Happy Halloween!

Today Belle is guest posting for me with the beginnings of a spooky Halloween story, written all by herself. Belle has written her story as part of a competition being hosted by Asda, and inspired by her Asda Corpse Bride Halloween costume. The story that gets the most comments will win a prize so if you like Belle’s story, please do say so!

….

One dark stormy night two children set out trick or treating, but what they didn’t know was that this would be no ordinary night, it would be the night when the unusual thing happened…

As Baxter and Bliss stepped out the creaky door a shroud of darkness awaited them because this was the time of night when the known became unknown, the ghosts and ghouls came out of their dark, dingy hiding places, when zombies and vampires came looking for juicy children to snack on, skeletons and devils clattered and crawled out of their caves, witches made potions and werewolves prowled along the cobbled alleyways and grimy streets.

Bliss and Baxter wandered aimlessly down the slimy shortcuts and shadowy back alleys. They searched for houses without orange “no trick or treating ” signs up in the window or ones with lots of pumpkins. Finally they came to a house with lots of pumpkins and decorations saying stuff like ‘come in if you dare’ or ‘enter in at your own risk’ – stuff like that.

“Ha ha,” said Baxter laughing “I’m not scared of that rubbish, come on Bliss.” A wobble in his voice now.

Bliss whimpered.

“Don’t be such a baby, come on”  They knocked on the wooden door and it slowly creaked open….

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There, I’ve said it.

I love my Filofax. I love looking at it on my desk, I love sniffing it and I especially love walking around with it, carrying it proudly under my arm, and casually getting things out of it. (When I’m out with other people obviously, not just around the house on my own. Although…)

Since I got my Finsbury Personal Organiser* a couple of weeks ago, it has been settling in nicely with my other stationery items, and I’ve taken it on quite a few outings with me too. Oh yes, and it’s handy for writing things in too, but that’s secondary really to the sniffing.

Seriously though, it is very useful. I’ve always been much more of a pen and paper person. I have a Blackberry Torch, but I never use the calendar or address book. I prefer a white board and a stack of 17 or so notebooks for keeping track of my work.

One thing I love about my Filofax, now it’s getting towards the end of the year, is that I can have the 2013 diary insert in ready, and write next year’s appointment in the same place, rather than have to crack open a new diary or calendar and have two on the go at once. I’m also very excited about the different extras that you can buy to go in it. Father Christmas, if you are reading, I would like a Filofax themed stocking this year please.

Here’s a few photos so you can see what me and my Filofax have been up to:

"Filofax"

Settling in on my desk at home. The whiteboard markers have been showing it round.

"Filofax on the train"

On the train on the way to London, my Filofax has a little peep out of my handbag.

"Yellow filofax"

Most importantly though, does my Filofax match my nail varnish?

*This is its official name – long, like a pedigree dog. I’ve thought about calling it Finn for short, but I have a nephew called Finn, so that could get confusing. “Have you seen Finn?” I might ask my sister. “I think I left him in my handbag?”

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When you imagine Aunt Bessie, slaving over a hot Yorkshire pudding tray, what do you picture? A homely looking elderly lady maybe? A neat grey bun keeping her hair safely out of the batter, a lace pinny tied tightly around her not unsubstantial waist?

Me too.

But think again.

Although Aunt Bessie started baking up frozen Yorkshire puddings for Butlins back in the 1970s, it’s only since 1995 that you’ve been able to buy your own frozen Aunt Bessie’s puds in the supermarket. I know – crazy isn’t it? They feel like something that’s been around for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Last week I went to find out more about Aunt Bessie, and to test my own (poor) kitchen skills, creating some roasty treats alongside a group of other mummy bloggers. They gave me my own proper sharp knife and everything. And I only dropped it once.

After being shown the full Aunt Bessie’s range, we were set to creating our own lunches, to be accompanied of course by lashing of Yorkshire puddings, carrot and swede mash, and Aunt Bessie’s gravy. Purple Mum and I were on the stuffed aubergine station. If you’d like to make your very own stuffed aubergines, and why wouldn’t you, watch and learn:

Gather all your ingredients together in smart white bowls as though you are presenting a cookery show. (You don’t really have to do this bit, but it looks nice and professional.)

