Hex Mum

Fifteen Minutes of Peace and Tranquility.

2014-04-30T20:18:00.002+01:00

In a house of nine, you can imagine, quiet and calm are not words used frequently to describe our lives!!
Every morning I set the alarm for 6.45am I go downstairs quietly so as not to wake anyone else.
I put the kettle on, then depending how tired I am I either sit and stare at the kettle in zombie like fashion or unstack the dishwasher from the night before.
Once the kettle has boiled I make a pot of tea for the children and leave it to brew, whilst I make myself a nice hot cup of Coffee, it is the only time of the day that my drink is ever hot!

I have two special mugs, one is a Large Tigger mug that Asa and the children bought me for my 30th birthday when we went to Disneyland Paris and the other, Lochlan `decorated' for me on 26th March 2004, Xene and Neva made a plate and bowl to match.

My two special mugs

I love traditional coffee and always try to find something new and exciting to keep me awake!! My favourite at present is Caffe Cagliari, which is a 100 year old Italian Family company. The Grand Espresso has a strength of 6, so not too strong but enough to kick start my day. The fab thing about this particular brand is that the capsules are Nespresso compatible which means it is always available at the touch of a button!
If you are looking for a new coffee to try, why not pop over and give their facebook page a like.

Once those fifteen minutes have gone (they go surprisingly quickly!) I pour the children's teas and a coffee for Asa, if he is still in bed and slowly make my way up the stairs, ready for the chaos of the day to begin.....

So, how about you, do you have a morning routine that involves any 'me' time or a special time of the day to sit and try to drink a hot drink ?

this is a sponsored post, but it is the best fifteen minutes of the day!!

What Time Is It ?

2014-04-28T12:12:00.000+01:00

Since having the children, my time keeping has become, lets say a little worse!
Before I had the children I would always be on time, or even a little earlier to every appointment or meeting, but the last sixteen years I have been no quite so prompt...
Nearly every year Asa or my parents buy me a watch for Christmas or Birthday, some people I know have the same watch for years, however I do have a tendency to destroy them, either smashing the glass or finding it in the washing machine/tumble drier.

So when someone mentioned The Watch Hut I decided to take a look, I know Christmas is quite far away and I have already had my birthday, but its never too early to start dropping hints!!

I love bangle/bracelet type watches, although I do struggle with the size as I only have little wrists and some do just slip straight off.

My favourite watch is a DKNY Roundabout, which is available is four colour choices, not only that but The Watch Hut has a free bracelet sizing option, you just put what size bracelet you require in the comments section, so no more loose watches!

They have some amazing watches for Men,but completely pointless in our household as Asa has NEVER worn a watch since the day I met him, incredibly he has a fantastic sense of time and can usually give me the correct time, with no watch or clock in sight!

The girls LOVE any kind of jewellery and accessories. and the choice of girls watches on the website is great, from Hello Kitty to Snow White, with lots of girlie patterns in between, the boys watches are bright and colouful and perfect for the younger children to learn to tell the time.

So, until Christmas I guess I shall keep TRYING to get to places on time, but eventually maybe someone will take pity on me and buy me a new watch, like the ones above hint hint.

However the five biggest children are always at school on time, even if I never have the yummy mummy look, I call it the `just got out of bed and haven't had time to do anything other than get the children ready' look....

This is a sponsored post, but I really would like that watch for Christmas!!

Easter Egg Hunting with Waitrose

2014-04-18T13:36:00.003+01:00

Every year the Easter Bunny leaves the children's eggs hidden throughout our garden, regardless of the weather and the children LOVE it, they search everywhere, because they never know how tall the Easter Bunny has grown and if they may be on top of tall places like the chicken coop.
If your children enjoy hunting for their Easter Eggs, or even just a treasure hunt around the garden or in the house, Waitrose have the perfect hunt to give you a helping hand.
Its all about new life and Spring. The children have to find the question and matching answers that you have hidden (maybe with a little chocolate treat).
You can find it here.

As we were kindly sent the Game and some Easter treats a little earlier, the children used the game as part of Neva's 11th birthday party.

They had great fun, although they can get quite competitive!

Kaide was the best at finding the Questions and matching them with the answers.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE xxx

#WIn Family Ticket to See Scooby Doo-The Mystery of The Pyramid on 10th April

2014-04-01T13:25:00.000+01:00

Hex Mum and Big Family Little Adventures are running an amazing giveaway at The Lowry.

Scooby-Doo and the gang are back by popular demand and with even more Spooky Mystery and fun - this time in the Pyramids - Warner Bros’ Cartoon Classic Comes to Life!

Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Velma and Daphne arrive in Egypt where they must solve the mystery of Pharaoh Hatchepsout’s Pyramid. Easy, you say? Not if the gang has to deal with mysterious mummies plus the wrath of the Pharaoh who will transform anyone who dares to approach the pyramid... into stone!

With hilarious physical comedy, popular tunes and special effects, the whole family will enjoy this new episode Live On Stage.

Listings Information

Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Of The Pyramid

Thu 10 – Sun 13 April

Times Thu 7pm, Fri & Sat 2pm & 7pm, Sun 2pm

Tickets: Children £17, Adults £22.50 (includes £2 booking fee)

Family Ticket £64 (includes £4 booking fee)

Box Office Information

Tel 0843 208 6005

The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays M50 3AZ

www.thelowry.com

We have a family ticket for up to four people to go and watch Scooby Doo-The Mystery of The Pyramid, on 10th April at 7pm, just fill out the Rafflecopter below.

Good Luck

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cudl up with the world’s first tablet made-for-two

2014-04-01T00:01:00.000+01:00

In today's digital world, Brits are spending more time online at the expense of shared moments with loved ones. In fact, research shows that couples are spending up to a third more time on their devices than with each other, with their digital journeys literally taking them into separate rooms.

With this in mind, Tesco's tech teams have come up with the best thing for relationships since the Finest dinner-for-two deal.

Introducing the Cudl

Say hello to the Cudl, the 7-inch HD tablet system based on the award-winning Hudl, but now enhanced by a unique coupling tether using our groundbreaking, “springback” technology.

This revolutionary new concept in tablet-to-tablet shareability has been specifically designed to put relationship harmony at the heart of your digital life.

The Cudl has all the power you need, with super-fast 1.5GHz quad-core processor and dual-band Wi-Fi. The 243 pixels-per-inch HD display is perfect for enjoying HD movies side by side, and with up to nine hours of battery life, it's a great way to spend a romantic night in.

Linked by a soft but durable tether, the tablets-for-two solution is the perfect way to turn online time into quality time, allowing you to capture and share special moments from two unique perspectives. After all, what's more fun than a selfie…? A double selfie!

Lucy O’Leary, Director of Springback Development at Tesco commented: “We’ve combined the brilliance of the Hudl with the intimacy of a cuddle to put relationship harmony at the heart of your digital experience.”

So, synchronize your keystrokes and turn a digitally shared first kiss into a real lip-smacking moment – you’re never more than a Cudl away.

YES, YES,YES!

2014-03-31T23:55:00.004+01:00

WARNING - DO NOT WATCH WITH THE CHILDREN (you have been warned!)

I was sent this banned TGI Fridays ad, it certainly made me chuckle...

Do you have the urge to go and get a burger !

Spoil your #MumoftheYear

2014-03-27T13:17:00.002+00:00

Not Long Till Mothers Day and Mandi's Day!

This year I shall be sharing my birthday with Mother's all over the world!!

This is the second time since becoming a mum that it has fallen on my birthday, so my children have declared that I WILL get extra presents to compensate!!

Its always difficult knowing what to get someone special, but I know that my mum LOVES flowers (she is always dropping hints that my dad very rarely buys her flowers) so this amazing bouquet from the Tesco Finest Range is just perfect for her (and me too, if you children are reading)

The great thing about this bouquet is that it can be purchased in store, which means you can actually see what you are purchasing, and pick the bunch that appeals to your mum's taste.
It also means that if you leave it until the last minute, you can stop off at your local Tesco store and pick the perfect bunch.

This bouquet is awarded to my Mum - Maggie Lee

In 2003 just six weeks after Neva was born she underwent a quadruple bypass and we very nearly lost her, which was a VERY scary time. Thankfully she pulled through and made a full recovery, in the last 11 years she has seen my family grow from three children to seven and my sister Karen added another granddaughter to the mix, so this is for you Mum/Nanny, for all those babysitting duties !
With all of our love xxxxxxxxxx

Pop Chef Review

2014-03-25T10:26:00.001+00:00

Kaide has been on and on about Pop Chef ever since it was first advertised on the television, so when we were asked if we would like to review it, there was a resounding YES from all parties!!
The Pop Chef is by Character and consists of six fun shape cutters that you fix on to a small orange bubble, that you then pop !

I must admit, when I first saw it advertised I was slightly sceptical, when Xene was a toddler and didn't eat very much I would use different shape cutters to make fun looking sandwiches, which she would eat, so why would I need to use this gadget.
However the reaction I got when I used this to make various shaped snacks, it was certainly worth it, and the popping made it so much easier than trying to prise the sandwich out of a normal cutter.

