Wednesday 31 January 2018

The Guilty Pleasures Tag. #mummysguiltypleasures

I saw the Guilty Pleasures tag over on Ickle Pickle's Life...I do love a tag and I have a lot of guilty pleasures....

All the answers should be people or things that you secretly love but rarely own up to for whatever reason.


Who is your guilty pleasure musical artist?
I love cheesy pop. The cheesier the better. When One Direction were still together I loved all their songs much to Becky my teens annoyance. hehehe 

What is your guilty pleasure song?
Barbie Girl by Aqua or The Spice Girls, Wannabe.

Who is your guilty pleasure TV star?
Alison Hammond who's now a presenter on This Morning. I love her. She is hilarious and is sometimes too honest.



What is your guilty pleasure TV show?
Geordie Shore....I really love it! Everything about it is so wrong but I can't help but watch it...Since Charlotte, Gaz & Scotty T left it's not the same but as long as Chloe & Nathan are on I will watch.....

Who is your guilty pleasure film actor/actress?
Dwayne Johnson. I still think of him as a wrestler not an actor....Some of his films are not the best but I will watch anything with him in. Including Baywatch. That was so bad but I couldn't turn it off....

What is your guilty pleasure film?
White Chicks. Terry crews is a legend.



What is your guilty pleasure meal?
A big fry up....Sausages, bacon, fried eggs, mushrooms, hash browns, tomatoes, black pudding and fried bread! So unhealthy but so good.

What is your guilty pleasure snack?
Sour Cream And Chive Pringles....A tube does not last me long at all.

What is your guilt pleasure drink?
Root beer....I get one bottle a week from Tesco and I know it's know it's no good for me but I can't help but drink it.

What is your guilty pleasure book or magazine?
Take a Break.....I seem to love reading about other people's misery.

Do feel free to join in and answer these....

Tuesday 30 January 2018

A new notebook from The Gifted Notebook...

There really is no better feeling than opening a brand new notebook....A new notebook may be something to think about when choosing a Valentines day gift for your loved one....


At The Gifted Notebook they have hand-selected their range from designers across Europe to bring you a gift that will suit all occasions whether that is treat for yourself or a present for a special friend or family member.....Becky has already tried to claim it for herself. hehehe

I was lucky enough to be able to choose one to have a look at for myself....I chose the Oh Hello A5 Notebook which costs £12.99.


The A5 plus size journal has gold foil detailing and bright jade colour block page edges and a colour match wrap-around completes this notebook. All the pages in this notebook are ruled. The size of it is 250mm x 175mm....

I love it....It is so pretty. It feels so well made and very luxurious...I wouldn't normally pay £12.99 for a notebook but I think for this I would. It isn't flimsy and won't fall apart after a couple of uses....

Each notebook is hand-wrapped by The Gifted Notebook using their designer papers adding that extra attention to detail that they know you are looking for....

As well as notebooks The Gifted Notebook also sells wonderful diaries and planners, pens and pencils and gorgeous gifts....


Alice Scott - Boxed Ballpoint Pens - £15.99
Castelli - Honeycomb 2018 Week to View Diary - £13.95
Alice Scott A5 Notepad Set - The Master Plan - £19.99
Castelli - Triangular Pencils & Carry Case - £4.50
Boxed Mug - Take life one cup at a time - £8.99
Castelli - Cordoba Leather Notebook Tan - £24.95

Is there anything you fancy?

I was sent this notebook free of charge in exchange for this blog post.


Monday 29 January 2018

Our Weekly Meal Plan!! - #mealplanningmonday


Last weeks meal plan went well....I changed a couple of things one of the meals was accidentally....The kids were both distracting me while I was making tea and I grabbed something which looked like chicken nuggets. They were actually fish bites....We had them with chips and beans. Oh well....I was aiming to empty the freezer and it helped a little. 

The novelty of home made pizza has worn off for the kids....They didn't fancy them on Saturday night and I wasn't faffing around making 2 different meals so we decided to have burgers in buns. The buns came out of the freezer so that freed up more room. Hooray....

This week on the menu we have:

Monday - I am making the slow cooker fruity curry again very similar to the one I made a couple of weeks ago this time it will be a chicken one. I will serve it with rice and naan bread....
Tuesday - A vegetable stir fry with egg noodles....
Wednesday - Tuna, onion and sweetcorn pasta....So simple!
Thursday - A fry up! Sausages, bacon, mushrooms, fried egg, black pudding, hash browns, beans and tomatoes....
Friday - Pizza....
Saturday - Sloppy Joe Sandwiches....
Sunday - A roast dinner. Probably chicken or pork....