Preheat the oven to 200c/gas mark 6. Cut two aubergines in half length wise. Cut almost through them in a criss cross pattern.

Cut out the centre of the aubergines, leaving four empty halves that you can stuff later. Roughly chop the flesh.

Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a pan and fry a chopped onion for about five minutes.

Add the aubergine and cook for another five minutes or so. Stir in one crushed garlic clove, half a chopped red pepper, a chopped courgette and a pinch of chilli flakes. (Try to avoid chopping any of your nail varnish into the red pepper. Just saying.) Season well and cook for another five minutes.

Tip into a bowl and stir in 200g chopped chestnuts, 100g of mixed nuts, toasted and chopped, 2tbsp of freshly chopped parsley, the zest of one lemon, a beaten egg, 25g grated parmesan and one slice of stale bread, cut into small cubes. Season again. If you have an incredibly phallic looking pepper grinder all the better. (Cue much cackling from mummy bloggers).

Spoon your mixture into the aubergine halves, drizzle with a little more oil, and bake for 20 minutes. Eat all the leftovers while you wait. (optional).

Meanwhile, cook your Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire puddings, carrot and swede mash and gravy according to instructions. Crack open a bottle of wine or two, gather your three favourite family members, and tuck in!

 

 

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I have a few things I want to mention this week, and it would be hard to think of three things less similar. I’m going to do my best however to blend them into one seamless post. I’m sure you’ll barely realise I’m talking about more than one subject.

First off, ironing. There seem to be two schools of thought on this one – there are the people who spend Sunday afternoons ironing for hours whilst watching the Eastenders omnibus, and people who go more for the ‘fold it carefully before you put it away’ approach. Which are you?

I am certainly the latter, as was proven in the recent burnt-carpet-ironed-onto-back-of-Boyfriend’s-best-shirt incident. It is doubtful that I will ever be allowed to use an iron again to be honest, which is a bit of a shame, as it means I won’t get to play with our new Morphy Richards Power Steam Elite.

There are loads of things I like about the Morphy Richards Power Steam Elite. It’s really smooth and easy to use, it holds loads of water, and is Very Steamy Indeed. You can even use it to steam curtains while they’re up, if you like that sort of thing. One of the best things though is that it looks really snazzy and makes you feel like you doing a very important chore.

"Morphy Richards Power Steam Elite"On the downside, it does take up a lot of space, and as a complete unit is pretty heavy. Probably not the iron for you if you live in one of those tiny flats with an ironing board that comes out of the wall. (Is that a thing?)

From irons then, to…er…comics!

(Seamless)

It always annoys me that when Belle wants to buy a magazine, she basically has a choice between The Simpsons comic or something in various shades of pink, filled either with popstar gossip or pictures of fluffy bunnies sat in baskets with ribbons round their neck. The range isn’t exactly diverse.

We were really excited then to get sent some copies of The Pheonix, a story comic aimed at kids between 8-11, (although I enjoyed reading it too.) The Pheonix a really lively mix of stories and puzzles, and the illustrations are brilliant. Belle especially liked that there were lots of different types of drawings, rather than just one style of illustrations.

Anything that keeps her away from the TV for a bit gets my vote.

"Pheonix comics"

To keep me away from the TV, (slightly smoother), I’ve been reading the new book from Penguin about the London Underground – ‘Underground – how the tube shaped London‘ – celebrating its vibrant 150 year history.

I say ‘reading’ but to be honest I have been mainly looking at the pictures so far. You can’t blame me though, as it’s full of loads of really amazing photographs of the Underground over the years, plus lots of beautiful vintage posters.

Images © TFL from the London Transport Museum collection

"vintage train poster"

My top Underground fact so far though – can you guess what was built in a spare lift shaft at Holloway Road in 1906?

No?

A spiral escalator! Funnily enough, it apparently never made it into public service. The mind boggles…

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Following her very thorough Blackberry Curve 9320 review, I invited Bee back to talk about the joys of voucher codes…

In my house we are big on voucher codes.

