The Secret Cooking Club


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After the varied weather of July I am hoping that August will bring us some nicer and kinder weather. When the sun is out, my mood lifts and the boys love to play outside.

Little man and I have been out in the garden recently, planting seeds and it is beautiful watching him water his plants and the excitement that rushes over him when he sees how they have grown. Often it is the simplest things that bring joy.


My Dad always used to say that homegrown food tasted better and now my boys think the same. Look at these beauties from last summer.


My boys love to build their own den hotel, using pop up tents, old sheets and chairs. Chair covers become beds and they create some shade where they can cool off. The swimming pool gets blown up and becomes the hotel pool complete with waterslide.



Sometimes the entertainments team even run sliding competitions as well.




The days are relaxed and full of laughter. It is certainly one of the best times of year to be a parent. (Especially when you work from home.) Watching the boys imaginations run wild and seeing them play happily together without any arguing. Invariably on a warm sunny day the hotel also serves their favourite ice lolly: Fab! Even Mummy is happy to check in to the hotel if they are on offer!

To add some sprinkles of fun to summertime, Fab is giving fans the chance to win prizes that will make summer even better! Fans can head to Fab’s Facebook page, where there will be the chance to win their ultimate summer of fun! There will also be chances to win amazing prizes including a BBQ with a built-in pizza oven and a family-sized tent. Now I am sure the boys could incorporate that into their backyard hotel! 

How do your family have fun in the summer?

Bing is a favourite of little man. It is not often he gets to choose what to watch on TV. With two older brothers he is often subjected to Spongebob and TMNT. However, when we return from the school run, Bing is on and he enjoys watching this whilst I recharge on a cuppa.

He was therefore excited to find that there is a Bing magazine. Like most children he was excited to see that there were toys with it. As a parent, I was pleased as they are role play toys and not shooting things that break almost immediately.

The front cover doubles as an activity to make a habitat for the plastic frog. The rest of the magazine is smaller and can be pulled out.


There is a really nice selection of activities in the magazine. There are the usual colouring, writing and stickers. However, in addition there are pages designed to do vegetable printing, tear and sticking and a flower that you can make "grow" by folding it's stem.


Little man and I made a short video to show you what we liked about the magazine.


Who is your little one's favourite TV character?

When I was asked if I would like to review Who Tooted? my response was simple. "It sounds awful. Which probably means my boys will love it!" As it turns out I really like it now too and think its one of the best children's games we have played in a long time.

OK, I am not keen on the poo, farting or boogies idea in children's games as a rule, but my boys seem to find things like this funny. Looking at this photo you may think otherwise.


That is because they are using their poker faces. Each player has their own whoopee cushion. One lights up and it is that person that get's to press the button on the cushion which then makes Dad "toot." The players then guess who it was by pointing their plastic nose at the person they think is responsible. The player that toots then moves forward the number of spaces of people that they have fooled.


There were lots of smiles, especially from big man when he fooled everyone.


I really have to eat my words about this game. It is not awful. It is lots of fun. It was nice to play a game that all the boys could get involved in. They were extremely happy when they fooled each other. The only downside is that it can quite a long time to go round the full board.

You can purchase Who Tooted? from Amazon and Smyths Toys.



I am also pleased to be able to offer a game to one of my readers. Just complete the Gleam entry below. Good Luck!

Who Tooted?

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With the school summer holidays finally upon us, I always find it handy to have a couple of new DVD's for the boys to watch. Whether it is on a rainy day or to watch in the car on a long trip, they are just handy to have.

If your little ones are fans of  Alpha and Omega, then you will be pleased to know that there is a new film, Alpha and Omega Family Vacation that is out on DVD on Monday 25th July.

Kate, Humphrey and their mischievous pups are off on their first family vacation this summer holiday and they want you to join them, in ALPHA AND OMEGA: FAMILY VACATION. This brand new animated adventure is filled with the usual action, laughs and heart-warming moments as the wolves head off on their travels to Alfred Creek Falls. However, their dreams of a relaxing getaway are soon dashed when they discover that trappers are on their trail. Kate, Humphrey and the pups will need all the help they can get from their wild and wonderful group of animal friends in this unforgettable tail of family and friendship.

