Author: Scottish Mum

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An Underactive Thyroid

You know how it goes.  I’d get the kids up and ready for school, run the stress gauntlet of breakfast, get them moving, get my mum up and breakfasted, then myself ready for the day.  By 9am, all I wanted to do some days, was put my head back down and sleep for hours.  I ate as little as I could, given that I had terrible cravings, but still gained weight.

It did my head in.

Then…

When I got checked up recently for diabetes, other blood tests were done at the same time.  What that meant, is that I’ve found out my thyroid was blown, and probably has been for quite a while.

Healthy Thyroid

I’m not hugely under at the moment, but it’s low enough that it’s been causing me problems.  I just didn’t know what to look for at the time.

I should have known better as my mother has been underactive for many years, but hers was knocked out as a result of treatment for an overactive thyroid.

Underactive thyroid, or hypothyroidism is easy to miss in the early stages.  I had no idea.  At all.  I knew I was tired, and finding end of the day difficult, although I couldn’t fall asleep, but I put that down to caring for three kids, one with special needs, and two elders with dementia.

The symptoms can be mistaken for other things, so it’s worth knowing what to look out for.  Since I’ve been put on Thyroxine, the pain I had 24/7 in my thumbs seems to have taken a walk off a cliff, leaving me pain-free, but that could also be due to having the diabetes more under control now.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it stays like that.

Symptoms Can Include

  • Weight gain.
  • Extreme tiredness.
  • Sensitive to cold.
  • Depression.
  • Slowing down of movement and thought patterns.
  • Muscle aches.
  • Cramps.
  • Dry skin.
  • Brittle nails and hair.
  • Pain and numbness in hand and fingers.

What Does The Thyroid Do?

Our thyroid regulates our metabolism.  The butterfly shaped gland in our necks is responsible for almost everything our bodies.  In other words, the hormones produced by the thyroid are dumped into the blood stream and are necessary for all the cells in our bodies to work properly.

An unbalanced thyroid will interfere with the way your body uses fats, and can make our body cells work slower than normal in hypothyroidism..  I’ve often been given sideways glances when I said that I put weight on around 1200 calories a day, and couldn’t understand why.  No-one ever believes you.  They really do think you’re trying to make excuses for putting on weight, or think you’re just lazy.  Now I know I wasn’t going mad…..

When the cells slow down, so does the heart rate, and can increase the risk of heart disease, increase the levels of cholesterol in the blood and cause fatty deposits to build up in arteries.  For that reason, it’s important to get diagnosed if your thyroid is out of sync.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is quite a simple blood test, that shows the levels of T3 and T4 hormone in our blood.  The doctor can tell immediately if you have it, by your results.

The Future

As hypothyroidism is often a result of our own immune system malfunction, treatment is usually needed for life.  The drug of choice seems to be Levothyroxine, and I can feel it helping already, despite only having taken it for a fortnight so far.  The disease could also simply be a result of having virus that puts our hormones out of whack, or Hashimoto’s disease, which is often hereditary.

How Can I Stop Underactive Thyroid Developing?

The simple answer is, that you can’t.   Having an underactive thyroid is quite common, more so in women, with around 15 in every thousand women developing it.

Find Out More

Find out more about thyroid conditions at Thyroid UK.

 

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No Weigh Pear Crumble Recipe

Another no weigh crumble recipe for you.  It’s the only way to make it.    Find my no weight rhubarb crumble recipe here.

I’d walked into the local Co-op this week and found lots of bags of marked down pears.  I snapped up four bags, although I wasn’t quite sure what to do with them, but the man loves crumble so he asked for them to be turned into his favourite dessert.

Pear Crumble

No Weigh Pear Crumble Recipe

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Pudding
Cuisine Dessert
Servings 6 - 8 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • Pears - I used four bags of small pears with 6 pears in each bag. Topped and tailed, then cored and sliced.
  • Sugar.
  • Plain Flour.
  • Oatmeal.
  • Butter.

