Calling All Superheroes!

Saturday was a big day in our house - our 3 year old's Superhero birthday party!

We hired the village hall (at the bargain price of £8 per hour) as we didn't fancy 20-30 kids aged 3-5, plus a few parents, rampaging around the house. However, as the event drew nearer, and we had had only a few acceptances, we started to wonder if it was worth bothering with the hall after all. I am astounded at how many people didn't bother to reply to the invitation at all, leaving me in limbo as to how many to cater for, how many party bags to do etc. I'd invited all of the children who are in the same 2 sessions as our little one at nursery, but I don't even know who most of them are or who the parents are. I guess that if the parents don't know who we are, then they don't bother to come to the party. Such a shame, as I was really hoping it would enable us to meet some more families from the village. Oh well...

We decided to go ahead with the hall anyway as it was booked, and it worked out well. There were only 13 children in total (including our 2), but it meant they had loads of space to run around and do the party games in.

If you are ever stuck for a party theme for a 3+ year old, then Superheroes is a winner. I found SO much stuff on the internet for cake ideas, party games, party bag filler etc. Due to the all the recent films and the ones being released soon (Spiderman, Ironman, Batman, The Avengers, Superman), there is tons of branded party stuff around.

I have to confess to losing my party-mojo a little in the run up to it, due to all the rejections and lack of replies, so last week was rather busy as I tried to get games organised, food planned etc in time.

Friday was spent in a baking frenzy as I tried to get to everything made.

For the cake, I thought I'd keep it simple with a Superman logo. However, my icing skills are not up to much, and I was rushing too much. The finished result was ok, but not my finest creation!




It's supposed to be G instead of an S



Smarties cookies - the most delicious, chewy, chocolate chip cookies ever!



Cakes for the mums & dads

Where possible I tried to theme the party food too! I'd ordered a Batman cookie cutter from Ebay ages ago, but when it arrived it was way too big to make biscuits with, so I decided to cut the sandwiches out with it instead. It worked brilliantly!

Dinner, dinner, dinner, dinner BATMAN!

Kryptonite and Spiderman Jellies

There was also the obligatory cocktail sausages, cheese cubes and crisps galore!

The 3 year olds didn't really get the party games, but bumbled along with it all. The older ones however, showed steely determination to win each game! We did the following games:

• Musical Superheroes - I printed some superhero logos (spiderman, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) and laminated them. They were scattered around the floor, and when the music stopped they had to find a logo to stand on. The one with no logo to stand on was out (a bit like musical chairs). The laminating turned out to be a bad idea, as the first round or two saw a couple of them almost breaking a limb as they leapt onto the logo and the thing skidded off across the floor!
• Pass the Kryptonite - a managed to find a giant green glowstick for 99p (bargain!). This was passed around the circle. When the music stopped, whoever was holding the kryptonite was out. A kind of reverse pass-the-parcel. It took a little while for the children to grasp that they DIDN't want to be holding the kryptonite when the music stopped!
• Destroy the Bombs - lots of balloons blown up, including some black ones. Some had a sweet inside the balloon. The superheroes have to detonate all the bombs that an evil villain has dropped. They loved this game - being allowed to jump on balloons to burst them, and get sweets!
• Chase the Baddie - a baddie (the older brother of one of the guests who was happy to relieve husband of this role!) had stolen the bag of sweets and the superheroes had to chase him to catch him. When the music stopped, the first one to touch the baddie got a sweet from his stolen loot! This was our little one's favourite game! We played it after the food, and it really helped wear them all out and get rid of the sugar rush!

As time fillers, we also did some rounds of musical bumps, musical statues (they had to strike a superhero pose when the music stopped) and husband demonstrated the moves to Black Lace's Superman!

Our little Batman

We had a lot of help from our best friends, who helped set up and clear awy, as well as making sure everyone had a cup of tea and a cake!

All in all, we had a fun time. The two boys loved it, and that was why I went to the trouble. Sometimes I wonder why I go to all the effort (and expense) of doing themed parties every year, but the boys love it and I love the planning! I'm already planning the Moshi Monster party our eldest has requested for September!

Busted!

So, my cover as Wilfing Mum has been blown! I have been found out by husband!

Although it was never my attention to keep this blog a secret, as I am just starting out with it, I thought I would just see how I got on with blogging before telling anyone about it.

However, husband was having a discussion with a work colleague about the term "Wilfing" and they googled it. Up popped a picture of our son linking to my blog! Husband got the shock of his life!!

