The best things in life are these

I treated myself to this cuff from lovely Pippa at Story of Mum. I don't wear much jewellery and I don't have tattoos so sometimes it's good to double up. It goes under my sleeve and when I'm feeling like I'm not doing so well it reminds me that I am enough.

My gift for me - because I'm worth it

It wasn't until we got home from Cornwall that we were able to build this table for the boys. When it was done they couldn't wait to get started - I've just realised that Blue Bear is just the right height to get poked in the face by the rods. Not my best plan !

Table football for my boys 

Hubbie bought me some lovely things - including a gorgeous handbag. He also bought me this book and I wasn't sure at first if it was a comment on my housekeeping skills or intended to assist with my ongoing declutter. Either way I have just finished reading it so it's the first book I've finished reading in years and I'm already noticing the change in my attitude to tidying. I'm not sure about sparking joy, but I can definitely see the changes in our home.

Yep I've actually finished a book !  

This was a gift from my lovely friend and beauty therapist Yasmin. I hung it on the handle of the cupboard where we store Neo's food and I didn't really appreciate until today how accurate a depiction it is of him.

They know Neo so well 

I felt terribly guilty at Christmas when despite all my planning and packing and preordering of shopping I managed to forget to take anything for Hubbie to open on the day itself. He was very good about it, but I really wish I had got him something to unwrap. I bought him tickets for some great gigs that are coming up this year so hopefully the thought counts. 

I couldn't wrap Gedge 

Give the gift of Fire on Father's Day

You've probably seen the adverts already suggesting gifts for Dads and Grandads. I've got grand plans to get the boys to make (or at the very least decorate) a card for Hubbie for Father's Day. We also have a special gift to give him which I think  he's going to like a lot more than the usual after-shave and t-shirt combo that we get him every year. 

Now I know I risk spoiling he surprise, but wanted to share what we have planned to give you time to look into getting it too if you like the sound of it. The Amazon Fire TV stick takes the original idea of the Amazon Fire TV and makes it even smaller - which will appeal to Hubbie - and makes it even more snazzy while still giving you a wealth of programmes, movies and box sets to watch. 

The presentation is just lovely and I have to admit to not wanting to unbox it to use as it looks so pretty - while still being macho enough for Hubbie of course. The device itself is the size of a memory stick and the remote is not much bigger. You don't have to use an additional power source, but it is recommended. Otherwise it's as simple as plugging into a HDMi port and popping batteries into the teeny remote control. Then you are free to watch a wealth of programmes and movies and you can also set a pin so that younger family members can't access anything they shouldn't or run up a bill on your account. 

We use it to access BBC iPlayer, Netflix and (of course) Amazon Prime and only today found some movies that Big Boy enjoys watching. I'm sure Hubbie will find some box sets of shows he likes and as he can set it up on the bigger TV downstairs he will get the benefit of the great reception without the buffering that can spoil your viewing experience on other devices.

Amazon Fire is a big hit in our house and with this newer compact version it's about to be even more popular with everyone. As a Father's Day gift I'd say this is pretty cool and I hope Hubbie thinks so too. 

Disclosure: the lovely folks at Amazon sent us an Amazon Fire TV stick to try out and review 

How to have a happy half-term

You may have noticed I've been a bit quieter than usual on here. If not then why not ? Self-involved much ? Anyway, the combination of working full time and half term have been pretty challenging. Not helped by a last minute cancellation of one of the activities we had been relying on to help us with childcare. So, I've been thinking about how to keep the boy occupied, not least as a warm up for the longer Easter break and then the even longer summer holiday. Family have been amazing and he stayed with my parents and his auntie and uncle for a few days. They kept him very busy and he came home happy and tired, but he also missed us (yay !).

We always love to do things like going to kids club movies, craft activities and even the occasional outdoor trip. However, I also want him to have a proper break from school so some days we just want to hang around at home and do things that are fun, but don't involve travel. 

You will probably already know about Snapfish. They are the company that produce photo gifts, cards, wall art and calendars that when we first had our son we bombarded our family with. That first Christmas each family member got a photo album of photos of our beloved first born and in subsequent years they've had calendars, canvas collages, mugs and even t-shirts with photos on. The print quality is great and they arrive really quickly so I'm a big fan. All our thank you cards were from Snapfish this year with a collage of images of our son and a lovely thank you message in chalkboard style on the back. I also made a lovely valentine's card using images of me and Hubbie from the last ten years and I've designed mother's day cards for both grandmothers containing lovely photos of their favourite (and currently only) grandson and ordered some glossy copies of his school photos for them to keep and treasure too. All of these were delivered to me within a week, but for for an additional charge they will deliver direct to your recipient. 

