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Showing posts from 2019

Making the Most of you Merlin Pass During Winter

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If yo u think just because some of the theme parks have closed down for the winter that you can't have fun with your Merlin Pass then boy are you wrong! With the four major theme parks closed it actually gives you a great opportunity to make the most of your pass by visiting other Merlin attractions. If like me you live in London or close by then there are an abundance of attractions to visit during off-peak season and what’s more if you want to visit attractions that may require a stopover hotels and B&Bs are generally a bit cheaper this time of the year so it’s a win-win situation. Along the Southbank there are 4 indoor attractions alone to visit. All within a few metres of each other. There is the SEA LIFE Centre London Aquarium , Shrek’s Adventure , The London Dungeons and London Eye and 4D experience. Shrek's Adventure, SEA LIFE and the London Eye make for a great family day out in London and with Madame Tussaud’s just a short bus ride away y

Weekly Meal Planner 04/11/19

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Monday Spaghetti bolognese with garlic bread Tuesday Cajun chicken thigh fillet burgers, sweet potato fries and corn on the cob Wednesday Special fried rice and vegetable spring rolls Thursday Beef bourguignon Friday Lamb chops, cous cous and roasted veg Saturday Out for dinner Sunday Pork roast dinner Once again I'm joining in with Katy Kickers meal planning linky so if you're stumped for ideas head on over for some more inspiration. Emma xoxo

The 25 Days of Elfmas - Elf on the Shelf Ideas

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Every single year without fail between 1st and 25th December I get all comfy in bed and the BAM it hits me, I've forgotten to move the flipping elves! This year I'm getting organised to avoid having the leave my warm comfy bed by planning 'Elfmas' day by day. If you're stuck for ideas or want to get on top of it too then take a look at my '25 Days of Elfmas' calendar.  Follow me over on Instagram for daily pictures, more ideas and inspiration. The 25 Days of Elfmas Dec 1 st – Elves arrive through letterbox with advent calendars Dec 2 nd – Plant magic green seeds Dec 3 rd – Seeds grow into candy canes Dec 4 th – Red dots on noses on pictures Dec 5 th – Draws on all the eggs Dec 6 th – Bowling in the hallway Dec 7 th – Invite to see Santa Dec 8 th – Christmas crumpets decorate a cookie Dec 9 th – Knicker and bra hammocks on tree Dec 10 th – Elves zip lining Dec 11 th – Bad elf tapes good elf to the toilet lid Dec

A Quick Life Update

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So it's October which means we are in our final quarter of not just this year but this DECADE! I thought I'd take this opportunity to look back on the year so far and see what has been going well, what hasn't been and how much we have managed to tick off of our 2019 Bucket List . 2019 Bucket List Family             Couple           Children         Personal         Home Picnic on the beach  ~  Christmas Break  ~  City Break  ~  Spa Break Theatre   ~  Pedicure   ~  Visit Boxhill  ~  New Forest Short Break Replace mattresses   ~  New Dinner Set  ~  Go Fishing Loose at Least 2 Stone  ~  Send a message in a bottle  ~  Save More Visit a trampoline park   ~  Alton Towers Break  ~  Visit a Waterpark Have a Water Balloon/Gun Fight   ~  Take More Pics   ~  Visit a New City Visit Virginia Water  ~  Replace Wardrobes   ~  New Sofa  ~  Read More Go on Holiday   ~  Go to Peppa Pig World  ~  Go for a Couples Massage Go on a Steam Train  ~  Hot Air Balloon

Weekly Meal Planner 07/10/19

Monday  Beef bourguignon with mashed potato and green beans Tuesday Chicken and 'rainbow' rice Wednesday Meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce, spaghetti and doughballs Thursday Chicken kebabs, salad and cous cous Friday Cajun spiced chicken thigh burgers, hassle back new potatoes and corn on the cob Saturday Breakfast dinner Sunday Curried mutton, rice and peas, plantain and salad What's on your menu this week? Emma xoxo

Dealing With Dementia

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The last couple of years our life has been affected by dementia. We have had to watch members of our family become almost strangers all because of one of the most horrible diseases out there. It is absolutely heartbreaking watching those that you love the most become people that you barely recognise. The not remembering people and places and watching them confused and vulnerable has broken me more times that I care to remember but I refuse to let this horrid disease ruin whatever time I have left with them so I've armed myself with knowledge and am doing what I can to help myself, family and you understand life with dementia. So what is dementia? Dementia is actually an umbrella term used to describe a number of progressive neurological disorders that affect the brain. There are astonishingly over 200 subtypes of dementia with the 5 most common being Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, dementia with Lewy bodies, frontotemporal dementia and mixed dementia. What caus