So a big hello to my husband (who is now an avid reader of my blog!) and his work colleagues. Hope you enjoy what you have read so far and continue to read my future posts. You never know, I may divulge some juicy gossip about husband one day!!

My Love Affair With Converse

The title of this post says it all really. I LOVE my converse (all 4 pairs of them!), and am a little addicted to wearing them. They are like wearing slippers for me, with the added bonus of being able to leave the house in them without people looking at me strangely!

The boys both have at least one pair too. Theirs are the boot version (Chuck Taylor hi-tops), whereas mine are the shoe variety (Ox lace). The two boys have recently become as obsessed as me with their cons, ever since they spotted Doctor Who wearing a pair (David Tennant's Doctor rather than Matt Smith). Since then, they have spotted Mr Maker in a pair, Sid from CBeebies and Dracula's daughter Mavis in Hotel Transylvannia, to name but a few!

My love for my cons grew recently when I discovered they can be machine-washed to come out looking like new! My first two pairs (green and red) were looking decidedly shabby, and I feared I would have to retire them off. But then I stumbled upon a pin on Pinterest (of course!) about how to clean Converse and similar canvas shoes. So I gave it a try, thinking I had nothing to lose if they came out totally unwearable.

Method:
1. Remove the laces and soak in bleach or detergent (depending on dirty they are!) and then wash with your whites on a fairly hot wash.
2. Wipe any mud from the rubber trim of the shoes and wash on a cool wash (I did mine at 30 degrees) with some towels. Don't use the spin cycle.
3. When washed, leave to dry outside or somewhere warm (I put mine on the aga, where they dried really quickly.)

The original pinner said to make a paste with bicarbonate or soda to scrub the white rubber trim before washing, but I didn't do this and they came out looking brand spanking new anyway!


Husband has always been very anti-Converse. He doesn't mind the rest of his family wearing them, but he point-blank refused to get any himself. Until recently! I convinced him to try on a pair of mine (sadly, we have the same size feet - mine are very large for a woman and his are pretty small for a man!), and he could not believe how comfortable they were!! He has now said that he would wear a pair if he were to receive some for his birthday. So, the search is on for a green pair of Chuck Taylors for his 40th birthday next week!

Disclaimer: This post has not been sponsored in any way and is purely my opinion.

Attack of the Muffin-Top!

It's back! It seems to have snuck up really slowly and quietly before bursting out over the top of my jeans this morning! It's the dreaded muffin-top!!

I first developed a major problem with the muffin-top after having my second child. I was still able to wear all my pre-pregancy clothes, I just had a nasty overhang of flesh around the top of waistbands. I tried a bigger size, but that was too big (which I was VERY glad about, as it was pretty de-moralising having to take a size 16 off the rack to the changing room!) I tried a looser belt hole, but my jeans kept slipping down, and a baggy backside is not a good look! While I was still breastfeeding through the autumn and winter, it was fairly easy to hide the muffin-top under loose-fitting tops and jumpers. Once Spring approached, and my brother's wedding in the July, I knew something had to be done to banish the nasty muffin-top.

So I started going to Zumba classes with a couple of friends and ate sensibly by keeping a food diary. I managed to shift a few pounds, but still really needed to lose half a stone. Then I discovered the 30 day shred and the Dukan Diet. The combination of these two really kicked the muffin-top into touch. All my clothes fitted better, and I even fit into some size 12 stuff! I relaxed a little over what I was eating, and the exercise (other than Zumba) tailed off. But I wasn't putting weight on, so was happy.

Then we moved house...! No more Zumba with my friends. A freezing cold house with an aga, which made me want to eat stodge and casseroles all the time. To get used to the aga, I practised making lots of different cakes (and eating them!) I no longer walk to school every day as the walk is a good bit further, so only do it a few times a week. Recently, I seem to crave sugar, and binge on chocolate, biscuits, cake and bread. Generally I have been comfort eating, which started to ease the stress of the move. (I blame Pinterest a little bit too, as I keep seeing amazing looking cake and sweet-stuff recipes which I just can't resist trying!)

I've felt a need to address my eating habits for a little while, especially since Spring finally arrived. Putting my jeans back on this morning after a couple of days of wearing loose fitting skirts & tops in the sunny weather, was a bit of a shock. The muffin-top seems to have won the battle.

But the war is not over yet. Time to attack my muffin-top...

Should we stop watching?

