tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73628357368730206062024-03-13T20:02:19.122+00:00Two of EverythingJoin me on my journey as I live, laugh, eat, play and learn with my toddler twinsTwo of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-64664823986264203732012-08-11T23:35:00.001+01:002012-08-11T23:35:25.876+01:00We're on the move!Yes, we're moving! No longer will you find us here, we're going all new-fangled with a self-hosted wordpress blog (check me out, all fancy...). <br />
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The new blog is at <a href="http://twoofeverythingblog.co.uk/" target="_blank">twoofeverythingblog.co.uk </a><br />
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See you on the other side!Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-67611749096771692032012-08-06T18:36:00.001+01:002012-08-06T18:36:42.378+01:00Meal Planning Monday - 6th August<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a very green veg box which arrived this morning. Here's what was in it:</div>
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Broccoli</div>
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Carrots</div>
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Lettuce</div>
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Potatoes</div>
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Green onions</div>
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Baby courgettes</div>
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I also ordered a load of tomatoes to make tomato sauce, so I've just spent the last 45 minutes peeling and deseeding tomatoes! </div>
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We had a little visitor in the box too - a baby slug. It really gave me the heebeejeebees when I first saw it, but it's part and parcel of having organic veg, so I don't mind really. Once last year I found a tiny caterpillar in an apricot, hiding behind the stone. I'd already given the other half to one of the children!</div>
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Here's what we're eating this week:<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Roast beef with jacket potatoes, carrots and green beans, and yorkshire puddings</b> - ok, so this was last night's dinner. The children loved it, and Little Man would actually eat yorkshire puddings and jacket potato skins until they came out of his ears...<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Pasta with summer tomato sauce and courgettes</b> - this is the reason for the gallons of tomato sauce, but at least I'll have plenty to freeze too. This is a recipe from the fabulous River Cottage Baby and Toddler Cookbook.<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Toad in the Hole with carrots and peas </b>- I haven't done Toad in the Hole before so this will be interesting... The Daddy's older son is coming to stay for a couple of days so they will both eat this with the children; I'll be having omelette and salad because there are too many Weightwatchers points in Toad in the Hole!<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Chilli con carne and rice</b> - speaks for itself really! I may do some green beans with this as there are some left over from Sunday.<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Salmon with broccoli, sweetcorn and potatoes </b>- I know we have this nearly every week, but the children love salmon and it is one of the few foods which contains vitamin D.<br />
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I'm heading to <a href="http://athomewithmrsm.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs M's</a> to see what everyone else is eating this week!<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Just to clarify, I'm not sponsored by Abel and Cole or anything, we buy our own veg box each week and love it! </i></span>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-27128007847313335502012-08-04T23:18:00.001+01:002012-08-04T23:18:48.724+01:00Silent Sunday / 366<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<a href="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/category/366/" target="_blank" title="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky"><img alt="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky" border="0" src="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/366.jpg" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-89176962400361477802012-08-01T22:43:00.000+01:002012-08-01T22:43:01.892+01:00Is it twice as hard having twins?<br />
I often wonder what it must be like to have babies one at a time. <br />
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When ours were small I used to say to The Daddy how easy it must be, just having one, and he would point out that I wouldn't think that, were I actually in that situation. He was right, after all he should know; he has two older children who are now 17 and 20. However, he always says that having twins is much harder than having one, and also than having two of different ages. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6 weeks old</td></tr>
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I'm not sure if it is twice as hard. That's too simplistic; there's more to it than that. Yes, there are twice as many nappies to change, twice as many bottles to prepare, feed, wash and sterilise, and twice the laundry, but you can get most of that if you have two who are close in age. What<i> is</i> hard is that you have two who are at the same stage of development, all the time. So two who need help and support to learn to walk, two who need to listen to your speech so they can learn to talk too, and two who really don't understand that they have to share everything, including time with me. These are the kinds of things which truly make me feel over-stretched and sometimes, just a little inadequate.</div>
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One thing I do find really hard is getting out and about. The other week, for instance, I decided to let the children walk into the children's centre where we go to our twins' group, rather than getting the pushchair out for the 200 yards from the car. Big mistake. HUGE. It wasn't too bad going in, as Little Miss decided she absolutely didn't want to walk, thank you very much. So I carried her and Little Man wore his <a href="http://www.littlelife.co.uk/html/toddler_daysacks/index.html" target="_blank">Little Life Backpack</a>. But when it was time to leave, Little Man wanted to walk very fast (aka toddler running/waddling, call it what you will) and Little Miss wanted to go v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. So I'm walking along with my arms outstretched, trying to hold onto the reins. <br />
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They usually stay in the pushchair as much as possible, only getting out when they're in an enclosed area, like the park (fenced only, thank you) and the library (doors too heavy for them to push). It does make me a little bit sad sometimes that I can't do things like taking them to feed the ducks - unless they're in the pushchair. There is no way I could get two of them out near water like that, it makes me shudder just thinking about it! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The escape!</td></tr>
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When they were little, there were a few times I tried to prove (mainly to myself) that I could do things all by myself. There was the time I took them with me to have my hair cut, when they were about 5 months old. It should have been fine, I booked the appointment to coincide with their morning nap and they would usually have about an hour. But not this time. Oh no. They both decided to be awake and screaming, and I had to call in the cavalry (my dad, who luckily lives close by!). One can not have one's hair cut and deal with two screamers at the same time...<br />
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A few weeks ago I read, with great amusement, a post by Jane at <a href="http://inadifferentvoice.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/the-10-superior-skills-of-the-twin-parent/" target="_blank">In a Different Voice</a>. She had received a rather nasty comment about twin mums thinking they are better than anyone else, and that we act like a 'twin mum mafia'. Well first of all, how rude. And secondly, I haven't come across many mums of singletons so far who haven't asked me how I do it, saying they can only just manage one at a time! In her response, Jane has put together a list of 'The 10 Superior Skills of the Twin Parent'. It is excellent, as are the comments! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two at a time? Piece of cake!!</td></tr>
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But however hard it is, there are some things which are actually easier with twins, in my humble opinion.<br />
- My babies have always slept brilliantly, even when we went on holiday for the first time a month ago, and I am convinced this is partly because they have each other right there all the time. <br />
- My babies are quite happy to play without me, which means I can get on with things I need to!<br />
- My babies are learning to share even though they are only 20 months old. This is a hard lesson to learn and so, so difficult at this age when they haven't learned to empathise yet, but they are starting to do it and it's beautiful to watch.<br />
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It is a privilege to watch my twins' special bond blossom and grow. I love being their mummy, however hard it is. <br />
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This is my post for the Multiple Mayhem Carnival, hosted by Heather at <a href="http://www.youngandyounger.net/2012/07/25/call-for-posts-for-the-multiple-mayhem-carnival/#comments" target="_blank">Young and Younger. </a><br />
