A Mothers Ramblings

Lunch Plans (W/C 15/06)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:00:00 PDT

It's funny how not eating twice a week (well if you're an adult in this house) suddenly has you appreciating food more. The meals I'm planning on making suddenly seem a little more grown up, although I'm not sure what the Children will think.

Saturday - Ham Rolls

With lunch happening before we go Food Shopping, there isn't a lot to choose from but we do have ham and rolls a plenty!

Sunday - Lamb, Feta, Mint and Salad Sandwich

Daddy was reading Twitter the other night and saw a lamb sandwich that caught his imagination. We now can't find that sandwich so we've decided to make our own Lamb, Feta, Mint and Salad Sandwiches for lunch. As I'm nice I'll make a plain lamb sandwich for BB.

Monday - Chicken and Sweetcorn BBQ Wrap

This is combining yesterday's leftover chicken with some Sweetcorn and Big Boy's favourite dip. I'm hoping it'll taste great as I'll have the leftovers for lunch later this week.

Tuesday - Pizza Pittas

Tomato paste spread across the inside the pitta bread, filled with cheese and maybe a little ham and onion and then microwaved for thirty seconds makes a great pizza pitta.

Wednesday - Cream Cheese and Cucumber Bagels

I'm getting away with these Cheese bagels for now, Big Boy is still confused over what is butter and what is cheese so he eats these quite happily, especially if I remove the skin from the cucumber.

Thursday - Muffin Tin Mini Quiches

We haven't had these for a while, which is a shame as I really love making these and giving mini sized Quiches to the children for lunch. I'll team it up with some veggie sticks and something as a sweet treat. If I'm smart I'll even remember to throw a few in my handbag (in a box!) tomorrow to keep me going at Britmums.

Friday - Top Ender's Friday Lunch and Big Boy's Too!

Today's lunch is to celebrate the first day of Summer and so we're going with an egg sandwich (it'll make sense honest) which I'm hoping will leave the Children seeing how fantastic a Mum I am and not forgetting me whilst I'm away at Britmums and they are all busy having a fab time with Daddy at home. Sob.

I've not backed up my photographs for a while, which means I haven't been able to clear my memory card of the photos and this has meant that I haven't been able to take photos of lunch, but this is going to change this week as I miss showing you the Children's lunches in the morning! What have you been eating for lunch this week?

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Dinner Plans (W/C 15/06)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:39:15 PDT

It's the start of the second week with two fast days in for Daddy and I, and to be honest other than having to think up some tasty filling 500 calorie meals for us in the evening it's surprisingly easy. The Children haven't noticed seeing as how they've been eating earlier in the day anyway and I haven't seen any weight loss this week but I wasn't expecting to really.

Saturday - Baked Sloppy Joes

I really do think that this is one of our favourite meals now, it's simple to make and is a nice way to have mince other than in a Shepherd's pie or with pasta.

Sunday - Roast Chicken

Even though today is Father's Day, Daddy will still be cooking the full roast by himself. Luckily he rather enjoys it!

Monday - Fast Day - Prawn Stir fry

Daddy and I are fasting today, so I'm doing a prawn stir-fry for us in the evening. I decided on this because the amount of food you get is quite high as the stir fry vegetables are rather low in calories but high in taste with some Chinese Five Spice and Gluten Free Soy Sauce.

The Children have decided that they would like a pasta dish, so I'm making them Macaroni Cheese. I'm thinking of adding peas and hot dogs to the meal, but not sure at this second.

Tuesday - Restaurant

I'm taking Top Ender out to the Theatre tonight, so we're sneaking out a little early to grab some dinner too. Daddy and Big Boy have yet to decide what they are going to have (I'd place my money on Sausages) but Tops and I will be trying out the new menu at Frankie and Benny's.

Wednesday - Seared Chicken with Vegetables and New Potatoes

The whole family are going to have this, although knowing how BB is still thinking that Chicken is evil (despite demanding some last Sunday) I'll have something on back up for him so that he doesn't miss out on some Protein.

Thursday - Fast Day - Lamb with Fennel and Orange Salad

I've had this before, but with Pork instead of Lamb and it was quite nice, so I'm hoping that it will be just as lovely with the lamb. The Children won't go for the stronger flavours of the salad and the lamb so I'm doing them grilled lamb with sliced jacket potatoes.

Friday - Gammon with Mash and Pineapple

I'm not going to be here, seeing as how I'll be at BRITMUMS! I know, I know, I kept that a bit quiet didn't I? The wonderful Coca-Cola have brought me a ticket and a night in a hotel so I'm leaving this for the Children and I'll probably be eating the crumbs from the bottom of my handbag whilst swigging some Dr Pepper... don't worry I'll remember to eat something proper!

So that's our week, but what I do have to remember come next weekend is that we have a munch and mingle at Church on the Sunday and I want to make something on the Saturday to take... so this is my reminder and also a request to you guys to suggest something to make and take. Last time I made Home Made Hobnobs, but I feel like making something different this time.

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Also don't forget to follow my Weight Loss and Fitness Journey at Pippa World too!

Picnic Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:52:06 PDT

One of the things that I appear to be known for these days, are the lunches that I make for Tops and Big Boy and occasionally for Daddy and myself. So, it probably isn't a surprise that when we have a picnic, we kind of go all out with the different foods that we take. Big Boy and Top Ender are very certain of what types of food should be included in a picnic, as am I and when I was asked to celebrate National Picnic Week (17th-23rd June 2013) by the Unilever Kitchen by creating a recipe using products from their brands I knew what it was that I wanted to make. The only problem was I had the additional restriction of only using the foods that I had in my kitchen as I had already spent my food budget for the week.

After everyone had a good look into the hamper that Unilever sent, stuffed full of their products my family left me to it, knowing that I'd create something they'd love to eat. Apart from the pictures here, you can see some more in our Facebook album as in the end I didn't just create one dish, but ended up using almost all the products that they sent in a variety of dishes and because I know you'll love them for your picnics and packed lunches here are all the recipes for you.

Potato Salad

This is so simple, I peeled and cubed potatoes before boiling them, draining them and leaving to cool whilst I made some other dishes. I couldn't tell you how much in weight I used as I just peeled what we had leftover from the weekend. Once the potatoes were cool, I added two dollops of Hellmann's Mayonnaise and ran out into the garden to grab some chives which when snipped into small pieces and sprinkled into the potato and mayonnaise mix.