The cutters are much longer than a simple cookie cutter, meaning that you can Pop much larger creations.

Neva has a birthday coming up and she is already talking about the different shaped food masterpieces she will create.

I am converted, this is one food accessory that I shall be using much more than I ever thought possible....

Fairytale Fantasia 1000 piece Puzzle

2014-03-25T10:22:00.000+00:00

All of the girls adore mythical creatures and fantasy stories, they have all been brought up on fairy tales, so when we were asked would we like to have a go at a Fairytale Fantasia Puzzle, they all shouted "Yes!" however, I failed to mention to them that it was 1000 pieces.....

Here is what the puzzle is described as

Enter the world of fantastic stories and magical tales with this richly-coloured and detailed scene. Characters from famous books come to life on the shelves, so we can see The Mad Hatter enjoying tea, Snow White pondering whether to take a bite of the juicy red apple and Cinderella leaving her glass slipper on the steps of the palace.

My idea was that we would take it on holiday and in the evening we could sit and do the puzzle together, which sounded great, however I didn't count on the whirlwind toddler doing his impression of Taz and sending puzzle pieces flying in all directions!!

So, for now this puzzle is secretly kept in my puzzle holder and it will be brought out on the evenings that Tyrus has gone to bed early, who knows maybe you will complete it before me!!

It is a very colourful and fun puzzle with lots going on and Eowyn was captivated by the box, now all I have to do is find a quiet time and place to complete it!!!

High School, College and GCSE Options!!

2014-03-17T19:08:00.000+00:00

2014 begins another educational chapter in the Morrison household, currently Xene is studying hard for her GCSEs, which she will be taking in just a few weeks time - how scary is that, doesn't seem like two minutes ago I was taking my own!!

After those are finished, its a LONG summer holiday and then off to College in September, Xene is very pleased as she has been offered a place at the College she had down as her first choice, so a mix of A levels and a BTEC await her.

Lochlan has taken his options form in today, after a very difficult decision, the choices that were available to Xene when she began her GCSEs two years ago have become somewhat less of a choice for Lochlan's year ! Such is the joy of the Millennium babies, they seem to be the guinea pigs for all new educational decisions...
He will have to wait a few months to see if he has been able to take his first choice of subjects.

At the beginning of March, we received the letter informing us which High School Neva would be attending in September, thankfully it is our first choice, where Xene and Lochi currently attend (good thing too, otherwise we may have had to move all of their education!!)

I still cannot believe I am going to be the mum of a college student, it only seems like yesterday she was born...

The next couple of months my diary will be filled with Open days, Parents Evenings and requests for lots of new equipment, only another year and i'm guessing it will be a little car...

Born Lucky or Make Your Own Luck ?

2014-03-13T12:35:00.000+00:00

Do you believe that a person is lucky ?

My mum always says that I am a lucky person, but that she isn't.
Which made me start thinking about things I had won.

At the end of last year I found out that I had won a years free shopping, which is amazing and I love spending the vouchers every month. It was a simple entry to a facebook competition, so no real skill involved.

Before I began blogging I was quite a keen comper, I would spend my evenings entering competitions, scanning my shopping for entry forms, filling out the WIN pages of the children's magazines.

I had quite a few wins, which certainly helped at Christmas and Birthdays, but I had put the effort in, so am I just naturally lucky, or just that I have put in more effort than, maybe my mum!!

Her sister has always been lucky, especially at the Bingo Hall and on the Fruit Machines, where someone would argue, it is purely luck.

A few months back my auntie hurt her leg rather badly, which meant she has not been able to attend the Bingo with my Nan (although I think Nan still sneaks off by herself!!) so she turned to online bingo, which has a HUGE amount of choice...

She decided to play online bingo with Paddy Power and I must admit she has been pretty lucky, but I suppose you could argue that it would depend on how much money is spent to get the win!!

Although she did win the family three holidays to the same Holiday Park, so maybe my mum should be rubbing shoulders with both my auntie and myself at once....

This post is brought to you in collaboration with Paddy Power.

Snot, Coughs and High Temperatures Please Leave The Building!!

2014-03-12T04:55:00.000+00:00

The Morrison house at present resembles a cross between a chemist and a hospital!!

It all began with Lochlan two weeks ago announcing that he felt yuck!!

Since then it has been one child after another, and Asa too, it starts with a high temperature that you could heat the entire house, the accompanying hallucinations of varying degrees, followed by bucket loads of snot, a barking cough and if you are really lucky, a raging sore throat to go with it!!

