Saturday Caption #SatCap

After a week of rather random weather the weekend has finally arrived - hooray! Have you got a funny caption for this rainbow coloured picture of minxy? I'd love to hear it!

Have a lovely weekend!

Discovery Fajita Kit Review

Fajitas are often on the menu in our house. Not only are they delicious, simple and fast to cook, they make food fun for the kids which generally encourages them to eat more vegetables! We love adding peppers, salad, cheese, mayo and onion to ours and when the Mini Mes can construct them themselves they enjoy meal time even more. It's an ideal family food.

We were sent a Fajita Kit to review from Discovery and the first thing I noticed was the size of the packaging. Alternative branded kits usually come in huge boxes which can be hard to store away in the cupboards but the Discovery packet is considerably smaller due to the tortillas being rolled. I think this is a great idea!

The kit contains 8 plain flour tortillas, a seasoning sachet and medium salsa. It should easily feed a family of four and is suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. If there are more hungry tums that need filling you can buy extra tortillas seperately or you could maybe make a salad or some wedges to go with them.

The instructions are simple to follow and you only need your meat/quorn, peppers and onions to to go with the kit. Cooking time is approximately 10 minutes with the veg and turkey (in our case) going into the pan to cook through and the tortillas being warmed through in the microwave for a few seconds. The mexican aroma was amazing!

The tortillas were a good thickness and we were able to fold them with ease around the filling without any tears. The salsa was full of flavour with a kick but without being overpowering and the seasoning was also very tasty. There were empty plates all round.

For more information on Discovery and their products you can head to their website

Beautiful Blogger Award

Yay! A nomination for the Beautiful Blogger Award! Many thanks to Catch a Single Thought for picking me, I'm quite proud of how my blog is looking already and I'm thrilled that somebody else thinks it looks nice too!

In order to accept this award I have to do the following:-

1. Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog.
2. Tell seven facts about yourself.
3. Nominate seven worthy people for the award and let them know.

Seven Facts About Me

1) I'm 6ft with a 34" inside leg! I never wear heels and I often get asked by people in Tesco to reach things off the top shelves for them... funny how I don't ask shorter people to bend to get things off the low shelves for me though ;)

2) I play darts. Bit of a random hobby for a woman but especially a young one I'm told. I really enjoy it though, my parents started off and I gradually got involved with it too and I now play for a ladies team.

3) I am terrified of crane flies - eek! There is something about them that really scares me *blush*.

4) I have never broken a bone and I don't have any fillings. Quite rare for someone in their late twenties I imagine. Hopefully writing this wont now mean I fall down the stairs and shatter like glass!

5) I don't drink tea or coffee. Just water or juice for me.

6) I was in a car crash when pregnant and my car was written off. I still get back pain from it sometimes

7) I had planned a home birth with my son but he was born without a midwife present. She assumed my labour would be ages so didn't appear to be in any rush to arrive yet 2 hrs and 36 mins and he was born in the sac on the en suite bathroom floor!

My nominations for The Beautiful Blogger Award:

Hollybobbs - Butterflies and pink

Mummy Daddy and Me Makes Three - Pretty birds and pastel colours

Crumbly Mummy - Fun and cute imagery

Two of Everything - Simplistic in colour yet beautiful photography

Love From Mummy - Nice layout and lovely buttons and badge

Dear Beautiful Boy - Stunning pictures

Ready Steady Mummy - Funky font and varied style in blog posts

Once you have written your post you can link it below in the comments to share if you like!

Time Tunnel #4

Take a peek at the songs, movies and news stories below and see if you can guess the correct year that they are from... no cheating!

 

Top Singles from the year:

 

 

  

 

Top movies from the year:

 

Top news stories from the year:

• A nail bomb exploded in central London injuring over 60 and kiling 3.
• Jill Dando was murdered.
• 15,000 were killed after an Earthquake hit Turkey.
• A former MI6 officer posted the names of 117 spies on the internet.
• Manchester United won the FA Cup, European Cup and Premiership title.

