Baby Bjorn Cups - A Review and A Give Away!

We received a Baby Bjorn cup to review.

Baby Boy loves water and squash. He is always has a cup with him no matter what he is doing, but he is starting to get a little jealous of Top Ender who when she has a drink, doesn't have a cup with a lid, (or a sucky cup as we call them) and he wants that too. I have looked everywhere for a cup with enough of a base that will mean it is stable when put down and is one that Baby Boy will like.

He is very picky these days.

Eventually Baby Bjorn came to my rescue and sent me a cup for Baby Boy that they thought he might like.

He loved it.

The cup has a low centre of gravity (which some clever design bod made possible) and as such is really hard to knock over. This is perfect as Baby Boy loves to sit near his cup, but like me can't sit still for five minutes. We were given a blue cup, but they also come in Pink and were originally Green so there is a colour for everyone!

The cup is fantastic not only is it BPA free, but it is a good size, suitable for children aged eight months and up and is a good cup to learn how to drink un-lidded with... just as long as you don't put a lot of drink in it! If you would like to win one, then leave a comment below letting me know what colour you would like. I will not consider comments left after 8am on 5th May 2011, so make sure you get commenting between now and then!

Royal Wedding Guests

We invited ourselves to the Royal Wedding and are sitting here watching the coverage in our finery.

Just thought you might like to know!

Cat Milkshakes - Morphy Richards Meno Milk Frother

We received a Morphy Richards Meno Milk Frother to review as part of the Morphy Richards House Proud Innovators scheme.

Here at A Mothers Ramblings we love gadgets. Our house is full of them, and so when Morphy Richards asked if we would like to be part of the House Proud Innovators Scheme where they would send us gadgets, it was like a dream come true! Well for me. Daddy said he would quite like someone to send him some gadgets, but I assured him that he would like the ones we would be sent! Today our first parcel arrived and it was the Morphy Richards Meno Milk Frother. That's it up above, it looks rather sleek doesn't it?

Baby Boy and I read through the instructions and discovered that you can make hot drinks such as Cappuccinos and Lattes (not so good for a Mormon like me) and cold drinks such as frothy milkshakes! It has two options you can froth the milk using the bottom button, or you can heat and froth the milk using the top button. The milk gets heated to 65oC which when I made myself a bedtime drink of milk (well I had to try it out didn't I) was a nice temperature to drink! The instructions say that you can use Crusha in the Meno Milk Frother, and seeing as the dancing cat adverts have been keeping Baby Boy and I amused over the last few weeks we decided to pick some up when we were in Town. Plus it was on offer and cheaper than the powdered stuff!

So we decided to make a Milkshake in the evening whilst we were waiting for our meal to cook. You have to watch this video by the way, because Baby Boy is cute and he will cry if you don't. You don't want to make a cute little boy cry do you?

Parsons Close Recreation Ground in Leighton Buzzard

My Mum and Sister live in Leighton Buzzard (near where I grew up) and so when we go to visit them we often go to local parks. Parks that my sister and I would visit as children, parks that even Daddy would occasionally come to Leighton Buzzard to play in. One that I remember having many summer picnics in was Parsons Close Recreation Ground which is at the bottom of the High Street. This park was much loved in the Summer thanks to it's paddling pool which would often be filled with children splashing each other to cool down in the heat.

My sister had popped to the park the other week with her three girls, it was a very hot day and so she wanted to treat her girls to a trip to the park. The paddling pool didn't exist any more, having been closed a few years back and so when she got there and saw a new wet area with fountains she and her girls were a little excited. When she got back home she gave me a call letting me know of the changes to the park and so it happened that on Easter Sunday we found ourselves in the Park in the late evening sunshine, enjoying the new £200,000 feature that had been created by SSP Water & Play who were also responsible for the Peppa Pig World themed water area at Paultons Park.

Top Ender Giggles - Big Head

Daddy and Top Ender had gone out in the evening for a quick trip to the Supermarket (they needed some last minute supplies) and whilst they were out Top Ender was telling Daddy about School.

