When you first make cake pops, they are quite tricky. They are quite time consuming, but once you get the hang of it, they are fun to make. With Halloween coming up, I really enjoyed making these eerie eyeball cake pops.

Ingredients (makes 12):

3 plain cupcakes
3 tablespoons of frosting  - I used Betty Crocker's Vanilla frosting
Cake Pop sticks
A tube of smarties
White chocolate cake covering
Writing icing pens

First you make the cake balls by mixing the crumbled cupcakes and frosting together and make into balls.



Melt the white chocolate and dip the sticks into it and then into the cake balls.Put into the freezer to cool.

Prepare the smarties by using the writing icing to make eyes.



Now get the cake pops out of the freezer, dip in the white chocolate and add a smartie eye.




Finish by adding red icing to make veins.

If you are going to make these I have written a detailed post full of hints and tips about how to make cake pops here.

What Halloween treats are you making?

Halloween is nearly upon us and Sykes Cottages have challenged bloggers to come up with some healthy Halloween treats. As my boys are aged between 2 and 6, I decided that I wouldn't be too gruesome with the menu.

This week big man has been a star. He took good care of his brothers whilst I was poorly. He also made me a get well soon card, even if he chose to give it me whilst I was throwing up! Luckily it was only a 24hr bug and I was well in time to take him to his first school football match. When it comes to football I have to confess it isn't my thing. Infact he does after school football as it saves me having to go and watch. Standing around outside is definitely not my thing. However, he had been chosen to play for his school, so I was looking forward to go and went prepared with a bag full of snacks to keep little man entertained.

Of course within 2 minutes of arriving, little man had eaten the extensive range of snacks and was complaining that I hadn't taken more. Watching big man play was really interesting. He may not be a star scorer, but he is a team player. His excitement was infectious. It was beautiful to see him so happy. He took more of a defense role. I can't really comment on whether the team played well or not as I have no idea, but they won their matches so I would say that is a good sign. The all shook hands with the other teams at the end of each game. It was a lovely afternoon which has made me realise that maybe I need to know a little bit more about football. Now, what is the offside rule again?

There has been a lot in the meda recently about homework. Claims that it is damaging to young children and taking away their right of family time. I have my own views on homework, as a parent of young children and as having been a secondary school teacher for a number of years.

This week we have been sent Don't Rock The Boat to review. One of the problems I find with games is that there are very few that all three of the children can play together. Although this game is aimed at children 5+ with a little help, my three were able to enjoy it together. The idea is simple. Firstly you assemble your pirate ship and balance it on the high sea. Then you take it in turns to place a pirate penguin on the boat. Without the boat falling over.


The idea is simple but it is actually lots of fun. The penguins can be placed anywhere on the boat. All the boys enjoyed playing it several times in a row. Although there was some frustration when they rocked it!


As a parent, I liked the fact that it was easy to disassemble and fit neatly back in the box. With Christmas coming up I would certainly recommend this game for children of similar ages to mine.

The makers of the game University Games have kindly offered me another game to giveaway to one of my readers. Just complete the rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to enter my other giveaways here!

Listed on Superlucky

Recently I tried making chocolate and marshmallow whoopie pies for the first time. Big man liked them so I thought I would make some eton mess style ones.

For the filling I used fresh strawberries and marshmallow fluff. For the top, another blob of marshmallow fluff and some Dr Oetker Eton mess sprinkles.

To make 12 whoopie pies (24 halves) you need:

• 350g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 200g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 125ml vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• A sprinkling of ground vanilla pods
• 180ml milk

After being ill over the summer, I have lost a bit of weight. The challenge now is to keep it off. That's where I am hoping having the odd snack on a yoghurt rather than a chocolate bar will help. Activia Fruit Fusion now has a new range of fruit combinations at the bottom with Activia's creamy yoghurt on top. We were lucky enough to try these new flavours: Mango and Passionfruit, Blueberry and Acai and Raspberry and Lychee. They all tasted lovely but my absolute favourite is the mango and passionfruit.

Activia contains a mix of 5 live cultures. For a limited time they are offering a like it or your money back  guarentee (terms and conditions apply, see their website for full details.) As their Ambassador Gok Wan says "With new Activia Fruit Fusion, feeling good tastes so good. Try it - you'll love it."

All the family enjoyed these new flavours and Danone have kindly offered one of my readers the chance to try them too. For your chance to win, just complete the Rafflecopter below. Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Win competitions at ThePrizeFinder.com - See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/activia-fruit-fusion-selection#sthash.2tzskrld.dpuf

Listed on Superlucky

Windsor has long been one of my favourite places. When I was a teenager I would often shop there and have a wander around the castle grounds on a Saturday afternoon. However, there is more to offer in Windsor and the surrounding area than shops (and trust me they have some really good shops.)

