Category: Lifestyle

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Mothers Day Haul for the Scottish Mum Household from the Kids and Warner Bros.

Mothers day is a good day for some, and not such a good day for others.  Motherhood came to me by adoption, but a mother I am.  Warner Bros. came first with a fabulous box of feel good movies for me to watch (when the kids are not here) and sent through Doctor Zhivago, An American in Paris, Gone with the Wind and The Blind Side.

From the kids, came a lovely bunch of flowers, a box of Ferrero Roche chocolate, a little make up bag and a prettily decorated daffodil from my middle boy who made it at his special school.  The teachers had spent time to help him write out the card himself, and he is as proud as punch of it.

There were two little golden oscar chocolate figures in the Warner Bros. pack, of which one was a little broken, but it still ate well.

Yum said littlest who was a little worried at first by the gold coating, but it was tasty.

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Goodbye Vodafone (your customer service was poor)

To understand the background, after a very frustrating 5 hours on the phone to Vodafone to sort out the ending of our contracts, my other half with red face, and scarcely controlled temper had decided that enough was enough and tried for the second time to finish the current contracts that were actually ending.

Apparently, with Vodafone, we have to phone to cancel the contract a month before the contract ends, or they charge you another month of payments.  We called on the 20th February to make sure we had done everything right to end the contracts when they were finished on the 6th March.  We were advised that we had paid up to the end of the contract and could cancel the direct debit, so we did.  We were also told that the unlock codes for our IPhones would be with us in a few days.

We had asked about transferring our contract to a sim only deal, as we were on a high IPhone tariff which included a premium for the handset when we first took the contract, but apparently they can’t move us to a new sim only deal when this one ended as it would be cheaper than the rate we were on, and our only options with Vodafone would be to upgrade or stay on the inflated rate once our contract was actually finished.  I was speechless.  Nobody would listen to the fact that we had paid 2 years of the contract, FINISHED it, and should then be put on a new deal which didn’t include the extra price for the phone.

A few days later, messages began to appear about unpaid charges.

Calling Vodafone – NOBODY – would talk to us about the issues, unless we paid the charges first.  FIVE hours trying to sort it out was mind-blowing and nobody would put us through to supervisor to discuss the charges they now said we were due.

We eventually paid them to get to speak to someone who would talk to us, and suddenly the unlock codes would now come to us after apparently not being ordered in the first telephone call.  Then after we pay those, they now want to sting us for another month, as they said there was no record of the phone call on the 20th to cancel – that is despite several Vodafone reps saying they could see notes on the system, but that it just hadn’t been done.

Apparently this is all in the small print, but what a pity we don’t have an IPhone contract then?  They never sent us one, but we were supposed to know that the terms and conditions from an old contract would apply here too.  The calls were passed from department to department, some told us they system was down and others told us it was fine.  Very generously a UK rep finally agreed to backdate the contract termination to the 20th, so the message from me is to phone well in advance of your contract ending if you plan on moving, AND put it in writing with recorded delivery.

We were hung up on several times when being transferred and each department told us it was another departments problem.  Take note, the staff have a lovely habit of listening to one line of a statement, and then saying something like, oh that’s disconnections, then not waiting and just hitting transfer button, and disconnections would then just say, oh that’s customer service and bang, you’re on hold again.  It’s a nice trick to pass people round and round and round and round.

A ranty message on Twitter and a Vodafone rep asked if they could be of any help, but the only topics they will discuss are the unlock and pac codes and they conveniently ignore the question of the EXTRA MONTH AND A HALF OF CHARGES they have stung us for.  Nobody would talk about the fact we were told there were no more charges on the 20th February and to be honest, no matter where we move now, I will never, ever go back to Vodafone.  They’ve had nearly 20 years of service from us, and this is a poor way to end it all.

So it’s goodbye to Vodafone and I am also moving my son and my mother away too, so they have now lost 4 phones, not that they actually care of course as we are probably just a drop of pee in the chanty pot to them.

AND HELLO TO GIFF GAFF NETWORK

ps – the Giff Gaff link does open to an affiliate page – what can I say, if anyone signs up, we both get a free fiver and I really have to tell you about them later this week.

