October Half Term

So much for a quiet week, chilling out.
We have been to Wheelgate park for a Halloween treat, rides and play. Followed by bowling with Grandma Janet. James won. We have made halloween pumpkins. Visited Holly and Beth for a play. Been to Whisby nature walk and picnic with Marley and Col. Penny has been horse riding and James has been experimenting.
Busy busy.

Gluten Free, lactose Free, Chocolate brownies.

As chocolate brownies go these are one of the best recipies I've tried, normal and gluten free. These are my go to treat for Penny and I often pop one in my handbag for her if we are out and I think there won't be a sweet option for her.



100g Chocolate. I just a dark lactose free one.
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
50g Gluten Free Self Rasing Flour.

Melt 75g of the chocolate and leave to cool.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until it has double in volume and pale looking.
Fold the cooled chocolate into egg/sugar mix.
Sieve in flour and choco powder and fold in.
Put into a lined and greased tin.
Bake 180 for 20mins.

WOW. We got tickets for the Cbeebies Panto.

2 days ago I got an Email stating that we hadn't been unsuccessful in getting tickets of the Cbeeies panto production. Not really suprising as masses of families apply. This year was the first time we have entered the draw for ourselves, normally we enter on behalf of my sister and have no luck.
However, last night I get another Email saying we have won 5 tickets, yay go us.
The panto is at Leicester and is the Snow Queen, right up Penny's street. The only sticking point is what to do about Izzy. The show states that it is recommended for over 4s, due to mild peril. Also, it is a long day of hanging about. You have to queue to get a wristband because you are no guaranteed a seat in the theatre. Then you have to queue to get a seat as you are not issued with a seat number. No sure it will be a fun filled day for Iz.
So excited.

4 reason why I hate toy advent calenders.

I love, love LOVE the run up to Christmas. The lights, the sparkle, the gorgeous smells and being able to wear boots.

One thing I absolutely hate is the toy advent calender. The chocolates are bad enough. Last year we left it too late to get a dairy free advent calender for Penny (not made that mistake this year, one is already tucked away) so we improvised, using a paper picture one and giving her some Haibo every morning. Was this good enough, no, no and no. We had tears and tantrums until one morning I hid it until she sorted herself out. James on the other day lived and breathed for that tiny, chocolately goodie. Every morning instead of bursting in our room with kisses and a cuddle it was 'can I have my advent calender'. Grrrr

Which bring me to toy advent calenders and why I hate them.

1. It is just greed, greed, greed. I'm sure the same thing was said about chocolate one when they first cames out, but compare £1 chocolate to £20. It a huge different especially with three little darlings to buy for.

2. The toys are crap. The lego ones consists of a few brick that you have to guess ehat they vaguely look like. You know you will be sweeping them up with the wrapping paper come boxing day.

3. Once again, greed. My lot get enough stuff at Christmas. Yes, they get presents from Santa, Grannies, cousins and next door (they are super lucky). They also get parties, Santa trips, panto trips, Christmas days out.

4. They are everywhere, at some point my kids will twig (especially now James can read) what they are and ask for one. I will put my foot down.

I have also mentioned that the family advent calender won't happen this year as it is too much for three children. This is a fabric one, most of the time it contains things like, make gingerbread men or house, make reindeer food, make cards, decorate the tree, party games, visit to Santa. Stuff we do anyway, sometimes there maybe a lolly in there or a chocolate. We alternate it sometimes with the children. It worked last year but though it would be too much this year with three of them. James was disappointed and saud the best thing was making the gingerbread house. So looks like we are doing that again.
Beaver are doing a reverse advent calender, ever session we take a some food and near Christmas it gets given the food bank. I like this idea, except I keep forgetting yo take stuff in.

Gluten free, dairy free Apple blackberry crumble.

Penny tummy seems to be playing up. So we have tigthened up the gluten free diet to compensate for the few times she does have gluten at school. She is also lactose intolerant.
As James had picked a bag of apples at Stick Grandmas house, I spend time this afternoon making an apple and blackberry crumble.

I never have much success in crumbles where the crumble cooks on top of the fruit, so in my recipe you cook the crumble on a baking tray, it goes more biscuity than crumble.

Apple and blackberry crumble.

Crumble

120g gluten free plain flour
120g dairy free butter
60g brown sugar
60g caster sugar

Crumble the flour and butter until it looks like breadcrumbs (this can be tricky as I used dairy free marg and it was very soft, so some of it went into doughy lumps. Don't worry it will be fine). Mix in the sugars. Place on a baking tray and bake for 10mins at 180. Take out and break down the bigger lumps with a fork. Bake for a further 5mins or until brown.

Cup apples into slices, place in the pan with 5tbsp water, 1tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/2tsp nutmeg and 2tbsp lemon juice.
Cook gently until soft, add blackberrys.
Drain the liquid, place the fruit in a dish and add about 3tbsp of the liquid.
Put the crumble onto.
Place in the over for 20mins or until liquid is bubbling.
Serve.

I would freeze the crumble made up. You can freeze the cooked fruit. The crumble topping will keep for about a week in an air tight container.

PS the picture is only a small dish, only a few of us like it so I tend to make a small one for us and Stick Grandma, then make one up later in the week.

Our little girl is 2.

Happy birthday to our youngest, Izzy.

