Foodie Foto Friday {1}

Helen from The Crazy Kitchen has come up with a fab new Link Up which goes live on a Friday (all of the best link ups go live on a Friday)

Helen says:

After watching a very funny You Tube clip that I saw shared on Facebook it struck me that I do take a lot of photos of food, and I know I'm not the only one as I see them on Instagram all the time. Maybe it's because I blog about food that I take lots of foodie shots, or is it the other way around - is it because I take lots of foodie shots that I blog about food? Whatever it is I know that I'm always taking pictures of food I make and food I eat - when food is served up to my family they sit back and wait, not because they are super polite and want to wait until everyone is ready to start, no, it's because they know that I need to get my camera out and take all necessary photos first. Anyway, with this in mind, I've started a new linky so everyone can share their food photos. It can be food you've made, food you've been served at a restaurant or just something nice that you've seen. There are just a few simple rules

1. The photo must be of food
2. Post the photo on your blog and add the badge below and come back here on a Friday and add to the linky
3. Ideally the photo should be taken in the week leading up to the post
4. Please DO NOT use the words 'nom, nom, nom' !

I was a busy girl today and decided to finally get round to making my own sausage rolls. I've wanted to be able to make these for a while now but in the past have failed at every attempt of cooking with pastry.
This attempt was successful and I feel a real sense of achievement.

Recipe coming up in the next couple of days.

Changing Rooms {Flashback Friday}

We still haven't moved Harry into his bedroom yet. We do however have his cot set up in the spare room where we have been co sleeping. He occasionally sleeps in there, and occasionally sleeps in bed with me.
He will be taking over the smaller of the three bedrooms, which I'm feeling so guilty about, I wish all three bedrooms were the same size, I hate the fact that because he is the youngest he gets the smallest room but the alternative is for the boys to share a room which would never work!
I loved the way Charles' room was decorated but something was niggling at me. It wasn't very Harry. The room was decorated to suit Charles' likes and his personalities.
The room didn't mean anything to Harry.

The majority of things Harry has, wears, plays with, and so on is second hand. He has a brand new cot bed but only because or original one broke.
I wanted to at least give him his own bedroom.
We made a spur of the moment trip to Homebase and purchased two big tins of paint.
A week passed and then one day I just grabbed one of the tins and set about painting. I didn't think about what I was doing until I'd painted half of a wall. It was then that the sadness kicked in and I took photos of the room we were now erasing and moving on from.
It's only a room I know but I put a lot of effort into the decoration and it was Charles' first bedroom.

 

I didn't expect to feel so sad looking at the photos but I do. Although, I love the colours we have painted it now and the plans I have for it are quite exciting...if I can manage to do it all as I imagine.

This is my post for Flashback Friday. Please join in by linking up a post, old or new, sharing a memory. There is no theme this week so feel free to link up any post you wish.  
Also, don't forget to check out my linky co-host Jenny, aka Mummy Mishaps.

If you'd like to join in then please either add a link to either my post, or Jennys post, or feel free to add my badge.
<a href="http://realhousewifeofsuffolk.blogspot.co.uk"><img src="http://s1091.photobucket.com/albums/i384/mummymishaps/laurensflashbackbadge1.jpg" alt="laurensflashbackbadge1" /></a>

In tribute to Emma from A Matter of Choice giving birth to her gorgeous new baby boy, Loukas Alexander, next week's theme is BIRTH STORIES. Share a birth story, birth photos, birth fears, any post which is associated with birth.
Maybe you took part in The Gallery: Birth in August last year? If you did then please revisit that post and link it up to next weeks Flashback Friday Link Up.

Groupon {Review}

A long time ago I became aware of the Daily Deal website Groupon. The concept of it sounded really interesting and exciting so I registered straight away.
Everyday I get emails sent to my inbox informing me of local and national deals. Recent local deals have included tickets to a local JLS concert, a gardening show, and a photo shoot with a local studio. National deals have included items of furniture, kitchen appliances and jewellery.
My brother is a big fan of Groupon and has purchased a few personalised canvasses in the past 2 years.
You can even purchase fantastic deals on getaways, which I'm sure I would be doing if we didn't have the boys to consider now too.

Navigating the website can take a little getting used to, you do need to concentrate, simply so that you don't miss a deal but it's easy once you know where you're going and which deals are where.
There is a drop down menu so you can select your nearest city. I chose Norwich to look at local deals but the website does not restrict me so if I wanted to select Ipswich, London or Bath I can.