I have suggested to husband that we have a TV ban during the week - no TV Monday to Thursday evenings. Recently we have found less and less that we actually want to watch, but still we find ourselves slumped on the sofa every evening come 9 o'clock, staring at the (rather large!) box in the corner.

Husband was rather sceptical at first, but once I explained my reasons, he actually thought it a good idea! Now that the evenings are lighter and the weather warmer, we should be sitting in the garden enjoying it, doing a spot of gardening, exercising, reading, sewing, talking....(he was slightly alarmed by the last one activity!)

Over the winter, our house is so cold, that in the evenings all we want to do is snuggle down in front of the fire to keep warm and avoid leaving the room at all costs! I've tried to sit at my sewing machine which is in a different part of the house, but after only a few minutes I lose all feeling in my fingers and toes due to the cold! So evening productivity (after the boys are in bed) reduces to pretty much zero.

So last night (Monday) was to be our first night. But we hit an early stumbling block in our new regime - the snooker finals and Stoke v Sunderland! So some caveats have had to be added:

* Bank holidays don't count
* Football or other major sporting events don't count
* Holidays/days off don't count
* Ironing doesn't count (I've GOT to watch TV while ironing or I would go insane!)

So we shall see if we manage to do without telly for 4 nights a week, and if it has any positive impact on our lives. So far so good tonight - boys have been in bed for 40mins and husband not yet home from work...

UPDATE 8th May 2013 - more football on last night, so husband still not had a TV free night. He did turn it off after the football had finished and we both had an early night! I got lots of party planning done for 3yr old's birthday party on Saturday.

Guilt

Guilt seems to be an ever-present feeling for me these days. Off the top of my head, these are some of things I feel guilty about right now:

* That I don't spend enough time properly playing with my children i.e. getting down on the floor and playing a game or doing a puzzle with them.

* That my house isn't as clean as it could be

* That I haven't been in touch with certain friends

* That I'm a SAHM when many mums are working full-time and still manage to juggle all the housework, shopping etc

* That I'm not more understanding of my husband's work stresses

* That we don't see the in-laws more often

* That my youngest son still naps for 2 hours per day so I get some peace and quiet

* That if I sit down with a coffee and wilf on the ipad I'm being lazy

* That my husband is at work, up to his eyeballs in stress while I am at home every day

* That I'm sitting here writing this instead of doing housework or something more useful around the house!

As my boys get older, my guilt is starting to get stronger. Or maybe I am only just realising what it is.

We always thought (my husband and I) that once we started a family, I would stop work to bring up the children. I worked long hours in a senior position in a small company and I couldn't see how I could give my full attention to both my work and my baby. Fate gave me a helping hand, and around the time I found out I was pregnant, I was also made redundant (something that we had known was coming at some point as the company was up for sale). I temped in London for another 6 months before the baby was born, but knew that I wouldn't be going to back to work for the foreseeable future.

The guilt started to kick in once the friends I had made, through the NCT ante-natal group, went back to work. A couple of them went back full-time and the rest negotiated part-time hours. I was the only one being a SAHM. I watched them struggle with their guilt about leaving their babies with childminders and nurseries, and their constant juggling of work and home-life, and felt immense guilt.

On days when I struggled with a screaming, colicky baby and hadn't spoken to another soul all day, I again felt guilty - I should be enjoying and savouring every moment with my baby shouldn't I, as many working mums didn't get the chance to.

There was also the feeling of getting to the end of day and feeling like I had achieved nothing. The house was a tip and the cupboards bare - what had I been doing all day (and I'm sure husband thought the same thing when he came home at night!). Not having the structure of work and the sense of having achieved something tangible was very difficult. The fact that I was feeding and nurturing a small person seemed to illude me!

But I adapted to life at home, and started to look at things like getting all the washing done or a trip to the supermarket as my achievement for the day (and I still do!).

As my boys get older and more independent, the guilt changes. My husband picked me up on the something the other day - he asked why I was brushing our 5yr old's teeth, why wasn't he doing it himself. I replied that he may not clean them thoroughly enough. His response was "if you keep doing it for him then he never will learn how to do them properly". He was right of course. I've thought long and hard about it and have come to the conclusion that I have continued to do things like brush their teeth, put their shoes on, get them dressed etc (all things a 5yr should definitely be doing, if not a 3yr old!), because I've always seen these things as my "job" and if I no longer do them, what should I be doing instead? So I was feeling guilty if I didn't carry out these day-to-day caring duties, but now feel guilty that I haven't been teaching the boys how to be independent and not lazy lumps!