I thought that the Children would eat this, but they turned their noses up and so if I were making it again, I'd also had a tablespoon of Mustard to give it a little more of a kick as it's what my Mum used to do.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

When I drained the potatoes for the potato salad, I realised I had peeled a few too many and so reserved half to throw in the oven. I peeled a red onion and along with some cherry tomatoes added them all to a roasting tin with some Olive Oil where, I seasoned them with garlic granules and roasted. I suggested that this should be eaten along with Hellmann's Mayonnaise with a touch of Garlic, which Daddy and Top Ender heartily agreed with.

Garlic Mushrooms

I sliced and fried some mushrooms, which I mixed into a dollop of Hellmann's Mayonnaise with a touch of Garlic and that was it. The mushrooms were delicious and whilst maybe not totally suitable for a picnic, they'd be great for a burger or hot dog topping at a BBQ.

Chilli Salmon Fishcakes

I took 225g of Salmon and along with a half red chilli and Soy Sauce I whizzed in my food processor to make a paste. I then used a spoon to make 6 fish cakes which I gently fried in oil. These were served with a dipping sauce made by mixing Hellmann's Mayonnaise with a spark of Chilli with a drop of soy sauce (to own taste really) and a teaspoon of Coriander paste.

Mango Salmon

I coated a piece of Salmon in Sweet Chilli Mango Sauce and baked in the oven for twenty minutes. I then sliced the Salmon into five pieces and drizzled the remaining sauce over the Salmon pieces before serving cold. I think that this would have worked better with Prawns, but I didn't have any and I'll know for next time!

Spicy Chicken Wings

I chopped up four spring onions and mixed it with some Hellmann's Mayonnaise with a spark of Chilli. I then marinated this for a few hours in the fridge before grilling. I was expecting this to be quite spicy, but seeing as Top Ender consumed most of them and she hates spicy food, I knew that they weren't! They were nicely flavoured, just not a hit the back of your throat kind of flavour.

BBQ Chicken

This was by far the easiest dish. I cut up a Chicken Breast into bite sized cubes and then added a good squeeze of BBQ sauce. I left the chicken to marinate and then quickly dry fried the chicken in my wok before serving. Top Ender thought this was quite like the Sticky BBQ Chicken burgers I had made a few weeks ago, but it was a lot simpler and quicker to make.

Vegetable Sticks and Dip

I cut cucumber, celery and carrots into thin sticks which I made a Honey Mustard dip to go with by mixing some Colman's Mustard with Hellmann's mayonnaise and runny honey. I had intended it to be a dip, but I ended up putting it over my salad, which was delicious!

Aubergine and Carrot Crisps

Using a vegetable peeler I thinly sliced an aubergine and a large carrot into strips, which I seasoned with salt, and pepper before baking in the oven at gas 7 for 40 minutes, before turning them and cooking for a further 15 minutes. I let the crisps cool before seasoning again with more salt and pepper and served with the vegetable sticks as detailed above.

The biggest success of the night was the BBQ Chicken, which Top Ender and Daddy gave top marks to (and then the Spicy Chicken Wings) and Daddy loved the Chilli Salmon Fishcakes and the Garlic Roasted Potatoes. I really liked the honey mustard dip and the potato salad, but it has to be said that the various Mayonnaise's are the real winners of the evening as they are all so simple to use, although I'm discovering hundreds of ways to use Mustard.

If you fancy having a look at what we're eating pretty much as we eat it, then you need to be following me on Instagram and give our Facebook page a like... or of course manage to get yourself invited round to my house for lunch or dinner!

I was sent a hamper with products in, to create a recipe or rather several as it turns out.

Have you added A Mother's Ramblings to your RSS Reader? Make sure you never miss a brilliant lunch or a fantastic family moment.

Also don't forget to follow my Weight Loss and Fitness Journey at Pippa World too!

What's for Lunch (W/C 08/06)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 22:00:07 PDT

The lunches this week for me (Other than the ones listed on Saturday and Sunday) are Salads, Daddy has whatever he has at work and on our fast days we won't be eating. Well I won't, Daddy will be eating soup because he gets extra calories being a chap.

Saturday - Erm...

We actually have no food in the house and I don't normally go shopping until the afternoon as I go with my Mum... so today we'll be eating whatever we can scrounge up!

Sunday - Cheese Ham and Mustard Sandwiches

Unless you are me or Big Boy that is. I'm eating my cheese and ham with salad leaves as the "bread" and Big Boy will only be having ham, as he's pretty sure that cheese isn't a suitable food anymore.

Monday - Cream Cheese Bagels

Don't tell Big Boy that cream cheese is cheese okay?!

Tuesday - Chicken Wraps

Sunday's Chicken leftovers in a wrap and if the children are lucky some cucumber too!

Wednesday - Ham Sandwiches

I know that they only had this on Sunday, but ham sandwiches are known as a classic sandwich for a reason!

Thursday - Sausages

Big Boy quite likes when we have a low carb, high protein lunch and that's what today is. Sausages, sausages and more sausages and maybe some vegetable sticks too.

Friday - Top Ender's Friday Lunch and Big Boy's too!

At the moment I have no clue what lunch will be, so I'm going to hopefully get some inspiration when I'm shopping! If I don't, I promise that the Children won't go hungry.

What are you having for lunch this week? Do you have any ideas for what I should do on Friday?

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Also don't forget to follow my Weight Loss and Fitness Journey at Pippa World too!

What's for dinner (W/C 08/06)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 13:39:00 PDT

I've found that giving Big Boy his dinner earlier with Top Ender has been brilliant for his blood sugar levels come bedtime. Just in case I haven't made it clear in the past, or you haven't ever read the blog before, with Big Boy being a Type 1 Diabetic, we need to make sure that his blood sugars are kept at an even level (around 5 to 7) because if they are too high it can lead to a coma and death and if they are too low it can lead to a coma and death.

This isn't me over dramatising BB's condition, this is the reality that we live with everyday.

There are of course other complications that can arise from Big Boy having high blood sugars for a sustained period of time, but I'm not worrying about that just now. Right now I'm all about trying to maintain his sugar levels.

Anyway. This is meaning that the Children and Daddy and I are pretty much eating separately from each other and so makes it kind of perfect to start on the 5:2 diet which Daddy is convinced is the answer to dieting prayers... I figure that seeing as I fast on a semi regular basis already that this is going to be easy, remind me of that when I'm crying and rocking in the corner will you?

Saturday - BBQ Pork Burgers

After we had the BBQ Chicken a few weeks back, and something similar at our Picnic, I knew we had to have BBQ Pork Burgers for dinner, so I thought this Saturday would be great as we could marinate them whilst we were at our Towns Carnival and then throw them on the BBQ as the weather was remaining fine.

