September the time for New School Year Resolutions

After sixteen years in the British Education system it has been imprinted in my brain that September is when the New Year starts. You get a new start and you can be a different person to who you were before the summer. Every September you can reinvent yourself as someone who is studious, on time, interesting and in my case on top of things.

Of course its dead lucky that just four months later you get to re-make all these promises to yourself with your New Years Resolutions as that is how long it normally took for me to forget what I was aiming for and fall back to my normal forgetting to study, do my homework, be late, only talk about things I find interesting and nobody else does and of course let everything pile on top of me in some crazy hotch potch way.

This is not a photo of Top Ender on her first day of School doing homework that had to be handed in that day.

This year of course will be no different, I am going to make changes and stick to them, not just for me but as a parent and of course if Top Ender wants to make some then I will support her. And if it turns out that at the end of December we have to make the same personal resolutions again? Well then I will just know that I am consistent in my ways!

As a Mummy however I promise the following resolutions will not be forgotten until at least Easter...

1. We will get to school on time everyday. Yes I know I only live five minutes from school.
2. Top Ender will have clean uniform everyday and her shoes will be polished.
3. I will remind Top Ender to take her PE kit at the start of the week.
4. I will check Top Enders bag for permission slips and return them promptly.
5. Top Ender will have a nutritious lunch everyday.
6. Top Ender will take her bottle of water to school everyday.
7. I won't be late picking Top Ender up. Again, yes I know I practically live next door to the school.
8. I will write all appointments on the calender.
9. I will get Top Ender to do her homework.
10. I will remember to give Top Ender and Baby Boy a healthy after school snack

Yeah who am I kidding? I won't last two weeks.

Toyologists? What on earth is a Toyologist?

In the run up to Top Enders being born, Daddy and I would often go out of an evening and wander round a shop or two. Top Ender loved to be up late, and watching TV and staring at the same four walls whilst being kicked from the inside just wasn't cutting it for us. We used to drive to Toys R Us in Bedford as it had late night Christmas Opening times and walk round looking at all the toys and seeing what we would like.

Eventually in 2005 Toys R Us found a site for a store in Milton Keynes and Daddy and I were thrilled that we could start going to a local store instead with our baby. Several years later and we still love the Milton Keynes store, not only because it is HUGE but because all of us (Baby Boy included) love to walk round and look at the toys and what we would have if our house was bigger!

It was with great interest that I replied back to the email from Geoffrey (you know the Toys R Us Giraffe, of  "there's millions of Geoffrey's all under one roof" fame) about becoming a Toyologist. And after some careful consideration I agreed that Top Ender and Baby Boy would become Toyologists and Daddy and I would be their assistants!

We were invited down to Bucklebury Farm Park in Berkshire to meet the other Toyologists and to have a bit of a tea party and as Daddy was at work I took my Mum (AKA Granny). I had explained to her what it was we were going to and why and it was then that she exclaimed;

"Toyologists? What on earth is a Toyologist?"

"Not a what, a who. Your Grandchildren are going to be Toyologists for Toys R Us" I explained

"Is it to do with that blog thing you do?" she said (I could hear her eyes rolling)

"Yes Mum" I sighed

"Your going to put this conversation on there aren't you?" she said resignedly

"Yes Mum" I said Smugly (Love you Mummy!)

Top Ender and Baby Boy had a great time and Top Ender even discovered that TB (GlowStars and Urbanvox eldest) isn't evil despite being a boy! They played in the playground, in the sandpit, on the slides, sat next to each other and even talked in Horse to each other. As I was the only one who could translate Horse it might of just been me making things up, but they didn't care. Well, not until I announced that TB had just asked Top Ender to marry him...

Whilst we grown ups had a little question and answer session about how the Toyologist programme is going to work, Granny took Top Ender and Baby Boy to play on some of the fab things at the Farm (such as a huge jumping pillow, a lot of slides, a zip slide sort of thing and a playground) and also they went and talked to a few animals and snacked on the cookies and muffins that had been laid out for us all to share.

After this we were all brought back together as it was time to open our first box of toys. Top Ender and Baby Boy got Granny and I to remove the tape and then they dived in pulling toys from the box and working out what was the best thing to look at first. There was a lot of toys and both Top Ender and Baby Boy exclaimed "COOL!" more than once as they examined the contents.

After this we went on a Tractor ride to see the Japanese Sika, Axis and Fallow deer that are at the Farm. We were allowed to feed them and as you can see from the photos they weren't shy!

