Annabel Karmel’s bite-sized recipe books

PODcast IMG_7078Annabel Karmel has launched a collection of bite-sized recipe books in association with Sainsburys. Specifically for busy families, this series of handy recipe books are designed to inspire parents on the supermarket run.

These recipe books fit in your handbag so you don’t even need to write down what ingredients you might need. You can just take the book with you. Browsing in the supermarket is definitely not something you want to be doing – especially if you have young children with you!

Mum-of-three Annabel Karmel MBE says: “When it comes to cooking for kids, our research tells us that busy PODcast IMG_7068parents don’t have time to spend hours flicking through cook books, following complicated recipes and lengthy cooking times. The reality is that they want tasty, well-balanced food ideas that they can rustle up in quick time.”

There are 10 easy-to-follow recipe books in the series which cover a wide range of food milestones from First Foods and Exploring New Tastes, to Lunchboxes and Vegetarian Meals. Each book contains more than 50 delicious, time-saving ideas using nutritional ingredients you’d find in the kitchen cupboard.

The Lunchboxes book provides guidance on what to include in a healthy lunchbox and how to get your child PODcast IMG_7109involved. It offers quick, easy and healthy ideas to make lunchtime fun whether sandwiches, salads, savouries or treats. Our favourites include Bow-tie Pasta Salad with Chicken, Humous, Carrot & Cheese sandwiches and Jamaican banana muffins.

Kids in the Kitchen focuses on creative recipe ideas that enable you to bake together. All the recipes have been created with little ones in mind so they’re quick, simple and easy-to-follow. This book covers everything from snacks, vegetarian, fish, chicken and meat to sweet treats and special occasions.

Breaded Animals, a Bagel Snake and Mice in Jackets are just a few of the ideas on offer. With Halloween fast PODcast IMG_7151approaching we have our eye on the Chocolate-orange Spider Cupcakes. Or the Goulish Ghost Cakes. Our toddler will absolutely adore those!

Annabel Karmel’s Favourites (RRP £4.99) are available in Sainsbury’s stores. You can see the full range of books on the Annabel Karmel website.

Disclaimer: We received two books from the collection for the purpose of this review. Opinions are our own.  

Dinosaur juice

POD has so many words now. She cracks me up when she talks through what she’s doing, has a third person conversation with her dollies or pretends to read.

Potty training has reached a new level in that all poos resemble a thing – usually a tree, a house or a car. A potty has been added to the list of ‘stuff’ we take out with us due to her refusal to use public toilets. If we’re in the woods, she’ll proudly inform passers by when she’s done a wee, at times following up with “Mummy put it in the bushes”.

Embarrassing Mummy in public has become the norm over the past few days. First there was “Look man I have poo in my hair” after she rolled down a hill. This after I’d congratulated myself on what a great job I’d done removing the green sludge with wipes. Then came “Hello everybody I eating my dinner” when she had nothing but a lolly in her hand.

She was bathed as soon as we arrived home but a trip to the shop was necessary. Over her pyjamas went a cardigan, coat, socks and shoes. You’d never know she was in her pyjamas had she not announced “hello everyone I wearing my pyjamas” while we were in the queue. At the counter she piped up “Mummy why does that girl look like a monster?”. Despite explaining there were no monsters, POD pointed at the girl serving us and said “is she a monster Mummy?”.

Recently POD introduced herself to a parent at a National Trust property as Rosie. It’s not her name, nor is Charlotte which was her second choice. The follow-up was “Mummy has a baby in her tummy”. Having told the parent POD wasn’t called Rosie or Charlotte nor did I have a baby in my tummy all was well again. Until POD passed comment on why this parent’s baby was crawling in mud. Fair point, I’d wondered the same myself although we had already seen it chomping on an acorn.