 

 

 

 

 

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Mothers Day – Crafty Tealight Candlemaking Tips for Mothers Day Gift Ideas

Making sure our mothers get a present that is fit for the fabulous job that they all do, is difficult.  Often, it is the time spent on making something that is more important than what it is that they have received.  How can we give our lovely mums something different?

Making handmade gifts lets your mum know that you think she is special and deserves the time and effort it has taken to make it.

We could:

  • Make some homemade cards.  Kids often love to make lovely things, so it’s an easy thing to do.
  • Buy one of the jars from supermarkets that have the clip on lids and make pot pourri, smelly jelly or simply fill it with her favourite sweeties as it will look much better than the shop bought cardboard versions.  After it’s made, you can tie a lovely ribbon around the neck and attack a tag.
  • Make candles..

Wooo hooo, did I mention making candles..  Ok, I’ve said before that I was going to help you all with making some basic candles, so here we go.

The very first things to learn about making candles is how to handle the materials.

Before you start making any candles, please read:

Tools for Candle Making

  • Wax melter or double boiler & Pour Pot
  • Stainless steel measuring cup if needed
  • Stirrer or wooden spoon
  • Scales
  • Thermometer
  • Scissors
  • Knife
  • A lid off a box, flat baking tray etc.

Don’t be tempted to harden your candles in a fridge.  They will cool too quickly, and the candle quality will be compromised.

Work Area

Prepare your work area.  Weigh out your wax so that you know how much you are using.  Make sure you keep records of amounts and weights for the future.  Candle making is all about testing what works for you.    Remember candles work differently with everyone in their own heat settings and environment.

What works for one may not work for someone else, ie wicks, temperatures and scents.  Keep notes so that you can replicate something wonderful and not copy what didn’t work for you.  You may think you might remember which wick, how much scent and which wax gave you a wonderful candle, but in two weeks time, you honestly won’t.

Scent and Colour

The general rule of thumb for all candle making with our chips and fragrances is

  •  Maximum 1oz scent to 1lb of wax, or the maximum of 10 percent rule.
  • With colour chips, use approximately 1chip to 1lb of wax (or less / more depending on what shade you want).  Less than 1 chip per lb will give you a lighter colour.  More than 1 chip per lb will give you a darker colour.

It is all down to testing your amounts and keeping records so that you know how to reproduce the effect that you want.

Double Boiler Wax Melting Method

This means boiling a pot of water on a heat source.  The temperature of the water will never exceed 212 deg. F.     The pour pot with the wax inside is then placed inside the boiling water.   The pouring pot is never in direct contact with the heat source and the water transmits the heat to the pouring pot quickly and evenly, without scorching the wax and minimizes the chances of a fire. Even with a double boiler, do not leave it unattended.

  1. Choose an old pot large enough to put your pouring pot into.
  2. Add an inch or two of water to the old pot.
  3. Bring to a boil.
  4. Place your pouring pot directly into this boiling water. You may wish to place a metal biscuit cutter, or something similar in the bottom of your old pot to elevate the pouring pot.
  5. Lower the heat to a simmer.
  6. Add water to replace water lost to evaporation. Do not let the double boiler run dry. It can quickly get too hot.
  7. Allow the wax to melt and monitor the temperature until you reach the temperature needed for the particular type of wax you are working with.
  8. A thermometer is a necessity when working with wax.  The temperatures that you work with can alter the burn properties of your candle.

The Nitty Gritty –  Making Tealights – Soy Wax

Materials

  • Soy wax
  • Wick
  • Glue spots
  • Fragrance Oil (optional)
  • Colour (optional)

To find out how much wax you need for each tealight, simply fill a tealight cup up with water and find out how much it holds.

Place your tealight cups on a flat surface, i.e. an old flat baking tray would do nicely and would catch any wax drips if you overpour.  Do not use it for cooking afterwards.

Leave a space between each of them, i.e. not touching.

  • Put a generous dab of your wax glue, or a glue spot onto the bottom of the sustainers attached to your tealight wicks and then stick your pretabbed wicks into the tealight cups.  Some people put  their tealight wicks in after they pour the wax, but I find that this can cause overpour.  It depends on your particular preference.