In case you're not sure what this has to do with half term they also do some great - and completely free - printables online. These include characters and themes (eg. princes and princesses) and even some party kits so you can produce everything from invitations and thank you cards to bunting and personalised items like pirate or princess themed accessories for guests. They also have a range of printable cards so you can make and print at home if you can't wait. 

I'm going to drop some heavy hints that I'd like Hubbie to do some of the Mother's Day activities with our boy. These include origami flowers and a very tempting French country breakfast in bed kit. I think they can multi-task just this once can't they ? 

The other lifesaving half term helper we have discovered has been Amazon Fire TV. We set it up in our bedroom as the reception in there has always been poor so we thought having an online streaming service would be a better option. It's linked to my Amazon account so I can download apps to it online and as we have a Amazon Prime subscription there are lots of shows and movies that we can access for free too. The kit itself is compact and very sleek. I've been having great fun using the voice activated remote to choose programmes. We haven't tried to gaming controller yet, but I suspect that will be on the cards at some point during half term. 

It's proven to be a great decision to use this upstairs and in the morning when we aren't at work or school we can all lie in bed and watch movies or shows together with a better picture quality than we ever had before. The best feature for me is the memory as I rarely watch something in one sitting (I get to see about 5-10 minutes a day which isn't really the best way to watch a movie is it ?) so being able to go back and pick up where I left off is really helpful. At the moment I'm part way through 'The Watch' and my boy is back to back viewing 'Justin and the knights of valour' and they are both saved where we last left off watching. It's great having so many choices to watch and you can save up things to watch later. 

I think we'll be pretty prepared for the Easter break and look forward to even more fun with my boy both in and out of the house. 

Disclosure:
The lovely folks and Snapfish sent us a voucher code to try out their products.
The lovely folks at Amazon Fire TV sent us the kit to try out.
All views are honest and no payment has been received. 

£200 for a bunch of flowers ? No thanks.

I know there's a cynical school of thought that says Valentine's Day is a rip off designed to part gullible lovebirds from their money. To be fair it is a bit hinky that restaurants pretty much force you to have a set menu instead of the food you usually eat when you go there and charge you double for the privilege. It's also the biggest day of the year (it's a close run thing with Mothering Sunday) for florists with all the red roses being flown in specially from Africa to ensure that there are plenty of dozens to go round. I was horrified to see one bouquet on sale in a store I love very much for £200 !!!

If you need to spell it out
(Wilko Word Love £6) 

Anyway, all that said we do try to do something nice and we do buy gifts for each other. A friend of ours once said, " you two are so lovely dovey" which made us laugh as we don't think we are especially. However, we do make a point of having regular 'date nights' and we do nice things for each other. Over the years we've been together we've accumulated some things we use every year like our heart embossed flutes that were bought for a joke and are now a tradition. The tiny heart shaped lights that freak the cat out and any number of Love Heart themed gifts - that's Love Hearts the sweets from the seventies of course.

So many hearts
(Wilko Wooden Heart Frame £12)

However, don't despair if you haven't already bought something nice for someone - or for yourself - you still have time. The lovely folks at Wilko sent us some items from their love collection. I particularly liked the snack bowls shaped like hearts. I'd use them for sweets, but I think you can use them for dips too. The photo frame in the shape of a heart is big and has lots of different apertures so you can create a collage of images for your loved one. If you want to spell out how much you love them you can also get the fabric letters that come complete with velcro tabs to put them up on the wall.  None of these gifts are pricey or require a loved one to give them to, you can treat yourself. After all, Whitney Houston did say that learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.

Sweet treats
(Wilko Heart Dip bowls and Tray Set £4.50)

We don't usually go out on Valentine's Day, but this year we have babysitting for Saturday evening and for a while there we had no idea what to do. All the restaurants we like are doing set menus - so that's a no then - and we considered standing down our neighbour in favour of dim sum at home. Then inspiration struck - tenpin bowling !! Hubbie took our boy bowling a few weeks back and I was so jealous as we haven't been for years and I do love it. So, it's booked and we'll be wearing silly shoes and breaking nails - well mostly that's just me really.

