A half term trip to Hull!

Since we moved near Scunthorpe in the summer, visiting Hull has been on our to do list but up until earlier on in this week something we hadn't done! By bus it is an hour away which might seem like a long journey to some but we are used to it. When we lived in Norhtumberland Newcastle, the nearest city was about 50 minutes away. At least with going to Hull we have the novelty of going over the Humber Bridge.

The kids are off school for half term this week so it seemed the perfect time to go. I was a panicking that Storm Dennis was going to stop us going. When we had storm ciara the bridge was closed to all traffic because of the wind and it is the only route to Hull. I was worried the same was going to happen. Thankfully it was fine!

Ellie's friend R came along with us so Ellie was doubly excited for a day out. They had big plans and a list of shops they had to visit starting with Build a Bear in St Stephen's Shopping Centre, one of the 3 shopping centre's in Hull. I think I did well managing to talk the girls out of buying a bear. They all had their spending money and to buy one would practically wipe their budget. I don't think I had ever been in one of their stores before and they're pretty amazing! All of the outfits are just amazing! They have everything from Frozen, Star Wars, Marvel heroes and wedding dresses.

Next up we hit The Entertainer. The kids had great fun in there, even Becky. The staff are always so fun and friendly. The kids were messing around with the big heads and one of the staff members saw my phone in my hand and said "go on, take a photo, you know you want to!". I did. lol 

The girls spent a bit of their money and then we actually went to buy Ellie's new school shoes the one thing we actually needed to go shopping for. Ellie is usually a nightmare when we buy shoes but this time she was on her best behaviour because her friend was with us. I think I might borrow her every time we need to get new one's. lol

We then went on the hunt for Primark and just as we turned a corner I spotted Lush! I can't remember the last time I had one of their bath bombs and just had to go in and buy a couple. 

We finally found Primark and we were all in heaven. We spent a good hour and a half looking around deciding on what to buy. They have a great range of Stranger Things products in and some Billie Ellish (the singer) clothes which pleased the girls greatly. They all bought a couple of things and I was very good and bought nothing at all. As big as the Primark is in Hull, I do prefer the one in Scunthorpe as there is more bargains to be had with their reduced red stickers.

It was about half past one when we realised that our stomachs were starting to rumble and we needed lunch. We knew exactly where we were going. Wing's International Cuisine, an all you can eat buffet. Ellie's friend R had mentioned it and earlier on in the day we had walked past and people were queuing to get in so we thought it must be good. The choice of food was amazing and there was some that I had never even tried before. It was all piping hot and tasted so good! There was a good choice of desserts too. The girls and I had 2 plates of mains, I just had one lot of dessert but the kids had 2. Stu had 3 plates of mains and one dessert. We definitely got our moneys worth. I am going to write a separate blog post all about it as I thought it was such a fantastic place to eat.

By the time we had eaten and looked around a few more shops it was coming on for 4pm and time to start heading home. I didn't want to leave it too late with the weather being the way it was.

It was a fantastic day out. I think we're going to have to head back to Hull soon for another look around the shops as there was so many that we never got chance to look around or even find. We all had a great day and were glad to get home and finally sit down.

(Ad - Gifted) The Disney Princess Face Mask Collection from Mad Beauty.

My girls are at the age now where they like to have a pamper and love things like bath bombs and face masks. We were recently asked if we would like to try something from Mad Beauty who create bath, body & beauty gifts and for adults & teens.

We decided to go for the Disney Princess Face Mask Collection! 

The Princesses are some of the most iconic & inspirational characters from the Disney stable. Mad Beauty are proud to release their latest range. This range of Face masks features one each with different soothing & calming properties with images of Jasmine, Aurora, Belle, Cinderella & Ariel.

The face masks come in a gorgeous fold out book.

Each face mask has different soothing & calming properties and scents.

Princess Aurora - with calming lavender to soothe your hard-working face.

Princess Belle - with rose water to impart a healthy glow.

Princess Jasmine - filled with green tea antioxidants to refresh and revitalise.

Princess Ariel - infused with cucumber to cool, hydrate and add a splash of moisturise.

Becky my teenager and I gave a couple a try. I have been full of cold so it was a really nice treat. We opened the packages and unfolded the face masks which was easy as they come a plastic backing.

We put them on and had such a giggle. I wouldn't say the face masks look a lot like Disney Princesses but the idea is there. They're a novelty and they're fab! The smelled so good and felt lovely on my face, so refreshing. Becky was Ariel & I was Belle. After taking them off, our faces felt so soft.

Ellie has since tried the Jasmine mask and thought it was brilliant. She does suffer with slightly spotty skin and it treated her face nicely. She suffered no after effects and her skin looks better for it.

These are a lot of fun and feel so good. Costing £13.99 for the 4 face masks I think they would make a lovely gift for any princess one. I think I will be going back to Mad Beauty for gifts when it's the kids birthdays and Christmas. They do have some gorgeous things.