I am currently sat here on the sofa at 4.30am with the latest victim of `the bug' little Tyrus is watching The Magic Roundabout giving me the occasional little smile, he has already been in the bath at 3.30am because his coughing had made him sick.

I think he is starting to get better, so fingers crossed it is about to leave the house (without claiming me as its last victim!)

I do not have time to be ill, it usually hits me at the start of any school holiday, like it knows I can relax and be ill, however the next one is quite a few weeks away, so hopefully it will have forgotten about me by then!!!

Snowdon - A Large Mountain to Climb in more ways than one #Wales4Kids

2014-03-07T10:09:00.000+00:00

When we go on holiday, we always have to try and juggle activities to do with an age range of 0-16, which is becoming slightly more challenging!

On our holiday to Wales last year, the two eldest announced that they would like to climb Snowdon with dad, we had considered the train a few years before but the weather was bad and we decided against it.

I stayed at the cottage with the smaller children, whilst Xene, lochi and Asa climbed the 1085 metres!!

The three of them were up early (6.30am ,which by our standards is early on a holiday) a big breakfast, lunch packed and a short drive from the holiday cottage to Snowdon.

Xene and Lochlan happily fell back to sleep in the car, and awoke at Llanberis at the foot of Snowdon. They chose, what they read was the easiest route using the Llanberis Path , and Xene was actively involved in a little bit of route planning. North Wales on occasion can be bright and Sunny in August, but on the day they chose it was drizzle and thick mist.

: The Start of the Climb

They set off with enthusiasm past the Snowdon mountain railway station and up the path, it had just turned 8am and there was no one else about. The Children bounded with enthusiasm, they left the track and headed onto the footpath to the summit, which was clearly marked.

Perhaps a hidden benefit was the fact the visibility was 40 meters in the fog and as a result, neither of the children could actually see how far they had to climb! Over the years we have worked out if a child wants to stop, the best thing to do is to stop, they tend to recharge quite quickly, they stopped every 30 - 40 minutes, had a drink, ate, checked the map. Lochlan very proudly carrying an altimeter round his neck, to monitor upward progress.

: Rest, Eat and Drink

: More resting and more eating

They passed the halfway house cafe, a quaint little rail side building, which on better days I am sure has wonderful views across the valley, the path became more rugged and vegetation a bit sparse. The path was hard going, you really do need a good pair of boots.

It was at this point the first mentions of "can we go back now" started to occur. They stopped ate, drank, they had climbed 600 meters, and were over half way, Asa dutifully took Lochlan's backpack. and edged toward the summit, in thick mist, the mountain railway train passed, with the passengers all waving and smiling...

: Being overtaken by the mountain train

The path got steeper, they passed 800 meters, but then suddenly it all changed.

At 863 meter precisely Lochlan went into meltdown, "That's it, You're Mad Dad, I am not going any further, I am going to die" and sat on a rock in the middle of the path refusing to move.

They satdown, drank, ate and chatted. Xene actually got cross with her brother, as she was desperate to get to the top. Other walkers passed and smiled politely, Lochlan sat steadfast on a rock, still full of a mix of anger and exhaustion He demanded to be carried on dad's shoulders, this was not really an option. Time passed and eventually he agreed to go another ten meters up, Asa pulled Lochlan then they went another ten and stopped, with Asa still pulling Lochlan (which Xene found hilarious), this recharged him until they got to 900 meters (the altimeter was the surprise motivational key on the whole journey) at this point Lochlan had worked out it was 3 steps to the meter, it was not that far, and overtook Asa, whowas struggling to keep up with two teenagers bounding up the path. They reached the base of the summit and climbed the final few steps to the top.

: At the Top of the summit,; with a bit of cloud

Both the children were really impressed, but as for the view, Asa could see the children, but not a lot further. Importantly, they both had really achieved something and we were both really proud of them. They sat on the rocks and had lunch (although Lochlan had half of Asa, having eaten everything he had at our numerous stops up the Mountain).

: Lunch, or No Lunch,; if you have eaten it all on the way up

After a quick browse in the cafe at the top, they walked around the summit and began to descend.

Both Xene and Lochlan set off at breakneck speed, as it was now midday they passed several groups, on their way up, the clouds began to break and they could see the stunning views across Snowdonia. The children were both in high spirits laughing and joking. Lochlan counting down the altimeter, somewhat disheartening to the walkers we were passing, going uphill. He also took a great amount of glee returning to the rock he had sat on, during his meltdown at 863 meters

: on the way down Lochlan returns; to the 863m meltdown rock, with a smile

: Dad, get up, I want an Ice Cream

They continued the path, it slowly became easier and the sun broke from the clouds, typically as they were nearing the end of the journey

: Almost back to Llanberis

On arrival back at around 3pm, both Xene and Lochlan were bursting with stories!

