In The Blink Of An Eye…

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As I stood brushing my teeth this morning, the realisation dawned upon me that this was the last time.

This was the last time I would be rushing to get to school and waiting for my mum to arrive to look after The Boy. The last time that I'd be coming home and asking, "What did he have for lunch?" or "Has he had a nap?".

The end of an era, almost.

The moment I announced my pregnancy in 2008, it was an unspoken agreement that mum would be looking after our child in order for me to return to work part-time. She was there throughout the pregnancy; gently giving advice, delivering me to appointments, keeping me company in the last fortnight when I was driven mad with polymorphic eruption of pregnancy, and sitting in the consultant's office with me and demanding they induce me because my quality of sleep was detrimental to my  health.

On the day he was born, she raced back from Dorset having buried her aunt that morning, to hold her newest grandchild; her youngest child's firstborn. She and dad arrived after visiting hours had ended, but the nurses let them in for the moment I'd been waiting for all day.

When I fell down the stairs and ripped out my episiotomy stitches a week post-birth, she was there to care for The Boy while I went to the doctor's.

When I was delirious with exhaustion, swollen and engorged from severe mastitis, she was there to pass the savoy cabbage leaves.

When The Boy fell unconscious at three weeks old, she was there to tell me to phone for an ambulance.

When the three doctors and four nurses worked on him to determine the cause of his sudden decline, she couldn't be there. She was standing outside sobbing and trying not to let us see her fear. In the days following this, she was there in the hospital to let me sleep, feed me, keep me company in our isolation ward.

When I sobbed at having to return to work in May 2010, she was there to hold me and dry my tears.

When The Boy started walking and talking while I was at work, she was there but knew enough to keep quiet and let us have 'the first time'.

When he made so many discoveries about the world he lives in, she was there to guide him, to coax him, to explain, to share his wonder.

Yes, there are times she's driven me barmy. But how can I truly be aggravated by someone who loves my child so much? How can I complain about the fact that she wedges half the airing cupboard up at his window to ensure it's dark enough for him to sleep? How can I complain when she will stand in the room fanning him for forty-five minutes to cool him down enough to nap? How can I complain about her loving him?

I am inordinately grateful to my mum for caring for our son for the past three years, and I'm incredibly sad that this special time has come to an end. Yes, school is a new and exciting time, but nothing will ever be the same as his first four years; his voyage of discovery from a newborn baby to a thriving, loving and confident boy, overseen by his devoted Nana.

In the blink of an eye... (Flashback Friday)

Thank you mum for loving my child.

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Roasted Squash, Red Onion, Spinach & Cheese Tart

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On these balmy Summer evenings, one of my favourite evening meals is quiche, salad and baby new potatoes. Fortunately I was recently sent the new cookbook by Yeo Valley; The Great British Farmhouse Cookbook. With over 100 recipes inspired by the traditions of the British farmhouse kitchen, this beautiful book brings together fresh ingredients and seasonal flavours.

I've decided to have a go at the recipe on page 92, from 'The Veg Garden' section:

Roasted Squash, Red Onion, Spinach & Cheese Tart

Ingredients:

  • For the filling:
    • 2 small red onions
    • 375g butternut squash, cut into 2.5cm chunks
    • 2tbsp olive oil
    • 300g chard or spinach leaves, large stalks removed and coarsely shredded
    • 225g well-flavoured cheese, crumbled or coarsely grated (I used 100g of dolcelatte)
    • 3 large free-range eggs
    • 300ml double cream
    • salt and black pepper
  • For the pastry:
    • 150g plain flour
    • 75g stoneground wholemeal flour
    • 65g chilled butter, cut into small pieces
    • 65g chilled lard, cut into small pieces (I am vegetarian so used 130g of butter instead of the lard)