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<br /></div>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-37085230426796664562012-08-01T15:06:00.000+01:002012-08-01T15:06:04.424+01:00The Gallery: 'Delicate'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a picture of my baby girl, at 6 hours old. She was delicate in so many ways: born at 34 weeks, she weighed just 4lb 7oz (although her twin brother was only 3lb 14oz) and she was very poorly for the first few days of her life. The day after this photo was taken, she was dosed with morphine, put on a ventilator, and had a chest drain inserted to get rid of the fluid on her lung, caused by a tiny hole which we think was made when she was born. She appeared just 12 minutes after her brother, and the shock of being born seems to have made her scream louder than her little body could stand! She made a full recovery very quickly but it was a delicate balance for a few days. </div>
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<a href="http://stickyfingers1.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Gallery"><img height="160" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_YvvceOEVsWU/S6fY0nf07UE/AAAAAAAABD0/SbguGrqPapE/s160-c/Badges.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0 0 4px;" width="160" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-16005324203364097092012-07-30T14:13:00.001+01:002012-07-30T14:13:13.476+01:00Meal Planning Monday - 30th JulyIn our veg box this week:<br />
Carrots<br />
Cauliflower<br />
Plum Tomatoes<br />
Potatoes<br />
Spring Onions<br />
White Mushrooms<br />
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This is the small veg box, so I also ordered some corn on the cob, baby courgettes and some extra tomatoes. <br />
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Here's what we're eating this week: <br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Lamb and mint burgers, hummus, potato wedges, cucumber and avocado </b>- these are really nice burgers, and we have a healthy pot of mint in the garden at the moment, which is begging to be used! I'll be using the spring onions from the box to make the burgers too. <br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Pan-fried hake, roast tomato sauce with rice and courgettes </b>- I think rice always need something wet and tasty with it, especially when you're cooking with no salt as I do. This <a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/roast-tomato-sauce.html" target="_blank">roast tomato sauce</a> fits the bill perfectly, and I'm looking forward to trying the different varieties of courgette with it. <br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Marinated chicken breasts, potatoes, garlicky mushrooms and corn on the cob </b>- we've had some mushroom refusal in the recent past, however when I did some of these mushrooms for myself (I only had a few left), they were sampled, gobbled, and I didn't get to eat very many myself! I think the trick is to saute them in a bit of spray oil so they dry out a little bit, and lose the slug-like texture... <br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Cauliflower and chickpea curry with rice</b> - I love cauliflower in curry, and always order it as a side dish when we go out for a proper one. I bought some fenugreek a couple of weeks ago so I'm going to have a play with that, and I'll be using fresh tomatoes. <br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Baked hake with lemony couscous and chargrilled courgettes and peppers</b> - this will be for me on Friday night, while The Daddy has a takeaway. <br />
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I'm off to <a href="http://athomewithmrsm.blogspot.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mrs M's</a> to see what everyone else is eating this week. <br />
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<br />Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-58124950455790895162012-07-29T14:32:00.002+01:002012-07-29T14:32:54.806+01:00Water, water everywhere!Water play has been quite a feature in our garden this week. It's been a wonderful way to cool down, and lots of fun too. <br />
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We finally managed to use the paddling pool we bought for our holiday. Up to now we have had to use it inside with plastic balls in; it was nice to use it properly! Little Miss wasn't sure what to make of it to begin with, but Little Man dived straight in (surprise, surprise). <br />
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They have also helped to water the tomatoes, and they were fascinated with the outside tap!</div>
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Our sand and water tray has sand in at the moment, so I bought a cat litter tray (£1.30 from Poundstretcher!) to use for some small-scale water play. I put their sea creatures in it, and they really enjoyed exploring, and splashing in the water. </div>
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I'm joining in with Country Kids at Coombe Mill. Click on the badge below to see what everyone else has been up to outside this week.</div>
<a href="http://www.coombemill.com/blog/post/2012/07/28/country-kids-from-coombe-mill.aspx" target="_blank" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Farm Holidays Cornwall"><img alt="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" border="0" src="http://www.coombemill.com/images//blog/country_Kids/thumbs/th_Country_Kids_badge_transparent.png" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-79685911889144610502012-07-29T09:15:00.002+01:002012-07-29T09:15:50.670+01:00Silent Sunday / 366<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://ow.ly/aITsX" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Love All Blogs" border="0" src="http://ow.ly/aITsX" style="border: none;" /></a><a href="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/category/366/" target="_blank" title="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky"><img alt="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky" border="0" src="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/366.jpg" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-52053098816209521012012-07-26T21:07:00.001+01:002012-07-26T21:07:06.224+01:00HolidaysI found a lovely blog recently, called <a href="http://aresidence.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alexander Residence</a>. The author, Penny, is running a linky about memories, storing up memories of her childhood for her own children to treasure. Each month has a theme, and the theme for July is 'Holidays'. I have so many good memories of so many good holidays, I wasn't sure where to start, so I'm going to follow Penny's lead and do a list of things I remember from holidays past.<br />
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A few times when my brother and I were little, we stayed on a farm somewhere in Cornwall. I have idyllic memories of these holidays and I'm sure the sun shone every single day!<br />
- The farm had a resident goose called 'Hissing Sid'. He was a real hisser. <br />
- We had a full English breakfast every morning, with proper fried bread. It was heaven, and their labrador thought so too - he used to lick the door of the dishwasher when it had been loaded to get all the juicy bits of egg yolk and bacon fat that had dripped down!<br />
- I was also bitten by a duck. I was telling it off for fighting with the other ducks over the bread I was feeding them. Well, I was 6!<br />
- One night I left my recorder on the floor of the farmhouse landing. When I picked it up the next morning to play it, a beetle crawled out of the recorder and into my mouth. I never, ever left my recorder on the floor again. <br />
- One year my mum took some leftover roast lamb when we went down to stay at the farm. We had lamb sandwiches on the beach for about a week!<br />
- We drank coke from real glass bottles on the beach, and mum and dad had a Feast nearly every day!<br />
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As we got older we started to go abroad on holiday. I remember:<br />
- The watermelon man on the beach at Dubrovnik.<br />
- My brother losing his Hello Colour bear on the coach from the airport to the hotel - he's still traumatised to this day...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With my mum and my brother, in Yugoslavia.</td></tr>
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- Going on a boat trip to an island in Yugoslavia and eating barbecued mackerel. It was divine, but I was sea sick on the way back, even throwing up into the sea when we docked. There were actual people swimming in the sea around the boat... Oops... <br />
- Rum and Raisin ice cream in a hotel restaurant, I can't remember where now. <br />
- Being really seasick on an overnight ferry crossing to France, then being made to eat a croissant just before we docked. I couldn't eat croissants for years after that... <br />
- My dad getting decidedly wound up watching England play West Germany in the 1990 World Cup, at a Haven caravan site in France.<br />
- Winning a lilo race in the hotel swimming pool in Malta. My prize was a Knickerbocker Glory in the restaurant - I didn't even know what it was until then!<br />
- A freezing hotel pool in Austria, which my brother could hardly bare to get into, it was so cold. <br />
- Eating ham and eggs at the top of a mountain, also in Austria, and a big dog (I think it was an Alsatian) deciding to walk between my brother's legs and get stuck... <br />
- Eating Moules Frites in Nice. Yum! <br />
- A gala dinner in Italy where they paraded all the desserts around the restaurant. And my brother shouting 'ole!' really loudly, just as everyone else had gone quiet.<br />
- Fancying the pants off an Italian waiter, when I was about 14. Until I saw him standing outside the hotel, picking his nose.<br />
- Riding in my Great Uncle's huge Cadillac in Canada (well sort of, he is my Gran's cousin's husband and they emigrated in the 50s). One day my mum announced that she loved sitting in the back on a hot day with the windows down because it gave her 'a lovely blow job'. <br />
