Mrs Monkeyfeet

Wednesday, 13 May 2015

Chocolate Mug Cake

I'm so sorry, like really really sorry because this is the worst thing I've ever made! I don't mean it tastes bad, I mean OH MY DAYS it's so easy so quick and so good I sort of wish I hadn't discovered this recipe!

So a friend told me about these cakes they have 3 ingredients and cook in 2 minutes!

Ingredients

1 egg

5 dessert spoons icing sugar

1 dessert spoons cocoa powder

Put all the ingredients in a mug and whisk with a fork (until smooth

Microwave for 2 minutes ****

Pop it on a plate with a dollop of ice cream and eat!

***** Ok all microwaves are different so my micro cooked these in 98 seconds but yours may take longer, just keep an eye. When the mix rises and heads to the top of the mug it probably only needs another 15-20 seconds.

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Saturday, 9 May 2015

#Mummymakeover

It's been a little while since I posted about my Slimming World Journey. I've been on holiday so missed some weeks and then of course there was the post holiday recovery!

So here's a wee run down of April and May so far.

April 2nd I weighed in at a different class and was disappointed at only losing 1/2lb which I will admit started me in holiday mode a week early! But then something clicked and whilst on holiday I realised I wanted to be slim more than I wanted dessert with every meal of the day! Alas 10 days in Greece after a week off plan at home took their toll and my post holiday weight gain according to my scales at home (which normally match those at class) was a whopping 5lb!!!!

April 24th saw me head into class for my first official post holiday weigh in with trepidation, I'd tried hard since getting back but we'd had a night out the night before weigh in! I couldn't believe that I showed only a 1.5lb gain! That meant I'd lost 3.5lb since my home weigh in ! Over the Moon with joy I set off for a positive week.

May 1st - Weigh in today was a bit disappointing,

I was hoping to get 'back in the black' which would have needed a 2lb minimum loss and I lost 1.5lb. I know it's good and positive but mentally I had a bit of a kid huff and I've been on a bit of self destruct and have snarffed down 2 packets (bags) of fruit pastilles, several Curly Wurly's and a curry!

May 8th

After a week of self destruct I stepped on the scales with dread... And stepped of quite happy with a 1/2lb loss. It's not great but it's better than a gain!

So there are 37lb's left that I'd like to shed, and 12 weeks until August which is when I wanted to reach my target which means I would have to lose 3lb a week! Looking at this realistically I'm not hoping to maintain that sort of loss as historically I haven't , so.... If I can lose 1.5lb a week I should reach my goal by November! That information makes me grumpy it's such a long time away but I'm going to try to stay positive and keep just trundling on.

One massive positive of losing what I have do far is fitting into dresses I've not worn in ages, and borrowing a dress from a friend for a swanky party which is a size and brand I wouldn't have considered and it made me feel fab when I put it on..

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Thursday, 7 May 2015

Tilda and Tom Review and Giveaway

Tilda and Tom ltd is a lovely toy store started by a local mum after she discovered a gorgeous range of toys whilst holidaying in Europe, you can read all about the inspiration for her business here.

When Elizabeth asked if I'd like to review some of her toys I tried hard not to scream yes yes a million times yes at the top of my voice!

We were given a choice of take along play sets from company Oskar and Ellen. My lot chose this circus set which retails at £35.

The set is made from lovely squash able materials so it's super friendly for little hands and I must say my big two (6 and nearly 5 yrs old) really loved playing make believe with it and we had a good 40 minutes of bicker free play from all three of them while the practices and created a 'show' then tickets were allocated (I wonder where they get their theatre management skills from!!!) and we were treated to a big top event to rival any 'actual' performance you could see in real life!

The set comprises a Ring Master, a Clown, Some Gymnast/Acrobat type characters and some animals too, it's presented in a beautiful mesh bag and is easy to pack up and carry about.

In my opinion it's. Worth it's price tag because

A- it's not made of plastic (hoorah)

B- it's really hard wearing, so far part have been chewed, thrown, trampled, squashed and jammed under a chair and it's survived just great.

C- It's beautiful! I realise that's not a very tangible reason and is in fact subjective! But it's so nice and bright and not Disneyfied or babyish or PINK!

I love this range and although I not so secretly wanted the kids to choose this rocket set, my three are happy with their choice and love playing with it.