Sunday - Roast Chicken

Our usual roast includes, a portion of Chicken (skin removed for me), two portions of vegetables, some roast potatoes, a little stuffing, sometimes some yorkshire puddings and gravy. Daddy cooks it brilliantly and to be totally honest, it's lush to come home to it after Church!

Monday - Fast Day

Tops and Big Boy are going to have Fishfingers and peas with home made oven chips.

Daddy and I are having Garlic Roasted Salmon with steamed vegetables as we're also trying to be low carb, which I can tell you know is going to be hard for me as I love my carbs. Daddy is going to have two cup a soups during the day for calories and I'm having a pudding of fruit and yogurt as the dinner is only 300 calories.

Tuesday - Aubergine Lasagne

I'm cheating. I'm making two lasagnes, one for me and one for the Children and Daddy. The Childrens will have lasagne sheets and mine will have Aubergine strips.

Wednesday - Vegetable Curry

I'm going to make a veggie curry in the slow cooker, I'll serve the Children's with extra cream to make it less spicy and with Naan Bread to mop up with and I think that Daddy might have rice with his.

Thursday - Thai Fish Cakes

We really loved the fish cakes I made for the picnic, I'm making the children some which are less spicy (no chilli!) and I'll serve it with either rice, salad or chips depending on who it is I'm serving!

Friday - Fast Day

Tops and Big Boy are going to have home made turkey nuggets with mixed vegetables.

Daddy and I are going to have Turkey Stirfry with Vegetables.

So that's what we have for dinner this week. Are you coming round or having anything similar?

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Also don't forget to follow my Weight Loss and Fitness Journey at Pippa World too!

The Concert Effect

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:31:00 PDT

As Top Ender plays the Violin and has done for a few years now, this past School year, Tops has been a part of the School Orchestra. I love going to the School Concerts, to hear how the Children are developing their musical talents and I love that the teachers that can play an instrument are also encourage to join in the fun. Last week was what one of the other Mums and I swear is normally called the Summer Concert, although this time it was just called the School Concert.

The concert was brilliant, all the children who I know (and those I don't) performed BRILLIANTLY and it was great to see the children enjoying playing for others and realising that their talent was bringing joy to others. It's made me want to start to play, not just the Guitar (Which I will get out of the cupboard in the next few days) but another instrument. I just have to decide which one.

I used to play the trombone, I was never any good at it and then with my Brace it made it painful to play and so I gave it up. I learnt to play the keyboard, I was actually okay at this, despite not having something to practice on of equal quality at home. I gave up though because paying for lessons was expensive and I didn't see the point in paying for them once I had passed my Music GCSE. I used to sing, all the time. Properly I mean, not just out loud. I had singing lessons, I repaired my broken voice and I had a HUGE range thanks to a couple of great teachers who developed me. And then I stopped.

I'm hoping that the concert effect will wear off in the next couple of weeks, that I won't end up scouring the local Charity shops for a clarinet, or an oboe, or a flute or even a trumpet...

I'm not the only one who concerts have this effect on am I?

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Jambalaya in the Slow Cooker

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:37:26 PDT

We're trying to eat earlier than we normally do at the moment (it's part of a master plan) and so my Slow Cooker has been coming to the rescue more often than it should. I'm basically adapting all my recipes and meal plans so that the meal can be thrown in to the Slow Cooker and then be eaten when we're ready. This is how I adapted the Jambalaya for the Slow Cooker. This will easily serve four hungry adults, with possibly a bit left over for seconds.

Ingredients

Olive Oil (for frying)
430g Cubbed Chicken (roughly two Chicken breasts)
1 Onion
1/2 Sliced Red Pepper
1/2 Sliced Yellow Pepper
1/2 Sliced Green Pepper
2 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1 Red Chilli, (Large) chopped finely
400g Long Grain Rice
900ml Chicken Stock
1 Chorizo Sausage, sliced (Circles)
400g Chopped Tomatoes
100ml Water
230g Prawns

Method

Gently fry the chicken pieces in a little olive oil over a medium heat, whilst you finely dice the onion.

Add the chopped peppers, the chopped chilli, the can of chopped tomatoes and the crushed garlic to the slow cooker.

Remove the chicken once browned and add to the slow cooker.

Add the onions to the frying pan and sauté until soft. Whilst the onions are being sautéed, cut the chorizo into circle slices, I found it easier to cut it using scissors, and add to the slow cooker along with the onion and the chicken stock

Add the rice and stir well, to ensure that all the rice is covered by the stock.

Turn the slow cooker to high and cook for two hours, before adding 100ml of water and stirring well again. Turn to low and cook for a further twenty minutes.

Turn off the slow cooker ten minutes before serving, just after you add the prawns to the dish. Again stir well.

Serve with a Salad or piled high in a bowl and try to get your husband to stop singing Jambalaya...

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Also don't forget to follow my Weight Loss and Fitness Journey at Pippa World too!

Back To School Lunches (W/C 01/06)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 09:01:43 PDT

This week we are back to School (well the Children are, I'm going to still be at home) and so we have some lunches to celebrate this!

Saturday - Fish Finger Sandwiches

We are all big Fish Finger fans and sandwiches, when filled with fish fingers are the best. Especially if there is a lot of butter and ketchup and salad involved.

Sunday - Ham Rolls

I'm fasting today (it's Fast Sunday, as it is the first Sunday of the month) so Daddy will be making lunch for the children and himself and I'm hoping that he'll be making ham Rolls, because they don't smell strongly and won't make my hungry!

Monday - Cheese Sandwich

Top Ender is off to a Music Day today and so I'm doing her a special music themed lunch. Big Boy and I will be at home, so we'll be having a treat together that isn't the Cheese sandwich!

Tuesday - Chicken Wrap

Today is the first day back at School and having a Chicken wrap isn't really to celebrate, but is just to use up the Chicken from Sunday.

Wednesday - Tuna Sushi

The sushi sandwiches that I make are always well loved by Tops and BB as they eat them quickly because they are bite sized and look great. I love making them with Tuna because it's an extra portion of fish during the week and it also means that my salad will taste great today!

Thursday - Picnic Lunch

With it being a bit wet and miserable last week, we didn't get to have our lunch outside other than on the Bank Holiday Monday, so to make up for it they can have a picnic at School today.

Friday - Top Ender's Friday Lunch and Big Boy's Too!

Today is the anniversary of Gauguin's birth, but I'm not creating a masterpiece for the children to eat, nor am I creating something to celebrate Bear Grylls birthday... no today I'm celebrating something much more fun.