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There are so many memories I have, I could write so much more! Holidays are such precious family time and I have realised this all the more since our first holiday as a little family in June. Just to spend two weeks together was bliss, and we created lots of new memories for us and the children.<br />
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<br />Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-44069338439716656352012-07-24T21:40:00.000+01:002012-07-24T21:40:33.747+01:00Beautiful Blogger Award<br />
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<a href="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=5891e8bb6b&view=att&th=138b45f04df2cd31&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_h4zot7qh0&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P9jGFBpSrzu4UCIvLj4om8E&sadet=1343162252150&sads=l2-2p-ybDTsh76MT2UkDsx1IrGw&sadssc=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/?ui=2&ik=5891e8bb6b&view=att&th=138b45f04df2cd31&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_h4zot7qh0&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P9jGFBpSrzu4UCIvLj4om8E&sadet=1343162252150&sads=l2-2p-ybDTsh76MT2UkDsx1IrGw&sadssc=1" /></a></div>
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I've been given the Beautiful Blogger award by the lovely Emma at <a href="http://theminimesandme.com/" target="_blank">The Mini Mes and Me</a>. She thinks my blog looks beautiful! I'm quite chuffed, so thank you, Emma! In order to accept the award, I have to do the following:<br />
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- Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog<br />
- Tell seven facts about yourself<br />
- Nominate seven worthy people for the award and let them know<br />
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Here are seven facts about me:<br />
1) I once ran a half marathon, in 2 hours and 9 minutes. I'd love to do another one but I'm not sure I have the time for the training any more!<br />
2) I have never been stung by a bee or a wasp. Thank goodness! I really hope I haven't jinxed myself now...<br />
3) I used to play the flute - it was what I spent most of my time doing when I was growing up. I was quite good, at university I played in an orchestra with Nigel Kennedy.<br />
4) I did a degree in music, at Oxford. In my twenties I was very wary about telling people this, as I often felt a bit judged, but I find I care a lot less about such things as I get older! My husband isn't convinced at times, he suspects I went to deliver the milk because I do have my stupid moments... <br />
5) My husband is 16 years older than me. <br />
6) I have a double-jointed left thumb. It's quite weird. <br />
7) I have just lost 2 1/2 stone in 20 weeks. Another half a stone to go!<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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I'm going to nominate some mummies of multiples for this award - well of course they're beautiful! <br />
Fiona at <a href="http://coombemill.com/blog" target="_blank">Coombe Mill</a><br />
<a href="http://trouble-doubled.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Trouble Doubled</a><br />
Rebecca at <a href="http://herecomethegirlsblog.com/" target="_blank">Here Come the Girls</a><br />
Jennie at <a href="http://edspire.co.uk/" target="_blank">Edspire</a><br />
Debbie at <a href="http://www.johnsonbabies.com/" target="_blank">Johnson Babies</a><br />
Jane at <a href="http://www.northernmum.com/" target="_blank">Northern Mum</a><br />
Michelle at <a href="http://mdplife.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mummy from the Heart</a><br />
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<br />Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-38011898111881547832012-07-23T15:06:00.000+01:002012-07-23T20:02:55.297+01:00Meal Planning Monday - 23rd JulyWe're getting quite good at sorting the vegetables out now! I gave the children a bag each before opening the box and they put courgettes in one and carrots in the other. Little Man started off by putting everything in one bag, but soon cottoned on:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sampling the wares, again...</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Little Miss got it straight away, but then she does like sorting things out! And the pepper that was in the box was a PROPER pepper - you don't get them like this in the supermarket:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cor, look at that!</td></tr>
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So here's what we're eating this week:<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13;">Salmon with new potatoes and broccoli </b>- again, but we all love it!<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13;">Curried squash, lentil and coconut soup with naan bread </b>- this is a recipe from a Good Food magazine, one which I tore out months ago. Of course when I decided to make this, it was last week and freezing cold, but I'm sure there are no laws against eating soup in hot weather?! Anyway, it has coconut milk in, which makes it positively tropical...<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13;">Chicken and Courgette Pasta with pesto </b>- This was going to be Broad Bean and Chicken Pilaf I have made before, but the broad beans I was expecting in the veg box were replaced with courgettes. This does happen from time to time - the list on the website is really just a guide. I made this last week and it was delicious; the recipe is <a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/chicken-pasta-with-courgettes-peas-and.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<span style="color: #274e13;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<b style="color: #274e13;">Turkey and Apricot Burgers with potato wedges and salad </b>- I've been meaning to make <a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/turkey-and-apricot-burgers.html" target="_blank">these</a> again for ages but haven't got round to it. They are really yummy.<br />
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<b style="color: #274e13;">Noodles with bacon, mushrooms and peppers</b> - this will be for me - The Daddy has a takeaway on a Friday night and the children have something quick and easy, usually pasta or something from the freezer. This is the only night we eat after the children have gone to bed, and I am starving by the time I have watched them eat theirs!<br />
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I'm joining this up with <a href="http://athomewithmrsm.blogspot.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mrs M</a>.Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-38175188695170754882012-07-22T09:18:00.000+01:002012-07-22T09:19:53.946+01:00Silent Sunday / 366<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y21QPqlWQh8/UAsNCZGP7bI/AAAAAAAAAbs/yfe-gZ9xFOM/s1600/DSC01355.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="512" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-y21QPqlWQh8/UAsNCZGP7bI/AAAAAAAAAbs/yfe-gZ9xFOM/s640/DSC01355.JPG" title="Tinkling the ivories, twin style!" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/category/366/" target="_blank" title="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky"><img alt="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky" border="0" src="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/366.jpg" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-79299585921564849132012-07-21T22:12:00.002+01:002012-07-21T22:12:34.625+01:00Washing the carToday, the children have helped their Daddy wash his car. It's the first time they've joined in and it was entirely by accident! Little Man was still asleep in my car after a trip to the shops, followed by lunch in a restaurant. Little Miss had woken and come in to the house for a snack (lots of mango!), then she wanted to see what her Daddy was up to. She just wanted to watch from my arms to start with but, before long, she started getting her hands in the bubbles:<br />
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She was given a sponge and she was off!</div>
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Little Man joined in after he had woken and had a snack, cleaning my car as well:</div>
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The drive was given a clean too:<br />
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As were Little Miss's feet...</div>
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She was drenched when she had finished. I peeled off her socks and her toes dripped. She giggled. </div>
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It always amazes me that she loves getting stuck in with this kind of thing. When she's eating, she hates to get any food around her mouth or on her hands, but give her a messy activity and she's in her element! </div>
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I'm linking this up with Country Kids at Coombe Mill.<br />
<a href="http://www.coombemill.com/blog/post/2012/07/21/country-kids-from-coombe-mill.aspx" target="_blank" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Farm Holidays Cornwall"><img alt="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" border="0" src="http://www.coombemill.com/images//blog/country_Kids/thumbs/th_Country_Kids_badge_transparent.png" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-87455034133444315542012-07-20T20:36:00.000+01:002012-07-20T20:43:51.105+01:00Chicken Pasta with Courgettes, Peas and PestoThis recipe was inspired by one I saw in the August Good Food magazine, so I wasn't going to blog it. But when I realised the only matching factors were pasta, pesto and chicken (and their's was ready cooked) I decided it was different enough to claim it as mostly mine! This is a lovely summery recipe, and uses pesto mixed with creme fraiche as a sauce. I've often used this combination as a sauce for filled pasta and it's really yummy. I let Little Man have a taste of it before I added it to the pan and he loved it, he kept coming back saying "more, more!", and he and his sister got the scrapings from the bowl at the end of their tea! This recipe serves 4 adults.<br />
