T is for …. Time

This weeks alphabet project sees us reaching letter number 20, that's letter T. The first thing that sprung to mind apart from a cup of tea was time.

Time is something that plays a huge part in all of our lives.

Be it telling the time on a clock or watch.

Or when using a figure of speech saying that time just seems to fly by and belive me it really does.

Read With Me #39

Hey there. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. This week I've not only enjoyed reading a couple of books in the peace and quiet of my bedroom but I have also loved sitting down and reading with my children both altogether and one on one with each of my daughter's.

My personal favourite book this week was by one of my favourite authors, Rebecca Donovan.

Her latest release, What If, is a beautifully written story which is truly heartwarming, filled with many layers of emotion, it keeps you guessing until the end!!

My kids decided their favourite book was I Want To Be A Witch by Ian Cunliffe, I will have a review of this up on the blog soon so keep and eye out for it.

And the post I recommend you read from last weeks link up is over on Carole Finds Her Wings.  Carole recommends one of her favourite series from her childhood, Animal Ark. It sounds perfect for children and I think I may have to look into buying some for my kids so that I can get a chance to read them too!!

The Dinosaur That Pooped The Past Review

I was recently sent a copy of the Dinosaur That Pooped The Past to review from the Mumsnet team along with one of the previous books in the series The Dinosaur That Pooped The Planet.

Written by two members of the McFly, Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter (major fan here!!) These two have managed to create a series of books are suitable for children of all ages (and adults too).

Once upon a time…

Danny and the Dinosaur flew back through history on a time travelling swing! Now they're hanging out with some new dino friends, but there's a rumbling and this time it's not Dinosaur's tummy; it's a volcano about to erupt! 

Can Dinosaur poop them all out of the past?

Silent Sunday

Project 365 Days 264 - 270

I'm happy to report that the sickness has left the building. So this weeks project 365 is a bit cheerier than last week!!

I've noticed that the temperatures have started to drop so the girls are back to wearing Winter uniform and cosy coats, I have to say I'm pleased to be able to pop a hat over my untameable hair.

I love Autumn, we've spent our school walks busy looking for pine cones, conkers, and fallen leaves.

In other news, we have been attempting potty training again this week because Layla asked to wear knickers.

On to the pictures….

Day 264

We were at my nephews birthday party and what's the best thing about a party? The food of course :)

Win a Mini-b Beanbag from Room To Grow

Room To Grow are a company that try their best to provide parents and children with practical, yet stylish bedroom furniture and accessories.

They are here to help create fun, yet functional bedrooms that even the fussiest kids will love.

Handpicking ranges of products from the top European manufacturers including Stompa, Thika, Juliam Bowen and Parisot, Room To Grow want to help you on the quest to create your child's dream bedrooms and make their dreams become a reality.

I have been very kindly given permission to offer you lovely readers the chance to win a Mini-b Beanbag

5 Reasons I Hate My Kids Going Back To School

I know many parents who are all ready to celebrate when the end of the school holidays get closer.
Getting excited to have some peace and quiet, less noise from those bickering children. Time to pop the kettle on and finally catch up on the back log of missed TV programmes, jeremy kyle here we come.

I personally dread the children not being at home all of the time and not just because I miss having them around.

Here are just 5 reasons why I hate my kids going back to school.

Early wake up calls should be banned!!

Gone are those extra minutes in bed, no more getting ready at your leasure.

The evil alarm which wakes you up at some horrid hour before the sun has even managed to rise is back. This is not the way I wish to be woken up!!

I'd say thank god for the snooze button but I can't tell you how many times I've been late because I've gone back to sleep thinking I have hit snooze when in fact the alarm has been turned off completely.

Hello morning rush.

Lime and Avocado Dip Recipe

One of my guilty pleasures is crisps.

To be precise, crisps with dip.

You know the saying from Pringles, "once you pop, you just can't stop". Well this is true for any packet of crisps that I open.

If I'm not careful I find myself going through a big bag of tortilla chips and a tub of hummus in one sitting, slightly calorific!!

So I decided to experiment making my own dips, try to bring a bit of healthy back to my night time snacking.

Here is my recipe for lime and avocado dip…

Everything Is Awesome Watching The Lego Movie

The girls and I were recently sent a copy of the Lego Movie from suppose.com to watch and review.