I can’t go anywhere without someone saying “don’t forget to take this 2 for 1 offer/money off voucher/loyalty card with you”. In fact one of the highlights for the family this weekend (surprisingly I didn’t attend) was spending some vouchers in 99p Stores. They came back with all sorts of random things, the most obscure being the gift they got for me, which was a pack of 6 little tubs of tooth picks. I guess they could always be used as mini sticks for mini marshmallows around a Bunsen burner.

"mini marshmallows"

Anyway, this got me thinking, I could use voucher codes to my advantage, with Christmas just around the corner. Seventeen is an awkward age to be when it comes to buying Christmas presents, as people assume you are old enough to buy your own gifts, but you also don’t have as much disposable income as adults.

Also, truth be told, you’re just not as tuned in with the rest of your family as they are, meaning you’re never sure what they would actually like and what would be a waste of the £10 you had scraped together to get them a token present. So I thought going onto a voucher code website could kill two birds with one stone – (not literally. I would never throw a rock at a bird. I’m a vegetarian. And I don’t want an ASBO) – I could get some inspiration for good gift ideas and hopefully save some money too.

I had a browse through the discount vouchers at netvouchercodes.co.uk to see what I could find. Clicking onto the “popular vouchers” tab I found a code for £20 off when you spend £55 on Crocs. I didn’t think I’d be downloading that one. I may not have a passion for fashion but I do know where to draw the line.

Another awkward voucher I found was “20% off the Diamond Plus Service using this Divorce Online Voucher Code.” I don’t think I’d be invited to my Dad’s house for Christmas dinner again if I got him this. (Plus I wouldn’t want him to get divorced obviously).

One suitable voucher code did catch my eye though – “£20 off when you spend £100 or more on Premium Beauty using this Boots Discount Code.” Well there you go, I can get £100 worth of fancy moisturiser in a box for £80. That’s half of my Christmas list done. I didn’t even have to leave the comfort of my kitchen table; I could just use the Boots discount voucher, go straight to their website and order online!

Now that’s what I call Christmas shopping.

 

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It always feels a bit strange to be at the Baby Show and not be in an unflattering Cuddledry t-shirt, demonstrating the benefits of having two hands free to lift your baby out of the bath. Walking around the dozens and dozens of stands can feel a little overwhelming when you’re used to being on just one.

I actually really enjoyed my visit to the Baby Show at Earl’s Court yesterday though, wandering around, chatting to people and generally making a bit of a prat out of myself.

“Hello! I’ve spoken to you on twitter and you said to come and say hi!”

Cue blank stares from tired stall holders.

My best find of the day though, a little gem tucked away in a quiet corner, did remember me from twitter, so I immediately liked them a lot. Catherine Lobley is the founder of Poco Nido and creator of a range of adorable shoes, wellies and clothes for babies and toddlers, all designed in their studio in Sheffield and made using the very best materials.

I got this lovely little t-shirt for my niece. I tweeted about it obviously, as I am hilarious:

"Poco Nido"

A tweet within a tweet. Hahaha!

I spoke to so many lovely brands, that I thought I’d do a little gallery for you, just to give you a flavour of what you can do and see at the Baby Show if you’re visiting this weekend.

"Safe Dreams"

Visit Safe Dreams and check out their giant Patch toy. Have your picture taken with it, upload it to your facebook page, tagging Safe Dreams, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win your very own (normal sized) cot toy.

"Hip seat"

The hip seat from Hippychick is one of my absolute favourite baby products – a must have for parents with children who always want to be right there. Without it, I would never have been able to cook Christmas dinner in 2002 or 2003. Fact.

"Trunki"

I had a lovely chat with Trunki about their plans for Christmas.

"Snugglebundl"

Make sure you go and say hello to Snugglebundl. They are a fairly new product, designed to easily move your baby around when they’ve fallen asleep. Gorgeous designs and lovely people.

"Junior Magazine"

Just before I left, I accidentally bought a subscription to Junior Magazine. In my defence, it was a great offer – the magazine is normally £4.90 an issue, but I got 12 months for £20, plus a free gift worth £34.99. You’ll have to go and visit them yourself to find out what it was…

 

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There’s less than a week to go until Halloween. Are you feeling spooky yet?

