MUM IN AWE

Book Give away

Wendy — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 10:52:51 +0000

I’ve been away for a while, due to a death in the family, which has been very hard to deal with.

While I’m dealing with the things that need attending, I thought I’d offer some book give aways.

Here’s a great Finger food book.

Finger food for toddlers

Post a comment about your best finger food ideas here on my blog, and I’ll give it to the one I think is the best!

Postage within the UK only. Sorry!

Wigwam fun

Wendy — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 17:49:09 +0000

Wigwam fun

Big Game Hunters contacted me and asked me to try out one of their products – they gave me a choice, and I chose the Camouflage Wigwam.

I decided that as summer was arriving soon, and the sun was about to shine ( hopefully), a wigwam in the garden that you could put up and drop down would be fun.

So, with little ado the wigwam arrived, and we began assembling it.

Wigwam kit

And then we roped in the little Indians to put it together.

Indians working

some assembly required….

Assembling the poles...

and then you lay out the canvas and put in all the poles you have made up….

Adding the two together

and once all the poles are in you need to thread the top bit…

threading

and then you need a little bit of adult help ……

Adult needed.....

and then you lift it up, adjust the legs, make sure it’s stable…

Raise the wigwam.

and install kids,

The kids are in!

and maybe a dog?

And it fits a dog too

And all is done. The kids had fun building it – the dog had fun in it , and the adults liked watching the process.

You can order onehere Summer is here, and you’ll love having the kids out in the garden. Sunshine and good times ahead for all!

How much is a mum worth?

Wendy — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 13:06:44 +0000

We all know that Mums are seriously underestimated, especially in their monetary value. So, I got a lovely chap to send me (what they think is) the true value of a Mum.

So here you go…

The Value Of A Mum

Value of a mums work? Seriously, I think my value an amateur psychologist is worth WAY more than this…..

The Value Of A Mum - work

What about the hours a mum works? Cook, cleaner, nurse, child carer, wife, bruise kisser, confidant, defender of the pride, fibber, excuse person (“mum says I can’t”)….. shoulder to cry on…Mums taxi…

The Value Of A Mum - hours slogged

I certainly do more driving than the above image shows, but anyhoooo…..

Which Mums are more valued ? Looks like I have to move…….

The Value Of A Mum - by region

It’s Mothers Day soon in the United Kingdom. A day where Mum is s how how much she’s loved and valued. She gets treats ( breakfast in bed) and a lunch out maybe, and a lot of ”we love you LOTS” said to her all day. Hopefully. As for my mum? Priceless!!

This data was kindly supplied by these people everyone knows them, and if I had 6.5 hours to myself a week, I’d be thrilled, so I’m a bit worried about that stat ( which parents were asked??) - but the data was fun to read. Anyone agree / disagree?

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Belvita Breakfast

Wendy — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:48:51 +0000

Lovely presentation....

OK, so I admit I am not the best at eating breakfast. I can never think what I need to get, we never seem to have what I feel like, and I’m not a great cereal person. I like coffee – and lots of it.

So… when Belvita offered to send me their new Honey and Live Yoghurt breakfast to try out – I jumped at the chance.

Why you ask? Well… basically because it fits in with my coffee. Yay!

I can eat it as it is, or dunk it!! Yummeeeeee…..

Breakfast box

This is the box they sent me – nice presentation!

Seriously, Belvita also advises you eat a bit of fruit, and they provided that too ( sweet of them!), and they even provided a little coffee – bonus!

OK, so I needed a lot more coffee – but it was a nice gesture!

Belvita box

It’s an easy breakfast for me.

I can eat it anywhere, even pop it in my bag as I go out the door, to munch on when I have a moment.

And…it goes well with my coffee, and they are now producing more variety, so I can change them every week too if I feel like it.

Which is nice if you like a bit of variety…….you know what I mean?

So give them a try – I like them, you might too!

If you don’t, post a comment below to tell me why!

Join me on Facebook if you like …it’d be fun to meet you there!

Schwartz’s new Recipe Inspirations Kit

Wendy — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:55:37 +0000

Schwartz Recipe Inspirations

I am a time – strained Mum. Especially during term time when I just have enough time to do a few hours of blogs, emails and work, followed by ‘home maintenance’ and the afternoons are filled with children, activities, and other delights like that.

