100 Happy Days Challenge

Since January I have noticed very simple but beautiful pictures with the hash tag 100 happy days on various social media sites. When I asked what it was all about  I got a very simple response "Post 1 picture for the next 100 days of something that makes you smile; a picture of your kids, their smile, a flower, your pet, even your dinner!"
It's so easy to take the simple things in life for granted that something like this makes you stop and enjoy the little, precious moments in life.

The reason I have put it off for so long is with everything we have going on at the moment I just knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with it but now with our upcoming nuptials, the launch of our new family business around the corner and the children doing so well at school, now is the perfect time for my 100 happy days.

 Day 1

#100happydays

You can keep up with my 100 happy days on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Feel free to send me links to your #100happydays

M xx

Weekly Meal Planner

Oh dear, I didn't realise it had been quite so long.

Things have been as hectic around here as usual but I'm back with this weeks meal planner!

Weekly Meal Planner

Monday

Chicken noodles

Tuesday

Lasagne, pasta and sweetcorn and salad

Wednesday

Pork chops, roast potatoes, carrots and peas

Thursday

Sausage, mash and bwans(with onion gravy of course!)

Friday

Chilli con carne with Mexican rice, salsa and tortilla chips

Saturday

Turkey drummers, chips and beans

Sunday

Roast beef and yorkshires with all the trimmings

M xx

What's on your menu this week?

Our Easter Hols

Our Easter Holiday in pics!

And finally...

Relax!!

How was your Easter break?

                             M xx

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