5 Random Facts About Yourself

So clearly I've not blogged for a while. I guess I just ran out of time what with starting a seriously intensive course at collage, the kids being back at school and all the other random things life throws at you just when you think its safe to feel happy and settled. 

So when Alice over at Mums Make Lists tagged me in this 5 Random Facts About Yourself Meme I took the opportunity to sit down and just write something short in an attempt to get my mojo flowing again. 

What you have to do... 

• Post 5 random facts about yourself 
• Choose 5 other deserving blogs with less than 200 subscribers to nominate and link their blogs in your post - but no tag backs to whoever nominated you 
• Tell your nominees you have chosen them for this award by leaving a comment on their blogs and if you like on Twitter. 

Heres my 5... 

1. I love all things American 
2. In softball I'm what's known as a 'switch hitter' meaning that I can hit the ball with the bat both right and left handed 
3. I'm slightly obsessed with Twilight 
4. I'm possibly the worlds biggest Foo Fighters fan
5. I love 80's pop music

These are the 5 lovely bloggers who I have decided to tag...

Pants With Names

The American Resident

Mum On The Brink

From Fun To Mum

and Stressy Mummy

Also just because I can ;) ...

and finally because who wouldn't want to look 18 forever?

MEDIA: Ben Folds Five and .... The FRAGGLES! New Video

What a blast from the past! Anyone who, like me, was a child of the 80s will appreciate the Fraggles contribution to Ben Folds Five's new music video for their single 'Do it anyway'. 

Eagle eyed readers will also notice that girl off of twilight (Anna Kendrick) and also that bald guy off of Harold and Kumar Go To Whitecastle/Get The Munchies, depending on which side of the Atlantic you are! I do hope this means The Fraggles will be rebooted onto the silver screen sometime soon!  Hope you enjoy this little blast from the past!

Oblivious couple flaunts foul ball in front of enraged toddler

Oblivious couple flaunts foul ball in front of enraged toddler

I saw the above clip posted to a friends wall on Facebook by someone I've met once or twice and to the best of my knowledge does not have kids. She also posted it with a comment of 'Very good. Teach children that whenever they cry they get what they want.' 

Now normally I'm completely with her on that comment, any sane grown up giving into a child's temper tantrum may work in the short term but in the long term its only going to create more problems than it solves. Perhaps the poster was trolling for comment or maybe she had not actually watched the video in full otherwise I think she would have commented differently. 

The video clearly shows, and the commentators do note this, that the child's dad reached to get the ball which landed right at his feet but the older gentleman on his right picked up the ball - practically out of the toddlers hands, and presented it like a trophy to his girlfriend who holds the ball and poses for photos. The players in the dug out toss a new ball up to the toddler - the whole thing is played out over the giant TV screens and everything. 

If the kid was a few rows away then fair play but they were right next to them. The dad and child were reaching for the ball then it was snatched away by the man. We teach our kids not to snatch right? 

So do you agree or do you think that the child should have been given the ball? I'm interested to see if my reasoning is biased as I am a parent or maybe not?

Oh yes and be sure to listen out for the commentators joke at the end of the clip. Classic ;)

Angie x

Fussy Food: Swedish Meatballs and New Potatoes with Fizzy Raspberry Trifle

No Visit to IKEA is complete without a visit to their Swedish Food Market. They stock lots of delicious Swedish delicacies and drinks. With this in mind I went to IKEA at Ashton-Under-Lyne on Friday after school to pick up a few bits from IKEA and some Swedish food. 

When we got home we tucked into a very Swedish meal of meatballs, boiled baby new potatoes and peas with lashings of Gräddsås and Sylt Lingon!

You can buy frozen meatballs, Gräddsås in packets that you just add water and cream, and also Sylt Lingon. 

Gräddsås is not only delicious with meatballs but it also works with beef and pork. We had it at Christmas with our Turkey and it was a very nice change from the normal Bisto blend. 

Sylt Lingon is actually a jam made from Lingonberries. These berries grow wild throughout the forests of Sweden and taste scrummy with meatballs or crispbread with cheese. The girls like it on pancakes with vanilla ice cream. 

Unfortunately the food market is not available to purchase online so you would have to visit your nearest store to buy these. 

