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Showing posts from 2010

2010 in Review according to us here at A Mothers Ramblings!

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Last year I reviewed the year in both words and in photos and as you may if noticed yesterdays Wordless Wednesday post was our review of the year in photos... which makes today our review in words! The posts that are listed here are how I think I sum up 2010 here at A Mothers Ramblings January: Daddy Date Nights  I choose this because it was a sign of how much Daddy is a part of Top Ender and Baby Boys Life.

Going the Distance/Why my Marriage Works

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Just before Christmas I was sent a link about a couple who have travelled the world asking the people that they meet about the secret to a long lasting relationship and now they are about to travel the UK asking the same thing. You can see them on Facebook and on YouTube or by going to  goingthedistanceuk.com , and I will be interested in what it is that others have to say because whilst I don't proclaim to be an expert I can tell you why my marriage works. You see when I first met Daddy I knew that we were going to be married, in fact he pretty much knew the same thing at the same time. It wasn't just love at first sight, it was understanding at first sight. We introduced each other to new things, we discovered things about each other (and ourselves) and we made each other laugh. I think that a few people know that Daddy and I got engaged just three days after we had met, (although to not worry our parents as much we waited a few months before we made

Wordless Wednesday - This was 2010

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January February March April May June July August September October November December

A Trip to the Cinema

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Daddy and Top Ender have always had Daddy Daughter Date Nights and Top Ender and I have traditionally had Mummy Daughter Date Mornings . It started when we needed to be out of the house on a Saturday morning so that Daddy could sleep (he would work all night on a Friday) and the one thing that I knew that was within our budget and would keep us out of the cold was going to the cinema (It was in our budget because the Movies for Juniors at the weekend are £1 per person) for a couple of hours. Top Ender and I loved sitting in the dark together holding hands in the "mild peril" sections of the film, eating popcorn and chocolate stars, laughing at the funny bits, waiting until the very last name on the credits rolled past before we got out of our seats and then discussing the film and our favourite parts all the way home. When Baby Boy was born we went a few times, but we soon stopped going because we had other things to do and our already tight budget was even tighter. Also Ba

Twas the Night before Christmas...

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I am feeling a little like I am living the classic poem "Twas the Night before Christmas". Just to prove it here are some pictures that I have taken this evening. Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there. The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar plums danced in their heads. Really I could't make my life up could I?!

I don't do Ice-Cream... even posh Ice-Cream

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I love sweet things. Give me some chocolate and I am happy. Give me a bag of sugar and I will look at you a little oddly, but will still be quite pleased. Give me a bowl of ice-cream and I will hand it right back to you. I don't do ice-cream. I have managed to convince myself that Ice-cream sets my teeth off (I have sensitive teeth so it does) when really I just don't want to become totally addicted to the stuff and put on more weight.   Top Ender , Baby Boy and Daddy love ice-cream and a mention of ice-cream normally results in me getting other chores done first. "Yes, Darling you may have some ice-cream... but won't you just quickly tidy up the toys?" That's not wrong or evil parenting; That's smart thinking I'll have you know. When we were asked if we would like to try Kelly's of Cornwall Ice-Cream (and they sent me some vouchers to buy some) I said yes as a look at the website showed this wasn't just ordinary Ice-cream. This was spec

How Many Christmas Trees?!

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I love Christmas and Christmas Trees. I know you know it already, but I just thought I should make it clear from the start, because this post is about the Christmas Trees in my house. That's right I said TREES, as in multiple. I don't think I am as bad as my Mum who for years had two trees in the living room (one either end as it was a long Living Room) as I have managed to keep it to one tree per room. Apart from in the Bathroom. And the Hallway. And possibly my Living Room... Anyway, here is a quick tour of my Christmas Trees! And because I wouldn't go out in the snow, here is a picture of the tree outdoors that I took the other day! Yes I know that it has blue lights , but they are static!

Nativity - A Film Review

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Everyone knows the story of The Nativity, as one character in the film says go to any school in any town in any Christian area of the world during December and you can watch it. And yet when Daddy surprised me with an early Christmas gift of a DVD of Nativity I couldn't wait to watch it. We sat down last night and I even put down my ipod and didn't tweet once despite it being the sort of film that has perfect tweet one liners!

