Happy New Year!

Since moving my non-foodie related content over to my new second home "Just Do It Mummy", I have loved the freedom it has allowed me to write about any topic I like. This blog is relatively 'young' at a mere 6 months old, and I wasn't going to speak of my 2012 Highlights, but to be honest, it has been a pretty fantastic year -for the country as a whole and for us as a family, so here are some of my Highlights of the Year.

• In September I organised a local food fayre at school with help from the PTA. This was a fab event and was one of my personal achievements of the year.
• Raised over £3000 for charity with the help of others since September. Through our PTA, Ladies Circle and NCT I have taken part in various fundraising events.
• Lectured at Herts Uni - talking about one of my favourite topics to Uni students.
• Took two trips to Yeo Valley - a refreshing and unique place and a place which gets under your skin (in a good way!)
• Our family trip to EuroDisney/Paris - We drove to Paris with the in-laws and had a fab time. The kids had the time of their lives and we enjoye dourselves too!
•  The Olympics/Queens Jubilee - what an epic year for the country!
• Earning a Guinness World Record with Thomson Holidays - 29 Hats on my head in one minute! Sadly my record was beaten, but I still have the certificate to prove it.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a wonderful 2013!

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

The School Play and the "Firsts" of Younger Siblings.

Youngest had her very first school play yesterday. Having practiced for weeks and regaled us with repeated renditions of Christmas classics (and some not so classic) she dressed up as an angel with all of the other girls, and sang her little heart out. Another proud Mummy moment to put into the memory bank.

Sometimes I find that younger children's "firsts" get slightly overlooked because as parents, we did it all before with our very first child, so we may not feel that the firsts of subsequent children are as significant as the very first time we went through that experience as parents.

However, for youngest, her first carol concert was a huge deal. She had been so excited about it all week and felt really proud last night that she had given two performances. I am as guilty as everyone else of not always making such a big deal of youngest's firsts as I did with the eldest, and so I think that this is going to one of my new years resolutions - to always remember youngest's firsts as well as eldests!

"Music For Kids" Recorder Princess - Review

I always remember my first proper recorder. I was five or six. It was black, with a white mouth piece and I used to 'practise' 'Jesus hand's are kind hand's' on it on a daily basis - much to my mother's protestations.

I still look back with fondness at my years spent learning recorder at primary school, and I can still remember all of the tunes I learned even now. To some extent, I think that the recorder is still the quintessentially British first instrument that all children should learn to play as it can be a great basis for developing their musical talent at a young age.

In today's modern society, I suspect some kid's may not really be chomping at the bit to learn to play the recorder - especially if it's of the boring black and white variety, however, thankfully, there is something new on the market - the perfect gift to get kid's interested in music!

Music for Kids have developed two gender-themed "Open and Play" Recorder packs. Pirates for the boys and Princesses for the girls.

These packs aim to make learning to play the recorder a fun, rewarding and pleasurable experience.

The packs include: 

* High quality three piece coloured descant recorder

* Recorder cleaning rod and carry bag with drawstring

* Themed fingering chart with handy ‘Starting to Play’ tips

* 60 peelable themed stickers with which to decorate the recorder and music

* Easy to understand ‘Starting to Play…’ tutor book and CD to begin

We were sent the Pink Recorder Princess pack to review. Eldest (almost 6) is very musical and has already learnt to start reading music and playing the piano, so she took to this like a duck to water. Along with her sparkly pink recorder, she loved the starting to play book and CD, and the princess-themed stickers to reward her hard work.

The pack includes a sheet which shows you how to play all of the different notes. I can actually read music and play the recorder and other instruments, but I think this is great if music is not your thing as kids can fail at the first hurdle if they find it hard to even learn which notes are which! The book also includes songs like Twinkle, twinkle, and Old McDonald, which the kids can play along with the CD too.

Eldest is over the moon with her new recorder kit and she is doing well at learning a variety of different songs. This is a great pack for kids and a great way to get them interested in musical instruments.

You can purchase the Open and Play Princess Recorder Pack via the Music For Kids website.

Disclosure: Recorder Princess Set offered in consideration of review.

Silent Sunday

"I don't eat 4 days a week so my kids can". Should the 'middle classes' be accessing food banks?

Yesterday, I was made aware of an article on the Daily Mail website, via a parenting forum. The article tells the story of dubbed "Middle Class Mother" Vickie Robins, who is struggling financially - to the extent that she cannot afford to eat four days a week and has received donations of food from a local food bank.

The article, and Vickie Robins herself has attracted a lot of criticism for bringing the plight of the "squeezed middle classes" into the media. There has been an outcry from those on benefits/low incomes on the Daily Mail website, and on parenting forums, who are saying that the Robins do not know what real poverty is, and that they should essentially not be complaining about their lot in life, and should not be accessing a food bank as they are still a lot better off than others in more desperate situations.

There has also been suggestions that they should sell or give away their pets, and sell their car and the family home if they can't afford to live, rather than complaining to a national newspaper to get 'free presents for Christmas'.

Personally, I applaud Vickie Robins for telling it like it really is. I am glad that someone has finally stood up and highlighted that just because you work and (shock horror) own your own house, it does not mean that you are living in luxury and bathing in milk and honey. In this day and age, the perception is that if you are not claiming benefits and you own your own home, then it means that you are essentially, "rich" and you should not be entitled to any help from anyone. No one seems to want to acknowledge that there are those on perceived "middle class incomes" who are actually struggling to pay the bills, and many who are almost living below the poverty line.

For those on benefits, the thought of someone who earns an income over 20k, actually living in poverty is a very hard concept to grasp as the perception is that if you work, you should not be struggling. However, those on benefits forget that the recession and government cuts have had more of an impact on those who work and are on incomes under 50k, than those who don't.

As a child who grew up with a mother on benefits, I know how hard life on benefits is. However, as much as they are struggling to survive, those on benefits still receive a great proportion of the benefits they always have - regardless of a recession or not. Those on benefits have to acknowledge that as well as money, they are also entitled to income support, child benefit, child tax credits, reduced council tax, housing and rent paid for, milk stamps, food stamps, free childcare, free school meals, free breakfast club access, access to the governments "crisis" fund to buy household goods, free school trips, free/reduced access to adult education, free/reduced access to sports centres and kids activities, free prescriptions, reduced cost stamps for christmas and much more. None of this has been reduced/taken away for those on low incomes in the last few years, if anything, it has been added to.