Have you added A Mother's Ramblings to your RSS Reader? Make sure you never miss a brilliant lunch or a fantastic family moment.

Also don't forget to follow my Weight Loss and Fitness Journey at Pippa World too!

Evening Meals (W/C 01/06)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:37:26 PDT

This is the last week of the six week diet that I put the family on... well technically just Daddy and I as Top Ender and Big Boy got more calorific dense food at lunch and puddings so that they were having the right amount for them as growing children. Anyway Next Saturday I'll be able to weigh myself again, so that'll be good!

Saturday - Chinese Duck with Noodles

We really enjoyed this the other week. I have to admit that Duck is one of my favourite meats and despite what everyone thinks about it being a terribly fatty meat I say that just means they aren't preparing it right!

Sunday - Roast Chicken

Daddy is so great at cooking the Sunday Roast now, I'm not sure what is going to happen next year when I'm at Church in the morning and could take over preparing it again!

Monday - Meatless Monday - Baked Potato

We're serving this with beans and a little cheese and a side salad. I think that if we only ate a jacket potato once every six weeks that Daddy would be quite happy. I'll do the potatoes in the slow cooker as I do love having them slow cooked as they are so easy to do!

Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Breast

I'm having mine with potatoes and sweetcorn and peas as I do love a colourful mix on my plate, and I still believe that if you eat more colours you feel more satisfied.

Wednesday - Tagliatelle with Meatballs

The children love meatballs and I think that this meal is going to be a big winner with them as it combines not only pasta but the aforementioned meatballs. At only 475 calories per portion, I think that it's a good evening meal too. There will of course be plenty of Salad to eat with the meal, but I think only Daddy and I will be eating it.

Thursday - Chicken and Ham Potato pie

We're serving this with carrots and greens as of course the pie is rather carb loaded having a potato topping. The sauce it is in is a mushroom and garlic sauce, so there will be plenty of flavour and mushrooms for the children to complain about.

Friday - Salmon Fishcakes

The recipe that I have and will follow for the most part is 417 calories per serving, which along with a salad will be very welcome on a Friday evening. I'm hoping that it might be warm so we can eat in the garden... especially as I'll be having a weigh in tomorrow morning and will want to know if I've lost a stone in the last six weeks!

So that is this weeks meal plan, what are you planning on having?

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Gluten Free, Egg Free, Butter Free, Chocolate Cake

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Wed, 29 May 2013 22:00:03 PDT

Daddy has been making a lot of Cake in the last few weeks, he has come across a method, which for him is producing rather marvellous cakes and so knowing that a lot of the friends of my blog are also living gluten free I thought you'd like to have a copy of the recipe too. This is similar to the Gluten Free Chocolate cake that Daddy used to make, but this one tastes a lot nicer according to him.

Ingredients

180g Vegetable Oil
40g Milk
2tsp Vanilla Essence
200g Caster Sugar
3tbsp Cocoa Powder
4 tsps of No Egg dissolved in 2tbsp Water
200g Self Raising Flour (Doves Farm mix is what we use)
1tsp Bicarb of Soda
1tsp Baking Powder

Filling (Not Butter Free)

60g Butter (softened)
80g Icing Sugar
1tbsp Cocoa Powder

Topping (Not Butter Free)

50g Chopped Chocolate (High Cocoa Solid content to allow to set)
30g Butter
1tbsp Golden Syrup

Method

Instead of using butter, this cake uses Vegetable Oil and Milk and is done by weight, so don't try measuring it out!

Mix together the oil, Vanilla and Milk before stirring in the sugar. Add the Cocoa Powder and mix well to ensure that the mixture is... well mixed!

Fold in the No Egg before folding in the flour, the bicarb and the baking powder.

Lightly grease two 7" baking pans, before distributing the cake mix between the two pans and cooking in a preheated oven at gas mark 5 (375 degree F) for thirty minutes.

Allow the cakes to cool by first leaving them in their tins for 10 minutes first, before cooling for thirty minutes on a wire rack.

Make the filling by mixing the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder, before spreading on one of the cakes and sandwiching them together.

Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in the microwave (short bursts) and mix them together, before spreading over the top and sprinkling Chocolate drops on top (if you have them in the cupboard!) to make it even more decadent.

As you can see the cake look delicious and are very nice with a glass of milk and perfect for satisfying late night chocolate cravings!

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The MoneySupermarket Inspect A Gadget Kobo Mini Review #InspectAGadget

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Wed, 29 May 2013 13:27:43 PDT

One of the first things that I pack when I'm going on holiday is a book, actually it's normally a couple of books, they go in my hand luggage and in my suitcase (well my backpack) and they are perfect for when the Children have gone to bed and Daddy and I have nothing to do other than try and find an internet signal, watch something on TV, go to bed ourselves or talk to each other! I've thought about getting an E-Reader, as a lot of my friends have them, and they throw in their hand luggage when they are off on holiday (or trips out) so that they have not just one of their holiday books with them but hundreds, but I wasn't sure. Some of the e-readers that my friends have are really expensive and I'm worried that if I got one that whilst I'm on holiday I might accidentally leave it behind or drop it in the sand or the sea or something.

And then MoneySupermarket came up with a great idea to review budget gadgets perfect for taking on holiday as part of a little competition and they even said they'd buy me a Kobo Mini E-Reader so I could take part in reviewing. The reason I think this is so great is with a budget gadget if I did lose it, or break it or leave it behind that it isn't the end of the world. Sure it is an expense, but it's one that I could sort of afford to replace.

Now if you aren't like me, then the offer by the staff in WHSmiths (You can buy it elsewhere) to set up the Kobo Mini might be a good thing, but in all honesty once you connect the Kobo Mini via a USB cable to your PC it's so easy. It tells you what to do and has a really simple interface so you don't need to be worried if the staff don't offer to set it up for you, or if you buy it online. I brought a few books and very easily managed to put them on the Kobo Mini and I even managed to transfer a few epubs that I had of downloaded books from some tech sites that I subscribe to.

The next part was to see how easy the Kobo Mini is to use. Daddy had a go, and didn't find it easy to use, but I think that was down to the size of his fingers to be honest. My S-MIL, had a go and it took her a while to get used to the E-Reader and she decided in the end that she'd stick with paper copies as they were easier. My Mum had a go and loved that not only could she make the text size as large as she wanted so that it was easy for her to read without her glasses or when she was wearing them, but that she could read more than one book at a time (a bit of Tina Fey during the day and a bit of Steve Jobs before bed) and that the Kobo would remember where she had got up to.

