Wednesday 16 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 15 - Neme 10 Questions

I was tagged for this 10 questions meme by TiredMummyofTwo

What you have to do:
1) Answer the 10 questions.
2) Tag someone to do the same.
3) Go and leave a comment on the original blog post over at
Sleep is for the weak right!

3. If You Could Be Anyone For A Day Who Would You Be And Why?
I would be a Man, Pierces Brosnan would be good just for the day, to see what it is like, I mean imagine having to point and shoot when you need a wee wee tee hee!

4. What Are You Wearing Now?
Jeans(stretchy dark denim ones) red, white & black stripy t-shirt, with babyfood down the front, nothing new at this time of the evening. Flip flops, that I use as slippers at home, I really need to get some warm slippers as my feet are feeling chilly this time of year.

5. What Scares You?
My last fear to conquer is Frogs, but sshh don’t tell anyone.

6. What Is The Best And Worst Thing About Blogging?
The best thing about blogging is that you never feel alone, there are so many wonderful bloggers out there, so many ready to help and advise if needed mainly through twitter and its such a nice feeling knowing I am not the only one going through some of the challenges of parenthood!
The worst thing, is time, my goodness where does all the time go reading and trying to keep up with all the other bloggers posts, by the time I have tweeted and interacted, I am often doing my own blog very late at night.

7. What Was The Last Website You Looked At?
Facebook, I spend quite a bit of time over there, communicating with friends, one dear friend is gong through a rough time tonight and its just heartbreaking, so sending out virtual hugs to her and her family x

8. If You Could Change One Thing About Yourself What Would It Be?

My Weight! There I said it!

9. Slankets. Yes Or No?

No, aren’t they for old people, heck I am only 40 years young ;) and I personally think they are Yuk!

10. Tell Us Something About The Person Who Tagged You?

TiredMummytoTwo is a caring Mummy, who has recently done a lot for other bloggers, by contacting so many companies and holding a Christmas Tombola that ended up with 196 prizes. She works very hard and yet dedicates her weekends to her family, be it with her hubby & children or visiting the rest of her other family down South.

I feel funny tagging people, but here goes, if you feel like joining in then I tag-
fun-as-a-gran and emmysmummy. but don't worry if you don't want too x

Super Amazing Mum and comment that you have done so in order for us to find out who has been tagged and therefore find out more about our fellow bloggers!

So are you ready….

1. Describe Yourself In Seven Words
Disorganised, loving, chunkylicious, Mother, Dreamer, Articulate & Single

2. What keeps You Awake At Night
My 10 month old son Edward, still breastfed and still waking regulary, misses me I think, even though we co-sleep!

Monday 14 November 2011

Competition - Win Baking goodies! NaBloPoMo 14

I did a post about National Baking week Here and we made a Giant Cookie Cake with a new mold we had bought.

I thought someone else might like to try and bake a Giant cookie cake or be even more adventurous with a cake decorating kit, so we have these two up for one of you to win :)

(This is a new one, we are keeping ours in the hope of actually making one and getting to add the filling inside!)




To Win leave a message below, telling me what flavour cake you would make.
Then for an extra entry tweet me @sadiequinton telling me #Iwant2bakecakes

Please leave a way for me to get in contact with you, be it a email, twitter name, Facebook or your blog url

Good Luck and this will end on 24th November Midnight!

Open Worldwide, why not :)

Sunday 13 November 2011

Silent Sunday! - NaBloPoMo 13



World Pneumonia Day (Yesterday) - NaBloPoMo 11

I was drawn by a twitter headline yesterday-
Gates Foundation
Today is World Pneumonia Day. Take action to stop the leading killer of children under 5:  

in fact a few headlines by bloggers such as Christine Mosler and others by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation highlighting that it was World Pneumonia Day I noticed and that in fact Pneumonia is The leading Killer to children under 5, 1 child every 20 seconds dies, so the time its taken you to read this another so sadly has died!

