How to enjoy your staycation with the kids

Today I am delighted to welcome a guest post from Cat, with some fantastic tips for avoiding the hassle of travelling with small children and enjoying a staycation at home.

Before I had kids holidays were all about long lie-ins and lounging by the pool with a book. Taking a whole evening for dinner and wine or dancing the night away has given way to more family friendly activities. When you combine the practicalities of travelling with children with the pressure on everyone’s finances at the moment it’s no surprise that more people are opting to have a ‘staycation’ or holiday at home, but can that ever be as much fun?

Here are a few steps to make sure it is:

1 – Adopt a ‘holiday’ frame of mind

It’s not going to seem like a holiday if you are occupied with all the usual boring things so try and get any chores finished of beforehand. Get the shopping done along with any cleaning or washing to stop it hanging over you so you can enjoy your break. To make sure you stay in your ‘holiday bubble’ try and ignore things like your social media accounts, the news and the papers. Why not go the whole hog and tell people you’re going away if you really want some peace and quiet?

2 – Make a Plan

On a normal holiday you can take each day as it comes, planning outings or lazing around. If you don’t make plans for your staycation, however, you’ll just end up slipping into your normal routine and where’s the fun in that? Try to schedule one or two things a day so there is always something to look forward to and you don’t end up stuck in front of daytime TV or cleaning the kitchen.

3 – Investigate local attractions

We often forget about the things we see signs for everyday and go for ages without visiting the attractions right on our own door step. Take some time before your break to look into events scheduled during your holiday. I’m sure there will be some big permanent attractions like zoos or National Trust properties near by but also think about temporary things like exhibitions or theatre shows that may be coming up. There may well be some regular scheduled events at your library or community centre. How about something as simple as visiting a ‘pick your own’ fruit farm or finding a little bit countryside for a picnic which can be a fun day out for all ages.

4 – Do something unusual at home

They say a change is as good as a rest so why not try spending the day at home but doing something unusual? How about a Film Day? Rent some DVDs and get comfy with popcorn, pick ‘n’ mix or some nachos. You could even set the kids to work making some tickets for everyone to allow them entry to the living room.

Maybe a ‘Books in Bed’ Afternoon? Head off to the library so everyone can choose some new books or gather up their old favourites at home and then don some PJs and squish into bed together to enjoy them. Take it in turns to read out your favourite parts and to talk about what is happening or why you like the characters.

Gardening can sometimes be a chore but what about getting some cheap plastic pots for the kids to decorate and fill with bedding plans or herbs so they can watch grow for the rest of the summer. Kids will love a chance to play all the board games that you’re normally too busy for or to make their own pizzas with their chosen toppings. I’m sure you can come up with lots of ideas once you get started.

5 – Remember little things can be treats too

One of the nicest things about being little is that it only takes a tiny treat to make your day and, let’s face it, when they’re happy we’re happy so remember the little things. How about letting them choose their favourite dinner or getting a tin of special chocolate biscuits for an afternoon snack. One favourite in my house is letting the boys have a bath in the middle of the day. Instead of waiting until the evening when you’re all tired and focussed on getting them into bed why not do it during the day to make the most of all those toys and bubbles (and don’t worry about the splashing). So have a great staycation this year. Who knows, you may never want to go away again!

Cat is a married mum of two small boys who, after a career in health service management, now works as a freelance writer as well as blogging about parenting and family life at Yellow Days.

How messy play actually keeps my house clean

I've started getting a bit more into messy play recently. I used to say that Harry could do enough of that at nursery, but now that he has moved to a new pre-school they don't seem to do it as much, and Mia hasn't been much to nursery yet so I don't want her to miss out. I've also discovered that it's one of the few activities that they can both do together. They each play in their own way - Harry has proper role-play going on and Mia is content just to tip things in and out of containers - yet they are both using the same materials and in the same place. It also keeps them both busy for ages, as does the subsequent bath.

Many people are put off messy play because of just that - it's messy. But I've found that thanks to our new found interest my house is actually cleaner!

I use a shower curtain on the floor in the kitchen, which is good for dry things but although it absorbs water it is not entirely waterproof. Water is usually involved in our play, so the floor is nice and wet when we've finished. I can wipe it up quickly with a few old towels, which gives the floor a good clean too.

I'm also getting the hoover out a lot more, to clean up the trails of mess created from the real kitchen to the play kitchen (to grab more things to make messy) and up to the bathroom. While the hoover is out I tend to do a quick whip round the rest of the downstairs too, so I'm also getting more hoovering done.

I'm even finding that the washing machine is going on more reguarly too, as the shower curtain needs a wash afterwards as do the clothes that they've been wearing. It means that I'm keeping well on top of the laundry!