Tilda and Tom offer a wide range of toys in price ranges to suit most every pocket and the quality and design of their selection is much higher than most high street ranges. I already have a wish list which includes this magnetic world map from Jano

I'm so pleased to tell you that the gorgeous folk over there at Tilda and Tom have given us a £20 voucher to offer one of you lucky lot as a prize. Just fill out the rafflecopter form below and keep your fingers crossed.

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T&Cs

Voucher is non transferable and can not be exchanged for cash, purchases using the voucher come under the normal terms and conditions of Tilda and Tom ltd, winner is responsible for paying the difference in any costs of items over £20 and also responsible for the cost of shipping . Winners not accepting their prize within 7 days will be disqualified and a new winner drawn.

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Big Red Bath at Northern Stage

Today is one of those days I wish I had the courage to just say 'right were homeschooling' I've had a fab day with just Termite but I know my big kids would have loved to see this show.

Because today we went to one of my most favourite Theatres, Northern Stage (yes I'm a bit of a fan) to see. 'Big Red Bath'. A double treat for us as we also got to spend the afternoon with Sam from the very brilliant North East Family Fun (find out what she though of the show here.)

Here's what the brochure said about Big Red Bath

"It’s the end of a busy day and it is almost time for bed, and Ben and Bella are in the bath.

Splish! Splosh! Splash! Bubbles burst and bubbles rise and a frothy feast of animals jump right in to join in the fun. Come with us on a bubbly, barmy bath time adventure around the world and home again celebrating all things bath time.

Adapted from Julia Jarman’s popular children’s picture book, this quirky, vibrant and humorous tale for 2-5 year olds features music by We Were Evergreen, an alternative indie-electro-pop trio who bring a blend of folk melodies, electro beats and vocal harmonies.

Big Red Bath is an exciting collaboration between Full House Theatre and Half Moon that will appeal to families as it blends music, song and humorous character based performances in a unique new take on this well-loved book."

It sounded irresistible, especially as our Tetmite loves Bath time so we packed our snacks put on our best frock (termite not me, I'm firmly in my mummy uniform) and trundled off.

Sitting in the auditorium waiting for the show to start is always one of my favourite times, the children are so excited and eager and there's such a lovely buzz about Northern Stage.

The set was quite compact but brightly coloured and pleasant to look at. Then the lights went down (like really really dark) and suddenly the fun began!

Do you have any idea what goes on when Mum and Dad aren't in the bathroom? Ben and Bella's bath time is gate crashed in a sploshtastic fashion by a dog, a lion, a duck, a turtle, a hippo, a giraffe and a penguin!

The animals are created using either the bath time props, think sponges toilet seats etc, or by the actors in costumes which if you look carefull have some ingenious inclusion of bathroom essentials. Lions mane is a bunch of flannels, his ears are hair donuts, soap on a rope for a medallion and a bath lilly to finish off his tail!

The soundtrack is catchy (I'd actually love to get my hands on a copy) and had the audience jigging along, and not just the children! With a running time of 40 minutes it's pitchedperfectly for little people and the audience was kept engaged throughout. Our little people today were 3 and 1.5 and each seemed to enjoy it as much as the other. My absolute favourite was the Lion but Termite seemed to love watching the bath fly off into space and be showered with bubbles. We even managed a sneaky splash in the bath too.

This is a perfect show to bring your little people to, just the right mix of music, dance, storytelling and entertainment. You should definitely give it a shot if your kids are 6 or under.

When I got home and told the big kids that I'd been to see the Big Red Bath, they both excitedly told me that they know the story and then named all the animals! That's when I knew we should have played hooky and all gone together!

Big Red Bath runs until Saturday and if you are quick you may still get tickets (priced at £8.50 and £6.50 ) on the website or by calling box office on 0191 2305151 and if you want a sneaky peak check out this video.

Big Red Bath from Half Moon Theatre on Vimeo.

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Thankful Thursday Linky 7 May

Hello hello to all my regular linkee's and welcome along to any new friends, don't be shy we like new people! It was lovely to see some new faces last week, please do keep spreading the word for us.

This week I'm dedicating my Thankful Thursday to women! Those who fought for me, taught me and shaped me. It's also a little reminder to vote!