What will you be eating this week?


Saturday 27 January 2018

Week 4 - A photo everyday for a year. #Project365

This week I could have used a photo of food for every day....I haven't....I've had cute cakes, hot dogs, sweets, Easter eggs, Danish pastries and more....lol

A photo for every day.....


20/365 - 20th January
Home made pizza....Not what I had planned but we wanted something tasty....In the long run it would have been quicker to order a takeaway but at least we saved the pennies...

21/365 - 21st January
It snowed! Hooray and the girls went out and played in it...

22/365 - 22nd January
Sunday dinner on a Monday....I cooked the parsnips early on in the day and it took me all my strength not to eat one every time I went into the kitchen....

23/365 - 23rd January
I was sent a notebook to review....It is so pretty. There will be a blog post next week about it.

24/365 - 24th January
We tried out Choc Lick 'n' Dip....A fantastic tasty treat!

25/365 - 25th January
I got a new cooling pad for my laptop to stop it overheating. My old one had just about given up but this new one is fantastic....

26/365 - 26th January
Becky finishing off her homework. Algebra....I was helping her a little but I didn't understand it when I was at school and I still don't. lol


Friday 26 January 2018

Trying out Choc Lick ‘n’ Dip!

Years ago I use to love Choc Lick and Choc Nibbles....I would go to the shop and order a quarter of whatever and eat it from a paper bag....I had forgotten all about these chocolatey treats until recently...Then Choc Nibbles got in touch and asked me if we would like to try something new!!

Choc Lick ‘n’ Dip is the delicious, dippable new offering from Sweetdreams Ltd...


Pairing Choc Lick which is a fine dusty mixture of milk chocolate, nuts and biscuit crumbs with a fruit flavoured, hard boiled lollipop means you can enjoy your guilty pleasure on the move....It appeals to retro sweet lovers and is allowing a whole new audience to discover this tasty treat for themselves too.


Opening the bag it smelled amazing....Ellie was convinced it was hot chocolate mix and just couldn't get her head around Choc lick at first....It didn't take her long to get stuck in!


Of course she loved it and couldn't get enough! We all had a dip. The only complaint which isn't a complaint really. The bag is quite big and the girls would have quite happily shared one bag so having two lollies in it would have made it even more perfect!

As versatile as it is delicious Choc Lick is also a baking favourite with creative cookery fans across the country. Perfect for pancakes and cake decoration Choc Lick is a kitchen staple for anyone looking to give their baking an extra wow this year.....

I am thinking with Pancake day coming up it will be a perfect topping for that....Becky actually sprinkled some on her fruit toast the other day....It has so many uses! I imagine it tasting amazing over ice cream in the summer!

You can pick yourself some packets of Choc Lick ‘n’ Dip up from B&M Stores for £1 a packet....I know I will be buying more!



We were sent samples from Choc Nibbles in exchange for this blog post.

A week of waiting. #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:

I have had one of those weeks where I seem to have been waiting for one thing or another all week! I am not the most patient of people when it comes to waiting for things....

Over the weekend and on Monday I was waiting for phone calls....I hate speaking on the phone so waiting for these calls really stressed me out....I know it is stupid to worry about speaking on the phone but I do....If everything could be done over email, that would make me so happy....lol

It seems like we have been waiting for a decent amount of snow to arrive for months and on Sunday it snowed! Hooray! I wouldn't call it a decent amount but there was enough for Ellie to get outside and have a play in it! She had fantastic fun and even dragged Becky out for a little while to play with her.....They built the skinniest snowman ever. lol


On Friday I made an order with Amazon....We needed a few things and I wanted to get Becky some GCSE revision books....They seem to have taken forever to arrive....Over Christmas I would order something and it would be here in a couple of days....Now the Christmas rush is over it seems like Amazon are in no rush to get the orders out....Hmmf.

Nothing I ordered was needed desperately but when I know it's coming I need it there and then. Becky was nagging me for her revision books at the beginning of the week which was hilarious because now she is spending time each evening revising which does not make her happy....It's only about 20 minutes but that is 20 minutes doing school work is taking time from her where she could be watching TV or YouTube...

Now I'm waiting for the weekend....Last weekend we had plans but had to put them off. This weekend will be a weekend for getting stuff done....


