Monthly Archives: March 2013

Should you prepare for isa season?

 in frugal by

As a parent we all want to try and save for out children’s futures and even in today’s climate it is worth trying to save for a rainy day. MadDad works in the financial industry so he is my go too guy when it comes to asking about money etc, but I would always suggest that you find an Independent Financial Adviser to help you out with financial planning.

So firstly what is isa season?

In very basic terms it is a six week period in the lead up to when you have to subscribe to your Is, the 5 April 2012 (if you don’t use it, you lose it).
This often means that you can be bombarded with information telling you to open a cash isa on the lead up to this date and if can be very confusing.

So what is an isa?

A Cash isa is a savings accounts where the interest isn’t taxed.

A stocks and share isa is a managed collective investment again where the interest isnt taxed.

Should I prepare for isa season?

I decided to ask MadDad this and he said he would advise anyone to make an appointment with a Independent Financial adviser to discuss this. My first response was that IFA’s are for people with money, to which he told me this isn’t at all true. Many IFA’s get their payment from any investment you make through them or charge a nominal fee and they are perfect for people who are going through major life changes such as parents. They can often take an overview of a situation and help you put your new priorities in perspective.

People often think that isa’s are only for people with money and that they are not something that they can utilise to manage their finances, but again it is often about working smarter not harder and in today’s climate we need to know the best way of making our money work for us.

But don’t take my word for it, go and see a professional!

Eight 5

 in maximad  tagged Birthday / maxi / wight by

Eight things I love about you!

You adore being tickled and trying to pretend that you are not ticklish. You challenge me to make you laugh.
Oh and what a laugh. it is infectious, it fills my heart with such joy.
You are fearless. You are a mini thrill seeker, adrenalin junkie and embrace new things.
You are an early riser, but as soon as your head hits the pillow you are off in the land of nod.
You are a team player. You love football and being part of a team.
You do not mind being different. You embrace your curly hair, wear checked trousers and love being you.
You are kind and considerate. You help other people when you can.
You love with a passion.
How can you be eight already? We never really believed that we would have you. You were a challenge form the moment you came in to being and kept us on our toes. You are a joy, my eldest child, an integral part of our family and I love you more each passing day.

Where’s Wally? 1

 in mini mads  tagged charity / red nose day by

Comic Relief day today at school and it was dress up as Where’s Wally (or Waldo, for any American chums) or a character from the books and pay a pound for the privilege which they decided to take from their pocket money. My boys never sit still so this is the best you will get picture wise. They decided that we needed to have a family nerf fight this morning!

They also packed MadDad off to work with red nose day cakes to sell.

What are you doing for Comic Relief?

The Fatherhood Remix

 in Featured and Guest  tagged dads / fatherhood / fiat by

MadDad may not have driven Maxi around each night to get him to sleep, but he did carry him everywhere! I know that the thing we both found hardest was the lack of sleep. MadDad found it really hard to wake up in the night. He had a “dead to the world” time between 12 midnight and about 4.30am, when he just couldn’t be woken. This was made all the worse when Maxi got unwell and I stopped sleeping as I was so worried about him. In the end it was suggested to him by our amazing baby massage coach that he slept in the same room as Maxi on a Friday night and hopefully by the proximity and the fact that he didn’t have to get ip in the morning he would wake before I did. And you know what, this was a real turning point for both of us. It meant that I got one nights great sleep a week. He managed to wake up before my “mummy radar” kicked in and the pair of them were often to be found in Salisburys outside the Starbucks concession as it opened on Saturday morning.

So for all the Dad’s out there, this one is for you. Enjoy

Top 5 Recipes to Keep You Warm

 in Featured and Guest  tagged food by

Winter in the UK is a genuinely unpredictable season, meaning the cold weather can start as early as October and sometimes not depart until March. Whichever type of winter season we have, it is almost certain that at some point there will be the usual headlines about the wrong type of snow hitting train services and the pavements turning into ice rinks due to council cutbacks! However cold it gets, you can always warm yourself up with a lovely homemade meal, giving you the inner warmth needed to take on the outdoors, or simply cosy up on the sofa. Here are five top recipes to keep you warm: Porridge Breakfast is […]

The best things in life are free 8

 in Mothersday  tagged crafts / Mini Mads / mothers day by

There is nothing better than collecting the boys from school and them being really excited. “I have something in my bag for you Mum”, “So do I”. As we get near home the boys get even more excited about it “I can not show you, it has to be a surprise” and the two of them whisper conspiratorially to themselves.

