Crying Day (Annabel Karmel muffin recipe)

Oh dear! It has been one of those days over here. Both my boys were up at the crack of dawn, both in tears. No, they didn't want to get back to sleep! :-/

The day carried on with my youngest full of tears. There was not much to do in the way of consoling him. Holding him didn't work, he wasn't hungry, he wasn't ill...he was tired and he was fighting sleep!

Nap time came and went. No one was interested despite my putting them down several times. The crying continued.

Lunch time helped! :-)

After lunch we baked some Annabel Karmel 'Bomb' muffins. That also helped but when I limited them to one each the crying began again.

BOMB Muffins (Banana, Oats, Maple Syrup, Blueberries)
Ingredients:
30g rolled oats
86g whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1 lg ripe banana mashed
1 egg
30g melted butter
4 Tbs maple syrup
3 Tbs soft light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
55g blueberries
Demerara sugar

Preparations
1. Preheat oven to 180 C or 160 C if fan assisted. Line 6 large or 12 small muffin pans with paper cups. Mix together the oats, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate soda, cinnamon, ginger and salt in a large bowl. 

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the banana, egg, butter, syrup, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then fold in the blueberries.

3. Spoon into the muffin cups, filling them three-quarters full. Sprinkle a little Demerara sugar on to each muffin. Bake until muffins have risen and are firm to the touch. 12-14 min for small muffins or 15-17 for large. Cool on a wire rack. 

************

No one wanted super. No one wanted a bath. No one wanted cuddling.

Both my boys went to bed tonight at 6:45pm! Mummy is relieved. Tomorrow will be a better day!

xx

Food & Fitness 1st June 2014

Hello! I hope you have all had a lovely weekend! We have had a low key and happy weekend in some sunshine :-) We had quite the adventure today in a garden centre! It was seriously the biggest garden centre I have ever been in! We originally went to go to their Dinosaur Discovery park but when we found out (in the most dramatic way) that the dinosaurs weren't working due to an electricity cut we made fun in other departments!

Yes, jumping on potting soil can be fun!

Food:
Sunday- (winner, winner) Roast Chicken Dinner
Monday- Ham with potatoes and green beans
Tuesday- Burgers with Salad
Wednesday- TBD
Thursday- TBD
Friday- Pasta with Salmon
Saturday- Take Away

Fitness:
Sunday- Pilates (30 min Exercise TV)
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Spinning
Wednesday- Group Personal Training (my trainer is back!)
Thursday- Running Club (might aim for 40k this month)
Friday- Personal Training session
Saturday- Run 6k

Have a good start to the week!
xx

Friday Faves- 30 May 2014

Well, we have officially made it through another horribly rainy week here in Yorkshire. I am really not sure how much more rain I can take, although I am starting to come up with some really good indoor activities for the boys now, so at least I can be prepared!

We didn't get up to a lot due to the weather and things being busy with children on school half term breaks (soft play areas get sooo busy), but we kept out of trouble and had a bit of fun while we were at it!

Here are some of my faves from the week:
1) My new kicks! Trying out Saucony for the first time ever. I am normally a Nike/Asics girl but these Saucony are comfy and look pretty good too!

2) Sausage pasta...totally should have taken a photo of the real deal, but I was so hungry I forgot. This pasta is amazing and the whole family just gobbled it down.

3) Catch up TV. This really makes us sound like TV fanatics, we really aren't but there are so many good programmes on at the minute we just can't keep up. Some of our choices: 24 Live Another Day, Boss, Wallander, & Fargo.

4) Finishing off 2 weeks of strength training on my own while my trainer is livin' it up in Mexico and completing (tomorrow) my 30k in May challenge! I only have 3.36k left and I was planning on running at least a 5k tomorrow so I should break 30k! BTW pull up challenge is going strong. I think I can do one whole proper pull up now but want my trainer to check my form (exciting!).

RunKeeper, keeping me accountable for doing my runs.