Cheers :) 

I'd say that's the height of romance wouldn't you ?

Disclosure: The lovely folks at Wilko sent us some gift items free of charge - they are all available to buy in store or online.

What's all this fuss about Father Christmas ?

So this is Christmas. My boy has been telling every Father Christmas he's met (including the one that flew past last night on the International Space Station) what he wants as a present. This morning he's opened stocking presents from Santa and later he'll open some more from me and Hubbie.

When I was a child my parents didn't allow us to believe in Father Christmas at all as they didn't want to give any credit to a fat white man for the presents they had paid money for. We never wrote letters asking for presents, we didn't go to see him at a grotto and on Christmas Day we didn't know what we were getting as we weren't asked what we wanted, we got what we were given. On hearing that my school pals had gotten expensive presents and all they things they asked for I didn't think 'oh woe is me, how sad that some random character has favoured them over me.' I accepted that what I had was what my parents could afford and all was well.

I've recently seen posts on Facebook encouraging parents to consider the feelings of other children when buying for their own kids. Piously suggesting that limiting presents for your own children is a lesson to them that not everyone has a lot of money. One of these sanctimonious sorts even suggested giving a small gift from Santa and generous gifts from yourself so that Santa doesn't look like he's discriminating against poorer families (and of course suggesting you are a really generous parent).

I know plenty of parents who spend a fortune on their children and even heard myself tut judgementally when a few I know bought iPads for their 2 year olds. When my boy was two he got a teddy bear and some toy cars for Christmas because a) he was 2 and b) I didn't ask him what he wanted. You see, Hubbie and I decide what we consider appropriate for our boy. His first Christmas was just after he was born and despite being only 3 months old (or maybe because of it) an entire room in our house was filled with presents from doting grandparents and aunties and uncles. He had no idea - of course - so we rationed what we gave to make up for the understandable overindulgence of our loving family. We don't want to spoil him do we ?

The values you raise your children with are up to you. I am happy for my son to believe in Father Christmas - ironically my father now looks like him with his white beard, especially when he's wearing a red turban. I explain to my son that not all children live the same life as he does. That's why we give toys, food, clothes and money to support various causes that give to those who have less than us. What I don't do is give him less.

If we are going to demonstrate to our children that they deserve no more than others then where do we draw the line ? Some children live with no clean water or heat. Others are at the mercy of war and disease. Denying my son some toys is hardly a lesson in social inequality it's a self-congratulatory piece of nonsense. The people who are telling everyone to do this will be crowing about how amazing they are for showing their kids how good they are. 

If I can afford to get my son something and if he deserves it - on his own merits, not relative to any other child - I will decide thank you very much. I also don't feel the need to buy my son's love by giving him a bundle of presents. I am pretty secure that he loves me and not on the basis of what I give him at Christmas.

I waited a long time to become a parent and I won't be told by someone else what is best for my child any more than I'd tell them what to give their children.

Oh and Father Christmas has given my son some lovely things already this year - he's a pretty cool dude as far as I can tell.

Merry Christmas :)

For Hubbie, on Fathers' Day

It's Father's Day this weekend so we've had the usual bombardment of advertising persuading us to buy sarcastic cards and silly, but fun gifts for Dads. One article I read this week asked if we are disrespectful of fathers and their place in society. It is a stark contrast with Mother's Day if you consider the fluffiness factor of the cards, flowers, chocolates and the suggested gifts for Mums. We are encouraged to thank them and to spoil them on their special day. With Fathers we're enticed to make them laugh or send them to jump out of a plane.

To be honest I've never made a big deal about Father's Day for my own Dad. Whereas I'll take my Mum out for pampering or a nice lunch the most I'll do for my Dad is a card and maybe a pair of socks. Hubbie is about the same so while we take Mother-in-law out for lunch Father-in-law gets a card and a phone call to wish him a nice day on the golf course. It's not like our Dads even want the fuss so we're not exactly being nasty, it's just how it's always been really.