Instructions
 

  • Wash the pears, core them, then chop them up.
  • I put these into the crumble bowl, put the oven on to 140C and baked them with some water and two tablespoons of sugar for 20 minutes.
  • Tip out some of the excess water if there is more than a centimetre or so in the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkle on some sugar. The more sugar you add, the sweeter your crumble will be. I added very little as pears are sweet anyway.
  • I simply tip some flour into a bowl, then top up with oatmeal. I'd say it was likely to be around 100 grammes. I added about four times as much oatmeal, them mixed it well.
  • Add sugar. Do it to taste. I just tipped some out of my pack, about the same amount as for the flour.
  • Add in a couple of tablespoons of soft butter, then work the mix into breadcrumbs. Add a little more butter if you need to.
  • Bake in a moderate oven, around 160 degrees C for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the top begins to turn golden brown in colour.
  • Serve with cream, custard, toffee sauce, or just on its own. Fabulous

 

 

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Soup Maker Recipe: Asparagus and Spring Onion Soup

I wanted something slightly different for my mum and asparagus is one vegetable I have tended to avoid fairly often, but it’s also a good one for us to eat, so I’ve started experimenting.

This came out quite thick, so I added a little milk at the serving stage for her, and she loved it.

Asparagus and Spring Onion Soup2

Soup Maker Recipe: Asparagus and Spring Onion Soup

Lesley Smith
This is a 1600 l recipe. Make up your stock to the limit of your own machine.
5 from 3 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Soup Maker
Cuisine Soup
Servings 6 Bowls

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g Asparagus Chopped
  • 125 g Spring Onion Chopped
  • 100 g Onion Chopped
  • 150 g Potatoes Cubed
  • 1 Teaspoon Butter
  • 2 Chicken Stock Cubes
  • Up to 800ml Boiling Water

Instructions
 

  • Saute the onion and spring onion with the butter, until the onions are soft, then add in the chopped asparagus and stir well.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
  • Choose the smooth setting.

 

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Egg Pizza with Ham & Tomatoes (Low Carb)

For me, this is just a throw it all in kind of meal.  Fast, simple, and fills hungry bellies.

It’s a favourite of my eldest in the evening if he’s peckish.

This Egg Pizza is a five minute low carb meal.  Yes, it’s fairly high in fat, but if you’re eating low carbs, then you’re fine.  This comes in around 7.3 carbs for the whole thing, which is low for a fairly hefty meal and most people will eat half a portion.  It really does count if you’re keeping to very low carb levels, ie around 30 a day.  Also a perfect meal for diabetics doing LCHF (Low Carb, High Fat)

For everyone else, it’s a luxurious meal that you can use lower fat alternatives for fewer calories.

 

Egg Pizza - Ham and Tomato

 

Egg Pizza with Ham & Tomatoes (Low Carb)

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Main Meal
Cuisine Low Carb
Calories 371 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Medium Eggs
  • 40 g Cheddar Cheese Grated
  • 100 g Ham Shredded (I used Ham Hock for this recipe)
  • 4 Cherry Tomatoes Halved
  • 2 Pats of Butter

Instructions
 

  • Add the butter to your frying pan and let it gently heat up.
  • Crack the eggs into a bowl and give them a good whisk with a fork.
  • Turn down the heat of your pan and tip the egg into the frying pan, on a low heat.
  • Leave the egg to cook for a minute, then put your ham, tomatoes and cheese on the top.
  • Leave the Egg Pizza to cook for a couple of minutes, until all the egg is fully done.

 

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No Base – Low Sugar & Virtually Fat Free Cheesecake

Using up the Quark I bought as a tester was easier than I thought.  As a diabetic, I don’t want the sugar that is usually added to cheesecake, but I also didn’t want the calories from some of the other options, nor the carbs from a stodgy base.

This is a light and different way to make a type of cheesecake that I think I will go back to, again and again with different flavours to disguise the taste of the quark.  It’s almost fat free and has a very low sugar content.  It’s magic stuff for cheesecake.  It’s mixed well to add air into the cheesecake.  Be warned.  When you get this right, you might never want to go back to horrifically high calorie content cheesecake again in your life.