For pudding I made some cute and healthy mini trifles. I made 'fizzy' raspberry jelly in the little pots then just before serving I spooned on fat free natural yoghurt then topped with slices of strawberry and banana. 

Tonight's dinner was a big hit! DD3 and DD5 both said they could eat it all again :) 

Enjoy, Angie x

Fussy Food: Sausages with Orzo Pasta and Easy Homemade Tomato Sauce

My kidlets, as I imagine most kidlets, are notoriously fussy eaters. Food they adore one week will inevitably by despised the next! So I try to find something they all like and try to get them all to eat a little bit of everything. Occasionally I get it right and they practically inhale everything on their plates before I've sat down to eat mine. 

Grandma and Granddad arrive home from work about 6.30pm so its too long to make the girls wait just so they can eat with them. 

Tonight I made sausages with Orzo Pasta and easy home made tomato sauce. I served peas, carrots and sweetcorn and the kids favourite - baby new potatoes on the side.

The Orzo Pasta looks like really big rice flakes. It says 8 mins on the packet for cooking time and they really do need 8 minutes and not a minute longer or it sticks together with starch just like over cooked rice!

The tomato sauce is simple to make and almost cooks itself. 

Ingredients for 4 kidlets or 2 adults:

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 can of chopped tomatoes

2 bay leaves

1 small finely chopped onion

2 finely chopped or crushed garlic cloves

Method:

Take a saucepan and add 2 tbsp olive oil

Add chopped onions and garlic cloves and gently heat on a low heat for a couple of minutes to soften the mix.

Add the chopped tomatoes and bay leaves. 

Bring to the boil and as soon as it does turn the heat right down and simmer, stirring occasionally - don't let it stick, for approx 20-30mins until the excess water has evaporated and leaves a thick tomato sauce.

Remove bay leaves before serving.

This is also a lovely basic pizza topping!

So how did it go? Well thankfully they inhaled the lot. Really. I'm not even kidding. DD5 finished hers before I had finished serving the older girls meals. Glad she liked it though.

Pudding was coconut macaroons and a slice of Victoria sponge with yummy custard. My camera decided it didn't want to take any more photos and stopped working in protest so have no pics for this so you will have to  use your imagination!

What meals do your kidlets love? What can they eat no matter how often you make it? 

Love, Angie x

The Hairy Plug Monster by Leighroy Marsh

The Hairy Plug Monster by Leighroy Marsh and Samuel Perry

The Hairy Plug Monster is a wonderful rhyming book. The book is very much in the style of Dr Seuss and Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo) so fans of that style of writing will be very pleased with this book. 

The illustrations by Samuel Perry are in a 'slightly' dark gothic cartoon style - think Coraline, Nightmare Before Christmas and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and you've hit the nail on the head. 

The story is about how a curious little girl makes friends with The Hairy Plug Monster and they have a late night escapade in the house while everyone else is fast asleep. 

DD5 really likes this book - particularly when the Hairy Plug Monster has a silly but posh voice ;) in fact, after reading 2 previous copies until the pages fall out and now buying another, I think its safe to say that The Hairy Plug Monster has to be DD5's favorite bed time book.

This wonderful book costs from £5.39 on Amazon and is a fantastic addition to any girl or boys bedtime library.

Enjoy, Angie x

New Beginnings

Thursday, 12th April 2012 will remain with me forever. Its the day I moved my family to live with my parents. 

As a single mum to 4 busy little people I found it hard to combine all my energy and attention on raising 4 little wonders. I was spreading myself too thin and needed help. Fast. 

So now as I write this 10 days later am I happy with the decision? Do I think it was the right thing to do or had all my preparations since November 2011 been for nothing?

It has turned out to be the best decision I've made for a long time. I now have the support of two of the dearest people in my world and know that I can focus my energy on working and raising my little people the best that I can. 

So hopefully, in 10 weeks, months and years time I will be able to say 'Yes, that was the best decision I ever made' :) 

I will be mainly posting on the blog about my girls, what they're doing, eating, reading, playing with etc etc. When the girls aren't around the blog will be about other things that I think would interest other parents like me. 

So welcome to the blog, hope you can stay awhile and have a good read! 

Enjoy, Angie x