  • Melt the amount of wax you wish to use and keep a note, as it will affect the amount of scent and colour you use.
  • While your wax is melting, weigh out your scent, remembering your maximums and get your colour ready.
  • If you use half a lb of wax, use half a chip of colour.  For 1lb of wax, use one chip of colour unless you wish to have a darker or lighter colour.
  • Weigh out your scent.  For half a lb of wax, use a maximum of half an ounce of candle making fragrance oil to start off with.  Once you get the scent level you like, note it down and for future reference you will know how to reproduce   it.  Don’t think you will remember it in future, as you won’t.
  • Heat the wax to 165°F.
  • Be sure to stir/mix the wax while melting and after adding fragrance and colour.  Allow the wax to cool to your desired pour temperature, add the fragrance, colour and mix well.
  • Pour into your tealight cups.
  • Straighten any wicks that have bent over while pouring.  Do this before the skin forms.
  • Leave for a few hours to harden.
  • Your tealight is now ready for burning, but they would be best left to cure overnight if you have made scented tealights.
  • Pop it inside a tealight holder, or wrap it up to make it look pretty.

 

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Top tips to Reduce our Environmental Footprint?

My children have forced me into learning a little about what all of this is about.  Their school has an ongoing project and have a permanent ECO group which works to raise awareness and get children into the mindset of what it is all about and how we can all contribute to making it work.

Our eco footprints give a reflection on how much energy we use as a nation.   Officially, it is an estimate of the land and sea area needed to give us the energy we need to use in our lives, which includes the water, transport, food and materials we use up.

Don’t confuse your ecological footprint with your carbon footprint.   Your carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases we use.

In the UK, we use far more than is sustainable.  If everyone on earth lived in the same way that we do, then we would need more than 3 or 4 planets as a minimum to keep us going for the future.

The top tips to reducing your environmental footprint (as well as keeping down your bills) are:

  • Recycle, recycle, recycle.    Recycling plants seem to spring up everywhere.  Use them where you can.
  • Turn things off and don’t leave them in standby modes, ie  TV’s, computers, cookers, chargers etc.
  • Turn down central heating and water settings as even one or two degrees will make a difference long-term.
  • Insulate your loft, walls and hot water tank.  We keep hearing this, but how man of us have done it.
  • Use energy-efficient light bulbs where you can.  I have some, but sadly, my mother cannot see in the dim light they produce.  I am led to believe that the normal bulbs we grew up with will not be available soon so the choice may be taken away from us.
  • Travel where you can, by bus or train instead of car.  Car share if it is possible, and try to walk or cycle for short distances.
  • Use trains or ferries where you can, but this is beginning to be difficult as the flight is often much cheaper.
  • Choose energy-efficient appliances where you have to replace your old ones.
  • Buy your meat, fruit and vegetable locally when you can.
  • Fill machines to full before switching on, ie full dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer modes.  I still have to convince my mother that this is a good idea as she seems to have the idea that leaving ANY washing overnight is a bad thing to do.

So, that’s about it in a nutshell.  If you are over 30, you might only have seen the adverts on TV trying to get us to reduce our footprints, but not REALLY know what it is all about.

If I have missed any good ones, feel free to add them in a comment.   Comment anyway, you know we bloggers love them, and commentluv give you a lovely linkie back to you.

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Three generations of Scottish Mum women at the age of 18 ish.

Uncovering some family photos, I came across some lovely photographs of my grandmother, that I have not seen in years.

We don’t have many photographs as a family, and there are so few of me that it is shocking.  I will go to my grave, as almost the faceless entity, mother of 3 adopted children.

My grandmother – how hip and trendy was she.  I wish there were lots more photographs.  My grandfather took the photograph so I have no idea who she is posing on the bike with.  We Scots didn’t all run around in our kilts and sporrans, even in the early 1900’s !!

 

My mother – now where DID she put that dress??

 

And last, but not least (I hope) – me, with awful bouffant hair, but I wish I was still as slim as that.