I ate a whopping serving and a half of this and broke neither my diet nor my carb count.

Quark Cheesecake 2

Baseless Virtually Fat Free Cheesecake

Lesley Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Dessert
Servings 6 - 8 Servings
Calories 116 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • Quark Soft Cheese - 2 x 500ml Tubs
  • Stevia - Powdered - To Taste
  • Vannila Essence - To Taste
  • Strawberry Freeze Dried Pieces - 6g - I got from Sainsburys
  • Gelatine - 1 Sachet or 4 Leaf Sheets

Instructions
 

  • In your mixer, put your quark, along with four teaspoons of the Stevia, then add in some drops of vanilla. Set your mixer to whip up the cheese.
  • While the cheese is mixing, dissolve your gelatine in a small amount of hot water.
  • Add the gelatine to the cheese and do a taste test. If it is not sweet enough, add a little more stevia until you are happy with it. My kids did the taste test and we used 8 teaspoons of Stevia and five capfuls of Madagascar Vanilla.
  • Put your mixer on high for a couple of minutes, to whip some air into the mixture.
  • Pour into dishes and leave for an hour to set.
  • Serve with fresh fruit on top, or use another sachet of gelatine to create a jelly like fruit topping.

Notes

Nutrition count is approximate. I couldn't find the right information for the vanilla extract or the gelatine.

 

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Rhubarb Jam Recipe: Garden Goodies

Rhubarb jam has to be one of the easiest to make.  I’ve been a bit lazy with the first batch from our allotment this year and just used preserve making sugar instead of adding lemon juice.  Last year, my rhubarb jam was just a tiny bit too runny, although it tasted gorgeous, but the hope was to have a slightly more set jam this time round.

I used the red stalks to make rhubarb crumble, so this jam is more brown in colour than the lovely reds that come from using red stalks.

Rhubarb Jam 2

Rhubarb Jam Recipe: Garden Goodies

Lesley S Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Preserve

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg Rhubarb washed and cut into 1cm lengths.
  • 1 kg Preserving Sugar

Instructions
 

  • Put the rhubarb and sugar into your pan, mix and leave overnight. There will be a fair amount of slushy watery content in the morning. You might want to use a hand blender to mush down your rhubarb now, or you can wait until the mix is boiled, but at that stage, you would need to take much care, as you are dealing with boiling sugar.
  • Bring your rhubarb to a slow boil, melting the sugar.
  • Let the rhubarb bubble on a simmer for around 5 minutes, then test the jam on a plate, with a drop, then see if it sets. If it does not thicken, simply put it back on the heat for another few minutes until it reaches the desired consistency.
  • Take the jam off the boil and leave it for ten minutes before you put it into you readied containers. Make sure these are sterilised and warm before you put hot jam into them.

 

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No Weigh Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

The first time I did this, we were in the motor home, but the man had pulled some sticks of rhubarb before we left and thrown them into one of the cupboards.  I can’t say I was best pleased at the thought of making puddings on holiday, so I wanted something fast, easy and without any hassle to make.

I had little faith that it would turn out well, so I went into it sort of half-heartedly, just throwing stuff into a bowl and mixing it around, but it worked so well, that it’s the only way I make crumble now.   Who needs to waste time being precise and measuring for this.  Not me, that’s for sure.  With this recipe, the aim is to actually cook the rhubarb in the microwave by steaming it, and just putting it in the oven to mesh the rhubarb with the crumble and cook the topping itself.


