LivingwithKids

...allowing your child to have the biggest ice-cream in the world because you couldn't resist those eyes. ...staying in the shade on a gorgeous sunny day because your child has such sensitive skin. ...knowing that precious moments like this will remain etched in your heart forever. What does Motherhood mean to you?

*This is my entry for the Gallery - the theme this week is Motherhood. To see more or add your own entry, click here

What does being a responsible tourist mean to you? Obviously we all know we should take only pictures and leave only footprints in the sand... and if you’re flying you might be ‘offsetting’ your airmiles.

Virgin Holidays have just launched their Human Nature Collection, offering holidays ranging from volunteering projects and eco-friendly safaris to stays in small, specially selected hotels. The collection is all about balancing unforgettable experiences with more responsible travel choices, and the holidays directly benefit the local community or contribute to conservation.

I think it’s a pretty good concept and it’s certainly given me food for thought – I’m all in favour of educating our children to be responsible tourists, too. Let me know your views.

You know when you have one of those days where you wish you could just crawl back under the duvet and forget about everything and try again tomorrow? A grrr day?

Well I've had one of those weeks. A grrr week.

On Monday, during a rare break in the rain, I left the back door open. When I opened the front door to the postman it blew shut, smashing the glass all over the floor. Queue cut feet and fingers (mine) and endless phone calls to the insurance company.

On Tuesday we discovered we have mould in the kitchen. Given the kitchen was only fitted two summers ago this is not great news. The mould is all over the external wall and it looks like a drainpipe needs replacing.

On Wednesday I realised the tumble dryer door had broken. It still works but the door won't stay shut (is this dangerous?) It's no longer under guarantee and the manufacturers quoted me £150 to come and fix it (um... the price of a new dryer?!)

And yesterday I managed to knock a bottle of favourite perfume on the floor, smashing the glass everywhere. Queue cut feet (again).

But then a friend told me she has Breast Cancer. We have boys the same age, she is just a year older than me. She has shaved her hair in prep for the chemo and told me cancer 'wouldn't dare' take her on, the mood she's in.

Now that puts everything in perspective.

In just one week's time I'll be jetting off to Florida with five other mummy bloggers. There's nothing like the thought of exposing your body to strangers to frighten you into dieting and so that's what I've been doing, since April.

 

This morning I jumped on the scales and saw numbers I haven't seen in over two years. I can't tell you how good that feels. I still have a way to go, but I'm determined to keep on with it. I've found my diet easy to stick to and when I've had a 'bad' day or snacking setbacks I haven't let it hold me back - instead I've treated the following day as a fresh start. I've also been doing more exercise (well, walking. I haven't joined a gym, or anything.) And gratifyingly, my combats are now so loose they fall off when I walk up the stairs.

Of course I'm not saying nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. I still love chocolate and cheese. But to paraphrase Joey Tribbiani, my clothes fit a little better, I have more energy and I'm definitely feeling more confident about going on that beach.

It was very hot, that day. One of my friends from uni and I were working in a local factory to earn a bit of cash and Radio 1 was on. We sang along to the songs and joked with the other women working on the production line.

I knew my mum was driving my grandmother back from seeing relatives in Wales to her home near Marlborough in Wiltshire. I knew the route they would take. Through Savernake Forest because it was a nice drive, and they would probably stop for a coffee in Hungerford, because they liked the hotel there. I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about saving the money to go on holiday to Italy.

So when the news came on the radio and the presenter announced that a gunman had gone on the rampage in Hungerford, my world stopped. This was before we all had mobiles, of course. I ran to the nearest pay phone and rang my grandmother. No reply.

All I could do was wait, and keep calling, my heart thumping, my fingers becoming clumsier with each dial. Finally a click and then I heard my granny’s familiar Irish lilt. Both she and my mum were OK, though they were both badly shaken. They had passed through Savernake about an hour before Ryan murdered his first victim, a young mum of two. That day, my mum and Granny had decided not to stop in Hungerford for coffee.

This week the events in Cumbria reminded us all that no matter what you do to protect yourself and your family, there are some things we cannot control. A gorgeous sunny day turns to tragedy because of the actions of one man. An entire community is left devastated. My heart goes out to the victims, their families and the witnesses.

When No 1 Son was very small, like most boys (and of course some girls) his age he wanted to play football. He supported Chelsea and was a mascot at Stamford Bridge. He happily enrolled in the after school football club. He had boots and shin pads and knee pads, a strip. He collected every World Cup coin and sticker.

There was just one problem. He wasn't very good at football. I'm saying this as his mum, who loves and adores him and is proud of everything he achieves. But he really wasn't very good at football. He was hopeless at tackling, and rarely got control of the ball. When it came time to pick teams for inter-school tournaments, he wasn't chosen. Of course he was upset, particularly when it happened four or five times. After that, he stopped playing football.