People on benefits speak about having less money than those who work - and yes often, they do, but when you work out the monetary value of all of the "free extras" those on benefits get, they are often financially, significantly a lot better off than those who work.

Those in the middle income bracket have suffered greatly in the last few years. They have had their own income squeezed by the companies they work for, have not received salary increases in line with inflation, have been asked to work reduced hours, or even been made redundant from jobs with good salaries.

As well as being squeezed by employers, those on middle incomes have also been squeezed by the government. Middle income earners have lost access to tax credits and other benefits, and they are not entitled to any extra help with any costs. People on middle incomes get no help from employers or the government, yet they still have to pay for everything - including things that those on benefits don't have to pay for. Housing, bills, food, school costs, prescriptions, childcare, kids activities and more.

Everyone (no matter what they earn) has been affected by the costs of rising food, energy bills, petrol, clothing, and everything else. However, those not on benefits have to incur all of the costs themselves. The perception is that if you can't afford to pay the mortgage or live, then you should sell and downsize your house and rent or get a council house - but it's not as easy as that. Often renting is more expensive, and many middle income earners would not be eligible for council housing.

I can relate to Vickie's story - however contrived by the daily mail the actual article is. Two years ago I was made redundant. As I had been on maternity leave in the previous year, I was not even able to claim job seekers allowance as my NI contributions had not been enough to qualify whilst I was on maternity leave, yet those who had never worked, but had their NI contributions paid for, were still able to claim. We live on one income, apart from any occasional work I can get. We are not entitled to any benefits and we receive no discounts or government handouts. The perception from members of our family on benefits and lower incomes is that because my husband works full time, we are really rich. However, those on lower incomes are getting all of the government perks that we are not eligible for. We have to pay for everything. Ok, we are not quite at the point of having to ask for hand outs from a food bank, but we have no disposable income. My husband uses two tanks of petrol a week commuting 70 miles a day to work, we have to pay our own mortgage and bills, and we have to think about how to make our income stretch as far as possible each month just to survive. We have been victims of the recession and nothing is free for us.

I find it incredulous that society refuses to acknowledge that the squeezed middle classes have been affected by the recession and government cuts the most. Those who want to work, but are not working in high earning fat cat jobs are being penalised beyond belief by the current government and by the rises in the costs of living. By following the government's benefit checker, I worked out that if my hubby and I didn't work and we lived in social housing, we would be eligible for:

£28,500 tax credits, council tax and housing benefit, income support, child benefit.
£1200 School meals and breakfast club
Social fund
Winter fuel allowance
Free prescriptions, and all of the benefits listed at the beginning of the article.

You get the picture. Those on benefits are earning more per year, than those on squeezed middle incomes. Pre tax, my hubby and I would have to be earning around 40k to be receiving the same amount of money that we would if we didn't work, lived in social housing and were on benefits. We earn nowhere near that.

People on benefits receiving this amount of money are accessing food banks and charity services without question or prejudice, so why shouldn't those who are struggling on similar incomes but earning them rather than receiving them be able to do the same? The recession has hit everyone hard. Many people are struggling and doing what they can to feed their kids and keep their heads above water.

I think we need to get away from the perception that its only those on benefits who have been affected by the recession and government cuts during the last few years. The rich will always be rich and be taxed on it. The poor will always be given help by the government. But it is those in the middle bracket, whose incomes fluctuate and who receive no government help, but who have lost things like their child tax credits and still have to front the cost of everything in life - they are the ones who have really lost out and are being squeezed, so why shouldn't they also receive help if they need it from those who are willing to give it? The government certainly aren't.

I don't think you can fault this woman for visiting a food bank, and I think she is brave for telling her story in a national newspaper. Wealth should be tested by your disposable income, not how much you earn. I know many friends who are in the same situation, who have husband's in good jobs, who are perceived to be "rich" by society, but who can't afford to pay for their bills and food, who never buy new clothes, go out for dinner, get their hair cut and who go without food so that their kids can eat.

As Atticus in To Kill A Mockigbird says - you never really know someone's situation, until you get in their shoes and walk around in them.  You can't vilify this mother for accepting handouts until you spend a day with her and realise her situation.

Rather than belittling this woman, I think we should all be highlighting her cause to the government to question how it is that those on benefits are currently better off than those who work hard for their money, and how the government are planning on helping those on middle incomes who are actually struggling to survive.

If all working families suddenly sold their houses, quit their jobs and applied for social housing, then industry in this country would come to a stand still, the social housing and benefits system would be overworked and maybe the government would listen then. This is not about those who claim benefits vs those who don't. It is about the government realising that by penalising those on middle incomes so much, they are actually sending them spiralling into poverty.

All I can say is, thank goodness that food banks like this exist and perhaps if we can afford to donate, we should donate food to them. If you need to use them, you should be able to access them without prejudice - whether you earn what is perceived to be a 'good income' or not.

I wish it would Snow...

Ok, so it's not snowing yet, but I am so excited about the fact that according to weather reports it is going to be snowing soon. I love snow. I always have. Hubby thinks its hilarious, because I am prepared for snow by the end of August - making sure we have emergency supplies at home, snow boots and clothes, de-icer and scrapers, and emergency snow kits in case we get stuck in the car in snow - can anyone say preppers?!!

I thought you couldn't possibly meet anyone who was more excited about snow than I was - then along came the two mini me's - who love snow even more than I do!

Where we live, which is on the top of a hill (though not literally) we always seem to get a good dumping of snow. Even if its not snowing a few miles away, you can guarantee it will be snowing here - ensuring that trying to get the car out is a nightmare, and so its best to stay at home and watch the snowfall from your window.

Youngest who is 3, has seen snow for the last two Christmas's and so she is fully expecting it to snow again this Christmas - that's a big ask but hopefully this year she won't be disappointed.

Two Christmas's ago we went to the Christmas Eve crib service at our local cathedral. The frost was so hard and the snow was so heavy, that we were able to stand (very temporarily) on the lake - that's something you can't do every year. When the snow comes, the kids find the world even more magical than they do already - that surely can't be a bad thing!

Are you snow mad or do you hate the white stuff?

Lights......

Sometimes in the busyness of life, it's easy to become blinkered and so focused on getting to the next thing or getting through the day, that you forget to sit back, take stock and appreciate what is actually going on around you and how simplistic life can be.

