DIY 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 and make it up to them!  We rigged up a simple system using the washing line, an empty pop bottle with a fair few holes in, sellotape, hosepipe and a cushion.

The Garden Diaries

When 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 hope to divide the garden in half with a little picket fence to protect all the veggies from the inevitable football attacks and have a clear child/grown up boundaries.  This spring the girls were super lucky to be given a playhouse - a reward for successful potty training and en excellent report at parents evening.

Now you see it...

The BigD built a little patio area for the playhouse to sit on and in doing so he wiped out an entire bush!  He had been itching to take it down since we moved in but I kept putting my foot down and saying no - I think it might have been rather convenient that he had to build the patio so far out...  Then I came back from a little shopping trip to find he had taken out the sandpit too, not that  I could moan after I'd bought a new dress.

Now you don't...

I must say that the BigD did a great job in bodging patching up the lawn where the bush used to be but I think where the sandpit once stood will require a little more TLC.  Lawn care will be high on the priority list this summer and maybe, just maybe, I'll get my picket fence but I think, perhaps I might be fantasizing a little too much to hope for a patio and summer house in the little sun trap that is the bottom of the garden.

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Rocky Road/Chocolate Tiffin Recipe

Do 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 nice promotional yellow sticker on the shelf edge.  All of a sudden I just had to make some rocky road, it would be criminal not to with the chocolate at that price...

Here's my recipe.  It is seriously yummy and super quick and easy.

Ingredients:

• 200g Chocolate
• half(ish) a bag of marshmallows
• half a pack of digestive biscuits (The super cheap value ones work just fine)
• 120g Butter - Melted and allowed to cool slightly
• 2-3 heaped tablespoons crunchy peanut butter

Method:

1. Break up chocolate and melt in a bowl over a pan of boiling water
2. Put biscuits in a carier bag and loosly break up by bashing with a rolling pin a few times
3. Chop up marshmallows into smallish pieces
4. Once chocolate has melted gently stir in peanut butter and melted butter until blended
5. fold in crushed buscuits and marshmallows
6. Poor into a 7" square tin
7. Chill
8. Slice and enjoy!

A 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 and I am at my most productive when he is on a late shift, or a 12hr night shift!  Tonight has been one of those productive nights.  You may remember a few months back now, seems like such a distant memory now but we had a lovely early warm spell and I was inspired to make Floppy a dress.  I never quite got round to finishing it and once the hot weather was replaced by copious amounts of rain I had no incentive to do so either.

Tonight I finished it, although please don't look too closely at the zip.  I think I need to get a lesson in sewing zips from my wonderful friend at Gandyfloss Creations.  Go check out her facebook page too.

What do you think?

The floral bit used to be a pillow case

I can't wait for a hot day so she can wear it.  Actually, sod it, I think she can wear it tomorrow, rain or shine!

Rainy 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 may be in trouble for posting this

You will need:

• 75g Melted Dark chocolate (make sure it is dairy free - Most of the good stuff is) 
• 250g Plain flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 2 capfulls Vanilla extract
• 100g Golden Caster Sugar
• 200g Dairy Free Spread (Vitalite or Pure are good brands)
• Good pinch salt

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 (we have a fan oven).
2. Line baking trays with parchment paper.
3. Mix salt/baking powder/flour together.
4. Wisk together spread/sugar/vanilla extract until pale and creamy.
5. Fold in flour mix.
6. Pour on melted chocolate and stir only a couple of times to give marbled effect.
7. Roll into balls a bit smaller than a golf ball, place on lined baking tray and flatten them just a little - Watch out the mixure is a little sticky so this bit is a bit messy!
8. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes.
9. Leave to cool and then enjoy.

Home Grown Goodness

With 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 possible and sustainability.  So far we have:
 

4 varieties of potatoes
Broad beans
Runner beans
French beans
Peas
Onions (red and white)
Sprouting broccoli
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Kale
Lettuce
Turnips
Carrots
Garlic
Radish
Herbs
Aubergine
Courgette
Cucumber
Variety of salad leaves
Tomatoes
Strawberries
Raspberries
Redcurrants
Blueberries

Quite an impressive list when all written down I think.  Last year we tried sweetcorn but it was a massive failure - a little more reading up required me thinks!  We also have an asparagus bed on the go but will be another year before we can enjoy any.

I must say the hosepipe ban is rather annoying and I find myself really appreciating the rain!

Galt 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 have a sicky baby like D3.

D3 has just turned 4 months old and is beginning to sit unaided for short periods of time. The playnest is absolutely great for this, as it allows him to do so in a safe environment without the fear of him falling backwards and bumping his head or, worse, falling flat on his pretty little face! It also has lots of extra room for toys and keeps them within easy reach saving those moments of frustration when a toy gets pushed just out of reach.

The weather has finally turned a corner and we have been out in the garden a fair bit. The playnest has been fantastic as a safe place to put him down while he watches us work so much so I think Galt should create a wipe clean waterproof version so we could take it out in slightly muddier conditions.



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