Calling the winner!

Just a gentle reminder to my giveaway winner to please step forward and claim your prize.

The winner is QG and you can contact me via my email pickingoranges(@)gmail.com i will get your prize sent asap direct from Amazon. Please remove the ( ) bracket signs before emailing.

Happy new year to you all!

Hope 2012 is a happy & healthy one for you all x

Entering 2012 with an air of uncertainty

I'm hoping everyone here had a great Christmas and enjoyed every moment even if there was a distinct lack of snow.  *sad face* I had so counted on waking up to some glorious snow on Christmas morning.

For us the lead up to Christmas and the day itself was a bit uncertain due to one of our children having a fit a few days before. Now this isn't the first time she has had a fit (she has had one previous one) but it was the first ever fit i had witnessed, made even worse because it was my own child. Now any decent parent will certainly agree that you do anything possible to protect your child and the feeling i had of being helpless and useless all at once is hard to deal with. There is a fairly big chance that this will be a long term thing but i have been told i need to await the next fit till she can be medicated. I feel like we spent christmas waiting for the next fit, making sure she isn't stood too long, making sure she isn't stood on hard ground for a long period of time, glancing at her way too often to make sure she looks ok. Just generally being overprotective and probably if i use her words "annoying"  I have relaxed a little bit, read the sheet i was given at the hospital and will try and not panic when/if it should happen again but really..does a parent with a child who experiences regular seizures ever feel relaxed?

So here we are entering 2012 with an air of uncertainty.

Christmas Giveaway Winner

A big sorry for the delay in announcing the winner. It's been one of *those* days.

The winner whose name was selected with the help of my oldest daughter out of a cowboy type silver hat. (It's always good to know the details!) is...... QG

If you could please contact me via my email pickingoranges(@)gmail.com i will get your prize sent asap direct from Amazon. Please remove the ( ) bracket signs before emailing.

Keeps your eyes peeled for a new giveaway in the new year.

If you could give me some idea of what would be appealing to win that would be great! 

Slow down December & is there a doctor in the house?

I officially hate December. No really i do..it does seem to zoom past. I haven't purchased Christmas presents let alone any Christmas food. I don't have Joy in my heart and i just don't feel the Christmas spirit, though the thought of a neat Vodka or two did try and tempt me last night but i was strong and didn't give in.

I suppose it doesn't help that my mind has been preoccupied a bit this month. I have raynaud's phenomenon, nothing special about that as loads do but the past few months i have had something which i presumed at first was related yet seems to even baffle my doctor and rheumatologist.

I have red/purple marks that come up on my palms, and sometimes fluid like lumps under those marks. When the lumps come up my skin itches for several minutes till the lump has fully come up then the itching eases off to a stop.  The past couple of weeks i have also had what seems like a fluid lump come up on the inside of my arm, half way between my wrist and my elbow. I know i shouldn't google (though my doctor does!) the only thing i could find that looked visually similar to my marks on my hands were Janeway lesions, though i also considered it may be an allergy but the doctor didn't seem convinced on the allergy suggestion. Anyway i suppose i'm posting in the hope someone comes across this blog before my next hospital appointment and can give me some idea what it is. It's really frustrating not knowing and whatever it is leaves me with very painful hands afterwards, a bit like how it feels when you have a bruise. It has had a good effect on my raynaud's though as rather than freezing cold hands they are quite hot lately.

I also want to let everyone know that i haven't forgotten about the giveaway and it will be drawn early tomorrow afternoon. Good luck to all those who have entered x
Oh and sorry for the rather rubbish photograph but look..i'm trying to get in the festive mood!

Debenhams sorted it.

Argh i really must learn to update quicker. Debenhams did credit my card back the amount it was owed and i was issued with a 15% discount code as a gesture of goodwill. Though i hate it when they put that, as quite frankly it's their screw up and they make it sound like they did me a massive favour. *rolls eyes*

Anyway my items i reordered have arrived in good time and i'm happy with everything so i thought it best to update and let you all know. I still won't be in a rush to online shop with them but will still no doubt enjoy shopping instore. Hurry up Christmas sales!

Debenhams online shopping? No thank you.

