LivingwithKids

Yesterday I was looking at the calendar on the kitchen wall, and realised it was almost full for this month (and the next). With the offspring's social life.

So far this year (and bear in mind we're only in March) there have been parties nearly every weekend, six sleepovers and 10 cinema outings. That's not counting the school disco.

How did this happen? BC (Before Children) we went out all the time. MotH goes out quite a lot for work. Me? Coffee with friends and the occasional dinner. Most nights I like to be in bed by 11pm. Rock and roll.

What about you? Do you still go out a lot, or has having children hampered your social life?

Let me start off by saying I've never met the man, although he lives quite close to me. I always thought he was the cutest one out of Take That, I voted for him to win Celebrity Big Brother. But it's not like I KNOW him, or anything. (I did once speak to Jason Orange on the phone, but that's a different story).

So I'm surprised at how much it bothers me that Mark has admitted to cheating on Emma, his partner of five years (who he recently married) with not one, not two, but 10 different women.

Why does it bother me so much? Well, apart from the fact I always thought he seemed like such a nice, honest guy, it's because he and Emma have two children, aged three and one. The celeb least likely to cheat, in fact. What a disappointment.

Even more of a let down for his partner, of course.  For their sakes, I hope he gets himself sorted.

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, including Global Patron Sarah Brown and WRA Ambassador Naomi Campbell, are asking people around the world to wear white and hold a dinner party in March to celebrate the 100th year of International Women’s Day, which is on the 8th.

Now as I can’t invite all of you round to my house unless you’re happy for it to be standing room only, I thought I would hold a virtual dinner party  - with a little help from some of my talented friends.  I hope it inspires you to host your own.

Here’s what’s on the menu:

Starter Carrot and Coriander soup served with crusty granary bread (created by Sandy from Baby Baby)

Main course
Pan Fried Sea Bass fillets with new potatoes crushed with spinach watercress and rocket (courtesy of Nick from My Daddy Cooks)
or

Tender Sweet Chicken Satay (from My Daddy Cooks) served with Persian Jewelled Rice (made by Carly at Wives and Daughters) or Butternut Squash Risotto from English Mum

Dessert Cheesecake courtesy of Lorraine from Ramblings of a Mum on the Run or Divine Chocolate’s Little Hot Chocolate Mousse. Served with cream.

Mmmmmm. Enjoy!

Disney’s Alice in Wonderland opens on Friday. I’m not sure why some critics seem to have taken a dislike to it, because as far as this house is concerned it’s pure Burton magic. I took four kids of various ages to a sneak preview and they loved every fantastical 3-D minute of it, declaring it ‘awesome’, ‘magical’ and ‘wicked’. They agreed Alice seemed a little ‘cold’, but thought that probably fitted with her background (very perceptive).

Their favourite characters were Matt Lucas as Tweedledum and Tweedledee, Alan Rickman as the Caterpillar, Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat - ‘very funny’ - and they all thought Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen was ‘hilarious’. And of course it does boast Johnny Depp, who, let's face it, even with that mad hair and those weird eyes is mesmerising *cough*.

My advice? Go see it, make your own minds up. Let me know what you think.

Now obviously this is REALLY aimed at children under six and not their mummies. But Disney has created the Disney Princess Dance, supported by the British Dance Council, to encourage youngsters across the UK to get active.

The campaign, launched by the lovely Sinitta (seen above with her daughter Magdalena), involves over 1500 dance schools around the UK.

You can find a participating school and try the online tutorial here. I mean with the kids, naturally, not by yourself when everyone’s out *cough*.

There's no need to panic - at least, not today. World Book Day is on March 4, a whole week away. I'm giving you a reminder because I have stared in the face of World Book Day Costume Hell, and it's not pretty. And if there's any Competitive Mum syndrome at your school... well, you've been warned.

One year No 1 Son announced he wanted to go as Legolas from Lord of the Rings . Given his hair is short and he doesn't have pointed ears, I knew this was going to be a challenge. It took me a fortnight to track down 'elf' ears from a film costume specialists. I found clip on hair extensions and plaited those, I made the cloak out of felt and covered a toy wooden sword with tin foil. I also made 'arrows' out of wooden sticks and glued on feathers. He looked pretty amazing, even if I do say so myself.

