Friday 28 February 2014

Caffeine - My Best Friend

Throughout my life many things have changed, nothing tends to stay the same does it? As I've got older friends have come and gone, more often than I'd like really but for quite a few years one of my friends has remained a constant in my life, his name is caffeine. Infact I would go as far to say that caffeine has become my very best friend :)

My mate caffeine has changed somewhat over the years, funnily enough, thinking about it, he seemed to change at the same times as I did, I suppose he was just moving with the times.

I remember when I met caffeine, I was sixteen years old, caffeine introduced himself as a lovely bottle of cherry coke, we got talking and we soon started meeting up twice a day, he liked to keep me company at lunch times. I would say he made me happy, my mum would say he made me hyper.

As I turned eighteen, caffeine morphed into red bull, on occasion he came along with his friend vodka, I happened to like his friend a lot!! Caffeine was there for the drunken highs and the hangover lows, aaa the memories.

Thursday 27 February 2014

Banana and Raspberry Smoothie Recipe

I hope I'm not the only one that has children that change their minds like the wind. One day they really like something, the next day they hate it. This happens a lot when it comes to fruit and vegetables. I've found a good way to get them have some of their five a day is to make a smoothie. The good thing about smoothies is that you can vary the flavours. A firm favourite in this house is the banana and raspberry smoothie.

Ingredients

* 2 x bananas
* 2 handfuls of raspberries ( I used fresh but you can use frozen)
* 2 tsp of sugar
* 1 tsp of vanilla essence
* 600 ml of semi skimmed milk


banana and raspberry smoothie

Wednesday 26 February 2014

Creating Memories With Canvas Design

You may have guessed by some of the content on my blog that I like taking photos, I am by no means a professional but I love having all the memories captured. I was recently given the opportunity by Canvas Design to have one of pictures printed onto a canvas. The trouble was deciding which photo to use.

I have a lot of pictures of my children separately but not a lot of them all together so I didn't think it would right to pick one child over the rest.

In the end I decided to take a new picture. When I was having a clear out of things after Christmas I found the bouquet from my wedding.

artificial white roses


When thinking of what picture I could take, I realised that we never got a picture of my bouquet specifically, so I thought it would be nice to get a close up photo of it.

Tuesday 25 February 2014

A Winter Adventure With Barny

It is no secret that this Winter has been rather wet and windy, making it sometimes difficult to keep the children entertained, especially when they have been stuck inside for so long dreaming of the great outdoors. Britmums and Barny wanted to celebrate children's curiosity so have set a winter little adventure challenge for us to take part in.

We were sent two packs of the delicious Barny sponge snack in scrummy new flavours strawberry and apple.

barny strawberry and apple sponge cakes


These yummy snacks gave the girls some much needed energy to embark on the small adventure I had planned for them.

Personalised Peppa Pig 'My Mummy' Book Giveaway

There always seems to be some sort of occasion on the horizon, we've just bid farewll to Valentine's day and Pancake day is round the corner but another special day to start thinking about is Mother's day because lets face it, us mums do a lot and deserve treat every once in a while. Penwizard are launching their latest book to their personalised collection, the Peppa Pig 'My Mummy' book.

penwizard peppa pig book

The wonderful story shows the many reasons why your child and Peppa love their mummy. From jumping in muddy puddles to making paper aeroplanes, it is a fun and adorable way to show their mummy why she is loveliest mummy of all.

Monday 24 February 2014

Read With Me #8

Now coming to end of half term week, I have surprised myself in the fact that I have managed to still read a few books even with all the kids off, admittedly I did wait for them all to get into their beds before starting to read. Anyway welcome to this weeks read with me, I want to make a special mention to Giraffe in the Bath for linking up every week, would love to see more of you doing the same.

read with me
This week I found a new book boyfriend, the very lovely Ethan Blackstone from the Blackstone Affair books written by Raine Miller.

There are actually four books to read and you really do need to read them all all. I have currently read three out the four books.

The books in order are titled :

* Naked

* All In

* Eyes Wide Open

* Rare and Precious Things


The story follows American Brynne Bennett who is attentding the University of London as an art student.

Saturday 22 February 2014

I See Blue Skies

It feels like such a long time since I have been able to get outside of the house with the girls without getting drenched by pouring rain or blown away by the strong winds which keep coming back. Finally when looking out of the window yesterday, I happened to see blue skies all around, something that we just had to take advantage of!!



We decided to take a walk up to our local park and take the time to explore a little.

Project 365 Days 47 - 53

What a lovely week we've had, it has been half term so the kids have been off school, we haven't done anything too special, it has just been nice to be able relax and recoup, especially after the week before that was full of sickness bugs.