With two kids going to school and after school activities in two different towns, the kids and I spend a LOT of time in the car driving from place to place between 3pm and 6pm. Often this is quite stressful, especially if there is a lot of traffic to negotiate and so I am so worried about getting to places on time, I rarely even notice the scenery we are passing. Darkness has descended upon us earlier and earlier over the last couple of weeks. This week, in our local area that many places - both commercial and residential have begun to put their Christmas lights up. On our familiar routes, an array of coloured lights in various different formations are now brightening up the dark nights.

Many adults (myself included) take them as a foreboding sign that Christmas is descending upon us, or begrudge their presence before the beginning of December. Indeed, hubby and I were aghast that one of the local houses had gone the whole hog by the second week of November!

It seems that recently, youngest (aged 3) has really begun to notice what is going on around her and can now recognise the familiar routes we take and where we are on them. This week as we were passing a parade of local shops, there were suddenly screams coming from the back of the car:

Mummy!!! Lights!!!  LIGHHHTTSSS!! LOOOK!! WOW!!!! They are so pretty!!!

Youngest was completely overawed by the new presence of these lights and they were all she talked about when we got to our destination, and for the rest of the evening. Over the last few days, the glimpse of any Christmas lights has sent her into such a frenzy and has made her beside herself with excitement.

The wonderment of a child at such simple things never fails to amaze me. When I am in the car driving on my own, I barely even notice these lights. Sometimes, it takes a child to make you look around and appreciate how bright and colourful the world can be, and how joy can be found in the simplest of things.

This Christmas, hubby and I have been bemoaning having to buy presents for the kids to fill their already overflowing rooms with more toys, whilst also worrying that we don't want the kids to feel hard done by on Christmas day. Sometimes the wonderment of a child reminds you that in years to come, it won't necessarily be the mountain of presents that kids remember about Christmas  - it could be something as simple as seeing the Christmas lights for the first time that year.

This Christmas, rather than going to the panto, paying for a ridiculously over priced grotto visit, selling our souls to Lapland UK or taking out a 2nd mortgage to pay for the kids presents, Hubby and I are going back to basics.

We want to find joy in the simple things of Christmas, just as the kids do. We are going to take the kids Christmas light hunting as many times as we can so that they can enjoy the wonderful displays. The house will be filled with sparkly lights and Christmas songs. The kids and I will bake mince pies and biscuits, make decorations, and whatever else it is that they want to do, and we will choose things together as a family that we can enjoy over Christmas which don't include traversing the Christmas crowds. Who knows...we could even get some snow!!

Sometimes, it takes the wonderment of a child to remind you that sometimes the best things in life really are the most simplistic, and the least expensive (apart from the petrol of course!!).

Christmas Wish List Linky - What do YOU want for Christmas?

It seems that the run-up to Christmas is starting to reach it's full momentum at the moment. For weeks now retailers have been releasing lists of the top women's must-have gifts, or at least, gifts they think women have just got to have this Christmas. Some of these gifts are items that I wouldn't buy my worst enemy - let alone receive myself! Others seem to be accompanied with a pretty hefty price tag which leaves most regular consumers worrying about how they will pay for that "must have" gift that costs the earth and which probably doesn't really appeal much to it's recipient (well not if this list is anything to go by anyway!).

I keep being asked by various relatives what I would like for Christmas and the truth is, this Christmas - not much! Of course there are things that I would love to have this Christmas, but I am very conscious that in the current climate, I do not want friends or family bankrupting themselves and spending a lot of money on myself and my family just so we can have a few gifts at Christmas.

Still... It is nice to be able to open something on Christmas day.

However, as parents, often considering what we would actually like for Christmas, gets lost in worrying about what to buy the children, and ensuring that they have a good Christmas. Therefore, today I am featuring a couple of (hopefully affordable) things I would like to find underneath the tree on Christmas morning, and just for fun, my ultimate money-no-object wish list Christmas present too.

To make this more interesting (and not all about what I want!), I would also like to hear from YOU about what YOU really want for Christmas. You can link-up to this post below so that others can pop over to your blog and see what presents you are hoping to wake up to on Christmas morning (or maybe get some inspiration for their own gifts!)

Here are some of the gifts on my wish list:

Love to Have
As the world's number one self-confessed Downton Abbey fan, this Season Three Downton Abbey Boxset is my "must-have" christmas present this year. Retailing at around £20, I would hope that I might wake up to find Santa thinks I have been good enough to receive it!

Like to Have

Being into cookery and homeware, this year the "Log cabin" themed range from Marks and Spencer is right up my street - I would love to wake up to any of these under the tree on Christmas day - or perhaps even the whole range! (wishful thinking)

Cushion £12.50, 

Tray £15 

Cups £19.50

Ultimate Money-No-Object Present

Kitchen Aid Mixer - £300-400. 

If money were no object and we didn't have endless kids ballet, swimming and piano lessons to pay for (or we had won the lottery), then this would be on the top of my Christmas List. I have been secretly lusting after one of these for years. Functional and pretty - they are the ultimate kitchen p*rn for any foodie and if I had one of these in my kitchen, I'm sure no cooking would ever get done as I would just be staring at it all day!

So there you have it, I have shared my wishlist of Christmas gifts - now its your turn! 

What is on your wishlist this Christmas? Why not write a quick post and share what you would love to unwrap this Christmas, or what your ultimate money-is-no-object christmas gift would be? You could feature just one thing, or you could feature as many as you like! 

Link up your blog posts below and I hope you wake up on Christmas day to find exactly what you have been hoping for!

Review of "Birth and Sex" by Sheila Kitzinger

As an antenatal teacher, I am an avid reader of the work of Sheila Kitzinger - a social anthropologist specialising in pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting, and a campaigner for the choices of women in childbirth. As well as being a pioneer campaigner, Sheila's work also includes research, writing and lecturing on the subject of childbirth and she has written over thirty books on the subject.

Recently, Pinter sent me a copy of Kitzinger's new book titled "Birth and Sex". For those familiar with Kitzinger's work, this book builds on her body of previous work. In this book, Kitzinger develops the ideas of others such as Gaskin and Odent, who believe that the experience of childbirth is inexplicably linked to sexual experience. Through the book, Kitzinger describes how women need to rediscover and embrace their own sexuality to have a positive experience of childbirth.