It caught my eye as I have in fact three children all under the age of 5 here at home with me and my niece Chelsea at a very young age just 2 years old had pneumonia, at first misdiagnosed but as soon as they realised she was hospitalised, she was so very poorly, but had excellent health care and was soon home with us all, but we live in a great area with hospitals not too far away, ready to help, where as in developing countries its such a different story sadly.

The awfully sad thing is that this is something that is so solvable in the many problems that we have in global health, so lets hope more will be done and that more vaccines will reach those that need them.

They have found a new Vaccine and also there are some very simple ways to help prevent death from Pneumonia in infants and that is
  • Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the child’s life reduces childhood pneumonia by 15 – 23%.
  • Using a clean cook stove reduces a child’s risk of contracting pneumonia by an incredible 50%.  
Lets hope by the next World Pneumonia Day in 2012 far less children would of died, may the word get stronger and more people help in the areas needed, more basic healthcare spread further and better globally.

Saturday 12 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 12 - SatCap


Saturday is Caption Day thanks to the fab mammasaurus
So What Caption would go with this photo?

Thursday 10 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 10 - Feeling sorry for myself!

My Dear Blog,
tonight I am feeling under the weather, a little sorry for myself you might say.
I have had a sore throat all day, a headache too, I am also very tired, so please excuse me not writing what I had planned for my post today for the 10th day of National Blog Post Month (posting every day for a month on my Blog).

I am writing, even though desperate to go to bed, as I feel it may be achievable, I don't achieve much at the moment and to complete this little mission would give me such a lift, so here I am doing my best to get this done, so I can go to bed and hope that my children stay asleep and I can get some restful sleep myself.

As a Mum we have to carry on don't we, we can't call in sick and just go back to bed, its not possible, but today I have felt like it.
I appreciate the small things in life when I can and I think this weekend the children and I will enjoy a stay at home PJ day if we can, I must remember to shop online tomorrow so no need to traipse the children to the supermarket.

Well here is to a good nights sleep and feeling oh so much better tomorrow,
and on cue I hear Edward stirring, so will go join him and cuddle up in bed, night night x

Wednesday 9 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 9 - Dear Teething baby


Dear Edward, I know you are suffering with your teeth, my darling baby.
I love you so much that I just want you to know, when you keep me awake at night, I do not mind, if I could wave a magic wand and take the suffering of the pain away for you I would.

My dribbling, teething little man.

I love that you keep smiling, that you love cuddles and I love that when you look up and see me, you smile, even when so obviously in pain!

Wishing this teething time over and done with x

Tuesday 8 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 8 - Oh No Christmas countdown!

The Countdown for Christmas has started and I am so so not ready, can we not stop the clocks just for a short while, like a month at least!


Max, Izzy & Anna meeting Father Xmas 2010

By this time of year, I am normally half prepared, having bought so many bargains for the children's Christmas stockings, in special offers and sales. This year, I have bought all of two gifts so far and I have four children, I am feeling so unprepared and not in the mood, so un-festive and I am just not sure how I am going to change this around.

I used to love Christmas, the build up especially buying for so many, but as the years have gone on, everything just seems to be so much more expensive, Christmas isn't about the biggest and best toys out there, its the thought that counts, but when you have children you just want to make them happy and lets be honest, all you get are adverts full of the brightest, most popular toys going.

I am going to try to be a little more in the mood, find some Seasonal spirit from somewhere, but I just don't know where to begin.

I do know its just 46 Days, yes you read that right, also just 7 weekends until that all important to so many, for so many different reasons day arrives!


Leaving out treats for Father Christmas x

So I have a plan, I am going to start thinking of traditional and small things that we can do as a family to prepare for Christmas and perhaps even make some home made gifts.

Maybe I will find the real Christmas Spirit on the countdown to this years festivities, least I hope I find some cheer along the way!

Monday 7 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 7 - BritMums Alternate Prompt:

Here we are one week in with National Blog Posting Month and I am opting to do the BritMums Alternate Prompt, which is -

Alternate Prompt: What changes would you make in your personal life that would make life easier/better/more joyful?

To be totally honest and Frank, many changes are needed and would really help with making my life easier, better, and far more joyful than it is at present!