ROasted Squash, Red Onion, Spinach & Cheese Tart

  1. Make the pastry first by mixing the flours in a food processor with the fats and ½ teaspoon of salt, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 2 tablespoons of cold water and mix briefly until the mixtures binds together. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Roll out thinly and use to line a lightly greased 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin 4cm deep. Prick the base with a fork and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
  3. Peel the onions (the original recipe calls for the root end to remain intact, I rebelled and sliced it off), then slice each one from top to bottom to make thin wedges. Put the squash chunks and onions in a roasting tin and drizzle the olive oil over the top (I mixed some olive oil with balsamic vinegar). Season with salt and pepper and toss together. Roast for 20-30 minutes.
  4. Line the base of the pastry case with a circle of greaseproof paper and cover with baking beads. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the edges are biscuit coloured. Remove the paper and beans (once cooled!) and return to the oven for 5-7 minutes until the base is crisp and golden.
  5. Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the chard or spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted (I cheated and put mine in the microwave with a knob of butter for 90 seconds). Tip into a colander and gently press out the excess liquid. Season lightly.
  6. Remove the pastry case from the oven and lower the temperature to 190°C. Arrange the squash, onion, cheese and spinach over the bottom of the pasty case. Beat the eggs and cream together with seasoning. (This is where I changed the recipe slightly; I added the spinach – as I used frozen – to the egg mix which had been blitzed with the dolcelatte.) 
  7. Pour over the filling and bake for 30-35 minutes until set and richly golden on top. Serve warm and with buttered new potatoes and mixed leaf salad.

ROasted Squash, Red Onion, Spinach & Cheese Tart

What I particularly like about this book is the huge amount of vegetarian recipes in it, either as a main course or as a light meal. I'll be experimenting with a lot of these easy recipes over the Summer, so expect more posts, particularly the lemon curd & raisin bread & butter pudding, Somerset scrumpy & apple cake, and the spiced pear bakewell! There may be some other savoury dishes as well.

Yeo Valley’s Great British Farmhouse Cookbook is available from all good book shops with a RRP of £19.99. You can buy it here on Amazon for £10.00

Sarah Mayor is the daughter of Roger and Mary Mead, who started Yeo Valley at Holt Farm in 1961 with thirty cows and the odd sheep. Mary opened a tea room and the clotted cream they made for it meant there was lots of skimmed milk left over. So they tried making yogurt… and people seemed to like it. They still do. The Mead family is still living and working at Holt Farm today.

I was sent a copy of this book for the purpose of this review and post. I was also given permission to reproduce the recipe on my blog. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

Summertime At Butlin's

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When we were lucky enough to stay at Butlin's in Bognor Regis at Easter time, the best attraction during the week was the old-fashioned funfair that had recently been installed. With a helter-skelter, flying chairs, carousel, dodgems and various other traditional rides, the fair was a focal point of fun which had children swarming all over it.

Butlin's spent over 200 million improving their three resorts, and the funfairs which were introduced were one of those improvements.

Butlin's Funfair

Over the Summer season, Butlin's have recognised that one of their other greatest assets is the magnificent shows that they put on every day. To supplement the normal shows, Butlin's is introducing a Big Top Circus from 19th July until 2nd September including Russian and south American artists.

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In The Top 20!

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Today was a busy day and I didn't have much time for twitter. When I did have the opportunity to pop over to check my mentions, they were mostly competition entries and so I just scrolled through them not really paying attention.

And then I saw a tweet from @Tots100 about their Top Photography blogs, in which I was tagged.

I nipped over to see what it was all about and was over the moon to see that the lovely people at Tots 100 had named me as one of their Top 20 UK Photography Blogs!

Tots100

I'm so pleased to see so many of my favourite photo bloggers listed alongside me: Coombe Mill, HPMcQ, A Party of Seven, Capture By Lucy, and Cakes Photos Life. In addition to these, Mummy Daddy Me, Dear Beautiful, Ar-Blog and Mammasaurus do a brilliant job at promoting photography through tutorials and photo linkies.

I've also discovered a whole host of other bloggers included in the list, and that's the great thing about the parent blogging world; it's so diverse! Peonies & Polaroids, Tigerlilly Quinn, Oh So Amelia, Mum 2 Baby Insomniac, Mama Owl, Slugs on the Refrigerator, Sorry About the Mess, Emily Beale, Little Ruby Loves, and Shutterflies.