Kitzinger explores how modern day birth has been de-sexed by the move of birth from the home to hospital, and examines the impact this has had on the way women give birth and the experiences they encounter as a result. Kitzinger suggests that the rush of hormones and surge of energy flowing through the body during birth is similar to the hormones and energy a woman experiences during orgasm as pain and pleasure are closely linked. When a woman can follow her instincts during birth, oxytocin and endorphins in her body behave in the same way as they do to create an orgasm during sex. However, in today's modern culture where we revere technology and use it to enhance every aspect of our lives, women forget, or are hesitant to acknowledge that birth is something which is not necessarily enhanced by technology. During birth, women need to embrace their inner mammal in order to shut down the thinking part of their brain and allow the mammal side of the brain to take over. The traditional high-tech birth environment which the western world has become accustomed to, often inhibits or suppresses the woman's animalistic instinct and stimulates the thinking part of her brain, resulting in her mind working against her body. Research shows that the best environment for women to give birth in, is typically the kind of environment where they would have sex - a familiar, safe, dark environment where the woman is able to trust her own instincts, be confident in her body and be able to completely let go into herself - much as she would when experiencing orgasm.

In Birth and Sex, Sheila Kitzinger suggests what can be done to create an environment in which a woman is able to trust her instincts and be confident in her body. Kitzinger believes that by rediscovering the power and passion that lies within their body, women can reclaim the spontaneity and sexual ecstasy of childbirth. The book also explores alternatives to medicalised pain relief such as the use of water and song during childbirth.

For those unfamiliar with Kitzinger's work, those who are very immersed in medical childbirth or who experienced a very medicalised childbirth, some of the chapters in her book may require a small step of faith to entertain Kitzinger's ideas and consider her point of view. (Note: Those who are squeamish may want to approach the "Genital Geography" chapter of the book with caution). For those hoping to experience a positive of childbirth, or for those who believe in a woman's ability to birth her baby, and understand how closely birth is linked to sex, and the birth environment, this book cements everything they may already be aware of.

For anyone interested in childbirth, this book offers a refreshing alternative to other books on the market. Whatever your views on childbirth are, this book, from one of this century's leading pioneers of natural birth is a great read and offers interesting researched, evidence based information to pregnant women, their partners, and those caring for them during birth.

Disclosure: Book offered in consideration of review

Silent Sunday 18/11/12

E2Save and their Fraudulent Employees!

As a mobile customer I seem to get lots of cold-calls from every mobile phone company going. It seems that every week there is a different mobile phone company phoning to offer me the latest upgrade, handset or deal.

As a grown adult and consumer, you would think that I would be able to decide for myself if, or indeed, when, I would like an upgrade, or a new handset, or tariff.

Apparently not it seems.......

A few days ago I received a phone call from a girl that went roughly like this.... "alright, yeah, we got the new IPhone 5 in stock and I wann ed to know if you wann ed one". As a busy mum of two, these phone calls are a complete pain in the backside and so she got a curt no thank you as all cold callers of her nature do. I had no idea where she was calling from and I had no idea where she had been passed my details from.

I thought no more of it.

However, imagine my surprise two days later when I receive a text message on my current phone from my provider saying that my contract had been upgraded to a two year £46 per month contract and then another text message from a company called E2 Save who told me that my new phone was on the way. 

I thought this must be a mistake as I had no idea what was going on and was completely confused - especially more so when I logged onto my internet account and saw that my phone tariff had changed to this new more expensive tarriff. I immediately contacted my provider and explained that I had no idea why or how my phone had been upgraded and I was extremely concerned about what was going on. They told me that this had happened at a Carphone Warehouse Company and they passed it to their fraud team - who I am waiting to hear back from.

A day to think it over, and I realised that my call a couple of days earlier must have been too much of a coincidence not to be linked to this sudden unauthorised activity on my account. I called the number that the cold caller had called me on, and a girl answered with "hello E2 Save". I told her that someone had upgraded my mobile phone without my authorisation and she denied all knowledge of having any of my details on her system, saying that it must have been a different company.

Unfortunately, things were about to get much worse....

This evening I received another text message about my handset, so I decided to call E2Save again. This time I called their main number - at 10p per minute plus standard network rate - daylight robbery! I waited around 5 minutes to speak to someone. When I got through, I told the guy on the end of the phone what had happened and said I wanted to speak to a manager. He said I had to get past 'security' first. I wasn't giving him my details only for him to steal more information!!

Finally, I gave him my name and address and he asked what phone I had ordered - I didn't order a phone and I have no idea which phone was ordered!!!! Someone ordered a phone without my authorisation!! However, here is the kicker, next, he asked me my date of birth - which I reluctantly gave him. 

"sorry, it doesn't match the date of birth on my system. You have failed security so I can't discuss the account with you" WHAT? IT'S MY DATE OF BIRTH!! - how could my REAL date of birth not match their systems???

 I repeated it and asked him to check again and there was a completely different date of birth on the system. Someone had either stolen my identity, or made up a completely random date of birth in order to access my account and selfishly gain their commission. I told the guy that this was MY REAL DETAILS and MY REAL DATE OF BIRTH and he said that I had to give him the date of birth on the system ......

So some fraudster could phone E2Save, or an employee could access their systems, give a fake date of birth, tell them the phone they had purchased and then get access to whatever personal details of mine that they wanted, but I could not talk to anyone about an account that had been set up in my name!!! Unbelievable - what protection is there for real mobile phone customers NONE!! it seems that this company are happy to take FAKE SECURITY DETAILS and give out personal information about me. I am worried about what other details they hold on me. Do they have my bank account details? Debit card number? My kid's dates of birth? What other details do they have on me that they are happy to give out to someone else but not to the person who ACTUALLY OWNS THEM!!!!

The staff member I spoke to was extremely rude, refused to discuss my account, refused point blank to put me through to a manager and said that I could not discuss the account, even though I had reiterated that the company was at fault because of some random employee, who stole my details, illegally authorised my account when she did not have my permission, and locked me into a contract that there is no way in the world I would ever have accepted, All because of a disgusting need to gain her commission.

However, the guy I was dealing with on this call still moronically refused to put me through to anyone as I had failed to pass security. He was absolutely abhorent and couldn't cope with me going off of his 'script', so he didn't know what to say and refused to help me. Mind you... take a look at their employees...... Does this look like the kind of person who would be helpful? - It certainly doesn't to me!

photo credit E2Save

Would you trust any of these people with your personal details? Would you trust any of them not to screw you over?  I would love to know how a cold call ending in me stating " I am not interested" could be taken by a member of this asanine group as an authorisation to gain access to my account and illegally order mobile phones and contracts in my name without my say so!