Personal to me from this year:

I met the man I eventually had the Mini Mes with.

 

Can you guess the year?

 

Things I never wanted to say as a parent... but do

Before I was a mummy I had visions of what my children would be like. How they would be angelic and friendly, always happy and helpful and how they would never, EVER be seen having tantrums down the sweets aisle in Tesco over a lollipop.

But our expectations and reality don't always go hand in hand do they?!

Here are a few of the things I've said despite never really wanting to!

"Don't be rude"
Why is it when you are nearly back at the car after a reasonably successful food shop, with only the checkout between you and the trip home, does 'that' person have to be infront of you in the queue. You know the one, with huge, multi coloured hair, random piercings, a considerably large bum, a strange walk or something else that makes your child feel the need to comment REALLY LOUDLY. 'Earth please swallow me now' you wish as the person slowly turns round and you know your face has turned as crimson as a tomato - eeek! It's generally only the kids being curious but at the same time it can come across as rude to whoever may hear. 'Shhhh don't be rude' is what I would say as I quickly dash to the self service tills instead!

"Because I said so"
Sometimes the endless 'Why?' from the kids can send you a little bit loopey. When you have explained over and over the reasons why climbing a 40ft tree isn't a good idea or why they can't walk to school by themselves at the age of 5 'because I said so' has been my response. I don't like to use it, it really is a last resort when they won't give up or accept what I have told them. To be fair, now that they are older they don't ask 'why?' like a broken record anyway but if they do I like to be open and explain things as well as I possibly can. Sometimes whatever you say doesn't seem adequate enough to them though and they want more than blood from a stone!


"I'll leave you behind then"
You're running late due to a child needing the toilet/not eating their lunch/being unenthusiastic to move from watching their most favourite ever episode of spongebob (delete as appropriate) and you just want to leave the house. School/the train/Gran is waiting, and there are schedules and deadlines for all sorts but there is someone slowing you down in your tracks. 'I'll leave you behind then' usually works up until the age of 4 that is, when they know that you wont and they respond with 'ok then' much to your dismay. Errrm that's not quite what you want to hear - you want them to speed up but the threat isn't genuine, you know it will never happen as much as they do!

"In a minute"
The kids are settled in bed after a soak in the tub with toys and endless bubbles, the book has been read and popped back onto the shelf. You have kissed them good night, got yourself a drink and the moment your bottom feels the soft fabric of the sofa...

'Mum, can you come here please?'
'What do you want?'
'Can you just come here please?'
'Why?'
'I need you.'
'For what? I've tucked you in and said goodnight. What do you need?'
'Can you come here please?'

Rarrrr you think to yourself. I used to go up and see what they needed so desperately straight away but it was usually 'can you pass my drink?' which is less than an arms width away anyway. I began to feel like a puppet doing as they wanted due to their laziness, like they were taking advantage of my kind nature. Now I reply with 'in a minute' by which time they are usually asleep or they will call again if they really do need me.

Have you said these things or similar to your children?
Are there other phrases you don't like to use but have?

Meal Planning Monday

Last weeks meals were spot on what we planned bar Friday, which turned out to be a turkey lasagne cooked by the Mr. The fish cakes we had purchased fresh for Friday were actually out of date, naughty Tesco, so we had lasagne as an alternative.

This week is a little different to the past few weeks. I actually had a look online for some inspiration in meal ideas and have come up with this as the planner:

Monday - Moroccan Lamb Kofte with spicy tomato sauce and cous cous

Tuesday - Fajitas (we usually have this but it gets the kids eating lots of pepper and onions so I don't object!)

Wednesday - Homemade chicken and ham pie, mash and peas

Thursday - Garlic kievs, new spuds and carrots

Friday - Hunters chicken with mixed veg and jacket potatoes

Saturday - Kids are at their dads and I'm off to a chinese buffet for a Hen party!
Sunday - Undecided but we will probably eat out.