Many thanks to Tots 100 for including me in this list of fabulous bloggers. I've been nominated by fellow bloggers and readers both last year and this year in both the Britmums BiBs and the MADs, was a finalist in both last year, and am a finalist in the MADs this year (thank you all who voted!). I didn't win last year and while it would be lovely to win this year, the competition is stiff and I honestly don't expect to win this year either. My photography isn't technically great, I don't know how to use the manual settings, and I don't have a new and swizzy camera. I do however love taking photographs using whatever camera I can get my hands on; I love framing a photograph, telling a story and capturing a moment.

And with The Boy, there's a lot of moments!

Have A Wild Time This Summer With The National Trust (Summer Activities)

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The Summer holidays are one of the best times of the year for getting the children up off the sofa, jumping into the great outdoors and having heaps of fun discovering new places.

To keep the children entertained throughout, the National Trust is encouraging children to complete its '50 things to do before you're 11 & ¾' wild-time challenge and see if they can try and tick off more than 25 things on the list during the six weeks of summer (Monday 22 July – Sunday 1 September).

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Cyberbullying: Main Things Parents Should Know (Guest Post)

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As a primary school teacher with the responsibility for ICT in the school, I take e-safety very seriously. At the beginning of each academic year, the first few weeks are spent going over how the junior school children can protect themselves and their online information, both from predators and cyberbullies. I use the CEOPs site as it gives resources for teachers and parents, as well as workshops for children to explore.

In this post by Linda Waters (mobile tech blogger, marketing executive at mSpy and writer about smartphone apps, cell phone monitoring and their benefits for families) ways in which parents can help protect their children from cyberbullies are explored and explained.

Technology says that bullying is no longer limited to street corners or schoolyards. Cyberbullying occurs everywhere, at home, through email, mobile phones and social networking sites 24/7 with the involvement of hundreds of people. The victim of cyberbullying feel angry, humiliated and in some cases goes for a suicide attempt.

Definition of Cyberbullying

“Threatening, humiliation or harassment of a teen or child by another child or teen using net, email, text message, online forum, chat room or social networking website is called cyberbullying.”

Cyberbullying Explained

Cyberbullying doesn’t involve face-to-face contact or physical strength. Cyberbullying can be used for humiliating someone in front of many people as cyberbullying could be witnessed by hundreds or even thousands of people. Cyberbullying is done usually by sending taunting or threatening messages through email, some cyberbullies break into the email account and steal person’s online identity for humiliating and hurting him. There are some cyberbullies who create a site or social media website page solely for targeting someone. Boys often cyberbully by sending messages of sexual nature or by the messages that contain threatening content. Girls have got their own way of cyberbullying: they commonly cyberbully by spreading rumors and lies about someone, exposing secrets or excluding someone from their friend lists.

Harmful Effects of Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying makes a person feel sad, hurt, angry, isolated, helpless and even suicidal in worst cases. It results in problems such as low self-esteem or depression.

Cyberbullying may occur anytime and anywhere and in the places where a person is likely to feel safe and protected, it means one can’t escape cyberbullying.

Mostly cyberbullying is done by an anonymous person so it becomes very hard for you to know who is behind it and you feel kind of more threatened.

Cyberbullying could be witnessed by hundreds or even thousands of people, thus, it can be more humiliating than physical bullying.

Some Recommendations for Those Who Are Being Cyberbullied

If you ever face cyberbullying, it is recommended:

  • try to save the cyberbullying evidence like screenshot of webpage or text message;
  • report sexual messages and threats to police immediately as many cyberbully actions could be prosecuted by law;
  • most of the times, cyberbullying is not limited to only 1 or 2 incidents. Cyberbullying is usually a sustained attack on a person that lasts for a long period. Thus, one should keep on reporting everything to police or his/her guardian;
  • try not to reply to any message or email of cyberbully;
  • if you are being cyberbullied, never blame yourself as it is never your fault;
  • don’t try to harm yourself in any way as a reaction to cyberbullying;
  • try to take help from police, guardian, friend or family if you are cyberbullied;
  • try to find ways to relieve your stress like breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, positive thinking and meditation;
  • try to indulge yourself into something that can divert your attention from that particular problem like hobbies, sports or hanging out with your friends.

