FunDays

Bearly a minute to myself again over the past week and hardly no time to crochet or knit! Yes another busy summer holiday week, we have been everywhere, Hawthorne Park, Stanah, Fundays.. it goes on

A quick game of Monoploy, with  this weeks only crochet. The game ended after 20 mins due to Ewan throwing a wobbler (it was just one of those days!)

We had a go at Mollys weaving kit from her birthday

At Stanah, he spent the whole time just wandering round with his crisps, it made him happy

A Funday at the local School, it was all free including a yummy BBQ

That night i went to a Tropics Party at a friends...

It was 3am when i got home!!!

Next day i was not well, but had to look after the kids while Paul went to watch Football

Not to self, stick to Barcardi, never ever ever drink wine again! it always has the same effect on me

On Sunday, Ewan and i helped at a local Funday, we ran the Tombola, he did really really well and it turned into a fun but tiring day.

Well i will keep volunteering for things!

We packed up just as the rain came down and i mean RAIN! it was a major down pour and it stayed for the rest of the day, which was not good as i had been looking forward to relaxing in the hot tub!

Coral Island

On Monday, Paul called me on his way to work to tell me they were filing Doctor Who on the headland in Blackpool and he though Ewan would like to watch, so we go ready really quickly and rushed to Blackpool only to find they had packed up and gone. Turns out they had been filming all weekend. So what to do, we were there and it happened to be a bright sunshiney day!
First port of call was some breakfast at The Albert & Lion

Followed by a trip to Coral Island! Its a arcade, but its done really nicely in a Pirate theme, in fact when you go to the top of the tower next door and look down, there is a big  X on the roof and pirate bones.

They have a monorail that goes round the inside and its only £1, for some reason the kids have never been on it, so today was there lucky day!

Outside we had a look round the shops and a walk on the prom.

Homeward bound via a trip to nanas.

Not such a wasted trip! x

Cable Knit Hoodie

This is the cable knit i started for Alex way back in April, i think, but with everything i have only just got it finished. The yarn was a large ball i bought to make a blankey for his crib when he was really little, but i only got round to making the bumper for it.

It was really nice to work with and has a smooth cotton feel to it and the colours just go so well with his little staycation tan and his gorgeous blue eyes.

So here it is, i love it and its suits him so much, not the best pictures, i was following him around for ages and these were the best i could do.

I love these types of cardy on little kids.

Well i started my next project the other week and i am hoping it won't take quite as long to finish! x

Molly & Mummy Pamper day

Molly came with me to the hairdressers yesterday, she is getting to that age where she is starting to like make up and clothes, not in a real way if you know what i mean, more like a paint your face with it kind of way that little kids do. She asked me to teach her how to plait hair the other day and has been practicing all the time and if we are going on one of our little outings or its "dress they way you want Sunday" ( where we both end up going to random places , way over dressed) i do put her a little make up on, just some pale eye shadow and a bit of lip gloss and a squirt of my coco chanel. She is turning into a real girly girl and its quite nice that we have days on our own as we are quite out numbered by the boys.

It always takes a few hours in the hairdressers, as my hair is so dark and i have to go blond before my current colour red. I don't mind though as its always a nice break and i have had the same hairdresser since i was 18, she used to go to school with Paul.

Molly had her hair trimmed and and her nails painted

You might have spied it in the salon picture...

I bought a hair extension piece and Kerry styled it in

Ewan took this one.

Paul loved it, not often i get a open mouthed wow off him, and has said if i want he will treat me to permanent extensions, which i think i will take him up on nearer christmas!

While we were off being pampered Paul took the boys to do the shopping, which he said was a complete nightmare, yes i know, welcome to my world! but he was glad me and Molly had some time out and he enjoyed spending time with the boys

I am very lucky xx

A week off!

Its been super nice to have a week off after my burn out! I love looking after my kids and i am super lucky to have the life i have and to be able to be at home with them. But lets face it, looking after kids is a 24/7 job, after all i am only human!. Its funny really that after i posted my post i have read a few on my reading list that have a similar theme, must be the holidays!

This week thought while the kids have been busy i have been busy booking the next gala events and doing lots of knitting on my new project, which is a Christmas jumper for Paul and my new Crochet project which is a poncho for me for the Autumn.

I have also booked our holiday for next year, in Norfolk!! Starting to love our staycations in UK, but have started planning for an abroad holiday for the year after as its Pauls 40th!!!!!!

I did see a very cheap holiday at Southport Pontins for next week and thought oooh that's good... but then i read the reviews....