What are you eating this week? You can head over to At Home With Mrs M to view more planners or to link up your own.

Monday Me #2

Monday is here again.... so soon booo! But last week I had some quality me time to enjoy yay.
I had an entire child free weekend - yes that's right Friday afternoon until Sunday evening without the Mini Mes and we definately made the most of it!




Friday night was a relaxing evening in. I enjoyed a bottle of Blossom Hill and we watched The Mechanic again with the very hot Mr Statham as eye candy! Definately dig the rough and ruggid look, phroar! The Mr cooked a lovely turkey lasagne for dinner (not quite what the meal planner had in order but anyway) so it was a proper feet-up-do-nothing night.

Saturday I enjoyed a peaceful lay in and was brought a Cadbury's hot chocolate in bed mid morning and sausage sandwiches. The Mr spoils me! We were going to a darts tournament but we ended up having a look around Homebase, Halfords and Argos for a few bits for the home instead as a lot of people we knew had dropped out. In the evening we headed to the pub where we met up with my brother and parents and had a few vodka and orange juices and played darts.

I woke hangover free Sunday morning yay and we had more sausage sandwiches (uh oh my waistline will suffer at this rate). In the afternoon we went to the Huntsman in Dunchurch to celebrate my cousins 18th birthday. There were 16 of us in total and the food was amazing! Despite being an all you can eat cavery I behaved and had one plate ... but then induldged with a delicious extravaganza dessert. You know it's big when the waitress asks if you are sharing. But I wasn't OINK! Oops but yum.





What have you enjoyed this week that was for you? I hope you managed to enjoy some time to yourself. You can read more about the link up here.

Please link up below and I'll pop over to your page for a nosey! You can grab the badge on the right.

Silent Sunday

Saturday Caption #SatCap

Saturday is here again and that means it's caption time! If you have a funny or witty comment for this pic of my dad in the Disney Store (the shame) I'd love it if you could share it below.

Have a great weekend - wish me luck I'm in a darts tournament today!

To Link up you own pic or to view some more you can head over to Mammasaurus.

 

Salmon and gnocchi bake

This has become a firm favourite for the Mr and I. It's rich in flavour and filling plus we both love eating fish.

Ingredients

Serves 3/4

500g gnocchi
2 salmon fillets, diced
1 tbsp tomato puree
200g philadelphia/soft cheese
Chilli powder (I add 1 teaspoon but you can add more or less to suit your taste)
1 Leek chopped
Handful of chopped parsley
Squeeze of lemon
Cheese for on top


Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
• Bring a pan of water to boil and add the gnocchi. Cook for a few minutes (it raises to the surface when done)
• In a seperate pan add the tomato puree, soft cheese and chilli. Warm gently
• Add the gnocchi, leek, approx 100ml of the boiled water and the salmon. Stir.
• Add the lemon and parsely then remove from the heat. Pour into an ovenproof dish, sprinkle on cheese and bake for around 25 minutes or until the cheese is browning nicely.
• Scoff!

You could have a serving by itself, enjoy it with some fresh warm bread or it would go lovely with a salad. It's also quite versatile as you can add a few of your fav veg in with it too (I recommend broccoli or leek!).

Cookie slabs

A delicious treat, great for lunch boxes, fab dunked in your cuppa or perfect for your picnic these cookie slabs are complete within 30 minutes! Another easy recipe that's ideal for the kids.

Ingredients

220g butter
220g brown sugar
300g plain flour
200g chocolate

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
• Combine the butter and sugar until fluffy
• Stir in the flour to form a dough
• Cut the chocolate into chunks and add to the dough. Stir it in evenly

• Grease a tray approx 10" by 12" and add the dough. Spread it out to the edges.
• Cook for around 20 minutes (slightly more or less depending upon how you like your cookies).
• Slice and serve.