Lego fans worldwide would have been seriously pleased to see that the 3D computer animated Lego Movie had been released.

Adults and children alike will find themselves equally drawn in by this lively animation.

The Lego Movie sees plastic construction worker Emmet seemly cast as the 'accidental' hero when President Business makes his attempt to completely obliterate any creativity that doesn't conform with his ideas.

Out and About With The Trunki BoostaPak

I've always known Trunki for their brilliant suitcases but their range continues to expand, including backpacks, storage, travel pillows and much much more. All their products are aimed to help parents and children who like to get out and about and be on the go.

I was lucky enough to be given the chance to review their Boostapak, a car seat which is also a backpack in disguise, clever!!!

Winner of a huge 10 awards including Practical Parenting & Innovation award and the LBP Best Travel Invention award, the Trunki Boostapak is designed so it can be taken everywhere with you.

Car seats can be a tricky subject. The law requires all children under the age of 12 or under the height of 135cm to use some sort of car seat.

The trouble I have with 4 children all needing a car seat is fitting them all car.

Most car seats are quite wide which normally means I struggle to squish three car seats in a row, this leaves me having to sit inbetween two car seats and putting the third in the front passenger seat.

No More Sewing With Stuck On You

When getting organised ready for the kids to go back to school, there was one task that I avoided, labelling the kids clothes.

I admit, I just can't sew.

Luckily for me, my mum can, so this job has always been one that I've left up to her.

But not this year.

Stuck On You were kind enough to send me a set of clothing labels personalised with Gracie's name as well as left and right shoe labels. This meant that I could take on the task of labelling the clothes myself.

S is for….. Sleep

This weeks alphabet project sees the letter S taking centre stage.

I've decided that S is represented by sleep.

I don't know about you but sleep is something I crave.

I used to spend ours lying in my bed when I was younger or my pit as my mum used to call it.

Only rolling out of it when nature called or when my tummy refused to give up rumbling.

Now sleep is something I just can't seem to find.

I struggle to fall asleep on a daily basis and I think I know the reason why…

Read With Me #38

Hello fellow readers. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. Last week I managed to reach my GoodReads 2014 target of 150 books and it isn't even the end of September yet.

I think this shows just how much I love books.

I'm now wondering what my total will reach come the end of the year?

Even though I have over 500 books on my TBR list, this week I have found myself re reading books that I have read in the past.

Do you like to re read books or do you read them the once??

Thanks as always to everyone who linked up last week.

I'm so pleased to see that there are people out there who appreciate a good book just as much as I do.

Bedtimes Made Perfect With Storytime Magazine

I think whether you are a child or an adult, you just can't beat a good story.

Either reading it yourself or being read to, it's nice to escape into a different world and let your imagination run wild.

The girls and I were recently sent a brand new magazine to read.

Storytime is filled with illustrated stories for parents and children to read and share together.

"We created Storytime because we wanted to make a magazine that parents and kids can enjoy together, and to encourage more parents and children to read for pleasure so, as well as well-loved stories, it features puzzles, colouring, games and top storytelling tips for parents from our education consultant. There are no plastic toys on the cover and no ads. We hope it’s something families will want to keep and treasure."

It says on the front, classic tales to read, love and share.

You can tell upon opening it that it is a magazine like no other.

Silent Sunday

Project 365 Days 257 - 263

Honestly I'll be glad when this week is over.

My poor mum had a week off work and instead of a nice holiday she has been faced with a house filled with vomit, poop and lots and lots of tears.

It started with Freya and Gracie, spread to Layla and then to Elise oh and back to Freya again.

I'm just surprised we haven't caught this dreaded bug too.

So I'm sure you won't be surprised that my project 365 photos this week aren't the happiest but here they are….

Day 257

A day of rubbish weather meant entertaining ourselves indoors.

Free School Dinners, Not As Good As They Sound

This month saw all key stage one children in English schools given the chance to eat a hot meal at school for free every day.

The scheme is expected to save parents like myself £400 a year per child.

Now in theory this sounds great but I'm not convinced.

Here are just three reasons that have me questioning the scheme and its intentions.

The Cost

Well we are told it is free but lets be honest, nothing where the government is concerned is really free. I mean we'll be paying for this through our taxes.

And in that case I'd like to know why school meals can't be free across the board.

