My flags aren't out

Unless you've been hiding under a rock you will know that its the Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend (from Saturday). Which to be honest makes me cross. We normally have two bank holidays in May (one at the start and one at the end) and just because old Queenie has been ruling the country for the last 60 years, we get another one!

If you've gathered I'm not a royalist. I don't see the point in the royal family and didn't join with the wedding fever last year. In fact, we took the kids to the zoo instead! I guess its a family thing, something we were never bought up to believe in. The first year I ever saw the Queens' Speech at Christmas at my in laws as it was something that we never watched at home. I don't see the point of them (all of them now) and only thing I can see their good for is for tourists. I once got a bus to London and went "oh look Buckingham palace anyone got a match!"

Friends in work have said that I shouldn't take the extra bank holiday as I feel this way but I'm taking it because its half term and will be the only extra day I can take off with the kids.

Neb's mum has told him that we must do something for the kids as its their heritage. I broached the subject with them tonight and both Car and Bel wanted to have a family adventure.

I don't hate all you royalists out there but think of the money that has been spent to have parties when we are at the bottom of a recession hole. It also annoys me that a story in our local paper noted that the road out of our cul-de-sac will be closed due to the Jubilee street party. Something that no one on our street knew about! I may make Neb park the car somewhere else on Sunday night!

To all of you folk having parties, I do wish you all the fun but I will be out walking in the wild with my family.

BNM

Summer has landed..

Ok so before I actually get down to this post you need to know that I actually wrote it on my notepad last Friday while sat in the pub beer garden with my two girls waiting for Neb to finish his work for the day. Before, you all cheer and wave your hands in the air he's just helping a friend out who'se a florist with deliveries while one of her regular employers is off ill. Anyway, there I was and actually I manged to write a blog post, without a pc and haven't had a chance to write it up until now!

Free images from FreeDigitalPhotos.net


With many places hitting temperatures in the late 20's today, and bikini clad girls hitting the street are we wrong to think that summer has hit the UK early. Or, maybe this is it!
I, for one hope it continues. Even if most of my time, in work, has been spent between melting in the heat and having the fan on. Continuous use of the fan is not an option when your desk is covered in piles a mess of paper. If the heat carries on through the summer, you may see even me starting a new fashion trend and wearing a bikini to work. Obviously, this trend will be fine as long as the male staff members do not decide to wear a mankini.

And with the summer comes the nights of freedom. Sitting in the local pub's beer garden, with sounds of 12...15...20..coming ready or not squealing out of the mouths of the darling girls (or even Mummy she won't play with me and Can I have some more crips!), the husband by my side asking me if I want another pint and friends all around. Now that sounds like bliss. Why is it I have to work again?

BNM

Obviously it is now not sunny and we are due for a cloud covering tomorrow. But, hey, I can but dream!

 

Meal Plan (with food ) 29th May 2012

After my non existent meal plan last week, I decided we better eat some planned meals this week *
Anyway I know its Tuesday but yesterday was too hot too even contemplate meal planning so we had Fish n Chips instead!

So this week:

Tue: Cauli Pots/ Jacket Potatoes  (Caulipots are a recipe from  What's for Dinner cookbook basically cauliflower cheese in Spuds!

Wednesday: Quick Rub Lamb Chops, Salad, Rice/Cous Cous (again from the What's for Dinner book)

Thursday: Fish again and smthg

Friday: Italian Crispy Stuffed Chicken (again from that book!)

Saturday : Chinese - a new thing for the kids but after discovering that they loved soy sauce we thought we'd get a takeout and try it!

Sunday: Roast something

No pasta at all this week which is a big change for us, but looking forward to try new recipes!

* we did eat though, I promise I didn't starve the kids

Linking in with Mrs M (as usual) and looking forward to reading all the other menus on offer!

Why the sun shouldn't be shining!

This week , so far the sun has been shining.

The kids have been to school and played with friends, work has been slow ( not very busy at the moment) and life goes on. We've managed to eat well and even though I hadn't meal planned anything we've actually done well. Pork kebabs last night, Gnocchi tonight and shopping tomorrow!

In other news, my friend's mum has died. You might have read that I sent her a hug here. Well, less than a month since that long phone call she is gone. I've spoken to my little hobgoblin and she is devastated. I want so much to be there for her especially with the funeral on Friday but  I know that it needs to be family time now. I've picked out some flowers that I'm putting in the post for her tomorrow and hope to catch her soon and hug her tight.

So sun,  even as many Brits are probably excited that you are here, remember that for some even your bright rays will not stop the tears.
 

