I Hate Tidying!

Now the plans have been passed for the extension, the serious work begins!

I spent 3 hours yesterday and 2 hours today trying to sort out the boys' room as theirs is going to be the first one to be tackled.

Even left Si working on it whilst I went to pick them up from their dad's and still looks like so much to be done!  How pleased I am that we're only doing  one room at a time and not moving house!

Still managed to squeeze in a big Roast Pork lunch (Slimming World friendly!), tomorrow's weigh in day and think I've been pretty good this week, I've managed to steer clear of chocolate and the only days were on Friday (Indian Takeaway and wine) and last night (2 glasses of wine before I fell asleep).  I will be really upset if I haven't reached the stone mark.  This time round, the Slimming World diet feels a bit more sustainable than any other time, so as long as I keep seeing loses each week of at least 1lb, I'll be happy as I'll get to where I want to be eventually!

Si's Shopping Trip with Ben

Little man likes sitting in his chair next to Grandad's.........

Such a little poser!............

Everytime I take Ben shopping, it's a nightmare!  He's always pestering for food as we're walking round, climbing out of the trolley (even when strapped in), and generally being a pain.  Si says he always behaves when he takes him, so I requested photographic evidence.........

Still in the trolley and happy at the checkout.......

Even happy out at the car!...........

Well, I really must be doing something wrong, but the upside is, I can justify not doing the shopping anymore!

Romantic Evening?

Short photo-film from today!

Had a quiet evening as James and Robert are away but just as Ben was going to bed, all the power went out.

We scrambled around for candles and torches and all was fine - Ben went off to sleep and we ordered our Indian Delivery for tea.

By the time it arrived, the power was back on but we'd still left the candles on as we were unsure as to whether it would stay on.

The Delivery driver turned to Si and commented on the candles, "Oh, you having a romantic evening with the candles", Si's response - "No - we've had a power cut".

This made me giggle with how practical and matter of fact he was - Si's answer to me - "Well, I did an evening with candles before so I can be romantic" - Yes my dear, but that was 6 years ago!

Am I complaining?  Not in the slightest - got the best husband in the world!

Memories from 2010

Today has been a pretty quiet day - snuggled at home with Ben.

I spent a good few hours today investigating the effects of substance use and chaotic lifestyles on young children and developing a strategy to support them within the Project.  It will be interesting to follow the progress to see if any of my work from today will make a difference.

One of the consequences of a chaotic lifestyle on a young child can be delayed development, which led me thinking back on how Ben has changed in the last year and so here are some photos of my little man from January last year.........

So proud of him, and so pleased we have so many photos!  I can barely remember him not being able to walk and love his mohican as he lost his baby fluff!

Hair Cut Day

Ben's had his mop of hair cut 3 times before at the Barber's but this was the first time he sat in the chair on his own, previously either Si or I have held him and they've cut him in our arms.

We've never seen him sit so still for so long!  He was such a good boy and Si got a great shot of him........

My Cool Dude

Ben found these sunglasses this morning and was determined to take them with us for the morning school run.  He was quite happy and contented and I could see his little hands tapping along to the music, it was only when we stopped that I saw what he'd done with the sunglasses!

Typical of him - such a sweety with attitude!

Silly Video

Ben watching Bob the Builder and playing with my camera

Just a couple of photos today

Afternoon at Ascoughfee Hall Gardens

Four Children in the House!

I have to be like my big brother!

The extra body was really Spiderman and one of mine is Batman!



Still fightihng at the top of the stairs!

Couple of Videos of Ben

Ben's Disagreement with Talking Tom

For those that don't know the phenonemon of Talking Tom, he's a phone app of an animated cat that records and plays back voices in a "cat-like" voice.

Ben loves playing with him, but yesterday he got a little frustrated as Tom kept saying "No" to him!  The more annoyed Ben got, the more he said "No" so the more Tom repeated it!

Runaway Ben and Bathtime

How far can you run to escape a nappy change?

This is the way we brush our teeth! At least Ben's happy he's got Robert back - loves the bath again!