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Ingredients</h4>
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Pack of chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces</div>
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2 medium courgettes, chopped</div>
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2 handfuls of frozen peas</div>
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160g pasta</div>
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2 heaped dsp pesto (I used homemade, mainly to keep the salt down)</div>
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1 heaped dsp creme fraiche (I used half fat, for my sake!)</div>
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Method</h4>
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First, put the pasta on to cook. </div>
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Heat a large, non-stick, shallow pan on a medium-high heat, and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the courgettes, season with ground black pepper, and cook for a further 5 minutes, adding the peas for the last couple of minutes. </div>
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While the chicken and veg are cooking, mix the pesto and creme fraiche together. </div>
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When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the pan with the chicken. Remove from the heat and stir in the pesto sauce. </div>
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Enjoy! <br />
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I'm linking this recipe up with <a href="http://athomewithmrsm.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/mrs-ms-recipe-link-party-july-12.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mrs M's Recipe Link Party.</a><br />
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</div>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-6010328524893967582012-07-17T22:32:00.001+01:002012-07-17T22:32:43.177+01:00PeapodsThe other day in the supermarket, I spotted some peapods. When I was teaching I used to grow peas in the nursery garden for the children to explore, and they could help themselves to the bounty when they were playing outside! I decided to get some for my two, as it has been too rainy to get outside and plant peas.<span style="background-color: white;"> I bought a handful and they cost me about 60p! They had a wonderful time with the peapods, here are some of the things they were learning:</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><br />
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How do we open this?</div>
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Look what's inside!</div>
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I have to use my fingers carefully to take these out of here!</div>
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These peas are rather yummy!</div>
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We talked about lots of things, like the colour they could see (they can both say 'green', just about!), what they tasted like (they were really sweet, and quite crunchy), and we listened to the 'pop' which you get if you squeeze across the top of the pod. They both had lots of fun saying 'pop, pop'! <br />
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This was a great activity for language development and practising using their fingers. <br />
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And someone decided he could find something just as tasty as the peas...<br />
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<br />Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-52831478171202993752012-07-16T14:57:00.002+01:002012-07-16T14:57:59.728+01:00Meal Planning Monday - 16th JulyI found meal planning hard work when I sat down to do it at the end of last week. Both the children had been poorly with a sickness bug over the course of the week, and I ended up with it by Friday, so I was feeling a bit jaded and uninspired! Luckily my new Good Food magazine arrived so that helped get me going a little, and hopefully I've just about pulled it out of the bag!<br />
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When the veg box arrived this morning I was a little less than organised (I'm still not feeling quite 100% yet...) so it was raided once again. I now have tomatoes covered in bite marks, but the children really enjoyed having a bit of a chew so I wasn't going to create a battle by removing them from their little paws. I managed to persuade them to help me put them in a bag (bite marks included) and I think I may have to do an emergency batch of <a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/roast-tomato-sauce.html" target="_blank">Roast Tomato Sauce</a> later, before they deteriorate! The carrots arrived in a muddy state (well, it's been a bit rainy!) which Little Man was less than impressed by - he picked one up and pulled a face. At least he didn't try to eat that... <br />
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Here's what we'll be eating this week:<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Quorn Sausage Pasta Bake</b><br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Grilled Salmon with new potatoes, corn on the cob and broccoli </b>- the sweetcorn is from the supermarket - not quite seasonal for us yet but the children love it and I'm trying to feel a bit summery!<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Chicken and courgette pasta with pesto</b> - this is loosely based on a recipe in the new Good Food magazine, which uses green beans. I'm going to make pesto and mix in some creme fraiche to make a creamy sauce, hopefully it should go down well as it contains some of the children's favourite things. <br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Spaghetti Bolognaise</b><br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Fennel and tomato couscous with seabass </b>- couscous from <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/omega-3-couscous" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Jamie Oliver's recipe</a> again - it's so delicious and we haven't had seabass for ages so I thought I'd treat us!Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-63792219912555731722012-07-15T22:25:00.001+01:002012-07-15T22:25:49.868+01:00Country Kids, at the GardensWe went to some local gardens today. We finally had a day of no rain so off we went, ready for every eventuality - I packed raincoats, sun hats, sun cream and jackets! The children wore their vests - in JULY! - and had their jackets on the whole time; we had some sunshine but it was pretty chilly. There was lots to see and do, and the children wore their little legs out. There was a lovely big play area with Little Tikes cars, a sandpit and swings which the children were very pleased about. They really enjoyed exploring the concept gardens too, lots of things to see, smell and touch. Here's a snapshot of our day:<br />
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I'm linking this up with Country Kids at Coombe Mill, and Multiple Mummy's Family Frolics.<br />
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<a href="http://www.coombemill.com/blog/post/2012/07/14/country-kids-from-coombe-mill.aspx" target="_blank" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Farm Holidays Cornwall"><img alt="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" border="0" src="http://www.coombemill.com/images//blog/country_Kids/thumbs/th_Country_Kids_badge_transparent.png" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" /></a>
<a href="http://multiplemummy.com/"><img src="http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/Childcareisfun/familyfrolics1-1.jpg" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-81359527271397616992012-07-15T15:33:00.000+01:002012-07-15T15:33:40.121+01:00Silent Sunday / 366<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/category/366/" target="_blank" title="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky"><img alt="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky" border="0" src="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/366.jpg" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-51001723612882278462012-07-14T20:02:00.004+01:002012-07-14T22:46:32.111+01:00Toddler-Friendly Beef StewThis is a really basic, easy, beef stew recipe. It's not going to win Masterchef, but it's good, comforting, proper homemade grub. It seems crazy posting a recipe for stew in the middle of July, but the weather is so awful this is what I feel like eating! I use whatever vegetables I can get for this stew (it usually depends what's in my veg box), but I always use something onion-related, such as leeks or shallots, and then carrots, squash, parsnips (but only in winter when the frost has sweetened them), swede, and occasionally some Jerusalem Artichokes, when they're in season. Just use equal quantities of each. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the best picture in the world but had to make it a quick one - toddlers snapping round my ankles!</td></tr>
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<h4>
Ingredients</h4>
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500g braising / stewing steak, or shin of beef, cut into chunks</div>
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500 -700g vegetables (depending how much veg you like!), cut into bite-sized chunks (see note, above)</div>
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1 heaped tablespoon plain flour</div>
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500 ml fresh chicken stock (I use salt-free stock, but you could always use a low-salt stock cube)</div>
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1 fat sprig thyme</div>
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1 bay leaf (I keep fresh ones in the freezer)</div>
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</h4>