The Great Christmas Light Hunt

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As I have mentioned before, going on a Christmas Light Hunt is one of the best things about Christmas for me. I love getting Top Ender and Baby Boy to look out of their windows looking for a display that is worthy of us all stopping to look at. We went on such a hunt just the other night, and found many houses in the local area who really have gone all out this year with impressive displays of colour and Christmas iconography. The one display that I still hadn't seen however was our local High Streets. This year I hadn't been able to attend the big switch on, as I had been at the Good Food Show and so Daddy, Top Ender and Baby Boy had walked down instead. As in the Milton Keynes area you are never too far away from anywhere, we decided to drive up the High Street so that I could see the tree, and the lights strung across the street for the first time this year and Top Ender and Baby Boy could see them again. I don't know what it is about our High Street, but when it is dar

BBC Good Food Show

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Five years ago Daddy went to the Good Food Show . He came back with goodies galore for Top Ender and I and he was very full from the samples of foods that he had been offered. It was/is one of those things on our bucket list that we would go to a show in the future together but we just never got round to it before Miele invited me this years Winters show. Sorry Scratch that Miele were sponsoring the MasterChef experience and so they invited me to a couple of cook along sessions on stage  and to cook for the MasterChef presenters John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Christmas Gifts for my Mum

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When I buy Christmas gifts for friends and family I normally follow a theme. I find that it helps me focus what I am buying and also allows me to exploit a range of gifts that would be suitable for the recipient in a range of prices. It also means that I can create what looks like an expensive gift, but in fact is just well thought out and can be put together in seconds! The best examples of these are creating themed hampers as it is a nice way to link together a seemingly random series of gifts hidden under the Christmas tree.

A Kenwood Mixer called Ken, who makes fantastic Christmas Cakes and Memories.

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My Kenwood Mixer is about as old as I am. It used to belong to my Nan, but because of the weight and the size of it, it stayed in her kitchen cupboard just thinking about the old days when it was used all the time. One weekend when I was down at my Nan's, not too long before Christmas, she asked if I would like to have her Kenwood Mixer. I think that I got it out of the cupboard then and there and went and put it in my car before she could change her mind. This was the mixer which had made the all important Christmas Cake for the last *cough* twenty-one *cough* years and goodness knows how many other treats through out the years. When I got Ken home (Yes, my mixer is a he and therefore called Ken) I put him up on the side in my kitchen. No cupboard for Ken at our house. The first thing that I made in Ken was the Christmas Cake.

A Garland of Christmas Stockings

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Top Ender, Baby Boy and I seem to have got into some rather good habits of late and added to the bonus of us having cleared out a lot of junk this year from all our rooms (it took a lot of effort!) we are getting our daily chores done very quickly. This last Sunday Daddy went to work leaving Baby Boy, Top Ender and I up and ready and with not a lot to do after we had done the chores. As I have hurt my back going for a walk just wasn't an option and so we decided that we would make the Christmas Stocking Garland that I brought from a local  99p Stores . The kit wasn't something I would normally buy as with the large amount of craft items that we have in the house, we have everything we need to make our own... well everything really. When Baby Boy and I were having a good look round the store, these had caught our eye however and we figured that they would be a good buy (read Baby Boy wouldn't let go of them).

Glittery Pine Cones

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I thought that I had blogged about these before, but I couldn't find them anywhere! During the autumn a couple of years back Top Ender collected a number of pine cones. She was going through a real scavenger phase and everything that she brought had to be kept. I still have a couple of jars of conkers! I decided that if we had to keep them then they might as well look festive and so one afternoon Top Ender and I set about making the pine cones glittery.