"I sit on the purple table Daddy" said Top Ender
"What's the purple table?" asked Daddy
"That is where the smart girls sit! Long Haired Girl is good at Literacy and I am good at maths. I am waaaaaaaaaaaaaay better at maths than she is at literacy though." Top Ender said smugly
"Watch out for your big head Top Ender!" said Daddy
"It has to be big, to get all the Maths inside..." said Top Ender matter of factly

And look her head is huge too...

A Cinema Party on a Budget

Birthday parties are a big thing here at A Mothers Ramblings, even when we don't have a lot of money to spend to make them special. For her seventh birthday, Top Ender decided that she would like to have a cinema party. This wasn't any ordinary cinema party though. We weren't going to go to just any Cinema, we were going to make our living room a cinema! As we have a screen and projector it wasn't going to be too much of a stretch, all the girls had to do was decide from our huge range what they wanted to watch. 

Top Ender decided on a menu of  Pizza and Chips and I managed to find cardboard sleeves that you normally find with servings of food from a Fast Food Restaurant. Top Ender was very pleased as it gave it a real cinema feel (and we were too as clean up was a breeze!) and as they were only a few pence it didn't cost much to add to the Cinema theme.

Bright Spark Education - Online Tutors?!

We were given free access to the Bright Spark Education system and a few sessions too.

Late last year Top Ender was not happy with what she was doing at School. She knew that this year they were going to have exams and she knows from things that we have told her in the past that exams are important as they help you see how much you have learnt. Top Ender is like any normal seven year old she is quite bright, loves being told she is right and sometimes lacks self confidence. I knew that if we wanted to help her we had to do it in a way that she didn't realise what we were doing and so I asked if she would like to help me write a review on some online tutors who help with Maths. Luckily she agreed and we were on our way.

I had a maths tutor who came out to our house every week and so I was expecting something similar with just a modern doing it via computer twist. What we got though was something different, something that was far more modern and useful for Top Ender. After we had decided what she wanted to go over (she is good at maths so knows a lot already) and when we wanted the session to take place we were able to look around at the online resources which included online tests, presentations and past test papers. All of which were very handy.

We sent Daddy and Baby Boy out for Top Enders first online session with her tutor and we were a little unsure of what to expect, but we soon found Top Ender sitting at the PC quite happily reading her questions interacting with the tutor and doing maths.

When We Were Young

I got a great compliment the other day, I said it was my birthday soon (Next Monday and yes I do like gifts) and how old I would be when someone said I didn't look my age. I could of kissed them. Anyway I thought I would show some pictures of when I was young... What do you think?

Green - The Gallery

If you are looking for my Wordless Wednesday post, it's here.

The theme for The Gallery at Sticky Fingers this week was Green. I thought about lots of pictures I could take, I thought about lots of pictures I had taken. I thought about tricks I could play or ways to manipulate my pictures but in the end when it came down to it there was one image that stuck in my head and I knew I had to post it.

That's right it's a close up of my lawn.

Baby Boy and I love to sit in the garden to have our lunch. We sit near the swings or sometimes on the step and chat about whatever we fancy. If we time it right we can listen to the noise from Top Ender's school carry on the breeze until we convince ourselves we can hear her shouting to us and sending kisses that caress our cheeks.

When Top Ender comes home in the evening we all go out to the garden and have a bit of a run around, play a few games burn off some energy until we all collapse on the grass giggling together and watch the clouds go by making shapes for us to find.

When Daddy is home from work we all sit in the garden enjoying the warm evenings, the breeze blowing in the branches of our tree's. Enjoying each other's company, enjoying the time together.

That's why when you say Green, I say Grass.

A Place to Read - Wordless Wednesday

Tracks of My Years - 2001

The song that I am going to talk about in this weeks Tracks of My Years isn't a song that I actually like but it was the backing track to a very important day of my life and although I don't think I will ever like it I have at least learnt to tolerate it over the last ten years. It's thanks to Jen that I decided to share this with everyone though, so make sure that you pop on over to her to see what track she has chosen this week and anyone else who has joined up.