Thursday 25 January 2018

The Big Garden Birdwatch 2018...

The RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch is the world's biggest bird survey and regularly attracts nearly half a million participants and it is happening this weekend! 

The records from people counting birds in their gardens provides a vital snapshot of the UK's birds each winter.


To take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch simply spend an hour watching the birds in your garden or local park over the weekend. 

Count the highest number of bird species you see at the same time. You can request a pack (a download) which has all the different type of birds you can see in your garden....It includes pictures to help you out a little....

In winter the birds that visit your garden need extra nourishment to keep them warm on cold nights. Here are some ideas how you can feed them....

Considering we live in quite a built up area we do get plenty of birds visiting our garden and a pigeon who loves to sit on the top of our chimney and coo really loudly.

Basic fat ball recipe.


All you need is lard and bird seed... Mix one part lard to two parts seed...Transfer to a saucepan and gently heat, stirring until the fat melts.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Melt the lard in a pan and add the dry mix. Stir well until the fat has all been absorbed and the mixture sticks together. Mould into balls with your hands. Space apart in a plastic container or on a tray and place in the freezer to set firm. 

Once the fat balls are solid put them in the garden on a bird feeder or in a fat-ball feeder.....

Seeded apples

Core an apple, thread a piece of cord or string through the hole and tie to a stick across the bottom. This will make a fantastic perch for the birds. Fill the hole with sunflower seeds and push more into the apple then tie it around a branch....

We got a couple of kits last week from Baker Ross that we need to build and decorate...They only cost a few pound for them and you get a few in each pack. I think we will be building these over the weekend.


Will you be doing any bird watching over the weekend?

Wednesday 24 January 2018

A good parents evening...

I have been looking forward to Becky, my teens parents evening for a few months.....She is in Year 10 so it is the start of her GCSE's and it is the start of a very important couple of years for her....I ask Becky about school and she doesn't give much away so I was eager to find out what she'd been doing & how she was getting on.....


The Health and social care teacher praised Becky so much....She said there some people in the class who don't even want to be there and make no effort so it is lovely to have a student like Becky....She is doing so well! Yay! She is expected to come out with fantastic grades at the end of year 11. The teacher did promise that she would sort out the electronic baby for Becky to bring home for a weekend....I am really looking forward to that. It will be sleeping in Becky's room....hehehe

Becky choose French as one of her GCSE options and the class was full and there wasn't enough to make a 2nd class up so she was given Food prep and Nutrition which was not right for her at all. She is not creative enough. I got on the phone and said it wouldn't work....What else is on offer? Art, Computer Science, Music, P.E and Spanish. Computer Science it was then...

It went great for a few weeks then her teacher took ill.....It turns out she was the only teacher able to teach Computer Science? A substitute was brought in....

After a few more weeks it was decided that Computer Science was no more.....They could either change subject and do Triple Science or learn i-media? That got my goat because when we were choosing the GCSE's Triple Science wasn't even an option for Becky as she wasn't clever enough. Grr! We had no info about the iMedia course at all. A letter was sent out explaining why the course was changing and the name of the new one and that's about it....

I searched online and found the gist of what i-media was about but not much else so I had been looking forward to seeing the i-Media teacher. I am not going to say much more about it because we are waiting for a phone call about to discuss matters....

Another one of Becky's 2nd choice subjects was Statistics which we had no idea even existed this time last year. She wasn't very keen to start with but she has really taken to it and is doing well.....Really well! Her teacher said even when she struggles she gives it a good go....She was really surprised to hear that it wasn't one of Becky's chosen subjects and praised her effort.....

For English, Maths, Science and Geography & R.E we had the same old chat about how she has to speak up more in class, expand on her answers. Just by expanding her answers she will be able to push her self up a couple of grades....

We have ordered some GCSE revision books that the teachers recommended which I thought would arrive yesterday but they didn't...Today must be the day. She is looking forward to starting her revision. I am not worried at all about how well Becky is going to do in her GCSE's....She is going to do great!

So all in all it was a good parents evening....


Tuesday 23 January 2018

7th Heaven Beauty Hampers...

Valentines day is coming and many men and women will be scratching their heads trying to come up with a gift that is more original than flowers or chocolates....This is where 7th Heaven can come to the rescue!


Natural and earth friendly these face masks are loved and trusted by women of all ages in 87 countries worldwide...Their natural, nourishing face masks not only make your skin look great but make you feel great too....