I was £30 credit to purchase an item/some items from the site. Although I was tempted by a few items I decided to hold off for a couple of days to see if something else I wanted came up. I regretted this a tiny bit as I had fallen in love with a Pearl Bracelet which was there one day, and gone the next, so if you see something you like you should buy it as soon as you can, to avoid disappointment.
I couldn't believe my luck when Pearl Earrings then came up on my Daily Deals email (if you read my Birthday List you'll see why). I hurried over and quickly purchased 2 pairs. This is another great thing about Groupon.
The Pearl Earrings I purchased were £14 for a pair, which was a bargain within itself. BUT the deals went further, I could also buy 2 pairs for £26 or even better, 3 pairs for £30.
With £30 credit I went for the 2 for £26 deal thinking the postage and packaging would then be added on.
It wasn't. I then read the small print and saw that the p&p had to be paid via the Jewellery companies website. I was silly to not check the deal and the small print first, had I read that in the first place I would have purchased 3 pairs for £30, so make sure you read the small print and don't assume everything is included as I did.

Once you purchase your deal you have to wait 24 hours until your voucher becomes active. Once the 24 hours is up you visit the main site of the item/s you have bought and purchase through there, quoting your Groupon Voucher number. It really is simple.
I had £4 credit left on my account so purchased some tweezers which were at a bargain £4. I found the second time I was ordering was much easier as I knew what I was doing and where I was going.

If you were to get stuck on the site, which I don't think would happen but just in case the staff are really helpful and will guide you to wherever you need to go.

I wouldn't hesitate in using Groupon again and am already keeping my eyes open for future birthday presents and Christmas presents, as well as treats for our house.

I was given £30 credit to use on the Groupon site in exchange for this review, p&p for all items was paid by me. All words are honest and my own.

{Sponsored Video} Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

With Charles being 3 now I keep wondering when we can brave taking him to the cinema. He's been to the theatre twice now and although we stayed for the duration he did get restless and I was quite thankful for the intervals.

When we decide to take him to the cinema it will have to be in the October school holidays. Weekends are pretty much out of the question and are booked up for the next few weeks and he starts preschool next week meaning our days are busy fitting around that.
We also need to make sure the film is right, that it will hold his attention and keep him entertained. We want him to leave his first cinema experience feeling like he wants to go again and remembering what he had just seen.

Madagascar 3, Europe's Most Wanted, opens on October 19th in UK cinemas, just in time for half term. What's more, it's available in 2D and 3D, which I can only imagine would look absolutely fantastic.

Charles is a big fan of Madagascar, and although we don't have the dvds at home he watches it every time he visits his friends house. They both sit on the sofa, transfixed to the screen watching every moment.
Therefore I have no doubt that Madagascar 3 will be the best choice for his first cinema experience.

Madagascar 3 see's the characters, including Alex, Gloria and Marty, trying their best to get home to New York, following on from the storyline in Madagascar 2 when they are stuck in Africa. They end up on an adventure around Europe after joining a travelling circus. Of course it wouldn't be Madagascar if they didn't add their own sense of style to the circus.
Do they make it home?
You'll have to wait until October 19th to see.



The film is suitable for the whole family and features voice overs from Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen.


For a bit of extra Madagascar fun to keep you busy until October 19th, head on over to their Facebook page and website.
If you are an itunes user than also have a look at the Wig Out App which allows you to upload a photo of yourself, with your family and friends too, and add customised Afro Circus wigs. If you do this why not upload your photo to Twitter and share with others using the hashtag #MADWigOut.

This post has been sponsored by Paramount Pictures but all words are honest and my own.

HiPP Organic Trays and Desserts {Review}

We recently reviewed HiPP Organic Savoury Pouches, with Harry progressing with food, which seems to have been an on/off struggle to be honest with him liking certain foods and accepting lumpy foods then needing puree'd due to gagging too much, we then moved on to the HiPP Trays.

We tried Creamy Vegetable Lasagne and Garden Vegetable Risotto with Flaky White Fish.
As I've mentioned countless times before I won't give the boys anything I haven't already tasted. This case wasn't any different.
The Creamy Vegetable Lasagne was the first on our menu and, well, Wow. It was so full of flavour that I didn't want to give it to Harry.
Harry struggled at first with the chunks of lasagne sheets but once he got used to them he was able to feed himself (using both hands and a spoon) Once it was all gone he was asking for more which is a great sign (although did make me guilty for the three spoonfuls I ate, oops)


Next up was the Garden Vegetable Risotto with Flaky White Fish. Harry has always liked fish so I knew this flavour would be a hit.
It is really lumpy which again we struggled with in the beginning but soon got used to.
The flavours are really strong but not overpowering. Although I like feeding the boys fish I do find that the smell can linger in the house for far too long and it was a concern with this meal. Thankfully though there was no lingering smell so I'm happy to buy this again regularly rather than just occassionally.