ALPHA AND OMEGA: FAMILY VACATION is released on DVD Monday 25th July from Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK and you can pre order your copy from Amazon.

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AquaPlane is a new swimming aid that I was keen to try out with the boys. With the summer holidays nearly upon us, we are looking forward to some family time and fun at the pool. The boys are coming on leaps and bounds with their swimming, but I don't feel that middle man and little man are strong enough swimmers yet to be left in the pool without any flotation. AquaPlane sent us one of their swimming aids to try out and I think it will be great for middle man. At 6 he is getting a bit big for armbands, so something like this would not only help him with his swimming, it looks pretty cool too.

There are two Velcro straps that go across the body. It can also be used as a float to improve strokes and stamina for more confident swimmers.

As middle man is still at school, I thought I would try AquaPlane out on little man. He is 4 and can swim around 5-10m by himself. I would say that he is on the smallest side for the float to fit. He is just over 1m and complained a few times that it was hitting his head. This was mainly due to the fact that he was trying to hold onto the side rather than swim. He also complained that it was harder than armbands. Personally, I think this is good as it will build his strength and position him correctly.


The warning message on the float is very important. It can be tempting to see the boys swimming nicely with an aid such as this but it is easy for things to go wrong. When we were in the pool the bottom strap came undone and little man immediately panicked. I think he must have caught it when he was getting in an out of the pool, but it is a reminder than you shouldn't solely rely on swimming aids.

I was pleased with how the AquaPlane positioned little man in the water and shall be taking it on holiday with us this August. So you should see more of it in my Instagram feed soon! You can purchase the Aqua plane in a variety of colours from Amazon.

Today I am eating my words just as quickly as I am eating these Walkers Bugles! It was only at lunch time that I was telling middle man not to play with his food. To use a knife and fork. "I'm only eating the gravy with my hands" was his reply. Urgh!

The trouble with the new Walkers Bugles is that their fun shape just makes you want to play with them. I defy you not to try and stick them on your fingers and make a claw and pretend you are an eagle or a witch.


There are three new flavours and they all taste good. You can choose from Cheese, Southern Style BBQ and Sour Cream and Black Pepper.

So if you are going to play with your food you might as well do it properly and turn it into a guessing game!

First up, there is something fishy about this one....


This was roarfully easy to make....


I hope you aren't too slow to guess this one!


Have you tried Walkers Bugles yet? They really are delicious fun shaped crunchy cones that you can't keep your hands off! What would you do with your Bugles?

When  their friend Ollie the octopus is chased by some mean sharks, Cleo the angler fish and Puffer the pufferfish enlist the help of the fun-loving, manta ray, Crash to find him. Their journey into the deep blue sea takes them to a coral reef, the open ocean and even freshwater lakes.

Set against the backdrop of real underwater footage, follow Cleo, Puffer and Crash as they encounter all sorts of fascinating underwater creatures including jellyfish, moray eels and sea turtles. Learn about each and every interesting creature they meet during the search for their friend Ollie in this fun underwater adventure.

Fishtales is now availiable on digital downloads and will be availibale on DVD from Monday 18th July.

You can purchase Fishtales from Amazon.

I am delighted to have a copy of the DVD to giveaway to one of my readers. Just complete the Gleam entry below. Good Luck! Fishtales DVD

ThePrizeFinder - See more at: http://www.theprizefinder.com/content/fishtales-dvd#sthash.F3ksp8qh.dpuf

Big man's eyes lit up at the bunch o balloons. We love a water fight on a warm sunny day, However, it takes forever to fill the balloons. Whilst on the pricey side, these are a great way of filling the balloons in a fraction of the time. Infact the boys had seen them on TV and had started banging on about 100 balloons in 60s! It may have taken Daddy slightly longer but either way it was quick.


They are very clever. Each balloon has an o-ring so they don't need to be tied. They certainly made for a quick and fun water fight.

Finding a game that all the family can play is another challenge. Who Finds It First? is a lovely family game that can be played in a number of ways depending on the age of the children. As little man is only 4, we decided to just find the pieces pictured on the cards.It is harder than it sounds!


