Each 100g pouch is easy to squeeze and due to the consistency there won't be any spillages! They come in three delicious flavours; Summer Fruits, Tropical Fruits and Apple & Blackberry.

 

For your chance to win 3 boxes of Naturelly Jelly Juice worth £45 you can enter via the Gleam entry form below.

The giveaway ends at 11.59pm GMT on 26th October 2015.

Leaving a comment is mandatory but there are additional entry methods available also.

Good luck!

WIN 3 Boxes of Naturelly Jelly Juice (worth £45)

 

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GhostHunters Comes To Cinemas

Based on the bestselling book series by Cornelia Funke, this heart warming tale of an unusual friendship, built out of the need to defeat an ancient evil, GHOSTHUNTERS is available in cinemas nationwide from 2nd October 2015.

When the often-fearful eleven year old Tom (Milo Parker - Mr Holmes) discovers a slimy green ghost in his cellar called Hugo, he is understandably afraid. However, Tom soon realises that Hugo, who is an ASG (Averagely Spooky Ghost), is not only completely harmless but also desperately in need of his help. He has been banished from his haunted house by a dangerous AIG (Ancient Ice Ghost) who has moved in and is spreading an arctic cold over the entire town in the middle of summer!

Back To School Breakfasts From Little Dish (PLUS Your Chance To Win)

With many children going back to school this week, the morning routine returns and it's important to fuel your little ones with a good breakfast to kick start the day. Although the usual pancakes, toast and cereal are of course fine, it's nice to have something a bit different and these lovely ideas from the new Little Dish Cook Book may do just the trick!

 

 

 

Colouring Books For Kids (PLUS Your Chance To WIN)

Colouring books seem to be the latest trend for adults and Jess Volinski has released the fun Notebook Doodles collection that is aimed specifically at tweens, so they can enjoy being creative too.

 

Each book contains 30 interactive colouring pages with various themes and original art that resonates perfectly with tweens. Young colouring enthusiasts will also find coloured examples for inspiration, lessons, quotes teamed with images and perforated pages all on high-quality paper.

 

 

 

The author has worked as a book designer for Scholastic, Henry Holt and Harper Collins, and has an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.  Her royalty free images have been licensed over 150,000 times and appear on numerous products, websites and advertisements.  She has also worked with high-level manufacturers in the fashion, tableware and stationery industry!

 

Handwriting Help from Start-Bee (PLUS Your Chance To WIN)

According to the Department of Education every child should be writing their names and simple sentences by the age of five and joining up their letters by seven. Fact is a whole third of a class from every primary school in the UK is leaving at aged 11 unable to do this. 

 

Melanie Harwood’s daughter was one of those 1 in 3. Her daughter’s inability to write her name cost her a place at primary school, so Harwood decided to do something about it. In the process she invented a method that teaches children the life-enabling skill of handwriting, which she currently delivers as after school clubs. In just seven weeks her Start-Bee handwriting method can get any child writing their names in a legible, neat, cursive script. 

 

 

 

Madeira Cake Recipe

 

 

 

I'd not made a Madeira cake in quite a while but on a rainy day recently Minxy scrolled through the cook books and I was happy to see her select a recipe for one to adapt. With hints of lemon and a super soft sponge it's ideal for afternoon tea. It's also incredibly easy to make so it's ideal for children to bake themselves.

 

 

Ingredients

 

170g butter

The Funny Things Kids Say and Do

I'm thankful that as the Mini Mes get a little older the less likely it is for them to say something really cringe worthy in public! I've not had any moments where my cheeks have turned crimson and I've wished for the floor to swallow me up for quite a while but there have been many times when they have made me giggle with their cheeky and quirky ways.

 

 

 

 

The Mr generally walks the dog by himself in the evenings, just after dinner, but the other day we all decided to go as a family for some fresh air. It's always nice to run about through the fields, play

Ditch The Tech... And Get A Dog!

 

 

Most people will have been mid conversation at some point when a beeping phone has interrupted the chat, someone has glanced away to check their social media accounts on their tablet or they just haven't paid attention at all due to game play on the latest console. Technology can have a big impact on family life and it may be a real distraction on a daily basis.  You might even find it a struggle to shift your children from the sofa to stretch their legs out at the park in the sunshine but Dogs Trust have now suggested that getting a fluffy companion might be the answer!

 

 

Meal Planning Monday

We are not long back from an amazing all-inclusive holiday, in Madeira, where we may have stuffed our little faces with beautiful foreign cuisine to our heart's content. Now that we back to normality however it's time to sort out the food shopping (after stepping on the scales and crying) and thinking about what we will be eating as a family this week...