We went home, happy but tired and with a huge dollop of excitement over playing with some new toys. I hope that you will enjoy the reviews that we do over the next few months and remember that anything we say is the truth, we aren't being paid to be nice (we aren't being paid at all, but you know what I mean) and hopefully it might give you some ideas about Christmas gifts!

Tesco School Uniform

A Nice Lady from Tesco contacted me the other day and asked if I would like to have a box of school uniform sent over for Top Ender. Now I have been buying bits of School Uniform every week in my weekly shop, but there were still a few bits and pieces that I needed to get. And so I said YES PLEASE!

Then last week, in the middle of the night (well before I was awake), the doorbell rang. I was busy sleeping and so sent Daddy downstairs to open the door. He came back upstairs with a box. A box that I had no clue what was inside, mainly due to it being before I had woken up. Several hours later though when I was awake and dressed and understood what was going on I presented the box to Top Ender.

Top Ender liked the box. She liked it even more when she opened the box and found that inside was a new school uniform that her fashion conscious eye (Like the Bratz she has a passion for fashion) approved of and a set of pens, pencils and a small notebook for the essential notes that she writes.

 

 

  

 

Top Ender refused to put it on though, saying that it is bad luck to you put school uniform on before your first day of school. I think that she might of been pulling my leg, but just in case she was telling the truth I didn't want to risk it! All of the items seem great quality, I will know better after I have washed them all and Top Ender has worn them a few times!

Having brought most of Top Enders school uniform over the last couple of years from Tesco, I know that the quality is good, and I love that they have waist adjusters on the skirts and trousers as Top Ender doesn't have hips to keep her skirts/trousers up. I also love that if you hang them up after they have been washed, they don't normally need ironing either!

As part of the offer I get to tag someone else in this post who will then be offered some School Uniform too and I have decided that my old Pregnancy buddy Becky at Single Mummy will be my nominee! I was also given a voucher for clothing at Tesco and I think that I might be using it to buy some very lovely outfits for Christmas...

Breakfast - Bullseye Egg

I think that in other parts of the country this is called an Open House Egg. We call it a Bullseye Egg, because when we aim the sauce we yell "BULLSEYE!" If we get a direct hit.

First you need to heat oil in your frying pan, whilst that is doing cut a circle out of a slice of bread. Fry the bread and circle so that it is Golden Brown on one side and then flip them both over. When flipped over crack an egg into the hole in the slice of bread and fry until cooked.

When done put on a plate, squirt on some ketchup and add the circle of bread back on top.

One Bullseye Egg for breakfast!

Top Ender Giggles - Itchy and Jerry...

Top Ender and Baby Boy have been enjoying The Tom and Jerry Marathons that have been on the last few days in our house. Top Ender was trying to explain an episode to me that I hadn't seen as she had thought it very funny.

"Well Itchy was chasing Scratchy and then they turned round and were chasing the other way!" she giggled
"Tops, could you say that again for me?" I asked
"Itchy was chasing Scratchy and ..." she got before I interrupted
"Itchy and Scratchy?" I laughed
"Tom and Jerry I mean!" she giggled back

And to think we haven't watched The Simpsons in ages!

Nutella Hazelnut Spread... wait not Chocolate spread?

Last week Nutella invited me and the rest of the family to breakfast at Legoland (I'll talk about the park in another post!). When I told Top Ender, it was like all her Christmases had come at once; Nutella spread and Legoland? Then the Nutella people were kind enough to send us a jar of Nutella and a big box of bread (Not just any bread though it was Hobbs House Bakery Bread) and it was open season in our kitchen with Top Ender thinking up new and exotic ways to eat Nutella.

One of our favourite snacks at home is breadsticks with Nutella as a dip (like those snacks you use to get when I was little), and we had been promised as well as a chat with a nutritionist and a Psychologist that we would be shown some fantastic ideas of how to use Nutella in recipes too. I was excited, and sitting next to Emma from Me The Man and The Baby and Vic from Glowstars and a lady with fab shoes from Nutella.

The Psycologist was Karen Pine who is a Psychology Professor at the University of Hertfordshire (and she gave so much information that I could do an entire blog post on what she said alone!) and one of the things that she said that really stayed with me was that a parent would have to give a new food on average between 10 and 15 times before it would be accepted. This is something that we do already do in our house as my Mum never stopped giving me vegetables that I didn't like, always hoping that I would change my mind and nine times out of ten I did. I even eat Brussels Sprouts.

Karen had also said that children eat foods by example, so just as if a child sees you reading they will be more inclined to pick up a book if you are eating your vegetables then they will be more accepting to eat their vegetables! Again this is something that we do in our house, when Daddy and I were thinking of having children; I made him promise that he would always eat his vegetables in front of the children even if he didn't like them!