Just over ten years ago Daddy and I were engaged and organising our wedding. We had decided on having a DJ at our evening reception and we had found one that had been suggested as being in our budget and being good and so he came to my parents house so we could meet him. We talked about songs that we wanted played, songs that we liked and then he mentioned one that both Daddy and I immediately both said we didn't like. The song was Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head".

We hired the man and a few weeks later we took to the dance floor to dance our first dance as a married couple. Then as we finished our first dance he decided to up the tempo with a special song that he would like to dedicate to the happy couple as he knew that they both loved the song. The people at the reception clapped and cheered and Daddy and I looked at each other as the song started to play.

The Sunflower Race - Week One

Just over one week has passed since we planted our Sunflower seeds and I posted my Silent Sunday picture and this is the growth of our seed's so far...

Or rather I should say this is the growth of Baby Boy's seed so far! That's right apparently Daddy, Top Ender and I are all sadly lagging behind in the Sunflower race with no growth being spotted at all, but Baby Boy has taken an early lead with growth of two inches!

We have been trying to come up with a suitable prize for us all to get excited about with the tallest sun flower at the end of our competition, but so far we are at a loss... so have you any ideas of what we could give as a prize? Let me know in the comments!

The Royal Wedding

When Prince William and Kate get married later this week, we will be watching here at A Mothers Ramblings. I think that it is important that Top Ender and Baby Boy watch, as this is a piece of British history. We have a Royal Family and because of that I am very proud. I suppose you could call me a Royalist, but I figure that as we have this link to our countries history we should enjoy it. After all there aren't that many countries left with a Royal Family. Oh and we will be celebrating by display flags on our car too. Yes, we are one of *those* people.

I remember watching Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew get married in 1986 (it was a Wednesday not sure what month or date but it was a Wednesday), I watched it on a TV at my Gran's house and I remember thinking how important it was to know that I watched it. I watched the coverage of Prince Charles wedding to  Camilla in 2005 at my home with Daddy and a dozing Top Ender.

The Cresta Run at The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead

We were given an hour on the Cresta Run at The Snow Centre, free hire of outerwear, a pair of gloves, fed and watered and the children took home a goody bag!

On a blissfully hot day that could have been mistaken for the height of summer I was searching for my thermal gloves. I had already found hats, gloves and scarves belonging to Top Ender, Baby Boy and Daddy and knew that my gloves were going to be in the same drawer, I just had to find them. What was I needing with these winter clothing accessories on such a hot day? We were going to The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead for some time on their 100m long Cresta Run on inflatable rubber rings... you know the normal thing to do on a sunny day.

When we arrived we were a little nervous but we were soon kitted out with water proof jackets and trousers, snow boots and helmets and as you can see the family looked quite cute all dressed up for an afternoon on the snow.

Top Ender had been worried about this trip, as she wasn't sure if she would enjoy speeding down a snow covered slope on an inflatable ring but she was excited enough to be the first one out of the changing area and in to the snow. We were each handed an inflatable ring and as Daddy, Baby Boy and I made our way up the edge of the slope we watched a figure start hurtling towards us on the slope. We suddenly realised that Top Ender was missing from our group and that it was actually her on the slope! Top Ender loved it, and for the rest of the time we were out spent her time racing to the bottom before climbing back up to do it all over again. We took some video of ourselves and this is all of us at one point or another going down the slope.

(Video can be seen at http://youtu.be/DhT0o1gHgBs)

We all had a blast, it was a great work out, as walking back up the slope dragging a Ringo behind you counts as a good cardio workout in my book. Top Ender and Baby Boy slept rather soundly that night and I think even Daddy and I had a deeper sleep than normal!