Top of my list of visiting Windsor and Maidenhead with children would have to be Legoland Windsor. We are so lucky to have the theme park on our doorstep. You can read my top tips for peak season. If you need to travel then the Legoland hotel is a small person's dream. Accommodating families of 5 the themed rooms are every little explorers dream.



If you are looking for some history then Windsor Castle should be on your list. The tickets provide you with an annual pass to visit. You are able to pick up free audio guides on your way round and when we took the boys the staff were all very helpful and got them interested and looking for knights and dragons.




A short distance from Windsor is Ascot Racecourse. We were lucky enough to go to one of their family days last year which was lots of fun. With children admitted free of charge, and free fairground and pony rides it really was a day that the whole family could enjoy.




Savill Garden is a lovely place to visit all year round, with free admission in December - February. You can walk to the totem pole at Virginia Waters and we have also had a pleasant horse and cart ride. It is even nice in the rain, and that makes a great excuse to stop in the cafe for hot chocolate and cake.


With Christmas on the way there are lots of events coming to Windsor and Maidenhead. From the Reindeer Parade through Windsor High Street, Breakfast with Santa and the outside ice rink, you really can't help but feel festive. Last year I particularly like the regal Christmas lights in town.

If you are looking for something extra special this Christmas, then Lapland UK is by far the best Christmas attraction that I have visited. Located just outside Ascot, you are transported into a magical wonderland of elves.



Your children get to help the elves make toys, decorate gingerbread with Mother Christmas and then head outside to see huskies and ice skate. This is all before you get to meet the man himself! We had a magical time there last year, and by entering the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead's Facebook giveaway, you could win a trip there yourself. Below are more details on how to enter and the other fantastic prize's up for grabs.




Win a luxury Windsor Weekend!


Discover your ideal break in the Royal Borough and enter to win a luxury weekend! They have got four fabulous prizes from some of their top attractions and accommodation providers including:

- A relaxing one night weekend stay at the Runnymede-on-Thames including dinner and breakfast
- A weekend stay Bed and breakfast at the Macdonald Windsor Hotel, just two minutes’ walk from Windsor Castle
- A luxury Bubbles & Jazz Sunday lunch for four people at the Sir Christopher Wren Hotel & Spa on the Thames
- 4 x tickets to the Lapland UK Christmas event in the Windsor Estate forest


Simply take our fun quiz to discover your ideal Windsor Weekend and you could win it! Enter here


Open to residents of the UK aged 18 and over. Ends Oct 31st 2014.


More info about things to do in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead can be found here.




I have been compensated for advertising this giveaway but as always all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I hate to admit it, but after I have blindly banged around the beside table, finding my glasses, generally the first thing I do is check my phone. It is usually to initially see what unearthly hour little man has woken me up at. Occasionally I can tell him to go back to his room, but more often than not it isn't worth going back to sleep so I send him to his room for a little play whilst I slowly come round to the idea of waking up. Of course with phone in hand the temptation to check all social media is too much. Why I do this, I am not sure. Usually everyone has been asleep too, but it is a bad habit.

Next comes breakfast. I have given up of getting the boys dressed before breakfast school as it just means I spend the next 20 minutes trying to scrub their jumpers and t-shirts from whatever breakfast cereal they have dropped all over them.

I then head to the shower, asking the oldest two to get ready for school.

Out of the shower, no one dressed for school and yet more reminders.

You may remember that middle man announced to his teacher that he would dress himself when he started school. He is better, but most mornings we are getting so late he has to have some help.

Thankfully the boys are now having school dinners which is a big #morningwin for me. I can easily get a water bottle filled, with no worries of who is getting what in their lunchbag.

30 minutes later, with a lot of coaxing we are heading out the door. I have found that walking to school usually calms me down after the stress of getting the boys ready. The boys are happy as they get to race each other and I get some fresh air and realise that life isn't as awful as it seemed a few minutes before. It is definatley my favourite #morningwin.

As a Mum of three, it can be hard work in the mornings. Sometimes I don't even have time for breakfast. This is when belvita breakfast bars come into their own as you can eat them on the move. Although of course I would rather sit down have them with a strong coffee, another #morningwin.



What are your mornings like? Do they end up being a rush no matter how organised you are?