No Ferrero at Christmas is like not having Turkey

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When I was younger Christmas was a huge deal. We would really push the boat out with snacks and treats for during Christmas Day and the rest of the Holiday period. We would buy pickles and sweets and chocolates and crisps and nuts and everything else like Ferrero Rocher that at any other time of the year would be considered as luxurious treats. On Christmas Day the foods were a tradition, they were a chance to show our friends and family that we were affluent, we were posh, we were the kind of family that casually offered our guests luxury snacks as if we ate them everyday. It was a tradition that I brought to my marriage, we have treats every night in advent, and on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and every night right up to Top Ender's birthday on the 3rd of January. For Top Ender, Baby Boy and me there are a lot more treats that we can eat than Daddy and Ferrero Rocher are one of the treats that are just for us. This year we had a card sent to us from Ferrero and because they rem

Personalised Messages from Santa

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Last Christmas, I told you all about how Santa Claus had been talking to me via the TV and the Internet and I thought it was about time that I shared with you the personalised messages that he has been sending me this year. It turns out that my blog post Santa Caught on Webcam  (where Santa comes out of my chimney and goes upstairs to Top Ender and Baby Boy's bedrooms) wasn't as naughty as I thought and I am still on the good list! This year there is of course the fantastic Portable North Pole console available again. Santa has obviously been reading up on technology after seeing my webcams all over the house as he now has webcams all over his village and you can see him in his office, in the Reindeer Training Centre, the Elves Secret Quarters Ice Hall and the Message Centre.

Wordless Wednesday - It's Snow Joke!

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A Huggies Mummy Graduate

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Earlier this year when I became a Huggies Mum I knew that my days as a Huggies Mum were numbered. Baby Boy was really already aware of when he was going to the toilet and what he was doing in his nappy and I knew that it was only a matter of time before I took the jump and potty trained  him. A Mum to a potty trained Baby Boy isn't in much need of a Huggies sponsorship! So I was the first Mummy to graduate from the Huggies team earlier this year in a very posh hotel. The very posh hotel was The Dorchester in London, where I and the other Huggies Mum's were going for afternoon tea with the lovely ladies of Huggies. I knew that I was graduating but had said to keep it a secret from the other Huggies Mum's so it would be a nice surprise for them.

Saint Nicholas and the Clean Shoes

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I am a bit of a magpie at Christmas time, anything that is shiny or catches my eye and I adopt it as my own. A good example of this is how even though I am LDS , and Daddy COE we still celebrate one Saint and that is Saint Nicholas who likes clean shoes... You see a few years back at Top Ender's nursery the children were introduced to Sinterklass aka Saint Nicholas. One of the Nursery workers was Dutch and she thought it would be nice to show the children a few different traditions and customs that were from The Netherlands. I can't say that I disagree, as anything that teaches the Children about other cultures is a good thing in my book and this is why I believe that the more new things we introduce to our children the better!

Take an Oldie to School

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Last Friday it was the second "Take an Oldie to school" day at Top Enders School. It was a programme started so that the parents, grandparents and other "Oldies" in the Children's lives could experience what a morning at School is like now. I went to the first one last Summer, and found it amazing how the class interacts with each other and how the teacher interacts with the class. I know that it was a fairly long time ago since I went to School (quiet in the back) but I didn't realise just how much School had changed. Top Ender took Granny along this time and I must admit that I did wind Granny up a little bit. I made sure to take a photo of Granny on her first day of school, and made sure that she had been to the toilet before she walked to School. I made sure that Granny had a packed lunch with a note in saying that I hope that she was being a good girl and that I would pick her up soon.

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...

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Is it wrong that I want Top Ender to lose her other Front Tooth in time for Christmas Day? It's not so that I can hear her whistle or lisp her way through singing We Wish You a Merry Christmas or even so that she looks cute (although she would look cute with her pigtails and missing front teeth right?).  It's just that come her adulthood I want her to be able to look back and say that all she wanted for Christmas was her two front teeth...

Breast Pad Snowmen

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Whilst tidying up my bedroom I found a half empty box of disposable breast pads. I didn't want to throw them away and my sister already has the world surplus of her favourite brand so I didn't know what to do with them. They sat on my chest of drawers for a couple of weeks until an idea struck. I could make them into Christmas Decorations! Having already had a conversation with Daddy about doing a Christmas scene in our Living Room Window, I knew that we could make something to go on display there. The question of course was what? Well the answer to me was obvious what else could you think of when you see giant white circles? Snowmen! Breast Pad Snowmen!

Wordless Wednesday - Some Snowy Greenery

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What to do with Oodles of Doodles?