So don't be put off trying messy play, it has its benefits!

Review - Brabantia WallFix outdoor laundry dryer

Since we moved house last winter I've really missed our old outdoor washing line. I'm ashamed to say that when we moved we bought a tumble drier, and I've not dried laundry outside since. So when I was offered the opportunity to review the Brabantia Wallfix Wall Mounted Dryer I jumped at the chance.

The best thing about the Brabantia WallFix is how convenient it is. I've toyed with the idea of buying a rotary dryer, but I know that I would be too lazy to put it away properly. The Brabantia WallFix is fixed to the wall ready for use, the box opens with the touch of a button and the dryer folds out easily to hang the washing.

Neither of us are particularly handy with a drill, so fortunately my Dad stepped in and took care of actually fitting the WallFix to the wall for me. Included in the box is a cardboard drilling template (make sure to open the box all the way to find it) which makes positioning the holes for the screws easy. Detailed instructions are supplied, although Dad did find it a bit fiddly to install.

You need two people to install it, as someone needs to support the dryer arms while the other screws the mounting plate into place. Make sure when installing that the person who will actually be hanging the washing is present so that you don't end up with it too high! Also check that you are locating the dryer in a sunny spot to make the most of the drying potential.

There is a bit of a knack to the opening and closing, but once you've sorted it the WallFix is very easy to unfold and put away. We have a large capacity washing machine which I have a tendency to stuff full, so I was pleased to find that my entire load fitted easily on the dryer with extra room to spare. I even needed to go out and buy more clothes pegs! The total length of drying space is 24 metres, and the three outer lines are 120cm long. It wasn't quite wide enough for our super kingsize bedding, but then I'm not sure that I'd be able to find a dryer which is! It easily held the other single bedding that we have. The dryer feels very solid, and can definitely cope with the weight of all that wet washing.

We were also supplied with the sturdy WallFix storage protection box. The storage box looks smart and neat, and being wind and weather resistant offers sufficient protection for the WallFix. Installation is fairly straightforward as it clips on to the WallFix once it has been installed on the wall. The dryer arms fold neatly inside, and there are some ties to hold all the lines in place.

I love how it goes from this:

Brabantia WallFix folded in storage box

To this in just a few seconds, and with all that space for hanging clothes!

Brabantia WallFix open and read to use

Because the WallFix is so easy to pop open I can see me using it year round, for example if we've been doing some wet messy play and I want to dry something out a bit before my next load of washing. I'd really recommend it!

Brabantia WallFix hung with washing

I was provided with the Brabantia WallFix and storage box for review, links are affiliate links.

Making dinner with small children around - help!

I'm writing this post to get it out, because I'm struggling with something. All I want to do each evening is to prepare a healthy, nutritious evening meal that everyone will eat. But even setting aside the fact that all my children will eat for dinner is pasta, I find it so difficult and stressful to make the dinner with small children around.

I make dinner for 6pm so that we can all eat together when my husband comes home from work. Then we can put the children to bed straight after, and have a longer evening together. This means that all the food preparation and cooking has to be done while the children are around. I just can't work out how other people manage to make dinner with children around.

If Harry is at pre-school then Mia wants to be in the kitchen with me. She sees me taking out the cooking things and drags herself over a chair so that she can stand at the counter. If I try and involve her with the cooking she grabs everything and throws it about, or else she is on the floor, pulling at my leg and screaming. Of course if I'm stirring something hot on the hob then she needs to be kept well away. Anything that I give her to occupy herself with at the table, for example crayons or stickers, she becomes easily frustrated and screams when she can't do something. Because she has dropped her nap she's always pretty grumpy at this time anyway. I end up feeding her snacks to keep her occupied, meaning that she's not hungry when dinner finally makes it to the table.

If Harry is around too then it is slightly easier. I put the television on in the living room and they play together in there while I'm in the kitchen. Except that I can't see the living room from the kitchen, so I am constantly going back to stick my head around the door to check on them. This is necessary, because entertaining themselves involves activities like using the bin to climb on to the window sill to see out, or running along the back of the sofa. Even if they do happen to be sitting quietly watching television I'm still constantly on edge anticipating a meltdown when one of them sits on the other or they are both fighting over the same toy.

To be honest, it's mainly Mia that is the difficult one. Harry understands, and he will sit quietly in front of the television. I know that it's just a stage, and it won't be long before Mia is the same, and then I'll be able to concentrate. But it causes me so much frustration every day that I dread late afternoon!

Does anyone have any tips, or is it just another stage which I need to wait out?!

It's not just about losing weight...