Ben and Talking Tom: - Unfortunately, Blogger seems to be having issues uploading videos tonight so this one will have to follow!

Playing with Grandad!

Just a Few Photos Today!

Stroppy Baby!

Not been a happy mummy today!

Ben woke up at 11 last night and was an absolute pain.  I went to him and comforted him, but everytime I aid him down, he cried and cried.  It took over two hours to settle him and then he woke up at 6.30 this morning.

It's generally been like walking a tightrope all day - a little shake becomes a bigger wobble and it amplifies until you fall off, into a whole realm of screaming and tantrums.

Lunch time, not putting his coat on fast enough, taking his shoes off, changing his damp clothes, picking him up, putting him down, almost everything became a stress.  I guess that's the challenge of being a parent - no matter how tired you are, how much you want to stand there and scream, you have to remain the adult and not get snappy.

Everytime Ben starts on one of his strops, it's so horrible.  I try so hard to work out what's wrong and fix it but sometimes it's frustrating because he's so frustrated, and nothing seems to work.

I feel quite guilty because Ben went to bed without a bath tonight - he normally has one every night, but I really couldn't face it this evening.  I'm hoping that having his "Bobert" back tomorrow may make all the difference, although that increases the guilty feelings as I'm relying on the help of a 7YO to make looking after my baby easier.

Anyway, let's stash those feelings for tonight and continue to enjoy the full feeling from our lovely Frankie and Benny tea!

Ben's Way of Standing Up for Himself!

Ben and I had Shining Stars this morning - Ben's biggest achievements were drinking lots of milk using his newly acquired cup skills, playing with Play Dough for ages and using the little slides completely unaided.

Ben also managed to stand up for himself for the first time - a little boy wanted the car Ben was playing with and tried to take it away.  Ben pointed his finger and said "No," but the little boy carried on trying to get it.  Ben proceeded to say "No!" louder and held his whole hand up as if to make the point, but the little boy continued, and so Ben gently pushed him away from the car and walked away.  This really seemed like quite a major development as he would normally give in or run away to find me.

Unfortunately, this didn't stop Ben being a clingy little monkey and he refused to be more than 6 feet away from me at any time - this really does give me mixed feelings - I love him to need me and want me, but it does get very tiring!

Music Bugs this afternoon was successful in one way as Ben actually took his coat off!  It seems strange as my little man is one of the eldest in the session, and easily the tallest - but he's still my baby.  He's also the most cuddley!  I think his favourite bit is putting the hand and finger puppets back in the "Bin" but I'm sure when he saw the finger puppet spider, he actually said "Yellow hat."  We have been working on colours but I didn't think he really understood them so the next few days will show if he really knows what we've been doing.  He seemed to enjoy playing with his cars this evening, especially sorting out the yellow ones so maybe I heard right.  It's so cute because he can't say "Yellow", it comes out as "Lello", the same way as he says "Hello".

James and Robert have gone off to their dad's for the weekend - I'm sure a great time will be had by all with them having extremely late nights and not doing anything except stay in the pub while he works.  Oh well, it looks like he's moving again soon, so at least this part of the story should be over soon!

Ben really wasn't very happy that his brothers have gone but I think we've done a good job to take his mind off it - especially thanks to Grandad!

And so on with our evening - Ben tucked up in bed, Si, dad and me chilling, watching tv with a glass of wine (shhhhhh! Don't tell Slimming World ;-))

Bit of an Early Birthday Start!

Unfortunately, our little Ben would appear to have been more excited by my birthday than I was!  He woke up at 4.30 and called "Mummy, mummy, mummy," for about 10 minutes before going back to sleep.  He wasn't crying and didn't appear to be in anyway distressed so we left him to it.

Then, at 5.30, Ben woke up and really didn't want to go back to sleep again - how I wish I had made better use of my full nights' sleep recently!

Received some lovely gifts and beautiful cards, then after the school run, Ben and I had a walk into town for a quick look around the shops - all I managed to get was a newspaper, and a sausage roll and drink for Ben.