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I loved art at school and my books and pencil cases from the time were covered in doodles and quotes from various pieces of literature that I found particularly inspiring/funny. Top Ender has developed a similar trait and is forever doodling designs for a new outfit, flowers that she would like to create through cross pollination and her name if she were to marry various celebrities. Its fantastic, I love seeing how her skills are developing and how her mind works but there is a problem and that is that I am a hoarder. When it comes to Top Ender and Baby Boy's drawings and pieces of work I can't give them up and I know that I am not the only parent out there that wants to keep every piece of work that their child does.

Top Ender Giggles - You can't say that!

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After coming in from the cold on Sunday Daddy told Top Ender and Baby Boy to take everything off (meaning hats, gloves, coats, shoes). "But not everything, I don't want you running around butt naked!" qualified Daddy "You can't say that!" said a horrified Top Ender "What?" asked Daddy "Butt! Butt is rude!" she said "No, it's not!" said Daddy "Oh no, its Arse  that's rude isn't it!" said Top Ender

A MasterChef Invention Test

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I was at the BBC Good Food Show yesterday with Miele and took part in the MasterChef Invention Test. I created this Lemon Cheesecake with Caramel Stick and Spun Sugar. Gregg Wallace and John Torode liked it. They liked it a lot and I got through to the final three.

Christmas Club - November

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So it's the last month of the Christmas Club for 2010, only one month until the big day and there is still a lot to do. Well there is here anyway. We have made our Christmas pudding (it smelt lovely) but still have our Christmas Cake to make, and our decorations to put up and our advent calenders to fill with chocolate and even our Christmas outfits to be finalised!

Jabra Cruiser 2 - A Review by Daddy

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In recent months, changes at work have left me on the road a lot - regularly driving between TV studios, satellite uplink base-stations and outside broadcast events - so when Mummy was invited by the nice people at Wildfire PR and Marketing to review the Jabra Cruiser 2 Bluetooth in-car speakerphone, I realised I had the perfect opportunities to review it for her. Because, until I started my current job a few years ago, I had never met people who relied so much on their mobile phones. For me, a mobile was something I carried to make emergency calls.

Wordless Wednesday - It's a bit Pea Soup out there!

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Song to get up and Dance meme

Emily tagged me earlier this month in a Meme about which song makes me want to get up and dance. At the time I had a great song in mind and wouldn't you know I had a great story to go with it. I was all ready to post it and then I forgot what the song was. And the story. You could blame my age or Daddy (I would prefer it if we blamed him) or just nod knowingly as you realise that I have a memory the size of my bladder. Be right back I just need to pee...

(Old) Friends Reunited

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Many Moons ago when Top Ender was really a Top Ender at Nursery  and Baby Boy was just a twinkle in Daddy's eye, I was a Go To Work Mum. The last job that I had was at a company in Central Milton Keynes where I worked in a small team of five. Four girls and our boss ( the one I accidentally asked to have his babies ) DC.

Simplify Your Christmas - Home Made Chocolate Shapes

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Here at A Mothers Ramblings  we love Christmas and part of what makes Christmas so great is that you can eat almost as much chocolate as you like. That doesn't mean that Daddy can eat his entire selection box before breakfast... nor does it mean he can eat mine either! To make it more simple for some people at Christmas I like to buy Charity Gifts . This way they aren't getting something they don't want, but someone who needs a helping hand is getting exactly that. I always feel that the person getting the charity gift needs to have something else to open on Christmas Day just to make things even more special. This additional gift from me tends to be a bar of chocolate.

How to write a Christmas Letter (or a Round Robin!)

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In the UK we don't do Christmas Letters, we do Round Robins and the problem with Round Robins is that most people dread reading and writing them. There is something about letting others know about the good that has happened that makes us feel odd, as if we are gloating or rubbing others noses in our "perfect" lives.  There is one particular branch of my extended family that send out a letter each year, and I wish I could share with you some of the more amusing aspects of them. Let's just say that even the most shocking news was delivered with a rather amusing upbeat twist and reading between the lines, I can tell that it wasn't as glowing as they made it out to be!