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I Demand a Parent Contract – Full and Binding

Image: maple / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I had to go shopping for a birthday card this morning.  After wandering endlessly looking for one that the little mister might not think was too gauche, or too girly, or too boyfriendy for his gal pal, I eventually found one that looked plain enough to be boring, but sensible enough not to be misconstrued as anything remotely resembling a card that someone who has a crush on you would send (phew).

Thinking about the ensuing afternoon and future possibilities kept me in a daydream as I imagined fussing about as mother of the groom, and pointy finger wagging in his direction if he dared to so much as divert from his route to have a pint half an hour before the ceremony.  That led me on to thinking about what clothes we should wear, what other people would think – and a lightbulb moment ensued.

Why, just why on earth do we care so much about what other people think?  Ok, so they might raise their eyebrows at the potential of an 11-year-old groom having a pint on his way to his wedding, but come on, I’m allowed to daydream.   My little mister is just not caring in the slightest about how the future is going to turn out, as he’s not even on very good terms with most of the women of this planet (myself included).

So, all this planning and scheming and wedding attire drooling is all about me.   I can’t be the only one who thinks that the rollercoaster rides to get that far are just too much to live with.  Oh the pressure.

I’d love to set out a parental contract for rules between parents.  It would have to be signed and witnessed by all classmates mums and noted by a qualified barrister (free of charge of course, it’s for mums).

PARENTAL CONTRACT

1 – Attire
All children under 10 years old must attend any function, party or playdate with mandatory ripped jeans, dirty shirt, messed up hair, egg dribbling from chin, and a big cheesy grin.  Parents must come straight from doing housework with no make up and scraped back hair.

2 – Birthday Parties
Bring a small gift – what on earth makes people think it’s ok to give anyone under 90 a voucher, or a ten pound note, it’s a child’s party?   Smile when you enter the room, and for goodness sake, don’t let the gossipy ghouls put you off from going over and dipping your hand into the party food.  Size issues MUST be left at the door, and any parent partaking of party fare must eat 4 chocolates and 3 sausage rolls as a minimum.

3 – Playdates
Do not spend 5 hours pre-cleaning your home for 4 pre-schoolers to run around and mess up.  You’ll only regret it.  I promise that I will only clean my house to the degree that you will not be sitting in a pile of hair and fluff when you take a seat to watch the proceedings.   Dirty dishes may be hidden in the oven, and mucky clothes make very good cushion stuffers.

I will light a candle bearing the smells of filtered coffee and freshly baked double choc chip muffin, so be ready for a  watery latte and supermarket cake.

I will only provide clean activities without water, colour or squeezies and I expect you to do the same if a playdate is reciprocated.

4 – After Playdates or Parties
We agree to a mutual verbal thanks for any presents received.   Thank you cards – pored over by bored tinys and tweens that get ripped up 5 minutes after they are received must be banned by mutual appreciation.  Arrive on time to pick up your offspring if you have dropped off and run for the hills, and you must agree to actually come in and help put rubbish in the bin before you go.   Visit my toilet and clean up after your own child if they poop in my toilet and I will do the same for you.

That is about all I can think of just now, add any more that you can think of below.

Please don’t read and run, leave a comment to let me know you’ve been here.  We all love a bit of comment love, and the back-link won’t do you any harm either 🙂

 

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Clic Sargent – A Yummy Grand Mummy

The CLIC Sargent Yummy Mummy Week is the 10th to 18th March 2012.   Anyone can join up and do something positive to help children with cancer.

This year, they are asking us to Do Something Yummy  and come up with new ways to raise money.  Click on the Yummy Mummy Link to join up and request an event pack.

Yummy Mummy is a fundraising campaign run by CLIC Sargent, the children’s cancer charity and for six years, mums in the UK have raised money to support the charity through the year.

Nickie @nickie72 From Typecast blog is one of the 4 Lead Blogggers on this campaign with Clic Sargent.  She has set writing prompts to help bloggers join in with promoting the campaign and spreading the word.  Visit her blog if you would like to take part.

I have chosen to do a Yummy Post as I do know someone who has had cancer and survived.

