Saturday 30 April 2016

A photo everyday for a year! #Project366 - Week 17

Saturday already....This week seems to have flown over and there is the added bonus of a bank holiday this weekend. Hooray!

There seems to be a theme this week with my photos for the week....Food! 


114/366 23rd April.
My first try putting Ellie's hair in a bun. I think I did a good job.

115/366 24th April.
My fella found these. He knows I love the salt & vinegar one's and these are even nicer....

116/366 25th April.
Painting after school....

117/366 26th April.
Ice cream sundaes for dessert....

118/366 27th April.
Chocolate pizza.

119/366 28th April.
I raided the freezer and ended up with sausage casserole again for tea with mash....I needed something warming after the wet, cold school run.

120/366 29th April.
I had a lovely bath thanks to a Lush bath bomb after another wet, cold school run!


Friday 29 April 2016

Little moments make a lovely week - WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:


This week seems to have flown over which is strange considering we haven't really done anything out of the ordinary....In fact our week has been quite boring but there has been quite a few moments which have made it a good week....

The girls have been getting along great this week and they have had some lovely moments together....On Saturday they even got on with doing their homework, working as a team to get it done quicker....

Stu took the girls to have a look around the new B&M store which opened near us....They were so good and instead of asking for everything they only got a packet of sweets each....

We did some painting and crafts after school on Monday....I now have a house full of painted animals and Ellie is loving playing with them. She has played vets, Minecraft and racing with them....


I don't know why but recently the girls and I have been going crazy for desserts after our tea....This week alone we've had ice cream sundaes with fancy glasses I got from Poundland, Chocolate pizza that I got from Tesco and strawberries and cream....

Ellie did make me chuckle with the strawberries....She wanted all the juice squeezed out? Apparently she doesn't like strawberry juice. I covered them in cream....She didn't know any different. lol

Yesterday a moment from my Timehop took my breath away.....It was 7 years ago yesterday since we found out Ellie needed heart surgery to fix the hole in her heart....I still remember that day like it was yesterday....

Little did we know that Becky needed the same surgery too....It was a rough few months but we all got through it and lived to tell the tale....After all these year I think seeing these moments won't get to me but they still make me feel so emotional.....

I can't end the post without mentioning the weather....Last week we were going to the park in t-shirts and the sun was shining....This week! Ugh! We have had all types of weather! Rain, hail, sleet, snow, thunder, lightning, wind and a little bit of sun....Global warming isn't working! lol It's like the seasons have moved by a couple of months....We're now having winter when it should be spring....


The Reading Residence


Thursday 28 April 2016

A charity shop cabinet...

Last week my fella Stu was busy doing a bit of DIY.....When he was off getting an under sink storage unit from Argos he passed a charity shop and saw a bathroom cabinet for a few pound....He bought it. He brought it in and I hated it until he explained he was going to paint it....


It was a dark mahogany colour and it was far too dark for our bathroom....So he got on with painting....Coat after coat. It took a couple of days to cover the dark colour and dry but he got there eventually....I couldn't help but laugh at him when he was putting the gloss on....Flies and bugs seem to like gloss....hehehe


He put the doors back on and the shelves back in and it looked fantastic....I was worried about it being to heavy for the screws in the wall but he put an extra couple in without telling me....I had this big fear of the tiles in the bathroom cracking and us having to re-tile the whole bathroom....


It went up on the wall perfectly and he filled it up with all the bits and bobs which are usually on the windowsill....I love it....It is twice the size of our old cabinet and the mirrors really make our tiny bathroom look a lot bigger....


I think we will be keeping more of an eye on the charity shops for more furniture to upcycle....


Wednesday 27 April 2016

A little artwork - #wickedwednesdays

I thought Ellie would have grown out of drawing on things by now....You can't really make it out but you get the gist.

I had to give her an A for effort....She wrote some rules on mine & Stu's bedroom door. Knock before coming in, no kids allowed, no jumping on the bed....lol


She was made to scrub it all off....She was so lucky it wasn't a permanent marker....

Tuesday 26 April 2016

Painting Papier Mache Farm Animals from Baker Ross.

We received a bumper box of crafty goodies from Baker Ross recently. Ellie shared what was in the box....There was that much we are going to spread it over a few posts....



The girls have been excited to get dug in and yesterday we did just that....As soon as the girls got in from school we got crafty!

