Hullabazoo at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Whenever we go to my Mums we get to see Whipsnade Zoo, or rather the Lion on the Hill at Whipsnade Zoo. It cheers us up no end on sunny days and we always want to go and visit, and yesterday we got to go to go to the VIP launch of a brand new outdoor adventure play area which officially opens on the 25th May 2013.

The park has been designed around animal movement, which is great for talking to the Children about what animals move like and why and also for letting them burn off a bit of excess energy before going to see one of the shows (the Birds and the Sea Lions were the two we went to) or to warm up on a cold day... Top Ender was rather pleased to be the first child into the park (that we know of) and loved the different areas. She was climbing and sliding and jumping within seconds of walking through the gate and you can see all our photos from the day in our Facebook album. Here are just a selection of the 100 or so that we took.

Newly turned Five Year Old Big Boy preferred the area for younger Children, mainly because it was his size, but also because he was a little over whelmed by the larger pieces of equipment.

Daddy and I were just amazed at the dexterity that the Children were showing on the play equipment and the rest of the day as we walked around the park, we were able to talk about how the Children had seen examples of how the animals moved and it was a great learning tool.

I'm just wondering how long it will be before, Big Boy asks for something similar in the back garden...

We received free admission to Whipsnade Zoo.

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Evita - A Review

I don't think there is anyone who doesn't know at least one or two lines from at least one song from Evita, which is why I was really excited about going to see it at Milton Keynes Theatre because I know all the words, lines and songs from Evita.

The other benefit, for my Mum in particular, was that Marti Pellow is in the show as she has always had a little bit of a thing for him. I chose not to mention that I had seen him in Blood Brothers a few months back or she might not have brought me an ice-cream in the interval!

The great thing about the show, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, isn't that it is so well known thanks to the film that came out a few years ago, or that it has Marti Pellow in, or even that it is based on the real life of Eva Peron but that the actors are all comfortable in their roles and work well together. I could hear other audience members around me talking about the chemistry between al the actors and I got lost in the musical and the relationships that were unfolding on stage.

The show is in Milton Keynes until the 1st of June 2013 and if you're up for a night out then make sure you book tickets soon!

We were given two press tickets, to review the show.

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Parental Guilt

I'm feeling guilty at the moment.

For Top Ender's Ninth Birthday, I had planned on having a small meal for her with her friends at a restaurant. I'd be there as a parent, but I wouldn't sit at the table with them and they could basically have a lovely "grown up" evening together.

Then with one thing and another it didn't happen. In fact Top's didn't even get a birthday cake.

She got gifts of course, and a lot of money, and a lot of love and she even took over the Facebook page for the day (which she loved) and we did eventually make a cake that we said was to make up for her not having a birthday cake.

Top Ender is so adorably forgiving though, she didn't care that she didn't have a party with friends. She didn't care that she didn't have a cake. She just loved that we love her and that we were with her on her birthday.

I'm still feeling guilty though.

So next week I'm taking Top Ender out for a special meal out.

I'll let her have a mocktail or two, I'll let her have what ever it is she wants from the menu including a starter, a main meal and a pudding, if that is what she wants. I'll spend the time with just her, no talk of Daddy or Big Boy (unless she wants to), no mobile phones or tablets (her distractions of choice) and we'll talk and giggle and flirt with the waiter (she is a right flirt) and have fun together.

Maybe then I'll start feeling less guilty.

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I always make time 2 play

When we come out of School, one of the first questions that I ask Big Boy is What did you do today? Normally Big Boy answers "Just Playing!" and hopes I will leave it at that. Some parents might, but I know that "Just Playing" is actually code for learning when you're five and so I ask some more leading questions about what sort of things he played. It is because I know the importance of play that I was pleased to be a part of the Make Time 2 Play Campaign with the British Toy and Hobby Association’s Make Time 2 Play Campaign.

I was lucky as a child, my Mum knew that playing wasn't a reward or a waste of time, but it was a way that my Sister and I learnt best. I've tried to carry it on the way she taught and the way that experts have discovered to be the best way to help Children learn too. Research shows that if you incorporate themes into children's learning it makes the experience more memorable for them and less scary and then they will be more willing to do it again and again. And with the children being more willing to learn in a setting like this it helps them to develop skills such as problem solving and develop their attention span, social development and their creativity.

Of course we also do it at home too, but the next time you hear a child saying that all they did at School was play remember that what they actually mean is they were learning... they just didn't realise it!

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Déjeuners of the Week

This week I'm planning on having Salads, I've done a couple of weeks of Chicken and a week of Prawns but I think that this week would be rather nice with lots of added vegetables in the salad... although I have no idea how that is going to work.