It was only afterwards when we were upstairs in one of the conference rooms having something to eat and drink (I think we drank all that was there for a party of ten and there was only the four of us!) that Daddy and I realised just how taken Top Ender and Baby Boy had been with the slope as they spent a large amount of time looking out the window that faced on to the slope. 

We would all love to attend again, and will hopefully be able to go in a couple of months or so (I have to save up my pocket money!) just as long as nobody tells my children, I don't think I could stand two months of

"Are we going to go to The Snow Centre today?". 

If you wear your own outdoor clothing it will only cost £35 for a family of four to have 30 minutes on the Ringo's, and although this is about the same amount you would spend on a trip to the cinema with snacks the time at The Snow Centre is definitely more fun!!

We were very lucky that we were also filmed by a professionally chappy who has made a video of our time on the slope which looks much better than our shaky photography!

(Video can be seen at http://youtu.be/8ODRV-nQ7xQ)

We would like to thank everyone for their time on the day from The Snow Centre and for the PR Company for having invited us to come along and it was also great to meet Angels and Urchins too!

Silent Sunday

Bluebell Hunting in Shenley Wood

We love going for walks in our local woodland areas. We are lucky that in Milton Keynes we have several green areas that are managed by the Parks Trust and we are slowly making our way around all of them. Last weekend we went for a walk in Shenley Wood.

We studied the map at the edge of the car park so that we knew what route we wanted to take, to make the most of our walk and then set off in the sunshine. We were soon inside the wood and noticing the wide variety of plants in the area, and the carpet of bluebells kept us all seeing the magic fairies adding colour to the woods. We kept a look out for Foxes and Deer as Daddy had told us that they live in these woods, but we didn't see any; We did see some butterflies though!

Despite being in the middle of a grid road (I mentioned the system of roads in MK before if you want to go and read about where I live and why I love it) all we could hear when we were in the woods was birds, the occasional horse on a morning walk and the delight from Top Ender and Baby Boy as they found another tree that might of been the Faraway Tree from the Enid Blyton stories! It was a lovely walk, and we didn't realise that we had been walking for as long as we had when we got back to our start point. We saw a few other families walking through the woods and a few dog walkers, but the woods were big enough that we weren't bumping into each other all the time!

If you live locally to Milton Keynes then why not go to one of the parks for a walk this weekend, and if you are too far away why not find a similar space near you?

An Easter Window

We are Christian's in this house, but we don't have a holy week poster. For one I don't really want to see a picture of my brother (that's Jesus in case you didn't know) dying and two I have no idea where people buy them from! As you know though we like to dress up our Living room window for different holiday's and so this year for Easter we decided to make Easter Bunnies to go in the window.

I think you will agree that they look rather sweet! Why not decorate a window in your home for Easter and show me what you did?

Family Day Out Offers

We love a day out here at A Mothers Ramblings, and we love a good bargain too so when one of my PR friends sent me some details of some 2 for 1 offers available from VoucherCodes.co.uk I thought it would be great to share them all with you too! Just make sure you download these before Sunday as they can be used this weekend and all through May!

Exclusive 2 for 1 on Tickets at Alton Towers

http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/altontowers.com

EXPIRES: 23.04.11

Exclusive 2 for 1 on Tickets at Chessington World of Adventures

http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/chessington.com

EXPIRES: 23.04.11

Exclusive 2 for 1 on Tickets at Thorpe Park

http://www.vouchercodes.co.uk/thorpepark.com

EXPIRES: 23.04.11

The site has a lot of other codes for restaurants and other places for days out (Cadbury's World anyone?!) and if you are going on a day out don't forget to check my blog posts Family Fun Days Out On A Budget and Family Fun On A Budget to make sure you have the most fun and save a bit of money too!

Answers to questions you never knew you wanted to ask!

No sooner than I think about writing a blog post about how lovely some of my friends are (and indeed do) when one of them decides that it is much more fun to tag me in a meme asking questions from what I think is the Guardian. I say think because unlike my sister I don't read the Guardian. So here are my answers and you have to read through to see if you are tagged at the bottom!