Amazing served warm with ice cream!

Monster Pet Supplies - Pet review

Our family doesn't only consist of the Mini Mes, the Mr and I - the pets are important to us too!

We were lucky enough to have been sent two products for the cats, Peppa and Daisy, to review from Monster Pet Supplies and from their reactions they were very impressed with what they received.

The items arrived in lovely packaging. Green to match the cute logo and packed with tissue paper for an added touch. It felt like they cared about providing good service. I think this makes a big difference when shopping online, delivery times and the appearance of your items need to be good, which they were.

There was a little note to the cats inside with the items and we were pleased to see a soft and fluffy toy and some catnip spray inside to test.


KONG Kickeroo - £4.22


Daisy

Cats love to hunt, roll and scratch and this toy is ideal. With it's different textures and crinkle noise when squeezed it is interesting and it keeps the cats entertained. The material is soft and it's the perfect size for the cats to play with and wrestle.

It contains 'premium North American catnip' and the cats were attracted from the moment it was unwrapped. From playing for some time I would say that it's quite a robust item as it didn't seem to snag easily even been clawed and nibbled. I was pleased with the quality and value for money.

The kickeroo comes in a variety of styles so there is something to suit every taste - even a cute pink one!

KONG Naturals Catnip Spray - £4.32

This definately got the cats moving thats for sure - they became very playful in a matter of seconds after a spritz of this catnip spray! It's a great, natural product to get the cats interested in their toys, scratching posts, teasers or even balls and helps to prevent them from climbing the curtains and attacking the carpet as it keeps them occupied.

The smell wasn't particularly pleasant initially, perhaps my fault for spraying quite a bit to try it out, so I would suggest taking the item outside to spray and then placing it back indoors to help keep the scent minimal. The cats loved it though, which is what really matters, and it really perked them up and gave them some well needed exercise (they do like to just lay on top of the tv or on the chairs!). It was like renewing all of their old toys, they soon had an interest in items they hadn't played with in some time and I think because the spray is made from concentrated catnip oil a little will go a long way.

It was easy to apply with no mess and the cap keeps it secure. A great buy.


Monster Pet Supplies stock over 20,000 products at low, affordable prices. Having had a look at their site it's easy to navigate around and they even accept paypal!

Scones - Savoury and Sweet

We like to have scones as an alternative to sandwiches for lunch or as a dessert with cream and jam - yummy! This is a basic recipe that you can have either savoury or sweet. They don't take long to make either so are perfect for a last minute picnic or party.

Ingredients

8oz self raising flour
2oz butter
150ml milk
2oz cheese/sugar

Method

• Preheat the oven to around 180 degrees.
• Combine the flour and butter in a bowl and add the milk gradually to form a dough.You can add the sugar OR cheese too here.
• Split the dough into 8 balls and place on a lightly greased baking tray.
• Pop in the oven for about 20 minutes until the scones are browned lightly.
• Scoff!

How and when do you find the time to... Meme

I've been tagged by the lovely Two of Everything to continue the 'How and when do you find the time to' meme that was created by Sex, Drugs, Rocker and... Stroller.

 

Rules:

• Please post the rules.
• When answering the questions, please give as much detail as possible!
• Leave a comment on Sex, Drugs, Rocker and...Stroller, so we can keep track of the meme and I can totally steal your routine tips to make my world a happier place.
• Also if you want (and I'd really like you to!) add a little paragraph at the bottom to give a general summing up about your weekly routine!
• Tag 3 or more people and link to them on your blog.
• Tweet tweet tweet #howdoyoufindthetimetomeme

 

Here goes...

 

How and when do you find the time to...

 

....do your laundry?

 

The basket sits at the top of the stairs and when its nearly filled, generally every other day with all the Mr's work clothes too, I wash it and put it on the airer. I also do a Friday load of all the school uniform so its all fresh and put away for the following week.

 

 

....write a blog post?