I love the Kobo Mini because it is small enough that I can throw it in my handbag so that it's available when I have a spare five minutes but also it is so light (134g) it isn't going to take up all my own luggage allowance. It is a great size to hold (and is still a good size despite having a 5" screen compared to other E-Readers 6" screens) and the quilted back means that it is nice to hold for extended periods of time.

After having read other reviews of the Kobo Mini I changed the full refresh frequency (basically in order to save time and battery the Kobo doesn't "clear" the text from the page when you turn the page and this can lead to ghosting in the background) and didn't experience the ghosting that some reviewers have noticed.

I haven't had to charge the Kobo Mini yet, as the battery is good for one month, which is perfect for taking away as you don't have to worry about it going flat if you charge it before you go and as it holds 1,000 (2gb memory no SD Card) that's plenty of reading time!

If you are looking to buy an E-Reader than I do recommend the Kobo Mini, because at £50 it's an affordable alternative to some of the more expensive E-Readers and does exactly what you want an E-Reader to do.

MoneySupermarket gave me payment to buy the Kobo Mini E-Reader.

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Busy Doing Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 28 May 2013 22:00:02 PDT

I read a news article this week that said something along the lines that time doesn't fly when you're having fun, that you are just more likely to remember what you do when you have fun in detail and subsequently over estimate the time it took. I'm not sure if this is true, but I do know that this Bank Holiday Weekend seemed to pass in the blink of an eye whilst we were busy doing nothing.

Spending time with family is one of mine and Daddy's top priorities. We make sure that even though we have chores and jobs and other responsibilities that we spend time with the children. We do this so that we can let them know that we put them first, that we think they are important and to show them that we love them, after all it's by our actions that we show love, not just by words.

In the future, it's going to be these short moments that we spend time together that Top Ender and Big Boy are going to remember. It is what they are going to base their own parenting moments on (either to do the exact opposite or just the same) and how they remember Daddy and I after we have died.

So during this week of School Holiday, Tops, Big Boy, Daddy and I are going to be busy doing nothing. Creating memories full of love and happy times and hopefully teaching each other that we are the most important things in each others lives.

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Bow Brickhill Woods

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 28 May 2013 01:56:14 PDT

I think I've said it several times before, but it isn't going to stop me saying it again. Milton Keynes is a great place to live and a great place to bring up your family. One of the many wonderful things that makes it so great is that it is a city (okay so we don't have official city status yet, but the Queen and I have been in talks and I'm sure she'll bestow it upon my town soon) in the middle of the countryside. We have great views, just a few minutes from our doorstep and Bow Brickhill Woods is one of those fantastic views. In fact from the Children's bedrooms we can see the woods... well sort of. You'd have to know just where to look, but you can see the tops of a few of the trees!

On the last Bank Holiday Monday in May the weather remained glorious here in Milton Keynes (if not a little blowy, but hey this is the UK we can't have everything) and so we headed off for a walk around the Bow Brickhill woods. I spent most of my time, admiring the views instead of taking photographs, but the circular walk that we went on was a pleasant stroll for the four of us, even though we had to dodge a few boggy parts. We started off at All Saints Church, which is a little hidden in the woods now but once was a lot more visible. The only fact I know about the Church is that a Hymn was written in honour of it by Sydney Nicholson and I heard it once.

We found some swings hiding in amongst the trees, which Top Ender was only too pleased to clamber up on although Big Boy decided that the safer plan was to just watch. As Top Ender could only just get on the swings (and not off again) we did think about leaving her stuck on the swing until the end of our walk, but we're not that evil. Not this time anyway.

We took our monoculars with us, so we were able to spy lots of different birds and butterflies. Big Boy was particularly pleased with his, and took it upon himself to warn us all of the dangers of looking at the sun through monoculars as in his words;

"YOU MIGHT GO BLIND BY LOOKING AT THE SUN, SO DON'T LOOK AT IT EVER! OKAY?"

I'm glad that he has at least paid attention to one thing I've told him in the past.

The whole woods is home to several different plants and trees, thanks to past use of the land but there weren't that many flowers about. We saw a few bluebells although nothing like we saw in Bluebell woods and the odd golfer (FOUR!), a few joggers with dogs and Daddy didn't try to kill us all by getting us to walk up an incredibly steep hill... oh wait HE DID! I swear, my husband has no sense of direction, he really should let me be in charge of our walks rather than relying on a map on his phone.

We were able to stick to the paths for the most part by following the right of way signs (the yellow arrows) and some circular walk signs too. There are blue bridleway signs, but we didn't see any and despite seeing plenty of no bike signs we did see several Mountain Bikers, but at least they were polite about us having to get out of their way or else be run over by them.

There are some more photos of our walk on the A Mother's Ramblings Facebook page, and we'll be up in the woods again (although not for a few weeks as with it raining again we want the ground to dry before we start walking up there again) to find some geocaching sites that are allegedly up there (forums are saying they might have gone) and to hopefully confuse the children into going on the six mile walk.

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Rushmere Country Park Stockgrove Entrance

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Sun, 26 May 2013 22:00:03 PDT

With it starting to get warmer again (honestly, we've turned the heating off it must be getting warmer) we're back off on our family walks in the evenings. We're just going to have to work out how to make sure that we get Big Boy fed at the right times so that we can keep his blood sugars steady and not be eating dinner at the time he is normally going to bed! A couple of weeks ago we went to a country park that I used to go to a lot as a child with my family, although it's changed a lot since I was last there. When I was last there it was called Stockgrove Country Park, but despite the name change it's still as beautiful and as fun to walk around as it was when I was young.

The park is on Brickhill Road in Heath & Reach and there is a £2 parking fee, which you pay as you leave the car park. During the Summer months you'll find a lot of cars parked on the grass verges outside the park, so from memory the best times to go are either late in the day or very early as all you'll meet then are the Dog walkers of the Leighton Buzzard area. The other option of course is to go to the Rushmere Park entrance as it is set up to handle more visitors, but I'll post about that park in the next couple of weeks!

There are plenty of signs giving you directions to different interest points in the park, and we decided to head off down to the Lake as we knew that there were Koi Karp in the Lake and thought that the Children would enjoy it. On our way down to the lake we passed several signs that gave us information about what was going on in the park

The Children got to sit on benches that I used to sit on and look at trees that I had seen when I was their age (well Top Ender's age as we moved to the area when I was seven). They got to run around and see Squirrels and birds and flowers, and fish and insects and people walking dogs who were polite and said Hello.

