Sweet honey chicken kebabs - Recommended Recipe!

Sweet Honey Chicken Kebabs - serves 8, takes 10 mins to make plus 2 hours to marinate plus 25-30 mins to cook (oven or BBQ)

Cut 650g chicken breast fillets into chunks, place in a bowl with the marinade ingredients from Sweet Honey Chicken (recipe here).  Chill for 2 hours.  Thread chicken and veg pieces (2 courgettes, 1 sweet pepper,  1 red onion) onto 8 kebab sticks.  Cook on a BBQ or in a pre-heated oven at 200C/Gas 6 for 25-30 mins.

Per serving: 165kcal, 5.9g fat, 1.2g saturated fat, 8.3g sugars, 0.2g salt.

Source: the Co-operative instore magazine.

Sweet honey chicken - Recommended Recipe!

Sweet Honey Chicken - serves 4-8, takes 10 mins to make plus 1 hour to marinate plus 35-40 mins to cook on the BBQ (or 35-40 mins in the oven at Gas 5/180C)

Ingredients

1.2kg chicken drumsticks and thighs, skin removed

2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

2 tbsp five spice (or another of your favourite spice)

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp clear honey

Method

1.  Cut slits into the chicken flesh without cutting all the way through.
2. Mix the garlic, five spice, oil and honey in a bowl and add the chicken.  Stir thoroughly and chill for 1 hour.
3. Cook on the BBQ for about 35-40 mins or until the chicken is cooked through, sticky and golden.

Per serving: 250kcal, 12.9g fat, 2.6g saturated fat, 9.2g sugars, 0.3g salt.

Source: the Co-operative instore magazine.

What should a 4 year old know?

I found this quote on good ol' Facebook this evening. Whether it's genuine or not, it makes sense and really is something we should all think about. Kids are kids and should be able to be kids. There's enough peer pressure once they get to high school and enough stress when they're adults!

It'a a bit lengthy, but stick with it and you'll see the theory make sense!

"I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough. “What should a 4 year old know?” she asked.

Most of the answers left me not only saddened but pretty soundly annoyed. One mom posted a laundry list of all of the things her son knew. Counting to 100, planets, how to write his first and last name, and on and on. Others chimed in with how much more their children already knew, some who were only three. A few posted URL’s to lists of what each age should know. The fewest yet said that each child develops at his own pace and not to worry.
 
It bothered me greatly to see these mothers responding to a worried mom by adding to her concern, with lists of all the things their children could do that hers couldn’t. We are such a competitive culture that even our pre-schoolers have become trophies and bragging rights. Childhood shouldn’t be a race.
 
So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.
 
She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.
 
He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn’t feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.
 
She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.
 
He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he’ll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.
 
She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she’s wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvellous. She should know that it’s just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that– way more worthy.
 
But more important, here’s what parents need to know.
 
That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.
 
That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. 

Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.
 
That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. 

We are so caught up in trying to give our children “advantages” that we’re giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.
 
That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. 

Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children’s toys and they wouldn’t be missed, but some things are important– building toys like lego and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too– to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it’s absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.
 
That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. 

But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That’s not okay! Our children don’t need Nintendos, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US. They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they’re a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them."

So what do you think? Makes you take a look at yourself in a different light. I don't think I'm a bad parent (nor you!) but there are definitely things that I DO worry about, which in fact.... don't really matter!

Back to School - Smart Restart with Change4Life!

September's the perfect time to make a new start!

The school year is just beginning. Make it a great start with Change4Life's new back to school booster - Smart Restart!

www.nhs.uk/Change4Life

All you need to do is choose one healthy change - like swapping some of your kids' treats for healthier alternatives. Or some of your car or bus journeys for walking, cycling or scooting - and you'll get offers, discounts and lots of support with our free app, emails and texts.

Every parent wants their kids to get the most out of the year ahead, but did you know that even simple changes can make a huge difference to the way kids feel, behave and learn in school?