As usual I was too late to apply for the samples of belvita, but the New Apricot Crunch were on offer in Tesco so I had to give them a try. This post is an entry for #MorningWin Linky Challenge sponsored by belVita Breakfast. Learn more at http://bit.ly/belVitaUK

I don't know about Spring cleaning, but I am certainly Autumn cleaning. Our house is full to the brim and I need to get it organised better. I am a complete hoarder, and have stacks of baby clothes that I need to do something with. That is why when I heard of the Dettol Baby Blanket Donation, I thought it was a great idea. I can part with things if I know they are going to someone who needs them.

Rachel Stevens, celebrity mum of two and new ambassador of Dettol Anti-bacterial Laundry
Cleanser, launched the Dettol Baby Blanket Donation charity campaign in central London today, by donating the first blanket to the cause. It aims to promote the dangers of bacteria on blankets and highlight the shortage of baby blankets available to infants born to disadvantaged families.

You can donate a blanket via Freepost and once collected, the baby blankets will be hygienically washed with Dettol Anti-bacterial Laundry Cleanser before being re-distributed by Dettol to families in need. Dettol Anti-bacterial Laundry Cleanser has also pledged to donate £1 for every blanket collected to children’s medical research charity Sparks.

 For full details on how to donate please visit www.dettol.co.uk/donate

I had not heard of the Dettol Anti Bacterial Laundry Cleanser before, but think that is a great idea. I often wash at low temperatures and think that this will help kill bacteria, especially as I am commencing potty training with little man.

September's Degustabox was another good one. I think the best thing about these boxes is that you try new things. Some you like, some not so much, but I can guarentee that I would never have thought of purchasing some of the products before having tasted them in my Degustabox. Here is this month's list of products and my thoughts.

Burts Lentil Waves: These were fantastic. Really tasty and I would certainly buy them again. The only problem being is that they are sold in Waitrose and I shop online at Tesco. I enjoyed all the flavours and love that they are less than 100 calories a bag.

Jordans Simply Granola: We are already fans of Jordans Granola, and I will be using some to make this lovely plum crumble.

Pick Up!: These are really nice biscuits. The boys loved them too. I preferred the milk chocolate ones.

Crabbies Zesty Lemon: Not something I would necessarily buy, but a nice tasting lemon alcopop in my opinion

Little Miracles: These were a suprise. Really nice and I would buy these again. I liked that they weren't overly sweet.

Carnation Cook with it!: Great to have in the cupboard to make a quick sauce. My boys love pasta so it was nice to make a quick and easy carbonara using this.

Elizabeth Shaw: Dark Chocolate Mint Thins - difficult to go wrong with these.

Righteous: These dressings were lovely and really made a salad taste good. I really liked these, especially the raspberry and sweet basil.

If you would like to try Degustabox for yourself, you can get a £3 discount using the code 4784547

I would never have thought of taking my boys to Thorpe Park, if my friends hadn't visited and told me it was good for young children (mine are aged 2, 4 and 6.)  In my mind it is where the local teenagers go to seek the thrill rides. However, I was lucky enough to win tickets to the park through Actually Mummy's Blog and Samsung Galaxy K Zoom. To be honest I was actually going to turn down the opportunity as life is stressful at the moment and I wasn't sure we would have the time. I am so pleased though that we made time for this day out. We picked Saturday to go. You could argue that it was an awful day to go as the weather was very unkind. However, you could also argue that it was a great day to go as the park was reasonably quiet.

My boys are heights are approximately 1.1m, 1m and 90cm. This meant there were rides that they could all go on. Obviously the taller you are the more you can ride. Children under a metre enter the park for free, so this does reflect that there is less that they can go on.




We headed straight over to Angry Birds 4D and the boys weren't disappointed. You are catapulted (quite literally) into the world of Angry Birds and the naughty egg stealing pigs. Middle man was in his element, and apologies to anyone who was there having to put up with his excited commentary throughout the film.

We then walked straight on rides such as the caurosel, banana boat, rumba rapids, rocky express and loggers leap. Queue times on the rollercoasters weren't excessive either. On the basis that I love coasters, I had to have a go on one. The easiest to do was Nemesis. It is right by Angry Birds land, the carousel and the banana boat. My husband went on first whilst I entertained the kids. Thing to note here is, if you want to do parent swap then go to guest services at the start and get a card that will then be signed. The second adult can then go up the fastpass entrance. We didn't realise this but as the queue was only 15 minutes it wasn't an issue.

Big man then had a go at the angry birds dodgems and now thinks he has good driving skills. Well they are probably better than his Mummy's!

I then took the younger two back on the rapids whilst Daddy and big man did the Depth Charge and Storm Surge.



