I found my craft bone

Well after a weekend of pleasure and the failure to find a ready made costume, I decide to hit the old clothes pile and do you know what I did it.

And she's over the moon...pictures to follow on Thursday

The sun is possibly keeping its hat on Meal Plan!

Well the sun has started shining on us here and you'd think my meal plan would reflect that but having looked again the meals I have planned so far this week are more of a raid the freezer plan, keep warm than anything else but as we also have salady stuff in the fridge I'm happy to be flexible

We had a major problem with Car on Sunday who refused to eat her tuna mayo pasta because Neb had put black pepper in it and she could taste it. Neb then told me (when we were all hysterical) that Car wasn't eating her school dinners. I've asked her to try and eat some more for me but I don't know what else to do. I'm loath to go back to packed lunches because a) Bel has a thing about bread and won't eat it unless its crusty b) Car would probaly ignore the sandwich and eat the junk and c) could I do their packed lunches on a £3.80 budget/ day?

So the meal plan for the start of the week goes like this:

Monday  - Pasta and Sauce (Homemade tomato) with Garlic Dough Balls

Tuesday - Brinner

Wednesday - Fish Fingers, Chips and Beans / Faggots and mash for me

Thursday/ Friday - no inspiration as yet!

Saturday -  Going to see a friend and her two boys and two donkeys so may treat the kids to fish and chip supper

Sunday -  Roast something!

 And then its the bank holiday and we're pootling over to Powis Castle to meet the inlaws and see what we can cross off our 50 things to do list with the National Trust.



BNM

Hark to the past

No, this is not one of those woe is me I'm getting old (37 this year) posts. But a post which has something which may interest you dear reader.

Do you know the redhead in the picture - that my dear readers is the original Strawberry shortcake and as she had red hair one of the images of my youth, well not in fact image but smell. I remember being given a smelly Strawberry Shortcake pencil and loving it. Do you remember the smelly pens/pencils of your youth.

Well did you know they have been revamped and now you can get Smencils for your children. When I first heard about them I was unsure as to whether they'd live up to my expectation but they are in fact better. Not only do they smell like the smells they are meant to smell like (is there too many smells in that sentence) and they are also fab colouring pencils. Ooh and did I also mention they're made from 100% recycled newspaper!!

We love them in the house - and they look as if they'd be a great party bag gift/ stocking filler.

So if you want to buy some Smencils of your own then pop over to Learning Resources and get some.

And while you're there take advantage of the offer below:

We're offering FREE delivery on all orders you and your readers place with us. Share this news with your readers, fans and followers today so they can benefit from this discount too! It's simple, enter BLOGGER13 at the checkout when you place your order and the standard delivery charge will be deducted! Offer expires 31^st December 2013.


Go forth and Smell!!

BNM

Building bridges

Stone Arch Bridge courtesy of [Julie A. Wenskoski] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you've been following the blog for a long time, you'll know that I've not been seeing eye to eye with my mother's family. Since my grandad died left year, things were getting better and then on Sunday I got a phone call from my Aunt.

Both my brother and I were lucky to be left extra money from my Dadcu (grandad's) will (as mum's heirs) and she was ringing to say that it was now over. I did mention that I was shocked to receive so much extra but that I was thankful for it having bought us a new car!! and a holiday with it. She then asked if I'd seen the grave stone and the inscription on it.

Her and my other aunt (mum's sister's) have added mum to the gravestone. Something my dad apparently knew about but failed to mention. I feel so lifted - I have somewhere to go at last. Somewhere I can talk to her.

We're popping over to see my aunt at the weekend as she told me that there were many pictures to troll through. I also have a small album with pics of mum and my grandparents in that I want to share with her. Hopefully these small first steps will help build the bridge and we can step back into what we once lost.

BNM

Meal planning Monday - the do I have to go to work one

I can't believe its Monday again! The wet weekend went so fast and I feel so tired. Uugh and there's work today.....

After last weeks non meal plan, I'm trying to do better, I've decided to keep weekends clear so its more of a make meal on a whim!

Monday Homemade pizza and garlic balls

Tuesday I do fancy a fish pie so it may be fish for Car, fish pie for me and Bel and something random for Neb

Wednesday Sausage and broccoli carbonara (easy cook June pg 8)

Thursday Lemony Turkey Kebabs and rice (easy cook May pg 26)

Friday Lasagne

Wednesday and Thursday are new to us meals so ill let you know how they go.

BNM

Will link up to Mrs M when I get to work (early morning blogging on tablet here)

Help us find them #Blogging4Madeleine

As many of you are aware last year I turned this blog pink in the hope that it would bring more awareness to help find April. But as the days of the case unfold it is with sadness that we now know that she has passed. But then this week there has been the great news in America that the three girls who had been kidnapped 10 years ago have been found alive.

It must be a bittersweet pill as a parent of a missing child to hear both those news stories. This is why I'm dedicating this blogpost to all the missing children in the world and in particular to Madeline McCann whose 10 years old today!

6 years ago, Madeleine went missing whilst on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal on Thursday 3rd May 2007.

If you have any information on her whereabouts or think you have seen her then contact:

• Your local police force immediately, AND
•  +44 845 838 4699 or investigation@findmadeleine.com
• OR Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555111 / www.crimestoppers-uk.org

Don't let another family lose hope. Help us keep her search going.

If you have any other information on any of Britain's missing children then please help  find them

If you are a blogger please join me and join up with the linky on the BritMums site

BNM

Big thanks to CJ for organising this campaign.

To Surname or not to Surname, that is the question?

As you may know if you've been reading recently, Neb's brother and g/f had their first baby boy on May 4th. He has not been called Yoda but if he had it may have made the other big thing not so much of a big thing.

My husband has an odd old family name. It means frost but if you heard it you would think oh my a lady of the night! I chose to take it as being a Jones I was common enough here in Wales. You can't call my name common any more and now I have a surname which raises a smile and a nod wherever I go.

As his bro and g/f are not married, the baby has been given her maiden name. Which has rocked the boat as far as Neb and his parents are concerned. The family name has been kept as one of the middle names but Neb is not happy. He is upset that the line will end with him and his brother.

This got me thinking, is it really that much to worry about. Should they not be happy that he is now a father and will love and dote on the little boy for the rest of his life. After talking to some super bloggers on Facebook, I note that the law has now changed, no longer does not having the fathers surname mean that you have no parental responsibility.

The law is complicated on this matter. Fathers with children born (or whose birth is registered) after 1 December 2003 and whose name appears on the birth certificate have parental rights and responsibilities. But fathers who fall outside this criteria may face a nasty shock.

You will not have the right to have contact with the children, to see them regularly, to have them to stay with you, to take them on holiday and will not be legally entitled to do the things you once took for granted such as going to school parent's evenings, consenting to medical treatment or even signing the forms to allow your 17 year-old to join the Army.

http://www.family-lawfirm.co.uk/articles/unmarried-couples/unmarried-fathers-paternity-rights.aspx

Should the child be marred by the surname, while thinking about this last night I realised that my sister in law, whom I don't really get on with has made her name double barrelled and kept her name as well as taken the Jones on. I don't think the kids are double barrelled but if so, it doesn't make them posh!
Should my husband and family worry about the family line? Is it not better to be happy that all are well with the grandchildren. And as I pointed out to Neb, who knows if marriage will be the IN thing when and if the girls marry (though Car has noted that she has married a friend's son and Neb recently).

If you have any thoughts, please feel free to comment below. I'm quite happy to go and see my new nephew and not to get wound up about things and I hope that Neb will also realise that it is only a name!

 BNM