Which living person do you most admire, and why?

It would have to be President Thomas S.Monson, see I do occasionally show my Mormon side.

When were you happiest?

I have always been happy, but I think that my happiest moment was when a lady in the supermarket today grinned as Baby Boy jumped out on Top Ender and I and shouted BOO!

What was your most embarrassing moment?

I was about seven years old when I ran through a hole in a fence... only thing was there was a wire across this hole that I didn't see and so I was catapulted back from the hole in the fence to about 10m away. I still cringe about it now!

Aside from property, what’s the most expensive thing you’ve bought?

Well apart from a the car's we have owned/own it would have to be the 2007 trip to Italy for Daddy, Top Ender and I. The thing that really makes me chuckle about this is that the flights only cost 64p each... we just spent a lot staying in a rather luxurious hotel or two.

What is your most treasured possession?

I think that would have to be my wedding and engagement rings and if not those then my Bambi soft toy that I got for my first Christmas as a baby!

Where would you like to live?

I joke that I would love to live in Chamonix at the foot of Mont Blanc or Geneva or anywhere in Northern Italy, I could even be tempted to live in some places in the USA but ideally the only place I would really love to live is the UK near the seaside.

Me In Geneva

Making Friends Sucks - Part Six

Last year I was worried about friends. I didn't have the sort of friends that I could call up at 10pm on a Wednesday and complain about the crappy day I had experienced, or who could tell I was feeling down and would send me an email to cheer me up, or who would stay up half the night with me talking about life, the universe and which teacher at school we had most fancied.

I thought that there was something wrong with me.

I have never really had a best friend (other than my husband) and it worried me. What example was I setting for Top Ender and Baby Boy if they never saw me laughing and trusting a friend? I tried to make friends, to fit in with already established groups but it didn't really work out but I did make two friends who I get on well with. I thought that was going to be it.

It never does work out the way you planned does it?

Ben 10 Ultimate Mission at Drayton Manor

We were invited to be one of the first people to ride the new attraction and to have a day at the park. We got some goodies which included some rather fab Ben10 green T-shirts and some dress up things... well the children did anyway!

We quite like Drayton Manor as it is a family theme park. What I mean is that unlike some of the other theme parks in the UK this one has rides that the whole family will enjoy. It isn't just for thrill seekers or just for the children it is a combination of them both! As I mentioned in my Family Day out to Drayton Manor post there were plans to open a new ride this year in the main section of the theme park, a Ben 10 themed ride. When we were then asked if we would like to come to a special preview of the ride and ride it, two days before it was open to the public we couldn't say no.

The ride is what is called a Boomerang and is the first Junior Boomerang in the world (A Boomerang is where you travel one way along the track and then go back travelling backwards!) and was built by Vekoma (trust me they know a lot about Roller Coasters) and looks fantastic! Even Daddy who isn't really that keen on Roller Coasters and doesn't know that much about Ben 10 agreed that it looked great.

You have to be a minimum of 1m tall to ride with an adult, and 1.2m tall if you aren't being accompanied by an adult. You enter into a dark tunnel which leads you into Axmuth's lab, who is the alien that created the Omnitrix (trust me it makes more sense if you have seen one of the cartoon's or films but basically it is a watch that turns an ordinary human boy into Aliens) and it needs to be fixed before Vilgax (Big Evil Alien) tries to get it for himself. That is where we come in, as we have to activate a laser cannon to defeat Vilgax... which luckily we do!

The question is though what did we make of the actual ride? Well, Top Ender and Baby Boy were on opposite sides of the fence (Daddy and I loved it!) and I thought it best to let them tell you what they thought in their own words.

(Video can be seen at http://youtu.be/YEplmo_miwM)

And now you know, you can see our picture that was taken when we were on the ride.

I apologise for how naff this is, but its a photo of a photo as I can't make the scanner work!