Our next Wales holiday will hopefully include another Snowdon trip, but with a few more walkers, as Neva and Kaide are very keen to go next time, maybe we can all go in the future, if Asa and I don't get too old.

Wales is one of our favourite holiday destinations, ad is always top of the children's lists when we ask them where they would like to go.

They are on twitter and facebook and we would definitely recommend as a family friendly holiday.

Tips from the Children

Don't take the train, its cheating (Lochlan)
If you run out of food, eat Dads (Lochlan)
Take sweets no one else likes, it's nice to have a packet to yourself sometimes (Xene)

“This post is an entry for the Visit Wales #Wales4Kids Family Holiday Challenge. Wales is the perfect place for a fun-filled family break.”

#Project365 Days 47 - 60

2014-03-02T23:49:00.003+00:00

February Half Term was very much about Butlins!

Day 47 - Another use for strawberry pencils !
Day 48 - Eowyns holiday bedroom
Day 49 - Lochlan at the top of North Hill
Day 50 - Tyrus was fascinated by the seagulls that gathered outside our apartment.
Day 51 - Our very own Skyline Gang
Day 52 - Relaxing on the deckchairs
Day 53 - Tyrus eating some skittles

Day 54 - Eowyns first rubgy training session

Day 55 - Kaide is very pleased with his new dinosaur book

Day 56 - Tyrus is having fun with Doc McStuffins microphone

Day 57 - Viggo is growing so fast

Day 58 - Lochi deeply engrossed in putting a new lego car together

Day 59 - Viggo has his first taste of banana and loved it!

Day 60 - Eowyn modelling the flower garland she made

Cool Creations Daisy Chains

2014-03-02T18:08:00.000+00:00

Neva and Eowyn love different art and craft projects, especially girlie type things, so when we were asked if we would like to review the Daisy Chains set, they were very enthusiastic, as you can see from Eowyn's big grin!

When we opened the box, this is what we found ...

A large pink and yellow flower, that attaches to a dark pink base, 30 fabric flowers, 20 flower beads, 10 round beads, 1 picker, 20 flower stems and 4 clips, and of course the instructions!

The instruction leaflet was very easy to understand and it had lots of colourful step by step instructions for the girls to follow, Tyrus also came to have a look.

Once completed, the first the girls turned into a bracelet, and then they made a larger one and Eowyn had a garland for her hair.

Both girls enjoyed making the Daisy Chains and I didn't hear a peep out of them whilst they were doing it, which is always a good sign that they are deeply engrossed in their activity.

The recommended age is 4+ which I think is correct, Eowyn was able to do it all, with just a little assistance for the fiddly bits from Neva.

If you have a little girl that would love this, why not head over to www.coolcreateclub.co.uk which has some fab ideas and cool creations.

Going on Winter #Little Adventures

2014-02-28T23:08:00.002+00:00

As I am sure you will know by now I am not a person who is big on crowds and lots of people, so many of our holidays and days out are taken during the cold weather!!

I am quite lucky because all of the children love dressing up warm and going out in the elements.

During half term, we spent five days at Butlins in Minehead, during that time we also had a day out exploring the local area, which included a very steep drive to the top of North Hill. I am quite glad that Asa was driving!!

We packed the essentials!! A flask of tea and we took along the new flavours of Barny Snacks, its great that they are individually wrapped and Tyrus absolutely loved the teddy inside the packet, unfortunately he wasn't that keen on eating him, more hugging which got a bit messy!!

The older children were able to eat them with not too much mess and Viggo was happy to hold the packet and make a rustling sound!!

It had lovely views and the children were able to explore without the actual climbing as we had driven there, it was surprisingly mild for the middle of February, and the Barny Snacks were eaten quite quickly.

"This post is an entry for BritMums `Winter Little Adventures Challenge' sponsored by Barny, individually wrapped bear-shaped sponges with a hidden filling. Find out more about Barny here www.barnyworld.co.uk"

Eowyn Has Found A New Hobby!

2014-02-25T14:40:00.003+00:00

This weekend Eowyn announced that she would like to go and play Rugby !

She has been with Kaide a few times, and always said "when I am five, I am going to play", but we just nodded, (Neva used to say the same)

However, on Sunday morning she was up and dressed in shorts and was struggling with shin pads!!