After our walk round the lake, we headed up to the Stockgrove Sundial, where the Children had great fun trying to work out what the time was and climbing on the markers. They have decided that they would like one in our garden, but I'm not so sure that it would work. For a start our cats would probably end up staking it as their own.

As I mentioned, the area is suitable for Dog Walkers and there are plenty of signs saying where the dogs are allowed off the lead, on the lead and not allowed at all. There were plenty of walkers when we were there and we saw all of them being responsible and picking up their dog mess, so we felt comfortable letting the children run ahead without having to warn them to look out for poo... although there was a lot of rabbit poo around!

It's a pleasant walk around the park, and it's easy to forget how close you are to "civilisation" despite being so close to major routes. We'll be back to the park, hopefully several times over the next few weeks, but of course the weather will have to really warm up first!

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Half Term Lunches (W/C 25/5)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:00:03 PDT

I love half term weeks and this week coming is, for us half term. This means that lunches may be swapped around depending on what we are doing and where we are, but also based on how much the Children moan at me that they want something different!

Saturday - Sausage Rolls

Last year, Top Ender and I went for a day out together where we had Sausage Rolls from a greasy spoon type cafe. These were, according to Top Ender, the best Sausages that she has ever had. So as today I'm not doing my Mum's shopping with her, Tops and I are going to go and have a girlie lunch out.

Sunday - Salad and Ham Rolls

Well Daddy and I will be having the Salad, the Children will probably ignore the green bits and just eat the ham roll.

Monday - Carrot and Cheese Sandwiches

I don't think that we are going anywhere special today, but just in case I'm going to plan Sandwiches, as that way if we do go out they are easy to pack up as a picnic.

Tuesday - Chicken Wraps

It seems to be the thing to have on a Tuesday, but they are lovely and the Children do love them!

Wednesday - Cheese and Cucumber Pittas

Big Boy has asked for these this week, he loves how they are self contained little packets and I'm pretty sure that the fact that they remind him of Kebabs is another reason he loves them.

Thursday - Noodles

We love noodles, it doesn't matter if they are Ponyo noodles or Super Noodles, as long as they are noodles we don't mind! I am going to do Ponyo noodles though!

Friday - Top Ender's Friday Lunch And Big Boy's too!

It's a repeat of a lunch we've had before, but Tops and Big Boy are going to be making this weeks special Friday lunch... maybe they'll make one for me!

So these are our lunches for the week, served with plenty of fruit and veg and more than likely swapped for something else in the house when the children complain!

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Snail Rolls - Top Ender's Friday Lunch And Big Boy's Too!

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Fri, 24 May 2013 00:22:23 PDT

It's been a while since I've explained how to make a Friday lunch, mainly because my Friday lunches have been a bit rubbish of late! Today however we have Snail Rolls for lunch for national escargot day (it's American don't worry you've not missed something huge happening to the British) and they turned out fairly lovely!

To make the rolls, I simple used the play-doh method and made a sausage out of my dough and then wrapped one end round into a spiral to imitate the shell on the Snails back. Simple enough, but has already generated some conversation with some friends who saw the pictures first thing this morning... I guess it was early and they were confused.

I split the buns in half, and placed a slice of ham inside the spiral, leaving the snails head attached to help the roll keep it's shape. The lunch is accompanied by a Snail Cucumber and in the orange pot (it used to hold lollies, but I have re-purposed it!) is one of the Cocoa Meringues that I made yesterday (recipe and instructions on our Facebook page which is where the link goes).

I think the Children are going to love their lunch and you can see more pictures in our Facebook Snail Rolls album!

Dinner Plans (W/C 25/05)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:37:26 PDT

I've found that working from a set of meals so much easier to meal plan, I know that I asked a few weeks back about what people thought about set meals for a family on a monthly or weekly basis, but I think that I really am going to have to investigate this! Anyway, this is week five of the diet, so not long until I can weigh myself and see how well it has worked!

Saturday - Chicken Satay

We love Chicken Satay! I haven't made it for ages though so I'm looking forward to making it tonight with rice and salad.

Sunday - Roast Chicken

I do love a Sunday Roast and it is still a highlight of the week, even though we've got some great meals planned this week too!

Monday - Meatless Monday Curry and Mac and Cheese

Daddy and I are going to have the leftover curry again tonight (it's all gone now) and the Children are going to have Mac and Cheese as it is one of their favourite dishes.

Tuesday - Lamb Moussaka

It was Daddy who first introduced me to Lamb Moussaka, and I'm pleased to say that not only do I love it but that I'm pretty sure that the children will too because it is so similar to Lasagne (well in my mind).

Wednesday - Baked Fish

The meal plan suggests a breaded fish fillet and whilst that is fine for the children and I, Daddy won't be able to eat it... so I'm not quite sure what he is going to eat but I do know that it will be fish! I've been thinking about making something with red onion and tomatoes so hopefully something tasty will come of it!

Thursday - Cheesy Gammon Pasta

We really enjoyed the gammon pasta a couple of weeks back, so we've got it again tonight. As it is easy to make, the Children are going to help make it tonight.

Friday - Jambalaya

I'm pretty sure that I've never made or eaten Jambalaya before, but this Friday we're trying it out for the first time! The recipe looks fairly simple and I hope that it will taste great as I can imagine that the flavours will mix well together.

What are you eating this week?

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Hullabazoo at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:00:06 PDT

Whenever we go to my Mums we get to see Whipsnade Zoo, or rather the Lion on the Hill at Whipsnade Zoo. It cheers us up no end on sunny days and we always want to go and visit, and yesterday we got to go to go to the VIP launch of a brand new outdoor adventure play area which officially opens on the 25th May 2013.

The park has been designed around animal movement, which is great for talking to the Children about what animals move like and why and also for letting them burn off a bit of excess energy before going to see one of the shows (the Birds and the Sea Lions were the two we went to) or to warm up on a cold day... Top Ender was rather pleased to be the first child into the park (that we know of) and loved the different areas. She was climbing and sliding and jumping within seconds of walking through the gate and you can see all our photos from the day in our Facebook album. Here are just a selection of the 100 or so that we took.

Newly turned Five Year Old Big Boy preferred the area for younger Children, mainly because it was his size, but also because he was a little over whelmed by the larger pieces of equipment.

Daddy and I were just amazed at the dexterity that the Children were showing on the play equipment and the rest of the day as we walked around the park, we were able to talk about how the Children had seen examples of how the animals moved and it was a great learning tool.

I'm just wondering how long it will be before, Big Boy asks for something similar in the back garden...

