Parents in Business - We Need You

With more and more people in the UK being made redundant, forced to accept pay cuts and struggling to find work at all, there has been a surge in the number of small business being opened.
As a work at home mum, I understand the importance of getting the balance right and still being able to provide for my children and pay the bills.
With job uncertainty at an all time high and future education becoming ever more competitive, my soon to be husband and I decided that in order to 'secure our families future' we would have to take matters into our own hands.

Despite us both currently working we have begun developing our own small business which we are hoping to launch soon!

With business on our mind we know just how expensive advertising and marketing can be which is why we strongly believe on using all of the free social media opportunities at our disposal. They are great for free exposure, offer limitless networking opportunities and can put you in touch with potential customers.

To make the most of these opportunities we will be hosting a networking event every Wednesday evening on Twitter between 8pm and 9pm.
Whether you have a business idea, are a start-up or have been successfully trading for some time, if you are a parent in business we'd love for you to join us with your ideas, comments, suggestions or advice.

We'll be around this evening for anyone that wants to join on and hope to really get things going next Wednesday. So for articles, advice, networking and more join us on Wednesdays between 8pm and 9pm on Twitter

M xx

How Does Your Garden Grow - Part 2

Ok, so admittedly there should have been another post before this but things have been ludicrously busy with our new business venture.

To begin with I had the strangest feeling that the seeds weren't going to grow or were going to be seriously slow...boy was I wrong.

Our parsley, coriander, onions and lettuce took on a life form of their own and began sprouting left, right and centre. Whilst the tomato plants equally we're really taking shape. 

When the weather perked up a bit I started putting them out during the day and bringing them back in for bed! Eventually we felt brave enough to plant them out.

Wow, our tomato plants have gone from strength to strength 

 The coriander is ready to be ised(and will be in tonight's salsa!)

As is the parsley

The lettuce will be ready in about 2 weeks

And the forgotten strawberry plants have made a welcome comeback!

The onions are doing their own thing and the chilli plant is yet to sprout but we do have basil and more parsley putting in an appearance

Overall I'm very pleased with how everything is growing so far and am on the look out for things we can still sow now.

How happy are you with your garden at the moment?

                             M xx

Mothering Sunday

Wishing you all a very happy Mothers Day xx

                           M xx

Yummy Scrummy Apple Crumble Recipe

Yesterday little monster and I had fun in the kitchen making apple crumble. Here is our completely fool proof recipe.
I have included the quantities that we used but once you've made this once or twice you can adjust the amounts to suit your own taste.

You will need
For the crumble
300g plain flour
155g brown sugar
200g unsalted butter, cubed

For the filling
400g peeled and chopped cooking apples
50g brown sugar
1tbsp flour
1tsp ground cinnamon

What to do
Mix the flour and brown sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter 1 cube at a time and rub through your fingers until the flour mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

                               

Once the apples have been chopped up place them in a bowl and carefully mix with the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Try to avoid breaking up the fruit when mixing.

Grease an oven proof dish, then spoon the fruit into the base. Sprinkle the crumble mix over the top of the fruit but do not pat it down.

Bake in the oven at gas 4/350F/180C for approximately 40 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling.

Serve with fresh cream or warm custard and enjoy!

M xx

Weekly Meal Planner

I know I've been M.I.A recently but I'm back with this weeks meal planner.

Weekly Meal Planner

Monday

Spaghetti bolognese with homemade garlic bread.

Tuesday

Moroccan spiced lamb with cous cous and roasted vegetables

Wednesday

Jacket potatoes with a selection of fillings

Thursday

Lasagna and salad

Friday

Pizza, tortilla chips and dips

Saturday

Fish fingers, potato wedges and spaghetti hoops

Sunday

Roast pork with all the trimmings

What's on your menu this week?

M xx

Our Wedding, A DIY Project - Make Your Own Garter

I've always liked the tradition associated with weddings of "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" and knew that I would try and stick to it. 

Old was easy, I've always wanted a silver sixpence included in my wedding so I could tick that off the list

New was equally easy;my dress, shoes and accessories.

Borrowed and blue was proving a bit more tricky.

My grandad passed away in September 2000 and had always been someone I looked up to so it made sense to have him with me somehow. My mum has one of his rings so I'm 'borrowing' that for the day and having it attached to my bouquet.

That just left something blue. As our colour scheme is sage green, cream and gold I just couldn't see where blue would fit in, until I stumbled across some garters in a bridal shop.

Hidden under my dress and a bit of fun I immediately knew what my something blue would be.

As complicated as these look they are surprising easy to make.

Mine took about 10 minutes from start to finish.

So whether for your big day or for your hen why not give it a try?!

You will need 

Net or lace

Ribbon

Elastic

Sewing needle

Thread


1. Measure the part of your thigh that you want to wear your garter and cut the elastic 1cm shorter than your leg measurement and the ribbon and net/lace twice the length of your leg measurement (this will give you a nice gather)

2.Pin the ribbon to the net or lace in the desired position and sew a running stitch along the top and bottom of the ribbon making sure there is enough space for the elastic to pass through (don't worry about it being perfect as you won't really see it)

3. Thread the elastic through the garter under the ribbon but on top of the net/lace.  As the material is twice as long as the elastic, once the elastic is halfway through pin the end in place so it doesn't spring back through. Continue threading the elastic through until it's out at the other end.

4. Once the elastic is threaded through, slightly overlap the ends and stitch firmly together.

5. Adjust the material around the elastic until you are happy with the look then stitch the two end of the material together.

If you like you can finish your garter off with an embellishment.
It really is that simple

If you do have a go at making your own garter I'd love to see the finished product.

M xx

How Does Your Garden Grow - Part 1

Despite living in a flat in London, my heart lies firmly in the countryside surrounded by rolling hills, pick your own farms and beautiful landscapes. I've always dreamed of owning a converted barn in a couple of acres of land where we can keep a few animals and grow as much of our own fruit and vegetables as possible. At the moment, the closest we get to this is our annual visit to Grays Pick Your Own Farm, our weekend visits to The New Forest and using our balcony to grow as much produce as possible.
Last year proved extremely fruitful for tomatoes, radishes and lettuce but we weren't too successful with carrots, strawberries, herbs and onions. This year I am hoping to get myself together enough to really give this grow your own malarky a good try.

As the weather at the moment is horrendous, I'm a little apprehensive about preparing the soil so I'm going to begin with an indoor herb garden.

Based on a lot of the recipes I use, I've opted to begin with basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme and coriander.

Armed with everything I need to get this herb garden started, this years grow your own project begins!

How does your garden grow? Do you have any tips or suggestions?

M xx