My mother is well into her seventies, although she certainly does not look it.  She was diagnosed with breast cancer a month after our boys came to stay with us.

It was difficult coping with three toddlers who had no boundaries at the same time as trying to help a mother who then had to go through treatment, surgery and the aftermath – while I tagged along three bundles of mischief.  It certainly brightened up the hospital ward.

She fought, and she fought hard.  The treatment was tough and the stay in hospital was tough.  She also had to contend with arthritis, thyroid disease, sciatica and is a type 1 diabetic.

The boys have been here for 8 years now, so the length of time she has been a survivor for is easy to remember.

It’s been hard going for her, so how difficult is it for a child to cope with?  We all need to help with local charities and get involved where we can.  I support a local charity with time already, and helping to spread the word about this scheme is an easy ask for me this week.

Nickie would love to see 50 link-ups for her writing prompts this week so please feel free to blog and link up with us on her blog on Thursday.

More Information

Yummy Mummy
Twibbon your Twitter avatar
Facebook page
#dosomethingyummy hashtag on Twitter

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Internet Safety Day & Online Games for Children

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV1ZCF4oueQ

It was Internet safety day yesterday, and while I didn’t get to writing a post about it, I came across something that is aimed at children which worried me.

I am pretty vigilant with my boys lives online, which is probably a bit hypocritical considering how large my own online footprint is these days, but that probably makes me more aware of the possibilities.

My two had joined the growing army of young children who were playing Roblox.   I would ask that all parents whose young children use it to exercise caution.  Please research the reviews well and use the forums before you decide to allow your children to use it.  I would recommend that this site be used for over 16’s and possibly over 18’s.

Obviously it is up to each parent to decide what their children have access to online, but I would stress to do your homework around the online world style games offered to children.

When I first read the access request, I felt reassured that it was similar to the Penguin Club style interaction which keeps it safe for children, but it is very different indeed.

Moving on to the positive, there is a yearly campaign that helps promote safer use of the Internet among children and young adults.

This year they ran with the tagline:

“Connecting generations and educating each other, with the slogan: “Discover the digital world together… safely!”

This videos I have attached to this post are quite powerful.

Our children and young adults can be easily led.  We wouldn’t open our front doors to children and let strangers in, yet we don’t monitor our children enough online to ensure that they don’t open a portal to their safety bubble through the online world.

Be aware – check what your children are accessing, and who they are talking to.   Try it out for yourself when they ask for access to a new Internet game or craze as that is the only way you are going to know if it is age appropriate or not.

 

 

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Sand Art Home Packs from Kids Bee Happy

Sandra from Kids Bee Happy sent me some sand art packs to review.  My children whooped with delight considering they absolutely loved the sand art at our Christmas Party last year (that sounds such a long time ago).

The little packs come in boys or girls style pictures and the transformers and car pack was a huge hit here.

In the packs, there are 10 tubes of sand, two little sticker pickers to take the coloured paper off the picture to reveal the sticky bit to put the sand on to.   A sheet of instructions is very welcome and makes the project easy to follow, and with little pictures to show you what colours could be used, it is lots of fun.

These keep my kids happy for several hours, and they’ve enjoyed them thoroughly.  We found it easier to have a piece of white paper with a fold in it to shake the excess of each colour of sand on to.

Once they’ve shaken off the sand on to the paper, I can then slide what’s left back into the little bottle it came from so that it doesn’t get used up too quickly, and there seems to be plenty of sand with each pack to do all the sand art that’s needed.

There are little tabs and laminate pockets so that if you have a laminating machine, you can preserve the picture for the future.  I am just sad that our little trusty machine gave up the ghost a few weeks back.

That doesn’t stop them being popular though and the sand art pictures now adorn bedroom walls.   Once again, a lovely thank you from @kidsbeehappy on Twitter for such a fabulous experience.

You can buy them at Kids Bee Happy for £8.99 per pack.  Perfect for any birthday present, or just as a standby for rainy days.

 

 

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What NOT to feed our pets !!!!

Most of us are guilty of it, and I have many a time scraped the leftover food into our dogs dish, or given her a treat or few from what we are eating.  Apart from a vague knowledge that grapes and chocolate are not that great for dogs, I had not really looked into it in any depth.