I am smiling big beaming smiles, as I know that Mothers Day is nearly upon us and this means they have both been busy creating their own special card for me.

Queue Sunday morning and the boys excitedly come running in to the bedroom with a cup of tea for me and their cards and jump on the bed and tell me all about their cards. Maxi explains he drew round his left hand, but turned it over once he cut it out, so it looks like his left hand and how I have beautiful brown eyes and love heart lips for kissing. Mini excitedly tells me he did all the cutting out himself and used a punch to make the tree. He used zigzag scissors to cut out his label.

What more could a mother ask for on Mothers Day?

Win tickets to see The Harlem Globetrotters live 15

 in competition by

If you are of my generation then you will remember the amazing ticks that the Harlem Globetrotters did.  In fact they were all I knew about basketball at one point in my life!

Harlem globetrotters

Both of my boys are sports mad and after checking our their you tube video I knew that this would be something that they would adore.   The UK tour starts on 25 March, so in order to be in with the chance
 to win a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) to the UK venue of your choice then please complete the rafflecopter entry below.  The draw will close at noon on Friday 15th March.

Wondering if there is a venue near you?  You can find the Harlem Globetrotters tour dates and venues online.

Motherless on Mothers Day 9

 in Mothersday / mums by

This week I have been acutely aware of missing my mum.

There has been a mum shaped whole in my days.

This is my third Mothers Day without her and she was not one for the soppy sentiments in Mothers Day cards.

But more than my pain and the pain of my children, I hate the fact that my wonderful sister in law now has to go though Mothers Day without her mum.

Her wonderful mum died on Friday night.

I hate that I am welcoming her in to a club that I do not want to be part of.

That I can not take away her pain and also that I know how much heartache she is going through.

I read this post by Becky and so want to echo the sentiment. Family is not something, family is everything.

To all the motherless on Mothers day

Mini’s London Quilt 10

 in crafts  tagged crafts / quilt / sewing by

Mini’s favorite place in the whole wide world is London. He loves visiting it, loves reading about it and sleeps in a London themed room. So when it came to making him a quilt (my first one ever) it had to be London themed. I have had this fabric and the deciding for this quilt for over six months thanks to Kelly, but have discovered that cutting fabric is my kryptonite I just can not bring myself to cut it at all. Knowing that I had to get past my fear, I booked in for a sewing class. I go two hours a week on a Tuesday and the quilt was my first project.

Sharing the Love 1

 in Featured and Guest by

I am a firm believer of what comes around goes around and have to say that I am exceptionally thankful for the opportunities this blog has brought me over the years. I started writing way back when my boys were two and three after a double mastectomy. I wanted to have a record of the things we did together as a family, in case anything happened to me. Back then I didn’t know of the community of parent blogs in the UK and had no idea about sites such as the Tots100.

As time went on I started to comment on UK blogs that I came across and people started to comment on my blog. I joined the Tots100 and then after a year I was asked to review my first product and invited to my first event. Over the following years I have been to numerous blogging conferences and made some firm friends through blogging. I discovered that Cass from Frugal Family lived down the road from me and our children were similar ages. I would have scoffed at the thought you could make such close friends through such things as blogging. Now I know different!

Me and Cass at an event together
I still enjoy blogging, maybe even more than I did then and I love the interaction and opportunities it brings me. I love reviewing products and I love sharing that love too. Recently I was asked to review a steam mop and for all sorts of reasons I ended up with more than one and the company said I could keep them as it was their error, so when I read that Vicki had slipped with babe in arms on a just mopped floor I knew exactly what I needed to do. So I arranged for Parcelforce to deliver the spare mop.

Even writing this post has made me smile so much. Just looking back at my achieves for that first post and the picture of me and Cass. It has made me realised that I am doing what I set out to do. I am creating an online diary of life in The Mad House. The good, the bad and the ugly and this makes me very happy indeed.

