My Real Fairy – Lifestyle blog….. Tales of our family…Book & product reviews, competitions and giveaways, poems, arts & crafts and hints & tips. A bit of everything!
When I was a young girl and staying with my nan on the weekends she would often bake with me. I remember the feel of the oversized apron tied around my waist, folded in the middle so that it wouldn’t trip me up.
One of the staple things we would bake together was scones; plain, fruit or cheese, all these would be made with her big hands over my little ones.
So, when I was looking for a tasty bake to make with my boys then cheese scones were a favourite choice.
The recipe and method are straightforward and ideas for moulding together quickly for a warm and wholesome savory treat.
Perfect Pineapple Cake Recipe for lockdown in easy picture guide steps…..
This is moist, sweet and a delight to the taste buds. My Step by step picture guide makes it super easy to make. You can also Jump to Recipe
I love a good cake and my family loves baking day too! Who doesn’t love the smell of baking coming from the kitchen and knowing that soon there will be the delicious offerings available to taste.
This cake is made very moist by the addition of the syrup from the canned pineapple. You can use fresh pineapple of course, just make sure if you do that you rescue every bit of juice that you create so that you can add it.
“Come down for tea” I hollar cheerfully up the stairs….. a minute or so goes by….
“boys, come on my darlings, it’s on the table….” more time passes and not a peep can be heard.
It’s now on the table and I’m getting a bit irritated….”Boys!!”
I’m starting to boil now…. “Right I’m going to count to 3!”
Eventually they appear, not in the least bit aware of the effect of my shouting up the stairs. I’ve now got to get myself out of the self induced strop that I’m in because day after day my voice is just not having the effect I think it should. My little boys are getting into a world of their own and that world is inhabited by the likes of YouTube stars and watching people carry out the silliest of pranks on shows they and their friends find online.
Now, I love to blog, my youngest loves to vlog for my blog and I have brought them the gadgets to watch this stuff on so really the blame lands firmly with me, I realise that but it’s all starting to get on my wick a bit.
Me and the OH do chat about the gadgets in our house and the boys use of them. We are pretty good in a few areas, we don’t have any devices at the meal table, homework is done straight away and they both do classes after school. It’s still amazes me though how they can get so into the zone watching these things on YouTube. I push for things like newsround and adventure shows to throw in a bit of knowledge based learning but even Steve Backshaw has a bit of competition with the YouTube elite of Spencer et al.
Looking at the stats you can find for facebook, snapchat, instagram and all the other little cousins of the social media world you can see the millions of daily users and how year on year these are increasing to meet the demand of our younger generation hopping onto this online juggernaut. Even their games such as Fortnite can have them chatting for hours.
I find myself dreaming of giving it all up and living on a farm away from the bustle of modern life. I see the huge pitfalls too of making this leap; money, contacts, work, school to name but a few of the basics. It’s still so tempting!
But is it?
I was watching a film the other night about a family shunning the modern way of living and relying more on natural skills and intellectual educational learning and I kept thinking the same thing; there was something missing. The more I thought about it the easier it was to see, the missing link was ‘balance‘.
Technology can have so many great benefits to us and our family life, we can instantly communicate with friends and relatives on the other side of the world and keep our links with these people alive and current. They can help with homework and general knowledge. On the other hand are our children’s social skills being permanently adversely affected? Are we protecting their well-being by letting them be in their rooms on social media apps that distort their communication methods into abbreviated text junk?
So, back to my thoughts about balance and what can I do to instil some balance in the way that we live our lives. We can take a moment to stop and think what we are filling our days with. We can discuss together whether this is the direction we want to continue in. Do we need to get back to basics. Not one of those political slogans but something that is right for our own families. Sitting and talking as a family, eating together at least once a day, spending time without phones, iPads or any form of devise. I’m willing to give this a go and put my other solution of wellington boots and the countryside to one side at the moment. I want us to connect.
Has technology affected the way that you and your family communicate with each other and have you seen this trend slowly change or were there certain triggers? Can they be a valuable aid for educational learning?
It’s that time of year again to go wild with the face paint and walk the streets in search of sweets and mischief. One of the best traditions in our house has been the halloween pumpkin carving. This is totally the domain of my OH. I’m so proud of him I couldn’t resist the urge to showcase our previous years offerings. We are set to try and beat these beauties this year but we haven’t even bought the pumpkins yet! Everything has been so busy and even though I have seen them in the shops they are yet to make their way to our house. Stay tuned and they will be on show soon! So, back to last years carvings.
The evening started with the humble pumpkin…
A couple of years ago we brought a pack with all the carving tools in it. It was obviously the OH setting the scene for him to get serious!
The preparation has started and all of the insides are taken out. Sounds gruesome but it’s definitely in the Halloween theme. He uses the stencil for the main shape and marks out the outline.