How to write Christmas Cards

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If you have been following the Christmas Club blog posts over the last year, then you will know that I like to get ahead with my Christmas Cards. I am going to share some of my secrets for sending out Great Christmas cards. I know that you already know how to do this, but trust me some of the tips I am sharing are sensible!

Barbie A Fashion Fairytale

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Top Ender adores Barbie films. It all started when we first watched Barbie Princess and the Pauper, I'm not sure why we first got the film, but I know that after the first viewing she was hooked. We watched that film what seemed like everyday. When Mattel asked if we would like to see the new film Barbie A Fashion Fairytale I knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before Top Ender asked to watch it all the time.

A Halloween Toyologist Party

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My Mum made a big deal about Halloween for my Sister and I and all the children that she looked after (she was a childminder) when I was little. Then seven years ago Daddy and I started a little tradition where we have had a little fancy dress Halloween Party for Family in the evening. Last year due to all of us here having just had Swine Flu we were unable to go to our own party!

Wordless Wednesday - Almost like they planned it

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Spotted in Leighton Buzzard a Fatherson Bakery Van.

A Magic Moment or are they are out to get me?

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Yesterday Top Ender, Daddy and Baby Boy were playing a game where they were spelling words cheerleader style. It's a game that Top Ender quite often plays to test us on how to spell certain words, not realising that it's actually improving her own spelling skills.

Daddy Giggles - It's not his fault

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Earlier this evening Top Ender, Daddy and Baby Boy were playing a game where they were spelling words cheerleader style. Daddy was going out and so he decided to carry on the game as a "treat".

Top Ender Giggles - True to her art

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There is a secret project in the making here at A Mothers Ramblings and it required us to take a few pictures of Top Ender and Baby Boy looking a bit sad. Top Ender was sitting in the garden already looking sad, a good half hour before we were ready to do anything.

We will remember them

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At 11am today I will take part in two minutes silence to remember the people have given the ultimate sacrifice for me to live the life I do today. Several of my extended family are in the Services and I don't think that I have told them enough how much I respect what they do and how grateful I am.

Wordless Wednesday - Why do they always find the giant Ice-Creams?

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A Family Day Out to Drayton Manor and Thomas Land

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One of the things on our Family Fun  list of things that we want to do with Top Ender and Baby Boy was to go to Thomas Land, which is in the grounds of Drayton Manor. Baby Boy has seen adverts on the TV and picked up leaflets from shops and Hotels and was just desperate to go and see Thomas and his friends. Even Top Ender was quite interested in going to Thomas Land, although not strictly a Thomas fan.

Giant Gaming

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Many years ago Daddy and I went to the Technology Home show. I had always quite liked the idea of a smart house (like Bill Gates has), but at the show I quickly got the idea that we did would have to be at a fraction of the cost. Luckily when I get ideas, Daddy is able to implement most of them (as he has the technical genius that I lack) and this is one of the reasons as to how and why we have a projector and screen in our living room.

The Five F's Twitter Meme - I'm a Twitterholic...

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I was tagged by Alethea over at Mom on a Wire in a Twitter Meme absolutely ages ago. I decided to wait until today however as I knew that something was coming up that would make a good connection to this Meme and all will become clear in a few moments!

A Fake Christmas (Just Because We Could)

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Last weekend we were having a really simple Sunday Roast and I wanted to make it a little more exciting. I said to Daddy we should make it a Fake Christmas Dinner. We have previous form for this sort of thing, having had a few fake Christmas meals and once having a Fake Christmas meal with my Sister and Just-Like-A-Brother-to-Me complete with Christmas tree and Christmas gifts (I got soap). Anyway, Daddy looked at me as if I were a little crazy  and said something about not being so daft.

Time for Bed said Mummy and Daddy

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Earlier this year Daddy decided that there wasn't anything to lose and that the bad habits that we had got ourselves into with regards to bed time routines for Baby Boy and Top Ender had to be gotten rid of and new good routines had to be followed. This involved a lot of crying from Baby Boy as I had slipped into nursing him to sleep.

