family camp

a perfect weekend for the last camp of the year - it was our village beaver/cub/scout family camp weekend, the sun shone, the children had so many fun activities to try out & we were in beautiful field less than five minutes from home, little O & i actually cheated a little & came home for the sleeping bit, mainly as i hadn't wanted to get the large tent up for only 24hours {but also as i'm feeling rather exhausted from the whole back to work / school routine} it was some lovely 'time out' i even had a great time making a wooden pendant, some knotted key rings, brushing up on my juggling skills and den building - all good clean fun

settling in

well we are all settling into our new routine, the littlest has surprised us all & is doing so very well, the oldest is struggling most, having moved into year three he's found that it's all about hard work from here on in - poor chap, barney & i have found comfort in each others company & he's especially loving his longer week day walks {when i'm not at work that is} i've been able to finish off little O's new cardi, which was such a pleasure to knit, despite having to rip it back to start over in a bigger size! it's knit up in some debbie bliss 'fez' {which i'd got off ebay at a great price} such lovely yarn to work with, it's a shame i think it's been discontinued & i love the colour so much, luckily she's rather fond of it too & was most obliging when i asked to take some photos of it on her, i used rather a muddle of clear vintage buttons as i didn't have enough of one type! thankfully i think they work rather well on the cardigan, the pattern details are over here

the next phase

goodbye summer, hello september & a move into a new phase for me, we had a lovely farwell to the summer holidays, a trip up to the paralympics, a picnic in the park, a spot of baking, then all change as my littlest started school this week, i felt a little lost at first but have found my feet, as she is slowly but surely finding hers! & the weathers being kind so i've even found some time to sit in the garden with a little knitting to occupy my mind, it's my first day back to school/work today - how many weeks till half term? too many:

the peaks

i feel i've just about recovered for our recent camping trip, the drive up to the peaks was not the best start, what should have been a four hour drive took us eight hours!!! not much fun, then unfortunately we had to pitch our tent in rain, which meant quite a bit of water got in, thank goodness our friends were already pitched up & were able to offer the kids a dry place to shelter & some sausage sarnies to tuck into, the weather did improve, although it was rather a mixed bag, with good company & some breathtaking countryside we still all had a great time,  the hubs was very pleased to have his cosy new cardi to keep out the chills, this was another project that took far longer than it should have done, but was worth all that hard work, as it fits & he's really happy with it

the pattern details can be found over on my ravelry page

guest post from Sainsbury's bank family blogger network

i have to say this guest post is rather apt after a rather extended drive up to the peak district last weekend {eight hours!!!!} we were rather well organised where the kiddos were concerned but failed to plan for us! oh well i'll remember for next time - back soon

Feeding your family on a car journey

Oh food, glorious food, hot sausage and… milkshakes spilt all over the car seats. Yes, indeed – it’s all very well packing something to quell the appetite on long car journeys, but there’s a knack to doing it the easy way.

Eating out
Stopping at a roadside diner or fast food restaurant does have some advantages, as many offer playrooms for children to burn off all that excess energy – and there’s also the adventure and fun associated with eating out.

However, the quality of food isn’t always the best, and high levels of fat, sugar and salt can leave children over-excited and a nightmare to share a journey with. There’s also the cost to think about, which tends to be excessive at motorway service stations.

Packing
A sensible alternative i to pack some healthier, homemade food for longer journeys. Invest in a cool bag and a sturdy picnic basket, which protects food from being crushed and comes pre-packed with all the eating utensils you’ll need. There’s also plenty of space for lots of food, which can be stored in Tupperware containers and flasks.

Also pack a small bag for the cabin, containing light snacks like fruit, flapjacks and some bottles of water or juice. Tell the younger children that you’ll be stopping for something to eat at a particular time and that you have a surprise picnic in the boot.

If the journey is fairly short then you probably won’t need the picnic basket. Instead, fill the cabin bag with something a little more filling, but fairly easy to eat on the move without making a mess.

Places to eat
Plan your journey before setting off and identify some nice places to stop along the way. Aim to take a break every two hours or so. It makes sense to stop at a place that the kids will enjoy, and that provides the opportunity to go to the toilet.

There are many fantastic picnic spots around the UK offering stunning views and, whether you’re sitting in the middle of the 4000-year-old Avebury circle in Wiltshire, or enjoying London’s Kew Gardens, the choices are plentiful. Just don’t forget to bring a nice rug to sit on, and check the weather forecast before you set off.

Food and drink on the move
Keeping the family hydrated during car journeys is important, so don’t forget the water. The secret is to drink enough but not too much, unless you want to stop every 20 minutes for toilet breaks!

As for food, here are some things your passengers can eat on the move:

• Cleaned and sliced raw vegetables with a tasty dip.
• Apples, oranges, bananas and grapes.
• Snack-size dried fruit.
• Bottles or tubes of easy-to-eat yogurt.
• Rice cakes and healthier crisps.
• Reduced fat biscuits.
• Mini boxes of fruit juice.
• Sandwiches – choose filling favourites like cheese and pickle, or try something new & give them exciting names for the kids, like the New Yorker or the Crunchy Muncher.

Author Bio:

Jules Anthony loves his motors and estimates he has owned more cars than he’s accumulated years. When not driving or tinkering with something mechanical, he writes for the Sainsbury’s Bank Money Matters blog on a range of topics from car mechanics to car insurance And he’s not revealing his age!

happy days

i may have said this before but i truly love the summer holidays, we've really slowed right down this year, we've been doing things, going places but at our own pace, but i've also kept free time for the kids {& i} to just be, little O is a real home bird anyway & she's spent an awful lot of time in her sand pit over the holiday & those beautiful moments when they play so well together, despite the 3year gap between them {one of those moments is happening right now, they've turned the front room into a race track / garage, using the sofas as their race cars! - which is why i'm hiding upstairs with the dog!}

although i can feel autumn in the air already & along with that comes the sewing in of the name tapes & visit to the shoe shop for new school shoes,

slow down august please & gift us with a few more days of sunshine yet - that would be just peachy

a granny for camp

oh dear - having updated this project on ravelry it seems this took me almost a year to get finished - oops i hadn't thought it was quite so long - oh well, it's done now & just perfect for it's intended job, a blanket to come on our camping trips, to snuggle up the little people with when chilly, to keep me snug when staying up a little too late {chatting with friends over a glass of wine round the campfire} to be dragged into their den of choice & by the look of it, a comfy bed when captain barnacles fancies a nap & thrown in the washing machine every now & then

just a giant granny square, crocheted with some cheapo acrylic from kemps, in some rather clashing bright colours, just perfect! ravelry details over here