I struggle greatly at times as a single Mum to 4 young children, the area I fail most in is my home.
Life would be so much simpler and easier if only I could adapt to life with routine as when I was a Nanny, but the problem is I am hopeless as a Mum.
By the time I have the children in bed, I just sit and flake, so much could be done, but I am too exhausted and get behind on everything, it all went downhill after the birth of my 3rd child and even more so with the birth of my 4th Edward in January this year.

If I could choose, I wouldn't be doing this journey alone as a parent, it would be so much easier to have someone to share the load, the good with the bad days.


I would choose to have a cleaner a couple of times a week to help me keep up to date with just the simple things in life! (that's a bit of a dream for me hee hee)

I would Move to a new home, currently my four children and I live in a 2 bed flat and its just not big enough, we are lucky to have a roof over our heads and have a warm home, but alas I am so longing for the day we have more room, where the children can have their own space and where I too can have a little corner just for me.
We hopefully will be moving within the year.

Life with children is never ending chores at times, but if I could I would have a machine that we could put all our dirty laundry into and then at the press of a button, it comes out clean, ironed and folded just ready to put away, well OK who doesn't have that dream then!

So we are asked what changes would you make in your personal life that would make life easier/better/more joyful, so in answer I need to say the most important change for me would be routine, a timetable to follow and lists!

I would love to become as a mother similar to how I was as a Nanny previously, routine, routine, routine!

Saturday 5 November 2011

Saturday is Caption Day! NaBloPoMon 5

Saturday is Caption day from the lovely mammasaurus
Go on have a go at giving this photo a caption for me, thank you x

Friday 4 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 4 - I bought my son a Gun!

Dear blog,
Today, I have upset my son of 8 and I am feeling very low about it!

You see I don't believe in guns, I never have, but alas for his birthday he got given a Nerf Gun a toy gun that shoots little spongy dart things, I told him he wasn't to use it as a weapon at anyone, but that is a big ask of a young boy isn't it!

Here is where I am on 'Mummy Fail' as I was the one who bought it for him, I am the one who gave in to the constant pestering for one, the one who felt bad when he told me all of his friends have one, I can not believe I have gone against my own beliefs and for so long stayed strong of no toy guns in my home!

Max was over the moon and I felt he could be trusted to play carefully with it, but I was proved wrong and yet right too, for he used it on his sisters and then he turned it on me too, 'ouch' those little sponge's hurt, not too badly, but still its a little sting!

This isn't the first time he has done it to and I have a facebook where I moaned when he first did it and said then that I was taking it off him, but I stupidly didn't, I left it for him to do it again!

This morning, instead of going to get ready for school, he went and hid and then started shooting at me, my goodness did he get it in the ear, yes I yelled, I do sometimes, not good but that is me being honest, we ended up being late for school too, as we had such an argument about him playing with his toys instead of getting ready for school, its always a battle to get us all up, breakfast, dressed and out of the house on a school morning today was no exception, I think Max forgets that I have not only myself but his two sisters and baby brother to get dressed to on a morning.

So as I finish racing to type this before midnight, I know I am going to do as I kept saying and after posting this, I am going to go and put the toy gun in the bin, I must live by my own beliefs and it will stay at no toy guns in this home!

I can't stop children making guns from toilet roll holders or even there fingers, but I can stop them with plastic toy ones and I will!

I Hate Guns!

Should I buy him something to replace it, no I don't believe I should, he had plenty of warnings that it would go in the bin!

Thursday 3 November 2011

NaBloPoMo 3 - National Baking Week Belatedly!


I entered into the spirit of the National Baking week (which was October 17th ~ 23rd 2011) with my 2 daughters, by trying to bake a Giant Chocolate Cookie Cake!


I was having a week from hell is the only way I can describe it, my son 9 months was teething so badly bless him, he still is in fact, he refuses to take a dummy and also any formula milk so uses me as his comfort, which I secretly love, alas though I have other children in our family that need me too, so it really was a case of quickly fitting a baking session in with Izzy and Anna whilst Edward slept a rare nap that day!