On the 1st of January this year I started dieting. I didn't have a huge amount to lose, but since having Mia the weight had been gradually creeping on. I used a calorie counting app on my phone, and we re-joined the gym. By sticking strictly to my daily calorie limit, the weight came off steadily and fairly rapidly. I'm not going to go into the figures as weight is so individual, but about a month ago I reached my goal weight. I lost around 11lbs, returning to the weight that I was before having children. As a bonus, all that time at the gym means that I've also pretty much regained my pre-baby fitness levels.

My husband has been dieting too and he's also doing really well, he's now firmly below his own goal weight. As part of our new healthy eating regime I cut down our portions at dinner, took out a lot of the extra cheese that I use in cooking, and stopped doing so much baking and evening snacking.

It's brilliant, and I'm so happy that I've lost the weight. I am definitely slimmer, I can fit back into clothes that I had pushed to the back of the wardrobe, and I've even braved the gym in leggings. I don't think I'll ever lose my wobbly tummy though, unfortunately between the two children my poor old stomach muscles were  left pretty battered!

But now I think the really hard bit has begun- maintaining the weight that I am now. I've already started eating more now that I'm not in 'diet mode' and a couple of cakes have emerged from the oven this week. Of course the more sweet things that you eat the more you crave them, and as you eat more your stomach gets larger and so you feel that you need to eat more. I know how easy it would be for me to put it all back on again.

I'm hoping that if I continue to go to the gym (I have to, it costs enough!) and keep weighing myself regularly I'll be able to keep an eye on things and cut back for a week or so if I notice the weight piling on.

How do you maintain your weight, do you have any tips for me?

Simple Easter papier mache gift bowls

I've been meaning to try papier mache for a little while now with Harry, and I thought that making some simple little bowls would be a good way to start. Filled with treats, they would be a lovely gift for Easter or Mother's Day.

To make the paper mache bowls, first you need to choose a couple of bowls that are a suitable size. I'd recommend starting small! I used two small bowls from Ikea. You also need some cling film, lots of small pieces of torn up paper and lots of glue. I used watered down PVA (white) glue.

Cover the bowls in cling film and smooth it down as much as you can. Then all you have to do is cover the bowl with glue and paste on pieces of paper in layers. You can use newspaper, but if you make the first and last layers using white paper it will be easier to paint afterwards. Be aware that if you are making this with young children you will end up doing most of the paper yourself! Allow it to dry a little in between layers, ideally by placing on a radiator. You will need at least eight layers to make it sturdy enough, but you can do as many more as you like depending on how thick you want your bowl to be.

When you have finished gluing the paper, allow to dry thoroughly before releasing the papier mache bowl from the mould. It should slide off easily. You may want to do a last layer of paper to overlap the rim of the bowl and make it look neater.

Then you are ready to decorate. We used poster paints - first we painted the bowl yellow then when it was dry we decorated with a sponge 'leaf' print and used cotton buds to make coloured dots.

There are so many different ways that you could decorate the bowls - you could add a layer of coloured tissue paper or napkins, add glitter and sequins, use dried flowers or leaves, glue on pictures from magazines or just paint designs using a fine brush.

Crochet fail

Another challenge that I wanted to tick off my Day Zero Project list was to learn crochet. Pinterest has a lot to answer for. Despite showing no natural inclination for any craft involving yarn I have rather optimistically assembled a board entitled "Blankets", stuffed with gorgeous examples of colourful granny square blankets like this one. I thought that it would be a lovely long term project.

So I enlisted my faithful Mum to take me shopping for some yarn and tasked her with teaching me to crochet. I hope I've mentioned here before how wonderful my Mum is. She found me some simple instructions to follow, she pointed me in the direction of some useful videos, and then she spent a good amount of time sitting down with me, wincing as I struggled my way through the basics. I forgot everything that she had taught me the minute she left the room, and even when she was sitting right beside me I would generally be crocheting along happily backwards or conjuring up extra stitches from nowhere.

It was quickly becoming clear that crochet was not my craft.

Thankfully once again my Mum stepped in. One thing that I can do is knit, as long as the instructions are very simple, repetitive, and use only basic knit and purl stitches. She purchased me a pattern for a knitted blanket on Ravelry, then she simplified and rewrote the pattern so that I could follow it. I've even managed to make a start on it when she hasn't been here, and I've not messed anything up yet.

I've not got much to show for it yet and there is a long way to go, so I'll save that for another post. I also can't bring myself to tick 'Learn to crochet' off the list yet. I've got some time left to give it another go, perhaps I'll attempt something a little less ambitious next time!

It may not look too bad, but it's all I managed after several hours of tuition

The Day Zero Project - Do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle

I love doing jigsaws. When I was little we always had one on the go somewhere in the house, and in particular I remember long Christmas holidays hunched over the table sorting pieces. I once read an Enid Blyton book in which the young heroine spent the night staying awake keeping watch over some mysterious building which she could conveniently see from her bedroom window. She passed the time doing a jigsaw. I was always making up adventure stories in my head, and doing a jigsaw let me live inside my head for a bit and imagine.