Rhubarb Crumble 7

No Weigh Rhubarb Crumble

Lesley S Smith
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Pudding
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • Rhubarb Stalks
  • Sugar
  • Plain Flour
  • Oatmeal
  • Butter

Instructions
 

  • Wash the rhubarb and chop into 1 cm lengths.
  • In a bowl, add a couple of tablespoons of water. Mix, cover the bowl, and microwave for five minutes. If the rhubarb is still a little hard, give it a good stir and microwave for a little longer.
  • Tip out some of the excess water if there is more than a few mms in the bottom of the bowl, then sprinkle on some sugar. The more sugar you add, the sweeter your crumble will be. I added about four spoons to this crumble for six people.
  • Mix well, then add to a baking dish.
  • I simply tip some flour into a bowl, then top up with oatmeal. I'd say it was likely to be around 100 grammes. I had sachets of Hamlyns Golden Syrup Porridge Sachets, so I tipped four into the bowl with the flour.
  • Add sugar. Do it to taste. I just tipped some out of my pack, but I made sure the rhubarb in the oven dish was sweet enough for my kids first. The porridge sachets would add sweetness to my crumble, so I kept the sugar content low. I added around the same volume wise as I did for flour.
  • When I first made this, the butter was incredibly soft as I'd forgotten to put it in the fridge. I find it works easier like that. I add a tablespoon at a time, until the dry ingredients form what looks like breadcrumbs.
  • Bake in a moderate oven, around 160 degrees C for about 20 - 30 minutes, or until the top begins to turn golden brown in colour.
  • Serve with cream, custard, toffee sauce, or just on its own. Fabulous

Rhubarb Crumble 3

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World Hunger Day Challenge – A Meal For 33p A Head

The 28th May is World Hunger Day

When I was asked to take part in the recipe challenge, to create a healthy meal for just 33p a head in aid of World Hunger Day, I decided to take part in the dine below the line campaign when MyVoucherCodes offered to donate £40 to the cause on my behalf for taking part.Carrot and Ginger Soup 2

At 33p per head, I found it difficult from the get go.  The main challenge is to live on less than £1 per person, per day, or otherwise known as eating ‘below the line,’ however I took part in a one meal challenge for 33p a head.

The project says.

When women are empowered and supported, everyone rises. Make some change happen from £1 and support our partners in 17,000 communities working to end hunger and poverty by pioneering sustainable, grassroots, women-centred strategies.

To be honest, I’d actually have found it easier to live on £1 per person per day than simply 33p per person for one meal, as that would give me £30 to spend on food and drink for the full 5 days, which would make recipe planning a whole lot simpler, but still a major challenge.

I’m a big soupie, so my first thoughts turned to my soup maker.  naturally.  Even then, I found that with some good planning, and some cautious shopping at the end of the day, I could get a good lot of veges, but my choice of veg would be limited to what was on offer.

But whoa, my whole budget for the meal was £1.98.  I simply had to take what they had on offer, which would not have filled my boys with joy, but a bit of rooting around at 4pm found a 500g bag of carrots going out of date for 50p.  Eating on a budget really does need some precision planning and strategic shopping.

I used Tesco as my reference point for most ingredients, although I found carrots at my nearest co-op for pricing my meal.  I added two pudding variants, as my first option relied on garden produce, which is not always available for people to use.

Budget £1.98 – Healthy Meal For 6 People.  My meals came in at £1.92 and £1.89, including accompaniments and pudding, or add 6p for a glass of squash each .

How To Get InvolvedCarrot Soup

Visit the hunger project and you can even take part in the dinner party challenge, to feed everyone for 33p or less per head.  Honestly, you think it’s easy, but it really is not.  Or join the campaign that runs until June 27th, 2015, to live on £1 per day, per person for 5 days.  You can also find some of their own recipes to try.

My Recipes

Soup – £1.02

Ingredients

– 500g Carrots (or whatever vegetables are on offer-even frozen will do) – 50p

– 1 Onion – 16p

– 2 Value Stock Cubes – 6p (From a pack that costs 30p for 10)

– 1 Baking Potato – 30p

– 800ml Boiling Water – 0p

Method

Peel and chop your vegetables.

In a pan, add your ingredients and simmer until your vegetables are soft, then simply purée your mix to make it more palatable.  If it’s too thick, just add a teaspoon of boiling water at a time until it reaches the consistency you are looking for.  For additional taste, add a little salt and pepper, or other spices if you have any in the cupboard.