The nutritionist was Sian and she was able to talk about the balanced diets that we should be following and portion control. Children's stomachs when relaxed are about the size of their clinched fist. This does expand as they eat, but you should remember that food for children whilst not necessary needed in huge quantities does need to be given in the right calorific amounts!

Lastly we went through to another room and made some food with Alan Coxton. What this man didn't tell us would have fitted on a postage stamp; he was able to keep us all entertained with his cooking and facts about various foodstuffs! He really got across that there are dozens of things to do with Nutella; it might be that you add Nutella to porridge, have Nutella on toast, add Nutella to smoothies (recipe below), use Nutella as a dip or just dip your finger in the jar if you are feeling naughty!

I think that overall what I got from this breakfast meeting was that Nutella is something which is a healthy option as part of a balanced diet. There is a big difference between eating a jar of Nutella and the 15g portion that is recommended, just as there is a big difference between having Nutella on toast for breakfast and having a bar of chocolate for breakfast.

Nutella were kind enough to give us a few recipes which are going to be on their new website, (which goes live on the 1st September 2010) and here is one which both Top Ender and I have been enjoying slurping!

Nutella Super Smoothie
(Serves 6-8 depending on glass size)

Ingredients

6 tbsp nutella
1 large pot (500g) low-fat vanilla yogurt
110ml skimmed milk
568ml/1 pint mixed fruit, frozen (tip into measuring jug)
1 large banana, cut into 2.5cm/1-inch pieces

Method

1. Put all ingredients in a blender or put into bowl if using hand held blender and purée for 2 minutes or until smooth.
2. Pour into glasses. Garnish with fresh berries.
Tip: experiment with different fruit such as an exotic mix or mixed berries

I going to give some of the other recipes a bash and try to come up with my own recipes with Top Ender and Baby Boy (and Daddy if he is lucky!) and will report back... possibly with a keyboard full of crumbs!

Christmas Club - August

Today there is 122 days until Christmas! I know that a lot of you are going to start throwing things at me, but really, that is a small number of days before everyone will be complaining that they have so much to do before Christmas and that they wish they were better organised for the upcoming celebrations!

I was really naughty and didn't post last month, and so I didn't suggest that if you were preparing for Christmas that you take a look at what you had planned to make and cut back or redefined what you were planning! So consider last month your holiday and this month make sure that you aren't expecting too much of yourself.

This month for me is about the fiddly bits. I have already created my lists for what I am hoping to get people and what I would like (Towels please family, I can show you which ones!) and I am getting into the bargain bins and looking for stocking fillers for everyone. I love WH Smiths at this time of year, as the clearance stock seems to always be fantastic and I can normally pick up books, folders pencils etc quite cheaply and it is all things that will be used!

Don't forget if you write a Christmas letter or round robin, make a note of what has happened this month!

Wordless Wednesday - Boiling Eggs

Who is The Stig?

Some say that The Stig might be Michael Schumacher or Ben Collins or Julian Bailey but I say that rumours are all that they are and all they should ever be!

To those of us who watch Top Gear (and I believe it to be quite a lot around 7 Million tune in via TV, or the Web) The Stig is a mystery that not even Scooby and the Gang would unmask (they are fans of Top Gear I am sure) because it is part of the fun of the show. It is the fun of not knowing, the fun of Jezza taking the mickey out of him with his intros, the fun of seeing his "cousins" when the Top Gear team are in different countries, the fun that even the celebs say that they don't know who this man is, the fun of everyone being in the same boat (well car) and just marvelling at the fantastic driving that The Stig does each week.

Top Gear is one of those programmes that isn't just for petrol heads. I'm not a petrol head, in fact if Jeremy Clarkson ever became ruler of The World and declared that we must all be petrol heads, the only thing that would stop me from going to prison would be the obvious positioning of who I would put in the snog category of the three Top Gear presenters in the game "Snog, Marry, Avoid"!

I like to watch Top Gear because of the stupid boy projects that they carry out, I like to watch the laps that the Celebs do, I like to guess what insult is going to be used against James May and then feel sorry for him that everyone is picking on him. I like the guessing of how Richard Hammond is going to have his hair this week, or if his teeth are going to get another mention.

Its because we don't know who The Stig is that we can all build up mythical status for this man (or maybe a woman who knows!) and so I plead to you in the media don't reveal the secret, have a heart and let us keep one hero untainted!