 

 In line with our philosophy, we choose not to use organic fish in our recipes as this must be sourced from fish farms. Instead we choose to source our fish from their natural environment in the deep seas. As with all HiPP baby foods, all the ingredients used are tested to ensure that they contain no harmful chemical residues so you can be assured that this recipe is still the best possible choice for your baby.

Both of these tray meals are suitable for 9+ months and introduce textures to your child. Both are full of vegetables and contain one portion of vegetables based on World Health Organisation Guidelines.

To follow both of these meals we served a jar of Plum and Pear Pudding.
Due to Harry's choking/gagging it's hard to get him to eat fruit, which for obvious reasons I want to do.
Plum and Pear Pudding is a great alternative and means we have no issues in terms of gagging as it is a smooth puree.
The taste is very strong and very sweet, which Harry seemed to really love. I thought he was done after half a jar but he came back begging for more.....

 

 Plum and Pear Pudding contains 2 portions of fruit. 

We gae Harry the pudding straight from the jar but I would also add it to yogurt, porridge or even serve with toasted Brioche. 

All HiPP foods are available to buy via the HiPP Shop on their website.

We were sent 3 trays and 2 jars for the purpose of this review. All words are my own and are honest.

Birthday List: Number 27

As my birthday creeps ever closer I have already set myself the task of writing my Birthday Present Wishlist. I've made a Birthday and Christmas list every year since I can remember. I don't expect everything on my list, but I find it easier to say to someone "here's my list" if they ask me what I'd like. That way they get me something they know I'll appreciate and like, or can get me vouchers for stores they can see would suit me from my list.

I won't even get a quarter of what's on this list but anything I don't get will then be added to my Christmas list.
One thing on this list was on last years Birthday and Christmas list so I'm desperate for it this year (Fingerprint Charm)
I know I am getting 1 from the list from my mum, I am far too good at guessing  and ruined my surprise...as I always do. (I should be a detective)

I have a feeling that a couple of things will end up being birthday presents to me, from me, as I am so desperate for them.
Brat? Me? Never.
Fussy? Maybe.

Pre School Looms

In 2 weeks time Charles is starting Pre School.
He'll be going for 15 hours a week, which have been spread over 5 days.
He is so excited and he did really well at his visit and settling in session in July. We were able to leave him within around 10-20 minutes we were walking out of the door leaving him behind. After a phone call an hour later to tell us he was doing really well the manager said "See you at 11:45".
I missed him for those little 3 hours and couldn't stop thinking about what he was doing, if he was talking to the staff, if he was talking to the other children, if he was sitting alone by himself unsure of what he was allowed to do.

Walking in to collect him, he looked so tiny, sat on little chairs. My heart fluttered and I ran over to hug him. He showed me a painting he had created whilst there, we then paid for his additional t-shirts, spoke to the manager and then ran to the car dodging the large rain drops.

We waited for a while until we received our letter informing us of his start date and session days/times. I felt a bit sick the day it arrived.
It all of a sudden felt real.
I felt like a parent.
Not a mummy.
But a parent.

Other than when he visited a Childminder briefly at the beginning of the year for one morning a week I have never really been apart from him, certainly not on a regular basis. Although the quality time with Harry will be lovely I will still miss my big boy.
I am worried about leaving him in the hands of women I don't know. Women who don't know him.

As the day looms ever closer I face constant questions from Charles.
"Am I going to Pre School today mummy?"
"Can I go to Pre School yet?"
"I'm going to make friends mummy. What will their names be?"
"Can I play with the play dough at Pre School?"

And more importantly, the statement he makes everyday settles me in my fear and guilt of sending him there.

"I really can't wait to go to preschool".

Mushroom and Co: Ted The Turtle {Review}

When it comes to teething toys I do tend to prefer rubber ones over any others.
I find that they seem to do the job properly and are easy for children hold on to and keep a strong grip on.

We were sent this little fella to review and he was an instant hit with Harry. He loved the bright colours, the big smile on his face, as well as the soft rubbery texture.

He is sold as a bath toy but with the added extra of doubling up as a teether. We don't really use him in the bath, he lives downstairs for Harry to chomp on whilst watching television or playing, or he comes out in the change bag with us on trips out.