Weekly Meal Plan 23/09/19

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Monday Spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread Tuesday Fish fingers, chips and beans Wednesday Chicken biriyani, onion bhajis and samosas Thursday Toad in the hole, roast potatoes and veg Friday KFC rice box fakeaway Saturday At a party Sunday Beef stew and dumplings If you want more meal ideas and recipes then head on over to the lovely Katy Kicker's blog where I have linked this meal plan up with her meal planning linky.  What's on your menu this week? Emma xoxo

Helping Your Child Through their SATS

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Like many parents of year 6 children up and down the country, not only will I bedoing the rounds and visiting schools to decide which ones we'll put on our secondary applications we also will be preparing our son for his SATS. As parents we know our children better than anyone and despite reassuring them and telling them just to do their best we also know that their smiles can hide a million worries. This will be my third time going through this and here are some tips I've picked up along the way. Talk about them as early as possible Start talking to your child about them as soon as possible. They'll be talking about it in school anyway so this way you find out what your child may feel stressed or unsure about or where they are struggling Ease any anxieties If you pick up that your child is anxious about the upcoming SATs then try to find out what is making them feel like that. Is there a specific aspect of the tests or just the tests in general and work on st

Weekly Meal Plan 09/09/19

On our menu this week is Monday Pork chops, roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and vegetables Tuesday Stew and dumplings Wednesday Meatballs and spaghetti Thursday Spicy chicken, rice and corn on the cob Friday Steak, chips and mushrooms Saturday Pizza and garlic bread Sunday   At a friends for lunch What are your favourite or go to meals? Emma xoxo

Weekly Meal Plan 02/09/19

Monday Pasta in a spicy tomato sauce Tuesday Old school fish fingers, chips and beans  Wednesday Chicken and mushroom curry with rice, salad and naan bread Thursday Sausage, mash and onion gravy Friday Breakfast dinner Saturdays At parties all day Sunday Stewed beef, curry mutton, rice and peas, plantain, macaroni pie and salad What's on your menu this week? Emma xoxo

The Miracle Morning

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One of my goals for this year was to get back into reading . I've always loved reading but over the last few years(that should read decade) I had slowly but surely got out of the habit of reading. In January I chose a few books from one of our local libraries and one of them was called The Miracle Morning. I posted on Instagram that I would e giving it a go and had quite a few messages from people saying that they had heard of The Miracle Morning and could I let them now how I found it. So here it is... I know it's now August but it's definitely not a book that you read once and then implement and I also wanted to be honest about the book and process which I knew wouldn't be possible after trying it for just a few weeks.                                              The book is designed to help people build simple habits that will go on to create positive changes in life. Many experts have hailed it as a life changing read saying that it "contains the build

Weekly Meal Plan 26/08/19

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Monday We are at Notting Hill Carnival Tuesday Out for the day Wednesday Spaghetti Bolognese and garlic bread Thursday Jacket potatoes with various fillings Friday Vegetable curry and rice Saturday Picnic at the farm Sunday Sunday roast What’s on your menu this week? Emma xoxo

Chicken Arrabbiata Recipe

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One of my favourite dishes at an Italian restaurant is Chicken Arrabbiata. A basic dish that tastes yummy and whilst I haven't perfected it this recipe comes a pretty close second. You will need Serves 4 400g chicken breasts 400g penne pasta 2 cartons of passata 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 onion finely chopped 1 chilli deseeded and finely chopped (you can leave the seeds in if you're feeling brave) Pinch of salt Pinch of pepper 4 tbs olive oil Parsley chopped Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat Dice the chicken breasts, season with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook for 5 mins or until the chicken is cooked. Chop the garlic, onion and chilli and add to the pan. Fry for another minute, stirring everything together. Pour the passata in as well as the chopped parsley, stir well and simmer gently uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. In the meanwhile cook the pasta following the instructions on the packet. Once cooked, d

Weekly Meal Plan 19/08/19

Monday Pork chops, roast potatoes and vegetables Tuesday Chilli con carne and rice Wednesday   Spicy chicken arrabbbiate Thursday Homemade wrap pizzas Friday Beef nachos Saturday and Sunday Away for the weekend What's on your menu this week? Emma xoxo

Dinosaur World Live

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On Thursday 14th August we headed to the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre to watch Dinosaur World Live .  For the last few years families have had to opportunity to get their hands on free theatre tickets for their children for some great shows so we took advantage of that and got our tickets. The show was held in the brand new Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre located in the heart of Wembley Park and just a few minutes walk from the station. We were greeted at the entrance by some really fun and friendly members of staff who showed us to the box office to collect our tickets. The equally lovely staff at the box office gave us our tickets along with a nice surprise of free seat upgrades. The foyer was styled in a very urban and cool way with a dinosaur egg and foliage in the centre which makes for a great photo opportunity. The concession stand had loads of dinosaur related merchandise and programmes available to buy opposite a very well stocked bar serving hot and cold drinks.