We had a lovely family day out even if it did take us a few hours to dry out! We didn't manage to go on all the rides that the boys could go on but we did a fair few. Whilst I wouldn't recommend it to a family whose children are less than a metre, if you live nearby and have children over a metre then it is worth looking into (and definitely worth a trip if you have a merlin pass.) I loved that I got to ride a rollercoaster and feel grown up for a change, and I enjoyed seeing the boys enjoy the smaller rides.





I was not asked by anyone to write about this day out. I just think that if you are local to Thorpe Park and hold a Merlin Pass then it is worth knowing that you can have a great day there with smaller children. Apologies for the lack of photos in this post, but it was raining a lot so i kept my phone hidden in my pocket!

A couple of months ago I went on a Cath Kidston inspired cake decorating course at Cake Your Day. It taught me a couple of things that have made cake decorating much more simple and I thought I would share some of the hints and tips.

1. Use cupcake wrappers. There are loads of different wrappers on the market. These aren't as large as muffin ones but bigger than fairy cakes, making them easier to decorate. I just use a standard sponge recipe to make my cakes - although I do like to add chopped glace cherries of white chocolate drops to make them taste a bit more interesting.

2. Prepare your icing the night before. To make your ready coloured icing easier to handle and hard enough to stay in shape, you want to knead in 1/4 tablespoon of CMC to every 100g. When you use the icing the next day you need to knead it until it feels like chewing gum.

To make a stripey effect roll out the white icing and then add rolls of the coloured stripe. Then roll again before cutting out your circle.  Don't worry if it doesn't look perfect flat, as you will not notice when you put it on your domed cupcake, Make the dome using a generous amount of buttercream.



3. Invest in some silicon moulds. I was really pleased with my Lego cupcakes using one. Silicon moulds are usually really cheap and make the cakes look professional. I bought the rose mould from e bay for around £3. I just sprayed a little of Dr Oetkers cake release spray into the mould first and then added the icing. A quick knock with the rolling pin and the rose comes out.

4. Buy some cutters. It is best to go for metal ones. You can see here that my cakes weren't perfect as I used some plastic ones. The edges aren't as sharp as they would have been with metal.


5. Add a little bit of detail using a skewer to poke a lace type effect. This is so easy to do and makes a big difference.

6. Set aside some time. Making cupakes like this is quite time consuming - especially when you start. I made 6 cakes which from start to finish took around 3 hours!


I hope you have found these tips useful and they can help you make some lovely cupcakes too.

I never thought I would sit around a friends house talking about the issues of cooking for the kids, once you have a child it is not long until you are invited around to one of the many home selling parties. I have to admit that I do like Pampered Chef parties. Mainly for new ideas, and it gets me out of the house for a few hours. I have been a host at one and been to several others, and have most of the catalogue. All of it is nice stuff, but do I use it all often? No. When you are sat there watching the demonstrations, you wonder how on earth you ever lived without a food chopper. You then part with the £35 and sit it in your cupboard never to be used again. So what should you buy?

Here I think the best thing is to find people that use it, and they will tell you. So I thought it might be useful to tell you my best buys. The products that I use on a daily basis (unlike the mini tart pan and dobber. When do I even make nibbles for dinner parties? That was clearly a wishful thinking purchase.)

The Classic Batter Bowl.



This is a really nice sturdy bowl that is good for pouring. I use this a lot and also have the smaller one as it came in a bundle I once bought. The large one is better. It comes with a lid but I find these warp in the dishwasher. I have just seen that there is a new improved version that they sell.

The Large Micro-Cooker



This was recommended by a friend of a friend at a show as one of her most used items. It is great for cooking veg in the microwave in minutes and has drain holes. Fine to go in the dishwasher too. Another really useful buy.

Kitchen Spritzer



Yes this is expensive at first glance but I love it. I have never been keen on using frylight, so with this I can use normal olive oil but use hardly any. You just pump it and spray.

Stoneware


I do like my stoneware. Once seasoned it is non stick. I think the key here is buying the right size for your family. I bought the large rectangular baker and it was the right choice. Unless you have a large kitchen you don't want to buy loads of these. The only other thing if they do take longer to cook the food, so no good if you are in a rush last minute. I do love cooking "fried" eggs in them with no oil.

The citrus press


Ok once again this is an expensive item, but I figure it is a buy once and it will last forever. All my other squeezers used to be hard work and I would end up with pips falling through. Not an essential buy, but if you are frantically looking for something that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to purchase then this could be a good option.


So there you are, there are my must haves. What are yours? Do you have a cupboard full of items that you have bought and never used? Have you any recommendations on what I should but at the next party I go too?