 

At the moment I'm only working a few hours a week and as the kids are at school I have a fair bit of time to do as I please. I don't blog in the evenings or the weekends, that's my time with the Mr to relax together and chat - I might schedule some things to go up then though.

 

 

....look after yourself...i.e. wash your hair, paint your nails, take a bubble bath etc?

 

My nails are acrylic so they only need maintaining once a month really, which is a 40 min session at my fav beauty place Creative Nails. My hair I wash every other day and leave to dry naturally and I then straighten it in the morning before the school run. I can have a bath easily in the evening as the kids are sound asleep 8pm-7.45am.... peace!

 

 

 

 

....spend time with your other half?

 

I get the evenings with him once he has finished work and the kids are in bed. I'm not with the kids biological father, haven't been for over 5 years now, so every other weekend and 2 wednesdays a month they go to him which is our couple time. We enjoy going to the cinema, playing darts and catching up with family or just having a movie night in with some good food and wine!

 

 

....do fun stuff with your LO?

 

After school if the weather is nice we play in the garden, fields or park, go out on scooters or bikes or fly the kites. If the weather isn't so great we like to do baking an crafts indoors. We also like to play board games from time to time or cards. It's nice that the Mini Mes are 6 and 8 as they play happily together or entertain themselves too with various toys.

  

My dad, brother, sister-in-law, Mr and Minxy

....spend time with family?

 

Mondays we usually head to my Grans house where the Mini Mes and I also meet up with my Mum, Aunt, cousins etc for a catch up and lots of treats. We also pop in to the Mr's parent sometimes at weekends or my parents and quite often we will meet my parents at the pub or in town. We get on well.

 

 

....socialise with friends?

 

This doesn't seem to happen that often anymore unfortunately! A lot of them have younger children which need them at home and prevent them going out or drinking, don't have funds for one reason or another, or don't live close enough to see on a regular basis. I do see some good friends on the school run for a brief natter almost daily and catch up with close ones usually on a Thursday at the local soft play after school which I enjoy.

 

 

....prepare an evening meal juggling a baby/toddler bedtime routine?

 

I don't have this problem anymore but I used to put them in the play pen with some toys or in the highchair with some chunky crayons to doodle with. Slow cookers are the way forward though with small children.

 

 

....deep clean your house?

 

It never really needs a 'deep clean'. I do a few litle bits each day and that keeps on top of it all. I have a sort through old clothes and toys around every 12 weeks on a weekend.

 

 

....do the food shopping?

 

Recently the Mr has been going to Tesco on a Sunday for the weekly shop but I do sometimes do it in the evening online. If we need some fresh bread, milk etc then me or the Mr will pop to Co-op.

 

 

....bulk ironing?

 

I don't! I never iron, well unless something looks particularly creased. The kids wear polo tops for school as does the Mr for work and they don't need ironing.

 

Summary

 

Being organised is key. A little and often makes tasks seem easy and you wont end up with a big load sitting there with your name on, waiting to be cleaned!

 

I generally clean the bathrooms and change bedding every Friday, wash up and hoover daily which includes cleaning all work tops etc. Write a to do list if needs be!

 

 

I am tagging...

 

City Girl Gone Coastal

 

Johnson Babies

 

Patch of Puddles

 

My Funny Mummy

 

Counting Blueberries

Time Tunnel #3

Can you guess the year that I have chosen from the info below? (No cheating!)

Best selling albums of the year

Top selling movies of the year

Top news stories of the year

• Barak Obama sworn in as the first black president of America
• Australia expereince bushfires that were the worst in history
• Issues with MP's expense claims were revealed
• Michael Jackson died

Personal to me from the year

I met my Mr

Can you guess the year?

Meal Planning Monday

We have been managing to stick to our planner so well the past few weeks and I'm really pleased with the kids efforts at eating their veg and potato (neither really like any form of potato, including chips!).

