tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-56049966914885664492024-03-10T02:46:03.787+00:00Managing The MayhemStories and insane ramblings of a SAHM juggling the day-to-day aspects of family life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-57435296080524751812012-07-25T14:55:00.001+01:002012-07-25T15:07:53.309+01:00DIY water park
Our local water park has been packed to capacity with the return of that big yellow thing in the sky. I met up with some friends there today but found the experience far too stressful. With so many people having the same idea, I didnt feel I could keep them all safe enough so we came away to save all the whinging and whining.
With the hosepipe ban having been lifted I thought i'd try andAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-57162725052159290892012-06-19T21:28:00.000+01:002012-06-19T21:28:21.562+01:00The Garden DiariesWhen we bought our house the biggest selling point was the garden, it's pretty big and has plenty of room for us to grow our own veg. We have big plans for the gorgeous outdoor space but as with all things, when you have a young family, money is a big issue but we have made a great start!
This is what the garden looked like last autumn:
And this is the same view today:
Eventually we Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-47859532628562548012012-06-14T20:48:00.000+01:002012-06-14T20:48:22.233+01:00Rocky Road/Chocolate Tiffin RecipeDo not go shopping when hungry!
Thursday is shopping day in the Mayhem household and wondering around good old Tesco at lunch time, having forgotten breakfast, was a seriously BAD idea!
Walking down the crisp isle to stock up on lunch box staples I heard a little voice calling to me from the chocolate section. There, lo and behold, was a pretty large bar of dairy milk with a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-20701532397593212252012-06-10T21:58:00.000+01:002012-06-10T22:04:07.910+01:00A Dress for Floppy!I have been confusing the life out of myself with the whole D1, D2 and D3 thing for a while now, so it's time for a change... From now on I will use their nick names Monster, Floppy and The Boy (He is too young to have a nick name that has *Stuck* yet).
The BigD (The girls call him The Big Dragon, so that, in case you have ever wondered, is where The BigD comes from) works shifts andAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-36585141972094929852012-06-03T16:00:00.001+01:002012-06-03T16:00:32.489+01:00Rainy Day Marbled Chocolate Biscuits (Dairy Free)
What a miserable day! Such a waste of a bank holiday weekend, although we shouldn't have expected anything less really.
D1 has been pestering me for ages to make biscuits so with D2 watching Ben & Holly and The BigD & D3 upstairs having a little afternoon snooze we sneaked into the kitchen and did just that - some great Mummy daughter time.
Shhh - I think I Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-43220280890305607292012-05-28T14:18:00.001+01:002012-05-28T14:24:38.709+01:00Home Grown GoodnessWith the return of the sunny weather we have been spending a lot of time in the garden. It is our dream to, one day, become self sufficient in the veg department - I think we are getting close, maybe this time next year?
Last year we fought a loosing battle with aphids and this year it looks like the ants will be our biggest enemy. I am very much torn between being organic as far as Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-44198043037060981942012-05-18T21:22:00.001+01:002012-05-28T22:54:49.729+01:00Galt Playnest Review
Last week we were sent a Galt playnest to review. We have had one of these before, for D1 & D2 as babies and I was a huge fan back then so was delighted to be asked to review. If you have never seen one of these before it is essentially an inflatable ring covered in brightly coloured fabric that can just be taken off and popped into the washing machine, this is especially useful if you Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-55648198196839379072012-05-16T20:21:00.001+01:002012-05-16T20:21:28.663+01:00What A Clever Girl We are fortunate enough to live right next door to a local nature reserve - It is a lovely little walk round the lake and one that we do not do often enough. At the weekend D1 learnt to ride her bike without stabilisers, and although she could ride it for 20 or so meters before coming to a very wobbly halt she just couldn't master the getting started bit.For a change the sun shone for the best Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-66638764561970995332012-05-15T20:20:00.001+01:002012-05-15T20:20:28.220+01:00Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom: Elf Games DVD ReviewToday we were very lucky to receive a pre release copy of Ben & Holly's latest adventures - especially as I have 2 HUGE Ben and Holly fans. The DVD is titled the elf games and has been released in perfect time to coincide with all the hype surrounding London 2012.TV generally isn't allowed in our house, although I am getting more relaxed these days. I much prefer DVDs instead - I think it's theAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-91946422547780167862012-05-09T19:22:00.000+01:002012-05-09T19:22:16.501+01:00Freezer CookingLast week the fridge freezer decided to die - really not good for my stress
levels! We had so much meat that needed using or throwing away. There was
nothing for it but to go on a major cook fest. In one afternoon The bigD and i
managed to whip up:
2 meatloaves
1 portion of meatballs,
1 bolognese
2 chilli con carnes
1 Cantonese chicken
1 sweet and sour pork
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-77762500635614194342012-05-04T21:30:00.000+01:002012-05-04T21:33:18.764+01:00Vanity And A Self PortraitD1 has become so vain since starting school. It is ridiculous. I want to burn all the hairbrushes and hide the mirrors. This morning she got in bed with me and before we went downstairs, in fact, before we had even turned the lights on she was tweaking her hair and smoothing it all down. It wouldn't possibly do for the coco-pops to see her hair a state!
I Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-4793624366606802642012-05-01T22:03:00.000+01:002012-05-01T22:03:25.959+01:00Homemade Toys - Soft LinksSince getting my sewing machine I have become obsessed with making things for
the children. I could easily have gone crazy but I have been determined to only make
things that will truly get used so have managed to resist lots of
"for-the-sake-of-it" projects.