BNM

Meal Plan- well kind of

This is not going to be a long post because well I have nae  a clue - said in my best Scottish accent (which probably sounds awfu1!)

Monday - Home Made Burgers

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - NO IDEA, AT ALL WHATSOEVER.

We're in a rut and even though I bought my spanking new cookbook I don't know what to cook the kids!

Saturday - again not really an idea, hopefully the weather will be fine as we're planning on taking the kids to an Open Day at the local Fire Station!

Sunday - well the torch is coming to town, so again something simple (may even go for chips!)

I'm going to link this non inspired mess to Mrs M so you can laugh at me! And then, tonight I may sit there and make a better one!

BNM

CD Mania

Image taken from Flickr

Does this look like your house. It sure looks like part of the huge CD collection we've got in our house!

In the age of the IPod and other music players is the CD becoming extinct?. What do you do with them when you've uploaded them all onto your hard drive. When the pile you've got is so big that it reaches the ceiling.

Well you could get crafty with the Cd's. You could use them as frames for pictures of the kids*:

*not a picture of my monsters but maybe one of yours?

You could cut them up and use them in necklaces , Car loves shiny things at the moment especially when they catch the light so using a CD would be a great idea. If you cook a CD it can turn into an emerald green colour and I think that would look lovely as a necklace.

CD's are also great to use as making Christmas Decorations:

And my grandma used to put CD's in her garden to ward off cats. Apparently it stopped them weeing on her plants!

But, you could also make money from your old CD's and sell unwanted dvds. It seems that its only my youngest daughter who is a magpie for shiny things. Over at the Music Magpie you can turn old games, old CD's and old DVDs (as long as they are in their original cases and  have all their original artwork) into money. With musicMagpie you could get money for you or for your chosen charity.

As well as helping a charity, you could also raise money for your school through using the Music Magpie. What a fun way to raise money, and maybe embarrass your kids with your dodgy taste in music.

In the frugal times ahead, why not have a good sort out, time to get rid of those duplicates between yours and his and get some spending money out of it. Watch out Music Magpie, I'm going hunting!

BNM

This is a sponsored post

Digital Record

Its funny in this day and age how we've all got a footprint in the world - an electronic footprint.

I mean if you google my real name - all the hits are me. The first one I get is my work me, then there's the google + me and then Facebook. Its scary.

Then of course we all have our photos- digital and not which are a record of my life. You may also have a recording of yourself from a radio /television programme.

So, imagine the shock I had last night while watching a tv programme to see my mum. In the flesh. On tv. I was stunned into silence and then the tears came.

Neb said I should be happy that I have memories like this of her to see and watch and that he knew he wouldn't see his mum on tv when she died. At the time, I didn't get it - I was numb and muted.

But this morning, in the clear light of day I watched it again. I even showed the girls. Their Mamgu (grandmother) on tv. The lady they had never met, the woman who never knew what her daughter had grown into and the granddaughters she has.

And now, through the power of the media, they could meet her.

BNM

Some words for Saturday

So, its Saturday and there are many things I should be doing:

I should be tidying the house, the kids are out, the husband is doing some work and ... well I'm sat here on blogger but contemplating doing something (honestly)

I should be making bread - we are on a frugal week - but last time my bread was a disaster! I have the book open ready (girls have even commented that the book is ready mummy!) and I've only managed to make breakfast, some biscuits and lunch!

But you know what, its Saturday, the kids are outside playing and having fun, the husband is out and I get to have my pic of whats on telly, my turn on the laptop and my time to see what you are all doing.

I guess it doesn't matter that the floor is barely visible through the kids drawings, and that my laundry pile is escaping from its confines of the sofa in the dining room.

Hope your also enjoying your day.

BNM


And just to lighten up your day, a song from the 90s which was in a great film that I saw on telly recently, the film was Freedom Writers and the song:

Frugal Family fun 2 - the park

Going to the park is always fun and my kids love it.

And the great thing about going to the park is that its free. There is always parks for kids to play at- wherever you are. My kids love going to the park and the one near my old workplace (by the sea) is always a favourite - especailly as the park has had a renovation and has now a pirate ship as part of the play area.

When we are on holiday, we always have to find the nearby park - anything to get rid of energy levels.

Sometimes, we meet friends at the park and have a picnic, always fun and a cheap day out too.

BNM

I'm STAARVING

My kids drive me mad

As soon as I get into the car when Neb picks me up from work there is a line that I am bound to hear. "I'm hungry" one says and then the other will start with "I'm starving".