I’ve seen a few statements recently about dogs and wolfing down the Christmas candy, and I am guilty of giving the lolloping labrador of the house the odd square of chocolate and she is highly addicted to melon.

I am however, going to change my mind on the chocolate issue as having a look at some of the symptoms of doggie overdose have me utterly convinced that one more square of the cocoa variety is going to have her rolling onto her back with all four paws up in the air for her final breath.

Just to put things into perspective, I had a look for the most poisonous foods I could find for dogs (and other pets).  If your pet shows any of the signs or symptoms of poisoning after eating any of these foods, call your vet urgently.

1 – Cocoa  and Caffeine Treats

Chocolate – say no more, and coffee bean type treats.   Seemingly they overstimulate the heart and the nervous system.

Signs of Poisoning :  Increasing heart beat, agitation, diarrhoea, shaking, very thirsty, restless, seizures

2 – Fruits – Grapes and Raisins 

Thankfully I found no evidence of poisoning with melon as a result, but the possible effect of grapes and raisins opened my eyes as they can damage or cats and dogs precious kidneys.

Signs of Poisoning: Very thirsty, being tired, being sick and needing to pee more often.  As few as 4 – 5 raisins could be poisonous for a dog up to about 10kg.

Fruits – Seeds

Keep away form apple, cheery, peach and plum seeds as they contain cyanide.

It doesn’t take much to realise that a pet ingesting cyanide may become very sick, very soon.

Signs of Poisoning: Sickness, heavy breathing, irregular heartbeat, coma.

Fruits – Avocados

As well as having a high fat content, persin can cause problems in dogs.

Signs of Poisining: Sickness and diarrhoea.

3 – Alcohol and Yeast

I have heard of people laughing at stories of tipsy toms or drunken dachshunds (well, not really, but you get the picture).  It seems that alcohol has a similar effect to chocolate in poisoning our pets.  I think we might have been more aware of the dangers of alcohol in comparison to chocolate, but it is still a bit of a shock to realise that it affects all pets nervous systems.

Bread doughs and uncooked yeasty mixes are attractive to dogs but give the same effect as the yeast turns to methanol.

Signs of Poisoning : Increasing heart beat, agitation, diarrhoea, shaking, very thirsty, restless, seizures

4 – Vegetables – Onions

Any of the onion family can cause problems for our pets, and can also include garlic and chives.   They can destroy blood cells and damage kidneys.

It is difficult to know how much is too much, but effects from these can build up in the system.   Watch table scraps for cooking with onions and garlic in it.

Signs of Poisoning : Increased heart rate, tiredness, lethargy, being sick, diarrhoea, pale gums, blood in pee.

5 – Xylitol

This is a sweetener, used as a sugar free replacement and often used in chewing gum and sweets.  It does not agree with dogs, and causes an increase in insulin leading to low blood sugar, and can cause severe liver damage.

It does not take much to poison a dog so be aware if your four legged friend gets into a pack of your sweeties.

Signs of Poisining: Staggering, collapse and seizures, being weak and could be sick.

6 – Macademia Nuts

Pets in general tend to like nuts, especially dogs and small animals, so I was surprised to see that macademia nuts can cause muscle and nervous system problems for dogs.

Signs of poisoning: Being sick, being lethargic, shaking and body temperature increasing.

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For the future, out goes chocolate for my girl, and thankfully her favourite melon gets to stay.   It is important to remember that not all animals will show all symptoms, so if your animal has overdone one of the things on this list, and begins to show the symptoms – please get good advice from a vet.

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A Christmas Tale – 26 Gorgeous Children – A Party – Special Needs

Saturday was a revelation.  A group of parents run a special needs club at the weekends, with the support of a school and the grateful advice and help from the National Autistic Society.

We borrow a school premises and open up to children with ANY type of disability up to the age of 14 in Aberdeen –  not just those on the autistic spectrum.   We also accept siblings, as there was nowhere that any of us could go with all our children to play, or be involved in activity sessions.