Its main selling points, as described on the Mushroom and Co website:

• Hand made with 100% organic natural rubber tapping the sap of Hevea tree
• Bright and Colourful
• Appealing characters
• Great for sensory development
• PVC, BPA, Nitrosamines, Phthalates FREE
• Hand painted with non-toxic food grade dyes
• eEo Friendly
• Natural Rubber
• Biodegradable
• Green for baby
• Light Weight
• Gentle Squeak
• Toys for toddlers or baby’s suitable from 0 months
• Safe Fun, Naturally Done

There are other characters in the range who are all equally as cute as Ted the Turtle. and these would make great stocking fillers at a particular time of the year, as well as a perfect gift for a newborn baby.
A friend of mine is currently pregnant (early days) but I already plan on making her a small hamper of these teethers as our gift to the baby.

Mushroom and Co products are available to buy from Kids One Stop Shop or the Mushroom and Co Website.

We were sent a Ted the Turtle to review. As always, everything written above is honest.

Another Fab Family Day Out

A couple of weeks ago we discovered a fantastic place to visit. We've been members of English Heritage since September(ish) last year and so far felt disappointed. Until we found Castle Acre Priory.
We immediately fell in love with the place and so did the boys.

We went back on Sunday to have a picnic and let the boys run around. The staff are always so welcoming and we felt so comfortable there.
We had a posh picnic, set up our suntent and took Charles' football so the boys could have a kick about.

I sat and watched my boys and husband and realised how lucky I am.

We played within the ruins and Charles pretended to be a chef and then a shopkeeper.

We discovered a stairway which we missed last time and Charles was amazing. I'm not good with steps and as he guided me up I said "Look Charles, we need to go back, mummy is stuck" and he said "Mummy, do you want some help. Here's my hand" and helped me up the stairs.
As we got to the top he turned round and said "there's three more steps ok. Oh, and there's a butterfly" And took my hand to help me up the last few steps.
He then told me about how beautiful the rooms were upstairs and was a little tour guide.

The Lorax {Tots100 Film Club Review}

This month we were sent The Lorax to review as part of the Tots100 Film Club. An updated version of The Lorax is currently being shown in cinemas and has had lots of promotion so I was intrigued to see what the older version from 1972 was like.
We are big Dr Seuss fans so I knew that this film would appeal to at least one of us.

 

 
The Lorax is a cute little creature who speaks for the trees.

 I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues. And I'm asking you sir, at the top of my lungs - that thing! That horrible thing that I see! What's that thing you've made out of my truffula tree?

He tries to protect the forest of Truffula Tree's due to a Once-ler taking over and cutting down the tree's to sew thneeds.

 What’s a thneed?
Why, “A Thneed’s a Fine-Something-That-All-People-Need!” Or so he’d have us believe.

After watching the film I made some brief notes, just bullet proofing words which I felt were important in summing up the film and it's message. These words were:

Greed.
Capitalism.
Materialistic
Environment Issues
Selfishness

The story behind the film made it perfect to watch with a 3 year old. At the moment we are going through teaching Charles about the importance of keeping the environment safe and clean, not dropping litter, and so on. But also farming which we find easier to promote due to living opposite a field growing turnips.
We were able to use our real life experiences and the actions in the film to drum into him how greed can be a bad thing as can being materialistic.

It looks at how the factories created have damaged homes, and therefore people, well creatures, have had to move on. It looks at the waste factories create, and again how this affects not only the environment but living creatures. Even noise pollution is looked at.

I was surprised at how much Charles got the film and what was going on, and I think a lot of this is due to the simple Dr Seuss magic. The way everything is written, the rhythm, the images. It's all exciting, it's hypnotising at times, it keeps you hooked.
You don't have to be a fan of Dr Seuss to watch it, although I expect you would be by the end!

Even more surprising maybe was a wake up call for me. Although this film was made in 1972, the issues featured still weigh heavy now. It's certainly something to think about and an education for all of the family.

The dvd also features some fab bonus material.

We were sent a copy of The Lorax for review. All words above are my own and are honest.

Home Grown

Sometimes in life it's the little things which can really make you smile, or excite you or make you feel so proud.
This might seem silly to some but I spotted this little guest on our apple tree recently. Yes, it's an apple. But seeing as our apple tree is still so young and was only planted towards the end of last year we are really excited and impressed.
Although, I did wonder if it was a hoak as it seemed to just appear from out of nowhere.

He's a little bit lonely at the moment so I can't wait for the tree to be fully grown and full of more round green treats.

Why Did Nobody Tell Me? {Book Review}

When I was asked to review a book called 'Why Did Nobody Tell Me?' I said yes, especially as I was told that the book "complimented my blog perfectly".

