Although I want to love the 3-7pm slot after school, we often waste our time. The boys are usually tired and not up for doing much. However, with the nice weather we have been making more of our time recently and getting out and about more. On Friday afternoon we headed to Legoland Windsor to check out the castaway camp that has now opened. It is basically an adventure playground that is pirate themed with lots of ships wrecks and planks to walk.

The playground is aimed at 5-12 years, and it is fantastic for this age range. Filled with climbing nets, balance bars and small tunnels, big man was in his element. The ground is springy as it is covered in rubber shavings, some blue to look like the sea. 




The only problem is that there are a lot of younger children that also want to play on this fun equipment, but don't have the coordination to do so. I managed to coax my younger two to the smaller ship wrecks at the side whilst challenging big man to climb a massive web. He succeeded and luckily had no problems getting down again. It was a long way up!



The boys really loved the playground, I was happy enough with the old one (which I always called the rat trap as that is what it was called when I worked there as a teenager) but I guess it was pretty old and needed replacing. I would say that it is fine to go with a wide age range of children when it's quiet, but come the summer holidays I would say that you would need a confident climber aged 5+



It was a lovely afternoon and I am determined that we will have more after school outings over the next few weeks. How do you fill the after school slot? 

Last year I joined in with Claire's Get Good Summer and quite frankly was a bit of a failure. I still haven't read the book I was going to read and the only thing I did well at was making a Mojito. So this year, I will do better and I will choose 5 broad themes so I don't feel like a total failure.

1. First up I want to make our garden look better. Maybe do a couple of pots with pretty coloured flowers, maybe do something crafty. Anything I do will be a bonus as it is looking pretty unloved at the moment.

2. Make my own play dough and/or moonsand. Something I have been meaning to do but not got round to. With the summer coming up this will keep the boys entertained.

3. Cook more. I like cooking but don't do as much as I would like so that's why this is going on my list.

4. Do some crafting. I love all things crafty but yet again don't have much time to do it. I think I need to spend some time crafting and it will help with point 5.

5. Organise the house better. I just want a more ordered house. Therefore I need to organise it better. I need to go through the boys rooms and recycle old sticker books, make sure toys are in sets so that they can be played with. Not the most exciting of tasks but I think it will make me happier.

So you can check back and see how I do. Surely I can't be worse than last year?

We are hurtling to the end of term at an alarming rate. Whilst I am sure this is something that makes every teacher happy, I feel a little more anxious. It means that yet another school year is over. My baby who has only just started school (in my mind) is going to be heading to Year 2. The last year of infants. My even bigger baby (middle man) will be starting in reception in September.

People keep asking me how I feel about middle man starting school. Generally I smile and say it's great. Only one child to look after now. It's good that he will be going off to school with his big brother. How do I actually feel? Well I am not really sure. I am pleased that he will be going off to school with his brother. Big man is so proud of his school and his enthusiasm of it shines through so that middle man is excited about going there too. One school drop off rather than two is good. I have loved seeing big man grow at school too. Learning to read and write and make his own friends. I am looking forward to seeing this with middle man too.

But I also feel a little sad. Little man is going to lose his partner in crime. He is going to be lost without his playmate. Ok they might fight with each other a lot, but they have really grown to love each other. I fear that little man is going to stand at the school gate on the first day demanding that he goes to school too. Middle man still seems so little. I am pretty sure that 5 full days at school is going to be a big shock to his system, resulting in tears and tantrums at home.

Having said all of this, there are still a few months left until he starts and he can grow up a lot in that time. I will make the most of having him at home and also ensure that this time round I buy the correct sized uniform!

Do you have mixed feelings about your child starting school?

Copyright protected by Digiprove © 2014 Victoria Welton

At the moment every day seems like the longest day. We are well and truly stuck in the throws of the terrible twos. I know it's just a phase. I have a hazy memory about how awful the other two were. However, on a day to day basis I feel as if I'm stuck in a Groundhog Day filled with stomping and screaming. And that's just me! 

The reason we have so many tantrums at the moment is shown in this picture. Little man has a desire to run everywhere. Walking is clearly not as much fun. Most of the time this is fine. However, combine this with 3.15 school pick up, a need to cross roads and an absolute meltdown occurs. I am the meanest, most evil of Mummies, as I dare to insist that he must hold my hand to cross the road. The only good thing is that my day is longer than little man's and come 7 o'clock his day is over. Ready for an early wake up call and more tantrums tomorrow.