Anyway, we all know that Baby Boy is The Stig. He has a T-Shirt to prove it and I think that this video proves it without a doubt...

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dNaMrczhio)

The Day Pippa went to Asda House

When I went to Asda House last Wednesday I didn't know all I do now. You know how sometimes you learn about something after the event and you kick yourself? Well the first thing I would kick myself about is the live webcam that Asda House has in its Atrium. If I had known I would of taken a sign with me and told everyone on Twitter that follows me to watch at a certain time. If they ever forgive me for all the giggling that took place then next time I am invited back (please have me back Asda!) I promise to behave... apart from the sign I will be carrying!

I learnt a lot about how Asda works, and was fascinated by the culture that they have. When you work at Asda, it seems that you aren't just working at a job, but you are part of the family. I can't speak for all the employees, but I do think that everyone that I spoke to loved their job. They all had such enthusiasm for what they do and for each other and for the other departments! There is of course a friendly rivalry between departments, but that actually benefits customers as each department is striving to bring better goods and service than other departments. Its like a win win for the employees and customers!

I was really lucky to be able to talk to buyers in both the World Foods Department and in the FreeFrom Department. Paul (World Foods) and Richard (FreeFrom) were both keen to know what we (I was with CosmicGirlie as Amy from And one more means Four......and 1 more, Him Up North from The Blog Up North and Maria from Mummy's Busy World went to other departments) thought of the ranges that they had in store and what we thought was missing. I had a great chat with Paul, he is one of my heroes because he is part of the reason that Daddy and I choose a new food every once in a while to try!

Richard was amazing. He sat there and made notes whilst I made a huge list of everything that I thought was missing from the FreeFrom range, and everything I would like, that annoyed me and I would like more of. Then he gave me a huge bag of food to bring home for Daddy to eat (Thanks Richard, From Daddy!) and to give feedback on. The products were great and were very diverse and Daddy will talk about them (and also give his other great buys from all the major supermarkets in the UK) as soon as I can sit him still long enough with out him looking up his American Dream!

Now for Sausagegate.

Whilst we were at Asda House, we were allowed to try and give our opinions on several customer inspired sausages, one of which will be announced as the winner in the next few weeks. The Sausages were expertly cooked and none of us tried to convince the chef that he should come home with us, and none of us tried to get the chap in charge of Bacon and Sausages to let us tag along with him the next time he was product testing, and none of us made any crude jokes about hot sausage, meat, or injections of hot beef... and anyone who says otherwise is out to get me!

Finding out some of the history of Asda wasn't as boring as you might think because the wonderful Mike and Owen truly love the stores and it came across in what they told us; Both have worked in Asda for an impressively long time and both were able to give us facts (like Asda was the first Supermarket to sell Furniture!) off the top of their heads and they were aware of every store! When I said that my local was Milton Keynes, they both nodded and said "SuperCentre". It had been joked that both Owen and Mike would bleed green or if you cut them in half would say Asda through the middle of them, but I really do think that it is true! I have also said if they are ever in the MK area they can pop in for a cup of tea and I really do mean it, they were both great fun!

And that about sums up my day at Asda House.

Daddy Guest Post: The American Dream

Several years ago, Mummy and I decided that we wanted to take a trip to the USA - let's call it an American Dream. And, because we haven't been yet, but I keep going on about it, Mummy has decided I should write about it. It being the trip. That we haven't taken.

Mummy, of course, had already been to the USA, having visited Boston and New York. But that was 16 years ago, and on a school trip. School trips for me seemed to consist of Canal Museums and Monuments, neither of which were particularly memorable or really more than half-hour away by coach.

As a family we've taken short holidays across Europe now, to destinations as diverse as Switzerland, France, Greece and Italy, but I've still never been to the States.

In fact, Mummy will delight in telling you that I never got in a "big" aeroplane until we got married and set off to Greece on honeymoon. I think my first words on the plane, as it sped down the runway at London-Luton were "woah, it goes pretty fast doesn't it!?".

On the flip-side, I did get the amazing fortune to take a business trip to Chile in South America last November, a journey of about 22 hours, on a "really big" plane. We stopped off in Brazil too (I saw the inside of Sao Paulo airport, which isn't really a claim to having "visited" Brazil but it's good enough for me).

So, back to this planned USA trip.

There is something about the USA that I want to see. I don't know if it's because it's so big, so far away, or just because they speak English there. It might be because, from what I read online, each state in it's own way is like a little country - heck some (or more) of them are bigger than the UK anyway.