5) Frankie and Dylan being so enthusiastic for walking, running and wrestling all day long! I am so happy that my boys enjoy being active and this week not only were they active but they were requesting walks and runs...the wrestling is part and parcel of having boys (I think!).

Wrestling with Daddy (even Tristan got involved)!

That's it for today. Hope you all have a lovely weekend (sun please come out!).
xx

Food & Fitness 25th May 2014

Ok, so here is my very late food & fitness plan for this week. I was still camping on Sunday (we got home around 10pm that night and I went straight to bed as I wasn't feeling well). Monday was spent doing laundry and getting a bit of food shopping done. I really haven't got much planned yet on the food front to be honest and the fitness plan is pretty much the usual.

I spoke with my personal trainer before she left on a two week vacation about goals and she told me that I should really come up with a new race or something to challenge and motivate me. Although I do love my current exercise plan I agree that I need a new challenge. I guess I was really counting on doing the Aquathlon that I competed in last year but unfortunately the organisers decided not to run it this year.

Are you challenging yourself to something this summer? If so let me know what...I really need some ideas :-)

Food:
Sunday- Nothing (I got a migraine and all I could do was get in bed)
Monday- Chicken Curry with Rice & Lentils
Tuesday- Pasta with Sausage & Tomato Sauce
Wednesday- Soup with Fresh Bread
Thursday- Shepard's Pie with Peas
Friday- TBD
Saturday- TBD

Fitness: 
Sunday- Rest (camping)
Monday- Rest
Tuesday- Spinning
Wednesday- Strength
Thursday- Running Club (5+k)
Friday- Strength
Saturday- Run (5k)

Have a good rest of the week!
xx

A Camping We Will Go...

A little bit of rain could not stop us. Oh ok,  torrential downpours and the cold couldn't stop us! On Friday evening we headed down to Rutland to go camping for the weekend with 4 other couples and their children. 

As always we were slightly less prepared for the trip than I would have liked but once we figured out where we were headed and what the camp-site was like I was able to become a packing ninja and have us ready to go in about 2 hours (and bonus, I only forgot to pack two things: Will's swimming trunks and Frankie's pjs) not too bad ;-) 

Snug as bugs in the car on our way camping!

We arrived at the camp-site at around 7pm and got the tent set up in no time. It was lovely to catch up with our friends who we don't get to see often and enjoy a nice warm camp fire. The following day we were greeted by a down pour. We ventured out of the tents to get some hot chocolate and chat and then some of the group headed off to a maze whilst others headed back for naps (that would be us!). Later we met up with some of the later arrivals to the camp site to do a bit of bird watching (we spotted the elusive Osprey...exciting!). 

I spy an Osprey mummy!

The trip was full of the usual camp things: camp fires, bbqs, walks (when the weather allowed), boat trips/wind surfing, the children playing with each other and various toys, etc... 

Blurry camp fire shot...whoops!

Although it was great to catch up, the first camping trip of the year was just a little bit too soggy for my liking. I also realized that my hiking boots are no longer water proof so it looks like a new pair will be in order before our next hike or camping trip. Should have brought my wellies instead :-( 

As for camping with the boys, well this was our third trip so we are getting better at packing and knowing what kind of things to do to entertain them. They get so excited about putting up the tent and sleeping outside that they tend to listen to what we say for fear the trip will be put to an early end. They eat bbq food and like doing the outdoor activities with the other children but sleeping is still a bit of an issue. The boys just get so excited about everything camp related that they just can't be convinced to settle down. I suppose it doesn't help that the sun is usually still up and shining through the tent when their bed time arrives (yes, even with the rain inside the tent was still bright enough to keep them up)! 

Making funny noises in the tent while the rain comes down.

So here's to another great camping trip with hopes that the next one will be a little bit more sunny and a lot less soggy! 

xx

5 Reasons Why I Love The Gym

A lot of the friends I have spoken to about my current exercise program recently think I am crazy! Some of the responses I get are: 'You wake up at what time?' 'Why don't you sleep in?' 'What are you training for?' 'You don't need to lose weight.'