Every now and then I have a bit of a blogging wobble. I question why I spend so much time blogging. So much time, but not enough. There is always so much I want to do with my blog and not enough time in the day to do it. I read as many blogs as I can, but again not as many or as often as I would like. Most of the people I see on a daily basis either don't know I blog or don't really understand why I do. This weekend however, I had 2 child free days up in London surrounded by people that get blogging. I went to BritMums Live 2014. That in itself was fantastic let alone the talks, and meeting up with the people I like to call my blogging friends. Friends who I have only ever met once or twice. But friends I interact with regularly on twitter, Facebook and their blogs.

There were lots of great talks but I had learnt from last year that you just can't do them all. I think my brain would explode. There was also the opportunity to meet brands. It was lovely to meet the guys at Butlin's and tell them how much we enjoyed our break as ambassadors this year.  I watched some cookery demonstrations from Morrisons and now have some fab summery desserts to make at out next BBQ.

It was Katy Hill who hit the nail on the head for me. As she accepted her award for Fresh Voice she talked about how taking a step back from her career was like losing a little bit of "me." That is how I feel. I thought that having left teaching 5 years ago it would get easier but it gets harder. I love my boys and wouldn't change things for the world, but being a stay at home Mum is not always easy. I have lost a little bit of me and that is why I blog. It is the little bit of me that I can still have and fit around the daily whirlwind of my family.

Saturday bought with it some great talks on video and you tube. I am now looking at producing more video content and already have loads of ideas from them. I have even upgraded ios 7. I had really been putting that off for a long time! You can subscribe to my You Tube channel here to see how I get on.



So it is now all over for another year. The biggest downside was not meeting more fantastic bloggers, there just isn't the time. See you next year BritMums Live.

I have actually started getting quite excited about recieving a Degustabox each month. My text message arrives, telling me that my box will be delivered tomorrow and I start wondering what treats it will include. The following day, I am texted with an 1hr time slot and as the courier is DPD I can even check online to see if they are running on time.

Here is what we thought about the products in May's box

Garofalo: Drum wheat pasta. Tasted good and I would consider buying if I was doing pasta for a dinner party.

Cawston Press, apple: Nice but not as good as the Rhubarb one that was in a previous box.

Taylors of Harrogate Blackcurrant and Elderflower: I am not really a fruit tea drinker but this did taste nice.

Raw Chewing Gum: Not my kind of thing at all. I made the mistake of having a piece after dinner and then couldn't sleep. Not for me or my family.

Ciro: When I received these I wondered if it is worth paying more for tomato puree? So I did a taste test alongside my usual supermarket brand. There is no comparison ciro wins hands down for flavour.

Hornsby's: I am not a cider drinker, but have to say the Strawberry and Lime cider was lovely and I would consider purchasing this again.

Kettle Sweet Potato crisps: nice.

Finn Crisp: You could definately taste the sour dough flavour. Nice for a change.

Elizabeth Straw flutes: Dark chocolate sticks that I will probably use for cake decorating.

Dr. Oetker: I have not had chance to use the cake release spray yet. I will update you when I do. If I can use my square baking tin without any sticking I will be happy.

If you would like to try a Degustabox for yourself they have provided my readers with a discount code: EFILF meaning you will be a £3 saving off of your first box. That means you will get a surprise box delivered for just £9.99


Ingredients:
A bottle of Hornsby's cider
A tube of Ciro tomato puree
Pork shoulder joint
2 cloves of garlic


Usually I made pulled pork using passata but I thought I would have a go at using the cider and it tasted pretty good. Best thing is that it is so easy.

Take a pork shoulder joint and trim off any fat.
Put in a slow cooker with a bottle of Hornsby's cider and a tube of ciro tomato puree.
Add 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped.



Heat on low for 6-8 hours. Take out of the slow cooker and shred. We had ours on a jacket potato.



We recieved the box for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own.

Well that is a good question! 24hrs before I leave and I don't really know. I made the mistake of asking my husband what he thought yesterday. I was asking his advice on which pair of jeans to wear and am now panicking that I am under dressed and need a jacket. If I didn't have 2 children at home today I would be hitting the shops in a desperate attempt to find something. As shopping tends to be a nightmare with one child, going with 2 would pretty much ensure that I lose one in a large rack of clothing or they surprise the shop with a flash of Mummy when she is getting changed.

To be honest after having to deal with a 20 minute tantrum yesterday about not being able to blow bubbles because we had to pick big man up from school, I am not that bothered about what I am wearing. More that I am out, on my own. This is my 2 days a year to be me. To have a cup of tea without interruption. To talk to like minded people without a child tugging me asking me when we can go. So with that, I will spend the rest of the day worrying about what to wear, but I will definitely be wearing a smile.



Hope to see you there!

This weekend I invited some friends over to watch the England match and enjoy the limited addition Carnivale range from Domino's Pizza. Then I realised that the game was at 11 o'clock. Time differences confuse me! So instead we watched Columbia V Greece. As the weather had turned slightly we had a quick game of table football rather than a kick around.



