Christmas Club - May

Five months down, seven months to go. I start to get more excited now because its nearly half way to Christmas! This is the last month that I can slack, the last month that I have to refine what it is that I want this Christmas for my family.... but it doesn't need to be that way for you too!

With Fathers Day coming up, its time to start looking to making gifts and cards paying homage to the men in your children's life, there is the half term coming up and as I am sure the entire world is aware the start of the World Cup is drawing near.

Now even if you don't like football (like me!), there is a lot to learn about organisation from the World cup and a lot of fun games that can be had with kids and family members whilst watching football!

Something that we are going to do this world cup is make sure that each game we watch we eat something from the country that's playing. The good thing about eating the different foods is that Top Ender and Baby Boy (and Daddy) will try something new, and even if they don't like it the fact is that they tried it!

I am planning on making a lot of Christmas cards whilst watching a few games (well I say watching, I will be looking at the legs of the players, I am more of a rugby girl myself...) and also teaching Top Ender and Baby Boy the different flags of the different nations!

So really this month is a catch up month, a chance to make sure that everything from the first few months of the year have been completed and that I am ready for the more serious preparation coming up!
Don't forget to make a note if you do a round robin, or a summary blog post to sum up May in a few words!

An apology

This is an apology.

It's an apology because these few words are all you are getting blog wise from me today.

If you want more words, come back tomorrow for a super long post!

I want a Hot Rod, but I'll probably get a Soft Top...

This is just a quick post because we have been so busy and have just got in from our trip out today.

I wasn't really paying much attention to Daddy in the car on the way home, I was too busy thinking about what I needed to do tomorrow but I heard him mention The MAD's and something about getting me a treat if I were lucky enough to win.

I am thinking that it might be a new car, because he was talking about me having my pick of an "Escort".

This is the sort of Escort he means right?

Mummy Giggles - Lazy Gardener

I think that the video explains itself...

Treats for Daddy

Daddy has coeliac disease. This means that buying treats for him is a little harder than for most. Luckily these days every supermarket has a section of wheat free (dairy free and sometimes taste free) goodies, but to get proper cakes and treats (read of a decent size and with flavour) we normally have to make them ourselves from scratch.

Sometimes though making things from scratch doesn't quite work. Daddy really loves cheese scones, but every time I have made them... well lets just say the local ice hockey teams (MK Lightning and MK Thunder) had plenty of practice pucks if they wanted them. Experimenting is the name of the game.

Now this isn't a problem. I like to bake and even Daddy likes making scones and Top Ender loves to get busy in the kitchen with either of us (or on her own as several experimental puddings would attest to!) and so there isn't a problem there.

We are lucky that Daddy can buy foods on prescription too. He likes food that Glutafin make and as you can see a Happy Daddy is when he picks up his order from the Chemist!

 

Sometimes we get lucky, like the time when Daddy took Top Ender and Baby Boy to a Farmers Market in St Albans and discovered a stall full of wheat free cakes and biscuits and everything else a coeliac could only dream of.

And then there was discovering Cake Balls UK on Twitter. Anna makes gluten free cake balls (and "normal" cakes balls too and you can buy them from her website http://www.cakeballs.co.uk/) and was kind enough to send some to Daddy to taste.

I managed to get these photos before Daddy stole the balls away (and according to him ate them all in a car journey that lasted about three minutes) and as you can see they are beautiful looking!

Anyway, the balls were chocolate flavour (I'm not the only one singing *that* South Park song am I?) and Daddy said that they were fantastic and we will be ordering them in the future!

So why not follow Anna on Twitter, or better still order some of her lovely wares!

And because I am kind, here is the recipe for the cheese scones that Daddy has been making every week

Cheese Scones

8oz Gluten Free Self Raising Flour
1 level teaspoon Gluten Free Baking Powder
Half teaspoon Salt
Ground Black Pepper (to taste)
2oz Butter or Margarine
3oz Grated Cheese
4-5 floz Milk

Mix the flour,baking powder,salt and pepper together in a bowl.
Rub in the butter or margarine.
Mix in the grated cheese.
Make into a dough using the milk and a flat bladed knife.
Place on a floured surface and knead lightly for a minute.
Roll out to 1" thick and cut into 7 or 8 rounds using a 2.5" cutter.
Place onto a greased baking sheet and pop into a very hot oven for approx 10-12 minutes.
Gas 7/8 or 220 degrees centigrade.

To make fruit scones just miss out the salt, pepper and cheese and add 2oz sugar and 2oz sultanas to the mix.

Mummy Giggles - Twist in the TAIL (sic)

As is ususal on a Monday night when Top Ender has her swimming lesson, Baby Boy and I go for a swim too. We are lucky with our brand new swimming pool having some very nice large family changing rooms and so after swimming whilst Top Ender and I get dry and dressed Baby Boy air dries whilst wearing a hooded towel and tends to run around looking at whatever he can find.

I was mostly dry and so Top Ender and I were standing on my towel; I had just gotten my bra on when I suddenly realised that Baby Boy wasn't at my feet. I also realised that the door was unlocked...

"Where's Baby Boy?" I asked

"Erm? I think he has gone outside" answered Top Ender as we both looked around the cubicle hoping we had missed him in the big open space.

We hadn't.

I suddenly realised I had a choice. I could either chase after Baby Boy in my bra (and nothing else as I had no knickers on yet), pick up the very wet towel on the floor or quickly put on my trousers.

I chose the latter.

I walked quickly out of the cubicle and could see Baby Boy just a couple of meters away (just past a Dad who was waiting on his son to get dressed) and so went to catch up with him. At this point Baby Boy ran away from me towards the pool. Luckily at the last minute he veered away from the actual pool and went towards the shower cubicles, where he was cornered and therefore easy to pick up.

I walked back past the Dad (in my bra and trousers) carry Baby Boy, and was given a strange look. I figured that he was looking at me like that for having let Baby Boy wander out of the cubicle and then there being a gap before I appeared to chase after him, so smiled sweetly at him.

The rest of the evening passed without too much hassle (well I did hassle the Man in McDonalds to vote for me in The MADS but that is another story) until I went to the toilet later that evening.

As I was sitting there I thought it was a little odd as I could see the bathroom floor in the black of my trousers, and so examined a little more closely. The seam of my trousers was split. Anyone who had seen me from behind that evening would of seen my (rather cute) butt.

Finally I was able to work out the look that the Dad at the pool had given me. He had seen me rush past him in a bra and with my butt exposed...

Did I mention that our swish new Swimming Pool has big Glass windows?

Wordless Wednesday - Starting them young