I love online shopping, really i do. Who really wants to trek around the shops with more than one child?  It's a nightmare and you always end up spending more than you should because well little people have puppy dog eyes and me being a complete sucker always falls for it, then you have the fact that online shopping is much easier when it comes to Christmas present buying as you don't need to juggle your bags to make sure nothing can be seen through them and try and get little people to look elsewhere while explaining in a hushed yet stressed voice to the shop cashier that you need to keep the item hidden. 

Anyway i suppose i better start getting to the point soon.

To avoid "proper" shopping, on the 10th i purchased three items using a gift card. One was a present for my youngest. A sylvanian celebration family. It was in stock when i ordered. Within a short amount (less than a day) of time i had an email that said "unable to fulfil"

Fair enough i suppose. It happens. I looked on the website. and it was still showing as in stock. I emailed,  and phoned to see what was going on. I was told on the phone by them that they had sold out and there would be no more. I explained that they should probably stop advertising something on their website when they didn't have it. The person i spoke to didn't seem all that bothered.

Next step would be me ordering something else for youngest or trying to. I picked something, tried putting it through but oh dear i only have £1.17 on my giftcard. There was no refund for the item that they charged me for but didn't have.

Again i contact Debenhams via phone call and email. This time i was told that it takes longer to credit a giftcard than it does a bank card?! but it should be back on the giftcard by Tuesday (22nd) at the latest.

Guess what? Yes still no money on my giftcard..I phoned, was transferred to head office. On hold 9 minutes to be cut off. Getting more and more frustrated by this time and so i complained on Debenhams facebook wall. (i did this before but they weren't very helpful and just passed the buck by giving me an email address that they don't seem very quick to reply to)

I phoned again and was transferred to head office, on hold for approx 10 minutes before a gentleman answered and after explaining everything said that it should be back on my card in 48 hours.To make matters worse he said they actually now have five of the sylvanian families in!  This was after someone told me they wouldn't be getting anymore in.
Now i admit this man was the most helpful out of everyone i spoke to but i still had no apology and what if the next thing i order they are unable to fulfil? Will i have to go through this mess again. Argh.

I love Debenhams products, really i do but after this experience i will never ever shop online with them again. I found them rude, unhelpful the majority of the time and they still have my money and i originally placed the order on the 10th. If the money is still missing in 48 hours i plan to take this up with trading standards as i find this shocking behaviour for such a big named company.

Windows, Pet Hate and Well Done me!

Ok finding time to blog has been rather difficult this last week, as we have had new windows fitted meaning we have had to kind of gut the house and clear out some junk. (everyone in this house hoards stuff!) Plus i haven't been feeling 100%.  The windows do look nice though, bar the holes in the wall that seem to have happened getting the windows in place. Anyway hopefully the new windows will cut out some of the outside noise and the house in general will be warmer. *fingers crossed*

Now onto my pet hate- I need to get this out and it's been annoying me since..well forever. Why do some people with dogs let their dogs loose when they see a sign which says "all dogs must be kept on a lead" or "no dogs allowed*

For example. near my youngest daughters school there is a play park in a big grassy area. A sign as i mentioned above says something about no dogs allowed, or something very similar. I will take a photo of it and hopefully get the chance to upload it this week. Since my daughter started there i have noticed people taking their dogs to the park and they are just letting them off the lead to pee, poo and play ball. This is a play park. Dogs are not children and while we are on the subject...no i also don't agree with dressing dogs up as little dolls either, but each to their own i suppose. I do doubt that any of the people i have seen lately have bags to pick up after their little rovers/Maisie's.

Anyway i suppose what i am saying is a child should be able to play in a playground without fear of coming home with worms or something even nastier, including a dog bite. These pet owners annoy me. They obviously think the sign is for everyone else and not them. If you want a dog, be responsible. Geez i have a dog (and gorgeous he is too!) I wouldn't let him off the lead, especially in a play park even if children were not present at the time and i wouldn't think twice about picking up his *number twos* when he is walked. Of course it isn't a nice job but neither is working in McDonald's and people do that!

On a final note, At 9pm on the 14th November i gave up smoking £6-7 a packet cigarettes. Yes it hasn't been long but this is a miracle for me. I am lucky if i can give up for an hour usually. How am i doing it? With the help of a Halo of course..yes it honestly does work! Now i can forget about all those harmful chemicals, yucky tar and horrible smell and hopefully it will also help improve my circulation over time.