Warning Signs of Cyberbullying for Parents

If your child:

  • becomes distressed, angry or sad after or while using the mobile phone or internet;
  • appears worried, when receiving a text message, email or IM;
  • avoids discussions with you about his mobile or internet activities or is very secretive about them;
  • withdraws from activities, friends and family;
  • suffers drop in grades without any known reason;
  • doesn’t want to go to school or avoids particular group activities or classes;
  • shows changes in appetite, sleep, behavior or mood or shows symptoms of anxiety or depression.

Some Recommendations for Parents

Parents are recommended to prevent cyberbullying of their child before it begins. Following are the things that parents should teach their kids about cyberbullying:

  • they should delete cyberbullying messages before reading them;
  • advise their friends to stop cyberbullying too;
  • block every kind of communication with cyberbullies and never reply to their any message or mail;
  • never share or post their personal info online like Social Security number, credit card number, parents’ names;
  • school name, telephone number, address or full name;
  • never share their accounts’ passwords with anyone;
  • discuss with parents their life on Internet;
  • not place anything on Internet that they don’t want their friends or classmates view.

Featured post

A Change Is Coming

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When did my little boy become old enough to start school?

Because it appears that in September, he will be doing just that.

And I'm not ready.

I'd like to pretend that he's not ready but that would be a lie. He is ready. He's ready to have the further stimulation which a trained Reception teacher can offer (I'm juniors trained). He's ready to mix with other children more regularly and make friends. He's ready to learn more formally (not that much more though, thank you Foundation Phase). He's ready to learn the discipline which can only be gained in a classroom.

He's ready.

Don't get me wrong though, he's still very emotionally young and I do think he will struggle with the full days and being away from us for so many hours. However, as the school only has one opportunity in the year for entry, we have little choice but for him to start in September or wait a year.

This is why we accompanied him into his new school a week ago for his induction into Reception. It's the only time that he's been there, and will be the only opportunity before he starts full-time education for the next fourteen years (just writing that is making me cry, he's so little still!). I do have a problem with the lack of link-building, but again can do nothing about it.

We walked down the road, around the corner and into the school. We were greeted, given name stickers (mine said 'Mum', I felt like scribbling 'my' on the end of it), and shown to the Reception class. This is where I discovered that it is a lot larger than the one block that I knew of from when I had a nursery-nursing placement there; in fact they had another building at the back of this with a covered courtyard in between. They had a gardening area, bikes and trikes to ride along the painted road layout on the ground, a small timber trail, climbing frames and a fenced off area. There was so much to explore.

Reception induction

The Boy was completely enthralled with it all, "Mummy! They have glitter and glue! Shall we do some craft? Oh look mummy there's Shopping List! Mummy shall we play some music?" I have no doubt that he will enjoy playing with the other thirty six children, cared for by the two teachers and two LSAs; all seemed caring and 'on the ball'.

We walked home afterwards holding hands with The Boy, him chatting about the activities and his uniform, declaring that he no longer wishes to go to nursery. I exchanged a look with my husband over our son's head, a look that said 'where has our baby gone?'. A look that shared nostalgia for the precious last four years of discovery where we have governed his routine, his learning, his play. A look that realised the days of freedom and nonconformity to a timetable were coming to an end.

A look that demanded one course of action…

Barry Island - Country Kids

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coombe mill

 

Food Safety Tips For The Home (Guest-Post)

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Last week was the Food Safety Week, an annual event run by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and this year they highlighted ways to reduce the risk of getting food poisoning at home.  Here is some of their great advice to help you teach your children how to be kitchen hygiene machines.

  • Maintain your fridge temperatures

 Make sure your fridge is set below 5°C to prevent harmful germs from growing and multiplying. Take the time to check your fridge is at the right temperature and don’t overfill it because air needs to be able to circulate to maintain the set temperature.

  • Avoid cross-contamination in a busy family kitchen

The kitchen may be referred to as the heart of the home, and is often used for more than simply cooking, but this increases the risk of cross contamination. This occurs when harmful germs are spread between food, surfaces and equipment.

Always, remove unnecessary clutter and wash worktops before and after cooking. When preparing food, use a chopping board. Wash the board and other utensils in hot, soapy water when you’ve finished using them and in between preparing raw and ready-to-eat foods. Better still, use a separate chopping board for each.