I had never used the silicon mold before, but have to say I was impressed with our first effort, I did after reading other peoples posts on baking with silicon, grease it first, so thinking that helped.



Now the thing with my darling little munchkins, is that they have no patience, none what so ever, when it comes to Chocolate, so can you picture what happened to the cake, well whilst it was cooling, Edward woke up and I let the girls lick the bowl and their spatulas clean. (we all have our own different coloured silicon spatulas, it saves on arguments and my children love baking)


Don't know about you, but as a child I so remember loving cleaning the bowl or spoon after making stuff, by licking it clean, so I happily let mine do the same, well the girls were not satisfied with just that, Izzy the ring leader had a little test of the now luke warm cake and Anna joined in without hesitation, the next thing I know we have only one layer left!




I don't know how Izzy and Anna do it, but they can't do anything without making the most mess, its as if its a challenge to see who can get the messiest, the only thing I can do after a baking session is put the monkeys in the bath!


When Max got home he too didn't wait for the decorations I had to be added but shared the other half of the Giant cookie as choclate sponge and before I could say wait for tea it was gone!

My two Mess Monsters, Anna & Izzy

 I live by chanting to myself- 'A Dirty Child is a Happy Child, a dirty child is a Happy child' over and over and that way I know my 4 Munchkins must be very Happy!

Wednesday 2 November 2011

Dear blog and NaBloPoMo 2

Dear Blog, here I am again cutting it fine to get in with this NaBloPoMo and we are only on day 2!

I like to think at least I made it just yesterday and fully intended to add to my post, alas my teething little man needed me more so I ended up in the land of nod!

I have so so so much to catch up with, its the story of my life, so I am going to use this National Blog Post Month as a reminder/Diary/notebook so here we are day post 2 and I am trying to figure out how I can use this to my advantage!

I need to blog about so much, that I will list a few items I would like to do but so far have not made time for, well not had time for!

1-National Baking week (I have a competition to run for this, yes I know its been and gone, but the goodies are still here, so watch this space, in fact will try to complete the competition post after this one!)

2-National Chocolate week, sorry but they only gave us a week, to me its National Chocolate year... cough cough I mean its an essential part of my dietary needs you know!

3-My son's 8th Birthday and holding a Halloween Party for 30 to 40 children on a Budget!

4- The Baby Show, seeing all lots of lovely goodies and items of immeasurable desire, but going on a shoestring!

5- Meeting Annabel Karmel, introducing her to our little Annabel.

6- Adding about being a 'Toyologist' now that sounds so exciting, with Izziwizzikids and Max doing a Review of Lego and also of Disgusting science, which yes was disgusting!

7- Reviewing our adventure, sorry that would be my daughters adventures with two new family members, blue cow and green cow

8- Sorting out my Blog a bit better, adding in a Disclosure policy and also linking in some new tags.

9- Catching up with some reading of some of my favourite bloggers and some new ones, never enough time

10- Competitions, entering as many as possible and also running a few more myself!

11- Thinking and discussing re the Britmums- Big sister programme, I signed up for it and am over the moon to have a big sister who I was already following and reading her tweets and also having a couple of sisters sharing our new bis sister. I need to get on with this as have many questions to ask her and the time is slipping away!

12- sort a list out for yes I am going to say is CHRISTMAS, I never buy anything at full value if I can help it, I am by nature a bargain hunter and of course from necessity being a single mum to four!

13- Half Term facing one of my fears and totally conquering it and having the photos to prove it too!

14- I will also write a wish list out for myself, lets see if I can try to complete all above and see where we go from there!

PHEW, yet again the time is running away its 23:55 and I need to post this!

Tuesday 1 November 2011

NaBloPoMo Day 1

OK so seen a few of these posted, thought what on earth is NaBloPoMo and if I type quick enough I might just might be able to join in!

It stands for National Blog Post Month and is what it says, post on your Blog every day this month!

I have 3 minutes to go, so posting now, before Midnight, will come back and add to it ;)