We received free admission to Whipsnade Zoo.

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Evita - A Review

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:00:06 PDT

I don't think there is anyone who doesn't know at least one or two lines from at least one song from Evita, which is why I was really excited about going to see it at Milton Keynes Theatre because I know all the words, lines and songs from Evita.

The other benefit, for my Mum in particular, was that Marti Pellow is in the show as she has always had a little bit of a thing for him. I chose not to mention that I had seen him in Blood Brothers a few months back or she might not have brought me an ice-cream in the interval!

The great thing about the show, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, isn't that it is so well known thanks to the film that came out a few years ago, or that it has Marti Pellow in, or even that it is based on the real life of Eva Peron but that the actors are all comfortable in their roles and work well together. I could hear other audience members around me talking about the chemistry between al the actors and I got lost in the musical and the relationships that were unfolding on stage.

The show is in Milton Keynes until the 1st of June 2013 and if you're up for a night out then make sure you book tickets soon!

We were given two press tickets, to review the show.

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Parental Guilt

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:48:55 PDT

I'm feeling guilty at the moment.

For Top Ender's Ninth Birthday, I had planned on having a small meal for her with her friends at a restaurant. I'd be there as a parent, but I wouldn't sit at the table with them and they could basically have a lovely "grown up" evening together.

Then with one thing and another it didn't happen. In fact Top's didn't even get a birthday cake.

She got gifts of course, and a lot of money, and a lot of love and she even took over the Facebook page for the day (which she loved) and we did eventually make a cake that we said was to make up for her not having a birthday cake.

Top Ender is so adorably forgiving though, she didn't care that she didn't have a party with friends. She didn't care that she didn't have a cake. She just loved that we love her and that we were with her on her birthday.

I'm still feeling guilty though.

So next week I'm taking Top Ender out for a special meal out.

I'll let her have a mocktail or two, I'll let her have what ever it is she wants from the menu including a starter, a main meal and a pudding, if that is what she wants. I'll spend the time with just her, no talk of Daddy or Big Boy (unless she wants to), no mobile phones or tablets (her distractions of choice) and we'll talk and giggle and flirt with the waiter (she is a right flirt) and have fun together.

Maybe then I'll start feeling less guilty.

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I always make time 2 play

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Sun, 19 May 2013 22:00:04 PDT

When we come out of School, one of the first questions that I ask Big Boy is What did you do today? Normally Big Boy answers "Just Playing!" and hopes I will leave it at that. Some parents might, but I know that "Just Playing" is actually code for learning when you're five and so I ask some more leading questions about what sort of things he played. It is because I know the importance of play that I was pleased to be a part of the Make Time 2 Play Campaign with the British Toy and Hobby Association’s Make Time 2 Play Campaign.

I was lucky as a child, my Mum knew that playing wasn't a reward or a waste of time, but it was a way that my Sister and I learnt best. I've tried to carry it on the way she taught and the way that experts have discovered to be the best way to help Children learn too. Research shows that if you incorporate themes into children's learning it makes the experience more memorable for them and less scary and then they will be more willing to do it again and again. And with the children being more willing to learn in a setting like this it helps them to develop skills such as problem solving and develop their attention span, social development and their creativity.

Of course we also do it at home too, but the next time you hear a child saying that all they did at School was play remember that what they actually mean is they were learning... they just didn't realise it!

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Déjeuners of the Week

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Fri, 17 May 2013 22:00:05 PDT

This week I'm planning on having Salads, I've done a couple of weeks of Chicken and a week of Prawns but I think that this week would be rather nice with lots of added vegetables in the salad... although I have no idea how that is going to work.

Saturday - Picnic

We're out at Whipsnade Zoo today, so we're having a picnic. The great thing about this is that we have sandwiches, a few sausages, crisps, fruit, some home made cakes and even a salad! Now if we can all keep our fingers crossed for Sun instead of the rain that is forecasted it will all be good!

Sunday - Meatball Subs

For some reason I've had a bit of a meatball craving, so I've decided to do meatball subs for everyone, although I'm not going to do a footlong one as I once had one from Subway and nearly died eating it! I'm out for most of the morning with Tops at Church, so I'm hoping that if I put the meatballs in my slow cooker that by the time I'm home they'll be ready.

Monday - Meatless Monday - Bagels

The lunch for the Children today is a Cream Cheese Bagel. I'm hoping that Big Boy's aversion to cheese at the moment doesn't extend to things like Dairylea!

Tuesday - Chicken and Sweetcorn Pittas

I'm hoping that the pittas today with a touch of sweetcorn will help both the children to have an extra portion of vegetable without them noticing, but also will allow them to have a bit of variety from the usual Chicken Wrap on a Tuesday.

Wednesday - Pizza Wraps

I think that the Children like these as much as I do. They are so simple and fun to make that they often help me, and I think that is a great way to get ready for the day when they will be making pack lunches for themselves or possibly their own children.

Thursday - Hot Dogs

I was looking through some of the lunches that I have done for the children over the last two years and the Hot Dog Rolls jumped out at me as something we hadn't had for a while. I might be using proper sausages instead of Hot Dogs though, as I do love the 100% Beef Sausages that we found a while back.

Friday - Top Ender's Friday Lunch and Big Boy's Too!

According to the wonderful calender my SMIL made for me for Christmas, today is USA Escargot Day. I'm not saying a single thing about how she would know such a thing as that, but I will say that it has helped with today's theme!

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Evening Meals (W/C 18/05)

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:37:26 PDT

Week Four of the diet. I'm sticking firm to my decision not to weigh myself until the end of week six, so I can't really say if it's having the right influence on me but my clothes are feeling a little looser!

Saturday - Gammon

Every time we eat Gammon we wonder why we don't eat it more often, and I'm sure that tomorrow won't be that different! We're serving it grilled with new potatoes, broad beans and pineapple.

Sunday - Roast Chicken

I'm getting used to only eating a small amount of dinner compared to what I was eating, but I don't understand how the portion sizes of the food made during the week are so big compared to this one which is so small!

Monday - Meatless Monday Pizza or Curry

When I made the Aubergine and Lentil Curry in week one, there was so much left over that I froze it for a night such as this. I'm off out this evening to the Theatre with my Mum, so I needed something quick to for dinner. The Children are having pizza because they really weren't that keen on the Curry!

Tuesday - Fish Fingers, Chips and Peas

When we had this for our Saturday meal I was surprised at how tasty it was. I think that I just don't really think about such a simple meal as being so tasty and satisfying and filling!