As part of my degree I spent a year in Germany. I didn't always have a lot to do in my little room with no electrical entertainment, but I did have a nice big desk and a jigsaw on the go. That is probably the last time that I completed a real jigsaw with more than 12 pieces - they aren't the best hobby when you have young children and need to leave piles of tempting tiny bits of cardboard lying about precariously for days on end.

When I was putting together my Day Zero Project list I browsed other lists for inspiration and this one caught my eye - "Do a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle" - so I added it eagerly. We now have a dining table that can be appropriated for periods of time, children that can understand (to a certain extent) things that they are not allowed to touch, and I have a Mum with a vast jigsaw collection. I borrowed one - Cadbury's chocolate adverts - got on with it, and to my immense surprise finished it in two days! (Admittedly that did co-incide with my technology free day, which certainly speeded the process up).

Maybe the design that I picked was too easy. Anyway the bug is back and I've already tentatively chosen the next one which is one of my own - a much more difficult photomosaic of the Mona Lisa. Soon to be a permanent feature in our dining room!

Easy Valentine's Day collage bunting

Decorating for different celebrations is a really good way to get children involved, and this bunting is so easy that as long as a child can hold a glue spreader they can join in.

First you need to cut some heart shapes from red and pink cardboard. I drew a heart free hand, but an easy way to make a heart is to use the shapes from Microsoft Word or similar and print them out. Then collect together an assortment of appropriate collage materials in red and pink - scraps of tissue paper, paper napkins, bits of lace or ribbon, coloured paper, sequins and so on.

Let the children decorate the hearts with plenty of glue. Then when they are dry string them together with some coloured ribbon or string, hang up and enjoy!

My day without technology

Joanne Mallon was challenged by her daughter to attempt a day without technology. I really enjoyed reading her daughter's blog post (which contains the rules for the challenge) and her own blog post about the day, and so I gladly accepted the challenge to have a go myself. I'm afraid that I didn't completely pass, but considering that for most of the day I was at home alone with two young children unable to help me I don't think that I did too badly! I needed to keep my phone on in case my husband or the pre-school needed to contact me. Here's how I got on:

7am - I normally reach straight for my phone, today I got straight up and went in the shower. Hubby left for the gym and work.
7.30am - No toast for breakfast today. The children watched Mickey Mouse while I ate. Normally I would sit at the PC, today I finished and got on with the washing up.
8.55am - Hubby rang to tell me how he got on at the gym.
9.30am - I checked my text messages as we had a playdate and I wanted to make sure that we were still on. No messages but I couldn't help noticing 5 e-mails sat there...
10am - At our playdate, much too busy running after children to miss the phone.
11.45am - Back home. Normally a quick chance to check Facebook, but got on with lunch instead.
12pm - Lunch. Again a PC opportunity but instead I ate in peace and quiet (well as much as possible with two little ones). Fortunately the cooker is allowed so I could eat soup.
1pm - Having dropped Harry off at pre-school I normally push Mia home as quickly as possible so that I can try and get her down for a nap and have some computer time. No point today so I got her out to walk for a bit and she surprised me by walking all the way home (about a mile).
1.35pm - Time to try for a nap. Normally I sit outside the door on my phone, returning Mia to bed every couple of minutes. Instead I tidied our bedroom and packed my gym bag for tomorrow.
1.50pm - Asleep! And much quicker than normal, must be the extra exercise. I treated myself to a slice of cake in front of my jigsaw. It is so quiet, really noticable that the PC is not switched on.
2.25pm - Time for a bit of cross stitch. So peaceful.
3.35pm - Mia woke up. We made flapjacks by hand. Mia ate raisins and played with the scales. Whoops, I've just realised that the scales are electric.
4pm - I needed to make pizza dough for dinner. I'm afraid I cheated and used the mixer, Mia didn't have the patience for me to do it by hand. I did toy briefly with the idea of asking her to turn it on for me though.
4.10pm - Phone made a noise I've not heard before so thought I'd better check it. Something to do with eBay that hubby has set up.
4.15pm - Hubby rings to say when he'll be home (late).
4.30pm - Mia was happily occupied with toys in Harry's room. Normally I would be using the phone, today I started to clean the bathroom and then we played ambulances.
5.15pm - Out to collect Harry. I had to use the car as it was dark.
5.50pm - Both children were sitting on the sofa with books and looking adorable. I ran to get my phone to take a picture, then remembered that I couldn't so watched and enjoyed the moment instead.
6pm - I popped CBeebies on for a bit so that I could get on with dinner.
6.20pm - Children eating again, no PC though instead I tidied up the toys.
7.10pm - Husband home. Tried to talk to him but he was busy sending text messages.
7.30pm - Children in bed, time for us to eat. We ate in silence as he was busy on his phone.
8.15pm - Hubby put the dishwasher on. Suggestion that he could also put some washing in or run the hoover round met with a withering look.
8.20pm - Spent the evening doing my jigsaw with no TV. I did have to look at the computer briefly to help compare broadband deals.
10.30pm - Bedtime with a real, paper book.