Disney World Orlando 8

 in holiday planner / holidays / Holidays abroad  tagged disney / Disney World / orlanmdo by

Our Top hints and Tips for Visiting Disneyland Orlando

Make sure you book a table for Dinner as the restaurants get busy
Always buy your tickets online. They’re usually cheaper and save you the headache you’ll get waiting to purchase at the gate
Download the free Disney Magic app – you can plan rides and check show times and once you’re inside the park it will let you check how long the lines are on different rides
Bring your own water bottles. It will save you time and money! If you don’t want to carry a water bottle, just ask for a cup of water at any food or drink vendor
Have your children look for Hidden Mickeys is a great way to keep them occupied especially when queuing
When the park opens at 9am, go first to Toy Story Midway Mania, which has the longest lines in the park, and FastPasses are usually gone for the day by noon.
Plan a show for the hottest part of the day, but be aware that the air conditioning can be fierce!
If it’s your first visit, get one of the “first time” badges from Guest Services

Top tips for getting the most out of Universal Orlando 1

 in holiday planner / holidays / Holidays abroad  tagged holiday planner / Orlando / universal by

for getting the most out of Universal

Take some american stamps and postcards to use the owl post in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This is where you can send a letter with a Hogsmeade postmark. You can buy usable Harry Potter stamps but they were rather overprices at $15 a pack especially when we only wanted to send three postcards.
Frozen Butterbeer is much nicer than regular Butterbear (which tasted like cream soda). If you want to get a souvenir cup with your butterbeer you can and ask for the butterbeer to be put in a regular cup so you do not have to wash out your tankard for putting in your bag. Also you can bypass the cart and buy it straight from The Three Broomsticks which is a lot faster.
The mixtures of movies and rides is fantastic. The Despicable me experience is fantastic, we loved being turned in to Minions. Oh and the fart gun does smell of bananas!
The temperature really hots up around lunch time, so make a beeline for the indoor rides like Despicable Me, The Mummy or Spiderman during this time. Alternately why not take a trip to Jurassic Park and be prepared to get VERY WET!
Take a refillable water bottle with you. You need to keep drinking as you can dehydrate really fast.
Check what rides your children can and can not go on before you visit to avoid disappointment.
Consider a Universal a Express Pass which costs around £30-40 per person, and allows you to go to the front of the line once on each ride, although you get this sort of ticket for free if you’re staying at a Universal hotel.

LEGOLAND Florida – perfect for mini thrill seekers 4

 in holiday planner / holidays / Holidays abroad  tagged florida / holidays / Orlando by

Make sure you arrive early for the park opening at 9 am. Rides open at 9.30 am
The park is 45 minutes from Downtown Tampa and the other Orlando Parks
You can exchange your own LEGO Mini Figure with any of the Model Citizen’s (LEGO Employees). They have theirs on their name badge. Also keep an eye out for the Mini Figure Ambassador as they have a shirt covered in Mini Figures.
Go to the back of the park either LEGO City or Technic first
If it your birthday, then collect a badge from a Model Citizen (A LEGO Employee) at Guest services at The Beginning
If you want to visit a show, try and turn up 30 minutes before the start time
Make sure you take plenty of sun cream and hats as it is much hotter and sunnier in Orlando that the UK. We actually purchased Maxi a pair of sunglasses and shorts strap in LEGOLAND
The park also has many attractions for children and adults that prefer gentle pace including Safari Trek and Duploland
Download a Park Map before visiting, it shows you all the height restrictions, so you can set expectations before visiting
There is a large selection of places to eat all catering for children, but you need to try the parks signature dish of Granny Smiths Apple Fries
It gets very hot in the middle of the day, so eat inside if possible as the restaurants are air conditioned
The LEGOLAND Florida water park reopens in March and you can upgrade your tickets for $12 each and this would be the perfect place to cool down
The park closes earlier than other parks around 5.30 each day
The Big Shop is the largest LEGO shop in the world

Seaworld Orlando 6

 in holiday planner / holidays / Holidays abroad  tagged florida / Orlando / Seaworld by

I have to admit that I was really skeptical about Seaworld. I was unsure about using animals in shows, however, I have to say that I was completely won over and we had an amazing day. First things first, there is no way you can see everything in a day (unless you opt for one of the excellent VIP tours, which cost from £172 per adult and child in addition to park admission and includes a freshly prepared lunch) . I would advise you to plan your must see’s before you get to the park.