As you can see she had a great time, the boys referred to her as `The Girl` which didn't seem to bother her at all, she jumped straight over the fence and ran to join the group of boys warming up.

All afternoon was spent recounting her morning at rugby, especially the flushing the toilet game, which I gather is an updated version of stuck in the mud with the associated toilet flushing noises!!

I shall keep you updated on her progress...

British babies pack 806 miles of travel into their first 6 months

2014-02-25T13:59:00.001+00:00

New research, carried out by eBay.co.uk to celebrate the extension of its Baby & Toddler category found that, despite never leaving the country, the average baby travels at least 806 miles, the equivalent of travelling from London to the south of France, in their first 6 months. From a travel point of view, mini adventures are replacing longer trips as parents decide not to stray too far from home, for too long.

‘Staycations’ are a firm family-favourite. 73% of British parents with young babies prefer to holiday in the UK, with just 27% of new parents feeling happy to board a plane. How times have changed – with over 54% of parents interviewed, reminiscing that their own baby adventure(s) took place abroad.

However far they travel with baby, parents up and down the country are united in their quest to do their best for baby and this means having immediate access to a bag brimming with essential baby items. For some parents this means packing up to x items, simply for a day trip. No surprises to find that the top ten ‘on the go essentials’ include:

1. Nappies 6. Bottle

2. Wipes 7. Car Seat

3. Spare clothes 8. Toys

4. Changing bag 9. Bib

5. Buggy 10. Nappy bag

The study of British parents found that when it comes to venturing outside the house, it’s not just the huge amount of baby accessories that needs to be considered but also the transport choice. One third (31%) of parents admit to avoiding the bus at all costs when travelling with their baby and 11% of new mums and dads are reluctant to venture out on a train preferring the privacy and packing space of their car (41%).18% of the nation admitted that their biggest worry about travelling with baby is disturbing other travelers.

eBay spokesperson, Laura Wilkinson-Rea says, “At eBay we recognize that parents want the best for their baby. That’s why we’ve expanded our Baby & Toddler category, creating a one stop shop for all baby’s needs. Trusted family brands including Mothercare, Mamas & Papas, Toys R Us and Argos have branded stores on eBay.co.uk, offering a wide selection of branded items including pushchairs, cots, clothing, nursery essentials, nappies and toys.”

eBay.co.uk currently has over 17,000 brand new cots and 23,000 brand new prams and pushchairs listed on site; with at least one pram or pushchair sold every minute.

Visit www.eBay.co.uk/baby-toddler to browse the category today.

M&S to launch celeb ‘Kids Shwop Boutique’ for Oxfam

2014-02-25T12:26:00.000+00:00

Abbey Clancy, Rochelle Humes and Peaches Geldof come together to support fashion boutique for charity

•     Shwop Boutique to sell the best childrenswear items donated to Shwopping campaign
•     A host of celebrities including Joanna Lumley, Abbey Clancy, Rochelle Humes, Peaches Geldof, Alex Gerrad, Zoe     Ball and Mel Giedroyc from GBBO have donated items that will be sold
•     All money raised go to charity partner Oxfam as part of their Mother Appeal initiative
•     Over 1,000 shwopped childrenswear clothing will be on sale over three days

Shwop Boutique
Where:  Marks & Spencer, Marble Arch, 458 Oxford Street. London. W1C 1AP
When:  Thursday 6th - Saturday 8th March 2014 - 8am – 9pm
Entry:   Free with a shwopped item of clothing

Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to open its first-ever childrenswear pop-up store when a three-day Kids Shwop Boutique opens to the public this March in aid of Oxfam’s Mother Appeal.

Open from Thursday 6th – Saturday 8th March at the retailer’s Marble Arch store, the one-off secondhand store will sell the best childrenswear items donated to M&S and Oxfam’s sustainable fashion initiative, Shwopping by the UK public and a host of celebrity donations.

All proceeds raised from the Kids Shwop Boutique will go towards Oxfam’s Mother Appeal campaign – which is being supported by M&S - that aims to raise £10 million for projects that help mothers around the world lift themselves and their families out of poverty for good.

Shwoppers will be able to pick up once loved childrenswear items from Britain’s top style icons and celebrity mums including Abbey Clancy, Peaches Geldof, Alex Gerrard, Zoe Ball, Rochelle Humes, Sarah Story, Mel Giedroyc and Shwopping ambassador Joanna Lumley. And, thanks to the UK government, every pound raised for the appeal will be doubled. *

Each celebrity-donated item will include personal words of wisdom stitched into the fabric of the item allowing advice to be passed onto the new owner.