Fortunately he enjoyed other sports - tennis, and fencing. And the fact he didn't make the football team hasn't held him back. He has had plenty of opportunity to work as part of a team in science and media studies projects since.

If I think back to my own school days, and the misery of being one of the last to be chosen for netball, it's not surprising that I've never been one for team sports either. I'm a horse-rider, a scuba diver, a snorkeller. You won't find me on a sports team, but I do know how to be a team player.

It's coming up to Non Competitive Sports Day again for many kids. So I'd love to know what you think. Do kids need to take part in team sports to be team players?

I consider myself incredibly lucky in the friends  department, I try never to lose any of them. Here I am with four of them. I’ve known one since school, and the other three since uni – that’s over *cough cough* years. We’re all mums now with busy lives, but even though we sometimes don’t see each other for months at a time, we’re always just a phone call away. We’re there for each other in times of crisis and celebration. And when I do see them, it’s like we’ve never been apart. This post is my entry to The Gallery. To see more, click here.

 

When we had No 1 Son we didn’t have much money, and while we bought everything new, our pram was a very ordinary one from Mothercare. I think it cost around £120, and it did the job until he was ready for a buggy.

Being honest, even if we’d had the money, it probably wouldn’t have occurred to us to spend £500 on a pram.

Some items – for example aTripp Trapp highchair or a Little Helper funpod – I can understand why you’d invest in.  They grow with your child and they’re design classics, the kinds of things you would definitely pass on.  And of course you should never use a second-hand car seat or cot mattress.

But is a very expensive pram really so much better than a cheaper one? Does a baby care whether they’re wearing a designer babygro? Isn’t the most important thing that your baby feels loved and secure?

I’d love to know what you think - and what items should new parents splurge on, and what items should they save on?

The only Coronation Street storyline which has held my interest recently has been the one concerning Sally Webster’s breast cancer diagnosis.

Recently, in a cruel example of life imitating art, the actress who plays her, Sally Whittaker, revealed that she herself has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Sally, 47, is a real life mum (of three) and personally I think it’s brilliant she’s decided to speak out about her diagnosis and treatment.

In her interview with Kate Garraway on GMTV this morning she gave a detailed account of how she discovered a lump and went to get it check out. If you haven't seen it it’s definitely worth watching:

As you know I’m a HUGE fan of Annabel Karmel, MBE so I’m very excited about her brand new cookbook, Top 100 Pasta Dishes (RRP £9.99, available from Waterstones and Ebury Press). It’s packed full of healthy, yummy meals for the whole family, including mouth-watering recipes for babies and toddlers. There’s a huge variety of recipes ranging from Spicy Sausage Meatball Pasta to my personal favourite, the Japanese-inspired Stir Fried Beef with Noodles.

Here are two recipes for you to try – plus, below, win a copy of Top 100 Pasta Dishes!

Baby vegetable pasta Annabel says: ‘As your baby gets older it is important to encourage him to chew, so dice vegetables instead of pureeing them. Frozen peas and sweetcorn are good standbys to keep in your freezer.’

Ingredients
50 g (2 oz) baby shell pasta
10 g (V oz) butter
50 g (2 oz) onion, finely chopped
30 g (1 oz) carrot, finely diced
30 g (1 oz) red pepper, finely diced
30 g (1 oz) frozen sweetcorn
30 g (1 oz) frozen peas
10 g (V oz) plain flour
250 ml (9 fl oz) vegetable stock
2 tbsp basil, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
30 g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated

Method
Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet. Drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onion, carrot and pepper, cover with a lid and sauté for 10 minutes until nearly soft. Add the sweetcorn and peas and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the flour, then add the stock, stirring until thickened. Simmer for 3 minutes, then add the basil, lemon juice and Parmesan. Stir in the drained pasta. Serve.

Salami, red pepper and mozzarella pasta Annabel says: ‘Most children like salami, so here is a simple recipe that you can put together in about 15 minutes.’

Ingredients

180 g (6 oz) pasta shells
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red pepper, finely diced
1 small garlic clove, crushed
50 g (2 oz) thinly sliced salami, roughly chopped
150 g (5V oz) cherry tomatoes, chopped into 8
75 g (3 oz) mozzarella, cubed
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Method

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet. Drain. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Fry the pepper for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and salami. Fry for another 5 minutes. Add the drained pasta, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella and season. Serve with a little Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

 

*Competition: WIN a copy of Top 100 Pasta Dishes!

There are 10 copies to be won in our fab competition. All you have to do is send an email from your KidStart registered email with ‘Annabel Karmel’ in the catchline and your full name and address, plus your answer to the question below, to competitions@kidstart.co.uk by the closing date May 28. (If you’re not a KidStart member, click here to join.)

Q: How many recipes are there in Annabel’s new cookbook?