tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35742433710864220942026-01-08T22:18:04.229-06:00Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-58854268217634783662013-05-29T11:54:00.000-05:002013-05-29T11:54:56.654-05:00

After living in Texas for 3 years, I like to think I have embraced the lifestyle! And one thing I have come to appreciate well is the charms of a classic frozen Margarita! I always thought I hated tequila... thanks to awful drinking games with neat cheap tequila back in my student days... but have been won over by this very popular cocktail here in the US. Apparently, the key is to get tequila

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-38908234608000556012013-05-13T14:59:00.001-05:002013-05-13T16:49:50.262-05:00

1. Get prepared in advance Do your research now, while the little blighters are still at school! Look up local attractions and events calendars (try your local newspaper's website, local parks, libraries, cinemas etc...) so that you can plan a schedule of things to do in advance! Use a paper diary/calendar, use your calendar on your smartphone, or create one in Microsoft Publisher. Put

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-83032163055367419462013-05-12T15:13:00.000-05:002013-05-13T14:56:45.564-05:00

While this series is aimed at explaining the US medical care system to expats, I am going to start by giving a brief overview of the government funded insurance programs that exist to support US citizens and legal permanent residents with low incomes. The reason for this is that I was utterly bamboozled by the names being bandied around when I first encountered a healthcare provider in

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-67572652892982970492013-05-10T22:22:00.000-05:002013-05-10T22:54:31.908-05:00

Gee whizz... time flies when you're having fun! It's been an absolute age since I blogged on here and I apologise for my tardiness but, frankly, I've been having too much fun elsewhere!!! However, this evening I have been 'abandoned' by Him Indoors who has headed to the pub so I thought I would sit down and spend some time writing. But what to write about? To be honest, craft projects have

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-54143434392239726222013-03-27T11:09:00.001-05:002013-03-27T11:09:41.153-05:00

One look at Pinterest will give you a gazillion fancy-pants ideas for Lego themed parties... from beautiful party favours to amazing cakes, you will see it all and more! I had a good go at replicating some of these ideas and even came up with a few of my own. However, one thing I often struggle to find when planning a party is ideas for games & activities outside the normal pinata

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-21425473904246267732013-03-26T11:40:00.001-05:002013-03-26T11:40:38.925-05:00

Wow... Easter is fast approaching!  I had planned to get this post done and published well in advance of Easter weekend, but with a trip back to the UK, and the resultant jet-lagged week from hell... all the best plans blah, blah, blah!  Easter is one of my favourite holidays!  I love it because Spring is in the air (unless you're in the UK and experiencing a blizzard), the days

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-41337065364921394762013-02-24T10:52:00.001-06:002013-02-24T10:54:53.302-06:00

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-9572216883370060142013-02-11T08:31:00.000-06:002013-02-11T08:31:56.599-06:00

The Big One is turning 8 next month and has asked for a Lego Party so I am trying to get ahead of the game and prepare some stuff while we have a weekend at home. So I have been making party favor bags in the shape of Lego bricks... super easy and very effective. I thought I'd share the printable resource I made to make it even easier for you guys! You will need... Paper party favor bags in

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-90571320236163159102013-02-10T00:00:00.000-06:002013-02-10T08:01:11.196-06:00

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-39977790636510649422013-02-09T13:54:00.000-06:002013-02-09T20:26:58.784-06:00

My kids are no different to many others, in that they have an inability to hang the hand towel back up when they have washed their hands! It is often to be found damp, and scrunched up on the counter... ...on the stool... ...or, even on the floor! It is something that easily adds to the untidiness that creeps up unannounced every day in my house. How it happens in such a short period

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-61423629036146631592013-02-04T13:28:00.000-06:002013-02-04T13:30:25.144-06:00

I am so excited I could almost burst! :-) A real, touchable, sit-on-the-shelf, pick-up-and-read-able paperback edition of my book is now available! Yay!!! I am very grateful for all the support and encouragement I have received so far... thanks so much, folks! And here it is... Also available in Kindle format by clicking here.