Hubbie protecting our boy from a snake

In my case I'm careful not to pick a card that thanks him for all he's done for me (not a great deal) or professing my love for him (that would just be embarrassing). You see our Dads were at their parenting peak when it was still considered the main role of a Father to be the breadwinner and the 'man of the house.' That was not a role that my Father was able or willing to occupy. He was there, I'll give him that, but he wasn't a willing or particularly pleasant Father to me or my brother. He's fine as a Grandfather and that is why he is still in my life.

The role of a Father is very different now and our expectations of what a Father can do are much higher. It is considered remiss if a man isn't there for the birth of his child or if he's not prepared to change or feed his child. In the same way that Mothers are always in the spotlight and being judged, so are Fathers. Yet the day that is supposed to be set aside to thank them is almost considered a joke. Mother's day is one of the busiest in the year for florists. There is no equivalent for Father's Day.

Daddy is almost as tall as the Gruffalo !

We do make a fuss of Hubbie on Father's Day. Maybe because it was such a big deal for us to become parents in the first place, but mostly because he's a great Dad. Just as they make big deal about me I like to do the same for him and it's a long way to his birthday so it's nice to have an excuse to spoil him for a change.

Hubbie works a long day and comes home in time to do bedtime every evening. The only time he isn't is if there is a gig or a midweek football match that he wants to go to, but that's pretty rare actually so when he does want to go it would be churlish to deny him the occasional night out.

Since the boy was a few weeks old they have had 'Daddy Day' every Saturday of the football season. They have a boys' day out and I have the day to myself. Whether I use it to clean the house or to meet up with friends it's been a blessing.

He never complains about the house, my appearance, the food I prepare or anything really. Not that he ever did before, but whoever said that giving a man a baby means you're off the hook forever was pretty much right. He comes home and me, the boy and the cat are all ok and that makes his day.

So today we're doing things that make Hubbie happy; going swimming, taking him for brunch, getting out the barbecue that he loves so much and generally spoiling him in between all of these activities.

He deserves it :)

My boys :)

My 12 faves of Christmas :o)

So that's Christmas for another year then. This was the first one that my boy really could participate in and it was delightful. I'm not usually all that good with the festive season, but this year I had plenty of time to plan and get ready so by the time we got to the actual celebrations I wasn't nearly as stressed as usual.

Now I'm ready for a holiday and the lovely folks at Center Parcs are offering a prize that I think my very active boy would love. I agree wholeheartedly with their Winter Wonderland expert Nick Oot when he suggests keeping active and spending time outdoors. Winter walks and spending time outside help keep me sane and me and Hubbie went on a horse and carriage ride on our honeymoon in New York and haven't been on once since so we wouldn't mind giving that a go if we won :o)

Anyway, as we've all made it out the other side of Christmas - and more to the point have climbed out from under the mountain of presents that the boy received - here are my 12 favourite things about Christmas:

• Thanks to the International Space Station being visible in the sky on Christmas Eve our boy was able to witness 'Santa's sleigh' going past and his reaction was absolutely magical as he squealed with delight and clapped his hands over his wide open mouth. 

• This is the first year our boy has been genuinely excited about Father Christmas as he is old enough now to understand. My parents never let us believe in him as they didn't want to give credit for all their hard work to some fat bearded white bloke when it was a fat bearded indian bloke and his wife who had earned the money. 

• The diversity of Santas this year has been inspiring. We've seen young and old ones, all ethnicities and last weekend we had breakfast with a female Santa. The boy wasn't at all fazed by all this variety and took it all in his stride. 

• In our house it is traditional that Hubbie cooks the Christmas dinner. He really enjoys doing it and I like not having to do it. Me and the boy lay the table and choose the decorations and crackers while he toils in the kitchen. Long may it continue ! 

• Hubbie hates sprouts, but he always cooks them as it's traditional. This year - after much cajoling - my boy tried one and declared it to be, "yummy." Hubbie was horrified and dismayed at this act of betrayal. I said if he truly did like them he'd have eaten more than the obligatory one. 

• The boy has been occupied by watching the Cbeebies Christmas Carol this week. He's really enjoyed it and I'm chuffed as it was based on a proper story that eventually he'll hopefully read too. 

• It seems that our boy is forming stronger bonds of affection with us. I know he loves us, but this year he actually missed us when he stayed with my parents for Christmas Eve. We returned on Christmas morning to pick him up and he was emotional when he saw us both. It broke my heart a little, but I also felt a bit glad. 