Stocking Fillers - Magazines and Comics

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Top Ender loves to read magazines and comics. Before she could read , it was good because the comic-strip images would help her be able to read the story without looking at the words and now she just loves the stories that they tell. Baby Boy is still at the stage where anything with pictures and pages is great fun, and he loves to read a few of the magazines aimed at children such as the Cbeebies magazine or the Playhouse Disney magazine.

A Day out at London Zoo

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We went to London Zoo as part of the launch for Winnie the Pooh stamps . Daddy had never been to London Zoo and the last time I had been was when I was about the age Top Ender is now. We were looking forward to having a walk round and seeing the different animals, especially as one of our local Zoo's is Whipsnade Zoo which is a Sister Zoo to London Zoo. We had a great time wandering around, and for me I didn't feel like I was in the Centre of London!

Winnie The Pooh Stamps and a bit of real History

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We love Winnie the Pooh here in the A Mothers Ramblings house. We went and played Pooh Sticks at The Real Hundred Acre Wood  and Top Ender has met Pooh Bear a couple of times and even be invited into his home, heck we even know that the 14th October is Pooh Bears Birthday! So when we were invited to go to London Zoo to hear some of the classic AA Milne stories and find out about the new Royal Mail stamps that were being released celebrating Winnie the Pooh we had to go. Now you might think that it was odd that the launch was held at London Zoo, but if like me you know the origins of Winnie the Pooh you wouldn't think it strange at all...

A blog post without a point, but actually has one. Possibly two.

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We try to do fun things as a family. Mainly its because Daddy and I are big kids at heart, but also because we want to make sure that the memories that Top Ender and Baby Boy have of growing up are happy ones. That was one of the reasons that I started this blog, I wanted to remember and to be able to show Top Ender and Baby Boy in the future that they had great fun as children as I know that they are going to forget a lot of what we have done.

Show me the Funny - A Gallery Entry

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I wasn't going to enter the Gallery this week, because well the funny pictures that I have aren't suitable for a family audience... but then I remembered a day trip that Daddy and I took. We had a great day walking round a model village, and a maze and in a little High Street in some town in the Cotswolds and before we went home we decided we should do what all good children do and empty our bladders. That way we wouldn't get caught short on the long journey home.

Wordless Wednesday - A Prelude to Bonfire Night

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Shooting Boots

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One day Daddy went to Toys R Us with Top Ender and Baby Boy. I'm not sure what I was doing, I might of been prepping dinner or something else that meant I stayed at home, but I do know that when they got home they had brought two Nerf Guns. Hmm. Yeah, I wasn't happy but I was soon won over as they are actually quite good fun...

Go Outdoors or go shopping instead.

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Sometimes my idea of having fun is a little out there. I have in the past let Top Ender clean my kitchen floor, by wearing her swimming costume and then sliding up and down the tiled floor on a wet and soapy bath sheet. Drying it is as just as fun as she then slides up and down on a dry bath sheet... like I said a little out there.

Meccano Construction - For Girls!

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Top Ender is going to be an architect when she grows up, I have decided. Okay, so maybe I have decided a little prematurely because she is still adamant that she is going to be a Fashion Model/Designer/Sweet Shop Owner, but she joined construction club at school!

Stocking Fillers - Books and Annuals

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There is one book that I always buy Daddy for Christmas. It isn't the Guinness Book of Records (he only likes that every couple of years as not that many records change year on year apparently!) but The Rupert Annual. I always try to buy a couple of annuals for each of us (and make sure to use the buy two get one free offer that is always on before Christmas) and a little jokey book for Daddy and I.

Baby Boy Giggles - You didn't ask for specifics!

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Baby Boy had been jumping in puddles as we walked to school to pick up Top Ender. I had given up trying to stop him as it was pouring with rain and one way or another we were going to be soaking by the time we got back to the house.

Fur Real Snuggimals - Toyologist Reivew

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Top Ender wasn't feeling very well, but she had a friend in the form or a Fur Real Snuggimal Puppy who cuddled her, because we wouldn't as we didn't want her germs... (Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szu98TYF6JM )  Although the puppy is a bit noisy when it wags its tail, it is very cuddly! The RRP is £7.99 and I think it is cute enough for the price!