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Method</h4>
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Preheat the oven to 160c. Put a tiny bit of olive oil in a frying pan and brown the meat all over in batches. Transfer the meat to a casserole dish. Put about 150ml water in the frying pan and let it bubble, scraping all the sticky bits off the bottom. </div>
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While this is bubbling, put the vegetables in the casserole dish with the meat and stir in the flour. Pour over the stock and give it a good stir then add the herbs and the water from the frying pan. Add some ground black pepper and bring it to the boil. There should be enough liquid to just cover the meat and vegetables; if there isn't quite enough, add some water from a boiling kettle. Put a lid on, then pop it in the oven for 3-4 hours. </div>
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Great served with jacket or mashed potatoes. </div>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-41888326323066402332012-07-12T14:02:00.000+01:002012-07-12T14:12:29.055+01:00How grown up are you?<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The lovely <a href="http://trouble-doubled.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Trouble Doubled</a> has tagged me in this meme about how grown up we are, started by OneDad3Girls. He got the idea from a national newspaper of a list of 50 things that prove you are 'grown up'.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This could be interesting...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>1 Having a mortgage </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yip</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2 Mum and Dad no longer make your financial decisions </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Good grief, absolutely not!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3 Paying into a pension </b></span></div>
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After a fashion...</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>4 Conducting a weekly food shop </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, I can manage that - and a weekly Meal Planning Monday!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>5 Written a will</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On my to-do list...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>6 Having children</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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Tick!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>7 Budgeting every month </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not really - just a rough ball park figure... </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>8 Cooking a meal from scratch </b></span></div>
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Yes, one of my favourite things to do!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>9 Getting married</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, since December 2007 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>10 Getting life insurance</b> </span></div>
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This is where I start to glaze over...</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>11 Recycling</b> </span></div>
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I'm quite good with this - I feel guilty if I don't!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>12 Having a savings account</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, thank you</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>13 Knowing what terms like 'ISA' and 'tracker' mean</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">More or less</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>14 Watching the news </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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This is where I know I'm grown up now, because I used to hate being subjected to the news, now I choose to put it on!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>15 Owning a lawnmower</b> </span></div>
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Yes, but this is The Daddy's job</div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>16 Doing your own washing</b> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well I think I'd be in a pickle if I didn't </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>17 Taking a trip to the local tip</b> </span></div>
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Yes, I love a good clearout</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>18 Planting flowers</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes, I love this although I haven't managed to do much for the last couple of years</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>19 Being able to bleed a radiator</b> </span></div>
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Yip</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>20 Having a joint bank account </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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Yes, makes life much easier</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>21 Having a view on politics</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I suppose so, although the whole thing bores me to tears...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>22 Keeping track of interest rates </b></span></div>
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Oh gosh, no, I have far better things to do with my time!</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>23 Finding a messy house annoying</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With two little ones around I have no choice but to live with it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>24 Being able to change a lightbulb </b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>25 Owning a vacuum cleaner</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Yes, I have a Dyson ball and Little Man follows me round with his replica!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>26 Holding dinner parties</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, if you count a roast for the family and pizza from a box for the girls then yes - I don't have time for anything else!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.4;">27 Listening to Radio 2 </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4;"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.4;">Ooh yes, I need Chris Evans to wake me up in the morning</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>28 Enjoying gardening</b> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Yes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>29 Spending weekend just 'pottering'</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Excuse me while I just change my wet pants. That's hiLARious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>30 Mum starts asking you for advice</b> </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>31 Carrying spare shopping bags just in case</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No, but I always wish I'd remembered!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>32 Like going round garden centres </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sad, I know, but yes</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>33 Wearing coats on a night out</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hec yes! Always have - when I was at university I even took a scarf and tucked it in my sleeve when I took it to the cloakroom in a club. I do not do cold. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>34 Going to bed before 11pm</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For this one I shall quote my friend Trouble Doubled: "Before blogging, yes. With blogging, not a hope in hell." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>35 Making sure mum and dad are phoned at least once a week</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
We usually see my dad a couple of times a week - he only lives two minutes away (great for emergency childcare!)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>36 Classing work as a career rather than a job</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Not anymore. I used to be very ambitious, now my children come first.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>37 Repairing torn clothes rather than throwing them away</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Most of the time I would probably throw them away, but a couple of years ago I tripped down some stairs wearing heels (I don't do heels, and it was the beginning of the night so I was stone cold sober!) and put a big hole in the leg of my brand new Coast trousers. They were £80!!! I had them repaired. Oh, and I was ok, I landed on my feet (not sure how)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>38 You iron </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Life is too short. The Daddy irons his own work shirts but I still think he takes them round to his mum's because I never seem to see any...</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>39 You wash up immediately after eating</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is The Daddy's job - I do the cooking!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>40 You enjoy cooking</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Love it</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>41 You buy a Sunday paper</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No, too many blogs to read</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>42 Always going out in a sensible pair of shoes</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Oh dear, yes, I'm afraid so</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>43 You like receiving gift vouchers</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ooh yes</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>44 Work keeps you awake at night</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well as my work is caring for two toddlers, not a chance, unless it's them waking me!