Day 47

It was Gracie's birthday the day before so as a treat we took the girls out for dinner, off to Nando's we went.

Friday 21 February 2014

The Mummy Tag

I was recently tagged by the lovely Kate over at My Family Fever to take part in this fab meme, "the mummy tag". It is great way for you to be nosey find out more about me.



1. Are you a Stay at Home Mum or are you a Working Mum?

Primarily I am a stay at home mum, I have been since my eldest was born over eight years ago, something that I feel very lucky to be able to do. However as a qualified hairdresser, I also manage to fit in cutting peoples hair and I also write the occasional review for an online nursery company.

2. Would you have it any other way?

Honestly, there are days when I could get a bit more adult interaction but those are fleeting moments, I think I would be upset if my day to day life was to change.

Thursday 20 February 2014

Pita Bread Pizza Recipe

Since it is half term, I thought it was time to get the kids involved with cooking the dinner, seen as we weren't in a rush to do anything else yesterday. On the menu was pita bread pizzas, a great alternative to a normal pizza.

Ingredients

* Packet of pita breads
* Tomato puree
* Grated cheese
* Pizza toppings, we opted for a variety of meats

Preparation

* Turn on the grill and warm up to a medium heat.
* Cut each pita bread in half and place on a baking tray.
* Place the pita breads under the gril for approximately a minute.
* Spread tomato puree over each of the pita breads.
* Add your toppings, making sure to cover the whole of the pita breads.


Wednesday 19 February 2014

Mia Tui Ella Bag Review

I am a firm believer that a woman can never have too many pushchairs, slings, shoes and of course bags. You must know that accessorising is a must and of course we must be able to mix and match. So when Mia Tui asked me to review one of the bags from their range, I jumped at the chance. Based on my lifestyle and what I use my changing bag for, Mia Tui decided that the Ella would be the best match for me.

mia tui aubergine


I was impressed by the Ella bag, even before I had a chance to use it. The colour was beautiful and I am happy to say it complimented my pushchair well ;) The attention to detail is clear, with neat white stitching, buckles to the sides and my favourite part, the star attached to the zip, I am a sucker for stars!! The bag oozes quality.

Tuesday 18 February 2014

Who's The Teacher?

Do you ever wonder who's the teacher in your childs life? I've always been keen to help my children learn. I bought books for them to read even before they were even born, the toys that they play with not only allow them to have fun but they also encourage them to learn different skills from counting and sorting to role play and dealing with certain emotions.

However when my children started school I thought I would become what I would call a back seat teacher, still helping them along their learning journey but becoming someone that reinforced what their school teachers were teaching them rather than being the main source of where their knowledge comes from.

My 6 year old daughter Freya and her class mates were let down big time last year by their teacher when they were in reception. Unfortunately they weren't taught all of their phonics and other basic skills and some were left not really being able to read properly when they started year one in September.



Monday 17 February 2014

Read With Me #7

Last week I found it hard to fit in reading books between all the sickness that was flying around the house but whenever I had a free moment I had my kindle in hand.

read with me
The book I am giving a review of this week is The Light in The Wound written by Christine Brae.

This has been on my to read list for a while so when I saw it listed in the free books list on kindle I just had to purchase it.

Isobel is a girl who comes from a privileged background but unsurprisingly this doesn't mean that life has always been good for her. Her parents divorce when she is young but not only is she separated from her father and two sisters, she is separated from her mother too and is made to live with her grand parents. She grows up somewhat isolated and feeling very lonely.

Saturday 15 February 2014

Project 365 Days 40 - 46

What a wet and windy week it has been. I hope you have all manage to stay safe this week!! If you read Thursdays post, you will know that us Hazeldens have been somewhat hibernating this week due to a sickness bug making its way into the house, thankfully we are all on the mend. Here is the girls week in pictures.

Day 40

Freya and Layla were having a lovely lazy Sunday, Elise and I took a stroll in the rare sunshine and this is where the illness began, poor Gracie just didn't feel right.


Friday 14 February 2014

Help #EmmasArmy In The Fight Against Cancer

Emma from Crazy With Twins is a very brave mummy who has fought a battle against thyroid cancer, I'm pleased to say she is one of the fortunate ones, who for now is winning the battle. This courageous lady wants to help others in the fight against cancer so she is building an army of lovely people to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

Their first mission is to walk the national trail known as The Cotswold Way, that's a massive 104 miles long!!

This will take place between the 15th - 24th May 2014. You can see the full route plans, distances and dates here.