Is it that they have everything from Forests to Deserts to Mountains to Sea Coasts to... well, I can't put my finger on whatever it is, but I sure want to go.

Although, I do know I want to walk down tree-lined avenues in the glorious colours of autumn. And see boulders. And towns that have the same names as towns in the UK. And ride a Harley Davidson from "Boulder to Bullfrog on the Burr Trail in Utah" (because a blog I once read told me I wanted to - I have only ever ridden a moped. Badly).

So we bought a book.

It's called USA By Rail, and it came highly recommended.. by a reviewer on Amazon. Possibly the Author. And at the time, this was the planned trip. We would fly to the Eastern coast of the USA, and pick up the train. We'd travel, where possible, by night, stopping in major cities in about a dozen US states, ending up two or three weeks later on the West coast, where we'd fly home.

At the time, the cost of the all-access train pass for European visitors was under £450 for a month's unlimited travel - the only thing we'd have to pay extra for was food and hotel accommodation on the nights we weren't on the train. Oh, and flights. And upgrades to sleeping accommodation if we wanted to actually get some kip. And tips. And souvenirs. And entrance to attractions. Well, you get the idea.

But! Which states to visit? Where to start, and end? What attractions to take in? How much were motels? Who had the prettiest leaves, and what time of year would they still be on the trees? Are American McChicken Sandwiches kidney shaped like in the UK, or round like they were in Greece?

Time for some serious research.. on to the Internet, and off to the Tourism websites for every US state. And, it turns out, every US state regularly produces a glossy tourist information brochure. And, about 25 of the states will actually post it to you, in the UK, free of charge, along with state maps, colouring books for the kids, and even DVD's showing you the best time to visit for "foliage".

So I requested them. All of them. Well, all of them that I could get for free. Some of the more spendthrift states would only post you a copy if you live in the USA or Canada. Some would even let you download a pretty PDF rather than post it to you (to those states I say, Hey! I want to read it on the toilet train, I can't do that with a PDF!)

As a result of that initial request, I appear to have joined perpetual mailing lists. Thus, the 2010/11 magazines have landed, hence the timely publication of this post. Sadly, financially, we can't really afford a trip to the USA any time soon, but I will gladly admit to wiling away hour after hour, reading the magazines from cover to cover. Changing at a moments notice my "favourite" state, normally based on something as ludicrous as who has the prettiest Governor photo montage of trees, or where you can ride the "world's largest flume ride".

And I'll probably go on reading these, year after year. After all, it makes a difference from the usual post. When we think the first brochure will arrives, Mummy and I try to predict who it will be, and even go as far as stating "That will be the state we visit first".*

In no particular order, these are my "Top 6" states this year - remembering I have nothing more to go on than the pretty pictures and highly-polished write-up from their Tourism boards:

1. Virginia
2. Montana
3. New Hampshire
4. West Virginia
5. North Dakota
6. Tennessee

And, next week whilst I am camping with Top Ender in Devon, I will promise her again that one day we will go on that trip, and in the meantime, yes you can cut the pretty pictures out of these glossy brochures. Except that one, you can't spoil a flume ride picture like that!


*It was Alaska. We're not going to Alaska!

What Pippa did next...

Oh Hi! Welcome back, come on in and sit yourself down. I know I have been a bad blogger and haven't posted for a couple of days and if I had my way I wouldn't be posting right now but I ended up editing a blog post for Daddy for tomorrow (come back then, its funny) and thought I should probably say Hi to you all whilst I was here!


I have been really busy this past week. No really I have been.

Last Saturday and Sunday, Daddy and I started to clear out our loft. A lot was easy to decide if it should be thrown away or given away and we cleared it very quickly. It was the bags (and bags and bags) of clothes that was hardest for me. I cried, not because I wanted to keep the clothes (although I did keep some things) but because my babies aren't babies anymore. It was mentally exhausting as well as physically tiring.

Then on Wednesday I went to Leeds to visit with Asda. Wow. I want to work at Asda House, it was huge and had a really cool machine thingy that you had to answer questions (like your name and who you were there to see, and what company you were from) and then it took your picture! The machine would of been coming home with me if I didn't have to worry about taking it on the train. Whilst I was there I got to spend time with Amy from And one more means Four......and 1 more, and Him Up North from The Blog Up North, and Jay from  mocha beanie mummy and Maria from Mummy's Busy World as well as the Asda team!

Lets just say for now that I don't think Asda will be inviting me back anytime soon after sausagegate... I will however spill the beans this week!