Photo Credit: E2Save

I have since taken to E2 Save's twitter account and surprise surprise, I have heard nothing. My provider have passed it to their fraud dept and are looking into it but I have no idea what is going to happen and I am getting no answers from anyone as I cannot speak to E2Save as apparently my REAL DETAILS don't match the imaginary ones on their system - I am totally stuck, with a huge two year bill and no help from E2Save.

I fail to see how this is moral, ethical or even legal, or how E2Save are allowed to get away with practices like this. Worryingly, if you put E2Save into any search engine, the results bring up a catalogue of complaints and disgusting, unethical and unsavoury practices by this company dating back to at least 2007, and it seems that OfCom and the like are happy to let these practices continue and are happy for E2Save to continue screwing over honest members of the public. 

I am hoping that E2Save might have the decency to contact me and explain to me how this has happened and what they intend to do about it, however, judging by their previous performances, unfortunately, I am not holding my breath. However, I am not paying for an upgrade I never authorised and so hopefully my provider will be more helpful than this abhorent company and reverse me back to my original contract, Worringly, at the moment I am not sure what is going to happen.

A Firework Poem by Eldest, aged 5 3/4.

This poem is the intellectual property of eldest aged 5 3/4. Please seek permission before copying or reproducing it!

Every week at school, eldest has 'big writing'. She is very proud of her 'big writing', because it indicates that at the grand old age of 5 and 3/4, she is in fact, now, big!!

Eldest loves making up and writing stories and poems, so this big writing lark is right up her street. Just before half term, her task was to write a poem about fireworks using alliteration and 'wow' words (that's interesting adjectives to you and me). Here's what she came up with. She was so proud of her poem that she asked me to put it up on my blog - so here it is!

A holiday to Greenock, Scotland

Well you may have noticed its been a little quiet around here this week. Following on from our wonderful trip last summer, this half term, Hubby, the kids and I took a trip back to the west coast of Scotland to visit family and have a little holiday. It's a looong drive from where we live - around seven hours if you put your foot to the floor and have a bladder made of steel, more like 8 and a half to nine hours if you have the kids in the back who require feeding and exercising every once in a while.

On the way up to Scotland, we stopped overnight in a Premier Inn in Cuerden Way, Preston. We love this particular Premier Inn as it is really modern and has huge king sized beds - the kids find it a real adventure staying away in a hotel, and their hotel breakfast the next day is always a bonus. I can recommend this particular hotel as great for breaking up the journey between southern England and Scotland as it makes travelling much more manageable.

My father's family live on the west coast of Scotland near Greenock - recently famous for being the new backdrop for Waterloo Road. Typically we stay in a caravan park with beautiful panoramic views of the Clyde, but it is far too cold to stay there this time of year and so we opted for the Premier Inn in Greenock. Alas, we were not as impressed with this Premier Inn as the Preston one as the welcome wasn't as friendly, the rooms were really dated and the bed was one of the most uncomfortable I have slept on. They also had a volume lock on the TV - so it only went up to a volume where it was barley audible over talking children - very frustrating, but at least it was warm.

We woke up on our first day to rain - typical!! To shelter from the rain, we decided to go to an open day at the Greenock Victorian Fire Station Museum and Heritage Centre. Definitely a good choice as the kids cited this as the best part of their whole holiday.

Ten years in the making, this attraction, which opened earlier this year oozes fire fighting history. Housed in the Victorian Fire Station which was operational from 1887 to 1960, displays on show include hoses, vehicles, breathing apparatus, uniforms, ladders, and even a stuffed fire fighting dog! The museum recounts the history of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service from 1887 to present. It features the big fires they attended including fires during the blitz, the Cheapside Fire, where many men lost their lives, and the recent attacks on Glasgow Airport. There is a really impressive amount of exhibits on show and history is evident all around. The girls loved trying on the fire fighting outfits, watching Billy the fire investigation dog in action and doing puzzles on the interactive white board. The volunteers were all extremely knowledgeable about the station and it's history, and what was even more lovely was that they knew all of the past firefighter's names, and could tell you about their families, even up to the present day. Community in this part of the world is evident as people do not tend to stray too far from their birth place. This was definitely a fantastic day out that I would recommend to anyone - whether you are a visitor, or local to the area. For more info and to see when the museum is open, see the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Preservation Group website.

The following day we took a trip to Loch Lomond, which has beautiful views, and walked around the scenic village of Luss - life definitely is very different here to back home! I wouldn't mind waking up to this beautiful scenery every day. The girls loves exploring the stony shores and brought some "shiny stones" back home with them. They couldn't believe that the water was so clear - not like our dirty shores of the south.

On our final day we went down to Largs - a seafront village which boasts the famous Nardini's Cafe - especially known for it's ice cream. The girl's love coming here when we visit Greenock and even though the sea was pretty choppy and the the rain was setting in, they had a great time walking along the sea front and eating their ice cream.

We had decided to drive home in one go - ten hours in the car to entertain the monsters. Luckily they were happy to play games, read and sleep, and hubby and I took it in turns to drive. Another lovely half term holiday!

The One Where I Used To Dance.

Even though it's good to focus on where you are going, sometimes, it's nice to also remember the places that you have been and the path that your life has taken. My life now is vastly different to my life pre-kids - as I'm sure is the case for many people. Pre-children, one of the things I most loved to do was dance. Although I never had the body to be a dancer, and mostly had the wrong 'look' too according to some, I absolutely loved doing it and it made me happy - which is the main reason that anyone should do anything.

In my early twenties I was in a dance company called "Culture Shock UK". We were an early 2000's version of Diversity, Flawless, and all of the amazing hip-hop/street dance companies or "crews" that you see today. Over the last ten years, street dance has burst into the main stream in the UK, mostly pioneered by many former Culture Shock UK members who you will regularly see dancing with artistes on tour and on shows such as XFactor, So You Think You Can Dance, and Got To Dance. Whenever I see people street dancing on the TV, you can pretty much guarantee a Culture Shock UK alumni will be dancing, or will have choreographed the dancers. Some of my former dance friends are now famous in their own rite as dancers, teachers, models, and personalities. Needless to say I did not follow their path. Although I did do some commercial dance work, I spent a lot of my time teaching dance to others as sharing my passion for dance was what made me happy, rather than finding glory on stage. After I had kid's finding the time to continue dancing got harder and harder and now I find myself driving my girls to their own dance classes three times a week rather than driving myself to mine.