Saturday - Picnic

We're out at Whipsnade Zoo today, so we're having a picnic. The great thing about this is that we have sandwiches, a few sausages, crisps, fruit, some home made cakes and even a salad! Now if we can all keep our fingers crossed for Sun instead of the rain that is forecasted it will all be good!

Sunday - Meatball Subs

For some reason I've had a bit of a meatball craving, so I've decided to do meatball subs for everyone, although I'm not going to do a footlong one as I once had one from Subway and nearly died eating it! I'm out for most of the morning with Tops at Church, so I'm hoping that if I put the meatballs in my slow cooker that by the time I'm home they'll be ready.

Monday - Meatless Monday - Bagels

The lunch for the Children today is a Cream Cheese Bagel. I'm hoping that Big Boy's aversion to cheese at the moment doesn't extend to things like Dairylea!

Tuesday - Chicken and Sweetcorn Pittas

I'm hoping that the pittas today with a touch of sweetcorn will help both the children to have an extra portion of vegetable without them noticing, but also will allow them to have a bit of variety from the usual Chicken Wrap on a Tuesday.

Wednesday - Pizza Wraps

I think that the Children like these as much as I do. They are so simple and fun to make that they often help me, and I think that is a great way to get ready for the day when they will be making pack lunches for themselves or possibly their own children.

Thursday - Hot Dogs

I was looking through some of the lunches that I have done for the children over the last two years and the Hot Dog Rolls jumped out at me as something we hadn't had for a while. I might be using proper sausages instead of Hot Dogs though, as I do love the 100% Beef Sausages that we found a while back.

Friday - Top Ender's Friday Lunch and Big Boy's Too!

According to the wonderful calender my SMIL made for me for Christmas, today is USA Escargot Day. I'm not saying a single thing about how she would know such a thing as that, but I will say that it has helped with today's theme!


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Evening Meals (W/C 18/05)

Week Four of the diet. I'm sticking firm to my decision not to weigh myself until the end of week six, so I can't really say if it's having the right influence on me but my clothes are feeling a little looser!

Saturday - Gammon

Every time we eat Gammon we wonder why we don't eat it more often, and I'm sure that tomorrow won't be that different! We're serving it grilled with new potatoes, broad beans and pineapple.

Sunday - Roast Chicken

I'm getting used to only eating a small amount of dinner compared to what I was eating, but I don't understand how the portion sizes of the food made during the week are so big compared to this one which is so small!

Monday - Meatless Monday Pizza or Curry

When I made the Aubergine and Lentil Curry in week one, there was so much left over that I froze it for a night such as this. I'm off out this evening to the Theatre with my Mum, so I needed something quick to  for dinner. The Children are having pizza because they really weren't that keen on the Curry!

Tuesday - Fish Fingers, Chips and Peas

When we had this for our Saturday meal I was surprised at how tasty it was. I think that I just don't really think about such a simple meal as being so tasty and satisfying and filling!

Wednesday - Veggie Burgers

I'm going to make the burgers myself because the veggie burgers that you can buy on the UK market are not gluten free, but this has the additional benefit of me knowing exactly what goes in them. We had a brilliant veggie burger at Camp Bestival a few years back and so I'm hoping that mine will be as good if not better!

Thursday - Tuna Kedgeree (minus the egg!)

I'm really missing different kinds of fish, but the menu plans that we are following from the book tend to stick to tuna. I'm guessing that this is because it is an easy to get to fish, as in everyone can buy a can of Tuna and also because it's relatively inexpensive.

Friday - Turkey and Mushroom Pie

I'm really rubbish at making gluten free pastry, so I'm going to cheat and buy some of the frozen stuff, but this pie with broccoli and potatoes as a side will still count as being home made right?!

So that's the meal plan for this next week, what do you think? I still don't think it looks like a diet meal plan do you?!

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How To Be Happy

I was looking at some of my most popular Facebook posts on my personal Facebook page the other day and I saw that in recent times it hasn't been the questions about food (all those who know me on Facebook love the questions about food!) or getting to laugh at me but the post where I said I was grateful for my life.

I wondered why this was the most popular and I realised it's because that's the one thing that all of us have in common. We all want to be happy, to be grateful for the life that we have and sometimes it takes one of us going through a rather bad situation to make all the rest of us realise that we actually lead for the most part a pretty brilliant life. Rather like my Rules for a Good Family Life, I thought I'd set out some rules I think that need to be applied to be happy.

Make Today A New Start

Let go of the past, of yesterday if needs be and start moving forward today. It doesn't matter if yesterday was terrible, the situation will change if you let it.

Love (Part One)

Love your family and friends and let them know. Send them letters (proper written ones from time to time), leave them notes, phone them, send them the occasional gift (doesn't have to be expensive) and pretty soon you'll realise just how much you have to be happy about.