You are such a sweetie. Easy going, happy, contented little thing.
You coming running to me, when I've finished work with the biggest hug, smile and kiss.
If I go out of the door to a different room for 5mins, when I come back you great me like you have seen me in ages.
You play happily on your own and with your big brother and sister.
When we pick James and Penny up to school you run to them, like a slow mo love scene in a film, eending in a gigantic hug and kiss, especially from James.
You are into everything, drawers, climbing.
You copy Penny like a hero worshipper, you are very luck that most of the time Penny will play with you and is happy to drag you around with her.
I love listening to you and Penny talk in the mornings, even though you have limited speech, Penny seems to know exactly what you are saying and responds back, both chatting away.
You are starting to comft people when they are sad. You pass Dolly to Penny when she is upset and stroke people gently.
You can count up to 10 impressing everyone around you and say please and thank you.
You find new things fascinating, whether it is a spider, fly, leave, stone, broken car wheel or the bin. You say a soft "wow" and investigate.
You are my darling and I love you more than ever, I'm looking forward to watching you explore the world around you, growing and learning and finding your way.

Happy birthday.

Parents Evening (between the lines)

Parents evening tonight, all was good, no problem. Here are a few things that was said and I have read between the lines.

Penny

Takes her role as one of the older one very seriously and help run the class. (Bossy).

Has recently widened her friendship group. (Fallen out with her firend and has had to rethink who she plays with).

Her confidence had increased. (She has got louder).

James

Is eager to finish his work. (Rushes and can make mistakes).

Increase in confidence. (Louder).

Likes to share his ideas and always thinks he is right. (Thinks he is always right whatever anyone else says, even when proof is in front of him).

Thankfully these are only minor things and both children are doing well, settled in nicely and are happy. James is enjoying lessons and sharing his ideas and show enthusiasm. He reading is coming along nicely. Penny is bubbly, confident, she listens well and responds appropriately.  She is doing well with her phonics and numbers. 

Both John and I are very please and proud of both of them. They are doing brilliantly.

Wrinkly fingers

Izzy has just had her bath. Getting out she was very insisted that her toes hurt.
Had a look couldn't see anything. Then her Dinger (finger) hurts. Then the other finger. She kept looking at it saying it hurts and ow.
Finally I figured it out, she was distressed at the fact her fingers had gone winkly from the bath. She had just gone down to Daddy to show him her fingers.

Cornwall. A grown ups holiday.

Last week, I was able to escape for a few days away to Cornwall with Mum, Katie and Rod. Despite feeling incredibly guilty at leaving the kids, we had a really good few days away. Bit of worrying start as my car was playing up so we had to have a swap about. Mum and I drove to Katie Wednesday evening to break up the journey. We arrived by Thursday afternoon and  headed straight to the Eden Project to make the most of their free returns ticket. After a wonder round we headed to find the pub we were stopping at. It was tucked away in a quiet village down some pretty hairy one track roads. The apartment was lovely.
Rod had pre-booked a meal at Rick Stein seafood restaurant. The meal was lovely, super expensive, but so nice. It was somewhere I would never have gone to and absolute extravagant treat. Mum and I shared a huge seafood platter with razor clams, oysters, mussels, a whole lobster and crab, scallops and all sorts of yummy seafood.
The next day we visited the Lost Gardens of Heligan. I enjoyed here more than The Eden Project. The vegetable gardens were stunning and the talk with the garden was really interesting. We also visited Mevagissey on a search for rock for the kids. We had a look at the sea and a trip to the pub. That evening we eat at the Kings Arms where we were staying. I enjoyed the pie and mash there as much as the Rick Stein meal, it was lush.
A lazy morning, the next morning followed by more Eden project and that evening a Beer festival. I stuck to cider, mango begining one of the nicest. As we couldn't get a taxi back to the pub we decided to brave the rain, dark and incredibly narrow road and walk back. We ventured of track down a brideway, squeching through mud, puddles and goodness knows what else. Thankfully, the landlady of the pub happened to drive past and offered us a lift.
Another lazy morning, mainly due hangovers, followed by packing up ready to go home. We had a bit of lunch at a pub near Bath and headed home. Had a really nice time.

DIY painting nightmare. (Don't buy Homebase Home of colour paint)

Our house is painted Almond white throughout, it has been since we moved in 5 years age. However, in each room there is a child height dark smears, sticky hand prints and marks where battering toys on the wall is a fun activity. Time for a freshen up and a change of colour.
As I'm pretty ropey at DIY I thought I would start in the bathroom, which contains a green bath suit, so it need all the help it can get. I decided not to venture to far from the Almond white so headed to grey. I thought I could bling it up with a glitter mirror and yellow accessories. I picked Homebases, home of colour paint in Dove grey, thinking it was a bit cheaper, how different could paint be?
From there it starts to go down hill.
The colour instead of a slight grey is quite dark making the small room look even smaller. The paint is absolutely crap, crapity, crap crap. When it is painted on instead of staying on the walls it moves around and comes off. I started sing a brush because there are lots of nooks and cranies but changed to a roller. The rollor was a slight improvment but I ended up with more on me than the walls. Changed to a paint pad which is better but the paint just seems to not want to stick or dry. The edges and corners which I did with a brush are completely a different shade compared to the rest of the walls. Considering I'm going over Almond white paint I thought it woukd only take 2 coats, I'm currently on my third and I can still see white peeking through. It is driving me up the walls.

Lesson learnt, don't buy cheap paint. Especially, Homebase, Home of colour.

Idiot child.

I think the youngest maybe a bit of a special Ed. She is currently going through phase of shoving stuff up her nose. Today it was sweetcorn, it had me in a panic before John  managed to get her to blow it out. Despite being told no she is still going at it.
They other two didn't do this. I'm having to check her nose most days as I think she has stuffed something up there. Peas and sweetcorn are also off the menu for a while until she stops.