I recently fixed/bodged the children's toy buggies - I will make replacement
covers/seats when my other projects are Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-6637837187841492062012-04-28T21:00:00.000+01:002012-04-30T21:54:04.005+01:00Button NecklaceD1 and I spent the evening eating junk and making necklaces from a value pack of colourful
buttons!
The buttons cost a whole £1 from hobby craft. Some are a little defected but there are plenty of usable ones.
I picked up the thong from the local charity shop for a measly 20p - We are
lucky to have one specialising in beautiful crafty bits and bobs.
D3 is suddenly Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-71413875270033743112012-04-21T09:41:00.000+01:002012-04-21T09:46:39.586+01:00The Child Will Sleep AnywhereI took this snap last week and feel it's screaming out for a caption.
What can you come up with?
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-85000596700829104702012-04-17T20:08:00.000+01:002012-04-17T23:08:19.397+01:00How Much???Today was the first day back at school after the Easter Break and D1 went
back wearing her new school summer dress.
You may remember my previous post about my fantastic new toy (the sewing
machine)... Well, I came across a vintage pattern for school uniform in a local
charity shop for 50p, and then couldn't believe my luck when one of the fabric
shops in town reduced all it's fabrics Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-85578363029511182222012-04-12T22:20:00.000+01:002012-04-17T23:16:25.220+01:00Easter Learning - Chocolate Colours
D2 is learning her colours. Once we had purchased back the stash of cheap and nasty foil wrapped eggs from D1, The Big D set up a little colour sorting
game.
D2 had a great time and seemed to catch on really quick, even going to
the toy box and presenting BigD with a yellow toy. A very successful lesson I
hear you say.
This video is her showing off her new skills!
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-73139158899944052192012-04-11T17:03:00.000+01:002012-04-11T17:03:07.401+01:00Easter Learning - Chocolate Maths
This year the Easter Bunny left it far too late "must have run out of dairy
free eggs" to hide round the garden for our annual Easter egg hunt so we just had
to grab a packet of little chocolate eggs from Tesco.
D1 still had a great time hunting for them and we agreed an exchange rate
of 10p per egg. Where D1 is concerned money has no value and she would happily
swap a £2Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-73854758404619023922012-04-08T19:35:00.000+01:002012-04-08T19:35:44.795+01:00Come Dine With Us - D1 StyleThis Easter holidays D1 has been in charge of all our evening meals.
I picked up a fab little cook book (What's for dinner) from the book club
at a baby singing group that D2, D3 and I attend. It is great in so many ways,
we love the photography and more importantly there are not many recipes that we
won't try. It certainly isn't posh dinner party food but it definitely Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-31759381941041433162012-04-03T18:50:00.001+01:002012-04-17T23:17:03.941+01:00Potty Training
D2 has been "ready" for potty training for a few months now, since she was 18
months to be precise, but with a new baby due we decided the time just wasn't
right.
It all started with nappy rash. We kept the nappy off one evening after
her bath in order to get some air to her bottom and settled down to read some
books. We took the opportunity to introduce the potty andAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-53998847127426002942012-03-21T18:23:00.000+00:002012-06-01T16:30:33.651+01:00Our Tongue Tie Hell
Image sourced from flikr - madamepsychosis
Day 0.
Baby D3 was born at home, his birth was amazing and he was put to the breast within 5-10 minutes of being born. He nursed beautifully.
Day 1.
36 hours later my nipples were blistered and my milk was beginning to come
in. I was pretty sore and things were not going quite so beautifully. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-80701104637475402272012-02-28T22:21:00.002+00:002012-02-28T22:22:32.234+00:00Spring table decoration
Spring is just around the corner and we will soon be seeing daffodils
Lining the roadsides. I love daffodils (and tulips) and just thought I would
share with you the table decoration I made last week.
I am really looking forward to seeing it in full bloom.
It was so simple to make and cost absolutely nothing. You could
splash out a little with some posh stones or Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-71505374791817003552012-02-24T11:35:00.002+00:002012-02-24T11:41:56.853+00:00Our Ultimate Saturday Brunch
I first came across this flavour combination 5 or 6 years ago when the BigD and I were still dating. I used to travel by train to Edinburgh, a 5 hour journey, to spend the weekend with him. There was a little bagel stand at the station (I have no idea if it is still there) and I used to look forward to my bagel whenever I was passing through.
Once we began living Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-75215503296147726152012-02-16T15:54:00.000+00:002012-02-16T21:32:15.292+00:00Homemade Car Seat BlanketI am a seriously lucky girl. A couple of weeks ago the BigD bought me a sewing
machine. I have been lusting after a sewing machine for so long but could never
justify it as I had never really used one more than once or twice before. We were browsing a department store in town to see what to look for in a 2nd hand model. We came across a really good deal in the sales
andAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-66249024605910128662012-01-30T20:45:00.000+00:002012-01-30T20:45:26.408+00:00My 2011 Highs & Lows
I was Tagged last week to take part in the following Meme, ‘My 2011 Highs & Lows' by Boo, Roo and Tiger Too. So once you've had a look at my year go and check out her Blog!
(1) What was your happiest event?
Would absolutely, without question, have to be finding out we were pregnant
with Baby D3 who finally arrived last week.
(2) What was the saddest thing that happened?
My Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5604996691488566449.post-14006574741975048662012-01-24T12:11:00.000+00:002012-04-17T23:17:48.937+01:00WelcomeWell it's official. I now have more children than I have hands!
Welcome to the world Baby D3, it's good to have you here.
Baby D3 arrived one week ago yesterday on 16th jan 2012 at 01:18. He made quite a dramatic entrance, but that is a separate post I feel.
Even though I am seriously sleep deprived, battling with severe breast engorgement through over supply and fighting offAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12430687257879096359noreply@blogger.com2