Love (Part Two)

Find something you love to do. It might be singing, so join a choir or sing in the shower. It might be painting or gardening, or exercise or listening to music, but whatever it is make sure you schedule time for you to do it.


Make Friends

Find people you can share with, it might be that you find someone online who has the same taste in wallpaper, loves the same TV shows and hates slugs like you or it might be that you see a parent in the same playground every week. Happier people have more friends and people with more friends are more likely to be happy.



Trust in yourself

You can make the changes you want in your life and you can be who you want to be. It is never too late to change, you just have to make a start!


Exercise

Honestly, exercise, exercise, exercise. Exercise releases endorphins which make you happy, and even if when you first start you hear a little voice telling you that you'd be better off on the sofa ignore it. After a couple of weeks of daily exercise you'll feel better, look better and be happier.


Eat

Eat a Rainbow as who can resist being happy when they are eating a wide range of fruit and vegetables? Don't forget to try new dishes when you can, I didn't try Mussels until I was 33 and  I missed out on 33 years of loving them!

Expand your mind 

Learn new things and find that not only if you are in a class will you make friends with similar interests and maybe discover a talent you never knew you had but it will help you feel more fulfilled and of course this will lead to being happier too. It doesn't even have to be a class, read a book or seven and you'll find your mind expanding.


Laugh

Find someone to share jokes with, or find a tv show that makes you laugh or a website that never fails to make you giggle. If you can do this regularly you'll find yourself smiling in anticipation.


Look Forward to stuff

To a holiday, or a day out, or a day off or a meal or anything that is coming up that you'll enjoy. Spend a few moments daydreaming about what you'll do or how it will turn out and cheer yourself up immediately!


Get Outside

Have some fresh air, even if it is 15 below and six foot of snow. The fact that you are outside probably indicates you are going to get some form of exercise and the fresh air will give you a new found energy.


Serve

Serve others, it doesn't matter if that means you volunteer at a local Charity shop, or on the School PTA, or at a Nursing Home or anywhere else. Just help others when you can and do so willingly and you will find yourself being happier as you are giving to others.


Keep yourself grounded

When I'm starting to feel down, I find that a quick walk in the garden helps me buck up and find that inner happiness. Just being out there (even when it was all over grown) made me feel more like me. Find what keeps you feeling you and make sure you do it often.

Talk

I love talking to my husband and friends. Sometimes we will have deep meaningful conversations and other times we will talk about the randomness that pops into my brain (come on you've all seen my Facebook and Twitter questions haven't you?!), just having that connection with someone though enables you to feel happier and to discuss some of the issues that are weighing you down, and if you want to then add me as a friend on Facebook and I'll be that person you talk to.


Smile

I smile all the time to all the people and animals, and plants, and teddies and cars and lamp posts and trees and anything else that falls into my eye line. I find that smiling all the time makes me feel happier, it's like my face tricks my brain into forgetting all the rubbish that goes on.


Pray

I love to pray, I mean of course I do as I look at it as a way to talk to my Heavenly Father, but it's a good way for me to be Spiritual. For you it might be easier to meditate or sit quiet and think of nothing (which is basically what meditation is right?!) but having this time to relax is one of the most important things in allowing me to be happy.


It's about a choice when you get down to it though. Do you want to be happy or do you want to wallow? Make the choice to be happy, and find that you live your life instead of dread it.

Want to know what really makes me happy though? People commenting on my blog posts and following me on Twitter and Facebook...


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Ella's Kitchen The Red One - A Review by Big Boy

When I was off School sick with the Chicken Pox, Mummy said that I could do some cooking with her if I wanted. I didn't want to, but I did like looking in the cook books that Mummy has, as they have nice pictures of food and the food that Mummy makes never looks that good! The book I liked the most was the Red one which is a cook book that Mummy got sent by Ella's Dad.

Mum says that the recipes in the cook book look good and easy to make and some of them are really tasty looking. I liked looking through at the different pictures and I found lots of different dishes that I would like for Mummy and Daddy to make with me or Top Ender.

The best things in the book are the puddings and Mummy has said that we can make lots of them and that it's on the condition that I eat some of the other recipes. She says that would be fair, but I said that it wasn't fair and so she said it was Life. I really don't understand Mummy at times.

The cook book has some stickers and some bits to colour in too, but Mummy has said I'm not allowed to do them yet (I have issues over colouring in, it's like Play-Doh. DON'T MIX THE COLOURS UP!) but that as soon as she stops being so meticulous that I can.

If you want to buy the book it costs £14.99 and will make you want to cook vegetables.

We were sent the Ella's Kitchen The Cook Book The Red One to review.

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Big Boy is Five!

Today is Big Boy's Fifth birthday.