Before we know it, the unveiling is upon us and look….
Oh yeah, not just one, but two! the Prince of Darkness is joined by the Spooky Spider.
I love them and the kids think they are fab! They will sit outside our house on Halloween with candles in them and let people know that we are joining in the fun.
How is your Halloween going so far? Do you love to get into the spirit of it, if so how do you celebrate?
If you have any links to your carvings, please share in the comments section.
So, it’s morning, even though it feels like the middle of the night because surely you have only had a nano second of sleep and the bloomin alarm is shrieking at the top of its voice that you should wake up. If you are anything like me then now is the time that the skill of juggling really comes into its own. Breakfast for the family, just a cuppa for me, after all it’s still the middle of the night in my head *note to self to be a good role model and eat well* it’s on my to-do list!
So before I get side tracked then – here are my top 5 things to help the school run go better!!
The key is, to start from the beginning……
1. Change the ring-tone of your alarm! For years I had the cutest sound of my boys saying for me to wake up, I couldn’t bear to take it off for ages but as the years wore on it was so loud and high-pitched that it wasn’t waking me up the right way. So I’ve saved it to be used for other things and now gone onto a lovely gently undulating tone that lets me wake up in a more gentle way as opposed to heart thumping shock to the system! Try it, even if it’s just for a week.
2. Breakfast, aside from the fact that I am a hypocrite and can’t stomach breakfast in the morning, make sure that the kids have it and digest it properly. In our house that would mean, trying to control their urges to practice dance, gym, football, karate moves while spooning in shreddies to their mouths, jumpers, hamsters and the floor.
3. Teeth! You might have got this one sorted. I have 50% success here, one boy is glued to the bathroom doing his hair, pearly white smile and generally grooming to perfection his appearance while the other one is, well lets just say…not quite there yet. You would have seen from one of my previous posts about motherhood that I have a little trick up my sleeve for how we are currently making sure his teeth are getting cleaned.
4. Everything has been lined up the night before, so we have; uniform, school bag, shoes, coat, drink and whichever activity they have (that they’ve told you about!) The 5 P’s are in operation here; Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance. I’ll leave the 6th one out, after all it’s a family blog:0
5. Then it’s in the car with a double and triple check, a final grilling of have they got everything and off to school we go. 9 times out of ten this can work, on the odd occasion for us then this will be the point that one of them tells me that it’s World Book, Children in Need, day of the peach, environment, woman, man or child day! It’s at those times when I have to whistle a happy tune, turn the radio up and think happy thoughts!
How do your days go first thing in the morning? Have you got it sussed? Have you got any tips to share?
I’m so thankful for the life that I have got. I can sit here on my computer enjoying writing on my blog knowing that my boys are tucked up in bed, my OH is downstairs relaxing and watching a movie. I have a lovely life and I’m so pleased. There was a time when it was a little more bumpy, I was on my own and things were tough. This poem shows the journey I took from then until now……
I’ve been taking my children away on holiday since they were both tiny. I even remember very clearly taking my 2-year-old abroad while I was pregnant and I did that alone whilst potty training the 2-year-old. Now I know lots of parents, single or not have had to do this but I just wanted to set the groundwork that I have some experience of juggling traveling with kids and having to find ways of keeping them entertained! A happy mummy is a happy child in my book. So, I thought that I would share some of my own tips with you which you can add to your own tried and tested methods.
1. Food! Kids love to eat, so whatever is their favourite snack – pack! Remember to pop a small pack of wet wipes in your bag for those sticky fingers!
2. Soothing toy – when mine were tiny my eldest had a small blue bear that went on each and every travel. Even now at 8 and 11 there is always something special that they like to have close to them. I let them decide and *whispers* it’s usually a soft toy!
3. Magazines – whatever the age and whatever the gender there are so many different types of magazines out there to suit almost everyone. It’s a good way to get some reading going on for the kids besides their electronic devices – we’ll get into those later!
4. Colouring books – again, a bit like the magazines there are so many that really cross the different age ranges and the children can be really creative. Colouring books theses days don’t just satisfy the 2-5 year olds thankfully.
5. Textiles – crochet, knitting, teddy bear making, all of these activities can easily be taken on holiday with very little fuss. I remember learning to knit from both of my mans when I was little and it would keep me amused and occupied for hours. It’s also such a great skill to learn for boys and girls.
6. Writing a diary of the holiday is a great way of getting the kids involved in the whole process of the holiday. As you are planning the holiday they can start jotting down what is happening and sticking in pictures from brochures etc. While away they can collect different flyers and leaflets to do with where you are staying and stick and paste.