This week POD has discovered running on a wooden floor in socks is “slipperly”, a Daddy Long Legs is a skinny legged spider and “wedgetables” *allegedly* go with Ravioli. Having commented Daddy smelt of pears, she decided Mummy smelt of apples and she smelt of dinosaurs. Babies smell like soggy socks apparently. As do robots. Strange questions asked have included “where do giants come from?” and “what is grass is made of?” neither of which I got the opportunity to answer!

POD’s also skateboarded across the kitchen floor with Peppa stickers attached to her feet, pretended to be an “eye-packer” [alpaca] and announced at breakfast “a man said in the night I could watch television”. Having told nursery “we have rats at home” , she was asked where the rats came from. Carrots was the reply, rats come from carrots.

The joy of bathtime is POD’s ability to escape or run off at any given moment. This week, I found her sitting in her laundry basket. When asked what she was doing, her response was “I in the washing machine collecting dinosaur juice”.

We’re linking this post up with Actually Mummy’s Wot So Funee? which this week is being hosted by A Mummy Too.

Wot So Funee?

Pulling faces

When POD was a baby, she screwed her nose up a lot. Although a sign of affection, some would see it as scowling and react with “what a strange thing to do” or “why does she do that?”. It was highly entertaining especially when she did this!

Playing in her travel cot she liked to stick her tongue out then squash her face against the netted sides. She knew it raised a smile and the *occasional* snort.

POD screwing up her nose is now an endearing feature. Just a few wrinkles in-between her wonderful blue eyes.

Her repertoire of facial expressions has expanded though. She can stretch her top and bottom lips over her teeth and simultaneously open her mouth really wide. If you’re lucky, it’s also coupled with “hewow”. Another one of her funny faces is here.

POD has recently taken to pulling faces with her fingers, usually at the most inappropriate moments. The face you see before you was made whilst visiting a National Trust property at the weekend. There was no reason for it and I don’t know who it was directed at – if indeed it was directed at anyone. Given she thinks rats come from carrots your guess is as good as mine!

Best of all was something unexpected that happened in the car on the way home. POD was quiet so presuming she’d fallen asleep I turned round to check her. What greeted me was a staring expression which said “that’s disgusting”. It was directed towards the CD player which was playing Little Red Riding Hood – a story she requests all the time.

It was such a strange face it made me laugh. When I glanced back again, her face was the same, she’d not moved. I looked briefly on two more occasions, exactly the same. She’d not reacted to my laughter at all. The final time I looked back, the expression hadn’t changed but a limp tongue was also out.

I haven’t laughed so much in ages, I was almost in tears. What made it so amusing was that POD didn’t crack, she didn’t even make eye contact. A brilliant moment that created a proper full on belly laugh. Not a bad effort for a toddler.

We’re linking this post up with What’s The Story? on PODcast and Magic Moments at The Oliver’s Madhouse.

Sszty!!

What’s The Story? | 7th October 2013

There were so many amazing What’s The Story? posts last week, thank you to everyone that joined in.

It’s really difficult to highlight posts that stood out but they definitely included Wicked World of Lucas, The Reading Residence, 3 Children and It, A Strong Coffee and Faded Seaside Mamma. We also enjoyed Mummy Barrow getting pinched on her wedding day, The 40 Year Old Domestic Goddess talking Autumn and hearing how Mad Mum of 7‘s stone heart came about.

What’s The Story? focuses on sharing the stories behind your photographs. To join in, all you need to do is share a photograph and describe the story behind it. You can say as little or as much as you like.

You can select a photograph taken at ANY time – there are no restrictions on when it must have been taken. You might choose one you took recently or an oldie you need to scan. New posts are always the best but you can link up older ones should you wish. What’s The Story? is open from 6.30am every Monday until the following Sunday. You’ll find the badge below, feel free to display it in your post or sidebar – I will of course share your post in return.

Have a great week everyone.




Exploring Polesden Lacey

PODcast IMG_6620We’re so lucky there are so many National Trust properties in and around Surrey. And becoming members means we can explore each of them as many times as we like.