I love that take away pizzas are so easy when you have a party. I ordered everything in the morning and the delivery driver turned up on time with all our food ready to eat. So what is on the new menu?

There are two limited addition pizzas. First is the Fiesta which has chicken breast strips, red onions, red and green peppers, fajita spice and a Mojito dressing. Second is the Rio which has pulled Barbacoa Beef, chipotle sauce, red onions, green and red peppers. Ours also had the Mojito dressing which I don't think was meant to be on it but it was the first day of the new menu so maybe the guys had just got a bit over excited by this tangy lime mayonaisse. I was really excited by the Rio pizza on paper but when they came, the Fiesta had an extra kick to it and got my vote.



We were able to have a Footy Fan deal which included wedges, and we chose one normal (for the kids) and one Fajita wedges for the adults. Nachos completed the Carnivale menu. I was initially disappointed as these were burnt around the edges, but they still tasted good!



We had a great time and the pizza helped keep the smaller ones quiet so the football could be enjoyed. Even if your team don't win (or like me you arrange to see a totally different match) friends + Domino's Pizza = a winning combination.







We were given the pizzas for the purpose of this review but the opinions contained here are my own.

I have been meaning to write this post ever since Charlie from PODcast shared her stunning photo's of Victoria Peak, Hong Kong. My husband and I also went to Victoria Peak at the end of our Honeymoon. Let's just say the weather wasn't quite as kind. Here is the view we had at Victoria Peak.


We stayed in Hong Kong for 2 night and went through 4 umbellas! We weren't stopped by the weather though. We went out on a junk.


We took a trip on the Star Ferry. Apparently this is meant to be romantic. I wasn't convinced.


We also got to see a very large Buddha. The World's largest seated Buddha to be precise.


After visiting Singapore, Hong Kong was very different and not quite what I had expected, well except for the high rise buildings and traffic.

Recently I was lucky enough to win some vouchers for Daisy Chain Baby in a giveaway. I got some beautiful t-shirts for my boys and also thought it would be nice to share some luck with my readers. I chose this beautiful Nosh Organics bodysuit. The top is size 9-12 months. If you have a little one that you think would look great in this, or know someone expecting then this would make a great new baby gift. All you need to do is complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com - See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/nosh-organics-bodysuit#sthash.tqHbAse2.dpuf

Big man is really interested in the world around him so when I was offered to review a unique magazines subscription, I decided to go for National Geographic Kids. Ordering online was simple with options of a single issue, 6 months or a year subscription. By setting up a subscription you receive a discount of 27%. I  was able to set it up so that it was delivered to big man, the only thing worth remembering is that you have to wait for the next issue. They do send you conformation that the subscription is set up which might be useful if you are giving this as a gift.

Big man was excited to receive his first magazine and was particularly interested in the insects section. I did feel that there were a lot of adverts but this seems to be the case with most magazines. In this months issue it shows you how to make a pooter so we had a go ourselves.


I had to improvise slightly with some tissue paper and paper straws instead of plastic ones and tights. The theory was the same so I am pleased to say it worked.

It was really nice making it with big man and he was asking lots of questions. Mainly because he didn't want to end up with an ant in his mouth! We practiced on rice first.


Then he went in hunt of insects.

Ants were particularly easy to capture.



I am looking forward to seeing what the next few months are like. It would make a great present for an inquisitive child with a 6 month gift subscription at only £17.50



We recieved a years subscription for the purpose of this review but the opinions here are my own.

I have a love hate relationship with Facebook. For a blogger that spends far to much of her time on the thing then you may think that is odd but I am sure I am not alone. I just need to get a few things off my chest. I will start with the things I hate first (when I say hate, it's more of a strong dislike. Hate is a very strong word.)

1. If you have spoken to someone once for a few minutes, you feel obliged to accept their friend request. They are not a friend, but hey it's the polite thing to do.

2. Facebook groups, OMG where do I start? I am a member of several blogging ones which are on the whole really helpful. Community ones can be great too, if people actually think before they post. FYI I do not want to see a picture of any type of rash that you or a member of your family have. See a doctor. If you want to know opening times of a shop or theme park, look at their website. If you want, send them a facebook message, you don't need to ask a few thousand local people. The Am I/Aren't I pregnant pictures of a stick that has been urinated on. There's 2 lines so yes! I honestly don't think I have ever seen one on such a post that isn't.

3. People that get offended if you haven't liked a certain photo.

4. Even worse is when people only put a photo up in order to get lots of likes and some kind of ego boost. You know the ones, they barely say a word on Facebook all year yet you'll see them in a bikini on a Caribbean holiday sipping a cocktail. If you are going to use Facebook you should either use it regularly or not at all.