Just choose one healthy change, and get started today! For example, stretch your legs, 10 minute moves, screen-time switches, beat the treats and super lunches! You can sign up here.

The Smart Restart app is a great, FREE tool, full of fun ideas and support - to help your healthy change, become a healthy habit:

• Five brilliant tools, packed full of ideas, games and inspiration to get the kids moving more and eating more healthily.
• Weekly action lists to help you form healthier habits over six weeks.
• A progress wall so you can see how well you're doing.

Download the app here.

Why not catch up with others on the Change4Life Facebook page? It's a great place to share your experiences and find lots of inspirational ideas and advice from families just like yours!

Silent Sunday 28th July 2013

Popband Review

Let me intoduce to you the great hair styling accessory that is Popband!  Unlike most (if not all) hair ties, they promise not to crinkle, crease or otherwise create a bump in your hair whilst wearing them, so you can sweep your hair up out of the way and then when your hair is released, it's still super straight!

Too good to be true? Well, I tried these on a journey to London via train.... warm weather, crowded train, 2 changes to contend with and on arrival, the promise of a nice meal out with my sister so my barnet *must* be perfect and presentable!

So off we went, hair duly straightened and tied back with said popband.  Five and a half hours later, on arrival at London Euston, I removed the popband, quick brush of the hair and voila, I was ready for the evening ahead!  To be perfectly honest, there was a very slight 'bump' where the band was but after about 10 mins, this dropped out to nothing noticable!

And to add to the beauty of the popband, I then wore it around my wrist for a bit of glitz to finish off my outfit.  They are pretty enough to wear as an accessoryand come in a huge range of colours and styles.  Have a look at their Facebook page here and see what you think!  They often have flash sales and discount codes available, but they are cheap enough anyway!  They most definitely aren't going to snap or fray and leave you in the lurch when you really *do* need you hair tied back.

With the addition of head bands and poplaces to the range, there's definitely something for everyone's style and situation!

'Dobble' card game review

Thanks to the great guys and gals at Esdevium Games Ltd, we were able to review the great new game 'Dobble'! At a first glance, this is a very unsuspecting round tin full of picture cards. A clever take on the traditional 'Snap' game played by millions around the world.

 

The game consists of 55 cards, each with 8 pictoral symbols per card from a bank of 50 images in total.  The 'snap' aspect comes in very cleverly in that there is only one identical symbol per pair of cards.  Difficult to believe and I can't begin to work out the stats involved(!) but that's the beauty of the game... there's ALWAYS a match, it's just a question of who spots it first!

In the pack,there's instructions for 5 mini games along with a quick beginners round so that everyone can get a grasp of the game.  We've played a fair few times since receiving the sample pack... and enjoyed every go!  Each time it's a different game, as the cards come out in different sequences.  We played with my 6 year old and (very competitve!) 9 year old and both children played the game well.  It really is down to who spots the match first, quick reflexes and an eye for detail.

Every player is actively involved throughout the game and no-one is 'out' so this avoids boredom setting in for younger players who always seem to be 'out' early into most other board games we have played!

A plus point for us as a familiy are that the game is extremely portable - everything fits inside a handy tin which is definitely rucksack or picnic basket sized... at a push, I'd even say it was handbag sized!  Perfect for a journey on the train or for taking away on holiday camping or similar!

Also, a further positive note is that the cards do not have any written word on them, so if your child cannot read too well yet, they still will be able join in!  And, as a bi-lingual Welsh/English family (also learning Spanish to boot!), this is a great way to practice vocabulary as a family!

Dobble is available at all major retailers including Amazon, RRP £12.99.  It's suitable for 2-8 players, game time approx. 15mins and appropriate for age 6 years+.

And now just for fun, comment below with the match you spot in the image above!  Also, you can pop over to their Facebook page here and join in with the 'Dobble goes Travelling' photo album!  Where will you take yours!?