7. Kids Club – I always book something that has a kids club of some description. Holidays are for all the family and you need some downtime as well. There are baby crèche, mini club, maxi clubs and all sorts to suit all different ages. All you have to do is look for them. It doesn’t mean that they have to go to the club all the time but it’s there as an option. Leave the guilt at home and pop them in there so you can have a couple of hours by the pool without any worry. You’ll be surprised how good it feels if you haven’t tried it.
8. Take your mum or another family member if you can. I’ve been having a holiday with my mum and my children ever since they were born. It’s amazing and for us it adds a very positive dynamic to our holidays. We noticed this year that there are so many grandparents holidaying with family now. I don’t know if I just didn’t notice it before or that it’s become so much more popular. A few years ago we had fun in Alcudia and it was mainly down to my mum being there with us.
9. Take one of their friends….No I’ve not lost the plot. If they are a certain age, around 9 and above then this is a genius idea. Your child will have their buddy and not need anywhere near as much attention (in a good way) as if they were on their own. They will be happy and feel a bit of independence as they will have their mate to explore the venue or even just the kids club where you are staying. Plus and this is a bonus….your child might even get invited away with them next time. It could be time to get out the Romantic weekend away brochures. I bet you thought that would never happen again!
10. Photography – this year my son started wanting to take photos. Whether this is on your phone if you dare trust them or on a disposable camera it’s a great way for them to feel part of it all and take some photos that they can then show around when they get home. It doesn’t really matter if it’s just the tops of heads or random sky photos, it’s theirs and can form part of lots of craft projects when you get home.
Bonus one – If you really need to and if it makes everyone happy then take the kindle, ipad, or whatever it is away with you too. Remember, everything in moderation and “a happy mummy or daddy is a happy child”.
Happy Mother’s Day to you all. What a great start to the day I had today, a cup of tea and breakfast in bed. Here is the card that the boys gave me! Little darlings! 🙂
I regaled them with tales of when they were babies and today was the turn of one of my favourite stories of how during my first pregnancy. I tried to convince everyone who would listen that I was going to use just terry towel natural nappies and not touch the likes of disposables.
I had this image of a large washing line full of glistening white nappies blowing dry on a summers day. I remember the look on my mums face as she said ‘yes dear if that’s what you want’. I now know that she was giggling inside knowing me and knowing what hard work that would be. However she is always so supportive and never put me off, instead guiding me through all eventualities.
Suffice to say that I’m not the earth mother that I thought, or hoped to be and the shock of having a baby and learning to cope with my new little bundle of life was enough to put the thought of going natural on the back burner.
Whatever we do and however we cope, here’s to all mothers on Mother’s Day. Well done for each and every nappy change, sticking plaster application and tummy flip that makes us mums.
One of the biggest decisions I’ve had to make as a mum of 2 has been finding the right childcare for my boys. There isn’t anything more daunting than putting someone else in charge of caring for your children.
As a working mum I know how much peace of mind it brings to have the right childcare in place that isn’t going to let you down. To have a one stop site to go to is amazing and shows how far childcare provision has come over the years. Over 1,800,000 people have used Childcare.co.uk to find childcare or childcare work since they launched in 2009.
childcare.co.uk make the searching easy for you.
What is Childcare.co.uk?
If you haven’t heard of Childcare.co.uk before, it is the UK’s largest online community of parents, childcare providers, household helpers, schools and private tutors. They make the task of finding the right support for you easy. The list of specialised carers is vast, you can choose from babysitters or childminders through to nursery nurses and private midwives, with a bit of everything in between.
So, what can you expect when you visit the site?
What struck me most was the large range of services you can get. I tried the search function which is where you put in what you are looking for, which for me was ‘babysitters’. Now you state within how many miles of your postcode your search can cover, then you have the filter button which for ‘babysitters’ bought up a huge list of different types of babysitters. I was so surprised that there were so many! On offer were; 24hr babysitters, male, female, hotel babysitters, babysitters with special needs experience as well as babysitters with newborn experience, the list went on and on. What this really helps with is not thinking that you have found the right person only to be told that they don’t have the specialist experience that you are looking for.
This is ideal to use if you have friends visiting too. For our wedding in May we have lots of relatives making the journey from other parts of the UK and from Germany. This service is ideal for our friends and family to enjoy our weekend wedding and make the most of travelling without any stress. Imagine being able to go to a family wedding for the day with the kids and then have a babysitter come to your hotel so that you could also have an evening out with the grown ups, it’s a win win for the whole family. I gave it a thorough testing with different requirements and it kept coming up with a wide selection and availability.
childcare made easy
It is free to sign up for an account and to make it even more user friendly you can download the app from either the apple app store or google play. Most of my planning comes when I’m on the move and my phone is where everything gets done so an app is crucial to me.
What do you think of Childcare.co.uk? Have you used them before? What are your experiences of arranging childcare? I’d love to hear your views.