Silent Sunday

Christmas Follower Giveaway

I thought as we only have a month to go that i would hold a small giveaway for my followers both old and new.

I also thought i would let you choose your prize out of various options.

To enter you need to be a follower of my blog and post your option of prize out of those mentioned below. So just post option 1, 2, 3, ect. You can only pick 1 option there will only be 1 prize (though the more followers i get the more prizes that will be given away in future draws). All names will go into the hat and my daughter will select a winner on the 6th December.  Sorry but this is only open to UK followers.


The prize options are as follows:-

1) X-Men first class dvd.

2)  + by Ed Sheeran Album

3) LEGO Games 3835 Robo Champ

4) Ravensburger Hello Kitty Memory Game

5) Nails inc Special Effects Houses of Parliament Magnetic Polish.
If this one happens to be out of stock at the close of competition and only if it is out of stock. An Amazon gift certitificate of £13 will be awarded to the winner)

6) Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography 
Thought this might be an apt book to throw into the mix as it's apparently one of the most wished for books this year.

All that's left for me to say is GOOD LUCK!

Things i love this week

I think i might make this a regular thing. There is a few things i really love this week that it's worthy of a blog post...Well i think so anyway.

1. My family. (boring but true but they are pretty great!)


 2. Ed Sheeran's Lego house video! It's clever, funny and well as my 12 year old would say "Awesome"

3. My glamour magazine freebie Nail polish! Nails Inc in Victoria which is a deep red. I must make the effort to try out their other Nail Varnishes as i love the way this goes on and even though this colour wouldn't be my first choice in colours i was pleasantly surprised.  You should go grab a copy of Glamour if you haven't already, they have various other colours to pick from and you can see the colours through the packet so can choose what you like. I have a subscription so had no choice but i'm happy with the one i received.

4. F&F 3 Button long pull-on boots that i purchased for both my girls. They are a reasonable £12.50 and i doubled up my tesco vouchers so had £40 to shop with so treated them to a pair each.

You can check them out for yourself here
3 Button pull on boots


5. Another pair of boots but much cheaper!  F&F Faux sheepskin boots at £6 a pair! They are half price at the moment and i doubt they will last long. Really these must be my bargain of the week! 

Click on the link to check them out! Tesco Bargain Faux sheepskin boots

The big issue

I haven't purchased the big issue in years, mainly because i have never seen anyone locally selling it. I suppose that comes from living in a fairly rural area.
The other day though i spotted a man selling them outside the local co-op and thought i would buy one. I was surprised at how many good and informative articles it had in it since the last time i picked up a copy.

The front cover stood out, i love the classic old type adverts but i have to wonder if back then people would of struggled to believe that there would be a day when you couldn't feed your family for £50 a week.

I actually don't think that's such a huge ask, i often shop around for bargains and i could quite easily make the £50 target and i'm in a family of five but i suppose to make the budget i would have to include reduced items. One day i managed to get those sauces for pasta that are usually in the chiller dept. for the nice reduced price sum of 5p each. They are usually getting on for £2 and the good thing was they were freezable. I do like shopping for bargains though, food included but i'm careful with meat because of how quick it seems to turn and go bad.

There is several other interesting articles, for example why is adoption so hard in Britain and the vendors view which is quite interesting to read, i'm very interested in people and what makes them who they are, i guess that's why i'm hoping to be a psychologist one day .

Oh and after buying the Big Issue i ran back into the co-op and purchased the vendor who i bought mine from a lucky dip lottery ticket. I really hope he wins! Sometimes it's nice to do something for someone else a bit less fortunate however small..it gives you a nice feeling inside and can make someones day.

Halo Kit - The smokers angel Part 2

Ok i thought i would give you an update. You see i now have one of these too.

There are many reasons why i wanted to switch over to the Halo Ecig but i guess number 1 on those list of reasons would be Health. Don't get me wrong i know the halo isn't as healthy as not smoking but for me not smoking isn't an option right now. I don't need the increased stress of completely giving up, nor the "don't you come near me" mood that i get when trying to quit nicotine altogether.

I do however want a tar free and chemical free experience of which the Halo can give me.