Accompaniments – 42p

– 1/2 Value Loaf of Bread – 20p

– 1/4 Block of Butter – 22p (86p for 250g)

Pudding

Unfortunately, with the paltry 52p I had left for pudding, it was difficult.  I couldn’t find anything in shops that was reduced and although I have rhubarb from our garden, it does take a little planning and working out to get it right.

Pudding 1 – Rhubarb Crumble 47.5p

Plot Rhubarb

Ingredients

– Rhubarb (Free from our garden)

– Plain Flour 120g – 6p (45p for 1.5kg Value Flour)

– Sugar 100g – 6p – (59p for 1kg)

– Oats 100g – 7.5p (1kg Value Oats 75p)

– Butter 31g – 11p

– Custard – 385g Tin – 17p

Method

Pre-heat your oven to around 180 C.   Wash and chop your rhubarb.  If you have dessert rhubarb, the sugar content isn’t so crucial, but if you have any other kind, be tempted to use up the remaining pence on extra sugar to sweeten the dish.  Pop your chopped rhubarb into an oven dish and add a couple of tablespoons of water over the top.

Put your flour, sugar and oats in a bowl, then rub the butter into the mixture until it looks like breadcrumbs.  Layer it over your rhubarb and bake in the oven for up to around 40 minutes, or until the crumble is nice and golden on top.  To serve for six people, a couple of dessert spoons of custard each will spin it out.

Pudding Alternative 2 – Bananas & Porridge – 45p

Ingredients

– 200g Oats – 15p

– 900 – 1000ml Water – 0p

– Pinch Salt – Negligible and Optional.

– 2 Bananas – 24p (12p each in Tesco)

– Sugar 100g – 6p

Method

Add the oats and water into a pan, stir well on top of a medium heat level.  Adding salt is optional, although it does bring out the flavour and does not affect the taste in conflict with the sugar added later.

Stir porridge continually, or you are likely to find it ending up in a gloopy mess.  It will take five to ten minutes for the oats to be cooked and for your porridge to look like porridge.  If it’s too thick for you, add a little more water.

Some people will add the sugar at the cooking stage, but I don’t like the potential for burning, so I simply add it at the serving stage.  Chop your bananas into small pieces or thin slivers.

Split your porridge into bowls, sprinkle the sugar on top.  You can choose to mix it through the porridge or leave it for the person to choose for themselves.  Evenly distribute the bananas among the bowls, and serve.  With a few pence left over, you could even add a tablespoon of milk to each portion when it is served.

Drinks

– Water – 0p

– Extra Value Squash – 1 Glass – 6p (42p per bottle of 750ml double concentrate squash)

 

 

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Preview Review: The Crackin Egg Co

They think eggs rule, and they wouldn’t be far wrong.  The Crackin Egg Co have taken the idea of hard boiling eggs and added a protective coating to lock in the goodness, and they’re ready to eat.

We tested the sour cream and chive and the salt and black pepper eggs, that are high in protein, rich in omega 3 and only 77 calories each.

the-crackin-egg-3

My first question was the one about eggs being high in cholesterol.  Thankfully, the Crackin Egg Co have an answer for that.

Yes it’s true, eggs are high in cholesterol with a medium egg containing just over half of our RDA, but it’s not all bad. We need cholesterol in our diets to help us produce the acids that help to properly digest fat and keep our cells functioning properly. Too much of anything is a bad thing, but it has been proven that eggs do not adversely affect cholesterol levels in our blood. In fact, eating eggs actually helps to raise the level of good, HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol and turns the bad, LDL (high-density lipoprotein) from small particles to large. This means fat is mobilised around our bodies more effectively and the bad cholesterol becomes benign. How nice of those cracking little eggs to look out for us.

Where To Keep The Eggs

These are the end of eggs that need to be kept in the fridge.  The special coating means that Crackin Eggs can be kept anywhere, as long as it’s under 20 Degrees C.

the-crackin-egg-2

How To Eat

Our eggs are simply peel and eat, so they’re perfect for lunchboxes.