Yes, that is Top Ender clinging to my arm in terror and Daddy cuddling Baby Boy whose face is being pulled back by the 3 G-force pushing on us (that is what the space shuttle gets when launching or re-entering!) whilst Daddy and I appear to be giggling manically... It was some true Family Fun!

Club Penguin Chocolate Nest Cakes with Puffles!

We received some cooking ingredients to make these cakes, but it was plain chocolate. Yuck.

I thought that Club Penguin had passed Top Ender and Baby Boy by. I mean sure we saw the little plush toys in supermarkets, and we saw adverts on TV and on the internet but neither of them had ever asked for us to type in the URL... we just knew what it was and accepted it as being cute. Then we were asked if we would like to make some Club Penguin Easter Nests and I was intrigued enough to say Yes! The postman knocked on the door and brought a huge parcel and when we unloaded it we found this inside;

Reading through the instructions I was excited, as we were going to make nest cakes, but instead of adding eggs to the top we were going to add Puffles! So Baby Boy, Top Ender and I washed our hands, put on our apron's and started making cakes. Which took ages, but because of the magic of the internet you can watch in about a minute and a bit.

A Family Fun Day At A Narnia Themed Easter Egg Hunt

I have received a family ticket to this event, but we would of gone anyway as it sounds awesome!

This Easter weekend we are travelling to Ragley Hall in Warwickshire, to take part in a Narnia Themed Easter Egg Hunt (which are also taking place in several other stately homes up and down the country) which is coinciding rather nicely with the release of the latest instalment of The Chronicles of Narnia films The Voyage of The Dawn Treader.

It is rather apt that The DVD was released around Easter time, seeing as how the books by C.S.Lewis, which the films are based on, heavily borrow Christian themes and Easter being a major Christian Celebration! I am guessing that someone somewhere got a pat on the back for linking the two together!

If you would like to join in with the Easter Egg Hunts, which include treasure maps, activity sheets and DVD giveaways pop along to one of the following hunts this weekend!

Hall Place (London/Kent border)

http://www.hallplace.com/ 

25April, 2011 

11am – 3pm

Newby Hall (North Yorkshire)

http://www.newbyhallandgardens.com/

24 April, 2011

11am onwards

Ragley Hall (Warwickshire)

http://www.ragleyhall.com/

24April and 25April, 2011

10am – 5pm

Berkeley Castle (Gloucestershire)

http://www.berkeley-castle.com/index.php

10 April until April 25, 2011 

11am – 5.30pm

Wizards of Waverly Place - My guilty secret!

I love watching Wizards of Waverly Place, (It's a Children's TV show on Disney Channel just in case you didn't know), with Top Ender and Baby Boy. The teasers over the last few weeks for the new series have been driving Top Ender and I insane as we haven't caught any teasers saying when the new series starts! Then I got a great email which said the new series starts on Monday 25th April at 4:50pm, so can you all please make sure not to call, text, email or tweet me then?

Top Ender loves the "Malex" storyline and not just because we both think that Gregg Sulkin (it's okay he is over 18) is a bit of a sweetie or because we love that he is a pure bred werewolf or because he is English! On Monday she will be joining in the Disney Channel Web Chat with Gregg at 5:15pm which I might also sit in on, just to make sure Top Ender is safe on the internet you understand...

Series four of Wizards (which is also the last series) looks to be filled with a lot of problems facing Alex and her brothers in the quest to be the Family Wizard and as usual a lot of giggles as can be seen in the sneek peek I have found!

My Blog - The Gallery

That Tara is a tricky one isn't she? I feel like Michael in Mary Poppins saying that, but it's true! This week her prompt for the gallery was My Blog. How on earth could I take a photograph or find one that sums up my blog?

No, I'm not going to put up a screen shot. Or just leave you to look around (which you totally can if you want) I'm not even going to point out that if you came here to this post looking for my Wordless Wednesday post that you are in the wrong place (Oh wait, I just did) instead I am going to show you this;

Arthur - A Film Review

We received two tickets to see a press screening. I took my husband as he is useful for things like buying popcorn..