Wednesday - Veggie Burgers

I'm going to make the burgers myself because the veggie burgers that you can buy on the UK market are not gluten free, but this has the additional benefit of me knowing exactly what goes in them. We had a brilliant veggie burger at Camp Bestival a few years back and so I'm hoping that mine will be as good if not better!

Thursday - Tuna Kedgeree (minus the egg!)

I'm really missing different kinds of fish, but the menu plans that we are following from the book tend to stick to tuna. I'm guessing that this is because it is an easy to get to fish, as in everyone can buy a can of Tuna and also because it's relatively inexpensive.

Friday - Turkey and Mushroom Pie

I'm really rubbish at making gluten free pastry, so I'm going to cheat and buy some of the frozen stuff, but this pie with broccoli and potatoes as a side will still count as being home made right?!

So that's the meal plan for this next week, what do you think? I still don't think it looks like a diet meal plan do you?!

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How To Be Happy

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:37:26 PDT

I was looking at some of my most popular Facebook posts on my personal Facebook page the other day and I saw that in recent times it hasn't been the questions about food (all those who know me on Facebook love the questions about food!) or getting to laugh at me but the post where I said I was grateful for my life.

I wondered why this was the most popular and I realised it's because that's the one thing that all of us have in common. We all want to be happy, to be grateful for the life that we have and sometimes it takes one of us going through a rather bad situation to make all the rest of us realise that we actually lead for the most part a pretty brilliant life. Rather like my Rules for a Good Family Life, I thought I'd set out some rules I think that need to be applied to be happy.

Make Today A New Start

Let go of the past, of yesterday if needs be and start moving forward today. It doesn't matter if yesterday was terrible, the situation will change if you let it.

Love (Part One)

Love your family and friends and let them know. Send them letters (proper written ones from time to time), leave them notes, phone them, send them the occasional gift (doesn't have to be expensive) and pretty soon you'll realise just how much you have to be happy about.

Love (Part Two)

Find something you love to do. It might be singing, so join a choir or sing in the shower. It might be painting or gardening, or exercise or listening to music, but whatever it is make sure you schedule time for you to do it.

Make Friends

Find people you can share with, it might be that you find someone online who has the same taste in wallpaper, loves the same TV shows and hates slugs like you or it might be that you see a parent in the same playground every week. Happier people have more friends and people with more friends are more likely to be happy.

Trust in yourself

You can make the changes you want in your life and you can be who you want to be. It is never too late to change, you just have to make a start!

Exercise

Honestly, exercise, exercise, exercise. Exercise releases endorphins which make you happy, and even if when you first start you hear a little voice telling you that you'd be better off on the sofa ignore it. After a couple of weeks of daily exercise you'll feel better, look better and be happier.

Eat

Eat a Rainbow as who can resist being happy when they are eating a wide range of fruit and vegetables? Don't forget to try new dishes when you can, I didn't try Mussels until I was 33 and I missed out on 33 years of loving them!

Expand your mind

Learn new things and find that not only if you are in a class will you make friends with similar interests and maybe discover a talent you never knew you had but it will help you feel more fulfilled and of course this will lead to being happier too. It doesn't even have to be a class, read a book or seven and you'll find your mind expanding.

Laugh

Find someone to share jokes with, or find a tv show that makes you laugh or a website that never fails to make you giggle. If you can do this regularly you'll find yourself smiling in anticipation.

Look Forward to stuff

To a holiday, or a day out, or a day off or a meal or anything that is coming up that you'll enjoy. Spend a few moments daydreaming about what you'll do or how it will turn out and cheer yourself up immediately!

Get Outside

Have some fresh air, even if it is 15 below and six foot of snow. The fact that you are outside probably indicates you are going to get some form of exercise and the fresh air will give you a new found energy.

Serve

Serve others, it doesn't matter if that means you volunteer at a local Charity shop, or on the School PTA, or at a Nursing Home or anywhere else. Just help others when you can and do so willingly and you will find yourself being happier as you are giving to others.

Keep yourself grounded

When I'm starting to feel down, I find that a quick walk in the garden helps me buck up and find that inner happiness. Just being out there (even when it was all over grown) made me feel more like me. Find what keeps you feeling you and make sure you do it often.

Talk

I love talking to my husband and friends. Sometimes we will have deep meaningful conversations and other times we will talk about the randomness that pops into my brain (come on you've all seen my Facebook and Twitter questions haven't you?!), just having that connection with someone though enables you to feel happier and to discuss some of the issues that are weighing you down, and if you want to then add me as a friend on Facebook and I'll be that person you talk to.

Smile

I smile all the time to all the people and animals, and plants, and teddies and cars and lamp posts and trees and anything else that falls into my eye line. I find that smiling all the time makes me feel happier, it's like my face tricks my brain into forgetting all the rubbish that goes on.

Pray

I love to pray, I mean of course I do as I look at it as a way to talk to my Heavenly Father, but it's a good way for me to be Spiritual. For you it might be easier to meditate or sit quiet and think of nothing (which is basically what meditation is right?!) but having this time to relax is one of the most important things in allowing me to be happy.

It's about a choice when you get down to it though. Do you want to be happy or do you want to wallow? Make the choice to be happy, and find that you live your life instead of dread it.

Want to know what really makes me happy though? People commenting on my blog posts and following me on Twitter and Facebook...

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Ella's Kitchen The Red One - A Review by Big Boy

noreply@blogger.com (PippaD AKA Mummy of A Mothers Ramblings) — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:00:00 PDT

When I was off School sick with the Chicken Pox, Mummy said that I could do some cooking with her if I wanted. I didn't want to, but I did like looking in the cook books that Mummy has, as they have nice pictures of food and the food that Mummy makes never looks that good! The book I liked the most was the Red one which is a cook book that Mummy got sent by Ella's Dad.

Mum says that the recipes in the cook book look good and easy to make and some of them are really tasty looking. I liked looking through at the different pictures and I found lots of different dishes that I would like for Mummy and Daddy to make with me or Top Ender.

The best things in the book are the puddings and Mummy has said that we can make lots of them and that it's on the condition that I eat some of the other recipes. She says that would be fair, but I said that it wasn't fair and so she said it was Life. I really don't understand Mummy at times.

The cook book has some stickers and some bits to colour in too, but Mummy has said I'm not allowed to do them yet (I have issues over colouring in, it's like Play-Doh. DON'T MIX THE COLOURS UP!) but that as soon as she stops being so meticulous that I can.

If you want to buy the book it costs £14.99 and will make you want to cook vegetables.

We were sent the Ella's Kitchen The Cook Book The Red One to review.

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