At the moment I have three children at school, one in reception, one in year 2 and one in year 4. Meaning that two of my children get free meals whilst the other I'd have to pay for.

This something I can't afford, now for some it might not seem a lot of money to pay out but to me it is, I just can't budget in another bill. This means that my eldest has to have a packed lunch, luckily she is an easy going child and doesn't mind.

However I'm sure there are children out there who wouldn't be so happy if put in the same situation.

It was general secretary Christine Bower that said, "children do not stop being hungry at seven years of age".

Making Fajitas With a Little Help From Birds Eye

I don't know about you, but I seem to find myself extra busy in Spetember.

After a relaxing interesting 6 weeks off from the school run, we are back into the routine of school, homework and early bed times with a bang.

Dinner times can end up being boring as I just don't seem to have the time to come up with new ideas of things to eat, we end up getting stuck in a rut of eating the same things on a weekly basis.

Birds Eye to the rescue.

This lovely company have enlisted the help of some talented little chefs to bring us parents a range of ideas for tasty dinner time recipes, designed to be yummy and appealing to even the fussiest of taste buds.

The list includes :

Fish Finger Pizza

Waffle Submarine

Waffle Nachos

The girls and I opted to make the Chicken Dipper Fajitas seen as normal fajitas are always a family favourite.

Silly Billyz Messy Eater Bibs Review

One thing my kids love is food.

I can always count on them to let me know when meal times are and one thing I can also count on is that clothes will get messy.

My eldest two have reached the stage of not needing bibs anymore but Gracie and Layla still need covering up, especially when orange coloured foods are involved!!!

The trouble is a lot of bibs only cover the front of clothing, they forget that mess can spread far and wide including the sleeves and bottoms too.

I was recently sent a couple of Silly Billyz Messy Eater bibs from BPM childcare to try out and review,  suitable for children aged 12 months to 3 years and beyond, they seemed like they could be the solution to those pesky food stains….

LeapPad 3 from LeapFrog Review

As an ambassador for LeapFrog this year, I get to bring you all the latest news on up and coming releases etc as well as having the chance to test out some of the newest product.

Recently we were very kindly sent the LeapPad 3 to test out and review.

August's Degustabox, What's Inside???

I have to say, I really do get excited about receiving my Degustabox each month, it is lovely to have something to look forward to.

I'm always left thinking that they can't get any better and then Degustabox go and add in an extra little surprise, you'll have to read on to find out what it was….

R is for ….. Reading

If you hadn't guessed already from my weekly linky #readwithme I love to read.

And I'm really happy to say that my kids have caught the reading bug too.

My children owned books before they were even born.

I've read to them most nights, even babies enjoy a good story.

So the letter R for the alphabet project this week stands for…… reading.

Read With Me #37

Hello you lovely book worms. Have you found yourself being able to read more with the kids back at school?? Are you getting a bit more "me time"??.

I haven't had more time as I still have my youngest at home and I am back to sitting and reading school books sent home and the obligatory homework.

My 4 year old started primary school a couple of weeks ago and just last  week she was sent home with her first book.

And what I loved was that it was a picture book, no words at all.

This allows for kids to create their own stories, letting their imaginations really run wild.

It encourages them to focus on the story rather than just the words on the page.

Monkey Goes To School Book Review

I was recently asked if I wanted to review Monkey Goes to School, a book which is part of the Monkey Wellbeing series.

With Gracie nervous about starting school, it was an opportunity that would be really beneficial to myself and my daughter.

For those of you that haven't heard of the Monkey Wellbeing series, let me explain a little of what it is about :

Monkey came from a handmade storybook which was created by Helen Sadler to help her daughter through a tough operation at a young age. This was after she struggled to find any other books or resources that would help an 18 month old child understand what going to the hospital entailed.

With this one book came huge success and there are now many tailor made photographic storybooks starring Monkey available to support families through unknown stressful times.

Silent Sunday

Project 365 Days 250 - 256

Two weeks into living at nannie's house and I do believe we are all getting used to the not so ideal situation.

I think I can also safely say we are well and truly back into the school routine.

Layla had her first day at playschool, no problems there, she didn't even say goodbye, just ran off and played.