There have been a few National Trust posts on PODcast already including Fairies and Bluebells, Maoris and a Secret Garden and Discovering Box Hill.

Poleseden Lacey is somewhere we’d not had the opportunity to visit until recently. Located in Great Bookham, near Dorking, this beautiful country estate was owned by Mrs Greville, a well-known hostess, for her to entertain royalty, politicians and the best of Edwardian society. The house contains her fabulous collection PODcast IMG_6643of art and ceramics.

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth also had part of their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey in 1923.

Set in spectacular views of the Surrey Hills countryside, the immense estate offers geocaching and waymarked walks. As we were without Daddy, we opted to pay the gardens a visit first. Walking alongside the house entrance and South terrace we were able to take in the most stunning of views.

We passed through a Winter garden, orchard and frameyard before reaching the magnificent rose garden. PODcast IMG_6641Walled gardens always have a mystical charm about them. Given we’d timed our arrival with the end of the Summer, it was amazing to see it looking so beautiful too.

Even the herbaceous border looked magnificent. POD enjoyed running around, peering at the views through the large iron gates and talking to statues. Polesden Lacey also offers a loggia, sunken garden and kitchen garden.

After we’d taken that all in, we took a walk in the grounds towards the estate’s woodland. We also discovered a bird hide which POD was hugely excited about although her noisy chatter meant the birds stayed away!

There’s something rather wonderful about Autumn smells and that damp feeling underfoot. You’ll see from the slideshow, Polesden Lacey is a absolute gem – we’ll definitely be back for some geocaching!

We’re linking this post up with Country Kids at Coombe Mill and How Does Your Garden Grow? at Mammasaurus.
Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

Welcome to my circus

POD takes great delight in saying “hello” to everybody. If she gets no reply she’ll continue to say “hello” and wave until she’s acknowledged. Or she’ll say “Mummy I said hello to that man” and point at their face.

There are occasions when an innocent “hello” will be followed with some unwanted over sharing. Thankfully “hello, I done lots of farts” or “hello, do you want to see my bogey?” have only been directed to those visiting the house.

She likes to comment on what she sees “Look there’s a baby/boy/girl/dog/”butt-fly”/buzzy bee. And what she’s doing “I walking with the buggy”, “I eating raisins” or “I poke Mummy boob”. It’s great she takes everything so literally although she did ask for a scab to be taken out of the bin “Mummy I need to put it back on”.

POD has starting mimicking what we say, often in an identical tone with the same facial expression. She’s also introduced the play one parent off the other lark “Mummy, Daddy tell my off” and “Daddy, Mummy tell my off” when she’s being naughty.

There have been a couple of porkies told at nursery recently “we have rats at home” and “Daddy is in the pub watching rugbies” are personal favourites. Shouting “Mummy needs wine” to everyone we passed when leaving one night was a valuable lesson in why you should never share a shopping list with your toddler.

POD has a vivid imagination. Bathtime can be a subdued affair which involves swimming or jumping but can just as easily incorporate talk of baked beans and fish. She may also pretend to be in a castle and ask where her queen is. Following up with a “yes your Majesty” and a cackle when her invisible queen appears.

Bedtime has been a challenge these past weeks, she’s rarely asleep before 10pm even after running around all day. Last week she did fall asleep by 7.30pm but then woke at 1am, jumped out of bed and announced “I done my sleep”.

The best thing about owning a toddler is when they say something unexpected. Something that just makes you crack up with laughter and snort. Like standing outside a stately home and hearing her shout “Hello everybody, welcome to my circus”.

We’re linking this post up with Wot So Funee? over at Actually Mummy. If you’d like to join in click on the badge below.
Wot So Funee?

Room on the Broom Live

“How the car purred and how the witch grinned, as they sat on their broomstick and flew through the wind”. Written by Julia Donaldson MBE and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, Room on the Broom is a wonderful tale.

It’s about a witch and her cat who fly around happily on their broomstick until a stormy wind blows away the witch’s hat, bow and wand. Retrieved by a dog, a bird and a frog, each asks for a ride until the weight becomes too much and the broom snaps in two.