7th Heaven recently launched lots of beauty hampers, topped up with fantastic treats for your skin, hair and body. 

I love these face masks and they are always my go to one's when I am having a pamper session....My girls have noticed this and Becky my teen wanted some last year and she received a set for her birthday.

These beauty hampers are available from Argos and won’t break the bank and are guaranteed to leave the recipient feeling pampered and beautiful from head to toe.

The gift sets include: 

7th Heaven Complete Party Pack - £19.99


A luxurious gift for pamper-time lovers or someone in need of some special me-time. It includes a wide array of products to get skin glowing, locks nourished and feet sandal ready. It lets you or your loved ones truly unwind and discover the assortment of fabulously scented goodies. 

It includes 2 x hair masks, 8 x face masks, 1 x Strengthen Nail and Cuticle Masques, 1 x Soften Glove Masques, 1 x Soften Sock Masques, 1 x Flannel, 1 x headband, 1 x Pom Pom.

7th Heaven Pamper and Party Bag - £14.99

Pick the perfect gift with an array of 7th Heaven's naturally nourishing treatments for face, hair and feet, all within an ultra-shimmery cosmetic bag.

It includes 1 x Coconut Rescue Hair Masque, 4 x Face Masks, 1 x Strengthen Nail & Cuticle Masques, 1 x Soften Glove Masques, 1 x Pom Pom.

7th Heaven Basket Full of Goodies - £9.99


If you can't decide which mask to choose, this big basket of beauty treats is just what you need! Montagne Jeunesse products are full of the most delicious and natural ingredients, allowing you to pamper and indulge in some much-needed 'me-time.

It includes Wicker Basket, Pom Pom, Bath Bombs, Dead Sea Mud Pac, Passion Peel off Mask, Hot Chocolate Mask, , Manuka Honey Peel off Mask, Avocado Oil Mask, Cucumber Peel off Mask, Very Berry Mask, Acai Body Smoothie Sachet, Pulped Papaya Hair Masque and Fresh Feet Foot Sachet. Contents may vary .

7th Heaven Top to Toe Treats Tin - £9.99


Pamper yourself from top to toe with these delicious natural goodies. Perfect for a relaxing night in or a pamper day with the girls. It has luxurious body scrubs, softening hair masks and luscious face masks to nourish your skin and hair.

It includes Includes a Black Raspberry Scrub, Goji Body Smoothie, Foot Soak Foot Lotion, Coconut Protein Hair Rescue, Manuka Honey Hair Rescue Mask, Exfoliator & Masque in 1, Red Hot Earth Self Heating Sauna Mask, Strawberry Souffle Mask, Passion Peel Off, Dead Sea Spa Mask, Creamy Coconut Mask and Manuka Honey Peel Off Mask.

7th Heaven Super Skin Essentials - £7.99


Feel good in your own skin with a variety of face mask experiences for every occasion. Perfect for a pamper day or a night in.

Includes Headband and a Selection of Face Masks, Black Seaweed Peel Off, Dead Sea Mud Pac, Red Hot Earth Self Heating Sauna, Chocolate Mud, Blemish Mud, Creamy Coconut, Tea Tree Face Spa, Green Tea Peel Off and Pineapple Peel Off.

For over 30 years 7th Heaven have stood against animal testing and as a founding CICAW member are proud that all their products are ‘Cruelty Free’ accredited....

I was sent a beauty hamper in exchange for this blog post.

Monday 22 January 2018

Our Weekly Meal Plan!! - #mealplanningmonday


Last weeks meal plan went OK. A couple of meals were missed and changed but those meals were coming out of the freezer so nothing went to waste....

The fruity pork curry was so good....Even the next day for lunch it tasted amazing....The Baked Sweetcorn Fritters from Tesco were a huge hit too. On Saturday night we made our own pizzas using the fab ready rolled pizza dough, again from Tesco....


This week is going to be mostly an eat from the freezer week because it is ridiculously full! I spent a good 20 minutes trying to fit things in which we probably didn't need...

This week on the menu we have:

Monday - Roast chicken dinner....
Tuesday - Hot dogs in buns with corn on the cob....The buns in the freezer take up so much room.
Wednesday - Sausages, mash and baked beans....
Thursday - Battered chicken and rice....
FridayBolognese out of the freezer either in wraps or tacos....
Saturday - Home made pizza again....
Sunday - Pies and peas....

What will you be eating this week?


Saturday 20 January 2018

Week 3 - A photo everyday for a year. #Project365

Ahh! Week 3 of the year already....January seems to be lasting forever! 