Our Eggs

The kids were well impressed with my little egg cup that had my name on it.  I suspect if it was an option to buy those egg cups, there could be a nice little run on them.

the-crackin-egg

Where To Get Them

They won’t be on supermarket shelves until June 2015, so keep an eye out for these and for the bright yellow six packs of boiled eggs that would be perfect for school lunch bags.

the-crackin-egg-6-pack

Contact Crackin Eggs

On their new website, or on Twitter. @CrackinEggCo

Thanks to The Crackin Egg Co for our boiled egg samples.

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I May Be A Type 2 Diabetic

After a few weeks of checking my blood glucose levels, it turns out I may actually be diabetic.  By saying ‘may,’ I am more than likely simply underestimating the effect.  My blood sugar readings over the time I’ve pricked my fingers regularly, have been appalling.

Blood Glucose Meter

I know some of you are wondering why I even bothered checking my readings, but when you manage someone else’s diabetes, you do eventually become curious about what your own sugar levels are like.  You mostly know my mum lives with us and has dementia, but she also has diabetes, and I have to control that for her through food, insulin and her tablets.  The exercise part is out of the equation as she can barely walk these days.

My awareness of diabetes had been growing due to monitoring her levels, but one day, around the table, I checked my whole family.  My reading was enough for me to begin keeping watch on my readings, and I am now monitoring one of my children who seems to be sitting on the cusp of pre-diabetes but is still healthy and living within the limits.

There are other symptoms of possible diabetes, which meant I had ruled myself out as a candidate.  The books said that people with diabetes lose weight as they excrete the glucose through urine and not insulin helping it into the body’s cells.  For me, that means nothing.  Lose weight, that’s a laugh.  It was, however the one biggest reason that convinced me that my extreme tiredness after eating especially was more to do with my fibro or sometimes a carb coma if I ate potatoes or pasta.

Type 2 Diabetes Symptoms

Only two of these symptoms applied to me, so I wish I had done something about them sooner.

  •  passing urine more than you used to, especially at night.
  • becoming increasingly thirsty.
  • extreme tiredness.
  • unexplained weight loss.
  • slow healing of cuts and wounds.
  • blurred vision.
  • increased or unsatiated hunger.

The Future

Whatever my results end up being, I know that from now on, I really need to be careful of what I eat and how I live my life.

I bought myself a blood sugar meter, but the meter itself wasn’t expensive, however the lancets and the test strips are quite pricey.  I believe that some areas of the UK don’t prescribe them for people who turn out to be Type 2 diabetes, which is either where I am, or where I’m headed.

In any case, testing several times a day is helping me keep an eye on which foods do what to my sugar levels and it can turn up some surprising results.  If I drink a diet fizzy drink, my sugar levels can go up as much as 1 mmol (the measurement of blood sugar in the UK.)  There may be other factors at play, but as a rule, my favourite diet fizz has to be rationed for me now.

Type 2 diabetes can come on very slowly, which mean we might not even notice the symptoms.  I suspect I have built up to this for a long time, and I might have chugged on for another few years before it became an issue at all, but thankfully, I seem to have nipped it in the bud.

Getting Tested

If you are in doubt, visit your G.P for a test, like I just did.  If it is diabetes, then early diagnosis can reduce future problems.  Your G.P is likely to start with a fasting blood sugar test which will indicate your levels where you have had no calories for 8 + hours.  If you are diabetic, your body will release glucose as a result of fasting and will result in levels over 7 mmol.

The interesting one for me has to be the increase in levels of hunger.  It’s something I’ve struggled with for a decade.  Apparently, in uncontrolled diabetes, where blood glucose levels are high, glucose from the blood cannot enter the cells, either with a lack of insulin or from insulin resistance.  What that means, is that bodies of people with uncontrolled diabetes cannot convert that food into energy.  What happens then, is that your hunger levels rise and simply eating more will not get rid of the feeling of hunger, as it will just top up the already high blood sugar.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that my sugar readings lately are just a blip, but deep down, I know there is more going on and that it’s likely I have had this for years.  Whether I sit at pre-diabetes or full diabetes is my issue, and I suspect I will need more tests, but in the meantime, I have a way of checking where I sit.  That gives me more confidence in controlling what I do in my daily life.