To get her in the mood, Belle has been reading some scary Halloween stories this week from Miles Kelly. They are aimed at 6-9 year olds, beautifully illustrated and each book includes four or five individual stories. They include a mixture of classic stories with a creepy twist, plus lots of lesser known tales that have been imaginatively retold for children.

"Halloween stories"

To win your own set of three books, which includes The Wicked Witch of the West, Jack the Giant Killer and The Little Mermaid, simply leave a comment on this post, telling me what your favourite book was as a child.

A winner will be chosen on 31st October.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my competition to win a pair of Cheekyshoes too!

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Tuna and mushy peas on rice cakes.

I know, sounds delicious right?

I was feeling a bit uninspired by the thought of another ham sandwich, so had a rummage through the cupboards instead and found a can of tuna from the Reel Fish company:

Now I’ve not eaten much tuna lately since it started becoming a bit on the pricey side, so when you do buy tuna, you want to buy something Proper and Good don’t you? The Reel Fish company catch all their tuna one by one, using an actual pole and line, so nothing else gets caught that shouldn’t be. Plus, it’s really delicious.

I also found a tin of mushy peas, a bargain at only 9p from Aldi, and half a pack of slightly squidgy rice cakes that needed using up.

And then my delicious recipe came to me, like a bolt of lightning!

I like tuna, but I find it a bit dry on its own. Mayonnaise is yummy, but has about a million calories. Mushy peas on the other hand – all the moistness of mayo without the fat! Plus you get a bit of pea goodness too. Foolproof. I mixed them up together, and piled my mixture on top of my rice cake.

Tada!

"Tuna and mushy pea rice cakes"

Not only was it very tasty, but one of these works out at less than 100 calories and is really filling. Nigella eat your heart out.

If you have any other ideas for interesting ways to use a can of tuna, do let me know…

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I knew it would happen eventually, but she seems to be a little annoyed with the number of posts* that feature her being annoying or angry or frustrating in some way.

I wanted to write a post then just to explain a bit.

Belle, I don’t write about those things all the time because that is how you are all the time. I write about those moments because they are interesting and cute and make other mums and dads laugh and realise that all children are annoying or angry sometimes, just like all grown-ups are annoying or angry sometimes too. (I know I am annoying quite a lot).

Can you imagine if I wrote posts that began ‘Belle was very well-behaved this morning. She got up nicely and got herself some breakfast and went off to school.’ It would be pretty boring wouldn’t it?

I write about those moments when you feel angry or say something naughty because even though it might make me cross at the time, afterwards it sounds funny, and is just another part of the person you are, which all in all is pretty adorable. Plus it’s always good to laugh about things, even if they might not seem funny at first.

To make up for it though, here are a few other things about you, things that I don’t normally write about, because everyone who knows you knows already how kind and generous and thoughtful you are:

Ever since you were a baby, you have loved me with a passion and intensity that although at times a little overwhelming when it meant I couldn’t leave the room, is all a mummy could ever ask for. Plus you had the fattest cheeks ever.

You have always been very pretty, even when you were small and had no hair and people thought you were a boy, even though you were wearing a skirt.

When you were little – about three – and went to Alby’s, they would always tell me when I picked you up how helpful you had been during the day. When anyone new started, and cried because they missed their mummy, you would get them a tissue from the toilets without anyone asking you.

Whenever I feel a bit sad you always notice and ask if I am OK.

When you meet new people, you are amazing – full of confidence and excitement. You make the other person feel very special and pleased to have met you. Plus if they come to our house, you always draw them a picture, or do a show, or wrap them up a little present from your room.

If you have money, you always want to spend it on someone else. (Part of it at least). Like when you made me distract Bee while you bought her that One Direction keyring.

You always play so nicely with smaller children, especially Finn and Mia, even if you would rather be on your own, lying down and reading Malory Towers.

So, next time I write a post about you having a tantrum Belle, come back and read this post too and then you’ll remember that I’m only teasing, and that I love you really.

Mummy xx

*All of them

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Today I want to talk about Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM). Trouble is, there is so much important stuff to say, I really don’t know where to start.

First off, shock tactics. Breast cancer kills 1,000 women every single month, yet new research from Breakthrough Breast Cancer has revealed that only 2% of women can name five warning signs of breast cancer. That’s right, there are five signs. It’s not just lumps you’re looking for. I was definitely one of the 98% there.