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-69260363217045710582013-02-04T10:16:00.000-06:002013-02-09T20:32:44.317-06:00

The Chubby Cheeks One is four, and a reluctant writer. In fact, he's a reluctant artist too and is just the sort of kid that would rather be playing active games than sitting practising early learning skills like holding a pencil, using scissors or learning to write his name. It's not that he doesn't enjoy school (he loves it) - he knows his 'wetters' [sic], loves books, singing and many of the

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-83122984302024126792013-01-27T08:50:00.000-06:002013-01-27T15:01:17.977-06:00

I am done.  Not in the sense of being 'done in', although that too at times!  I mean, I'm done writing my little project and it's finally been published!!!  Yay!!  It's taken nearly a year of actual writing but the idea has been simmering away for almost 3 years so it's a very satisfying moment to see it come to fruition.  Admittedly, the writing has taken waaaay

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-71587221889984664772012-11-21T13:03:00.000-06:002012-11-22T08:30:32.822-06:00

It's that time of year again, folks! I'm talking about that time of year when you have a lot of people to buy gifts for to thank for their help throughout the year... teachers, neighbors, babysitters, cleaners etc... The thing is that this can often get expensive and so it is always nice to find a great idea for a relatively inexpensive gift that punches above its weight! This year I have 5

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-52428499282153008382012-11-18T19:27:00.001-06:002012-11-18T19:41:00.236-06:00

I have waxed lyrical about my obsession with Pinterest before... but it's really starting to become a problem. I am getting dissatisfied with perfectly functional areas of my home because they don't have perfectly coordinated accents and creative & ingenious storage solutions. The thing is, that functional does not equal pretty. Take my laundry room slash cloakroom slash downstairs

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-44163319758094005472012-11-11T21:10:00.002-06:002012-11-11T21:10:31.113-06:00

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-52651003065859067752012-11-05T01:00:00.000-06:002012-11-05T01:00:00.718-06:00

This is just a quick post to share one of my most recent ideas with you... a quick, cheap and easy way to add lights to a cake. I was recently asked to make a fire truck cake for my friend's son's 3rd birthday party and so commenced a bit of an internet trawl for ideas... there really are some amazingly talented cake makers and decorators out there. One fire truck cake in particular caught my

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-74527934653288026712012-11-04T06:54:00.000-06:002012-11-04T06:54:32.847-06:00

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-88121431410823621192012-11-02T18:01:00.002-05:002012-11-02T18:33:04.981-05:00

I am the Queen of Over-Catering. I can't help myself. I think it's because I was a guest at a memorable (for the wrong reason) event where the catering was woefully inadequate to the point where people were jostling over the last sausage roll at the buffet. It was utterly cringe-worthy and has left me scarred for life! So I nearly always end up with a glut of food after I have hosted a party.

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-38678215213747763872012-10-28T10:30:00.001-05:002012-10-28T10:34:24.536-05:00

Maxine Cleminsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10586307150269796454noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-50886949535947938612012-10-27T08:46:00.000-05:002012-10-27T08:46:56.929-05:00

I am very excited to announce my latest project ... an e-book that I have been writing over the year and that is due to be published on Amazon in the next month or so (see the email signup sheet at the bottom of this page if you want to be notified when it's published)! The title is a bit of a giveaway, but I'll give you the lowdown anyway! Him Indoors, the kids and I left our quiet, leafy

Mama Maxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346367889810003253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-44842808665838972482012-10-25T07:30:00.000-05:002012-10-25T07:30:01.780-05:00

A while ago, I blogged an idea for storing necklaces using shower curtain hooks.  It was only as I was writing that blog entry and adding the photos that I got a little embarrassed about the state of the shelf above my neatly organised necklaces.  There was makeup items strewn all over the place.  Let's face it, ladies... makeup is a pain to store at the best of times.  

Mama Maxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346367889810003253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-7895511098311634382012-10-22T07:00:00.000-05:002012-10-22T09:17:45.987-05:00

I have been on a diet for the last couple of months in an attempt to shift some of the weight I've gained since my overactive thyroid function was 'fixed'.  Whilst Graves' Disease is no laughing matter, it did have the rather delicious side-effect of allowing me to get away with massively overeating without gaining a pound!  If it weren't for all the other nasty side effects it would

Mama Maxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346367889810003253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-24413199156274130632012-10-21T01:00:00.000-05:002012-10-21T01:00:07.731-05:00

Mama Maxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346367889810003253noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3574243371086422094.post-44741070889736656462012-10-19T10:56:00.002-05:002012-11-04T07:24:44.478-06:00

Another Halloween is fast approaching, and the Big One has come up trumps again with another costume request that initially confused me.  Last year he wanted to be the Lego Ninjago master Sensei Wu and after a bit of investigating, I was able to make a costume for him, much to his delight.  This year, he asked to be Ash Ketchum.  I initially wondered why the dickens he wanted to go

Mama Maxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18346367889810003253noreply@blogger.com2