Then on Thursday I went to Legoland to have breakfast with Nutella and then spent the day at Legoland in the park. It was crowded, it was hot, it was fantastic and Baby Boy walked the whole day without going in the buggy as we left it in the car on purpose. I have a lot to say about Legoland and Nutella, and I will do at some point this week.

Friday I was exhausted. I spent most of the day on the floor in the living room with Top Ender and Baby Boy sitting on me, building things with Duplo and Lego and occasionally DVD boxes. We have a rather large number of DVD boxes.

Saturday I was up at the crack of dawn again and on my way to Bucklebury Farm Park to meet with the other Toys R Us Toylogists. It was only when one of the team said that they had boxes to give us that I noticed them in the corner of the marquee! I have lots more to say about this too, but it will be at some point this week... honest!

And then today. Today was Sunday. We prayed, we played and I read. And now I am off to bed, so that tomorrow I can clean up before Hayley comes round on Wednesday...

Top Ender Giggles - French Breakfast

Whilst we were eating dinner on Sunday Top Ender asked if she could get dressed before she had dinner the next day. We all giggled because she had meant breakfast, I told her that it was up to her when she got dressed (within reason) and the conversation moved on.

It got me thinking though as the French say Petit Déjeuner and that means small lunch right? So I said;

"Tomorrow we will have a French Breakfast!"

I was thinking bowls of Hot Chocolate to dip croissants in, maybe a pain au chocolat for Top Ender and Baby Boy or a Tartine and if I am feeling really generous some yogurt and fruit or ham and cheese.

"Oh but I wanted a pain au chocolat!" whinged Top Ender
"Top Ender, where do pain au chocolat's come from?" asked Daddy
"I don't know!" she answered
"Think what language it is" I said
"Erm London?" she asked

Wordless Wednesday - Home Grown Potatoes

Family Fun Days Out on a Budget

The other Sunday I was talking about Family Fun on a Budget and I was talking about things that we do as a family on the cheap to make everyday a fun day. It got me thinking though because even when we go out as a family I still try and make it as cheap as possible and today I thought I would share some of my secrets with you.

Most of our days out involve us going somewhere in our car. I love our car, we have a Citroen Xsara Picasso and I have to say that I think it is fab as a family car (although my next car will without a doubt be a Toyota Prius) because of the great storage it offers. When we go on a long journey we always check the tyre pressure, the water and oil levels and make sure that we have petrol. We empty the car of anything that we won't need and normally give it a quick wash and use the Dyson on the inside. As I am sure you know these simple steps help improve the fuel efficiency and also means that the mouldy pears are taken care of!

The great storage in our car means that we have space (in the floor) to store snacks and drinks for the journeys we make. I put family and car friendly snacks such as cartoons of juice and crisps and raisins (and the odd biscuit) into the car before we set off, so that if we need to snack whilst we are on the move we don't need to stop at the services that we past. I also keep mints in the front of the car for Daddy and I

If we are going out for the entire day, I make sure that we take snacks, drinks and if possible Lunch and a light Supper. I am always shocked, although I don't know why, at the price of drinks and snacks at theme parks or anywhere that isn't my local shop. I have a large cool bag, which will hold enough sandwiches, fruit, yogurts (I freeze tube yogurts and use them as cool packs) drinks, biscuits, crisps and cakes for the four of us more than twice over. The pack can stay in the car if we are at an attraction that lets us return to our car during the day, and if not it can either go on/in the buggy or we adults take turns in carrying it.

I love the Internet (as you probably already know) and as such will search for vouchers for days out, two for one, half price days or anything else that will save me on admission price. You can also use your Tesco Clubcard points to convert to tickets for certain theme parks and days out, so this is like free days out! I am signed up with local tourist boards to get emails about upcoming attractions so that if there is a discount for booking early I can take advantage of this. I couldn't even make a guess at how much this has saved me in the past, but I am sure that it is worth the time and effort.

Daddy always scopes out parking for where we are going, and checks that it isn't cheaper to park in a local NCP car park rather than the car park at the event we are going to. His favourite was when we went to the O2, parking at a local NCP car park cost £10 and then there was a further £5 fee for our trip on the Docklands Light Railway to the O2 arena but parking at the O2 would of cost £20. I know its only a saving of £5 but that £5 brought us our programme for the evening and meant that we spent some more time together having an adventure!

So these are my top tips, but what are your top tips? Where else can I save money?

Top Enders New School Shoes from Clarks

Recently Clarks offered to send me a voucher to buy Top Ender some School Shoes. I ummed and ahhed about accepting it, but in the end I decided that I would. Why? Well I have to buy school shoes for Top Ender and normally they are expensive. We always use Clarks for measuring our children's feet and then the real push was that Tom Cruise annoyed me.