Find out what the five signs are and get your free Touch Look Check guide from Breakthrough Breast Cancer now.

It’s scary isn’t it to think how unprepared we are?

The trouble is though that knowing the signs is only the first step. You then have to remember to check yourself too. Breakthrough Breast Cancer can help here too. I’ve decided to cover all the bases and get reminded left, right and centre. I’ve followed them on twitter and facebook, and even downloaded the cool breast check app, which not only has a TLC guide, but also a handy reminder service.

That way hopefully I’ll remember, wherever I am.

Where do you do it?

The other thing you can do to help of course is go shopping. (A chore obviously). Shop before the end of October and there are absolutely loads of products that will help raise money for breast cancer research. I did some Christmas shopping today through the BCAM shop to prove just how easy it is, and was going to do a little list for you here but then I remembered that quite a lot of the people I bought presents for would read it, and that would spoil the magic of Christmas rather.

Needless to say there is a pretty impressive range, with everything from popcorn:

"PROPERCORN Sweet & Salty"

To this beautiful Coast dress:

"Coast Siara Dress"

Basically what I’m saying is look after your boobs and go shopping. Not tricky is it?

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When you get to the point where you are only comfortable sleeping in one particular position, curled up on your right hand side, one leg drawn up to your chest, you know it’s probably time to get a new mattress.

(Or seek psychiatric help.)

Perfect timing then, in lieu of an offer of counselling, for a post about Dreams Beds.

(Oh yes, I am so smooth!)

I have to confess that I’ve never been terribly good at spending money on things like furniture. Apart from my current bed, my sofa is about the only thing in my whole house that I have bought new and paid more than about twenty quid for, and even that was a bit of a whim.

I bought my bed about ten years ago, but after all this time it would be fair to say that the mattress has probably seen better days. Wear and tear I call it. Who shares a bed with a breastfed toddler and doesn’t have a few dubious stains?

*looks slightly ashamed and hopes no-one ever sees*

So, time for a new bed.

I thought I’d have a look at the range at Dreams Beds, pick a few of my favourites, and then if you, my faithful readers, should want to club together to get me a Christmas gift, you’d know where to go.

Here then is my top three. First off, a bit of a classic – a sleigh style bed in solid oak. Pretty lovely isn’t it? Plus at the moment it is a bargain at only £599 instead of £1,499:

"oak bedstead"

Next up, the hi-tech choice. Not only does this bed include a TV, it is also upholstered in a “sumptuous metallic-weave fabric which features rich tones of taupe, mink and silver, with the addition of subtle nickel and amethyst hues”. I thought that sounded very Star Trek:

"TV bed"

And finally, my favourite, (and actually the cheapest, hint hint), the totally decadent option. Who wouldn’t feel totally desirable lying in this absolutely gorgeous dark purple velvet bed?

"velvet bed"

Sweet dreams!

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I have been to London twice this week. No matter how many times I go though it still feels like an adventure.

Growing up in a selection of small towns and villages, cities in themselves have always held a fascination  for me – the huge buildings and shops, the hustle and bustle of so many different types of people, so many Actual Proper Things.

London though remains one of my favourite cities. Even just walking through a tube station or crossing the street there is a powerful sense of being part of something bigger – a strange feeling of being important yet at the same time being very tiny.

And everyone is so stylish! Smart black suits and black thick framed glasses jostle for space on the train alongside those men looking effortlessly stylish in jeans, shirts and tweed jackets – the ones who look like they are too wealthy and influential even to need to wear a suit. The click of heels echoes through the underground and smart ladies’ coats, belted around tiny waists, waft Chanel No. 5 at me on every corner.

In my ill-fitting jeans and waterproof mac I feel like I stand out a mile. (Because I do). I may as well open my map out full size on my lap and pop a sign around my neck. ‘I don’t come from here,’ it would say. ‘I am obviously not cool enough to live in London.’

I don’t care though, I revel in it. I stare (carefully of course on the tube) at all the grown up ladies with their glossy hair and lovely shoes and try to guess where everyone is going and has been.

Simple things please us country folk.

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