We started with the animals....We were sent a Classpack of Papier Mache Farm Animals....


You get 35 animals in a pack. There are geese, horses, pigs, goats, cows, chickens and sheep!

The girls got on with painting them.....We used some of the fluorescent powder paint.....A set of 6 paints cost £15.99 and the tubs are quite big....A little goes a long way and these I think will last quite a while....It is just a case of mixing the powder with some water.....We used the pink and orange. 


It was only when writing this that I realised that the animals can be covered with the decoupage paper we were also sent....Oops.


The girls had a great time painting the animals and we ended up with some very bright creatures. Ellie has already has plans for them....She has said she is going to play Minecraft with them. Fantastic! Becky did ask why the chicken and geese were the same size as the cows and horses....She asks too many questions....hehehe Because they are was my answer.


Each pack costs £39.99 which works out at over £1 an animal. It's not a price I would normally pay but they are very cute and I can imagine them lasting a while as they are solidly made....The girls love them as they painted them themselves so maybe they are worth the money just for the fact it kept them busy for a while and they will be getting played with.....


We were sent these products free of charge to review....All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Monday 25 April 2016

Our Weekly Meal Plan!! - #mealplanningmonday


Last weeks meal plan all went to plan! We ate everything! The kids even had a day where they ate their tea outside in the sunshine....I got to sit inside and eat mine in peace. Everyone was a winner....hehehe. The Healthy pot noodles and the Pork & mango fajitas were a huge success we will be having those again! 

This week on the meal plan we have:

Monday - Diet coke chicken & rice....
Tuesday - Sausage rolls, chips and beans....
Wednesday - Ham and cheese toasties....
Thursday - New potato salad with bacon....
Friday - Pitta pizzas....
Saturday - Tuna burgers and wedges....
Sunday - Toad in the hole with mash & veg....

As always I've joined in with the wonderful Mrs M's #mealplanningmonday linky....

Sunday 24 April 2016

A little help with her homework. #MySundayPhoto

I love it when they get along....I also love it when Becky is happy to help Ellie with her homework....I'm useless when it comes to fractions.




Saturday 23 April 2016

A photo everyday for a year! #Project366 - Week 16

This week seems to have flown over....I think the nice weather has helped....I feel more productive and happier when the sun is shining.


107/366 16th April.
We had a movie night....The Good Dinosaur was our movie of choice.

108/366 17th April.
They had a Sunday of playing together.

109/366 18th April.
I started re-watching Lost at the weekend....I have watched so much I'm now dreaming about it....Just as I finished series two my fella dropped into conversation that we don't actually have the last series! I of course had to buy it off Amazon.

110/366 19th April.
My little lady....She loves the warmer weather because it means she gets to wear skirts which she loves.

111/366 20th April.
My fella hard at work upcycling a bathroom cabinet.

112/366 21st April.
We had a B&M store open up just up the road....It was madness. People were queuing to get in the door, me being one of them....I got quite a few bargains and could have easily spent more...

113/366 22nd April.
Becky did cookery at school and they made chicken nuggets and wedges.....This was all that was left...She had a snack on the way home. lol


Friday 22 April 2016

A change of attitude! #WotW

This week my Word of the Week is:



We had Ellie's parents evening on Monday evening....Ellie isn't the best academically and hasn't always tried her best but over the last few months there has been a change in her attitude towards school....

She has two teachers. They job share and they both sung her praises....She is getting on with her work independently, she is growing in confidence, her reading is above average but we were worried about the spellings she brings home. She's doing fine and is in no way the worst speller in the class. She writes mostly in joined up writing and sometime over the next few weeks she will be allowed to start to use a pen instead of a pencil....Hooray!

It is the best parents evening we have ever had for Ellie....There was nothing at all negative said and she just has to keep doing what she's doing....I'm so ruddy proud. It really seems like after all these years she's got the hang of what she's supposed to be doing at school....

Miss Attitude also known as my eldest Becky has been hard work this week. I keep telling myself it's just a phase. It's just her hormones....She's just a typical teen but I keep finding myself drawn into arguments with her....I know, I should rise above it and not react but it's hard. After an argument on Wednesday night when I asked her to dry the dishes after tea (she didn't want to but she is old enough to help a little around the house) she has said she's going to try harder and stop with the not helping, moaning and dirty looks....I am going to try to stop letting her get to me and just keep telling myself it's just a phase....