Still, sometimes it's nice to remember the former you, so here I am - in the middle in this video, circa 2003, doing my stuff with other CSUK members to Justin Timberlake. What did you love to do pre-kids?

Rock Of Ages - Review

A couple of weeks ago I took part in the Rock Of Ages tweet along which entailed watching the film, whilst tweeting about it at the same time with other reviewers. Although I had heard good things about the stage version of Rock of Ages, I had never actually seen it, and so I was looking forward to seeing how the film would pan out. It helped that those nice people at Warner Brothers had provided me with a wig and plastic guitar sugar to rock out to, which I did with gusto at several points throughout the film. The film is set in the eighties, and as an eighties girl myself, I had a good feeling that I would enjoy this film. I was not disappointed when the film started with the song paradise city by guns and roses - one of my ultimate eighties rock songs. 

Rock of Ages is a little like a cross between glee meets grease, but with a rock twist. The film focuses on country singer Sherrie, and bar worker Drew, and scenes are set around 'The Bourbon Rooms' - a rock club on the Sunset Strip owned by Dennis Dupree and his assistant Lonny. Dupree hires famous singer Stacee Jaxx to play in the hope of raising enough money to keep the failing club open, however, there are twists and turns along the way which culminate in a happy ending for most of the characters. I thought that Sherrie and Drew - the two main characters in the film were played really well, though I would have liked a little more of their back story as I wondered why Sherrie would rather work as a stripper than go home and face whatever was there. All of the actors cast in the film were phenomenal. Alec Baldwin was great as Dennis Dupree and Catherine Zeta Jones as conservative Patricia is also great. Tom Cruise as Tracey Jaxx is outstanding. I have always been a bit of a Tom Cruise fan and I was interested surprised to discover that he also knows how to play the guitar! Russell Brand gives an amazing performance too. Even though inevitably typecast, Russell plays up to this role really well and is entirely convincing in his performance. Then there's the monkey - you have to love the monkey. Although I have a problem with the whole 'animals in clothing' thing, the partnership between Tom and the monkey was really amazing and hilarious at the same time. 

I especially loved the scene on the greyhound bus where the whole bus sang along with Sherrie, and the scenes with Drew and Sherrie singing in the record shop. I would say that I thought that there were quite a lot of plot holes in the story between the two main characters, but to be honest, the story is not really why you would be watching the film - it's for the gratuitous rocking out, the costumes, the amazing hairstyles, and to celebrate a throwback to a fabulous era which you were part of. Add to that an unforgettable soundtrack and a title track by Journey, and you have all the elements of a fantastic evening in.

The film is rated as a 12, which I was quite surprised about as there as a lot of suggestive nudity and scenes that personally, I felt I would not let my 12 year old see. However, this would be a great film to watch with friends - just grab a few long haired wigs, plastic guitars, and a bucketful of popcorn, and you will be away- singing 'Don't Stop Believing' all night.

Although hard core rock and roll lovers might find the film a little tame for their liking, Rock of Ages would make a fantastic Christmas present or gift for anyone who enjoyed the eighties era and loves rock music.

Our Verdict: 9 out of 10 - a fun film that many people would connect with.

Disclosure: A copy of the film was offered in consideration of review

Silent Sunday

The Great Storm of 1987: My Memories

Today marks 25 years since the great storm of 1987. Friday the of 16th October 1987. Even as a six year old I have very vivid memories of this day because for different reasons, I had been looking forward to this day for quite a while.

During the early hours of the morning of the 16th, I remember being kept awake by the wind and the rain.  I remember the wind blowing a gale, the rain lashing down and the sound of branches crashing down from trees. I remember being annoyed because I really wanted to go to sleep so that I could wake up for the next day. At one point, there was a big crash and the power went completely out. Us children ran into my mother's room screaming as young spooked children do. My mum was scrabbling around, half asleep trying to find candles to provide some light, and we all slept in the same room as we listened to the weather raging around us.

The next morning, I was so excited and couldn't wait to get to school. My mum was listening to the weather on her battery radio as we had no power, which was advising people to stay inside and not leave the house. However, my Mum had to go to work as she worked at the local BT exchange, and there was absolutely no way that I was staying at home on such a big day, so we set off to school at usual.

As we left the house I remember seeing branches strewn all over the road and things that shouldn't be where they were meant to be. Everything was displaced and there were bits of toys, plant pots, and rubbish from peoples gardens laying in the middle of the street. We got in the car and started driving to school. As we got out of our estate, we encountered a traffic jam. A really big tree was completely blocking the road. I am pretty sure that we had to abandon the car as there was no way we could get through, and so my mum struggled with my sister in the buggy, against the wind, walking us to school. I was eager to get there as soon as possible because I absolutely did not want to miss the big event happening at school that day.

This event was a really big deal in our school. Everyone had been waiting in anticipation all week for Friday to come. We were all so excited, because today was the day that we were going to have a Theatre Company coming into school to perform a play and do a theatre workshop. To us children, this was an absolutely huge event. I rushed into the playground and we speculated excitedly about what the day would hold and what the theatre workshop would consist of. We also regaled each other with our tales about the storm the night before. To me, nothing was out of the ordinary, apart from a bit of wind and rain, it was going to be a totally routine school day, with the added excitement of the theatre visit on the top.

Instead of going to register, all of us went straight to assembly. I thought this was a bit odd. Our head teacher told us that some of the teachers couldn't get to school and so we would have children from different classes with us today. None of us minded. Then he told us the worst news as a six year old child that you could hear. The Theatre Group were no longer able to come and give a workshop, because they couldn't get to us, and as they were so booked up, they couldn't reschedule. The look of total devastation on everyone's face was apparent. Some of the children started crying and I felt pretty gutted too. The teachers didn't look very happy, but all they kept talking about was the storm, which was completely inconsequential to us kids. I remember that the teachers tried to make the rest of the day as fun as possible for us, but nothing is fun when something you have been expecting is taken away. We also weren't allowed outside due to something ridiculous called "health and safety" whatever that was.

When we got home we had no power again. Still mum managed to rustle up tea as always and I don't really remember much more.

Even though it seems trivial in relation to everything else that happened that day, these are my vivid, lasting memories of that day - the fact that the theatre company who we had been promised a visit from, did not turn up. When you are a child, your world is so small and insular that these trivial things are the upsets that you remember. Even though twenty two people lost their lives, fifteen million trees were destroyed, several hundred thousand people were left without power, and roads and public transport were in complete disarray, None of that is really of any great interest to a six year old child and the Theatre Company not attending seems much more important a loss.