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>45 Filing post</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Doing what?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>46 You have a best crockery set</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>47 Able to change a car tyre</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Why have a <strike>dog</strike> husband and bark yourself?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>48 Being sensible enough to remove make-up before bedtime</b> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm quite good at this because mascara is a nightmare on pillow cases - not that I wear make up all that often!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>49 Being able to follow a receipt</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Why would anyone not be able to follow a receipt?!</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>50 Owning 'best' towels as well as everyday towels</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have guest towels for when people come to stay but that's it</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I reckon I'm about 68% grown up, according to this. I'm not sure if that's good or bad!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm now tagging </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://belfastmummy.co.uk/" target="_blank">Belfast Mummy</a></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://multiplemummy.com/" target="_blank">Multiple Mummy</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://thisisme-sarahmumof3.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Sarah mum of 3</a></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">to find out how grown up you are! Let me know how you get on and pop on over to <a href="http://onedad3girls.com/2012/06/how-grown-up-are-you/" style="color: #c366dd; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">One Dad 3 Girls</a> to let him know too. Enjoy!</span></div>
</div>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-43015651043226334232012-07-11T08:41:00.002+01:002012-07-11T08:41:42.273+01:00The Gallery: Food<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Last November was my twins' first birthday. We had a family party and I had intended to make cupcakes rather than big cakes, after all a first birthday is more for the adults than the children! However two weeks before the party and with only one batch of cupcakes made and in the freezer, I suddenly realised I didn't actually have enough time to finish making the cakes, never mind do the frosting, which would have been a new task for me! As usual, I had bitten off more than I could chew, so I called in the cavalry at <a href="http://cupcakesandco.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cupcakes and Co</a> to help me out. They came up trumps, and in the end I was quite pleased I didn't manage to do my own because they wouldn't have been as fabulous as these! </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FG6YBirtL0s/T_yMtqYyqOI/AAAAAAAAAYs/Ph0rQ6ra5oc/s1600/1st+birthday+cakes.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FG6YBirtL0s/T_yMtqYyqOI/AAAAAAAAAYs/Ph0rQ6ra5oc/s640/1st+birthday+cakes.png" width="560" /></a></div>
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This post is for <a href="http://stickyfingers1.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/photo-gallery-food.html" target="_blank">The Gallery at Sticky Fingers</a>, where the theme this week is 'food'. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://stickyfingers1.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20Gallery"><img height="160" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_YvvceOEVsWU/S6fY0nf07UE/AAAAAAAABD0/SbguGrqPapE/s160-c/Badges.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0 0 4px;" width="160" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-91055270735081127182012-07-10T14:46:00.001+01:002012-07-10T14:46:05.645+01:00Weaning Twins: How I did it (Part Two, Moving On)<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--gCIIGu8tPM/T_dbXD1xIyI/AAAAAAAAAXo/7XbcfCOYtlQ/s1600/DSC00424.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--gCIIGu8tPM/T_dbXD1xIyI/AAAAAAAAAXo/7XbcfCOYtlQ/s400/DSC00424.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottage cheese, yoghurt, and my sister's hands in my hair! </td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white;">In this second post about weaning, I'll tell you a bit about how we moved on from the first stages of weaning to eating family meals at around 9 months, as well as dropping milk feeds, and meal and snack ideas. (You can see the first part of this post <a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/weaning-twins-how-i-did-it-part-one.html" target="_blank">here</a>) <span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Just to say again, though, I'm not a health expert of any kind, this is just based on my experience and you should follow anything with caution!!)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Around 6 weeks in to weaning my twins I started to introduce some protein to their diet. They were having three meals a day, including rice porridge for breakfast, and I started by making some of the stew recipes in Annabel Karmel's Baby and Toddler Meal Planner. These are really good recipes to start with as most of them contain something a little bit sweet like sweet potato and/or orange juice, so it helps little palates to adjust. I wanted to get a bit ahead, like I did with the pureed veg and fruit, so I made some big batches which I could freeze in portions.</span><br />
<br />
<h4>
Some things I did at this point</h4>
<div>
- Once I had cooked a stew I would remove the meat and pulse it in the food processor (not the blender), mash the veg in the sauce with a potato masher, then return the meat to the pan. This worked really well; it was fairly lumpy but they managed fine with it. </div>
<div>
- I made some cheese sauce (with cow's milk, which is fine to use in cooking from 6 months, and rice flour to start with which works in the same way as ordinary flour) to freeze in ice cube trays. </div>
<div>
- If we had a roast chicken I would make gravy from scratch using salt free fresh stock and freeze it in ice cubes. I would also chop any leftover chicken in the food processor and freeze that in ice cube trays too. </div>
<div>
- I bought some white fish and froze it in portions </div>
<div>
- I continued to keep a stash of vegetables in the freezer. Quite often I would do a big batch of whatever we were having for tea, eg I'd steam a whole cauliflower so we had enough for us and enough to freeze. <span style="background-color: white;">By this stage they were having their vegetables mashed or finely chopped (food processor, not the blender, is great for this).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<h4>
Some popular meals from around 7-8 months</h4>
<div>
- Annabel Karmel's Lovely Lentils, chicken and beef stews</div>
<div>
- Roast chicken with gravy, veggies and mashed potato (to begin with I would mix most of it together, then started to separate it as they got more used to chewing things without them being covered in a sauce of some kind)</div>
<div>
- 'Fish Pie' - just a small portion of white fish <span style="background-color: white;">(probably a little bigger than matchbox size to begin with for the two of them),</span><span style="background-color: white;"> cooked in a foil parcel with a thin slice of unsalted butter covering it (lots of butter isn't so good for us but it's really nutritious for babies), then mashed into some cheese sauce, broccoli and/or peas and mashed potato. They absolutely loved this, although I was nervous about giving them fish to begin with as I was allergic to it when I was little - I could hit the opposite wall when it came back up...</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Cauliflower cheese and pasta (usually with cauliflower and cheese sauce from the freezer, and I used baby pasta to start with)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Pasta with cheese sauce and spinach - this was a big hit, and they still like spinach now, a year later. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IgJ7oo1iyQw/T_dalPIMZSI/AAAAAAAAAXg/pY3soDAVKNQ/s1600/Spinach+Pasta!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IgJ7oo1iyQw/T_dalPIMZSI/AAAAAAAAAXg/pY3soDAVKNQ/s640/Spinach+Pasta!.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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- I also tried to make sure they had some sort of finger food each meal, such as an accompanying vegetable, pieces of toast, or pieces of fruit.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YkTi2pHUdfM/T_dYwievRqI/AAAAAAAAAXY/mWfr4f3-XV0/s1600/Finger+foods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YkTi2pHUdfM/T_dYwievRqI/AAAAAAAAAXY/mWfr4f3-XV0/s640/Finger+foods.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;">Puddings</span></h4>
</div>
<div>
I chose not to give the children any refined sugar until they were at least 12 months old (well, except for the tiny amount in Weetabix), so pudding was always fruit or yoghurt. Fruit was mostly raw at this stage, except apple which I stewed, and they had it either whole in grabbable pieces or mashed up. Until they were a year old I would give them greek yoghurt (I like Yeo Valley the best!) mixed with pureed fruit, usually homemade but sometimes I used Ella's Kitchen pouches. After this point I started to use Plum fromage frais and yoghurts, and Rachel's Organic My First Yoghurts and Taste Explorers - all with no refined sugar but sweetened with fruit juice. I know it's not a million miles from sugar, but it's not quite as bad! </div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;">Eating together</span></h4>
<div>