Have we all noticed the change in the weather?....I have hardly seen my girls. They have came in from school and have gone straight outside to play until it's time to come in and start getting ready for bed. It has been such a fight to get them in....lol As I'm writing this I have the windows open, the sun is shining and we've been to the park after school....I hope it lasts....

Stu has been Mr DIY this week....I saw a cheap cupboard for under the sink in Argos. Only £24 so he put that together and while he was getting it he saw a bathroom cabinet in a charity shop....It was a dark mahogany colour and he painted it white.....It looks fab and is a lot bigger than the one we had.


The Reading Residence

Thursday 21 April 2016

Treat boxes from The Treatbox Company - Review!

Recently I was contacted by a lovely lady at The Treatbox Company....

The Treatbox Company sell wonderful treat boxes which can be used for almost anything! They would a great birthday gift or an alternative to a party bag. Of course they can also be used as just a treat for a great school report or good behaviour

My girls were sent one each to have a look at....They are letterbox friendly. Hooray! Which means no waiting in for delivery and they were addressed to my girls which of course they loved.


I choose Ellie the Princess Treatbox which costs £9 and is obviously princess themed....


In this box you get at least 12 items including princess stickers, a princess tattoo, princess chocolate, princess notebook, a princess pencil, a princess glider plane, a glow stick, an eraser, Kinder chocolate, Haribo sweets and more!

For Becky I choose the Girls Sweet Treats box which costs £8 and again has 12 items included...


In the Girls Sweet Treat box you get Haribo, Kinder chocolates, Smarties, a Milkybar, girls glider plans girls stationary and more!

My girls made a video opening their boxes and then sharing what was in them...


They loved them....They were both vary happy with what they received in their boxes.

I did prefer Ellie's box over Becky's as there was more of a theme to it but the Treat Box Company isn't to blame as I choose the boxes....I would have liked to have seen more for older children/teens but what they have to offer younger children is fantastic. 

At the moment they offer Boys treat boxes, Boys sweet treats, Football, Pirate TreatBoxes and a couple of others.

I think I would buy them in the future as a special treat....Especially at the end of the school term or a treat for good behaviour.



Delivery is free and at the moment The Treatbox Company only deliver to UK addresses but if you’d like to purchase the Treatboxes for delivery outside of the UK do get in touch as they may be able to arrange something.....

All Treatboxes are packed and sent within 2 working days of you placing your order and they use the Royal Mail 1st class service so it should be received within 3-4 working days! I ordered Thursday and it was here by Friday!

**** Since writing this the prices have changed the Princess Treatbox now costs £7.50 and the Girls Sweet Treats now costs £7.00! ****

We were sent the Treat Boxes free of charge in exchange for this post....All thoughts and opinions are our own.

Wednesday 20 April 2016

All the faces. #wickedwednesdays

When I ask Ellie for a photo nine times out of 10 she does something like on these photos....She's so hard to work with....hehehe


Tuesday 19 April 2016

A Good Dinosaur Movie Night....

Every Saturday evening Stu, my the girls and I turn off all the computers and tablets after tea and have a family night....For the last few few months we have had plenty to watch on TV but now The Voice has finished and Britain's Got Talent isn't on until later on we were at a bit of a loss what to do....That was until a lovely person asked if we would like to have a movie night and blog about it....Some things I don't need to think about....I obviously said yes!


We were sent The Good Dinosaur on DVD, some very fancy popcorn, some retro sweets and a few other bits by the lovely people at Gracewell's new community in Knowle Gate.... Gracewell are a care home provider and movie nights are regular events at their many care homes and they actively encourage residents families to attend.....I think that is so fantastic! I think when I am older I would love to live in a place like that. 

Of course a movie night needs good food.....We of course had pizza and I may have gone a little overboard on the snacks....hehehe 


We snuggled down to watch the film and what a great film it was....

The Good Dinosaur tells the sweet tale of an alternate reality in which Earth was never hit by an asteroid and (by default) the dinosaurs never became extinct. Arlo the apatosaurus befriends a human caveboy whilst trying to find his way home.

We love animated films and this is just beautiful! The colours, the imagery, the scenery...Everything is absolutely stunning....There are a few scary moments but my girls were OK with them....There are some chuckles and a few sad moments....There were a lot of Ohh and Aww moments. We loved it even though I may have nearly cried...hehehe


We stuffed ourselves silly and had a great evening!!