Here is where you lovely readers come in.

Emma doesn't want to do this walk alone, oh no, she wants to build #EmmasArmy and walk together with others for a great cause.

There will be fun things to do along the way, including little games and challenges and of course there will be a big celebration on the last day when the end is reached!!

emmas army fight against cancer

Homemade Valentine's Flowers

Valentine's day is here, did you remember, are you in need of a last minute gift or perhaps your children want to make something special?? Take a look at my short tutorial on how to make some homemade Valentine's flowers.

You will need :



* Straws
* Paper
* Pencil
* Scissors
* Glue
* Double sided tape
* Ribbon
* Craft Feathers

Thursday 13 February 2014

Thank God For my Mummy

This week has been some what of a nightmare week in the Hazelden household, all I can say is thank god for my mummy.

Monday afternoon when I went to pick the girls up from school I was called into Freya's class, she was being sick, she had only just got over a sickness bug from a couple of weeks ago. This meant poor Elise had to miss her recorder lesson as I wouldn't be able to come and pick her up later on, it would turn out later on that this wasn't a bad thing.

Luckily we made it home before Freya was sick again, then half hour later it was Elise's turn, she suddenly went really pale and ran to the toilet. More sick.

Now I don't do sick, I have a bit of a phobia of it, I really struggle to be anywhere near anyone that is being sick but seen as Daddy Hazelden was away working I had no choice, I am just very lucky that in general Elise and Freya can make it to the toilet in time.

I had them both set up on the sofa to sleep for the night so that they didn't disturb their sisters but at 10pm Layla was sick in her bed, come 11pm all three of them were being sick at the same time, lets just say it turned out to be a long night!!!

Tomato and Courgette Baked Omelette

With Daddy Hazelden working away in London during the week, I end up cooking the girls dinner in the afternoon and then find myself not wanting to cook again later on. So I have been trying to come up with some quick and easy meals for me to eat for on those days when I really can't be bothered. Omelette is something that is not only easy to make but it is versatile too because you can put whatever you want with it. This week I used tomato and courgette to make a scrummy baked omelette.

Ingredients

* 3 x medium eggs
* Knob of butter
* Handful of cherry tomatoes
* Half a courgette

Preparation

* Crack the eggs in a bowl/jug and whisk them together.

* Cut the tomatoes and courgette into small chunks.


Wednesday 12 February 2014

Degustabox Review and Giveaway

I don't know about you but I get bored of having the same old foods all the time and I am always on the look out for inspiration for new and different foods/recipes to use and eat.  I was recently contacted by Degustabox, a company that supplies you with a monthly box full of surprise foods, many of which are new to the market!!

I was excited to receive the box, I do love a good surprise!!!

degustabox

Tuesday 11 February 2014

A Minnie Makeover

Ever since we moved into our house the small bedroom has always been the "baby" room. This means that the original Winnie the Pooh bedding, curtains etc have never been changed. Over time this bedroom has also become the junk storage room, I was beginning to forget what the original space looked like.

One of my goals this year was to make a few home improvements and I thought the best place to begin was Layla's room seen as she is no longer my baby, closer to a toddler these days.

Here is what the room looked like before I began to wade my way through the mess :


You can see from the picture above that we couldn't even shut the drawer and the wardrobe properly as it was filled to the brim.

Monday 10 February 2014

Read With Me #6

I said in last weeks Read With Me post that I read a total of 11 books in January. Well we are only on day 10 for the month of February and I have already read 5 books so I may well beat that record.

mama mummy mum
My favourite book of last week has to be The Dark Light of Day written by T M Frazier.

The product description warns you that this is not your typical romance and reading through the reviews before I purchased it, I was expecting something slightly darker than what I usually read.

The story follows the relationship of Abby and Jake.

Abby is a girl that had has issues, moved in and out of foster homes due to parental problems, it isn't until she finally moves in with her nan that her life seems to look that little bit brighter.

Jake has had his fair share of troubles, losing both his mother and brother, he leaves the family home at a young age when things with his father turn from bad to worse.

Reef 2 High Tide DVD Giveaway

Next week on the 17th of February, sees the release of Reef 2 High Tide, a great underwater adventure on to DVD, digital and on demand.

This is the sequel to the very successful Reef which was released way back in 2006. It sees the return of little fish Pi who is back to save his much loved reef. Also returning is that nasty shark Troy and this time he and his shark friends are after another fish buffet.

reef 2 high tide


Saturday 8 February 2014

Project 365 Days 33 - 39

February has arrived and it has bought the cold with it!!! Still plenty of opportunities to take some more photos though. Here is this weeks round up for project 365.