By the time the children were 9 months old I was getting fed up of making separate meals all the time, and having to start cooking our dinner after the children had gone to bed. We often didn't manage to eat until 8.30. <span style="background-color: white;">We are really lucky that The Daddy's work is only 15 minutes away and he is able to get home by 5.30, s</span><span style="background-color: white;">o we decided to start eating dinner together so it would all be over and done with in one go, and so we could start to broaden the children's food horizons a bit. I would get the dinner ready at lunchtime while the children were asleep (as far as possible) and I found this much easier than trying to cook with babies round my ankles or them screaming for me at the gate across the kitchen doorway. I think even if The Daddy couldn't get home by this time I would still eat with them, and heat his up later on. We found quite quickly it made a definite difference to how well they ate, because they saw us eating the same things. </span></div>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></h4>
<h4>
<span style="background-color: white;">More meals from 9-10 months</span></h4>
<span style="background-color: white;">- I introduced lunchtime sandwiches around this time, which made it easier for me to eat with them as they could feed themselves. Little Miss quite often preferred having hers broken into little pieces (she didn't have </span><span style="background-color: white;">a single tooth until she was nearly 14 months old!). At this stage I made them with sticky fillings to make them easier to hold, so cream cheese, leftover roast meat chopped up and mixed with mashed avocado, hummus (salty, but you only need a bit and it's easy to make if you're so inclined), leftover grilled salmon mixed with cream cheese (delicious!), cream cheese mixed with a little grated cheddar and chopped apricots (also delicious!). I would also give them pieces of avocado, pepper, cucumber and halved cherry tomatoes to eat with their sandwiches.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Chilli con carne and rice, with the kidney beans cut in half (simply because the skins were tricky with very few teeth!)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Bolognaise and pasta (with adult pasta by now, cut into small pieces as Little Man would swallow them without chewing...)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Courgette polpettes, venison stew and lamb curry from The River Cottage Baby and Toddler Cookbook, which I can recommend very highly - I use this book a lot </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Beef stew and mashed potato</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Baked white fish with <a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/roast-tomato-sauce.html" target="_blank">Roast Tomato Sauce</a>, rice and vegetables</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Grilled salmon with cheese sauce, broccoli trees and potato wedges</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Roasted chicken thighs with roasted veg sauce (courgettes, peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic roasted in chunks, then squeeze the garlic out of it's skin and pulse it all in the food processor to make a lumpy sauce) and mashed potato</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">- Breakfast was (and still is!) usually ready brek or weetabix mixed with mashed banana or a fruit pouch, but sometimes eggy bread (delicious made with slices of brioche) or pancakes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I did find at this stage they preferred their food to be wet, with some sort of sauce, so I'd make sure I always had something in the freezer to add to their meals if necessary. Little Miss found it more difficult to eat pieces of vegetables like carrots and broccoli trees (probably due to her lack of teeth), so I'd chop some up and mix it into her sauce, but also give her some on the side to have a go at. Vegetables in stew were much easier for her!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">(You can see more of the things we eat now on my 'Meal Planning Monday' posts, here every Monday, or try the 'Search' box in the side bar. Why not subscribe and never miss a post?!)</span><br />
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<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Snacks which we enjoy</h4>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
- Fruit</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
- Rice cakes and corn thins (sometimes with a little peanut butter or cream cheese, but more often than not plain - these are a great mobile snack)<br />
- Breadsticks</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
- Grated or tiny cubes of cheese (great for hand-eye coordination!)</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
- Sultanas (also great for those little fingers)</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
- Dried apricots (the dark, unsulphured ones)</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
- Avocado</div>
<div style="font-weight: normal;">
- After 12 months I started to offer the occasional Organix biscuit or Scotch Pancake, and now they like homemade <a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/oat-and-sultana-cookies.html" target="_blank">Oat and Sultana Cookies</a>. </div>
<h4>
<b><br /></b></h4>
<h4>
<b>What about dropping milk feeds? </b></h4>
I can remember this being like the holy grail when I first started weaning. I was desperate to start dropping milk feeds as I found the whole bottles-for-two thing really hard work, but it doesn't happen overnight and milk can't really be replaced with just fruit and veg. I didn't drop any milk feeds until they were eating a good breakfast (which was made with milk anyway) and had started eating some protein at lunchtime, at which point I dropped the mid-morning bottle. Little Man's went first at about 8 months, he was eating loads and was only having about 4oz milk for this bottle by now, Little Miss continued with hers a little while longer. I also started giving them their morning milk after their breakfast, as I was finding they weren't very interested in it after a full bottle of milk. The afternoon bottle stayed until around 10 months, when it was replaced with a snack. It's just important to make sure they're getting the recommended quantities of milk, but this includes dairy products they might be eating too. <br />
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<h4>
Some good places to go for recipes</h4>
<div>
- The <a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/users/River%20Cottage%20Baby%20and%20Toddler%20Cookbook/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">River Cottage Baby and Toddler Cookbook</a></div>
<div>
- <a href="http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">Mamacook</a>, a blog with lots of lovely recipes for babies, toddlers and grown ups too!</div>
<div>
- I use some of Jamie Oliver's recipes quite a bit, for example <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/fish-pie" target="_blank">Fish Pie</a>, <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pork-recipes/bone-in-shoulder-roast" target="_blank">Slow Roast Pork</a>, <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/incredible-roasted-shoulder-of-lamb-with" target="_blank">Slow Roast Lamb</a> (slow roasting meat like this makes it lovely and soft, and easy to eat), and the couscous from <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/omega-3-couscous" target="_blank">this recipe</a>. I just fiddle with the recipes a bit so there isn't any added salt. </div>
<div>
- <a href="http://www.rapleyweaning.com/blwbook.php" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Baby Led Weaning Cookbook</a> - we particularly like the Cheese and Lentil Wedges in this book, with broccoli and tomato sauce. </div>
<div>
- I'm starting to put some toddler-friendly recipes on this blog, too!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm, oranges!</td></tr>
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<br />Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-12160070737593737342012-07-09T13:52:00.003+01:002012-07-09T22:11:36.479+01:00Meal Planning Monday - 9th JulyI didn't manage a Meal Planning Monday post last week on holiday. I did one for the first week but as I relaxed more I didn't care quite so much about being so organised! But I did actually do this plan whilst still on holiday - I wanted to get my shopping ordered online to arrive when we came home on Saturday, so I wouldn't end up with bare shelves and an empty fridge. I haven't had a conventional veg box this week, I decided to make up my own as the boxes had a bit too much in the way of salads for my toddlers, but here they are having a nosey, with my brother to help!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqgiyqmUfr4/T_rT-_2vkwI/AAAAAAAAAYE/AsUa-RqpmDs/s1600/July+2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqgiyqmUfr4/T_rT-_2vkwI/AAAAAAAAAYE/AsUa-RqpmDs/s640/July+2012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Here's what we're having this week</span><br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder (a <a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/lamb-recipes/incredible-roasted-shoulder-of-lamb-with" target="_blank">Jamie Oliver</a> recipe) with roast butternut squash, broccoli and jacket potatoes </b>- we have my brother with his wife and their nearly 6 month old baby coming for tea so a joint is required, even though it's Monday! This is a great recipe - stick it in the oven and leave it. <br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Broad Bean and Chicken Pilaf (a <a href="http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2379/broad-bean-and-chicken-pilaf" target="_blank">Good Food recipe</a>)</b> - this went down so well last time I'm going to do it again. It seems broad beans are a huge hit.<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Beef stew (with shallots, squashand carrots) </b>- it seems bonkers making stew in July but as far as I'm aware, we're still waiting for summer...<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Mussel and broccoli pasta </b>- this is a <a href="http://mamacook.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/mussel-and-broccoli-pasta-for-toddlers.html" target="_blank">Mamacook</a> recipe (if you haven't seen her blog yet you really should - brilliant recipes for little ones and grown ups too). I haven't offered mussels yet so this could be interesting!<br />