Thankful Thursday is my weekly linky for us all to share our silver linings, brags, boasts or just something that made us smile. Be it a picture, a word, a sentence or a great big essay lets share what we are thankful for this week. It can be a new post just for this linky, a picture, a video, one word or a thousand this linky is all about thankfulness so whatever has made you grateful this week I would love to know.If you would like to link up I would love for you to grab the badge below and spread a little linky love to some of the others taking part, by commenting on their posts and don't forget to spread the word, invite lots of people and help me grow this linky and make Thursdays a happier place.

Please add the badge below to your post

Comment on the other link ups, at least the one before yours but more if you wish.

Tweet a link to your post to @monkeyfeettweet using #thankfulthursday and I shall retweet it for you

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Wednesday, 6 May 2015

Voting Is A Feminist Issue, and So Much More

It was hard to see while I was growing up that my Nana was a bit of a feminist trailblazer. Probably because I was so wrapped up in what nail varnish I should wear to The Green on Saturday, as is the want of many teenage girls! But ittle old Nana who cooked and ate scones and just generally pottered, well she was a bit of a warrior!

Let me share some of the stories she told me.

She remembers women not being allowed into certain areas of Public Houses and remembers not being allowed in at all until she was 21, unlike Men. She had it worse than most as our Great Grandfather, her Father was a Publican and so had every local publican on warning that she wasn't to be served. That was until she was married and then it was acceptable to enter a Public House but only with her husband!

She was widowed and lost a daughter in the same day ,this happened while she was also pregnant aged 40 at the time (considered positively ancient in those days). But she didn't cow tow to societal pressure and simply find someone 'willing' to wed her and take care of her, no no she fought to bring up 3 children alone and do it well.

She helped run a pub (not very common for widowed mum of 3 in those days) and she worked hard for many years, then when they forced her to retire because women' had to' when they reached 'a certain age' , did she bow out like a good little housewife? No she ruddy well didn't she sued the brewery and won! She didn't get her job back which is what she wanted but she stood her ground and made a point! She stood up to be counted and she was part of a movement that changed the way our country treated its working women.

Me and Nana

My Nana ROCKED! She rocked at being a Nana, a Mum and a flipping fabulous friend! I miss her so much and even writing this make me cry even though she passed 13 years ago.

But my Nana helped raise me and she helped shape my views without me even realizing it, and one thing she taught me was that it is my duty to vote, it is a privilege and an honour. As cliche as it is 'Women Died for you to be able to vote' was a sentence I heard more than once. A sentence that we are best to remember, as I said last year in a similar thread. It wasn't just women throwing themselves in front of horses, the suffragettes gave up their lives to campaign and march and fight. they were imprisoned, force fed, degraded and ridiculed and they continued their fight so that tomorrow I and women across the UK can stroll into a polling station/tap a few keys on a computer/send a letter and shape the way OUR country is run.

Let's remember too, that there are countries where people aren't allowed to vote because of their gender, religion, education. Places where people don't have a choice.

So this week my #ThankfulThursday is dedicated to all the amazing women in this world who make a difference everyday, to the Mums who stay at home, the Mums who go to work, to Sisters and Friends and Aunties and Nanas to every female who does what she can for those she loves and more beyond. Don't waste the significance of your vote today, stand up and be counted.

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Monday, 4 May 2015

Dry Like Me book Review and Giveaway

Hands up I will admit I sort of think I have this potty training down to a fine art, I mean both my kids took to it quite well, we haven't had any major trauma or lasting effects and we all survived!

So when Dry Like Me asked if I'd like to review their potty training book I didn't think I would gain much from it, I did think it would be nice to have a little refresher though and something for Termite and I to read together. (Poor girl gets nowt new being the third, she's queen of pre-loved)

Hands up again! I actually learned some tips i had never thought about before, for example in preparation for starting, change all nappies in the bathroom. That way there's an association between toileting and the TOILET! This has never occurred to me I change bums on my knee!

The book has 5 sections,

Preparing

Signs of readiness

Going for it

Keeping going

Night Time

There are also check lists, certificates and stickers to use as rewards

Overall I love this book the tips are hand the story is nice and the stickers are cool. The illustrations are very child friendly and its bright and colourful. Dry like me offer some great additional products to help you along the potty training path and because they are so lush they are offering one of you lucky lot the chance to win this starter pack worth £24. Just fill in the rafflecopter form below