It seems unbelievable to me that he has been around for only five years, not because it feels much longer, but because I just can't remember what life was like without him and Tops. So here, instead of a letter to him, are my some highlights of his life so far.

His Birth

I guess I have to start with his birth because it was his first appearance in the world, I mean I know that he was around for nine months before that and that he could hear me and he could let me know when he was pleased or not (honestly though he didn't kick that hard!) but seeing him, using his name, holding him, feeding him and knowing that we belonged to each other was definitely a highlight.

His First Steps

It was a last minute substitution. Top Ender's teachers asked if Big Boy and I would mind talking with Top Ender's class about babies. We weren't supposed to be there, and yet we were, and Big Boy took his first steps.

We all saw them together, this special moment in my Child's life.

His First YouTube Channel

Big Boy loves playing Minecraft so much and he loves watching videos that other people put online so much that he decided that he wanted to do the same and so he created a youtube channel. Just seeing his face when his saw his first video online was enough to make me understand that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!

His First Cake Face Smash

It was a birthday for Big Cousin and we did this to Big Boy. I'm still not sure why, but it was funny.

And that are some of the moments that we remember looking back over the last five years. I can't wait to find out what the next year will bring!

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Big Boy's Fifth Birthday

Big Boy woke up this morning and was heard by Daddy and I to be talking to his Teddies about how it was his Fifth Birthday;

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!

Daddy and I were so excited, here was Big Boy a five year old. He knew that today was his birthday and that he was going to spend the day celebrating and we wanted him to be like that. Just last night Big Boy had been so excited that going to bed seemed to be the last thing on his mind. In fact when I got back from a meeting roughly two hours after bed time, he was still awake and wanting to talk about his Birthday and the things he was looking forward to. 

Luckily he did go to sleep and as he did I went to work. Wrapping up gifts, writing birthday cards, hunting out the cards and gifts already delivered by long distance family, changing his pillow case, putting up a banner and doing this to his bedroom door.

When Big Boy got out of bed to come and see Daddy and I in our room (tradition says the birthday person comes to our room to open cards and gifts) he exclaimed;

"OH COME ON!"

Big Boy then decided that in order to get out of his bedroom, he wouldn't burst through the strips, but instead would climb underneath... Honestly the one time I'm letting him make a mess and he chooses not to?!

We had five year old birthday kisses and hugs, we opened gifts and cards and sang Happy Birthday and tried on the new gifts for size.

We played slam dunk with the wrapping paper and made up packed lunches before getting ready for School and heading off to expand the Children's minds.

And now it's nearly the end of the School day and I'm getting ready to get Big Boy and Top Ender home from School and we're going to play and dance and eat cake and do all the things that a boy on his birthday likes to do... Heaven help me!

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ChillFactor Slushy Drink Maker Review

Ever since I gave up my dummy and the dummy fairy brought me a Slushy Machine as a reward I have loved Slushy drinks. Daddy and I have in the past brought several gadgets in our quest to get great tasting slushy drinks but we haven't found anything that quite hit the spot... And then I was sent the ChillFactor Slushy Drink Maker.

Big Boy was immediately impressed with it's bright colours, and helped me to take it apart (very simple), wash and dry it and then put it in the freezer (via the worktop for a quick picture).

The idea is that you place it in the freezer for 4-6 hours after which if it should be frozen solid. Then you pour in a chilled drink and gently massage the sides (basically squeeze it in and out) to create a slushy drink.

I "accidentally" forgot about the cup being in the freezer until after the children had gone to bed, where I made myself a quick slushy Sorelle. It was brilliant and a lovely treat for a warm night.

We've been making slushy drinks every 4-6 hours since (well apart from when we're sleeping!) and here is a quick selection of what we've made.

Cranberry Juice

Blackcurrant Squash

Strawberry Milkshake

Strawberry Milkshake

As you can see we've been using it a lot, and we will continue to do so mainly because it is so simple to use and also because it really works. The cup is £12.99 which I think makes this is not that expensive that you couldn't buy more than one and trust me, you'll want at least one per family member!

We were sent a ChillFactor Slushy Maker to review.

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Nobody Here But Us Chickens - Big Boy Giggles

Big Boy wasn't impressed to find out that he had Chicken Pox, and spent most of the first morning off School denying that the increasing number of spots were Chicken Pox. Every few minutes, Big Boy would examine his hand, wave his hand in the air and then shake his head and then carry on what he was doing. This went on for a few hours, until Top Ender and I got fed up of his denials.

"Why do you not think you have Chicken Pox Big Boy?" I asked him

Big Boy stopped and looked at Top Ender and I very seriously and then re-examined the spot on his hand.

"That's because these spots aren't Chicken Shaped Mummy! They can't be Chicken Pox can they!"

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