Entry to the Kids Shwop Boutique is free, but visitors will have to shwop - hand over an unwanted item of kids clothing, using old or unused clothes as their ticket to the exclusive sale.

M&S has asked the public to donate childrenswear items to support the Oxfam campaign through its joint Love, Mum initiative. All other items of clothing donated will also go towards the appeal.

The public can show their support by Shwopping items in any M&S store add their words of wisdom on social media mentioning @shwopping and the hashtag #LoveMum.

M&S and Oxfam’s Shwopping collaboration urges shoppers to donate - or ‘shwop’ - an unwanted item of clothing that will go on to be re-sold, re-used or recycled by Oxfam, cutting waste while raising much-needed funds for the charity.

Since its launch in April 2012, Oxfam has received 6.9 million items of clothing thanks to Shwopping, worth £4.5 million for the charity. All money raised by Shwopping is used to support Oxfam’s projects around the world working to alleviate poverty.

For more information on Marks & Spencer and Oxfam’s Kids Shwop Boutique visit www.marksandspencer.com
For further information on Shwopping visit www.marksandspencer.com/shwopping

#Project 365 Days 33-44

2014-02-16T23:59:00.004+00:00

The beginning of February was full of illness and I only realised last week when I had a tweet from The Boy and Me asking if i was joining in!!

So here are the last two weeks, with less than an hour until the linky closes!!

Day 33 - Neva has been trying out her new bow, Hunger games Style!
Day 34 - Viggo is growing too big for his moses basket
Day 35 - I couldn't find three of them at bedtime, then I looked in my room..
Day 36 - Tyrus had a terrible week with a constant high temperature, he kept falling asleep, bless him.

Day 37 - Who needs toys, a cardboard box is more fun!
Day 38 - Viggo is getting stronger by the day, he sat like this for quite a while, until he worked out it was more fun for Neva to catch him
Day 39 - Tyrus was feeling better, he loves tipping out all of his puzzles together and then mixing them up.
Day 40 - Eowyn and Neva had fun with their new flower making kit.

Day 41 - We took a trip to town today, Tyrus still isn't 100%, so he had a ride in the pushchair.
Day 42 - I went to visit my little sis at work
Day 43 - Xene needed some photos taken for a summer job she is applying for, I love this one as it captures her frustration at how many pics dad was taking!!
Day 44 - Tyrus had great fun in the pop up washing basket, but refused to pull his trousers up!!

Day 45 - Viggo's favourite trick at present is to poke out his tongue.
Day 46 - We went to visit Asa's mum to celebrate her 60th birthday, as you can see, trying to get all of the grandchildren in the same place at the same time, all looking the same way is impossible!!

The Perfect Valentines Meal for two at Tescos

2014-02-13T08:50:00.000+00:00

This Valentines Day, like most years, Asa and I will not be having a quiet, romantic evening in by ourselves with candlelight, soft music and a romantic meal, the last time this happened was 1998 when I was 7 months pregnant with Xene!!

In reality, our Valentines evening will be spent with seven children all needing different things and us trying desperately to get them in bed so we can at least eat a meal together! (As I sit here typing I have Viggo in my left arm and Tyrus in my right!!)

A nice romantic meal can be achieved with very little effort, and a very reasonable price.
This year Tescos have an amazing offer on - The perfect Valentines Meal from their Finest Range for just £20.

You get two main meals, two side dishes, two desserts and either a bottle of fizz or wine, or a box of Belgian Chocolates (no guesses which I will choose!)

These are just a few of the items included in the deal, others include finest* a la carte Lamb Shank with Roasted Vegetables, finest* a la carte Beef Wellington, Potato & Parsnip Dauphinoise, finest* a la carte Triple Cooked Chips, and many more that sound equally delicious, and without the mess in the kitchen!
Perfect for parents with seven children!!

What will you be doing for food on Valentines Night ?

Woohoo I had some #CBias Me Time!

2014-02-12T10:15:00.004+00:00

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for #CollectiveBias and its advertiser.

As you can see from the photos above I had some very rare, but very welcome Me Time. With seven children the closest I get to relaxation ideas, is to quietly sneak upstairs, whilst the children are quiet and occupied and send Asa a text message from upstairs to say "I've gone to have a bath"...

So when I was actually asked to think about how I would spend some time for just myself, my first thoughts were chocolate and a bubbly bath, so those were the first two on my list!

Next I realised that my make-up bag hasn't actually had anything new added to it since my eldest daughter was born (she is nearly 16!) I am sure that cannot be healthy, but as I very rarely wear any, it never crosses my mind.