Stay cool in long-sleeved cotton

 in Featured and Guest  tagged clothes / fashion / summer by

In many countries, the heat of the midday sun can be uncomfortable, and it’s certainly not good for your skin to be exposed to the sun in that way. If you’re heading out in hot weather, then it’s fine to wear a strappy top, or summer dress, but roll up a simple cotton shirt and cotton trader’s womens linen trousers in your bag so that when you need to, you can pull it out and give your skin some added protection. You’ll still need sunblock, as the sun’s rays will penetrate the cotton covering, but it does reduce the exposure and help you to stay a little cooler.

The other key time when a long-sleeved shirt comes in useful is as the evenings get chillier. In many holiday destinations, very warm days are followed by much colder nights and as the sun fades for the day, you may find that you need an extra layer just to keep the chill at bay. A long-sleeved cotton shirt is perfect for this, as you can layer it over whatever you’re wearing and either button it up or tie it at the front to keep stylish and comfortable at the same time.

This piece of clothing is a great holiday staple, and doesn’t have to be expensive in order to do the job. A pure white, 100% cotton shirt looks stylish at any time, and you can mix and match it with most of your wardrobe to great effect. Or, choose something more colourful or patterned, so that even when you’re covering up, you’re still wearing those key summer colours, bringing warmth and style to the room.

You could be preparing for a holiday or just planning ahead for the summer – now is a great time to buy a long-sleeved cotton shirt for this season. Retailers on the high street and online have a real variety of shirts in their spring/summer collections, so you should be able to find something that suits your style and your budget – helping you to stay cool in the hottest of climates.

Number games for Children

 in childrens craft  tagged Bingo / children / learning / learning through play / maths by

Both my boys love numbers and math. We have been working with Maxi and the school to show his workings out, as he has always said that he just sees the answers to math questions in his head. As he gets older points are often given for using the correct method and for showing the workings in exams.

One of the ways we do this is by playing games. I recently picked up a great little bingo set at the charity shop, which both the boys love top play. They use it for making up their own number games. They add the numbers, add up the lines when they score to work out who is the winner and just generally have fun with the numbers and the counters. When I was growing up I loved bingo too, I used to tag along with my cousins when they visited and go to the arcades to play bingo. Nowadays they play online at sites such as GoldenBingo.co.uk.

There are lots of other number games you can play with children including:

Domino’s – great for number recognition, counting and strategy
Cards – you can play lots of card games with children, from basic snap, which is great for number recognition to something more difficult such as two’s and eights. Cards are so portable and are great to have in your handbag.
Dice – a pair of dice is great to carry in your bag. You can use them for very basic sums by getting your child to throw the dice and add, subtract, divide or times the two numbers.
Monoploly is great for introducing children to the concept of money and they often do not realise they are using maths skills whilst playing.
Battleships is a fantastic game for introducing children to co-ordinates. Perfect for playing before they have to use graphs.
Skittles or ten pin bowling. You can make your own skittles from bottles and give them numbers. This can help number recognition and addition skills for scoring.
What are your favorite games to play that reinforce maths skills?

How to Encourage Kids with Low Self-Esteem

 in Featured and Guest  tagged Guest Post / outdoor play / parenting by

With a ‘Team Challenge’ obstacle course, orienteering, raft-building, bushcraft – even circus skills – kids have the opportunity to take Moss’s advice to heart by learning “how to safely take risks for themselves in a safe and secure environment.” The Kingswood website says kids “learn to work as a team, demonstrating support, tolerance and encouragement for others; time away from home encourages confidence and independence; key life skills development includes decision making, leadership, initiative and problem solving.”

Or you could look into Forest Schools, based on a Scandinavian concept that puts an emphasis on “child-led learning, based on small, achievable tasks.” The Green Learning Forest School in Cornwall states that its positive outdoor experiences “raise levels of self-esteem…develop skills in co-operation and listening, empathy and enthusiasm for learning.”

It’s difficult to see your child struggling with low self-esteem. If they’re not ready to clamber up the branches, maybe just finding a nice tree swing is a start.