The mix of excitement, christmas coming, a certain man in a red suit, and lots of sugary chocolate is not always a recipe for success, so I met the day with a certain feeling of elation and caution for how it might proceed.   We are all volunteers and we don’t get paid.  I think  it is important to mention that up front, as there is sometimes confusion over how we all fit in to the structure.

There was a lot of excitement last week because of the party, and arrangements had been in place for quite a while.  We received a lovely offer from Kids Bee Happy who provide parties using sand art to come along, which I eagerly accepted.  The lovely Lorraine from Aberdeen arrived with a couple of tables and was soon in constant demand.

Be very aware, that this is no mean feat to undertake for anyone, let alone a  fledgling business.  It takes a confident entertainer to enter a room with such a large proportion of special needs children.  If your products don’t cut the mustard, you will hear about it very quickly from them.

The sand art had generated a buzz of expectation, as it is a new childrens activity, both to me, and to the other parents from the group.  We were all keen to see how it worked – and how our children would respond to it.

It was fabulous.  Children who usually have little or no interest in sitting still for long periods of time were concentrating and working on the projects.   The tables are set up as a unit which contains 6 bowls of different coloured sand.  All in all, there were 12 colours of sand that the children could choose from.

The children (and many of the adults) chose from the racks of pictures that they would decorate with sand.   This is a very hands on and engrossing task to get to grips with.    With lots of pictures to choose from, age groups from 2.5 – 45 were kept amused.   I even noticed one granny having lots of fun.

  To make the sand art, using a nail, or a little stick, the artist peels each section back on the picture one at a time.  That opens up a section which is sticky.  Little fingers then choose a colour of sand and carefully spoon it onto the picture.  When the picture is shaken, the sand remains on the picture for a fabulous colour effect.

It can take anything from about half an hour to 45 minutes to complete a whole picture.

Our children did pieces of their pictures at a time, then laid their pictures aside and came back to them after eating, or running about.  The fact that they could dip in and out throughout the party make it the perfect activity.   Just watching the concentration on their faces was amazing.

Some children did several pictures, and when they were finished making their creations, the pictures were laminated to take home as souveniers.

The finished and laminated pieces of art have a little hanging tab at the top.  I think they would be perfect to add a little calendar to the bottom and give to relatives and friends as presents.

Lorraine liked this santa picture, as the child who did it used all different colours of sand for the background.

This is a new business for Lorraine in Aberdeen, and she was constantly in demand from parents, who were asking her for cards for future childrens parties and school functions.

Everyone agreed that the sand art was a lovely and welcome surprise which would keep children entertained again and again and again.   We really all recommend it for any function, school fete or party.

For such a large group of special needs children – they did themselves proud.

 The concentration levels and interest was amazing, and many parents were delighted to see their children enjoying such a time consuming and high concentration requiring activity.

Poor Lorraine was inundated and we over-ran terribly due to how much everyone was enjoying it.  She certainly had to work very hard.

We also provided a bouncy castle, plenty of food and the local magician, Garry Seagraves Magic.

 I had seen Garry work while I was in the oil industry at functions, and now, as a parent, I have seen several of his magic shows that are tailored towards children.   He also had experience of giving shows to special needs children – and with the trademark leather trousers, long hair and trusty rabbit Basil, the children all seem to gravitate towards him.

He was the natural choice for our kids.  I don’t think there are many parents of primary age children who have not seen one of his shows as he is quite the celebrity to local under 12’s.

The red man arrived to hand out some presents, and photographer duties were sadly lacking as I managed to miss getting a picture of him – my excuse is that we had to sort out our pressie mishaps when some labels came adrift.

 All in all, it was a successful party.  We over-ran and we owe a great deal of thanks to all the entertainers, volunteers, helpers and even the school janitor who never, ever complains about what we request of him for the club.  He was not due to be in Aberdeen at the weekend and came all the way back  to open up for us when our weekend cover janitor could not make it in.  That’s dedication.

Disclaimer:  The parents of all children included in this post have given permission for their images to be used.  Sand Art was provided by Kids Bee Happy, and was a most welcome addition to our party.  It is one that we will definitely repeat in the future.