Thank you Gracewell Care Homes for supplying us with the DVD and treats to enjoy some quality time together as a family.

Monday 18 April 2016

Our Weekly Meal Plan!! - #mealplanningmonday


Last weeks mean plan nearly went to plan....The only meal we didn't eat was the Chicken chow mein on Saturday....We had a movie night so had pizza instead.

Tonight we have Ellie's parents evening which I am quite looking forward to. She has been doing so well at school lately so it we'll be having something quick and easy.

This week on the meal plan we have:

Monday - The leftover chicken from the roast dinner yesterday with either chips or in sandwiches....
Tuesday - Italian Sausage And Ham Tortelloni with tomato & basil sauce....
Wednesday - Quiche and salad....
Thursday - Healthy pot noodles....
Friday - Fish finger sandwiches....
Saturday - Pork & mango fajitas....
Sunday - Sausage casserole....

As always I've joined in with the wonderful Mrs M's #mealplanningmonday linky....

Saturday 16 April 2016

A photo everyday for a year! #Project366 - Week 15

We have had another grey and gloomy week here....We've had a lot of rain and it's been so cold. I want some sunshine! Enough with the April showers!


100/366 9th April.
Churros are becoming a Saturday evening tradition here....They are so good! £2 for 12 from Tesco. I'm not clever enough to make them myself....hehehe

101/366 10th April.
On Sunday we had sunshine and we made the most of it. Lunch was eaten outside.

102/366 11th April.
On Monday the rain started and it has hardly stopped since.

103/366 12th April.
You know when you fancy something....That was me on Tuesday. I fancied something chocolaty with bananas....I made chocolate and banana brownie cakes....With the kids being back at school I even got the lick the bowl out. hehehe

104/366 13th April.
Ellie was sent a Bookawoo box to have a look at....I shared the review earlier today.

105/366 14th April.
Biscuits, TV and Pj's after school. What could be better?

106/366 15th April.
Another delivery with things for us to review. This time a treat box each for the girls from The Treat Box Company. They were very excited to open them. The review is coming soon.


Bookawoo Subscription Box - Review!

We love books in this house....The girls love to read every night before bed so when we were asked to review a new book subscription box called Bookawoo we jumped at the chance...


Bookawoo is a subscription service that sends your child a monthly box with 3 to 4 new books for them to learn and expand their imagination......Each month has a new theme and is designed to stimulate their love of reading.....

It is suitable for children aged between zero and 11...Each box is targeted to your child's age and will change as your child grows which I think is a fantastic idea not just focusing on younger or older children....

When the box arrived I waited until Ellie got in from school to open it...She was so excited because it had her name on....It's the personal touches which make things so special. I loved the quote on the inside of the box. It really made me smile.



She rushed through and looked at everything and thought everything in the box was brilliant. She wanted to make a video sharing what was in the box....So I obliged. (She want's to be the next Zoella....lol)



Ellie received four books. Three full of interesting facts about the world we live in and George's Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl and and a set of 100 animals to spot at the zoo cards which were full of facts about animals. Some of those animals I had not even heard of.....


There were also personalised stickers for Ellie which I thought was another nice touch. She loved them. Again it made her feel so special.

You can subscribe to Bookawoo and have a delivery every month....Your first box costs €26.95 then €29.95 for every other month....Even though it is an Irish company they do ship to all over the UK.....

When you sign up to Bookawoo you will be charged immediately for the subscription you have chosen. Subscriptions will then renew on the 25th of the following month.... You can skip a month or cancel at anytime.

You can even send Bookawoo as a gift and their first box will include a gift message from you....

All Bookawoo boxes ship on the 5th of each month, and will be delivered within 2-3 days. 

I was very impressed with this box....It really made me smile. The creators have been so thoughtful when it comes to the look and personalised items.....As for the books they are perfect for Ellie's age, reading ability and are of a great quality.....

Ellie loved this box and has asked for more. She has been reading the books in bed and thinks they are interesting and has really learned things from them. She keeps dropping random facts into the conversations we have.

It would be something I would buy in future and think about gifting to other children.....

I was sent this subscription box free of charge for the purpose of this review....All thoughts and opinions are my own.