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!