I find it slightly sweet..the halo that is. I won't say i took to it straight away like my partner did, it's just a bit different and takes a few days to get used to. The Halo is bigger than a normal cigarette. You can still feel what seems like smoke hit the back of your throat and the vapour looks like real smoke. As i have said before it's much cheaper than smoking and is easy to use. You can smoke it in most places, though don't forget to ask first as some people don't realise what the Halo Ecig is.

Even though i found it an unusual experience at first, i have really warmed to the Halo and i fully recommend those considering this product to give it a go, i think you will be pleasantly surprised.

This really is the closest you will ever get to smoking. 

To check out the fantastic range of products in the online store just click here ecigarettedirect.co.uk/ 


The Customer service from this company gets a 10/10 from me too!

Christmas Shopping - Bah Humbug.

Another one pops in my email inbox. Taunting me yet again as if to say "You still won't be ready when the time comes"  Yes..Christmas emails.  Get 20% off if you purchase tonight, it would make a great Christmas gift. Yeah right...or "Buy now while stocks last, It's just what your loved one will want this Christmas.

Let's just ignore the fact that we all know that by December 23rd everything gift wise will be half the price it is now.

Now vouchers..Such an easy option that always seem fairly appreciated and it means your loved ones can buy what they want after Christmas when everything is on sale, but with that comes a lack of thought, nothing to really hold and admire on christmas day and the knowledge of whoever gets the vouchers will have to deal with hoards of *sweaty & over stuffed on turkey* boxing day people who are desperately trying to grab that last cr*ppy tube of fake snow and those much wanted reindeer socks that are only really suitable for the Christmas week. Maybe they are too drunk from Christmas booze to realize that it doesn't make much sense or even worse they are just one of those awful people who happen to have Christmas for the next year all sorted by the end of January. These are totally awful people who make me look completely useless. Grrrr

Yes you have guessed it i really hate Christmas..well no that's a lie. I actually love Christmas. I just hate the hours of shopping for the perfect gift. The expense of it all. The ramming Christmas down my throat in September. The unrealistic expectations of children who still like to hold on to the idea of "Santa" yet old enough to know that the jolly fat man gets rather a  lot of help from tired parents who haven't yet managed to win the lottery.

BAH HUMBUG.

Halo Kit - The smokers angel

I recently received a mini halo kit that i was lucky enough to win on twitter. I will add before i start that i didn't have to do a review, i was never asked and i always give my 100% honest opinion.

The reason i have chosen to give a review of this product is because of how brilliant the kit is and how in this day and age of ever increasing cigarette costs the Ecigarette works out much cheaper and you are able to smoke in places that you usually wouldn't be able to.

The above photo isn't mine and if from ecigarettedirect.co.uk but it shows you what the Smoker's mini halo kit consists of.


At the time of posting the Mini Halo kit is on offer for £14.99 


The HALO MINI Electronic Cigarette:

What you get:

    * 1 HALO lithium battery
    * 1 USB charger
    * 1 Silver e-cigarette case
    * 2 Refills
    * Manual
    * First Class Shipping (free on orders over £39.99, otherwise £2.99)


My husband has used the kit and over five days use has cut down on smoking normal cigarettes considerably and hopefully soon will move over to the Ecigarette permanently. While the Ecigarette does contain Nicotine is does not contain tar or the hundreds of other chemicals that can be found in normal cigarettes. Another plus is there is no smell when smoking them and no risk to others of passive smoking. This is the closest you can get to smoking a normal cigarette but as you can see has alot more advantages to it. Next week i will be purchasing a kit for myself..yes it really is that good!

A quote from their own website.

The e-cigarette is a device designed to simulate the process of smoking. It looks like a cigarette, and the end lights up when you inhale, but avoids many of the harmful effects of ordinary cigarettes. So how does it work?
The white end of the e-cig is the lithium battery container. Two of these are provided, so you should never be without your e-cigarette.
The brown end is the cartridge. Inside is a liquid which contains nicotine, propylene glycol (also used to make stage smoke) and an atomiser which heats up the liquid to create vapour.
What you inhale is not smoke, but vapor containing nicotine. However, when you exhale the vapor is present – and closely resembles smoke.
When you inhale, you activate the electronic circuits contained within the electronic cigarette. This initiates the vaporization process - and makes the end of the cigarette glow red. When you cease inhaling the vaporization will finish, with the cigarette returning to standy mode. The cigarette is battery operated, and can be recharged using the equipment provided.
The nicotine itself is contained in cartridges, which come in strengths of extra-high, high, medium, low - and zero strength.