Things that I have learned

My phone stays close by me during the day mainly so that I can keep in touch with my husband. Once he was home for the evening I didn't miss it at all.

It's really annoying when other people are playing on their phones all the time and you aren't.

When I don't enter my daily calories into my phone I eat more.

I missed taking photographs to share with my husband or on Facebook.

It's much easier to get on with housework when you are not distracted by the phone.

I get irritable when I am halfway through reading something and get disturbed, if I don't start reading it in the first place then I can't be disturbed and therefore won't be irritable.

I didn't miss out on anything online.

I use my phone for much more than I realised - it's my shopping list, to do list, housework routine manager, calorie counter and weight tracker, recipe book (via Pinterest or e-mails), camera, clock and child entertainer.

Are you up for the challenge? How would you manage? If you'd like to give it a go, let me know how you get on!

Adventures in soap making, Hobbycraft style

Making soap was another activity that I added to my Day Zero Project list. When a new Hobbycraft opened around the corner I used a 25% off voucher to stock up on things that I needed to complete some of the tasks, and this soap making kit was one of the things that I bought. There were several different kits to choose from, and I went for the House of Crafts Handmade Soap Kit which cost me just under £10 with the discount.

I didn't realise when I was putting together my list that making real soap is rather complicated and involves dangerous chemicals, but this kit uses the melt and pour method which is very easy and doesn't require much equipment.

This is what is inside the box:

The mould is only large enough to make three soaps at a time, so you can't make the entire kit at once unless you find something else to use for moulds. This means that you need to cut the soap compound up in order to melt it, making it a bit difficult to guess the quantities. However if you do end up melting too much you can always re-use it.

I melted the soap compound in the microwave in short bursts, which probably took about a minute in total. Then you just stir in some fragrance and petals, pour into the moulds and leave it to set, which takes about two hours. These are the first soaps that I made:

Grown up soap

This kit made me 9 bars of soap, and I have plenty of petals and fragrance left over. You can buy the Melt and Pour Soap Base separately, so now I've worked my way through this batch (or distributed them as gifts amongst friends and family...) I might have a go at making some more.

While I was building up the courage to have a go at using the set (I don't know why, when it was so easy!) I asked for advice on-line and Maggy at Red Ted Art directed me to her post on Dinosaur Egg Soap. By pure co-incidence a couple of days later I was shopping in Asda and spotted a small plastic egg full of tiny dinosaur erasers, and I knew that they would be perfect for some dinosaur soap. 

So I decided that I would freestyle it a bit and have a go at my own dinosaur soap. I used some green and brown twiggy bits from the kit for leaves, and as I was impatient and having only three moulds was limiting my creativity, I also used some silicon cupcake cases (not pictured) which turned out well too. Harry helped me with some of these and loved it, he's a reluctant bather but after his bath that night I think he was the cleanest he's ever been!



Dinosaur soap

I've never been sure about buying these type of craft kits, perhaps thinking that they are cheating a little bit, but I had a lot of fun making these soaps. I also purchased a candle making kit which I'm planning on opening soon, so watch this space!

The big girl bed

We decorated Mia's bedroom over Christmas, and so it seemed natural to move her from her cot to a proper bed. We ordered the same one that we bought for Harry - a single bed which lifts up to provide storage underneath. It's a full size single but it's aimed at children so it's not too high. We also spent a fortune on bedding. I feel a bit bad because Harry has cheap Tesco sheets, but we have splashed out a bit more for Mia and gone mad on some gorgeous elephant bedding from John Lewis - even throwing in a matching cushion impulse buy which is very unlike us! Hopefully it will last her though - I know that I used my first child bedding right up until I left home!

We do have one problem though. We perhaps didn't realise at the time how easy Harry's transition to a bed was. Well, he wasn't a great sleeper anyway, and he certainly didn't sleep any worse in the bed. When he woke up he would just lie there screaming, and it took him months to get out of bed by himself. Mia worked it out immediately, and putting her in bed and closing the door is followed immediately by pattering footsteps across the room and whimpering at the door.