Many years ago when I was just a lad girl, my Mum would let me watch films with her. One film that I remember watching one night was Arthur with Dudley Moore and I remembered that I loved it. I am pretty sure that I didn't fully understand it, but as I grew up and watched it time and time again more and more of the story got through to me. When I heard that they were doing a remake of the film starring Russell Brand I was excited, if anyone was ever born to play a part then Russell Brand was born to play Arthur Bach. Luckily I was one of the first people to see it in the UK when I was invited down to a press screening of the film and so I didn't have to wait until it's release date of the 22nd April 2011!

Just in case you don't know the story line, (Daddy for example has never seen the original Arthur despite having seen Arthur 2), Arthur is about a high functioning alcoholic who could possibly be one of the most charming men you have ever met and he is also the only heir to a multi-billion fortune. Whilst he wastes away his money on gadgets (come of them are really cool), prostitutes and of course alcohol he brings a lot of embarrassment to his family and the family business and when his latest antic causes some fallout for the family business it is decided by his Mother (Geraldine James) that he needs to marry Susan (Jennifer Garner) who could keep the family business strong... only problem is that he goes and falls in love with someone else.

Daddy "Nails" it! - Wordless Wednesday

Quakers Oats So Simple Pots - A Review

I was sent two Quakers Oats Oats So Simple Pots to review. Which I ate. All by myself.

Last Thursday night Daddy and I went to the cinema to see Arthur at a special preview screening. As we had to leave fairly early my Mum was going to make dinner for Top Ender, Baby Boy and herself and Daddy and I sort of forgot that we would need to sort ourselves out. Whilst Daddy took Granny back to her home I realised that I was hungry but at Midnight I didn't want to make anything complicated for supper. I looked in the cupboard and saw the Oats So Simple Pots and decided that one of them would fill the hole.

I went up to bed to eat the Golden Syrup one and to wait for Daddy to get back home and stupidly having left my camera in the car didn't take any pictures of the porridge. The smell however was lovely, and the pot was just the right amount of porridge to fill me up and help me have a good nights sleep!

Avenue Q The Musical - A Review

Milton Keynes Theatre kindly gave me two tickets to go to see Avenue Q.

Many years ago I worked for an ISP (Internet Service Provider) and thought it highly amusing when I heard a song from a musical that explained that the internet isn't for online shopping, sending cute e-cards or checking your stocks and shares but that it is actually for p0rn. The song became my ringtone and only caused one embarrassing incident when I left it in my locked desk and I left the office for a short time... Anyway. I discovered more and more about this show, a sort of Sesame Street for Grown ups and really wanted to go and see it. When it closed in the West End last October I thought I had missed my chance until I found out that it was on tour and when my local theatre offered me tickets I knew that my purpose in life was found.

If you don't know about Avenue Q, then imagine a stage show for adults about adult problems, you know like coming out to your friends, not having any money, spending all your time watching p0rn, wishing you weren't single... you know everyday young single adult problems! Oh and with puppets. Yes puppets. To start with I was watching both the actor and the puppet, but soon forgot all about it and just watched the puppets who display emotion and human traits exactly the same as their human counterparts.

Tracks of My Years - 1998

Last Tuesday thanks to Jen from Mum in The Mad House I talked about a song that meant something to me from 1999 and this week I had to think hard about what song I wanted to share! I could share the song that gave Daddy the inspiration for Top Ender and Baby Boy's names (Yes, both of them are named after a song) or I could share the song that for many years I have cursed at because it was played at my wedding despite me and Daddy hating it at the time.

In the end though I decided that this week I would share a song from 1998. This song has two memories attached to it, and I am hoping that by explaining them both I might stop crying when ever I hear it.

Thomas And Friends Captain's Shed Destination Wooden Toy - A Review

We received a wooden Captain's Shed Destination Toy to review.