• Staying in a hotel near Kew Bridge on Christmas Eve meant me and Hubbie were able to do something we haven't done since our boy was born - not that, don't be filthy ! We went for a run on Christmas morning along Kew Bridge and the Thames Path on what was a gorgeous, crisp and sunny morning

• Driving back from the in-laws today our boy was heckling us from the back of the car singing Christmas songs. It was even more hilarious as when I went to his nursery last week to watch the performance of the same songs he sat there staring at the others while dressed as a golden star. 

• We kept ourselves amused in the traffic jam by creating sentences from car number plates. eg. E5P GYH becomes Easy Pickle, Grab Your Hat ! Oh well I guess you had to be there.  

• I got a soup maker and an ice cream maker for Christmas - hurrah ! It's homemade soup and sorbets all the way for us now (well until I get bored of liquid food that is !)

And my favourite thing of all about Christmas is:

• Time off at home with the family. Whether it's the grandparents, aunties and uncles spoiling the boy or just us three at home. I love that our boy gets to come and lie in bed with us and watch telly or to have breakfast at a leisurely pace or that we can take him to the park to ride his scooter.  That Hubbie doesn't have to wake up before everyone is awake to get ready for work. That we get to have days together rather than hours. Yep that's the best thing about Christmas for me. 

This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots 100 December challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Elvedon Forest.

P…p…p…pick up a penguin - for Christmas

It's a bit of a challenge describing my perfect Christmas as I struggle to remember any that we had before our boy came along. It wasn't like we didn't do anything, but I just can't recall specifics. There was food, there were gifts, there was drinking and often a lot of travelling between families. Seasonal car hire was a feature as was the frantic working out how to operate the fog lights after dark when we were on the M3.

There are some things that make Christmas feel quite special for me and they're not exactly original or exciting, but I will share.


Christmas decorations:  

I remember wandering around the brand new Westfield branch of M&S with my friend Natasha and buying glass tree decorations for the tree. I still have them, but they are packed away safely out of reach of toddler hands and there are ornaments made of wood, felt and even metal on the tree now. This year we have chocolate decorations for the first time - just for the boy. Last year nursery also sent home some of his handiwork - which made me suspicious as he never does any crafting all year so how he was inspired to make a fairy and a tree all at once was beyond me. Anyway, they are the best decorations on my tree. And they're not breakable.

Costumes for the boy:

Ok he may well hold this against me when he's an adult, but for now the boy is my dressing up dolly and I love it.


The first year he was baby Santa

Then he was an elf

Then he was a reindeer

This year I have bought a penguin outfit - he wanted the Gruffalo one, but it's not strictly Christmassy and it comes with a big furry head that will never get worn. Nope, trust me, penguin is the way to go.


Christmas Dinner: 

We always go to my parents on Christmas Eve as it's my Dad's birthday. It means we are off the hook on Christmas Day if we choose to do something else. Hubbie likes to make Christmas dinner - and I'm no idiot, I don't argue - so I get to spend time arranging the table.

I pick out the crackers, choose the tablecloth, napkins and then me and the boy muck about while Hubbie toils away in the kitchen. It's proper relaxing and I don't even have to help with peeling or prepare any veggies. Result !!


Mistletoe: 

I like traditions so every year I buy mistletoe and last year we taught our boy that you kiss under it. He looked up at it and walked away. After that he kept giving it a wide berth and ran off when aunties came to visit just in case.

I was told years ago that it's good luck to keep mistletoe in your house all year round which is the excuse I'm using for it still being up from last year.


Snow: 

Of course there is always speculation about whether or not it will be a white Christmas and when it does snow it is great fun as we live on a hill which is perfect for sledging on. I have already bought a sledge just in case.

It's not the same as the kind of snow you get on a skiing holiday, but if it does come down this year I may borrow some skis and pretend I'm in the Alps. I'll also overcharge myself for a hot chocolate and wait in line for ages to get back up the hill again.


My perfect Christmas: 

Now it's time for some proper honesty. For all that I love the homely nature of Christmas and the food and the costumes and the fairy lights, I'd rather be on holiday.

I'd love to wake up in Kerala where I can practise yoga first thing in the morning and do nothing all day other than read a book by the pool. That would be my perfect Christmas.

For now, anywhere I can be with Hubbie and my boy will be just perfect.