You can follow the company Smoker's Angel on twitter here The Smokers Angel

To check out the range of products in the online store just click here ecigarettedirect.co.uk/

 

Easy to make,Cheap to make- Pasta Salad

Today i thought i would make up a few batches of pasta salad. The kids love it and i always try and vary the ingredients. It's also pretty cheap to make. Aldi is the best place for the salad ingredients, tuna (you could miss this out if you are in a budget, i know it's shot up in price recently) and pasta. The pasta i used today was a mix of what i had left in the larder. I had small soup pasta bows (approx 79p, and about half a pack each of penne and fusilli)

For example some i may include:-


Pasta salad 1
Cucumber
Tomato x 3
Tuna
Red onion
Red Pepper
Black Pepper
Mayo (son likes garlic mayo)
I packet of pasta (but i was making a big batch, you could use much less)
Grated cheese

Pasta salad 2
This is simple yet my eldest daughter loves it.
Black Pepper 
Red Onion
Pasta
Mayo
I packet of pasta (but i was making a big batch, you could use much less)

Pasta Salad 3
Cooked mince beef
Chilli Sauce
Kidney beans
I packet of pasta (but i was making a big batch, you could use much less)

The good thing with pasta salad is you can add so many different ingredients depending on what you like and don't like. It's perfect for BBQ's a quick snack for lunch or even as a meal. It's easy to make from scratch. You don't need to be a whizz in the kitchen. Just cook the pasta, drain, rinse with cold water and allow to cool while you chop up the other ingredients. Add the mayo/sauce last and just mix. It even lasts for a few days if covered in the fridge. So what if it doesn't look all that "pretty" it actually tastes really nice.

I worked out this cost me approx £3.35 and will last 2/3 days. (Would of cost much less if i didn't add the Tuna)
Later on i might even get round to making some vanilla cookies! :)

Tariq Jahan - A name to remember

I am sure most people by now are aware of the name Tariq Jahan

His 21 year old son was knocked down and killed in Birmingham along with two other young men Shazad Ali, 30 and Abdul Musavir, 31.

Hours after losing his son he made a statement.

"Today we stand here to plead with all the youth to remain calm, for our communities to stand united. This is not a race issue. The family has received messages of sympathy and support from all parts of society … I lost my son. Blacks, Asians, whites – we all live in the same community. Why do we have to kill one another? Why are we doing this? Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home – please."

In his state of grief his words probably meant more to the people listening than he could ever of imagined.

We all bleed red.
Yes, we may pray to different gods, or perhaps we don't follow a religion and we may look different on the outside, or we may talk differently but basically deep down we are very much the same and for all the sorrow and anger that these riots have brought down on our country we can sympathise and feel sadness for another. We can help each other in times of terror. We can respect each other.We can unite and become stronger than we have ever been before.

As Tariq Jahan said "Step forward if you want to lose your sons. Otherwise, calm down and go home – please."

R.I.P Haroon Jahan, 21, Shazad Ali, 30 and Abdul Musavir, 31 

The riots, a twitter idiot and hope.

I thought that it's long overdue that i posted about the riots happening in several places in the UK at the moment.


Britain is broken,we have a generation out terrorising normal decent people.  We have police officers getting hurt while trying to protect shops and other people. We have ordinary good people getting killed. Some people (the scum of our society) are thinking it's all a game / joke or not even thinking at all.

Amazon are selling mass loads of baseball bats and what looks similar to a nightstick, are they for the rioters? or are they for people who want to protect themselves if the worst happens? Who knows. :(
Amazon Link

The photographs around the net of the places involved are of places looking like a war zone. Not something i imagined the UK would ever look like in my lifetime.

While looking for the latest news yesterday afternoon, i found tweets from some idiot (i can't think of another word that is polite enough for my blog to describe him)  At the moment i cannot think of anything else to put apart from i really hope there is no more deaths. I really hope the people involved get a good kicking locked up and i hope they do some serious time in a proper jail cell.

THE TWEETS OF AN IDIOT
I will add that i very much doubt he is a muslim. More like a troll trying to make things worse. 
He does need to be banned from twitter though
Remember:- We all bleed red. These riots are not about racism. From what i have seen all it's about is stealing and terrorising cities.

and a song to finish up on...