The internet is a fantastic thing. No sooner had I posted that Baby Boy had enjoyed his trip to See Thomas And Friends Live on Stage when we were asked if we would like to review a new wooden Thomas and Friends toy Captain's Shed Destination. We had seen the Thomas film Misty Island Rescue and knew who Captain was and so we eagerly said yes! Not caring that the Thomas system we have at home isn't the wooden set, by Learning Curve but the plastic set.

The toy arrived and apart from having to pause for a moment to find a screwdriver to unscrew the toy from the packaging (it was okay I knew where the screwdrivers were kept) it was eagerly jumped on by both Baby Boy and Top Ender (who you might remember doesn't like Thomas). The toy is really put together well, and I was surprised at how sturdy it was too. In fact in actually got dropped a few days later and landed with a nice thud, but there was no damage to the toy!

Littlest Pet Shop Hamster Playground - A Review

I received a Littlest Pet Shop Hamster Playground to review and a small fee.

Baby Boy and Top Ender are like most children and will both want to play with each other. This can be great news when they decide on a board game or something that requires more than two hands, but occasionally leads to trouble. Luckily when we were asked to review the Littlest Pet Shop Hamster Playground by Netmums we knew that this was going to be a toy that requires more than two hands!

After fiddling with the packaging that was used to keep everything in place, Top Ender and Baby Boy fell upon the toy together. At once they started laying out the accessories in the places thought best and adding the Little Pet's to the playground. They were over the moon and adding it to the other Littlest Pet Shop toys we soon had a massive game across the living room of teeny tiny toys!

Silent Sunday

A Micro Scooter Review

We received two Micro Scooters to review.

A little while back Top Ender and Baby Boy were sent Micro Scooters to have a play on. When they arrived Baby Boy was running round excitedly, despite already having a scooter that he wouldn't scoot on! I had said yes to reviewing these scooters for exactly that reason, both Top Ender and Baby Boy seem to lack the ability to ride any scooter, and one that balances itself might be the answer. We have seen the scooters reviewed on other websites and every time we go to London wee seem to see at least one child scooting on a Micro Scooter. From what I understood of them they were better to handle, a smoother ride than other scooters and also have a nice wide platform to stand on, which because is low to the ground is great for when anyone thinks they are going to fall off!

The first time we tried them it was just in the back garden going up and down the path, this wasn't much fun as all Top's and BB were doing was getting off the scooter and the end of the garden turning it round and scooting back. The handles you see don't turn unless you lean on the side you want to turn. I couldn't get used to this myself when helping BB along, but I am sure that if I was smaller and riding a scooter it would make more sense and also feel more sturdy too.

A Rainbow in the Dishwater - Wordless Wednesday

Tracks of My Years - 1999

Jen at Mum in the Madhouse has decided to give an insight into her with a weekly post about music that means something to her in Tracks of my Years. As she didn't want to be Billy No Mates, she tagged Sally, Emma, Vic and I to join in. I never need to be asked twice to share music I love and so here is a little something for us all to enjoy!

 Many years ago when Daddy and I first started dating we went to Wales for a camping holiday. We had actually only been dating for about a month, but we knew that this relationship was something different that he and I were destined to be together and so this wasn't a risky move. We drove in Daddy's red fiesta to a campsite near a village that Daddy had stayed in as a child and where an annoying Seagull sat on top of a telegraph pole laughing at Daddy and I.

Yes I am wearing Dungarees Shorts.

Whilst we were there we were listening to the late John Peel on the Radio and he played the following song.

I thank the Lord I've been blessed, with more than my share of happiness!

Most people when they think of me think of this picture;

I'm the happy go lucky smiley person on Twitter and Facebook and YouTube and here at A Mothers Ramblings. I'm the one who doesn't let things get me down (for long), the one who makes everyday fun, the one who adores life. And they are right, I am that person.

The thing is though I am only this woman because of my family.

My family whom I adore and luckily adore me (most of the time) are the real reason I am happy. Look at the happy bunch up there. Don't you think that every morning if you woke up to be with them you would have a grin on your face too?

Happiness is relative they say... Happiness are relatives is what I say.