We haven't worked out a strategy yet. We are just going back in and returning her to bed and after a few tries she is staying there and going to sleep. I'm a bit worried as to where we are heading though - I have visions of evenings ahead where we spend the entire evening returning her to bed before collapsing exhausted into bed ourselves. Then even worse, repeating this throughout the night.

I'd love to hear any tips that you might have about persuading young toddlers to stay in bed once you put them there!

Pudding?

I remember when I was growing up my hardworking Mum, in addition to making us all dinner every night, also made us a pudding. Sometimes it was quite simple (Instant Whip - a treat sadly no longer with us), sometimes it was a bit more complicated (yummy treacle tart) but it was always delicious (my favourite was chocolate sponge pudding with chocolate sauce).

I don't make separate puddings (or perhaps I should call it dessert ). Ram and I tend to sneak some kind of chocolately treat once the children are in bed, although the children are allowed ice-cream if they have finished all their dinner (this is not a regular occurance!).

Now that Harry has started at a new pre-school, the word "pudding" has entered his vocabulary. Some of the children make a dessert for all the children to have after their tea, and they must refer to this as their pudding. Harry hasn't picked up on any sweet and/or unhealthy connotations of the word yet - he uses it to talk about anything that comes after the first thing that he has eaten, whether that is a piece of cheese, fruit or ice-cream.

It got me thinking though. Do you make a separate dessert for the evening meal, or are you like me and find it enough of a challenge to put one course on the table at a time?

Harry's Birthday party and my rainbow cake

This weekend, my little boy turned four. Four! I can't believe it. The first couple of years went so sloooowly, and the next couple have gone so fast! I spent a long time preparing for Harry's family party. I decided that I really wanted to make a rainbow cake, and so I chose the theme of a rainbow party all based around this. I made a rainbow pinata, purchased rainbow paper tableware, organised a rainbow themed craft and stocked up on colourful party food and nibbles.

Then the snow came. As we had family that were planning on travelling some distance, unfortunately we had to make the decision to cancel the party rather than risk them driving in the snow and ice. I won't deny that I was disappointed of course, but fortunately Harry was excited enough about the snow that it was enough of a distraction. Luckily we still managed to get some of the family together to make it a party for him.

It certainly wasn't enough to stop me from making the centerpiece - my rainbow cake. I'd seen these on Pinterest, but most of the recipes were from the US and I wasn't sure that I was confident enough to adapt one. Then I discovered this fantastic UK rainbow cake recipe, and it worked brilliantly. It did take me an entire evening, and I was extremely grateful for my electric mixer, but I was delighted with the result, and everyone seemed impressed!


Obligatory rainbow cake batter photograph
 

Nothing special on the outside...

But amazing on the inside!

Plenty of rainbow cake to go around!

The pinata worked really well too, especially as Harry pulled the winning string! We also had lots of fun playing outside in the snow - we can always have a party but we can't guarantee him snow on his birthday again!

How to make a rainbow pull string pinata

Firstly I have to admit that I have never actually seen a piñata in action. But we are having a little birthday party for Harry this weekend, and I wanted to do something a bit different so I thought I'd have a go at making our own piñata. I wasn't sure about having a piñata to be bashed about with sticks (what a waste of my hard work!) so I thought that I would have a go at a pull string version, with the added bonus that I am hoping it can be re-used year after year! Harry's party is going to have a rainbow theme (all based around a certain pinnable masterpiece of the cake variety, which I am hoping to pull off) so I went with rainbow colours.

I was at a bit of a loss with how to begin, as all the piñata tutorials that I found were very fancy and involved papier mache and balloons. However this pull-string pinata tutorial gave me the confidence to have a go at a simple version using a box.

I used one of the many rectangular cardboard boxes that we have hanging around after Christmas. Harry helped me to paint it red all over, then I made fringed strips from tissue and coloured paper (whatever we had about) in rainbow colours to glue along the sides. I added a loop of string to the top so that it could be hung up.

The bottom of the piñata is one large flap, which we also painted red. I found it best to make the flap open over the entire bottom of the box, so that nothing gets caught inside.

To make the pull strings I used some of that metallic ribbon that I keep for decorating wrapped presents and never use. I made 15 strings. The winning string is knotted firmly in place, with extra tape for good measure. The other strings are just threaded through using a large needle and pull out easily. To uncurl the ribbons, the piñata spent the night on the dining table with the ribbons stretched out and flattened under large books.

I filled it with various sweets and treats. This is a delicate process, as of course the weight of the sweets inside forces the flap open, so you need to secure it in place. After a few experiments, I found that four strips of tissue paper, each about 1cm wide, glued into place around the edges of the flap worked well. Then hang it up (or pass to a tall, responsible adult) and let children take it in turns to pull a string and see who is showered with goodies!

2013 - A shiny New Year

I'm always excited by a New Year. After the excess of Christmas, both in terms of food and new possessions, the New Year means a new diary, a blank page and a fresh start.