Yes you read right, Tom Cruise annoyed me. Okay so he didn't come up to me personally, but I have just got over now thinking that he is quite nice after seeing him on Top Gear and then he ruined it.

Tom Cruise was on GMTV a while back and for some reason whilst talking about his new film the presenter decided to ask about Suri and her party shoes. I don't follow celebrities but I am aware that Suri is often seen wearing high heels as Top Ender uses this as ammo as to why she at two years older that Suri should be allowed to wear high heels. I can't remember what Tom Cruise said about his daughters shoes but I do know that Clarks offered to measure and fit a pair of shoes that would support Suri's feet, but I don't think that they took up the offer. And if Top Ender is reading this, No you are not allowed high heels.

It has always been drilled into me that before you buy shoes that you should get your feet measured as they do change size, and cramming children's still developing feet into shoes that are too small or cause the bones to grow in a different shape to those that they are supposed to. It was also drilled into me that Children should have their feet measured every six to eight weeks, this does mean it can be expensive but I think worth it.

So we went to our local Milton Keynes Clarks store and took our ticket to await our turn. As is normal in our branch there were several people waiting and we were prepared to wait. Top Ender and I looked at the displays of School Shoes and she decided which ones she liked, whilst I choose the ones that we would ask to try. Top Ender has a thing about patent shoes shoes, which for me are a total no for school, as I like to be able to cover scuff marks with shoe polish!

We are very use to the routine these days, and when our favourite assistant came over (pure chance, but I swear every time we go into the store she serves us!) Top Ender was already removing her Doodles in order to step on the big measuring machine. I remember when you used to step in to holes to have your feet measured... then again I also remember being able to buy penny sweets for a penny!

The machine always amazes me because it is so clever and measures all over Top Enders feet within a few seconds and after the first time we had used it when the assistant showed us how accurate it was by then measuring Top Enders feet with the slidey feet measure thingy and we have never looked back! When the various shoes that we had chosen came down from the stock room (I would love to see the stock room one day!) the fitter helped Top Ender into each shoe and then checked how it fitted round the heel, toe, ankle, over the top of the foot and how comfy it was for Top Ender to walk in.

We tried three different styles of shoes and four different pairs and Top Ender decided in the end that she would like the ones in the picture below and I was quite pleased too as they were the nicest ones (and Clarks only one pair of T-bars this year? You can do better I am sure). She is currently wearing them round the house for five to ten minutes a day, just to make sure that her feet will be comfy in them when she does go back to school in a few short weeks.

Whilst I was talking to the fitter I found out that she has finished University and may not be our fitter for much longer. I would just like to say Thank you Laura for the many shoes that you have fitted and for the wonderful service you have provided us and everyone else you have served!

Family Fun on a Budget

Reading this blog you might think that we don't know about having Family Fun on a Budget as at the moment it seems that every other weekend we are at a show or at the cinema, or on a day trip as a family and it must seem like we have money to burn, but its not true. Its just that with a bit of careful planning we are able to budget for events like I have mentioned but we intersperse them with events and days out that cost nothing or next to nothing, such as the ones that I have talked about before in my post Eight things to do on a small Entertainment fund but are still packed full of fun! This weekend we don't have anything major planned, but you can be sure that we will be doing a few of the following!

We love to bake together as a family, and this is a great way of doing something fun on a small amount of money. Plus you get to eat it afterwards! Something that I love to do is to make cornflake cakes (melt chocolate and stir in cornflakes, put a generous spoonful into a cake case and leave to set) and then whip them out whilst we are waiting for our cup cakes to cook.

We love going for walks, we are lucky that we have a great local Parks Trust that maintains local parks and green areas. It could be though that you just walk to the local shop and buy everyone a small sweet, or take a walk to the local park. If you all have wellies why not even go if it has been raining and puddle jump at the same time?!

The local park is really great for burning off some energy and is a great way to have some fun. Top Ender and Baby Boy love when we get on the roundabout or the swings or slide with them and so do we! Plus according to that study that Brainiacs did (It was Scientific!) a half hour in the park on the equipment burns more calories than a half hour in the Gym.

Going round a Shop or a Supermarket might seem like an odd place for Family Fun, but most Supermarkets these days have aisles dedicated to toys and household goods. Its a great place to window shop for things that you might like... not that we do that in Ikea or anything!

