Miscellaneous

Costumes and ideas for World Book Day

World Book Day ideas: Saucepan Man from the Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

Our school stages a non-uniform “come as your favourite book character” day every year on World Book Day. In 2013 World Book Day will be on Thursday 7 March, and the Bug has been pondering his costume for a while. Would he wear my cast-off from a previous year? His answer was no, on the basis that not only has he never read the Faraway Tree (I know, right?!!), but that the saucepans have not fared too well for their 2 year secondment to the loft… So we were stuck, wondering what the best character would be. We don’t have …

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A very special delivery…

We seem to get a lot of stuff delivered by the postman. He staggers up our drive most days bearing cardboard packages and padded envelopes. Whether it’s a new Boden swimsuit, the ultimate in night-lights, or a simple pack of pva glue, he must dread the postcode alert that signals a visit to our house! Usually the parcel-delivery is down to one of two key factors: 1. An evening on Twitter, during which Mummy has succumbed to a tweet from Nickie, propelling her towards the very lovely but side-bar dangerous Zalando, where she is unable to resist another cool frock, …

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Kerplunk! Wot so Funee?

Daddy hates Kerplunk. Dress it up, sell the concept to the Early Learning Centre, and call it the Bee game, there is no disguising the fact that it is Kerplunk. And Daddy hates it. Hates the little bees that scatter all over the kitchen floor, managing to get as far as the fridge 5 metres away, where they lurk, tantalisingly visible, but unreachable. Hates the dread as he extracts a likely stick, certain of a disastrous losing cascade. And hates even more the set-up – all those sticks that must be painstakingly poked through not one, but two tiny holes. …

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Valentines Day crafts for kids

"pink fudge hearts for Valentine's day"

Are you the parent who gets up early on the morning of Valentine’s Day to post an ‘anonymous’ card through the door addressed to your child?  It’s a harmless activity and makes them feel good about themselves. But this year the Bug and I have made our own Valentines, and so can you. From full-blown candy-crush to simple Valentine’s card, kids can make it themselves, or with minimal adult support. Obviously you can’t spoil the dream by asking them to write a card to themselves (you can’t opt out completely parents!), but you can help out if they want to …

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Take a deep breath, and jump into the blue!

This time last year, the Bug was afraid of water. The weekly swimming lesson had to be tackled with a careful blend of patience, encouragement, tear-immunity, and McFlurry promises. If we could get him into the water without a tear falling, it would be brilliant; if the grumbling was allowed to take hold, an inconsolable wreck would be handed back 15 minutes later. So an element of trepidation hooked up with us as we hit the swimming pool on our Siblu holiday last July. We needn’t have worried: (Do watch to the end of this video; if you don’t have …

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How to make pancakes: recipes and fillings

"savoury pancake for kids"

I am nicknamed “The Hoover” in our family, due to an innate ability (Daddy has it too) to consume favourite foods before Mummy has even made it to the table. Pancakes hardly hit the sides, as demonstrated by the rapid demolition of my  ‘Crêpe Citron Chantilly‘ in Brittany last summer. So you can imagine my enthusiasm and impatience for Pancake day to arrive. So much so that we actually did it a week early! My plan was to have pancakes for breakfast (of the griddled, blueberry and maple syrup variety), something random and forgettable for school dinner, and pancakes for tea. …

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Eskimos rub noses…

When I was little, one of my first words was “tiss.” Apparently. Personally I can’t quite believe I was ever unable to utter anything less than a perfect articulation/dissemination/elucidation (see, told ya – eloquent). But Mummy, with her wont for recording cutisms from my past, insists it is so. So we kissed. And then we rubbed noses. Along with those daft games all mothers insist on playing with their babies, we rubbed noses: What do fish do? “Pwah pwah pwah…” What do piggies do? “An approximation of a chesty old chain-smoker…” What do Eskimos do? “Rub noses…” To this day, …

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A postcard from Davina and #TeamHonk for Comic Relief

This is a digital postcard sent from TeamHonk during their travels with Comic Relief in Ghana celebrating #goodwork. My postcard came with this message from Annie: “Here is Davina about to film in a school on the edge of a slum. This little chap was very taken by her as you can see! To get to the school we had to walk through a part of the slum which was really so far removed from anything we have ever experienced before. It’s hard to believe just how crowded the area is from this shot x” I cannot imagine how it …

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Things I like about you… Wot so Funee?

Last week we showed you our to-do list. One of the items read thus: Sit in a circle and write 20 nice things about the person on your left. Then pass it on and spend time reading why you are great! Whether driven by altruism, or by narcissism, this item was duly carried out. First by me, listing the Bug’s best qualities: Now, normally I complain about his copying me, but clearly that is just over-dramatisation, a skill I excel at, as detailed in Mummy’s praise-singing of me: Next up was the Bug, tasked with writing something nice about Mummy: …

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Choccywoccydoodah: the secret room (wedding story part 1)

As she turned the corner into Foubert’s Place and laid eyes on the shop, she stopped. “Oh, that’s the one,” she breathed. “That was my cake.” Only it wasn’t. The white chocolate wedding cake in the Choccywoccydoodah window had been the ultimate in cake fantasy as she had planned her wedding 13 years earlier. But despite the hours spent designing the colour and style of the chocolate flower decorations, that cake had never been hers. There was a budget; a budget that allowed for the wine (obviously), the cloak (not the dress, it was never about the dress), and the …

