Spring clean the clutter
The sun perhaps popped it head out from behind the clouds today, enough to make me see just how dirty my windows were!
Spring cleaning in the bedroom
The weather this time of the year is pretty changeable, but we tend to change over our winter duvets and clean and store them and replace them with our spring/summer weight ones.
What to look for in a family car
My boys are growing up and are now eight and nearly seven and what we need in a family car has changed dramatically since they were newborns. However, it is not always financially possibly to buy a new car at every stage of childhood, so I thought I would put together a guide to what to look for in a family car detailing what we needed and why at what age. At the moment I am lusting after a new Honda CRV, especially after being in a friends on Mothers day at Maxi’s football match!
Easter Baskets and Egg Free Peppermint Creams
Ingredients
225g icing sugar, sifted
115g Condensed Milk
peppermint extract
Food colouring
Dark Chocolate
Method
Gradually mix the icing sugar together with the condensed milk. We used the mixer for this on slow.
Add peppermint extract to taste and knead until smooth.
Dust a clean surface with icing sugar and roll out the mixture to 5mm thickness. Cut into shapes with small cutter (the boys chose hearts and bells).
Leave in a cool place to dry for two to three hours.
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.
3. Drizzle the peppermint creams with the melted chocolate
Allow to set.
This keeps refrigerated for up to three weeks.
MaxiMad Turns 8: Celebrating a Special Birthday Milestone
What can I say, this has been a weekend of celebrating cake eating, family, friends fun, scoring his first two goals and lots of love.
MaxiMad Turns 8: Celebrating a Special Birthday Milestone Read More »
Should you prepare for isa season?
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
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.
The Fatherhood Remix
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
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