Casserole and Potato Gratin made by Baby Boy

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Baby Boy loves to pretend to cook, he has a huge selection of play food, play pots and pans and plates and cutlery. He normally makes some quite good and balanced dishes, although I am always worried by the plastic Strawberry in a glass that he gives me to drink! Baby Boy had been asking to do some real cooking with me, not baking cakes, but real cooking like making dinner. We had made Pizzas a few nights earlier, but that didn't count as real cooking according to Baby Boy so we decided that we were going to have Casserole with Dumplings for dinner.

Wordless Wednesday - We all went to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo (You can go to, to, to)

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Halloween Cupcakes!

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As you know we love baking in our house, and as we also love Halloween so when Silver Spoon asked if we would like some cake decorations we jumped at the chance and got sent quite a selection of goodies to bake some cakes with. The plan was that I was going to make cakes every few days using one colour so that you could get some ideas of some Halloween cakes to make too. In reality only Baby Boy and I were eating the cakes and I was sick of cake.

A Sleepy Baby Boy

Baby Boy sometimes is always really cute when he is sleepy and seeing as he has learnt the ironic phrase "Shut up! Your so funny!" he likes to use it when ever he can... The thing I really want to know is when he is sleepy why is it Naked Bubble Gum that comes to mind?!

The New Disney Store Milton Keynes

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In September our beloved Disney Store in Milton Keynes shut it doors. Top Ender and Baby Boy (and me!) love The Disney Store and we have quite often been found wandering around, mouths hanging open at the new Stock. I liked our old store as I was able to recognise most of the staff and they knew me as the "Crazy lady who knew all the songs that they played and who once danced and sang with her children to the Phineas and Ferb video". See its not just you who knows me as the Crazy Lady .

Christmas Club - October

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With the clocks going back this weekend, it really makes me realise that it isn't that long to Christmas. In fact in just eight weeks we will all be getting ready to sit down to a special meal and wondering how Christmas came round so quickly, as weren't we all just sitting down to Christmas Dinner?!

When do you turn the heating on?

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I am born of hardy stock. My Mum is Scottish and as such can survive all winter on just a bowl of porridge and some wool socks. With my half Scottish blood coursing through my veins and me wanting to keep my penny pinching ways secure I try to make sure that the heating in our house stays off until November 1st. Baby Boy looking to see how long until the heatings is turned on!

Stocking Fillers - Drawing And Colouring Sets

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One thing that seems to be in all stockings are Drawing and Colouring Sets. For me its a great chance to go through prior to Christmas all of the colouring pads, and crayons that we have accumulated over the year. I use the broken crayons to make new crayons  (and to then give as a gift to others) and to really make sure that the colouring pads have been fully used and which themes would go down well again!

Making up a First Aid Kit

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Sometimes I have dreams that freak me out a little. I don't like eating a lot of meat because of a particularly odd dream I had about a giant chicken chasing me because I ate one of its eggs. I don't like reading a lot of Stephen King stories because of the nightmares I had after reading Cell and right now I am going through our First Aid Kit and making sure I have one for the car after having a very vivid dream about having an accident in our home... at least it wasn't a Polar bear in the Garden !

What's the Secret Ingredient?

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I love food, and if I am invited out to dinner then nine times out of ten I won't say No . I will check with the host that they know that I don't drink alcohol and prefer to not eat food cooked with alcohol, but other than that you can pretty much take me anywhere and feed me anything.  When I received an invitation to a special dinner party where all the dishes would be made to include one secret ingredient I couldn't say No and so I found my way into Central London one evening promising Top Ender, Daddy and Baby Boy that I would tell them what the secret ingredient was as soon as I got home.

Top Ender Giggles - Good job it wasn't Catchphrase!

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After the giggles that we had from Top Ender answering Blockbusters to Daddy after he had been singing the Ghostbusters theme tune we started to sing the tune to the popular game show Blockbusters, and do the naff jokes that come with Blockbusters such as; "I'll have a P please Bob!"

The Sound of Autumn

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A few days back, Daddy, Top Ender, Baby Boy and I were walking past a rather large pile of crisp autumn leaves. We knew that this was an opportunity too good to miss and so Top Ender and Baby Boy had a jump and kick and run in the leaves, whilst I fished about in my handbag for my camera.