Saturday, 18 May 2013

Chicken and mango kebabs.......

Thought I would try something different for tea tonight....There's only so many times we can have burgers in buns or a picnic tea....I wanted something quick and easy to make and yummy too so I found a recipe for these...

So tonight for tea we have Chicken and mango kebabs served with some rice.....


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 large mango, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp mango chutney
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
juice 1⁄2 lime

1 - Thread the chicken, mango pieces onto the skewers. Mix the mango chutney, sweet chilli sauce, lime juice together and pour over the kebabs. Marinate for 30 minutes if you have time.

2 - Cook the kebabs under a preheated grill for 10 minutes, turning occasionally, and basting with the sauce. Serve with extra sweet chilli sauce if liked.

They sound delicious and seems nice and quick to make too....I think I may add some peppers to give it more flavor & taste.....

I'm getting hungry just thinking about these!!

Friday, 17 May 2013

Never wax your hoo ha!!

This is hysterical!....I don't have a clue as to who wrote this, but what a hoot!! It is a long one but it's worth it if you need a smile....

All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax. 

Read on.........

My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids, put them to bed. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: 'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet and give it a try....

So I headed to the site of my demise...the bathroom. It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off....

No mess, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull.
 

It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad.
I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me!

I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet.
 
Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GAWD!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP! Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted.

I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious. Do I hear crashing drums??? Breathe, breathe... OK, back to normal.
 
I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair.

I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it.
 
Where is the hair??? WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax.

I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down.

Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut!!!!!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself ....Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!' What can I do to melt the wax?

Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand, into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???

*WRONG!!!!!!!*

I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.

Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub....in scalding hot water.

Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!

I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter. 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!'

There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me.

She wants to know exactly where the wax is located,'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?'

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.

YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night.

While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving
grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care.

'IT WORKS!!

It works !!' I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT! So I recklessly shave it off. 

Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.....

Next week I'm going to try hair color...... 

JUST TO CLARIFY THIS IS NOT ME!! IT HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME!! I FOUND IT ONLINE & WANTED TO SHARE!!

Thursday, 16 May 2013

Are your children ready for school?!


Some parents are starting to think about September and there little one's starting full time school!!....Is your child ready for school? Forget force feeding them phonics, this is about getting your child ready for the social challenges of school. The more prepared they are, the easier they will settle and the more they’ll get out of those early days.


 1. Can they dress themselves?
Imagine the scene. One teacher faced with thirty children and their coats. By the time each child is zipped up and wrapped up, playtime is over. If your child is able to go some way to helping, they may get some fresh air.

If you can see buttons on trousers and skirts becoming a problem during the post PE change, invest in elasticated waistbands. These will also help during any ‘last minute’ toilet visits. Avoid tights in the early days - they can also lead to unnecessary bathroom accidents. With shoes, laces and buckles are a no-no. Stick to Velcro fastenings which your child can do themselves.

2. Are they used to sharing?
Sharing is a difficult lesson for a child to learn, especially if they only start learning it at school. But it’s a vital lesson if you want your child to settle in and make friends easily. No one wants to play with the boy who refuses to take turns and share, and before long that child becomes isolated. Start to make a point of praising your pre-schooler for sharing his bag of figures or his last few sweets.
 
3. Can they use the toilet on their own?
Reception classrooms usually have a toilet nearby but children are expected to use it on their own. That can mean less confident children avoid a visit until it’s too late. Encourage your child to begin taking toilet trips without you to build up their confidence. Remind them that hand washing is part of the ‘visit’. Beginning school toilet training now will mean fewer accidents in September.. 

4. Are they able to eat independently?
Lunchtimes can be a real flashpoint in the early days of your child’s school life. Dinner halls are noisy places and can make a child feel overwhelmed. Make sure they arrive at school able to pick up and use a knife and fork. If they’re opting for a packed lunch, make sure they can open a yoghurt, put a straw in a juice box and unpeel a banana. With school a few months off, it may seem like the easier option to feed them, but it won’t help in the long run. Practice, however painful, makes perfect.
 
5. Are they able to recognise their name?
If your child can recognise their name, they’ll be able to find their peg, identify their drawer in the classroom and find their cardigan if it gets misplaced. Starting school can make even the most confident child feel a little lost. If they can locate important places, it will make them feel more in control.
 
6. Can they use scissors?
Teachers look for this in the early stages of Reception to evaluate dexterity. Get crafty over the next few months.
 
7. Do they understand discipline?
It’s important your child understands what’s expected of them when they arrive at school. They need to know hitting, kicking, biting and hair pulling will not be tolerated. Not only will it bring your child to the attention of the head teacher for all the wrong reasons, but it will make your child unpopular with their classmates. Reputations earned in the early days of school tend to stick and can be hard to shake off.
 
8. Can they communicate with an adult?
Giving your child the skills to communicate with their teacher means they will be able to have some control. How else will they ask to go to the toilet? If they don’t understand how to get the attention of an adult, how will they let their teacher know they don’t understand their work? A child who can communicate will get more out of the school day than a child who is unwilling to speak up. Encourage your child to ask and even practice with a raised hand at home to make sure they understand the most appropriate way of getting a grown ups attention.

9. Are they able to count?
If your child is able to count up to 20, and count back from 10, this will give them a really good head start. Use some of their favourite toys or foods to make counting fun. Lay out 10 grapes and get them to eat them one by one, counting as they go. It will give them confidence and help them see learning as fun. Plus it’s a great way to get one of their 5 a day down them!

10. Can they follow simple instructions?
The school day is full of instructions. Your child will be asked to put coats on pegs, bring packed lunches into classrooms and sit cross legged on the carpet for circle time. If a child is used to following instructions, they will avoid being reprimanded. The more time a teacher dedicates to repeating instructions and encouraging co-operation, the less time there is for teaching. Start giving your child simple tasks – perhaps helping with the weekly shop or with some straight forward jobs around the house. It will prepare them for school life.