5. Which brings me on to the people that you are friends with but think that they must not use it. They never put any photos on or update a status. They never comment or like any posts. Then you see them in person and they know all about what you have been up to. The silent stalkers. Again use it and share, or don't use it at all.

6. People that write the most pointless status updates ALL of the time. We have all been bored and written something just for the sake of it now and then, but when it is all the time, these people are just asking for you to hit that unfollow button. Endless countdowns to holidays."Only 321days until we go away!" References about the weather being too hot, too cold, too rainy. I am unsure what temperature they want to live at. Maybe they need some kind of thermostated tank? Then the really obvious question updates. It's the middle of the school holidays "Will Legoland be busy?" Then 2hrs later "OMG it is heaving in Legoland" then a few hours later "Stuck in traffic jam trying to leave Legoland" Arrrrggggghhhhhh what did you expect? Everywhere is busy in the school holidays. Twitter is the place you need to go. This is where people will happily tweet back to you - go there, embrace it, it is great. Please please just stop clogging up my newsfeed.

7. Which brings me onto another thing. How the hell does Facebook know what I do and don't want to read? Show me everything I have "liked" or everyone I have befriended and I will make the decision as to whether or not I want to see it or hide it.

So why then, if I dislike Facebook as much as I do, am I still on it?

1. By uploading selected photos, I  have them stored somewhere other than my computer (which could break/be stolen.) It also means my parents and sister get to see pictures of the boys regularly which I think they enjoy.

2. It is a way of keeping in touch with friends that I would have otherwise lost contact with. Lives follow different paths and you can't see all the people you want all the time. Facebook helps. I was able to message a friend from university on Friday evening to say I was thinking of her because a song was playing. That is kind of nice.

3.Sometimes, just sometimes, the "I'm having chicken kiev for tea - yummy!" post just gives you inspiration on what you should eat. But hey Instagram is a much better place for that kind of thing.

So these are my pet peeves, what are yours? I must have missed some and will be kicking myself when you tell me.

Small shriveled hands and feet from hours of splashing around in the garden. I think the detail here, shows just how much fun middle man had this weekend in his new paddling pool. With no word of a lie I think he was in there for around 3 hours. He may even have grown gills and fins!

In the last week I have been really noticing how much my boys are growing up. Little man is speaking more by the day. I still can't believe that middle man is starting school in September. Yesterday he had me laughing at bedtime announcing that

"I've told my teachers not to read me any more scary stories"

"Really?" I replied wondering what the current Early Years curriculum was now involving. Is there a Stephen King novel for 4 year olds? "What have they been reading you?"

"Jack and the Beanstalk and I just don't like it Mummy."

"Ok well you choose a story tonight then." So off he walked to his bookshelf and picked up Scary Town Ball!



Little man has also been wondering "When me go school?" Too soon in my opinion but I bet he can't wait until January when he will start pre school. "Oh gosh what will Mummy do with herself when you are all at school?" I said.

"Well probably blogging and eating chocolate and cake" piped up big man. Damn that kid, he knows me too well!

On Monday it was inset day and my Birthday. Having been to watch the hovercrafts at Southsea when we visited the Spinnaker Tower, we decided to pop over to the island for the day. I was impressed with a self serve Costa machine at the hovercraft terminal, and once we convinced big man he didn't need a passport we hoped on board for the very fast if a little bumpy ride over to the Isle of Wight.



At Ryde we had lunch on a deserted beach and played on the playground. Middle man then started being middle man as he was desperate for an ice cream.



We then decided we would get the bus over to Sandown and visit the Dinosaur Isle. It is amazing how reliant you become on having a car as I really struggled with catching a bus and the long route. However, the boys were happy as it was a double decker and they could sit up the top!

The Dinosaur Isle is very small and only took about 45 minutes to go round. Voucher Cloud had a deal on entry so it wasn't expensive to go in. Big man impressed me with his knowledge on fossils and I realised I have forgotten every I knew about the rock cycle. They also run fossil walks which I imagine would be good to go on, but you need to book into these prior to the day.



We then headed back up to Sandown beach with a tearful middle man as we had refused to buy him a cuddly triceratops. More tears ensued when he realised he had left his bucket of shells in the museum. We found a new bucket to purchase and then little man started the tears as he wanted a new one too!

"It's my Birthday, can't we just be nice for one day!?!"

A play on the beach calmed things down, before we headed back home, stopping for chips on the beach for tea.



Yes the day was filled with tantrums and tears, but we were altogether and like it or not, you can never seem to please all of the family all of the time. On the whole though I had a lovely day with my lovely family.