I am very early in this journey, but with the help of my blood sugar meter, I hope to get on top of it, but it will mean many food changes for me.

Find Out More

For more information, visit the NHS or DIABETES.co.uk.

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Looking for something to do in Scotland this weekend? Festival of Museums Events until 17th May 2015

Finding out about our own heritage and background are important to many of us Scots, and although we are taught much of it in schools, I’ve found that my own children’s experience of our local heritage is much weakened in comparison to what my generation learned as children. #FOM2015 Feather Quill Souvenir

As a family, we’ve visited several of the National Trust sites as members for a few years, but now that our boys are older, we’re limited in how often they want to come with us.  Where they haven’t lost interest is in museums, and everywhere we go, my youngest tends to drag us after him.

This weekend is a festival of Scotland’s culture, with much more besides.

#FOM2015 Horrible Histories souvenirIn a way, it’s a good kick-start to talking about our own family roots, wherever we come from.

There are events going on up and down Scotland this weekend, so head on over to the programme to find out if there’s something special for you, or even pick up a souvenir or two.

 

Fraserburgh, Museum of Scottish Lighthouses – Travel Through Time event.

Lighthouse-Museum-Dalek

My kids would have loved this when they were younger.  Actually, I’m not sure kids ever get too old for this.

If ours had all been at home this weekend, I suspect we’d have been taking a trip to Fraserburgh tomorrow afternoon.  Read what the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses has to say about their event.

Watch out for low-flying police boxes!

Our museum has been taken over by Daleks and we need your help to save the museum – and the planet – from extermination! Grab your longest scarf and come along dressed as your favourite Doctor Who character to learn some cool facts about our genuine 1970s Dalek and Doctor Who in general.

Go selfie crazy, fill our Facebook page with Dalek ‘likes’, and win a prize for the best costume! Then drift back in time, meet a lighthouse keeper in his lighthouse, and find out what it was like to live and work at Kinnaird Head. Perhaps you can offer him a sonic screwdriver to fix the light…

Other Events

The annual Festival of Muesums is a nationwide programme of cultural events taking place this weekend.

#FOM2015 A history of scotland, neil oliver

Some of those who are taking part are:

  • Glasgow – School of Art & the Glasgow Style City Walking Tour
  • Dundee – McManus Gallery – Meet a Polar Explorer
  • Edinburgh – Anatomical Museum – A Scandal in Surgeon’s Hall
  • Aberdeen – Zoology Museum

Aberdeen – Tonight – 16th May – Zoology Museum

This is in my neck of the woods.  They will celebrate all things Egyptology with real life desert animals like snakes, scorpions and meerkats.  There will be gruesome tales and the chance to be painted like a pharoah or dress like an Egyptian.

About the Festival of Museums and Museums Galleries, Scotland

Joanne Orr, the chief executive of Museums Galleries Scotland said.

‘Festival of Museums is about igniting imaginations while celebrating Scotland’s wealth of culture.  There is a packed programme this year with lots of extraordinary, surprising and exciting events over three fun-filled days.  So come and see what Scotland’s museums and galleries have in store for you.’

See The Whole Programme

Visit the festival of museums to find out more about what’s on for the rest of this weekend.

Dinosaur Skeleton Souvenir

About the Museums Galleries, Scotland

The museums Galleries, Scotland, are the National Development Body for Scotland’s museums and galleries.  The festival is aimed at all ages and interests, to showcase Scotland’s wide culture.   To find out more, visit their website at www.museumsgalleriesscotland.org.uk/about-us

Thank you to the Festival of Museums for the lovely Books and small gifts used as images in this post.