I'm in a very different place than I expected to be this time last year - a stay at home Mum. Although my redundancy took place a couple of months ago, the children stayed in part-time childcare until we went on holiday, and then with the holiday and Christmas it hasn't really had time to sink in. Harry starts at a new, local pre-school in January for three afternoons a week, then he will start school in September. We are keeping Mia out of childcare for the time being. She is on the waiting list to start at Harry's nursery when she is 2 in May but, assuming that I am not working, I will probably keep her at home with me for a little longer.

I am really looking forward to the opportunity to spend some extra time with Mia, especially now that she is past the baby stage. It will also be good for her to have me to herself for a bit, as I feel that she is often pushed aside by Harry's insistence to be heard, leading to her becoming stroppy and frustrated. I'm also determined to make the most of Harry's last few months before he starts school, it's a precious time which I don't want to waste.

We've been doing some decorating over the last few days, and emptying out rooms is always a good opportunity to take stock of your possessions. I'm pretty good about taking things off to the charity shop, but there is plenty in the house that doesn't need to be here and could benefit others. I also need to reorganise a bit and make sure that the children have the age appropriate toys in their rooms - there are lots of Harry's old toys that Mia would love to play with now but that have been buried amongst all the other things.

I'm also intending to concentrate on myself a bit over the next year. I started the Day Zero Project and I have a list of things that I want to do over the next couple of years. I've been making preparations - just before Christmas a new Hobbycraft opened literally around the corner, and armed with a 25% voucher I spent most of my Christmas money in advance on things that I needed. I've already completed 8% of the list, and it would be great if I could complete 50% by the end of the year.

I'd like to wish all my readers a Happy New Year, I appreciate each and every one of you and may 2013 be a fantastic year for you, full of everything that makes you happy.

My 2012

As 2012 comes to an end, here are some of my highlights from the past year. It's been a year for:

Life changes

Moving house - it's almost exactly a year since we moved house. We love our new house, and it's a part of a wonderful community. Harry will be starting at the local school next September, and we are really glad that we made the decision to move.

Redundancy - Not the best news just before Christmas, and it was a very stressful process, but now that it's in the past I'm hopeful that it's the best thing for me and our little family.

Children

No, there aren't any more on the way! Harry will be 4 in a couple of weeks and he's growing up so quickly. He's a lovely little boy, talkative, funny and bright. Mia is 19 months now, and over the last year she has changed from a baby to a toddler. It's great having her running about and chatting away, desperate to join in with whatever her big brother is doing and putting her sticky fingers everywhere. They have such a bond and are always giving each other kisses and cuddles, it's wonderful to watch.

Holidays

We've enjoyed some fantastic holidays this year, we started the year with a lovely break at Mazzard Farm in Devon, and enjoyed brilliant trips to Lanzarote and Florida.

Sport

I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the Olympics this year, we were very lucky to have tickets to see some of the events and it was definitely a highlight of the year.

Blogging

I'm still blogging, something that I'm very proud of! My most popular post of the entire year has been one which was only published a few weeks ago - How to make a Nativity play Shepherd's Costume - I hope that it helped some people out this Christmas! My Diwali craft posts were also very popular, in particular Making a Rangoli using dyed rice.

I started my second blog - Toddler Things - and I have a couple of other smaller blogs in the works too.

Crafting

I've been working hard on my never-ending cross stitch project. Will I have it complete by the end of 2013? Let's see!

Personal challenges

I was really excited to start the Day Zero Project which I'm hoping to make a big part of my 2013, more about that to come soon! One of the things on my list which I was really proud of was my gingerbread house for Christmas.

Sleep

No, not really! Actually, to be fair, Harry's sleep has improved enormously and it's now rare to hear from him in the night. We've even got him sleeping (or at least staying in bed) until 7.30am at the moment as the jet lag from the holiday stays in his system, but I know that won't last much longer! Mia is generally up and about throughout the night though, she usually settles very quickly with a drink but it's not long before we hear from her again. Knowing that we got there in the end with Harry gives me hope for the future though, one day I will sleep again!

I hope that you have had a wonderful 2012, and here's to an even better 2013!

Keeping ourselves busy

We've been living in our 'new' house for almost exactly a year now, and we have finally managed to schedule in some time to start some decorating! It has sometimes felt a bit like living in someone else's home, especially as the previous owner was a big fan of feature walls in very bold colours that I wouldn't necessarily have chosen myself (although I'm sure that the new owner of our old house is cursing the hills, sky and sun 'mural' that I was so proud of in Harry's room!).