I say delights sarcastically today, because due to the Olympic Improvements projects – read road works, I now spend an hour in the car each way for tennis instead of 15 minutes. 3 or four times a week. Excluding Cricket practice days….

So…. when Schwartz asked me to try out their new Recipe Inspirations Kit - I jumped at the chance. They sent me a few packs, and I got cooking.

Here’s what I thought:

Tray-baked Piri Piri Chicken

Excellent – set it up and put it in the oven – my kind of dish! Not too hot ( I like VERY HOT) and edible for the kids as well – one found it a little hotter than she’d like, but then you could leave the hot spices out if you really wanted to..

Creamy Pan-fried Pork with Apple & Sage

Creamy Pan-fried Pork with Apple & Sage

Absolutely lovely. We love pork, and we don’t do creamy things too often, so this was a welcome change.

Pork can often be dry if not done properly, so the sauce makes a nice difference and helps alleviate any dryness.

My children just adore dumplings, so this really works for them. To save even more time, you can buy the dumplings in a packet and boil them up, if you don’t want to make them from scratch.

Rosemary Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

Rosemary Roasted Chicken & Potatoes

A slam-dunk favourite in my house. We love this dish. Easy to make – actually turned out better than mine because there were more herbs and spices used ( I just do Rosemary and sometimes lemon) and so the chicken turned out tastier I think. It was well received by the family too, but I have to admit it’s a family favourite so it wasn’t hard to like.

So what do I like about this range? Well, I really like the pre-measured herbs and spices, which is a time-consuming activity, especially when you are running against the clock.

I also loved the recipe card on the back – which you can collect. ( Nice touch Schwartz). So everything is together, the herbs and spices, in correct quantity, with the instructions. No finding all the various bottled and jars, measuring and opening the cookbook, and trying to keep it open at that page all the time etc. Yay.

Best of all – it’s easy. I like easy. No, I LOVE easy. I like companies that try make my life easer, and more efficient.

Dinners on, Beef and Beer Stew with Herb Dumplings and I have spare time – a glass of Cider sounds good, before the rush after dinner, to check homework and get bath, and bed time sorted. Thanks Schwartz!

Try Schwartz’s new Recipe Inspirations Kit - I think you’ll love them!

My Child Won’t Eat – Book Review

Wendy — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 10:20:58 +0000

I recently got the opportunity to review My Child Won’t Eat – a book by Carlos Gonzalez – first published in 2005, but the second edition had just been updated and printed.

Carlos Gonzalez is a pediatrician and a father. He writes magazine articles and books, and studied in Barcelona. It must have something about the European / seaside air, that makes this man write a book that’s just full of common sense.

I wish this book had been around when my children were young, because I’d probably have worried a lot less, and calmed down a lot more.

Especially the chapter on breastfeeding. Here in the UK, the pressure to breast feed is enormous. The sense that you are a total failure if you don’t is huge too, and despite the home care, nurses and breastfeeding groups, there doesn’t really seem to be that much actual useful information about what is normal, healthy and what you should expect.

Carlos gives good, easy to understand information about what you should expect, what’s normal, and he also allays a few fears by giving real examples of mums who pose questions, or ask for help. Reading real life situations often helps, because one can often recognise similar situations in your life, and the answers then make much more sense.

The book is written in clear, concise, and somehow rather assuring language, and finally makes one feel that there are other ways to approach difficult situations, or some of the ‘great unknown’ questions.

He offers useful information, such as average weight gains, and potential needs, and he also explains that you needn’t panic when your children don’t want to eat, and why you shouldn’t panic.

Not everyone will agree with Carlos Gonzalez. Those that like regimented schedules, precise feeding times, and regular amounts eaten, will not want to read about being more flexible, and letting your child eat less if the y feel like it. However, I think it’s a great book. I like what he has to offer,and for those that are not in need of scheduled lives, I recommend you read it. You never know, you might just learn a thing or two!

My Child Won’t Eat is available from Amazon and most good bookshops.
Order it here:

Or post a comment here, and tell me why you should stand a chance to win the book from me!

Muppets – the Movie

Wendy — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 09:11:48 +0000

Muppets movie

We’ve just had half term.
It was a great half term because either side of it was a birthday, and there was no school madness in between.
So, besides allowing late lie-ins, we could go shopping, do tennis tournaments, sleep in the afternoon, and have a bit of family fun.