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Barbie breaks world record… Saturday is caption day…

This is the scene that greeted Mummy when she went to clean up the bathroom after our bedtime story. What on earth happened here? And if that’s whet your appetite, click the badge for more caption opportunities… Nominations are now open for the 2013 MAD Blog Awards. I was delighted to win the Best Schooldays category last year, all down to my lovely readers. I’d love to be in with a chance again this year, so if you’d like to give me a nomination click here to enter my blog address http://staging.actuallymummy.co.uk  You can nominate in any category but I think my best …

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To-do lists: Wot so Funee?

*Clears throat importantly* I know you’re all dying to read Wot so Funee? but first Mummy has an announcement… Yes, the Mad Blog Awards 2013 are now open for nominations! Last year we were lucky enough to win the MADs in the Best Schooldays category. We had the time of our lives and are so grateful to everyone who reads and shares this blog for making that possible. Of course, we would love to enter again, but that is up to you. If you think Actually Mummy is deserving of an award this year, we’d love a nomination in any or all …

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Book review: Monty and Milli: the totally amazing magic trick

By Tracey Corderoy and Tim Warnes. Review by the Bug, aged 5. My brother is not one for practising his writing. But he has recently acquired the ability to read, and can be found most mornings, long before M&D’s alarm goes off, poring over his books. Even the promise of pain au chocolat elicits a groan of disobedience when he is asked to abandon his literature in favour of dressing and coming down for breakfast. Perhaps this new-found ability accounts for his urge to review Monty and Milli. We’ve had The Totally Amazing Magic Trick hanging around for months, with …

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Why getting fresh air is important: 4/52

We have a tendency to laziness in our family. The first hint of rain sees us rubbing our hands in anticipation of popcorn and a film by the fire, all 4 of us snuggled under a fleecy blanket, hiding our eyes from the parts that make us squeamish (for me it’s Voldemort, for Daddy it’s more likely to be a scene from a path lab, or a lost labrador). But we can’t resist snow, and with the rest of the nation we duly donned our waterproofs and hiked our sledges to the nearest hill. The Bug, tearful at the prospect …

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Wot So Funee?

A while ago, we were featured in a magazine article about funny things that children say. They used all of our best quotes, leaving us only with the leftover scraps of humour and misunderstanding. However, they all made us laugh, and decided they too were deserving of publication: What do you think a Peplum is? It sounds like a kind of plum. (Insert explanation from Mummy). Oh. Is it plum-coloured? Where would you wear palazzo pants? Bug: you’d wear them when it’s hot. GG: Are they like hot-pants from the ’70’s. They sound like pretzels. (So where would you wear them?) Inside, when no-one’s …

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Girls day in: how to create a home spa

  As the grey sky glares down on us, and our condensate pipe requires more and more kettles of hot water to thaw out and provide us with heating, we find ourselves wishing we’d booked our Center Parcs trip for January rather than waiting for the summer. Clearly we would be spending most of our time indoors, in the Subtropical Swimming Paradise, deluding ourselves that summer has arrived. But Mummy would almost certainly be sloping off to the Aqua Sana Spa, and after my home spa experience last week, I will be hot on her heels! As a result of …

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When a pet dies… 3:52

My best photo this week drew a lot of views and comments on Facebook. Like a lot of people we have taken full advantage of the snowy weather, throwing it, shaping it, lying in it, and sliding on it. We all went out for some fun, including our pets. But sadly we were having far too much fun to focus on our responsibilities. As we piled back indoors with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes to burn our throats on steaming mugs of chocolate, we failed to notice that one of our party got left behind, forgotten, outside in the snow. …

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Easy Pork Schnitzel Recipe Only 5 Weightwatchers Pro Points

"Weightwatchers easy port schnitzel recipe"

  We were recently given a new WeightWatchers recipe book titled Fresh and easy everyday. Mummy finds that the key to staying on track with her ProPoints is variety, so new recipes are always welcome. Inspired by our recent cookery class with top chef Francesco Mazzei, and by the promise of “easy” recipes, Mummy handed over this Weightwatchers book to me, and left me to get on with it. I chose this easy Pork Schnitzel recipe because I like all the ingredients, and we estimated a total cooking time of 15 minutes. Mummy cooked some tiny rosemary and garlic potatoes, …

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Apologies

“Ok GG have fun at Brownies. Daddy’s picking you up later. Don’t forget to bring your coat home.” “I’m back Mummy…!” “Did you remember your coat?” “No…” There were remonstrations, there was screaming and yelling at the unfairness of having to remember everything! And there was the penance of having to go to bed and ‘think’ about how I might remember better next time. I went to bed. Mummy finished reading to the Bug. As she left her room, there was this, just outside the door: And that isn’t even the funniest thing! When she came to ask why I’d complained about not …

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Saturday is caption day…

Now, for those of you who don’t know this pair personally, I can tell you that their expressions tell you more than words ever could… (Mummy)