”Merry Christmas! This post is my entry into the Tots100/Argos 12 Days of Christmas competition.“

The Juice Bar: 80 recipes to boost health

If you're anything like me and love gadgets I'm sure you will - at some point - have either owned or coveted a juicer. Gone are the days when a citrus press was all you needed or a blender at most. Now we have sophisticated machines for home use that can reproduce the kind of fab juices you get in fancy noodle bars. I received a juicer for Christmas a few years back and to my shame it has been horrifically underused. Partly because I find it a faff to clean just to make some plain old orange juice and I'm not confident to step outside the safe and tried and trusted single flavours that I know.

The lovely folks at Parragon sent me this book that might inspire me to use this poor unloved machine a bit more as it contains great recipes for juices and some that would help me finish off the leftovers of both fruit and veg that inevitably inhabit our fridge from time to time.

The photos are beautiful and give you an idea of how to mix different combinations of ingredients to create delicious flavours - rather than the weird looking sludge that I end up with when I get all 'experimental.' I can see the tummy treat coming in handy during this season of overindulgence and there are some delicious drinks that would be great as non-alcoholic alternatives for Christmas parties too.

For anyone planning a New Year health kick there are lots of cleansing juices and healthy ones that will help keep you on track with your good intentions. From antioxidant boosters to energy drinks there is a wide range to try. If you have little ones who aren't great at eating fruit or veg this might be a good way to sneak some vitamins into their diet without them knowing about it too !

If you've asked Santa for a juicer you might do well to also ask for this book as well. It would make the perfect accompaniment (and it's easier to wrap than a juicer !)

You can buy The Juice Bar here - Happy Juicing !




Disclosure: I was sent this book to write an honest review as a Parragon Book Buddy. 

What do you give the 3 year old who has everything ?

Now I realise he doesn't actually have everything, but it must seem that way to his adoring (and adored) family members who have been asking what to get him for this birthday.

My baby boy will be 3 next Monday. His party is on Sunday and I have been asked what he'd like as a present. From me and Daddy  he is getting a microscooter which he has been promised since he was two as we thought he was too young back then. The list of what he already has is pretty long though, so it's difficult to suggest anything to kind and loving friends and family. Instead I'll tell you what he loves and you can make up your own minds:

• Last weekend Hubbie took the boy to the Metrobus open day in Beddington. He drove a bus and went through the bus wash - which was a bit scary apparently. He had a wonderful time pretending to be a driver and he came home with a poster of buses and a new fridge magnet. That's a good day out in anybody's book isn't it ?

• Hubbie took him to two football matches this weekend and at the second one he was playing with this regular footie buddie Freya who is older than him and often takes him under her wing. It was while they were playing on the stand that he clonked his nose on a metal bar and unleashed a tsunami of blood that sent Hubbie running towards the team physio - Chopper. She assured him that he hadn't broken his nose and was going to be ok. The boy was just very concerned that Daddy's shirt was dirty now. Once patched up and declared fit he ran onto the pitch - his favourite bit of the game.

• On Sunday we all ate pizza for dinner and he had great fun using a pizza cutting wheel for the first time. I remembered I had a toy one that we'd got free with the Cbeebies magazine a while back so I let him have that after dinner. He also enjoyed chomping on the 'noisy' crusts - that must explain why his hair is so curly !!

• He loves singing and dancing. My mum bought him his own 'radio' last year - it's a pretend CD player and he likes to switch it on and dance around the room changing the volume and speed of the tunes on it. It's hilarious to watch and tires him out as well - a win win !!

• I cannot accurately convey the look of excitement when he spots Jiggles Bear waiting in his car seat after he's had a fun day at nursery. He adores his first bear so much it is now ragged and smelly from being loved so much - aren't we all ?  They have a snuggle on the sofa at home with the boy sucking his fingers - which he's done since he was born - it's a picture of toddler bliss. I prepare his dinner and they catch up on what they've been doing all day. It's so simple and makes him so happy.

So that's what my boy loves to do. Yes he loves running around outside. He also loves toys and noise and singing at the top of his voice in the back of the car. Cake makes him very happy indeed. It is all part of what makes him so very precious.

As for what you can get him for his birthday - well he does need new shoes actually.