Took Ben for a walk around Ascoughfee Gardens, and a play on the swings, followed up by a quiet afternoon.  Dad in law took us all out to the Chinese Buffet for tea so I had a lovely break from cooking.  All in all a very quiet day - and very unexciting to read about but I did get some funny photos of Ben........

I'd like a kiss mum..........

I'm puckering................



I'm ready now..................

Oooopppppssssss, too much!................

My eyes match the elephants!.................

Bit of a Sad One Tonight - Sorry!

Tomorrow's my birthday.

I'm passed the age to want to celebrate - and just trying to think when that happened has really made me reflect on the past.

My 30th birthday was lovely - a big party and the hubby proposing

My 21st was a no show.

My 18th was another no show - a night up the pub with my mates but had to be home by 10.30pm, and not be drunk

My 16th was with my parents at the local Beefeater

My 13th was with about 8 friends at home, with a birthday tea, a black theme and a horror movie - which was a great laugh and so much fun as everything was so innocent and we could still get away with playing party games but we all felt so grown up dressed in black and watching a film which was really too old for us.

Prior to this, my mum organised many little parties for my birthdays, full of yummy food, music and games, with my mum normally stealing the limelight and being the life and soul of the party - she was always more popular with my friends than I was (or so it seemed to me!) 

Something I do remember was what my mum said every birthday, for as long as I can remember, in her own, special way: " Ok, then, where's my present?  It may be your birthday but if I hadn't given birth to you, you wouldn't be having it!"

I honestly believe that it is impossible to really appreciate your mum until she's no longer there.

Without looking through rose-tinted glasses, our relationship was far from perfect - from both sides.  But knowing she was at the end of the phone and would always be there, whatever I did was such a warm feeling that you don't realise exists until it's gone.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not sitting here wallowing in self pity, it's just a melancholy, reflective moment.  I know there are many people who never knew their parents, therefore I understand how lucky I am.  I also know they would be really pleased at how contented with life I am - and that I eventually got the life they wanted for me.

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss either my mum or my dad - as I watch my boys grow up, I know how proud they would be of them, but they have missed out on so much.  The love of my parents would have been passed on to them and they would have loved spending time with them.  The boys have lost two of the people that would have been most influential to them.  It's for the boys that I feel most sad as the sharp pain I felt at the losses has dulled with time, just leaving an empty hole, that only your parents can fill. 

A bizarre thought that remains with me is that the people who made me have gone - the womb I came from has disappeared into the earth, and with it part of me.

It always made me giggle at the thought of giving my mum a birthday present on my birthday when I was little, but maybe it is a good time to say a little thank-you for all that mothers have given us, and remember to give your mum and dad an extra hug next time you see them.

And, on that note - time to go for tonight.........

Tuesday is Ben's Day!

I love Tuesdays!  No Tumble Tots, Shining Stars, Music Bugs or anything else, just the two of us.  Even James and Robert have football after school so it's a clear run until 4.30.

We started the day with Play Dough:

Then onto the balls:

My new hat:

My new drinking skills:

Feeding the ducks and swans on the way to collect Big Brothers:

Getting dark but the ducks and swans were certainly hungry:

View down the River Welland:

"Daddy, you've forgotten your bag!":

Slow Cooker Sausages in Onion and Mushroom Gravy

This meal couldn't be easier - My boys absolutely love this one and prefer it to any other sausage dishes as the skins are so soft and the sausages absorb the flavour of the stock.  Little does the 7YO know but it's a sneaky way of adding nutrients to his diet as although he eats fruit - he avoids most veggies.  It also works well on the nights that they have football practise as I can prepare it at lunchtime then spend the afternoon with Ben, before taking 20 minutes to finish it off when they get home - essential for hungry mouths who don't like waiting, otherwise the snacking will start!  Plus, the smell of dinner when you first walk in us unbeatable and always extracts excited comments from them.

Preheat Slow Cooker on high and boil the kettle

Grill sausages as per normal

Whilst sausages are cooking, peel and quarter 3 onions

Prepare potatoes and veggies as normal and leave covered in cold water until you're ready to cook them

Heat stock in the microwave (I saved half my chicken and veg stock from yesterday!)