"WE get knocked down...
but WE get up again...the rioters are never gonna keep us down!" (ok so i changed the words slightly..but these are more apt!)

If you want to get involved in the Riot Clean up then check out this website. RIOT CLEAN UP

Just spotted a petition.

          Convicted London rioters should loose all benefits.

Responsible department: Department for Work and Pensions

Any persons convicted of criminal acts during the current London riots should have all financial benefits removed. No tax payer should have to contribute to those who have destroyed property, stolen from their community and shown a disregard for the country that provides for them.

The Petition

Don't ever buy me a goat!

I must admit i have always thought of charity donation as a very personal thing.
For example i mainly support the alzheimer's society due to my nan having alzheimer's and the mnd association due to my uncle having mnd. Both have now passed away but i like the idea of perhaps one day, maybe not even in my lifetime but one day... a cure being found and other families not having to suffer losing their loved ones in the way me and my family have.

Other people i presume will tend to support charities that they have some sort of connection with. Either through relatives, themselves or something they love like animals.

There are several charities i avoid, for example those that send me pens and raffle tickets all the time even though i never requested them and they seem to send them out to everyone as it says "to the householder" rather than my name. Several charity bosses seem to live in upmarket houses, drive really expensive cars and a few well known charities have given the same sob story on adverts for the last 10 years. For example if we haven't managed to stop at least some children in poverty stricken places from dying every few minutes by now then something is seriously wrong.  Especially when you think of how much must of been sent to them in 10 years. I also doubt we are the only country sending them money. So what has actually happened to our money over the years?  What have we improved? Nothing if you believe the adverts

So if i ever receive a gift certificate telling me i have sent some country a goat, chickens, a toilet or other such nonsense i wouldn't be very impressed. Not because i don't have a heart but because i think the majority of the money that goes on some charities never ends up where it's supposed too. Thinking about it, i would rather support small local charities that really seem to struggle to exist. At least then i would have a feeling of the money actually being appreciated and used for its purpose.

Nerditorial and how A Healthy Lifestyle Avoids Alzheimer’s

As people who have read my blog and who know me would be aware Alzheimer’s robbed me of my nan. Rather than go on about it again i will just direct you to my post. Alzheimer's - Still in Mourning

I spotted a tweet today about how a healthy lifestyle avoids Alzheimer's so i RTed, As you do when something interests you. I just had a message that for the RT i won a copy of Rango on dvd! Talk about shocked! *in a nice way* :)

Anyway Nerditorial are on twitter (as if you haven't already worked that out!) You can follow them here Nerditorial on twitter and they have a really good well laid out website. I will direct you to the post that interested me enough for me to RT it. A Healthy Lifestyle Avoids Alzheimer’s
Nerditorial discuss a wide range of interesting subjects. For example politics, science and film reviews. They are well worth checking out.

Caernarfon and a lack of respect for it's dead

While on holiday in Snowdonia we visited Llanbeblig Caernarfon Cemetery and it has to be the worst cemetery i have ever seen. Such a lack of respect for the dead is shown and it seems to be the local hangout for drunks and druggies.One male and 2 young females were sitting on the graves around the back of the church while we went around taking photographs. Your life must be quite dismal or just downright pathetic  if this is the only thing you can think of doing on a Friday afternoon. In a way it's quite apt actually, seeing as they are probably going to be 6ft under if they keep up their hobby. One can only hope.

This place also shows how useless Caernarfon council / Mayor is, paying for stupid shows and events to be held while letting their dead rot in a place of utter disgust. One grave of three children all under 14 was broken, overgrown and covered in beer bottles and it was upsetting to see. There are also war graves there, all forgotten about and among the debris.

For more photographs and a better picture of this awful place check out Is this UK's worst Cemetery?

Snowdonia Holiday

Today we arrived home from our holiday in Snowdonia.

Apart from two days which were a wash out (Literally!) We had a good time. We visited the Great Orme Copper Mine, The Welsh Mountain Zoo, Anglesey Model Village and Gardens,Welsh Slate Quarry Museum Llanberis and we also drove around Snowdon and stopped off at various points to take photographs and enjoy the views.