Lips like sugar (from eating so many treats)

Happy valentines day

If you don't celebrate it then happy Thursday between pancake day and half term. Nice that the sun is out again today isn't it ? Well don't let me keep you I'm sure you have better things to do than read about lovey dovey nonsense.

If you do then I hope you're feeling suitably full of chocolate and are surrounded by cards and flowers from a legion of admirers as well as a helium balloon that popped out of a big box and a large teddy holding a red heart and "I wuv you" on it's belly. Ok maybe not the last one as even I'm feeling a bit queasy at the thought of that.

There is a scene in the Sex and the city movie where Carrie and Miranda go out for dinner on Valentine's Day and they are in a restaurant surrounded by balloons and couples in love. It's the nightmare vision of overblown 'romance' that haunts the single and terrifies the coupled who just want to get some dinner.

Thanks to our kindly neighbour offering to babysit we are going out this evening for dinner - just us two. I didn't want my boy to feel left out so we had a family breakfast before Hubbie left for work complete with heart shaped sparklers in the pancakes which our son loved. He even got a card from a secret admirer (although a clue was in the paw print at the bottom). He actually has so many admirers thanks to his flirtatious ways and cheeky smile that I think it's no bad thing to get him used to the idea of being a romantic.

To give him a head start here are some of my favourite valentine surprises:

• A dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts delivered to my desk at work - Cliff the security guard brought them up to me with some ceremony so I tipped him a doughnut for his trouble 

• A trail of paper hearts from the front door leading to the bubble bath surrounded by candles - we didn't live together at this time so it was a bit presumptuous, but still sweet.

• Hubbie (before we were married) taking the day off to prepare a romantic meal for me - we had a bottle of rose water and most of the bag of dessicated coconut in the kitchen cupboard for months afterwards. 

• Hiding a card in Hubbie's bag for him to find when he is at work - today he found it at lunchtime :o) 

• Baking a dozen red velvet heart shaped cupcakes with chocolate topping for my boys - I'm not sure they will last the day :o) 

We go in for being lovey dovey in a big way in our house - it's cheesy, but fun. 

Whatever you do today I hope that it's filled with love. 

Well, thank goodness that's all over !

Firstly Happy New Year !! I hope you've had a super Christmas and that your New Year Celebrations were enjoyable. I've been a bit quiet for the last few days as I've been pondering some things that I've learned from this holiday season (to get all american about it). I have also started planning next Christmas and New Year. If you think this is a bit keen you have to understand that I am not really a long term planner, but I'm not leaving it too late for a good reason.

In the past we've alternated visiting parents to make sure no one feels left out. Both my Mum and Hubbie's say they don't mind when we visit so long as they see us, so we decided that this year we would make sure that all the grandparents got to see our son on Christmas Day. We had to be especially organised about it so with a Travelodge booked for me and Hubbie on Christmas Eve the boy stayed with my parents and we collected him in the morning to go to the in-laws. I cried buckets watching the Snowman and the Snowdog and we had a lie in while my parents were treated to a 6am wake up call from the smallest snowman. We came to get him and he fell asleep on my shoulder so all the plans for him to sleep on the long drive to Granny and Grandpa's house were dashed. He was delightfully sociable in all settings though and entertained everyone and made me and Hubbie smile as he said "oooh" while opening all the lovely presents he received. We took him for a Boxing Day walk with Grandma to see the ponies in the New Forest and he was adorable. My son being so gorgeous and friendly made being with the family bearable. 

This is my guilty secret and I am going to share it with you: I don't do well with family gatherings. In my head they seem a good idea and I forsee a fun time for my son and for those we visit as they seem to enjoy spending time with him. What I don't factor in is that I don't really want to be there. Hubbie is the most patient man on the planet and he sees it coming from a mile off. The impatience on the morning before we leave to visit, the increasing stress levels and I am pathalogical by the time we leave the house. He knows it's going to happen so when I say "shall we visit my family this weekend, they haven't seen the boy for a few weeks," he looks at me to see if I'm being serious and then says, "if you like." He knows I don't like and I'm doing it so that my son has a relationship with his wider family. He also bears with my insanity when they come to visit us as I invite all the parents over twice a year. If we didn't host them they would only see each other when a family member gets married.