This got on my nerves so much on Sunday that I showed them the ad with proper starving children in. The one that shows children with arms so thin and ribs showing. Yes, I shocked them - I made them watch a Save the Children Ad. I scared them into shutting up. For about 30 minutes, then it started again!

I don't know what to do.

They are clearly not starving. They get fed nutritious food with snacks thrown in! So what the hell is wrong with them!

Please tell me its not just my kids, otherwise I will be sending all my food to the children who deserve it from now on!

BNM

Meal Planning Monday - 14th May

Well, its actually a Monday and I've kinda got this done (am sat at work looking for an important piece of paper!)

Last weeks meals went great, Bel loved the stir fry on Monday and the sticky sausages also went down a treat (with everyone giving a score of 7-9/10 apart from Car (I think the marmalade may be a bit strong - a friend does hers with mango chutney so may have to change to that next time). The Roast we ended up having yesterday was roast pork tenderloin (in herbs, lemon juice and breadcrumbs) and it was so tasty that I have no leftovers tonight!

So onto this week's

Monday - a no idea day (it was meant to be leftovers -ooops!)
Tuesday - Chicken wrapped in bacon, Carrots and Cheesy Mash
Wednesday - Fish, Chips and Mushy Peas (freezer job!)
Thursday - Pasta and something
Friday - Bacon,Sausage, Egg, Beans or Frinner as I've heard it call (fry up for dinner)
Saturday - Meatballs and Spaghetti
Sunday - may be pork again, I have some chops in the freezer!

Simple week this week with no surprises, going to try something else from the cook book soon.

We also have coconut rock cakes ( a different recipe to this one and it works!), scones (which were a bit soggy bottomed ) and fairy cakes as treats this week. I had a mad baking session last night and am happy with them all apart from the scones!

Linking up as ever with Mrs M's meal planners

BNM

Digital Disaster

Remember back when the millennium was threatening to be the day that all computers died. (that may have just been a weird dream).

Well, now 12 years later it seems that the millennium bug has hit the BNM household.

Firstly our digital alarm clock (which is plugged in to the wall) seems to have devils working its innermost noncogs. It decided that it would randomly change the time and after waking up 4 hours early thanks to its imps we have banned the alarm from our bedroom and now rely on mobiles instead.

The other digital clocks in the house, also seem to be joining in - we have the video clock (yes we still have a video player in the house)  gains time and is currently about 8-10 minutes fast. Not only that but it seems that the microwave has joined in!

Now, another one of our daily devices seems to have the gremlins in it! Our SKY remote, the one thing that keeps us sane on a weeknight (after kids have gone to bed) is also playing it up. We think that a new one may be needed because if we have to reset it one more time then I'm going to throw it out of the window!

The laptop needs a new battery, and it seems that we're just waiting for the next imp to strike!

BNM

Do you poo in public?

Obviously, I don't mean on the streets - that would be wrong and you'd possibly get arrested!

No, what I mean is when out and about, or in work do you use the loo and poo? (ooh that rhymed)

Image: aopsan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


It seems (in my experience of talking to Neb and M (our old next door neighbour) that some people can't faceate (I think its a word) in a public place. Neb has been known not even to poo in the houses of friends but will wait until home and do it then! M told me of a time when she had to drive home because the need was so bad when she was out and about!

I on the other hand am not fussed where I go, as long as there is a toilet I am there.

So, are you a private pooer or a public pooer?

BNM

(Yes, I know random post but sometimes the conversation that happen in my brain with myself need to escape- very busy in work so apologies for random blogging !)

 

Mealplanning Tuesday

So its not a Monday because the bank holiday has confused us all! Everyone cept Car who has decided that school, is no longer great. She is very happy that there isn't a Monday because it means there is less days in school.

Anyway, last weeks meal planner went well with Saturday becoming takeaway as we all deserved it after walking a circular route of 3 miles (including some uphill bits!). Sunday was a freezer day as we went out for the day so yesterday we had our Roast.

This week, we have old favourites sprinkled with some new stuff. I bough a cook book last week so am testing out some of the family meals on the kids. (last week was Italian chicken bake which was delicious and enjoyed by all)

Tuesday - Leftover Chicken, either as Stir Fry/ Mash and Chicken
Wednesday - Sticky Sausages ( a new recipe), Rice and Sweetcorn
Thursday - Fish Bites and Chips ( trying a new fish that I bought for 75p in the supermarket- its Pouting, which after checking up on it is a cousin to cod!)
Friday -Pasta with some kind of sauce
Saturday - Burgers and Wedges
Sunday - Roast

The new cook book I have bought is this one:

and so far all of the meals have been a hit. There are some dishes which I know we will not be trying but we are having a go at new things.