The girls have also impressed me with how well they are doing in their new classes at school, the knowledge they are absorbing is amazing. I'm hearing all about Pompei, the great fire of London and Gracie is learning to blend her sounds before she has even learnt her phonics.

Enough of my gushing, onto this weeks round up…

Day 250

Admiring the view.

Always Time For Cuddles

When you have a baby, people tell you to make the most of everything because time flies by so fast.

If you are anything like me, you won't believe what they say until one day you blink and your baby is no longer so small.

Those precious milestones seem to pass by in an instant.

All the firsts, smiles, steps, words.

The scribbles pictures that won't make sense to others but mean the world to you.

It was only last week when my 4 year old Gracie had her first day at school and this Tuesday just gone my youngest daughter, Layla started play school.

And of course it isn't just the big events, it's the smallest moments that can be the most meaningful.

Like cuddles.

This is something I think I have taken for granted at times.

Fairy Non Bio is proud to have seen millions of mums through every baby grow, every toddler's favourite party dress and then, all too soon, that first school uniform. So we understand how quickly this time passes and therefore the value of every precious cuddle.

As my children have grown older they have been less inclined to just sit and have a hug, so when the moment arises, I really do cherish it.

Cherry Tiffin Cake Recipe

Last week was my wedding anniversary.

Something that I always make for my husband on anniversaries and birthdays is his favourite cake, Tiffin.

This time round I decided to change it up a little by adding cherries.

Amber Anklet Review

Having four children, I should be old hat at the dreaded teething stage. This doesn't stop me trying out the latest methods.

Anything for a peaceful nights sleep.

Something that I wish I had tried sooner is amber. This was something I discovered with my third daughter.

I was recently given the chance to review some amber anklets and with Layla cutting her back teeth I was very keen to try them.

Rainbow Braid Loom Band Review

If you haven't heard of loom bands by now, just where have you been??

It has been the latest craze to sweep the nation.

Proving so popular that when a dress made out of loom bands was put on eBay, it sold for a gigantic £170, 000, although the buyer didn't pay in the end!!

I was recently asked by Rainbow Braid if I would like to review their 5400 refill loom band kit, with the girls obssession in full swing how could I refuse.

Q is for….. Quirky

I've been thinking about the letter Q since I started joining in with the alphabet project.

I'm sure a lot of people like me would struggle to come up with an idea for this letter. 

There aren't a lot of obvious words.

In the end I decided that Q would stand for quirky

And what could be quirkier than this table below.

Read With Me #36

Hello lovely readers. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. With the kids back at school I was happy to have a few free moments to catch up on a bit of reading.

I have a couple of favourite blogs to read to get some great book recommendations so I thought I would mention them on here.

Aestas Book Blog and Surrender to Books definitely keep my TBR list stocked up :)

They keep me up to date on new releases, books on sale and those freebie kindle purchases!!

Well worth checking out.

Thanks as always to everyone who linked up last week.

One of my favourites was from Sarah over on Let Them Be Small. She was sent a lovely collection of books from Usborne. I've always been fans of their range, a good selection for children on all ages.

Vanilla Salt by Ada Parellada Review

I have reviewed a few books from Alma Books now and last month their recent books followed the theme of food.

I was sent Vanilla Salt by Ada Parellada to review. What was interesting is that this is Ada is actually an acclaimed Iberian chef, she has written several cookery books but this is her first ever novel.

Alex is a brilliant Catalan chef, but he struggles to fill his restaurant because of his gruff, eccentric personality and his refusal to use ingredients that trace their culinary origins to America, such as potatoes and tomatoes. When he meets the young, enthusiastic and beautiful Canadian Annette, he finds his ideas and narrow minded outlook challenged, and discovers that they are both concealing painful pasts.

Silent Sunday

Project 365 Days 243 - 249

We've done it.

We've survived the first week of living at my mums house and we've surivived the first week back at school.

We made the most of the last few days of the Summer holidays, trips to Dover Castle, playing at the park, lovely dinners out.

Then normal routine resumed and the dreaded alarm wake call returned.

Gracie after initial nerves took to school like a duck to water.

And today I celebrate six years of being married to Daddy Hazelden.

On to this weeks project 365 round up….

Day 243

Today was the last day on our English Heritage cards so we decided to visit Dover castle again. Surprisingly we still found things that we's not seen before.