Then it was Iorek Byrnison from the Northern Lights. Iorek Byrnison is an armour-wearing polar bear. I was up three nights stitching white fun fur and at the end of it I was practically snow blind. Of course though it was totally worth it.

So my advice is to start planning their costumes now (if you haven't already).

What will your kids be wearing to World Book Day parade this year? I'd love to know.

It goes without saying of course that Daddy is the biggest hero in this house - always has been, always will be, and he's a fantastic role model, warm, generous, kind, and always provides for his family.

But if I think about famous figures who don't star in cartoons or appear in fiction, I struggle to think about who might be a hero or a role model for our offspring.

At one time I might have said John Terry - No 1 Son even met him when he was a mascot at a match at Stamford Bridge. Not any more. Certainly not Ashley Cole. No politicians, which is a bit worrying. Not Jedward (!). Andy Murray and Jenson Button are the only real possibilities, and probably anyone serving in the forces overseas.

And for my 13-year-old niece... well a fantasy heroine would definitely be Bella from Twilight. In real life, well definitely not Katie Price. Hopefully Kylie Minogue, and Amy Williams.

Who are your children's role models and heroes?

Last night, thanks to the wonder that is Sky+, we recorded The Brits and were able to fast forward through most of the dross and watch the most interesting moments. (This left us with about 20 minutes of TV.)

One thing I was interested to see, of course, was Cheryl Cole's performance, which wasn't great. To me she seemed lacklustre, like she'd lost her usual spark. Hardly surprising when you consider what she's been going through over the past week following the latest revelations about Ashley and his habit of texting other women.

Meanwhile, yesterday I was sent a copy of Tess Daly's new book, The Baby Diaries. It's a beautiful book, with lots of mentions of Vernon Kay, but it was written, of course, before it emerged that Vernon is a textaholic. I wonder if she would write a slightly different book now.

Of course, none of us can know what's going on behind closed doors. But in my book, when a man 'flirts' with another woman in secret, behind his partner's back, either by sending her text messages, facebooking her or emailing her, he is effectively virtually cheating. If a deep emotional connection has started to develop, it can be very dangerous. And personally I'd find it a little hard to forgive.

What do you think?

Last night we watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Sky. I wasn't expecting it to be such a romantic movie - but essentially, that's what it is, a film about the enduring love affair between the characters played by Brad Pitt (swoon) and Cate Blanchett.

It got me thinking about my own favourite romantic movie moment. Of course I love An Officer and a Gentleman, but my absolute favourite has to be this.

What's your favourite romantic movie moment? And Happy Valentine's!

I cannot believe it's half-term next week - it's taken me completely by surprise. Maybe it's because of all the Snow Days, but they don't even seem to have been back that long.

But we have to entertain the little darlings. So here are some of the best events happening across the UK next week – if you have ideas for keeping the kids amused, I’d love to hear them!:

*The National Trust is encouraging the whole family to get back to nature with wildlife trails, bird box making and other events and workshops happening at many of their properties across the UK.

*Painshill Park, Surrey is offering children of all ages the chance to help break the Wicked Wizard’s winter spell and make magical wands or crowns, while Hampton Court Palace has Kids’ Ghost Tours... apparently Henry VIII is said to haunt his former home.

*In  Cornwall, the Eden Project has 40 minute skating slots for £5, including skate hire.

*The multi-award winning Imperial War Museum North has a celebration of show-stopping large objects from the Field Gun that fired the British Army’s first shell of the First World War to a Second World War Fire-fighting trailer and a 1960’s Trabant Estate Car, with a host of performances, resources and activities designed for families to explore the stories behind these amazing artifacts together.

*At Leeds Castle in Kent, in addition to the birds of prey flying displays, Knights' Realm Playground and maze, kids can find out what life was like through the eyes of servants through the ages.

And at Coalport China Museum  in the Ironbridge Gorge, Shropshire you can celebrate the Chinese New Year with a range of events including dragon mask and shadow puppet craft sessions.

Phew!