We had a little outing on a very wet and windy morning, to Boots.

It is a lovely old building and has a very helpful automatic door, instead of having to struggle with the pushchairs!

Who knew just choosing a bubble bath would be so difficult!

And this is what I chose

I know, not very exotic, but I LOVE chocolate orange and this muscle soak bubble bath smells lovely!

Next stop the make up aisles, of which there were plenty...

You would think with a sister who owns her own Hairdressing and Beauty Salon I would know exactly what to pick, but if i'm honest i really didn't have a clue!!

I went for easy to put on, natural colours, here are my purchases...

As you can see they are very neutral, and nothing way out there!

Next stop Serenity Hair and Beauty salon to find out what to do with the stuff!! ( I am SO not make-up user friendly)

When I arrived at the salon, I had an extra special treat, a wash, cut and blowdry too.

With seven children to get ready in the morning I really do not have the time to spend on myself, so I wanted a quick and easy make up routine, IF I needed it!

So, there we go, the afternoon that Hex Mum actually had some time to herself, well I will let you into a little secret, Tyrus and Viggo came to the shops with Asa and I, and they both sat in the Salon with Nanny and Grandad whilst I had my hair and make up done, but it was still very relaxing!!
And then it was home for a very hot, bubbly bath, but there won't be any photos of that thank you very much...

Valentines Gifts in Unusual Places

2014-02-06T23:50:00.001+00:00

Valentines Day isn't quite the same as it used to be, before we had the children I can remember Asa cooking me a romantic meal with candlelight. these days I am lucky if we even sit and eat a meal together!!
We always get each other a card and Asa always buys me chocolates and flowers, I buy him a gift, but it isn't the usual `Valentine' item.
He is still a keen sportsman, training twice a week and playing rugby every Saturday, so I tend to shop for sport related items.
These are my top five buys for 2014, sshhh don't tell Asa!

After sitting and watching the Superbowl with him the boys were curious about the time he had spent playing American Football, which is when I noticed that the Footballs that he has are looking rather tatty, so this one would definitely be a possibility

When the weather finally gets a little drier, Asa wears astro boots, however, his are looking rather tatty so these may be wrapped up as his gift, if not, maybe his birthday in April.

The weather at the moment is extremely wet and muddy, tonight when he returned from training, he resembled a mud wrestler, I also noticed that he reached for the black tape, which can only mean one thing - he has gone through ANOTHER pair of rugby boots!! As you can imagine I am never stuck for Christmas, Valentines or birthday gifts! So these Kooga rugby boots would be a good choice.

I also don't want a husband with his front teeth missing, so a new mouthguard can usually be found in his stocking at christmas, but this year I forgot, so maybe one of these could be my romantic valentines gift.

My final choice is a set of rugby pads. Every week he comes home from the match with more and more knocks, bumps and bruises and as each month passes it takes him longer to recover (although he won't admit it!) So a nice set of pads might stop him getting so many bumps, but I suspect it is nothing to do with age, more the amount of hard tackles he puts in!!

As you can see my perfect Valentine Gifts are on a very similar theme, all of these can be found at www.sportsdirect.com so if you also have a sports mad other half, I might see you in the sports shop!

What will you be getting the love of your life this year ?

Competition Winners

2014-02-06T14:05:00.000+00:00

Apologies, late again!
The last two weeks have been filled with kiddy illness and no sleep!

So the winner for the Louise Rennison book is Jo Hutchinson

The winner of the Get Better Soon pack is Emma Hainsworth

Congratulations to you both
Please send your details to mandijmorrison@aol.com

and I will arrange for your prizes to be sent out xxx

#Giveaway Valentines Day Lovehearts

2014-02-05T14:32:00.000+00:00

2014 is set to be the biggest year yet for lovehearts, as the iconic sweet brand is celebrating its landmark 60 year anniversary.

My children adore Lovehearts although I am not sure an entire packet is supposed to be demolished in seconds!!

To celebrate they are giving fans the chance to win a money can't buy experience - the chance to design and create their very own Lovehearts message and to win a tour of the factory to see their very own Loveheart being made.

Full details and how to enter can be found on their facebook page.

But, before that we have a little giveaway of our own. If you would like to win a very cool Lovehearts tube and tin

Entering is simple...

To be in with a chance of winning some Loveheart goodies please comment below what you would write on your very own love heart and who would you give it to ?

To gain an extra entry, please head over and follow LoveHearts on twitter, dont forget to leave a comment telling me your twitter name

Good Luck

Closing Date 11th February 2014