Hope to buy maybe another cook book next month (don't tell Neb) so if you have any favourite family cook books please let me know.

Linking up as ever with Mrs M

BNM

Stampede

(honestly my blog titles are getting worse!)

If your based in the UK you will have known that on Monday the price of a first class stamp went up to 60p. Outrage ensued. But I've decided that actually that is not a bad thing. I think well done them. And my reasons:

Well see this:

This the penny black came out in 1840. It cost 1p to send your post.

And now 172 years later it will cost you 60p to send a letter. Not bad really, seeing as we now have better transport networks etc.

But what has stood out for me today (and really the whole point of this post) is that it cost £1.25 to send a letter to America. I am shocked - I thought it would be loads more!*

So cut the Royal Mail some slack, they are still doing a good job

BNM

* I've no idea how long it will take to actually get there - its for Neb's cousins wedding which is tomorrow (its not going to get there for that!)

Bugger it

Tonight this is not a good post.

This is a woe is me and why does this have to happen post.

Last Friday, I rang a friend who I hadn't spoken to for ages, lets call her Bony.

I rang, she burst into tears. Never a good start to the conversation!

I asked her what the matter was, and she told me that she couldn't say. I bullied and cajoled it out of her and she told me not to cry but her mum has cancer. SHIT. We cried a bit together on the phone and then she apologised for telling me, apologised that it would bring up bad memories for me.

I was on the phone for over 3 hours (but 2 if Neb asks you!). We cried together, we laughed together (her mostly at me talking from the distance while weeing and pulling my trousers up and the time I said that I was civilised and that I was drinking my cider from a glass!)

I rang her again tonight, knowing that her mum had had a scan on Tuesday. The prognosis, still unknown apparently. They aren't sure if her mum has Liver Cancer or if its Breast cancer spread to the liver - what mum had.

I can feel my mum through her mum's reactions. I've been there, done that and not wearing the tshirt thank you very much. I can remember the stubbornness in my mother's voice as she recounts what her mum said.

I don't want her to go through this, to fear the unknown - of losing her mother. She said that her mum wasn't herself, wasn't her and I couldn't say anything but know.

I remember the feeling and its not one I want her to go through - but that is it, it will happen, you can't live with liver cancer it kills you. And it will kill Bony's mum and it will kill Bony. The crying and the tears will never stop and I don't want this to happen. If I could do anything to take it away, I would but I can't.

There have been friends before whose parents have suffered cancer, some have died but many have survived. I don't want this for her. My Bony, my friend suffering from grief, from over caring, from the "well its going to happen and I can do fuck all about it!".

I even in my tragedy of tears last Saturday, emailed Neb's mum and asked her to pray for her, to pray that the inevitable won't happen. Me, who is unsure about the whole there being a God thing.

As I said, this isn't a good post. So, I don't want hugs and loves, I just want it to go away. I don't know that even now, after so many years have passed whether I want to live it all again.
But I know I will, I'll be her rock, her hope, her cry buddy and I will survive it. Cancer, it may kill  but it can't take away your friendships.

BNM

A bit of culture

So, I thought I'd try and get a bit of 'culture' in the blog and develop your tastes so I'm joining in with the Listography this week (hosted not by Kate but by Actually Mummy  )

And the culture part, well its because its yoghurts this week!

Anyway here goes, here are the 5 that I/we eat on a regular basis in our work/home life:

SKI

I remember eating this as a kid and this is the one that me and Neb get for us on our shop. Unfortuantely my fridge is not big enough for the amount we could get through, so I have to buy 4 at a time!

PETITS FILOUS

The kids love this yoghurt and have been eating it since babies. I may be known to finish the odd pot (now and again, mother's duty and all that!)

LLAETH Y LLAN

This award winning yoghurt is made in North Wales and due to their facelift pot wise I cannot find a picture. Needless to say they are very yummy and one I love to have for breakfast, lunch, any time of day.


RACHEL'S ORGANIC

Did you know this is in my local town and I love it to bits. I'm very partial to all the yoghurts but love the rice pudding - I know its not a yoghurt but it is milk based.

GREEK YOGHURT

Sometimes, when I feel super healthy, this is what I have for breakfast. It doesn't matter who makes it, I will eat it. But only the plain stuff, I then like to add my own fruit to it!