The Mr did the food shop again this week with a little input from the Mini Mes and I. He asked us to pick a meal each which we did and then he got some pizzas in as well which is a fav for everyone.

I'm still after a few slimming world recipes but I guess that needs organising in advance which I am yet to do. It gets to Sunday and I'm a bit 'errrm' when it comes to having the ingredient list ready, oops!

So what's on the agenda this week?

Monday - Meatball bolognaise

Tuesday - Pizza and salad

Wednesday - Salmon and Gnocchi bake

Thursday - Turkey fajitas

Friday - Fish, new potatoes and veg

Nothing particularly exciting on the menu and it's also quite similar to last week too but if it has meant I've avoided being rammed by trolleys in Tesco at the weekend I don't really object too much! I shall have a slightly more interesting planner next week... promise!

To link up your own planner or to check out some others you can head over to At Home With Mrs M

Monday Me #1

Monday Me is my new link up all about things for you. Not the kids or Mr  - just you time. Hopefully it will encourage or help you to have a break here and there! Me time is important afterall and sometimes the fact we are people and not just parents can be forgotten.

You can link up your posts about you at the bottom, these can be anything from a holiday, new course, pampering session, book review, meal out etc and I hope that you will then pop over to read other posts too. *Fingers crossed more than one person joins in!*

If you want to read a bit more about it you can here.


My Monday Me

New job
Last week I started a new job! I left my previous one as an Editors Assistant back in April after suffering with depression and having a bit of a break down eek. After a few weeks trying to find my mojo, seeking medical help and with some great support from family and friends I headed back out into the big wide world. I'm only doing a few hours at the moment but interacting with people again is really helping and being at a school the hours are super around the children... plus I will get the summer holiday off and not need to worry about childcare fees, bonus! It's given me a sense of achievement and I'm enjoying it so far.

Back on the diet

Yep. It needs to be done, pah! Ever since we went on holiday all inclusive last year my food intake has increased dramatically and I've barely been exercising. This of course has resulted in a not-so- attractive jelly belly and it's got to the point that it NEEDS to be shifted. I weighed myself this morning and I shall be calorie counting and exercising three times a week at home and increasing my walking. Hopefully I'll be able to report back next week that I've shredded a few pounds! I want a bikini body again.

Cheeky Spartan attacking the washing

Wonder of walking
Ever since we got Spartan, the puppy, back on New Years Day the Mr has taken him out for walks or all of us as a family. This week the Mr had his bike test (and passed) so he didn't get round to walking him in the morning. Therefore me and the poochie headed out just the two of us. I actually enjoyed it far more than I expected. It gave me time to think and just enjoy some peace and quiet walking through muddy fields and woods. I think I need to try this more often. It was very relaxing and I felt refreshed afterwards, even if covered in brambles!




What have you been up to this week for you?

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Project 366, 169/366 - Marvel Madness

We headed to town this morning as the Mini Mes have been eager to spend their birthday money for some time and Jamster decided to spend some of his in the Disney Store.

He has always loved role play and dressing up (not sure where he gets that from *cough*) as various characters so he loved this. He can't wait to see Avengers when the DVD arrives.

My Dad - Happy Father's Day

Despite never really getting on when I was a rebelious child, me and my dad are closer now than ever. I really enjoy spending time with him (and my mum of course) and today being Father's Day is a special day to think about him and show my appreciation.





























He's a little bit mad but that's why I love him.... it may have even rubbed off a little, tiny bit.

He's very competitive and loves darts but still gets nervous even now.

He does love his beer - collecting bottles was a good plan dad, I may start collecting wine!

People say I am very much like him, I think they mean that I am stubborn and speak my mind too!

He's a great Pap as well.

His double?...

Love you dad
xxx

Silent Sunday

Project 366, 168/366 - WOW

We received this lovely bin lorry to review this morning from WOW toys. Jamster was keen to meet the post lady and get playing before he was even dressed. Review to follow soon.