The Anglesey Model Village was a bit disappointing. It is a fairly reasonable price wise to get in but it takes up only about 15-30 minutes. The names of the mini shops are quite amusing...for example Dan Druff- Hairdresser and i suppose if the sun is shining it would make it worthwhile to visit if you're passing. Children get a quiz to fill in as they go around and this seemed to occupy ours. They also have a small cafe which sells a limited amount of souvenirs. Anglesey Model Village

The Great Orme Copper Mine seemed to be a hit with hubby and the children. At 5ft 11 i was constantly hitting my head on something. Thankfully the helmet you get given stopped me having a serious injury! Don't get me wrong, i enjoyed it but my shoes don't have brilliant grip so in some parts i was crapping myself :) Yes i'm a wimp!Honestly if you are in the area it is well worth a visit  Great Orme Mines

The Welsh Mountain Zoo was brilliant, i could of spent several days there. The cost to get in is fair seeing as it can easily take up a day. The birds of prey display, Sea lion show and penguin feeding were great to watch. I loved the Red Panda, i have never seen one before and it was very cute. The children loved the Sea Lion show, it was a  really nice experience for them and they are still talking about it. The Brown Bears were another great thing to see, especially as one was having so much fun cracking into and eating a coconut.
Welsh Mountain Zoo

A really worthwhile and cheap day out which i highly recommend would be the Welsh Slate Quarry Museum in Llanberis. It's free to get in! and has so much to explore. It's another place that could easily take up a day. After visiting we went to have a look at the lake that is just a minutes walk away, i let our two girls paddle in the water as it was shallow where we were and our youngest ended up getting a cut on her thumb. We walked over to the Quarry Museum as that was where the nearest first aid kit was and she ended up passing out on me after getting a plaster put on her thumb. It must of looked quite a picture me and her on the floor with her white as a sheet. Anyway as it was quite a deep cut we had to detour to the nearest doctors so she could get some butterfly stitches. She is now very proud of her thumb and can't wait to show it off to friends...!

Anyway that's about it from me for the moment, i will update tomorrow with some more holiday snaps and no doubt have something else to chat about by then.

While i think of it R.I.P. To the people who died in Norway and the young and talented singer Amy Winehouse. *Both tragic news*

Well deserved holiday & Rumblers Pots

I best start off with an apology to FunkiMunkiBadge lady Leah :( Just realised i have something here that i haven't posted yet! darn..it will be in the post tomorrow..*promise*

It's been one of those weeks..actually months. The one really good thing is we are off on holiday Saturday, and it also happens that our daughter will be ten on the same day. Are we off to somewhere exotic i hear you ask? Well that would be a big fat no. Not unless you call North Wales exotic...but regardless of the fact it doesn't involve a plane or half a dozen semi naked men running around waiting on me hand and foot..oh and yes i'm feeling nice so i would of chucked in half a dozen semi naked women running around for hubbys benefit too. I'm sure the holiday will be enjoyed.

We usually go on our holiday in school time but what with important exams and other such things we can't really take the children away from important classes this coming year.No matter how much money we would of saved doing so! The prices for breaks in the summer holidays are almost laughable, though i suppose it is classed as a luxury to have a holiday nowadays. Though personally i think it is more of a necessity.

I like to be away from everything and everyone i see day to day and just spend time with the family, exploring new places. Oh gawd i'm getting excited... roll on Saturday!

This week my smile moment was when i received some very yummy rumblers pots. I am a huge fan. I could easily have an addiction to them..i had Strawberry,Raspberry and Chocolate delivered. What more could a woman want? I just love the fact it's good for me and yet tastes divine. They are perfect for breakfast, a lunchbox or picnic.
You can follow them on twitter at @RumblersPots or check out their website here for stockists Rumblers

Anyway that's my lot tonight as i'm totally shattered.

Night Night X

Oh i do like to be beside the seaside

Me and hubby have spent a lovely afternoon in Goodwick Harbour this afternoon. It's easy to forget how lucky we are to have the sea right on our doorstep.

There were quite a few people about making the most of the sunshine. It really is a perfect day, sunny yet with a lovely breeze and there is something quite refreshing sitting down, looking out at the sea and breathing in the sea air.

There was plenty of pesky seagulls as normal waiting for passers by to drop a bit of food.