Day 33

Sunday was a lazy kind of day filled with playing and TV watching. Freya insisted I show off her Monster High dolls, Gracie managed to find a once lost fan. Elise was convinced the outfit I chose her wasn't "cool", what do us mums know? And little Layla was once again caught emptying the games cupboard.


Friday 7 February 2014

Pipsy Koala Giveaway

Earlier in the week I posted my review of some of the fantastic products that Pipsy Koala stock, this included the booster seat and the night light, both of which have proved to be very handy in the Hazelden household.

All the products which Pipsy Koala stock are not only great value for money, they are also a great help to any parent and their little ones, making day to day goings on just that little bit easier for everyone involved.

Pipsy Koala are always evolving and they have now added another product to their ever growing range, their Unisex Changing Bags.

This changing has a multitude of features including :

* Mini padded travel changing mat
* Bottle insulator
* Multiple pockets
* Hygienic messy bag

Pipsy Koala have designed this bag with both mums and dads in mind, it is stylish yet practical with silver detail to the edging and wipe clean material, it fits in all those much needed essentials and it means that you will only need the one bag between you.


pipsy koala changing bag

Thursday 6 February 2014

Banana and Oat Pancake Recipe

I love pancakes but I was getting bored of having the same ones all of the time and because I am trying in vain to lose weight. This month I am joining in the OXO pancake day blogger challenge so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try and conjour up a slightly healthier pancake recipe for us all to eat.

To make the challenge of making pancakes slighlty easier, OXO kindly sent me one of their flip & fold omlette turners, yes I know an omelette isn't a pancake but technically making them uses the same kind of processes!!

Ingredients

For the pancakes :

* 1 Banana
* 70g Porridge Oats
* 2 Egg Whites
* 1tsp Vanilla Essence

For the sauce :

* Peanut butter (I used crunchy but you can of course use smooth)

Preparation

* Mash up the banana with a fork.

* Place the porridge oats, egg whites and vanilla essence into the bowl with the banana.

* Using a hand blender, blend all the ingredients together.

banana and oat pancakes

Wednesday 5 February 2014

Pipsy Koala Review

It's funny, after having four children, I always seem to forget all of the things that are needed as my children grow. You know what I'm talking about, I have to have a good old think every time I leave the house to make sure that I'm not forgetting something, I think I have wipes in just about every one of my bags now, an essential that is always needed!!!

Pipsy Koala is a company that produces a range of products that are effective and practical and they aim to make life with your baby just that little bit easier.

I was lucky enough to be sent a few of the items that they stock to see just how helpful they are. I was sent the booster seat, the automatic nightlight, the foam bath animals and one of their lovely 2014 calendars.

pipsy koala

Tuesday 4 February 2014

Printing Pictures

One of the subjects I took at school was art, it is surprising how much I have forgotten since leaving school though. My kids are constantly reminding me of things that I did when I was younger. The other day Elise was on about printing pictures and at first I didn't quite understand what she meant, so of course she had to show me. A piece of polystyrene and a pencil later and it all became clear.

You will need :

* Pieces of polystyrene

* A pencil

* An assortment of paints

* A paint brush

* Plain paper

To make :

Take a piece of polystyrene and using a pencil draw out the picture you would like to create, then using that same pencil, you need to push into the polystyrene and follow what you have drawn, creating a type of stencil.

polystyrene picture

Monday 3 February 2014

Read With Me #5

Wow so we are now into the month of February. Last month I managed to read a total of eleven books!!! I aim to read atleast that amount again this month. Thank you so much to all of you who linked up with Read With Me in January, I hope you continue to do so.

Last week I read three books, Falling Into You and Falling Into Us by Jasinda Wilder and In This Moment by Autumn Doughton but the one that really stood out for me was Falling Into You by Jasinda Wilder.

The first of two books, it was actually the blurb of the book that made me want to read it :

"I wasn't always in love with Colton Calloway, I was in love with his younger brother, Kyle first. Kyle was my first love, my first in every way.

Then one stormy August night, he died, and the person I was died with him.

Colton didn't teach me how to live. He didn't heal the pain. He didn't make it ok. He taught me how to hurt, how to not be okay and eventually, how to let go."

Saturday 1 February 2014

Project 365 Days 26 - 32

Wow, can't believe that it is February already, last month definitely went by in a flash. Luckily for me I've been taking all these pictures to help me remember just what happened as I blinked and missed it.

Day 26

One bookworm, one food thief and two children who normally bicker were getting along for a change.