We decided that as everything would be disrupted anyway we might as well tackle two rooms at once, so we are starting with our bedroom and Mia's room. We decorated a lovely butterfly themed room for Mia in our old house just before we made the decision to move, and I've always felt it was a real shame as she was never able to appreciate it. We kept the new pink curtains so that we can re-use them here, and we've bought her a new table lamp and matching lampshade.

I'm afraid that my decorating style is rather unimaginative. I tend to choose a pale colour for the walls and then use a darker shade of that colour for curtains and other furnishings. I don't do feature walls or anything more adventurous. As we already have curtains from the old house for both rooms, we are just painting the rooms the same colour as they were before - pale pink for Mia and pale blue for our bedroom. This will be the third time that we have decorated a bedroom for us, and we've done it almost the same each time!

It's turning into a larger job than we expected as the dark coloured walls are going to need two coats of white as well as two coats of colour - I'm hoping that we can get it finished before Ram goes back to work! We do have a deadline of Harry's birthday next month, when we will have guests staying so will need to vacate the guest bedroom!

We've also ordered Mia a proper bed for her new room, so in a few weeks time we'll see how she manages out of the cot. Harry surprised us with a very smooth transition, I'm really hoping that she will be the same!

Harry helping out with some artwork - it's a bridge

Creating a role play area - Doctor's Surgery

One of the things on my Day Zero Project was to create a role play area for Harry and Mia. I was inspired to make one because we've been looking around various pre-schools and schools lately and they all have one. They look really fun, both to create and play in, and we were able to make space for one in Harry's bedroom.

I used our room divider to mark out the area, and covered the walls with a sheet to curtain it off. Then I asked Harry what sort of role play area he would like to start with. I made a few suggestions, and he chose a Doctor's Surgery. Part of the fun was working on it together, and he really loved helping me to set it up.

The waiting room leads into the surgery

I wanted to bring in some ideas about staying healthy, and so I found some really good posters about healthy living to print out for him to colour to go on the walls. I kept it simple, and chose posters about eating lots of fruit and vegetables, exercise and having a good night's sleep. Harry coloured them in while we talked about what they meant. I also printed out some vaguely medical charts and made him an official looking clipboard using my cutting mat and a bulldog clip.

A good night's sleep is very important!

We have a waiting area outside with a chair and some books to read, then inside the doctor has a table and chair, with a bed for patients to lie on while being diagnosed. We already have a toy medical kit, and I added a few bandages and plasters that were in our own first aid kit.

Ready to receive patients

It didn't take very long to put together, and I was able to improvise pretty well with things that we already had around the house. I'm intending to rotate through lots of different themes - Harry has already requested a dentist which I think would be really good as he has so far refused to show a dentist his teeth. I'm also thinking a shop, restaurant or cafe, kitchen and library.

Challenging myself as a SAHM and The Day Zero Project

It doesn't really kick in until January, but I am now officially a stay-at-home-Mum. I know that it's the right thing for me, and I'm incredibly lucky to be able to stay at home with the children. But that doesn't mean that I'm not going to find it difficult. I was browsing through StumbleUpon the other night (it's brilliant!) and I came across this website Suburban CEO. I read many things here that really struck a chord with me.

In particular, I was very taken with this chart showing how the life of a stay at home mother has changed over the last century or so, and why women staying at home with children can now find it very difficult. The website then goes on to talk about the five things that are missing in modern life, and how we can replace those missing pieces - community, goals, support, money and leadership. Even if you are a Mum that doesn't stay at home full-time with the children I'd really recommend visiting the site. It doesn't take long to read through and get the gist of it, and I think that it is relevant to everyone. I certainly experienced the same issues when I was working part-time.

One of the most important recommendations on the site is having projects, in particular short term projects - a goal that can be achieved within three months. I really like the idea of setting out some things that I would like to challenge myself to achieve, and being able to tick them off when they are done with a sense of accomplishment. This idea reminded me of something else that I had read about - The Day Zero Project. This is a self-created list of 101 challenges to be completed within 1001 days.

So I am combining ideas that I have picked up from both these websites, and I have set up my very own list of 101 Things in 1001 Days. Bearing in mind that overseas travel to exotic destinations is probably out for the next few years, all of my goals are very simple and should be easily achievable if I just get on with them. Some go back to interests that I had before children, and some are things that will help me to be more organised in the future. Some are things for myself, some are for me and the children, some are for me and my husband and some are for our whole family. Some will take a few minutes to complete and some will take a lot longer. There will certainly be no excuse for sitting around on an evening and thinking that I have nothing to do!

You can see my list here 101 Things in 1001 Days, and I'm going to create a page on the blog to track my progress. I'm really motivated to complete the list so I'll see how I go - I have until the 20th August 2015!

Have you started the Day Zero Project? I'd love to know what you think about the idea!