The clean-up from the Great Storm of 1987 took a great deal of time and money. Thankfully, with the advances in technology, the Met Office are now able to predict weather with a much greater deal of accuracy than poor Michael Fish - who will be infamously remembered for his flippant remarks regarding reports of a hurricane.

Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way; well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't, but having said that, actually, the weather will become very windy, but most of the strong winds, incidentally, will be down over Spain and across into France.

Do you remember the 1987 storm?

Charity Blogging: Selfless or Self Promotion?

Recently I have been thinking about this verse from the bible, found in Matthew 6, a lot. Over the past few months I have been made aware of, and invited to participate in quite a few high profile charity blogging campaigns, asking bloggers to use their voice and their blogs to raise awareness of different charities, or to encourage people to donate to charity. Indeed, I have been berated recently, along with other bloggers for choosing not to participate in charity campaigns raising awareness for different causes.

Whilst many, many people raise awareness of the work of charities and give to charity without hope or agenda, lately, it has seemed to me that there is an increasing trend amongst society in general to give to charity or raise awareness about a charity, with the agenda of looking good in the process. Indeed, I am sad to say that in my years of working in the charity sector, I have come across many who used their charity work or charity giving to raise their own profile and expected to be acknowledged for it, rather than doing it purely to help others. Dare I be so bold as to say it, but often, it is self-proclaimed Christians who are typically most guilty of this.

Each day there are millions of people across the world doing their bit to help charities and causes close to their heart who go unacknowledged.  Millions more will often donate or volunteer for charity in a time of crisis or disaster when human decency transcends typical human nature, or on occasions like Christmas, when it seems that goodwill to man kind is a little easier a burden to bear for those who wouldn't give at other times of the year. Although people may briefly mention in passing the works they do, or causes they support to friends and family, they do not tend to be in church, coffee shops, or on the internet shouting about them or berating others for not being interested in the causes they believe in. Is this a bad thing? Social media would have us believe that it is, the bible would have us believe that it is not.

As a Christian, it seems to me that on this subject, the bible contradicts what modern day social media is about, which is hard for Christians who want to live by the bible and what they believe in, but still want to be actively involved in social media and use it for good. Social media is all about making your voice heard and quite often gathering sway for a cause or campaign, or encouraging people to donate to charity. The bible tells us not to shout about our works of charity or 'practice our acts of righteousness' before others. It also tells us not to "announce it with trumpets" (my modern day interpretation would be "announce it with twitter"), but in a modern world, how beneficial is social media in gathering sway and raising awareness for campaigns? I would say that it is very beneficial, if used in the right way.

I think that there is a clear, moral difference between using social media to raise awareness for charities and causes close to our hearts without agenda, and using social media to self publicise ourselves doing amazing works for charity, or donating money to charity. There is a clear line between keeping people informed and raising awareness for charity, and self promotion of the works you do for charity in order to gain notoriety. Within society, and within social media presently, the line is starting to become a little blurred.

People are shouting about the amazing work they are doing and amazing causes close to their heart via social media platforms, but unfortunately, it is being perceived by others as having undertones of self promotion and notoriety. Is this just the readers perception? Is this the author's hope? Is there such a thing as genuine selfless service any more?

As people before we speak, or as bloggers, before we hit the "publish" key, maybe it is worth sitting back and questioning: who are we really telling this or publishing this for? Is it for ourselves? Is it for hits on our websites or to boost our profile? Or is it purely, without hope or agenda, to raise awareness of a genuine charitable cause without making people feel guilty if they choose not to become involved. I personally really hope that it's the last reason every time.

Silent Sunday

April Jones - Our Choices As Parents & Stranger Danger

I'm sure we have all been hugging our children a little tighter over the last couple of days as our thoughts and prayers are with the parents and family of April Jones who went missing in Machynlleth on Monday evening 1/10/12. Her case has especially struck a chord with me as April is the same age as my eldest daughter.

Whenever I hear news of a child going missing, my mind turns to thinking about how I can talk to my own children about stranger danger and even dangers relating to people that they might also know, without scaring them too much and ruining their innocence.

When I was 9, I would walk home from school on my own as my school was quite close and my mother had to work until just after pick-up time. One day, on my way home from school, I was approached by a man in a car, who asked me if I wanted some sweets and told me to get in the car if I wanted them. Luckily, I was on a fairly busy, residential road, with lots of people near by, and I managed to run straight home and tell my mother, who called the police. My mother had also spoken to me about the dangers of going with a stranger and I was old enough to understand that I should not get in the car.

In recent years, the media has accused modern day parents of being "helicopter parents" who keep our kids locked up indoors. The National Children's Bureau issued research this year which showed that 46% of parents admitted that "fear of strangers" kept them from letting their children play outside, and a third of parents were too worried about their children injuring themselves to let them venture outside of the house unsupervised. The NCB believes that playing outside should be "a normal, everyday event for all children".

The parents of April have come under fire from some people for letting their little girl play outside unsupervised, however, it seems that in the area they live, this is fairly common practice. There has been lots of debate on various parenting forums about whether parents should let their kids play outside, with opinion ranging from "it was ok for us and we never came to harm" to "my kids play out too" to "I would not let my kids play out". As parents, we know our own area's where we live and the danger's related to each area. Even though we may have our own opinions, and our own rules for our kids, it is very hard, and not really our place to judge other parents for the decisions that they make as even a child playing in the safest area can disappear in a split second, as April's case shows.

The other day, I let my 5 year old, who had been begging me to be allowed outside, ride her bike outside of the front door in our cul-de-sac which is set away from a main road. The door was open and she was right outside where I could see her. Within minutes, she was in, crying, as two girls had walked past her and told her that if she played outside she would get taken away from her mummy and daddy! Now either these children were just being horrible to a younger child, or they have parents who have heavily stressed the dangers which exist in our society to their children. As parents, we have many decisions to make about our kids, including letting them out of our sight. Many parents, including myself, make decisions about if, or when, it is ok for their child(ren) to play outside. Whilst there is always a risk that something could happen, in many cases, there is a chance that something will not, and so as parents we have to weigh up the risk against the chance and make our own informed decisions. It can also be child dependent. I would be much more likely to let my eldest child play outside of the front door, with the door open, than I would my youngest child at the same age - those who know my kids will know why!