We spotted a very happy border collie having a splash about in the water and then running across the sand, shaking himself off near his owner and then burying his toys.

I loved looking at all the different pebbles that have been washed ashore, hubby managed to find some really nice layered ones. I tried looking for fossils but unfortunatly couldn't find any. There was plenty of crabs,snails and mussels about though. Our youngest daughter always ends up with pocketfuls of pebbles when she comes here.

I hope you have had as nice a day as i have. :)

Alzheimer's - Still in Mourning.

Anger. Fear. Shame. Sadness.

These are the emotions i experienced due to my nan having Alzheimer's. It's really hard to imagine someone you love so much losing their memories of you unless you are put in the awful situation of it happening to you.

Anger :- I think i experienced Anger mainly at myself for not having the courage to face my nan in her final years and at the so called "god or higher being" for giving my strong willed nan who had brought up five children by herself , one of whom was disabled such an awful illness when she deserved to have so much happiness in her later years.

Fear. I think this is of the unknown. How long do they have? How long before they forget you? How will i be able to cope without them in my life?

Shame.  For not visiting when i should of. For not being there. For not being the model grandaughter she had probably wished for.

Sadness. You mourn for them when the illness is diagnosed. You mourn for them when their memories fade. You eventually mourn for them when they are no longer with us.

My nan died in April 2009, 3 months after my grandad. She was from Faicchio in Italy yet lived most of her adult life in Wales. She is now at rest back in her home town in Italy. We shared a birthday, many laughs and tears over the years. She was my nan and i loved her more than anything.

It always surprises me when someone dies that people seem to move on with their lives quite effortlessly, forget if you will and continue their lives as normal. Since April 2009 i have longed for the day when i can no longer think of my nan each day without tears welling up in my eyes. I know..life goes on and people have to move forward but i'm still in mourning. Maybe i will always be.

Hopefully one day there will be a cure or something that significantly delays the symptoms so other people don't lose their loved ones to an illness that seems to cruel.

Hold your loved ones close. Nobody knows what tomorrow holds.

"Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have"

Free Willy...or at least tadpoles.

Well i noticed the other week that our tadpoles had started growing legs and were spending quite a bit of time sat on the rock rather than in the water. I didn't want to release them till they had fully turned into frogs but common sense told me it was time to "Free Willy" them before they started leaping about and leaving the haven of a lunch box that had been their home over the last few weeks.

We returned them to where we had originally collected them from. Youngest daughter gently tipped them into the water and they seemed quite happy. I must admit i'm rather sad to see them go. They were a reminder of my childhood and how much time i had spent with my wellies on searching the local ponds for any tadpoles that i could gather into my jam jar. I may have come home looking like a drowned rat on more than one occasion but i was one very happy drowned rat.

A quick reminder, i have only had one email so far regarding the giveaway i ran on my blog. It would be ever so helpful if the other winners could email me asap as i hope to be sending the prizes off on Tuesday. Thank you.

Galt Bouncy Balls review

Tonight my children have been having loads of fun making the Galt Bouncy Balls Kit. It was sent to us to review by the lovely people over at izziwizzikids.co.uk
I just happened to be online at the right time and spotted a shout out for testers on their facebook page (check them out!) and i thought that is something my children will love to have a go with. Unfortunatly oldest daughter was having a bad hair day so didn't want to go on video, luckily my 9 year old adores the camera and bad hair day or not nothing would of stopped her reviewing this kit. She did make some mistakes on the video..in fact her brother was in stitches *silent* laughing but i thought we would just use it anyway. I'm not into making our children seem word perfect on camera, mistakes are all a part of life anyway and it didn't take much away from the review.

The kit is really simple to make, the packets of crystals which make the balls come in a variety of colours and you just need to pour the crystals into one of the two included moulds (one small, one large) You can mix colours together for a nice effect. Then you put the mould into water and wait 2 minutes for it to set. Then you remove the ball from the mould and rinse it under a cold tap and wait for it to dry and then you have a fantastic bouncy ball. It says for age 8 upwards which seems about right, though i'm sure younger children would enjoy making them aslong as they were fully supervised.

Ours had loads of fun making them and bouncing them about afterwards, even my young teenage son. My youngest loved the fact that they glow in the dark and took great delight in turning off the lights in every room just to see them glow!