Holiday from hell, don't go there!

Awful

Horrid

Only lasted 6 Hours

Gateway to hell

I have left, Yippee

Getting the jist?  Paul said no way, and to be honest we had a couple of hours laughing over the reviews , so was an entertaining evening!

Over all a week off going out has done me no end of good, and we are back to having a full week planned next week.

Here we go again!!!!!! xxx

Stanah Open Day

So last Sunday was an open day at the well visited Stanah Country Park, My mum and Dad decided to come along with us as well, and despite a rather wet start to the day, it cleared up enough to go.

I made a picnic for everyone, but as we are a bit sick of sandwiches and sausage rolls after all our days out last week, i decided to make so Pulled Pork, so we could make hot barms when we got there.

I have made pulled pork quite a few times but i did it a different way this time and it was quite honestly the most amazing pulled pork i have had!! yes i know that's a bit big headed but who cares, it was the best!

This is how i did it

MAPLE MUSTARD PULLED PORK

1.5 - 2kg Pork

100g Light brown Sugar

1 tsp salt

100g Wholegrain mustard

2tsp English Mustard

100ml Maple Syrup

Put Pork in a roasting bag ( make sure string is removed) and tip all other ingredient in a bowl and mix together. Put the mixture into the roasting bag with the pork, tie the bag and shake and mix to make sure the pork is completely coated.

Place the bag, with the coated meat in a slow cooker and half fill the cooker around the bag with water.

Put the lid on and switch to Automatic and leave for 10 hours.

I did it over night.

Once finished taken the meat out and shred it ( if you need to, i didn't it just fell apart!)

I Put my pork straight in a food flask and fried some onions to go with it.

When we got there i just served it in barmcakes!

We often have this as a winter picnic.

For pudding i made this Summer Pudding which i photographed at home as i had to keep it in the bowl, It was also delicious and i just took a tin of squirty cream as i had run out of storage things to keep double cream cold

Once we got there Ewan and Molly made a Bird Box each, a bargain at £3.50 a pop. Felt a bit sorry for the guy though as i bet he had a headache after all those kids hammering, bet he had purple thumbs as well!

We learn't which recycling bin to put your kids in!

No, it had bean bags with diffrent items on to throw through.

Life size Board Games

Our Picnic

and some time on the park

another good family day out xx

Burnt out!

I think it had finally happened complete melt down! The other night Fred threw pasta bolognase over the walls and floor in the dining room and i completely lost the plot. Its hard work looking after 4 kids and since the start of the holidays i have taken them out most days, so this week i decided to stay in and have a rest and my parents took the older three swimming yesterday which was nice as Ali had a long sleep and i watched a drama on i player and knitted which was so nice and much needed. Its been a busy year so far for me, all the birthdays and partys, planning the gala then attending and making costumes for all the others, on top of house work and meetings for various other things i am involved with, and all the day to day stuff i have to do plus we are usually out all weekend or are planning things, so i think i have pretty much burnt out! I know i try to do minimal house work over the holidays, but there is a point where i just can't leave it and its too much of a mess, but you do one room and they are in the next messing it up, so its an endless on going cycle, and i am sure that i am not the only one who just loses the plot over a small minor incident, so i cried  and scrubbed the carpet and Paul came home and listened to me whinge and moan and cry some more, even my evening hot tub could not cheer me up or pull me out of my really low mood, so i headed off to bed. I got up in the morning and looked at the carnage and thought my god i just can't do this again today and really really wanted to run away! But as thats not really going to happen i just had to get on with it, the sun was out thought which helped cheer me up and i set the paddling pool up in the garden for the kids. It was Ewans turn to have a sleep over at Nanas and him and granddad went for a 12 mile bike ride together, so one of Mollys friends from down the road came in to play.

Later on when Paul got home, Molly and i had a last minute plan to have a night out!, we went to Pizza Hut and the Cinema to see Inside out

It was a lovely warm night and really was a bit of a shame to be inside, but we really really had a good time, its nice to spend time alone with the kids doing things they each enjoy and that's not just a compromise between them all.

  Out side the cinema is a mosaic on the floor, which i love, i wish i could recreate it for our garden.

I spent the film Knitting!

After i got home i went to bed and had the best nights sleep i have had in ages, as i have not been sleeping well recently, mainly due to my back really and my complete inability to relax, but a couple of days off and a night out with Molly had recharged my battery and i woke up feeling refreshed today, which is just as well as today we are back to Stanah for forest school. x