We were sent the Disney Princess Face Mask Collection free of charge in exchange for this blog post.

Get A Different Name Day and Changing a child’s surname.

I think it was last week or the week before, in the United States it was one of those out of the ordinary National Days. "Get A Different Name Day". It gave me the idea to write this blog post. I haven't changed my name but Becky has, legally by deed poll.

When Becky was born her biological father and I registered her name together. She took his surname. We were supposed to be together forever but things don't always work out like that. Becky was fine with her biological father's surname when she was little but after Ellie was born she started to notice that her sister and Stu had the same name and she didn't.

In case you didn't know Stu is not Becky's biological father, he has been in her life since just before she was 4 years old. I'm not going to go deeply into why Becky's biological father isn't in her life but he does want it known that he had other commitments when Becky was little. Having 2 other children with his new partner then dealing with her having cancer. Now Becky is a teenager she has chosen not to want contact for various reasons but I am in touch with him and keep him informed about his daughter. Anyway, I digress. 

Becky has been calling Stu Dad since just after Ellie was born and started to realise the difference in surnames more when Ellie started school. We decided that if she wanted to change her name by deed poll she could when she was a teenager.

When Becky was at primary school we told the school we were thinking about changing Becky's name by deed poll and they said she could just use a "known as" name. They would use the new surname instead of the old one and for a few years we carried on like that. It was only when Becky started picking her GCSE options we thought we should do something more official so she could go into her adult life with her new surname. 

The most commonly used and effective process for legally changing a name in the UK is by deed poll. A deed poll is a legal document that proves the change of name and it can be used as evidence of your new title for the purposes of amending your passport, driving licence and other official documents. To apply for a deed poll you just go online, spend 10 to 15 minutes filling in an online form and then pay your money. You wait for your documents to be processed and come through. When the documents arrive you have to sign them in front of a witness, send them back and that’s it, it's done.

When changing a child's name you need the consent of each person with parental responsibility for someone under the age of 16 or a court order. I was the only one who had parental responsibility for Becky so we had no issues. Even though her biological father is on the birth certificate we registered her birth before the law changed in 2003.

It was simple and straightforward to change Becky's surname. I think we paid about £30 to change it but you can change your name now from about £9.99 if a Google search is anything to go by. 

Now when Becky has to show her birth certificate for anything she has to show the deed poll forms too. We have had no problems at all. We changed all the official things like Child Benefit, tax credits, hospitals & doctors and of course we informed her school. The only issue we've ever had with the change of surname is when we moved house to Scunthorpe and the local hospital could find no record of Becky in existence. Our new doctors failed to mention she had a former surname despite us telling them. It was soon sorted out when we took her deed poll to the hospital. The only thing Becky hasn't done with her new name is get a passport. 

When you change your name the only rules are that are your new name cannot include numbers, punctuation marks other than hyphens or apostrophes or any other symbols. It must be pronounceable and you can’t go above 250 characters for a first name and 50 for a last name. There are also a few religious and legal reasons that don't allow you certain names. Things like Jesus, Saint, Satan or Lucifer aren’t allowed because they’re all considered blasphemous, any name that promotes criminal activities, promotes racial or religious hatred, ridicules people, groups, government departments, companies or organisations and so on and so on. 

If your child is 16 years of age or over (or approaching their 16th birthday) they must apply for their own Deed Poll for which parental consent is not required. I think I would worry about this. When I think of people changing their names I think of Phoebe off the TV show Friends. Does Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock ring any bells. I would fear for a teenager picking a random, wacky name like that.

Have you or your children ever changed your name by deed poll?

Our weekly meal plan! 17th - 23rd February . #MealPlanningMonday

Last week really flew over considering it was the run up to half term, it usually drags. The meal plan went well. We ate just about everything. The romantic meal on Friday was scrapped, I came down with a cold and didn't feel like eating much and on Saturday we had an unplanned chip shop tea because Asda didn't deliver my shopping on time. It came an hour and 40 minutes after the delivery slot. Ugh! After weeks of having tons of substitutions I am really starting to fall out with their grocery department. I think I will be going back to using Tesco.

The kids are off school & college for half term this week and I have a feeling the meal plan will not go to plan. I think we'll eat everything but I will probably end up swapping a few days around. We have a few things planned and Ellie might be going for a sleepover to her friends which will be fun.

This week on the menu we have:

Monday - We should be having a day out but it depends on the weather. If all goes to plan we'll be eating out.

Tuesday - Chicken fajitas. 

Wednesday - We're going to do some baking so sandwiches and what ever we've baked for tea.

Thursday - Something out of the freezer with chips and baked beans.

Friday - Pizza.

Saturday - Eating out. I think we're off to the cinema.

Sunday - A roast dinner of some sort. 

What are you eating this week?