POD loves Room on the Broom so we were delighted to hear this fabulous picture book had been adapted for the stage.

Although she is younger than the 3+ recommended age we booked tickets as it seemed too good an opportunity. We’d missed The Gruffalo Live and heard Tall Stories received rave reviews for it. We hoped Room on the Broom would be the same.

POD was confused when her Room on the Broom flag didn’t fly but all was forgotten when we took our seats. The audience was immediately engaged by campers located around the theatre. One camper then became the witch and two the narrators with all four actors bringing amazing dog, bird and frog puppets to life.

As you’d expect there was much excitement when they whooshed through the air! And the songs used to accompany the original story just added to the magic of the show. The story was beautifully told by a hugely talented team who delivered a performance that was bursting with energy. Their improvisation and timing was exceptional.

POD was fascinated by it throughout although she did sit on Daddy’s knee when the dragon appeared. She remained in her seat for the entire 55 minutes. For a toddler that rarely stays in the same place, that’s a huge achievement. Her response when we asked if she enjoyed it was “again?”. Says it all really, just brilliant.

Room on the Broom Live is touring the UK until the end of December.

Photo Credit: Graeme Braidwood

A defining moment

Sometimes a photograph defines a poignant moment. This is one of those, as was the wonderful image posted yesterday.

POD’s not slept well these past few weeks and is often still awake at 10pm. Monday became a day where it was necessary to get out of the house after she refused a nap. We headed to a local farm and she was typically asleep within five minutes. She didn’t even wake in the car to buggy transfer she was so shattered!

Once awake we looked at some rabbits and guinea pigs before heading over to feed the larger animals. Unknown to me it was just before their feeding time. Although POD is normally a brave little soul, hearing pigs, sheep, alpacas, goats and cows all cry for food at the same time was too much.

We cut our losses and headed to a play area where she quickly forgot her fears. After a brief spell on a swing, she was on a trampoline practicing her jumping skills. There was no stopping her after that, she climbed everything that could be climbed and said “hello” to anyone that would listen.

But then something happened. She climbed a walkway to a slide much longer than one she’d normally attempt. At the bottom she said “again” and off she went. The third time she headed up the walkway, instead of taking a left to the slide, she turned right. There larger children could access enclosed slides, or shutes, in varying sizes. Hesitating she opted to go through a tunnel instead and ran off straight afterwards. I found her at the top of one of the shutes requesting we go down it together.

Instead it was suggested POD go down it and I catch her at the bottom. I had no idea how fast she’d come down but it seemed like the safest option. This photograph was taken from part of the way up the shute. Although POD was apprehensive at first, she came down it on her own. Twice.

It was definitely a poignant moment. POD’s grown so much over the Summer. She looks different, she’s fiercely independent and she knows exactly what she wants. She’s trying to see how far she can push us. But she’s just growing up whether we like it or not. On Christmas Day she’ll say goodbye toddler and hello to three year old girl.

We’re linking this post up with What’s The Story? which takes place on this very blog. If you’d like to join in, click on the badge below.


What’s The Story? | 30th September 2013

Welcome to What’s The Story? and thank you to everyone that joined in last week. It’s really is great to read the stories behind your photographs.

What’s The Story? now has a Google+ community. All previous posts are currently being uploaded with posts for each week appearing thereafter. If you’d like to join this community, you can do so from here.

What’s The Story? focuses on sharing the stories behind your favourite photographs. All you need to do is share a photograph and describe the story behind it. You can say as little or as much as you like.

You can select a photo taken at ANY time – there are no restrictions on when it must have been taken. You might choose a photo you took recently or an oldie. New posts are always the best but you can link up older ones should you wish as well. What’s The Story? is open from 6.30am every Monday until the following Sunday. You’ll find the badge below, feel free to display it in your post or sidebar.

Have a great week everyone.