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Fitting In Nicely With Society

With a special needs child who can’t fit in with crowds, we struggle with the regular family holidays where children were meant to fit in with groups of people.  He was never made to be held in a small apartment, or to sit by a pool, or even to be able to join in with childrens’ clubs that are often a huge feature of mum and dad chilling by the pool and letting someone else look after teenies or tweenies.

The day we discovered caravanning was a total fluke.  After a disastrous trip to Disneyland Paris, we took stock on the way home.  Our trip began with a car breakdown in Glasgow while driving from Aberdeen to Paris.  It didn’t get better while we were away, when middler struggled to cope with any and all queues in Disneyland.

The complex we stayed in was not special needs friendly, and unless you were willing to spend a fortune, there was nowhere to go and play.  It was a disaster.

After a rotten few days, we decided to head for home early using the scenic route.  We stopped off near Le Havre and as it was a lovely day, we settled on the beach for a few hours.

Middler had a whale of a time on the near empty beach and on going to a supermarket, we decided to buy a tent on the spur of the moment.   With much trepidation, we found a local campsite close to the beach.

We pitched our tent.   We had our car, a tent, and two blow up beds.   Nothing to cook on, and nothing to eat off.  All the kids were in seventh heaven and had a whale of a time.   Nobody stared at middler when he did something silly or said something out-of-place.   At the time, I put that down to being a different language and that they had no idea what he was actually saying or doing.

When we got home, I booked us a static caravan up at Grannie’s Heilan Hame to see if the caravan environment was for us.   The man of the house was working, so I drove up from Aberdeen with the three kids and the dog.  They all loved it.

The next week we got home, we decided to just go and “look” at caravans to see if we would prefer a touring caravan as I didn’t fancy going to the same place all the time.

That “look” at second-hand caravans saw us walk away with a van for that year, and the following year we went back for one with a better layout for us.  We chose a triple bunk at the back.  Yes, it’s messy back there at times with three children.

          

Thus began our adventures into Caravanning…..

People on caravan sites are just fabulous.  I have rarely come across anyone who doesn’t show understanding for children with special needs.  We book sites where the childrens’ park is close by, or overlooking where we are parked in the van.  The boys  always find someone to play with, and adventures are always on our doorstep.

River Adventures

I prefer quieter sites to the big commercial ones, and with the boys growing faster than I can believe, I know that we will need to visit more of the big facility sites in the next few years for variety.  In 2012, we’d like to head down to France with the van, but that will depend on how the year goes.

There really is not that much to owning a caravan.  After deciding you want one, it is just the simple mechanics of getting one that your car is able to tow and getting out there and having fun.   My boys friends go on holiday once or twice a year, but we go away as often as we can, and in summer this year, we spent 5 out of the 6 weeks of school holidays on a site.

People buy caravans from upwards of a few hundred pounds, but you do have to try to find one that fits your family and isn’t damp.  It can be done on a budget, or for a fortune.

I loved the camping lark, but I was determined to have my comforts to do it.   If camping / caravanning was going to be our holiday future, I really couldn’t do without my hairdryer, kettle, cooker, bathroom or comfy bed.

Chilling Out Making Shadows on the Roof

Chilling Out Making Shadows on the Roof

Call me soft, but there is nothing better on a cold windy day than to be wrapped up warm and cosy inside the van listening to the rain pitter patter on the roof, and wondering how on earth those hardy campers in tents manage to do it.

Diggerland

We pondered over a motor home v a caravan.  For us, the benefit of a caravan and being able to leave it on a site while we had fun touring in the car won over the prospect of having to pack everything away to take a motor home everywhere we went.    Caravans also have less maintenance, and the prospect of cheap caravan insurance swung the decision for us.

We have had huge adventures in the last three years.   I have shared lots of them on my blog, but I’ve gathered some of the pictures taken while we were away to show you here.   We love the van  If we every had to sell her, we would be devastated.  It really is a second home for us.   We prefer Caravan Club sites to the Independent ones as having the security of wardens appeals to me if I take the boys away on my own.

Cool Dog

Our caravan is my own little corner of adventure.  What’s yours?

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