"Drawn from the message boards of mumsnet, this book shapes that collective wisdom into dozens of dos and don'ts that will lead you through the minefield that is twenty-first-century parenting"

I thought the book would be funny, and something I could definitely empathise with. I've always liked books and blog posts like this by The Boy and Me. The title of the book made me think it would be like that.

When the book first arrived I quickly scanned random pages and thought it was quite funny, then yesterday on the way to a picnic I had my chance to really start reading it.
Davina McCall is quoted on the back of the book as saying:

"This book is full of non-judgemental golden nuggets to empower us to be better women at the same time as just making you smile...a lot"

I must admit that I found this book the opposite and felt it was extremely judgemental. I got as far as page 7 until I felt the book had completely let me down.

Mummy blogs, parenting blogs, whatever you would like to call them, are part of a fantastic community. Publishing a new blog post doesn't mean we were bored enough to blog, it means we had something we wanted to share with our community, with our friends.
Maybe some mummies do blog because they are bored, but how is that a negative thing? Surely it's positive that they have somewhere to go and something to do when they are bored.

Would it be acceptable for me to say that some mums must be bored to visit Internet forums, or that some mums must be really bored to start up Internet forums?
No, it wouldn't be acceptable.

Same way as it being unacceptable to write this in a book published by a well-known Internet forum frequented by mummy bloggers.

Blogging has many benefits. It can be a great therapy and escape for some, a source of advice and friendship, and also a way to record family life to look back on in years to come. And maybe even to share with our children later on.

Fair enough, some mums might not post about bad days. But some do.
As soon as a post like that is published we open ourselves up further for criticism or judging from other people, which this very book 'full of non-judgemental golden nuggets' manages to do just perfectly.
I wonder how many blogs the authors have read. I have a few I regularly read and all feature, at some point, a bad day they've experienced.

Mummy Mishaps: Bad Mummy,
Mothers Always Right: Meltdown
OneBlueOnePink: I Found Out That Baking Can Be Stressful
Missy B & Family: Meltdown
Bloggomy: What a Carry On!!
Dummy Mummy: When The Battle Is Lost

Maybe we don't feel the need to post about bad days. If we don't all want to let our readers know the naughty things our children do then that should be accepted, not made to be a negative thing, like we are hiding a dirty secret. By not divulging the bad days it doesn't mean we are saying they never happen. Maybe we are trying to forget them.

Do mummy bloggers think they are experts? Do we assume we are experts and therefore have the right to blog about how what we are doing is perfect?
We don't claim to be perfect at all. We share our experiences, our methods, things that have worked for us and things that haven't, to help others.
But not only that, regular readers of mummy blogs will notice that we ask for advice as much as we talk about life being "perfect".

And, shock horror, we don't all claim to feed our children fresh vegetables served alongside free range meat we bought from the farm shop in the picturesque village we live in.We do serve our children fish fingers and chicken nuggets too.

It's a shame this piece was published in the book, as it had great potential.
Being honest I haven't read all of the book, or even half of it, because I was so offended by the above piece. In fact I am passing it on to someone else because I have no desire to read any more of it.

But, maybe this isn't the best book to send to a bored mummy blogger to review, when it criticises us from the beginning.

And as for it complimenting my blog...I have to highly disagree with that.

Thanks to TheBoyandMe for helping me to tone down my rant.

I was sent a copy of this book to offend me and cure my obvious boredom review.

The Best Cure on a Hot Day

After visiting the Maize Maze yesterday there was nothing better than to immediately set up the paddling pool as soon as we arrived home. The boys jumped straight in, both got soaked, and despite Harry's face in the photos he was loving it and would not get out. He kept laying down, rolling around, getting up and jumping back down.

There really is nothing better than a paddling pool full of cold water on a very hot summers day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Very Hot, A-Maze-ing Day

 We went to a local Maize Maze today to celebrate one of Charles' friends third birthday.
The weather was over 30 degrees and stupid me decided to wear skinny jeans! Which I soon regretted.
If you ever saw the episode of Friends where Ross wore leather trousers....that!

Despite being so hot my two boys enjoyed the couple of hours we were there. They both played in the sand pit and the various toys available and whilst we walked around the maze Harry slept and Charles explored. At various times we thought we were lost but I used my super dooper direction skills and raced ahead and found the exit!

The journey home was a bit of a nightmare. I found some lovely country roads but Charles was sick. I think due to the hot weather.
We had a fab couple of hours though, it was a shame it ended so soon but we may go back simply so the boys can play in the sand pit and other toys without me worrying so much about them escaping due to the wooden fence keeping them in.

We were grateful for our padding pool when we got home.

 

 

 

unedited