 

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5 Things For Grownups To Do In The Evenings

The days are getting longer and the evenings are lighter, but not yet terribly warm.  With the May holiday weekend on our doorstep, I know that many of us wonder what we can do in the evenings when we’ve put our kids to bed.  Before my blogging days, I used to find the evenings quite frustrating, either spending them reading or watching TV, then suddenly, my evening became awash with new people and friends on the Internet and lots of things to occupy my time.

Having a reasonable Internet connection does make a difference to anything we do, and although ours is not good by today’s standards, it’s positively lightening in comparison to the dial up I had to suffer just a few years ago.  Perhaps, one day, superfast will make it around here.

With kids, we usually end up stuck to the house, unless we can find good babysitters, or a willing relative or two, but it’s just not that easy to sort out, especially at short notice.

I’ve had a look around the Internet for things that look interesting and fun, as an alternative to reading and watching TV.

1 – Scrapbooking

I know some of my readers are well into scrapbooking and it’s something we’ve only just begun to do.  For us, it’s more usually called an adoption story book, but it’s scrapbooking all the same, where we plan to end up with a pictoral trail of my kids journey through life, from birth and adoption, right through to adulthood.  My boys aren’t exactly the most interested in preparing things, so I do plan to get all the pictures and information together so that they can decide for themselves how to put it into simple formats.

Scrapbooking

There are plenty of online websites dedicated to scrapbooking and tips to do it well, so it’s easy enough to find good information to get started.  You don’t need to spend a fortune either, as images glued to sheets of paper put into a plastic wallet does fine on a budget.

2 – Start Your Own Blog

Have you ever fancied trying your hand at blogging?  If you have, you’ve nothing to lose by giving it a go.  We were all new at one point and we all started out with zero readers or followers.  It takes time to build up an audience and most of my readers come through search engines these days, but I do have a nice group of loyal followers who’ve stuck with me over the years.  I love having them around and as a busy sandwich carer of children and elders with dementia, it’s often a lifeline that has kept me sane.

If you want to blog, pick what your favourite thing is.  You might be in the throws of parenting, you might like food, you might even get an interest in scrapbooking and take it further.  Whatever you choose to start off with, make it something you enjoy, so that you can sustain it over the long term.  Your blog will grow and evolve over time.  There are free options on WordPress and Blogger, so you can start off on the cheap while you decide if blogging is for you.  If you’re sure, and you want to fully own and control your content, then simply buy a domain and some webspace and install your chosen blogging software.

3 – Make Christmas Presents

Yes, I really did mention the C word so early in the year.  To make your presents takes time, and you could always use make birthday presents too. We tend to make most of the presents we give to other people at Christmas time, especially for teachers as it saves me a fortune and they appreciate getting something made specifically for them.

The gifts  might not be perfect, but they mean something to the people receiving them.

Pendants Pink and Purple

Last years presents were mainly jewellery for friends, family and teachers.  We made them from resin and used leather and silver as chains for most pendants made for family, with cheaper options for teachers.  You can find out how we made them here.

4 – Make Your Own Games or Crafts

The options are endless with this.  We can make our own versions of most games, but some that I do quite like are the DIY instructions for nifty things on one of the bigger bingo sites.

Bingo Ball

Known as bingo crafts, these are really easy to do at home.  With some glitter, glue and buttons, you can make some lovely items.  They’re easy and fun to do, from Bingo Ball Jewellery, a Bingo Snow Globe, Personalised Bingo Cards, or even make a Bingo Hamper for picnics.

5 – Get Meal Planning

Seriously..  This is one activity that I really need to get to grips with.  I know it can save money by not having waste food in the house and you have the benefit of knowing exactly what you want to order from the shops every week.  We’d all like to spend less money at the tills, and planning is one of the few ways to do this sensibly.

Netmums have some great meal planning downloads, including a six week meal planner you can download and use at home. I’ve just finally downloaded mine, so I need to be moving with this.  One of my goals this year is to reduce my monthly food spending by around £50.  I am hoping that meal planning will see me though with it.

This is a sponsored post.