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<b style="color: #38761d;">Beans and courgettes in tomato sauce with rice and grated cheese </b>- because it's easy, and by the end of this week, back to being on my own after two weeks with an extra pair of hands, that's what I'll need!<br />
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You can see what everyone else is eating this week at <a href="http://athomewithmrsm.blogspot.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mrs M's</a>. <br />
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<img height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DOfxYIfPzWk/T_GPeWWV8aI/AAAAAAAAEeU/eYxFMKIL-QM/s200/meal1.jpg" width="200" />Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-32129159618189962522012-07-08T09:18:00.001+01:002012-07-08T09:18:18.399+01:00Silent Sunday / 366<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1fEAvRzu0Eo/T_lBqTTAzxI/AAAAAAAAAX0/DzvsdW9Dbxc/s1600/Holding+Hands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1fEAvRzu0Eo/T_lBqTTAzxI/AAAAAAAAAX0/DzvsdW9Dbxc/s640/Holding+Hands.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://ow.ly/aITsX" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Love All Blogs" border="0" src="http://ow.ly/aITsX" style="border: none;" /></a><a href="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/category/366/" target="_blank" title="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky"><img alt="TheBoyandMe's 366 Linky" border="0" src="http://www.theboyandme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/366.jpg" /></a>Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7362835736873020606.post-48194367114313275912012-07-06T21:11:00.002+01:002012-07-06T22:42:05.622+01:00Our second week at Coombe Mill, with a fair bit of rain for good measure!Our second week at Coombe Mill has been somewhat wet. After a wonderful sunny feed run on Sunday morning, we didn't manage to join in again until Friday because it's just been too rainy. We have been discovering some of the things this little bit of Cornwall has to offer in the wet. <br />
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After the Sunday morning feed run:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TTVPTnaKqvQ/T_czh-mYgYI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/XU76WHLxQjE/s1600/Coombe+Mill+20124.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TTVPTnaKqvQ/T_czh-mYgYI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/XU76WHLxQjE/s640/Coombe+Mill+20124.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">and a yummy carvery lunch at The Old Inn, we decided to head to Daymer beach. It was sunny but a bit chilly so we thought it was worth a trip, as the weather forecast for the rest of the week was looking pretty mucky. It's a lovely beach but it was incredibly windy that day - it was even full of wind surfers, never a good sign! </span><span style="background-color: white;">This is top of our list for next year's holiday, and hopefully we'll have the right weather for it. Yes, it's supposed to be summer, but we were wearing jackets and the children (and I) were still shivering!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Monday was a rotten day for weather, but one of the great things about staying here is that there are plenty of things for the children to do on site, so if there is a break in the rain we can just nip out and do something (we also have a toy-filled playroom upstairs which is a bit good in this weather!) It stopped raining in the afternoon for a bit so we went to visit the rabbits.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvJOJI0rE68/T_c1G_bsAmI/AAAAAAAAAWY/D3LuLKECy68/s1600/DSC01169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CvJOJI0rE68/T_c1G_bsAmI/AAAAAAAAAWY/D3LuLKECy68/s320/DSC01169.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Then the children and their Daddy played in our little enclosed garden while I got the dinner ready.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">They were soaked when they came in but had a lovely time.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">On Tuesday we went to </span><a href="http://www.springfieldsponycentre.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Springfields Pony Centre</a><span style="background-color: white;">. We saw some ponies, very briefly during a break in the rain, but they had a big indoor play barn which the children loved. </span><span style="background-color: white;">We'll be visiting again next year but we'll be taking our own picnic - Little Man prefers brown bread to white, thank you Mummy, and I was amazed that was all they had on offer. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Wednesday was a better day and we decided to venture over to Newquay (with our fingers crossed that </span><a href="http://twoofeverythingtwintales.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/sick-sick-and-more-sick.html" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Little Miss wouldn't be sick</a><span style="background-color: white;">) to go to the </span><a href="http://www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk/newquay.htm" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">Aquarium</a><span style="background-color: white;">. This was a big hit! It is fairly small (I think we've been a bit spoilt by The Blue Planet at Ellesmere Port) but they had some really good displays, including crocodiles and seahorses. I think the children would say the shop was the best bit though (more interactive, unfortunately...), and we bought them some sea creatures which they enjoyed playing with while they waited for their lunch.</span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3-qcV0y-gbs/T_c385dqjtI/AAAAAAAAAWs/gRLxGrYQkhY/s1600/Coombe+Mill+20125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3-qcV0y-gbs/T_c385dqjtI/AAAAAAAAAWs/gRLxGrYQkhY/s640/Coombe+Mill+20125.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">We woke up to rain again on Thursday and had already decided to go swimming at Hengar Manor, just up the road from Coombe Mill. Swimming is not something we have done very much (it's not actually possible for me to take them swimming without The Daddy!) but they love it - two water babies who are desperate for us to let go and let them do it on their own! By the afternoon it had brightened up and we went to see the animals back at the farm. We had accumulated a bag full of scraps for the pigs which they received very gratefully (and noisily!). </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Kh6XXDmT0w/T_c5LpEwvgI/AAAAAAAAAW0/nNIZj3CMmMM/s1600/DSC01216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7Kh6XXDmT0w/T_c5LpEwvgI/AAAAAAAAAW0/nNIZj3CMmMM/s640/DSC01216.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">The donkeys wanted to join in, and eeyored so loudly that Little Man nearly fell over. They had some carrots. We were also reminded that lots of rain causes lots of mud, and the children discovered the joys of muddy puddles for the first time. They wanted to put their hands in them as well as their wellied feet and were fascinated by the waves and bubbles they created. Little Miss decided she needed to sit down to make the most of it.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9TYUka1KUC4/T_c5riNly8I/AAAAAAAAAW8/lhi_p3sfsc0/s1600/Little+Miss+in+a+muddy+puddle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="384" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9TYUka1KUC4/T_c5riNly8I/AAAAAAAAAW8/lhi_p3sfsc0/s640/Little+Miss+in+a+muddy+puddle.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">Friday, luckily, was another dry day and we finally able to make it out in the feed run again. </span><br />
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And then in the afternoon the children played out on the verandah while Mummy was glued to the tennis (well, I couldn't miss history in the making, could I?!) <br />
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We've had a brilliant holiday at <a href="http://coombemill.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coombe Mill</a> and we're a little bit sad to be going home. The children have learnt so much, they have walked further than we ever thought possible, and it's been wonderful spending time together as a family (even with the rain!) We'll be back again next year, and we have some sunshine on order...<br />
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I'm linking this up with Country Kids at <a href="http://coombemill.com/blog" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coombe Mill</a> and Multiple Mummy's <a href="http://www.multiplemummy.com/blog/family-frolics-sand-play/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Family Frolics</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.coombemill.com/blog/post/2012/06/30/country-kids-from-coombe-mill.aspx" target="_blank" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Farm Holidays Cornwall"><img alt="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" border="0" height="200" src="http://www.coombemill.com/images//blog/country_Kids/thumbs/th_Country_Kids_badge_transparent.png" title="Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall" width="200" /></a>
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<a href="http://multiplemummy.com/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="http://i1092.photobucket.com/albums/i411/Childcareisfun/familyfrolics1-1.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br />Two of Everythinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10106938211587697573noreply@blogger.com8