Here is my photos....One for every day this week....


13/365 - 13th January
My teen's painting....

14/365 - 14th January
Lazy Sunday. Tablet time.

15/365 - 15th January
I made the best curry in the slow cooker...

16/365 - 16th January
Apple pie for pudding....

17/365 - 17th January
Crafty bits from Baker Ross....

18/365 - 18th January
My teen's GCSE revision begins......Over the past few days I have spent a small fortune on these books...

19/365 - 19th January
It was National Popcorn day & I this delivery was timed so well....


Friday 19 January 2018

Try something new this January with Metcalfe’s....

I am a big fan of Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn and I've mentioned their popcorn in a couple of posts in the past. The Salted Caramel Popcorn Apples & Popcorn Candy Cane Bars....They are here to make your January a little easier...


January is a the month of people going on diets after eating too much over Christmas....I know I always try to eat a bit better but you don't have to miss out on treats....Metcalfe's Skinny has a range of lighter snacks and make it easy to stick to those New Year's resolutions!!


Their delicious range of popcorn flavours, including their newest Salted Caramel, Sweet n’ Salt and savoury Sea Salt are available in sharing bags, impulse bags and multi-pack sizes. There is a bag for dedicated snackers, on-the-go snackers and serial snackers respectively. They are made without artificial flavours and colours and with fewer than 115 calories per serving....

As well as the popcorn Metcalfe's Skinny also have a seletion of ricecakes. They are all gluten-free and suitable for vegetarians....


They are the perfect balance of wholegrain and white rice for a crunchy, crispy snack extravaganza. Each slice is lavishly coated in a generous layer of either fancy Italian dark or milk chocolate, or creamy yoghurt for a heavenly moment of lighter indulgence...All for 83 calories or fewer per slice!

Rounding out the snacking collection are the Metcalfe’s Popcorn Thins (and Thins Minis!). 


A great alternative to chocolate bars, cakes, brownies and biscuits for the mid-morning munchies. These deliciously chocolate-covered crunchy corn discs are also only 81 calories per serving.... 

Metcalfe's Skinny have pledged to raise £30,000 over 3 years for CLIC Sargent the UK's leading cancer charity for children, young people and their families....

From the 29th of January to the 25th of February 5p from every sharing pack sold at Morrison's of Metcalfe’s Skinny popcorn (Sweet ‘n Salt, Sea Salt and Salted Caramel) will be given to CLIC Sargent....

Have you tried Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn before?
What's your favourite flavour of popcorn?

I was sent samples of these products in exchange for this blog post.

Tooth trouble. #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:


Ellie my youngest has had a wobbly tooth for over a week and it has caused some trouble....It was the pointy one at the front (the Incisor) and it has caused so much trouble....The new tooth coming through had came through over it so wasn't really pushing the baby tooth out...

All week Ellie has refused to eat properly....She's not the best at eating breakfast to start with so add a wobbly tooth and we have a whole heap of drama....She was actually late for school on Tuesday. We had tears and tantrums. We spoke to one of the teachers who was understanding thankfully. I always feel so bad when she is late for school (which isn't often) but when she is it's usually because of her behaviour and attitude...

Becky was at the dentist for a filling on Monday night which went fine....We were told when she had her braces taken off she would probably need a little bit of work so one filling didn't seem too bad....

Ellie went along too. Our dentist is amazing and had a quick look at her wobbly tooth and said it is so ready to come out and there was no issue with the teeth overlapping. He told us to go back next week if it hadn't came out....

Ellie has eaten at tea time with a lot of persuasion. Luckily most of the food we have eaten this week has been soft. Curry & rice, Sweetcorn fritters and sausage casserole....

On Wednesday Ellie wasn't her normal self....I think the not eating properly had taken it's toll....She hardly spoke all evening. When she did her tooth would wobble even more and she didn't like it....She even went to bed without any arguments so I knew something was off....

Yesterday morning my alarm went off and she Ellie was peeping around the door. I thought uh-oh! She's been sick. That's usually the only time she's awake before the alarm clock....No the tooth had came out! HOORAY! She said she had woken up and the tooth was out and she came so close to swallowing it....

What a change in my girl....She was chattering away and ate 3 breakfasts. lol Cereal, toast and a breakfast bar....It was lovely to see her smile again and back to her normal self....I am writing this yesterday afternoon so the tooth fairy is yet to pay a visit....I am sure she will be generous!