Our youngest starts pre-school in September and will be doing 3 full days a week. A few family and friends have asked what I will do with myself. And it's a good question. Part of me is relishing the idea of some time to myself to get stuck in to some craft project, sewing or decorating around the house. But a big part of me feels guilt. I'd like another baby (husband not so keen though!), but is that desire driven by the need to try to assuage my guilt - if I have a new baby to look after I won't feel guilty about being at home every day!

Re-reading this now, I've come to the conclusion that my guilt is owed largely to having given up my career. I studied for 3 years for my degree, then for another 4 years to get my chartered accountancy qualification. A little voice in my head says "what a waste"! I feel that as I've stopped work to be at home full-time I should be filling every minute of my day with household and childcare duties, and when I'm not, that is when the quilt kicks in. I am so much happier being a home-maker that I ever was at work. I was never hugely ambitious, but went through the paces of getting a professional qualification because I was academic and that's what was expected of me. Going back to work is still not a realistic alternative at the moment, as the boys are still young. Even when they are both at school, there is the nightmare of school holidays, sickness etc to cover, when we have no family anywhere near us to help out. But everyone still asks me when I am going back to work!

Women seem to feel this kind of guilt far more than men. I've never heard a dad express their guilt over going to work every day and leaving their baby in daycare. I never see my husband feeling guilty because he hasn't played football in the garden with the boys all week due to working late every night. Men see it as their duty to go to work and provide for the families, and therefore work often takes priority. Women seem to be caught in the middle of careers and family, and whichever they opt for or any compromises they make to accommodate both, make them feel some form of guilt.

For now, I need to try to enjoy my position as a full-time mum to my two boys and stop feeling so guilty about everything. My husband enjoys the fact that he doesn't have to lift a finger around the house, something that would have to change drastically if I ever did go back to work!

Kitchen shelf makeover

When we moved in, we really struggled with storage space in our kitchen. Although it is a pretty big kitchen, the one in our old house was bigger, with way more cupboard space. We had had it done a few years before we moved, and I had included a huge amount of storage in it (lots of pull out drawers in floor-to-ceiling cupboards).

Oh, how I miss you!

I realise now that I totally spoilt myself by giving myself all that storage space! Consequently, I had amassed a large quantity of baking equipment, cakes tins, cake decorating stuff, random ingredients, crockery etc etc. It was a bit of shock to realise that I could no longer keep all of this stuff within reaching distance in the kitchen. Even after stashing all my cake decorating stuff (the kind of stuff I only need occasionally) in a different room, we still only had 1 cupboard to store food in. My collection of different sugars and flours could fill this on their own!

After months of cursing the food cupboard (having to take half the contents out to get something from the back!), I decided something had to be done. I was inspired by Cherry Menlove's kitchen (have a look here) and decided to have some open shelves with glass jars on.

So off I toddled to Ikea and got a load of glass jars of all different sizes and some white shelves. Had to get our local handyman in to put the shelves up as husband is NOT a DIYer, and all of the walls in this house are wonky and extremely difficult to drill into (must be the 250 year old stone that it's built from!).

Then came the issue of labelling the jars, so that I knew which flour was which etc. Here is where Pinterest came in! Oh how I love Pinterest for finding inspiration and ideas. I am slowly following through with some of my pins rather than just endlessly pinning everything!

And here is the result:

It's not the finished article, and will evolve over time, but for now at least it is a huge help. When I bake, I tend to use the worktop right in front of these shelves, so I can now just turn around, grab the ingredient at a glance and get on with my baking, instead of rummaging around in the cupboard endlessly!

The labels were printed using a really cute cross-stitch font that I found on Pinterest (it is the Home Sweet Home font on myfonts) and I found a tutorial (also on Pinterest here) on how to make water decal labels. So onto ebay I went, and got me some water decal paper. They are a bit of a faff to apply, but I got better after a few. I've still got some more to do, but for now, the most used ingredients are all present and correct.

I then moved my attention to the herbs and spices which were cluttering another cupboard. Again on Pinterest (now you see where I spend all my time wilfing!), I saw how someone had used a picture shelf from Ikea as a spice rack.

Ta dah!

These are above the Aga, and so nice and handy when I am cooking.

I used the same font, but this time printed the labels onto shiny sticky paper (another Ebay purchase - is there anything you can't buy on there?).

The kitchen is starting to work a bit better for me.

Just have to get used to the erratic Aga, but I'm sure I'll be posting about that sometime soon...