Teething Over Time

Teething is one of those things that I think us as parents dread.

Noone wants to see their child in pain and I think we can totally sympathise with them, I mean wisdom teeth, one word, ouch!!

Knowing how to soothe our little ones can be tricky and I know my methods have changed with each child, it has always been a case of trial and error.

I was extremely lucky with my eldest child, I honestly never knew she was teething until she bit me one day.

This however lulled me into a false sense of security because when my 2nd child began the cutting her first teeth, boy did I know about it.

There were a lot of tell tell signs, excessive dribbling, red cheeks, constant chewing of hands.

Those were the days when I relied on Calpol, Bonjela and teething powders.

Moving Back In With The Parents

When I moved out of my mum's house almost 10 years ago I never thought in a million years that I would find myself back there.

But here I am, sat on my mum's sofa writing this post.

Unfortunately our landlord decided to sell our house earlier this year and this meant we needed to find somewhere else to rent.

Trouble with 4 children we couldn't just move into any home.

At the minimum we needed atleast a 3 bedroom house with 2 double rooms, something that seemed to be hard to come by.

And even when we did find houses that appeared suitable, they were either too expensive, too far away or just in unacceptable condition.

The council weren't willing to help because according to them, Justin earns too much.

Quick and Simple Bread Recipe

Whilst clearing out my kitchen cupboards the other day, I happened to find all the ingredients that I had been leftover from me making bread and I realised that I never shared my recipe on here.

Making bread needn't be complicated and below is a really quick and simple method for creating your very own loaf.

Getting Creative With Nestle

A couple of months ago I was set a challenge by Nestle Cereals, I had to write a breakfast diary for a week to show what my families breakfast habits were like and whether they needed improving.

Now Nestle Cereals made choosing what to have for breakfast easy because the green banners on the top of each of their boxes let us know that they contain wholegrain as well as at least six other vitamins and minerals.

Well this month Nestle cereals have set some bloggers a new task, this time we need to get creative, you know Blue Peter style i.e. here's one I made earlier.

#DialaSmile for National Childhood Cancer Month

Did you know that September marks national childhood cancer month??

No?

Neither did I until Bravery Boxes contacted me recently asking if I would help spread the word.

Bravery Boxes are actually a small charity that make boxes filled with small gifts, aimed to distract children from any painful or upsetting procedures that they have to endure, a way of putting a smile on their faces during those tough times.

However just like any charity, they need our help to raise funds to keep these boxes bring made.

As a mother, how could I not try and raise awareness.

So this month Bravery Boxes would love for as many people as possible to 'Dial a Smile'

P is for ….. Packing

This week is the turn of the letter P in the Alphabet Project.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will already know that we had to move out of our house because the landlord decided it was time to sell.

So in my mind the letter P could only stand for packing.

Read With Me #35

Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. I can't believe that we have reached the month of September!! As much as I love my kids, I am now on the count down for them to be back at school, I've not had many moments to myself recently to curl up with a good book at a decent our of the day.

Last week I was lucky enough to read a book that hasn't been been released yet!!

You can find my review of Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld in the linky below.

I'm so pleased to see week on week new people linking up, a couple of my favourite posts from last week :

Susan shared her review of The Case of The Exploding Loo by Rachel Hamilton.

This sounds like the perfect book to get you laughing, for boys and girls alike.

And the lovely Mummy Burgess has started up a new series of posts showcasing what her daughter Darcie has been reading, see what book was first up for review here.

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld Review

I was recently sent an advanced reading copy of the latest book from Scott Westerfeld, Afterworlds.

I have to admit I have never read anything from this author before but the blurb certainly had me intrigued.

Darcy writes the words.

Lizzie lives them.

Landing a major publishing deal, teenager Darcy finds herself in New York City, and suddenly surrounded by the cream of YA authors. At the same time, Afterworlds, Darcy's grippng thriller, begins to unfold. A novel within a novel…

This is the tale of two stories, cleverly weaved together in one single book.

On the one hand we have Darcy, an eighteen year old getting her first ever novel published. Seemingly living the dream in New York City, we follow her as she struggles to re-write her book and deal with falling in love.

On the other hand we have Lizzie. The fictional character in the book that Darcy is writing. A girl who at first finds herself in the middle of a terrorist attack and winds up being able to cross over to the "afterworld"