The kids had homework, so one had to do quite a bit with a friend, ably helped by my partner and my daughter. The other managed to get hers done on her own with the minimum of nagging.

On the last day, my son’s birthday, we went to see The Muppet Movie.

Oh Boy.

The predictable movie script and story was not the worst of it. The songs probably were. I get the whole wholesome movie adventure. I’m constantly looking for ‘clean’ movies to take my kids to, but this Muppets movie was really twee.

Not only did you know the entire script / plot within the first 2 minutes, but they drag it out with song like ‘Everything’s great’ and other ridiculous songs.

Actually, I can’t say that, they had one song called ‘Are you a Man or a Muppet’ which I loved. Only cos it resonated, but I loved it.

All in all, I think my kids were too old for the movie. It’s for kids under 10 I recon, but the child behind us must have been 5, and she wailed (loudly) through the entire movie – which did not add to a my experience to say the least!

Yes, I know quite a few of you will be berating me for being a real ‘Bah-Humbug’ type of parent. That’s fine. Suffice to say I loved Rio, the Incredibles, Sound of Music, and the one with Steve (I forget) and the 12 kids. My favourite is ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ – but that probably cos I’d love to have a dragon. So I do get some of the kids movies. Just not this one.

I don’t think my kids loved it too much either, but the lunch afterwards seemed to allay all worries and fears.

All in all, the birthday was a success. The food was good, the movie was barely bearable, and the half term was a blast.

We hope you had a fun half term too. Now to plan for April……

Image copyright of : muppets.wikia.com

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Cheddar cheese, potato and leek quiche

Wendy — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 09:38:10 +0000

Potato and leek quiche

I’ve been delivered a few extra leeks this week, due to the bumper crop received by the Organic Farm delivery I use. I get a delivery twice a month, but even at that rate, I can’t eat that many leeks, so now I have to find other ways to use them up. Here’s a great one.

Ingredients

500g shortcrust pastry – ready or home-made (recipe below)
400g Maris Piper potatoes peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
500g leeks washed and finely sliced
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
75g unsalted butter
1 tsp fresh thyme finely chopped
80ml double cream
150g grated British Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper
1 egg

Line a 10″ quiche tin with the pastry just overlapping the edges, put on a baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes. Line with baking parchment, fill with baking beans (or rice if you don’t have any) and bake ‘blind’ for 20 minutes at 180°c. Remove the paper and filling and cook for another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile…..boil the potatoes are cooked but still firm – about 15 minutes. Drain well and cool. Melt the butter and cook the garlic slowly in it for a couple of minutes. Add the leeks and thyme and cook slowly for 15-20 minutes until the leeks are tender. Remove from the heat and mix in the cream, 150g cheese, the egg, salt and pepper.

Arrange the cooled potatoes in the pastry case, season with freshly ground pepper and salt and cover with the leek mixture. Bake at 170°c for 30 minutes or until the top is just firm and has started to colour. Remove from the oven, cover with the remaining cheese and put it back to bake until the cheese has just melted and you can wait no longer.

Take out of the oven, trim off the excess pastry and – oh – what joy!

Thanks to the Gardening Centre Group for this recipe – I really was running out of ideas!!

Winter minestrone

Wendy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:15:47 +0000

Had enough of all that food over Xmas? Overdone your eating on ham, turkey, sausages and meat in general? Here’s a vegetarian soup to help you through the cold windy days……

Ingredients

200 g (7.1oz) Farro semiperlato (or pearled spelt)
Yummy soup
4 tbsp Olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 Large onion, finely chopped
1 Leek, finely chopped
1 Stick celery, finely chopped
2 Medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 Medium turnip, peeled and finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 pinch Crushed dried chilli flakes
400 g (14.1oz) Tinned tomatoes
1 l (1.8pints) Vegetable stock
400 g (14.1oz) Tinned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 Bunch cavolo nero, shredded
1 pinch Salt
1 pinch Freshly ground black pepper
1 handful Freshly grated vegetarian parmesan to serve

Rinse the farro in a sieve under cold running water, tip into a bowl, cover with cold water and soak for 20 minutes while you prepare the soup base. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.

Add the chopped veggies and cook over a low-medium heat for 10–15 minutes until tender but not coloured.

Add the crushed garlic and chilli flakes and cook for a further minute.

Pour the tomatoes into the pan, add the stock and bring to the boil. Drain the farro and add to the pan.

Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook the soup for 25 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the farro is cooked.

Add the cannellini beans and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.

You may need to add extra stock if the soup is too thick. Add the cavolo nero and cook for 3–4 minutes until tender.
Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve in bowls with a drizzle of olive oil, a scattering of grated Parmesan and slices of toasted sourdough bread.

Nope, this is not my own, this is Stella McCartney’s Winter minestrone, and I got it courtesy of lovefood.com. It just looked too good to miss out – so have a go and tell me what you think.

5 ways to save money (and make your kids save too!)

Wendy — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:07:53 +0000

Save money and be better off

Everyone knows times are tough. just about every parent I know is struggling to meet the bills and pay for the extras. But how do you cut down when you’ve really cuts down so much?

How do you teach your children to be mindful of what they spend? And just because you are struggling to make ends meet in the current recession, should your children be bothered by it?

I believe that they should be. Bothered that is. I believe they should understand that when things are tough for parents, children should pare down as well.

Now is the best time to teach your children about economizing, how to budget, and what really is a want or a need.

here are five easy tips on how to help make your children realise when things are tough that they need to chip in too:

Make a shopping list for the week, set a budget of four that shopping list, take your child to the shops give them the budget, and the money. Obviously you need to walk around the shops and potentially help them with the purchases, but the idea is to allow them to make decisions for the family based on the budget and list of food they need to provide for the week. allow them to make some mistakes. This will be a significant learning experience when they get home and the rest of the family judges them on their efforts. impress on them that if they choose the extra packet of sweets and thus forego the sugar, then E will taste rather strange all week, all this cereal will be unsugared. They may make this choice, for their own benefit, but what will happen is the rest of the family will be upset and make sure that they understand it. Sometimes it is difficult to make the whole family happy, but the child that is doing the shopping will certainly appreciate the efforts of the person that does the shopping in the family normally.
Explained to any child that has a driving licence and drives a family cars, that they will be paying for 50% of the petrol bill from now onwards. Teenagers love to drive, and will often take the longest routes to get wherever they want to go in order to a drive and be impressed their friends. This will increase the cost of the petrol bill. By explaining to the teenager that they are now liable for 50% of the petrol bill for that car, they will learn that taking the longer routes, or driving just for driving sake, is an expensive habit. this may only be feasible on weekends, if the child uses the car only on weekends. However if you use the card to go to work and back and they use the car in the evenings during the week as well, then the 50% rule seems reasonably fair.
Stop paying for branded clothing and items for the children. if your children need new trainers or clothing and request in branded items, take them shopping and find equally similar items that non-branded. explain to your child, that you are willing to buy them non-branded items as they are needed, but should the child grazed the branded item on the extra cost will have to come out of these savings. If a non-branded item is £15 and a branded item is £45, it is likely that your child will think twice about spending the extra £30 to get the branded item. At five pounds an hour in babysitting, that would be six hours worth of babysitting for a branded item product. I’m sure they’ll probably think twice about whether they really want it or not.
Put 20% of your children’s earnings/pocket money into a savings account. Explain to your child that this is money, for the big expenses coming up like University, car, mortgage deposit. This is a habit you want to teach your children early on, so that they continue to do this throughout the rest of their life, and as a result when they do hit a recession, such as we have, they are prepared.
make sure your child pays a portion, or for some items every month out of their own money and never fail to collect or deduct that money. It is far better if you actually give them the money at the end of the month, and then make sure that they immediately give what they owe to you back. Kids need to see money coming in and going out visually. the reason you pay good money at the end of the month, is because that is payment for chores, effort, “what ever” through the month. Just like the salary you receive at the end of the month for your job. This is good practice in the long-running as this is the way the real world works and you simply imitating that.

it is my humble opinion that if you imitate real-life father children younger, they receive no great enormous surprise is when suddenly they enter the real world. I have 100 parents who would tell you different. I know many peers that believe children should be children, and not have any pressure, and not have any responsibility, until they are much older and able to deal with it. I believe differently as you can tell from my blog.

I believe I can help teach my children the lessons of the real world in small measured ways, as they grow up, and that I am preparing them for life in the real world, and not preparing them for enormous shocks when they step out the cosseted family home to fend for themselves. Many people do not agree with my methodology.

That’s okay, if we were all the same then the world would be a boring place. But if you do (or don’t!) agree with me please comment below and tell me what you do to save money and help your kids .