Search the Internet for free things to do, there are lots of sites that list places such as Skillscape, and Silver Cross Days Out that list places that other parents have recommended. It might be that you get to go to an Outdoor Cinema, an Airshow, or pick some fruit but there is bound to be something to suit your budget!

I don't know many people who pay much attention to flyers and vouchers in the UK. It seems to me that our friends in the USA and Canada are much more savvy at this sort of thing, but there are savings to be had on most days out. There is a funfair at Willen Lake at the moment, and at £1.50 per person per ride it soon adds up but a flyer I found in a local pub gives vouchers for 50p off any ride. I picked up two flyers (one for Top Ender and one for Baby Boy) and now Top Ender and Baby Boy will be able to go on two more rides than we would of originally budgeted for!

Make use of cinema discounts (such as Orange Wednesday, half price Tuesday or movies for juniors) or have fun and make your living room into the cinema. Shutting the curtains, making movie tickets and having Cinema style snacks is a great laugh, and a good way to have a sneaky snooze or snog when the kids aren't looking...

And if you get really stuck for something to do why not try looking for ideas on Disney's What shall we do today. We love the ideas on the website and quite often have a quick visit to get a game or idea!

Little Dish Favourites Cookbook and Top Enders meal plan

Did you know that Little Dish has a cook book? Its called the Little Dish Favourites Cookbook and I knew because they sent me one. Top Ender has spent her time pouring through it looking at the various dishes, pondering on what ones she would request that I cook for the family. Baby Boy didn't quite understand that a cook book was full of recipes and wasn't something you were meant to eat and took a bite out of some of the pages!

Top Ender found a section called Meal Matchers towards the back of the book that recommends what dishes you can make that go nicely with another dish and she was busy copying out the names so that she could play restaurants with Baby Boy and I. It gave me an idea though, if she was smart enough to work this out, what would happen if I asked her to work out a meal plan for the week?

I gave Top Ender some simple instructions. Don't choose anything that nobody will eat, make sure that we get at least one portion of fish in the week, see if we can use the same ingredients in more than one dish, and we like to have a Roast on Sundays. Top Ender spent half an hour looking through making notes in her little notebook and finally was ready to sit down with me to update our spreadsheet.

Her list was as follows;

Meatloaf with Ratatouille
Sausage and Lentil Casserole with boiled potatoes
Spanish Tortilla
Shepperd's Pie
Easy fish in foil with Broccoli and Cauliflower Cheese
Burgers with Wedges
Simple Roast Chicken with trimmings

I was impressed. She had chosen meals that she knew everyone would eat and more importantly that I could confidently cook! All of the dishes apart from Meatloaf were dishes that I cook and know how to cook, but I followed the recipes as stated and found that although the dishes didn't taste too different to how I cook them normally that Top Ender ate everything we gave her... traitor.

All of us (apart from Baby Boy) loved the Meatloaf recipe, so much so that everyone had seconds. I don't ever remember us all having seconds. Baby Boy was keen on the leftovers in a sandwich the next day, so it was a good job there was a lot leftover, as I had to make another sandwich for me! The Meatloaf recipe was such a success that I wrote to Little Dish and asked if I could share it with you and they agreed. So for your delight (and consumption) here it is;

Ingredients

1/2 Small Onion, peeled and diced
1 Large Carrot, peeled and diced
2 eggs, beaten
60ml (2 fl oz) whole milk
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
100g (3 1/2 oz) fresh breadcrumbs (2 1/2 slices of brown bread)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
500g (1lb) lean minced beef
500g (1lb) lean minced pork

Method

Preheat the oven to 190oC/375oF/Gas 5

Line a baking tray with foil. Lightly oil the foil.

Combine all the ingredients, apart from the meat, in a large bowl and mix together thoroughly. Using your hands, add the minced beef and pork and make sure it is well mixed in and evenly distributed.

Shape your ingredients into a loaf and place on the baking tray. The loaf should not touch the sides of the tray but sit nicely in the middle. Bake for 45-50 minutes, then let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

This should serve 8 children or a family of 6 with leftovers according to the book. It served us as a family of 4 with seconds and leftovers and I was generous with the portion sizes. I found that I had to cook mine for 70 minutes as after 50 minutes the centre was still pink, and I also think that next time I would cook the carrots a little before adding them as we found them a little hard and if they were softer I think that it would have just made it a little better. Mind you I probably should of diced it smaller!

The only problem that we have now is that Baby Boy wants to make a meal plan...

The Little Dish Favourites Cookbook is available from WH Smith, Waterstones, Tesco, and Sainsbury’s, or online at Amazon.co.uk (and other places if you Google it) and its RRP is £14.99.