  • Understand ‘use-by’ and ‘best before’ dates

It is important to understand the difference between ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates.

‘Use by’ dates are typically found on perishable products, such as dairy, meat and fish, and are based on scientific testing to determine how long these foods will stay safe. After that date, food could be unsafe to eat even if it is correctly stored and looks and smells fine. If you need to store a food past its ‘use by’ date, consider freezing it.

‘Best before’ dates are used on foods that have a longer shelf life and tell us how long the food will be at its best. After that date it is normally safe to eat, but its flavour and texture might have deteriorated.

  • Plan effectively to prevent waste

Planning your meals is a great way to reduce waste. Check what’s in your fridge for food you already have so you can eat it by its ‘use by’ date. When shopping check ‘use by’ dates to make sure you’ll be able to use it in time, and think about the foods you can freeze before taking advantage of special offers. You can always cook double the amount and freeze to use later.

  • Help your children learn top tips from an early age

Hands are one of the main ways germs are spread, and since children are constantly using theirs to explore and play this is a great place to start. Teach them to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before eating, after playing outside, using the toilet or handling pets. You can set a good example by showing how you wash your hands after doing these, and after changing nappies, cooking and preparing raw food.

The FSA’s downloadable young people’s activities offer a fun way of helping your children learn about food safety.

The activities, as well as an online Kitchen Check you can take, can be found at: www.food.gov.uk/kitchen-check

Guest Post

My Britmums Live! Sponsor: Orchard Toys

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Today I'll be attending the Britmums Live! blogging conference in London, very kindly sponsored by Orchard Toys.

For those who regularly read my blog, or for those who occasionally saunter over here, you'll have noticed that I review a lot of puzzles and games from Orchard Toys. And every single one of those reviews is glowing, for three reasons:

  • they're bright and colourful, fun and engaging;
  • there is always an educational aspect which doesn't overshadow the fun factor;
  • The Boy loves them.

Now when I say I have a lot of them; I'm not actually joking:

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This collection has been built up over several years from review products, those scavenged at nearly new sales, and bought for The Boy's birthday and Christmas presents. We play one a day at least and The Boy alternates between them as to which his favourite is; at the moment it's 'What's Rubbish?', last week it was 'Baa Baa', and we're taking 'Shopping List' with us this weekend to Britmums Live! Even we have favourites; mine is 'Round and Round' and Mr. TBaM is 'What a Performance'.

My 'love affair' with Orchard Toys started many years ago, long before I had The Boy. I was visiting an ex-colleague and her two year old daughter who wanted me to play a game with her which involved rolling a dice to collect up different ingredients to make an ice-cream sundae. That was an Orchard Toys game (long since retired) and I made a mental note of the company for use with my own child. Little did I realised I'd be trying to collect every game they make, ten years later!

So who are Orchard Toys?

Orchard Toys are a British company located in Norfolk with a purpose built factory and office complex; meaning a low-carbon foot print and employment stays within the country. In addition, they also create new products from their own ideas using its team of in-house designers. Manufacture of components is subcontracted to a UK supplier base, some of whom have supplied the company throughout its history. They are also made from 75% recycled materials.

A leading manufacturer of educational puzzles and games for children aged between 18 months and 10 years, Orchard Toys has a reputation for excellence of design, manufacture and service. I'd be very surprised if most homes don't have at least one of their games or puzzles! Established in 1971 by Keith Harvey (who remains a director today), the company has stayed in the family passing down to the next generation.

Orchard Toys award-winning products are all designed with the ethos of “learning made fun” and combine bright, innovative design, durability and quality with sound educational principles. They completely support the Foundation Phase ethos of learning through play, and that's why as a teacher as well as a mum, I know how much they benefit The Boy's learning.

This is why I'm so very proud to be sponsored by Orchard Toys to attend Britmums Live!

If you could spare two minutes to nip over to the Loved By Parents awards site, Orchard Toys have been shortlisted in the Best Activity Toy 3-6 yrs category and the Best Board Game or Jigsaw category for the fabulous 'Old Macdonald Lotto' and they'd love a vote from you please!

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