So, to answer these questions: Usually about 6am. Because I want to be fit and healthy (although yes, I would love for a lie in!). I am currently not really in training for anything, although I do have the 5k Race for Life coming up the end of next month. Finally, I actually do still want to lose a little weight to get me back to my pre-second baby weight.

 The below however, are my main reasons for heading to the gym these days:

1) The gym is like its own little world. There are no windows in my gym (which at first I thought might make me feel claustrophobic, but really it doesn't) so you are really focused on what you are doing in that moment. My gym is also pretty new (it got a refurbishment in Dec.) and all the equipment, facilities and rooms feel good to be in (not worn out, sweaty and smelly).

2) I love the music! I usually bring my iPod shuffle with me but when I am there for spin or personal training I just listen to what the trainers have provided. We have similar tastes in music and I love the feeling that I am at a night club but without the inevitable creepy guy, having to find a babysitter and with the benefits of getting fit!

3) I like the stress relief a good workout brings. When I first started working out seriously I was at university and although I was working out to get rid of the 'Freshman 15', I found that it also helped me to combat the stresses of 3 jobs, classes, projects, exams, relationship issues, etc... I still feel a major stress relief when I workout.


4) I feel strong. I certainly have days where I think 'I can not move.' I have lazy days and worn out days just like everyone. But when I am at the gym I feel strong. I can lift my oldest son's weight (about 36lbs) over my shoulders and do walking lunges around the room. I can do dead-lifts and squats all with at least 30lbs added weight and then still run intervals after. I can even almost do a pull-up!! Gym time is a time I push myself and I don't feel lazy or weak (even if I am a little tired from the early morning alarm).

5) Finally, when I am working out at the gym I feel like my self. A workout at the gym is one of only a few things that I do for myself (although it does ultimate affect everyone in my life). It is familiar (something I have been doing in some form or another since high school) and it centres me when I need it. It makes me breath deeply, release tension and focus on what is good in my life without all the pressures of life being there with me.

Do you have a favourite activity that makes you feel good? 
xx

Growing Up Milk Info Pottery Party

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day in 'The North' and both Frankie and I were pretty excited to jump in the car and drive into Manchester for the GUMI Pottery Party!

We didn't really know what to expect, especially as this was our first ever blogger meet up event but I had looked up the venue Minikin Emporium (which I knew nothing about) and looked up the Growing Up Milk site (which I knew a little about) so I felt pretty good in thinking this would be a great afternoon! The event organiser was Frank PR and I didn't need to do much investigation into them as I had done some interning with them about 9 years ago!!

We arrived early and were greeted by Katy and Laurence from Frank PR and Claire from Minikin Emporium. They were all very nice and filled us in on the afternoons' itinerary, which was mainly to have fun painting our mugs! We could do that ;-)  Unfortunately, Frankie was a little bit grumpy so he wasn't off to a good start. I think it might have been the fact that he had fallen asleep in the hot car (despite all windows being open!!) on the way into Manchester. Heat and exhaustion do not a pleasant little boy make ;-)

We got painting right away. Minikin Emporium had provided some T-shirts for painting (no paint on clothes = good idea & a happy mummy), paint, paint brushes and most important a mug to paint. Frankie found the blue paint and was from then on pretty happy!

Whilst we were painting Katy from Frank PR came round to speak to all of us and I was surprised to find that this was the very first blogger event put on by Frank PR up North! She talked with us all about Growing Up Milk who hosted the event and I definitely came away with more knowledge on the brand and how they are committed to helping us parents provide the right vitamins and nutrients for our little ones!


The Growing Up Milk Info website is a great source of information on toddler nutrition, so if you are struggling (like I am) to get your toddler eating their greens then definitely check it out.

The day ran smoothly and everyone was so lovely! Thank you again to everyone at Growing Up Milk, Minikin Emporium in Manchester and Frank PR!

xx