By the time this is done, the sausages should be cooked

Transfer sausages to the slow cooker, add the onions, stock, plus some mushrooms

Turn the slow cooker to Low and it will be ready within 2 to 3 hours

When ready to serve, remove the sausages, onions and mushrooms from the slow cooker and transfer the stock to a saucepan (I use the one I've just cooked the potatoes in to save washing up!)

Bring up to the boil then add some gravy granules and cornflour to thicken to own preference.

Slow Cooker Tips:

Don't be tempted to keep tasting, despite the yummy smells - everytime you take off the lid, you need to add at least 15 minutes to the cooking time

Try to brown your meat before adding to the slow cooker otherwise the final meal will look really insipid

By cooking the sausages fully first, it removes most of the fat - it would be possible to cook chilled sausages from raw but the resulting stock will be greasier

Never cook meat from frozen

Always add hot liquid, not cold as this reduces the heat of the slow cooker and therefore the ingredients are at a dangerous temperature for bacterial growth

Family Bits from Today!

Well, finished the cooking bloggy bit so on with the family!

Ben returned to Tumble Tots today after the Christmas break and what a difference in him!

Before Christmas, he would only go on the climbing apparatus once per session, and it took so much cajoling that it felt like I was forcing him, but today he absolutely loved it!  He only played with the footballs for about two minutes, and "Bam Bamed" on the trampoline three times as he just wanted to climb and slide.  He even sat down and joined in the group songs without complaining.  I'd spent a while before going today, weighing up whether it was really worth the £5+ per session fee, but I was so pleased we went.

Ben also learnt to drink from a normal cup, unaided today - with minimal spills, thanks to him forcing it on his Daddy at lunchtime, who very kindly gave him about a centimetre of lemonade.  Unfortunately, this has meant that Ben has spent most of the afternoon and evening telling me to "Mooooo" (Move) and forcing me into the kitchen to pour another few drops into his cup!

It was also the first time that Ben really seemed to listen to songs on the radio - he heard Palomo Faith's song "Upside Down" twice and each time got excited with the word "Down" and joined in!

We had a very quiet tea time as James was out at a birthday party and then spent what felt like most of the evening acting as Mum Taxi for party pickup and Boys Brigade.  Si's working away tonight but feel that my evening as a "Single Mum" went very smoothly with Ben in bed from 7.30, and the boys asleep by 9.30.  One small confession - it only went so well because Grandad was here and helped with the final pick up!

And so, time for a chat with Si then a relatively early night!

Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

I had a conversation with one of the mums at Shining Stars on Friday, then another conversation with a friend on Facebook about my homemade chicken soup, so I thought I'd post a quick run down of how I make it.  Hopefully, by breaking it all down, it may make using a Slow Cooker slightly less intimidating!

Chicken Stock

Preheat the Slow Cooker on High for 20 minutes (or as per the instructions)

Peel any large pieces of chicken off the carcass and pop in the fridge for later

Peel and quarter 2 onions

Peel and crush 1 clove of garlic

Place the carcass in the slow cooker and cover with hot (not boiling water) - it's ok to leave some of the bones above the level of the water

Add the onions, garlic and a Knorr Chicken Stock Pot, any left over veg, the water from cooking veg (be aware that this may make your stock very salty if you add salt whilst cooking)

Leave on High setting for an hour, then reduce to low (or use the Auto setting) and leave overnight.

To Make the Soup:

Drain the stock using a colander, straight into a large saucepan

Add peas and cooked rice (or fine noodles) and the chicken from the fridge, heat for 10 minutes and serve.

I've left the stock in the slow cooker on Low overnight and the rest of the next day until tea time and it was still lovely - by leaving it on Low, it doesn't burn or evaporate.

For quickness, add a bag of Express Long Grain rice - no need to microwave beforehand, just squeeze the bag first to seperate and empty in. 

This recipe is great for Slimming World as it's all free food (providing you use normal rice).  If you're not worried so much about loosing weight, then try adding half a pint of milk to the soup, and thicken with cornflour.

As I make other meals in the Slow Cooker, I'll try to remember to take photos and blog how I made them!