To make the game harder you can take extra cards and score points.

Finally the game Guess What is nice to play with older children and adults alike. Big man now stays up later than the other two and this game is good for him. Each card has two sides. One for Little Braniacs and one for Big Brainiacs. This means that you can essentially play the same game but taylor it to the age of the people playing. (Although I may be tempted to tell big man that I am a little brainiac!)



So if you are looking for something a bit different to entertain the kids this summer then have a look at The Present Finder as they have some lovely ideas.

What are your plans for the summer?

Sundried tomato and pesto quick bread is easy to make and like the name suggests it is quick too!

I first made quick bread or soda bread when I visited River Cottage last year, and I haven't looked back. You can put what you want in them and they always taste great.

In this recipe I lowered the amount of salt I added as I was also adding salty tomatoes and pesto. If you haven't got buttermilk then just use milk instead.

This recipe serves 2 people:

250g plain flour2tsp baking powder2g salt150ml milk or buttermilk 

4 sundried tomatoes chopped
2tsps of tomato and chilli pesto
A handful of  grated cheddar to top

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder and milk together to make a dough. Add the sundried tomates and pesto. You may need to add a little more flour if the dough is very wet. Make into a ball and flatten. Place on some greased proof paper and top with cheese. Score the bread and then bake at 180C for around 25 minutes.

It really is a meal in itself with some butter melted on top of the freshly baked bread. 

Like the sound of this? Then you might also like my cheddar and chilli soda bread recipe.

With sporting events everywhere this summer, why not make a simple Hama bead medal with the children.

You will need:

Ribbon
Hama Beads (I used metallic ones, but any colours will look lovely)
A round Hama bead board and paper
Blu Tack


I started by making the number one in the centre of the board with the bronze coloured beads. I then used bronze and silver beads around the outside of the medal alternatively. Finally I filled in the medal with gold Hama beads. I then placed the paper over the beads and ironed it on both sides.

Finally I added the ribbon using some blu tack.


This Hama bead medal is a simple craft to do with the children over the summer and who knows they may even present it to you!

What sporting craft ideas do you have?

If you have read my starting school post, you will know that I recommend a mix of branded and non branded school uniform. When Matalan asked me if I would like to review their school uniform, I gladly accepted. Firstly as I had never really thought of buying uniform from there before and secondly as middle man came home with a hole in his shoes at the same time as big man came home with a hole in his trousers!

So first up are the trousers. For me the most important thing to look for in boys school trousers is an adjustable waist. I have made the mistake of buying cheaper trousers before that don't have this and it has been a false economy. If you can add on that they are hard wearing and stain resistant for a reasonable price then I am happy. Coming in at £7 a pair for my 8 year old, I think this is a reasonable price as they have ticked all the boxes. Again the shorts have the same feature and like the trousers are Mumsnet rated as well.



The polo shirts and jumper have also been good. So far they don't appear to have shrunk in the tumble dryer. I have purchased school jumpers before that cant be tumbled dried which with 3 boys is a nightmare. My first reaction was that the yellow polo shirt was a little light in colour but otherwise is good.

Lastly as I said at the beginning of my post, middle man came home with a hole in his school shoes. His £50 less than a year old school shoes. I have always bought branded school shoes for the boys. In my head, they were better for them. However, seeing that the both my primary boys school shoes are falling apart, I decided that I would try the leather school shoes from Matalan. They have a much more palatable price tag of £16.


I would say that they are on the large side, as we needed to go into store and change them for a smaller pair. The exchange was simple. Middle man has no complaints about them. They appear to fit him well. After a few weeks the leather has faded on the front quite a lot but this is nothing a bit of polish wont fix. I am now considering whether it is worth changing my mind on where to buy my children's school shoes from as at the end of the day they trash the shoes no matter how much you pay for them.

So to sum up, I have been impressed with the uniform from Matalan. It ticks all the boxes. Yes you can buy cheaper products elsewhere but I would argue that the quality would not be the same. Would I purchase uniform from them? Using their free delivery to store - yes.