The highlights of the family visits this year included: 

- My father saying he didn't want the gifts I'd bought him before he'd even opened them. (Me saying I'd return any he didn't like was deemed 'rude' apparently)

- Father-in-law widening the conversation from his usual four topics ("why do people insist on having a dinner table in their kitchen ?", his sister & her husband, his medical ailments and Hubbie's weight) to include the Paralympics - he didn't approve of them. I took a large gulp from my mug of tea and went back to watching the TV. 

- My own mother telling me I'm a horrible person, I always have been and she should have told me years ago. (For the record she has told me many times over the years and I'm clearly stupid as well or I'd have learned by now not to be such a crashing disappointment and all round rubbish person). 

I will explain this personal horror a little further in case you think you misread that. On New Year's Day I called my parents to say "we're on our way" and my Mum launched into a tirade at me because I asked why she had changed the plans we had made for the day. I actually wanted to take my son to watch the New Year parade in London on New Year's Day, but I always visit my parents so I decided that it would be nice for them if they saw him and we'd take him to the parade next year instead. 

I was in tears when my son wandered in to the room where I was talking on the phone and said "Mummy sad." As you can imagine I then didn't want to go any more. I mentioned previously that Hubbie is actually a saint and thanks to him being a calm and patient man we did go. I kept myself to myself and as soon as it was polite to leave we came home again. 

So this is what is going to to happen in December 2013. Me, Hubbie and the boy are going to San Francisco for a Christmas holiday. They boys can go the home of the Giants and I can go skiing at Lake Tahoe. We have friends who live in San Francisco and we've been before so we know we like it there. I'll pop some cards in the post before we leave and tell the family that we won't be doing gifts this year as we're not going to be here. I get to spend the time with the people I love the most and I won't be tempted to make any obligation visits to anyone. 

That's my plan.

p.s. If you're a blogger who's in San Francisco send me some tips over the next year and help me plan my itinerary please.  

Foodie Friday: fudge & fancy gingerbread

Last night I shared my bed with two chaps and there wasn't a lot of sleeping involved.  Before you jump to 'three in the bed romp' conclusions it was my snoring Hubbie and my poorly son - who it turns out has tonsillitis - who kept me from a graceful slumber. What it does mean is that today I'm fairly good for nothing other than mooching around the house mainlining cups of tea to keep me awake and being grateful that I don't have to go to work.

I am so pleased I had the foresight to do my baking earlier this week. If I'd left it until today I'd be in a lot of trouble. Instead I have managed to bake and box up the second batch of peanut butter fudge which is nothing like the first. I have concluded that I didn't boil the mixture for long enough or at a high enough heat the first time so it was gritty and a bit too soft, but it stands alone as a great sweet fix if not an accomplished fudge. This batch is darker, more solid and has the texture of indian mithai with the buttery taste and mouth feel that appeals so much. I also managed to score some fabulous kilner jars to put the fudge into (which I'm tempted to keep for myself actually) so that I don't have to resort to using those take away plastic boxes that always smell vaguely of chinese or indian food even after many washes.

The other less successful bit of baking I did was the long awaited gingerbread kit from Waitrose. The mix was pre-made which required kneading to make it soft enough to roll out, but it was still too dry and kept breaking up. We did manage to get enough stars out of the mixture for my son's nursery party and some to decorate the tree with so it was sort of worth the effort. Once baked though the icing part was the next trial. There were two pre-filled icing bags and a small bag of 'edible glitter,' but the icing was too thick to pipe and did not 'smooth over the top' as the pack claimed. I'm particularly disappointed as this was a pricey £3.30 (and that was on special offer) and rather than being a fun activity to do with my boy it was just a bit too fussy so I won't be getting it again.

The surprise of the week was how well the festive palmiers turned out that I had sort of come up with as a way to use up the remainder of mincemeat and some puff pastry I'd bought to experiment with. I popped some in a jar to give as a gift and I think they make a suitably light alternative to traditional mince pies. They're light and just the right size to have with a cup of tea - which for me is the sign of a good snack.

So that's almost all of my Christmas baking done. Once it's over I'm going to feel bereft so I was delighted to receive a call telling me that the boy and I have a place on the 'Baking Bears' course at our local children's centre. It's a course of classes teaching children some basic cooking skills and is always over-subscribed so it's taken us a while to get a place. As we're starting in January it gives us something fun and foodie to look forward to.



That and the boot camp I've signed up to do in January to counteract all the overindulgence !!