 

• Monday is a quick carbonara teamed with garlic ciabatta before visiting family for the evening.

• It's Hunters chicken tuesday, which is chicken wrapped in bacon and cheddar with a BBQ sauce, teamed with chips and peas. I will probably serve up some crispy onion rings to go with it too.
  

Back To School Labels (PLUS Your Chance To Win)

The school year seemed to fly by and now as September approaches I'm preparing for another term and sending my little ones back through the gates excitedly into new classes. Like all parents, I don't want their shiny shoes, crisp white shirts and jumpers (which cost a small fortune) to go missing so labelling uniform is a wise option and something I do every summer. 

 

Petit Fernand have a great range of customisable stickers and they have kindly sent packs for both of the Mini Mes to use - there is a chance to win some for yourselves too.

 

 

Image from Petit-Fernand

 

 

Ordering is really straight forward and the website is easy to navigate. I selected the school packs which consist of 40 Iron-on name labels, 30 Stick-on name labels, 20 Stick-on name labels, 40 Stick-

Family Fun at Hatton Adventure World - npower 2 for 1 Days Out

We have been to Hatton Adventure Farm a few times over the years, not only because it's great value and local but due to the fact it's a really fun filled family day out. There is plenty to see and do with both indoor and outdoor activities available and it keeps both the young and young at heart entertained. Each time we return there seems to have been improvements made and we recently had the opportunity to visit again thanks to npower.

 

 

 

 

During the summer holiday npower are offering 2 for 1 tickets to over 900 attractions across the UK. It's a great way to reward their customers and to save parents money at what can be a stressful and expensive time of year! You just need to have a look on their website and enter your account number before taking a peek at which places appeal most to you and arranging your visit.
We settled on our favourite farm and set off in the car, although we were quite tempted by the motorcycle museum too due to the Mr's obsession with bikes too.

Bike Riding at Sunset

The shed is generally a no go zone for me. It's filled with spiders and that alone is reason enough not to enter! The sun was shining however and the Mini Mes wanted to go for a ride so I put on my bravery hat, entered and exited with their bikes as swiftly as possible (there may have a been a few shrill noises from me), and headed out to the nearby fields.

Tagliatelle with Lemon and Thyme Chicken

On childfree evenings I like to whip up quick and easy dinners for the Mr and I so we can go out or have a relaxing evening together at home. This was a bit of a successful experiment which combines some of my favourite flavours (lemon and thyme) and it was all completed within 25 minutes, including the homemade pasta, which I was fairly impressed by.

 

 

Ingredients (serves 2)

 

To make the pasta

250g plain flour

2 medium eggs

60ml water

Toilet Roll Bird Feeders - Mini Makes

Keeping the children entertained during the summer holiday can be expensive for parents but never fear. There are many free (or incredibly low cost) activities you can try including these recycled cardboard toilet or kitchen roll feeders for our feathered friends!

 

It may be a little messy but it's great fun and if your little ones love animals just as much as the Mini Mes do they too will enjoy watching the wildlife they attract.

 

 

 

 

Equipment

 

Cardboard rolls

Knife

Peanut butter

Plate

Bird seed

Ribbon (optional)

 

 

Method

• Thinly cover a cardboard roll in peanut butter using the knife (you can use a plastic one if you wish). You may want to put some newspaper, kitchen tissue or plastic sheeting down over your work surfaces before you begin to make clearing away easier.
  

Silent Sunday

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How to Help Your Kids Learn About Recycling

To many in the older generation, recycling was something that we should have been doing when we were younger—but it wasn't really enforced. Although it can seem like what we do now with our waste won't have an effect on our lives, it definitely will for our children and grandchildren. One of the easiest and best ways we can ensure our future generations are living on a healthy planet is to teach them about recycling from a young age. 

Decorate your recycling bins

Kids love an excuse to get messy! Give them a bit of artistic freedom and load them up with paints, pictures and glitter to decorate your recycling bins. Remember to have separate bins for plastic, glass and paper, and why not give each one a colour theme?

Time

  

"Take time to work - it is the price of success

Take time to think - it is the source of power

Take time to play - it is the secret of perpetual youth

Take time to read - it is the foundation of wisdom

Take time to love and be loved - it is the privilege of the gods

Take time to share - life is too short to be selfish

Take time to laugh - it's the music of the soul
 

Take time to travel - and see the world in a different light"

~ Unknown
 

 

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