It is a common belief that many children are abducted by people they know. In 2004, a Home Office Study of 768 child abductions which occurred in the UK showed that a surprising 56% of them involved a stranger who took upon an opportunity. 23% of the cases involved a parental dispute, leaving a further 21% of abductions where the child knew the person who took them.

If you have been considering how to talk to your children about what to do if a strange, or known adult approaches them and says/does something they don't like, wants them to go off with them, or attempts to take them, then here are a few links that may help:

Direct Gov gives some sensible tips about keeping young children and teens safe.

Netmums has some fantastic information on Essential Safety for Kids and Talking to your Child about Stranger Danger.

NSPCC Out Alone - Your Guide To Keeping Your Children Safe.

Child Alert How kids can stay safe, be smart and protect themselves from strangers and abduction.

Teigan Gets Lost - An online Video for Kidsabout "Safer Strangers, Safer Buildings" which advises kids to find a "safe stranger" (i.e a policeman/shop worker in uniform) or "Safer Building Police Station/Church/Shop) if they get lost.

As well as talking to our kids about staying safe when they may not be with us, we can now find out about convicted child abusers living in the UK through a website called Children Have Rights In Society. C.H.R.I.S. contains a search function which allows you to search records by area/county, so that you can see whether there is someone living close-by in your area who has been convicted of an offence against a child. Unfortunately, there will always be those who commit new offences, but it can be useful to know whether you are living close-by to a known child abuser.

Let's all Hope and Pray that April and other children like her are returned to their families soon.

If you have any great resources on this subject, please leave a link in the comments section below.

Preparing for Winter - How to Prepare for the Cold Weather

I know that the leaves on the trees have only just begun to reveal their autumnal colours, but in the true girl guiding fashion of being prepared, now is a great time to start preparing for the winter months ahead.

With the arrival of the cold weather, and occasions such as Bonfire Night, and dare I say Christmas! on the horizon (are you as excited as I am!), now is the perfect opportunity to prepare yourself for the forthcoming season - before the clocks change on the 28th of October and darkness sets in before tea time!

What would I need to prepare? I hear you say... Well I felt like that a few years ago, but once my kids arrived, I realised that I had to be a bit more prepared in case we ever got snowed in (which we did), or we were caught on a long car journey in the cold weather (which we were). I also realised that it's essential to have all of the winter clothes and goods that you may need in advance, otherwise you often find that the shops have sold out by the time you realise your two year old needs some warmer pyjamas, or that your four year old needs new gloves and a hat, or that your snow boots are now letting in water and freezing your feet and it's minus 5 outside!

This may seem a bit extremist, but some of these things have really helped me through the last few winter's. I remember on snowy days when the schools were closed, we were able to salt the path and dig hubby's car out so that he could still get to work (the employers don't believe in snow days!). Other days, we raided the emergency winter supplies and made our own bread and ate canned soup so that we had something warm and hearty to eat.

As none of us can really predict what kind of winter we will have, it's a good idea to ensure that you, and your house are prepared, and that you have all you need for the months ahead. Inspired by threads on "The Fly Lady" and "NetMums", I thought I would put together a list of suggestions for things that you can do to get your family, and your house ready for the cold weather and the winter season ahead.

There is a lot here and some of it may not apply to you, but if you pick and choose a few things to do each week, by the time winter comes, you will be ready for whatever the season throws at you. - Guess what we'll be doing this weekend!!

I am sure that this list is not extensive, so I would love to hear: What do you do to prepare for Winter?

A Checklist for Preparing for Winter:

Outside the House

• Cut the Grass in preparation for winter. One more mow before the frost comes will stop your grass becoming too unruly over the winter.
• Clean Patio Furniture and kids outside toys in preparation to be put away.
• Sort out the Shed. - Before putting away the patio furniture! You don't want to have to go trekking in there for something in the middle of winter, only to find you have to climb over all the summer stuff first. Put summer things to the back and bring winter essentials to the front.
• Cover Up Outside Structures - such as BBQ's or any other hard standing features.
• Drain and Store Garden Hoses to prevent them being iced up and splitting in cold weather.
• Check your Gutters - you don't want them collapsing under the weight of ice and snow!
• Inspect your Doors and Windows - make sure that they are well sealed in preparation for the cold weather.
• Clean out Chimneys and Flues.

Inside The House

• Have your Boiler Serviced - servicing it now will hopefully avoid it breaking down during the winter.
• Wash and Dry all Bedding Swap summer and winter bedding and duvets over.
• Bring Winter Clothes to the front of your wardrobe, or pack summer things away.
• Have your Carpets Cleaned whilst you can still get then dry during September/October.
• Prepare the Kitchen for winter/holiday cooking - Clean and organise cupboards and cooking equipment, clear kitchen counters of any appliances or clutter you don't need, so you have more room for cooking.
• Defrost the Freezer ready for batch cooking and Christmas food
• Invest in Waterproof Mats for your entrance hall - It saves the carpets being ruined in winter.
• Empty your Vacuum - How often do you do this?

Tasks to Do to Prepare for Winter

Stock up on Salt, Grit and Snow Shovels NOW
Salt and Grit are essential for paths in the winter, It saves trekking out in the snow to buy them & finding everyone else had the same idea and there are none left.

Stock up on Essentials - Nappies, wipes, toilet roll - whatever you use every day, Also buying UHT milk and bread flour/bread mix can save the day if you are unable to get to the shops as regularly, as can non heating/refrigerated foods such as tins of fruit, or cereals.

Warming Foods for Winter
Stock up on tins of beans and soup (or make your own and freeze it) so that you have it as an emergency winter meal. Casseroles or Stews are also fab in the winter and freeze well. Keep an emergency supply of soup and maybe even a tin of something like hot dogs in case you cannot get out of the house and the kids need a quick meal.

Stock up on Medicines- With all of the bugs that go around during winter, making sure you have the essentials in now can avoid unnecessary trips to the shops. Our cupboard typically includes Ibuprofen tablets, Paractemol tablets, Calpol kids medicine, Nurofen kids medicine, Beechams All in One cold and flu medicine for adults (amazing!), cold and flu sachets for adults, kids/adults cough medicine, cough sweets,  vicks vapour rub, olbas oil, plasters, tissues, and arnica cream, tea tree oil/lavender oil for bumps and scrapes. Poundland is good for stocking up on these essentials.

Buy or Dig out Winter Clothes - Fleecy pyjamas and socks, dressing gowns, slippers and thermals, are all a must for cold days.

Check your wellies, gloves, scarves, hats and waterproof jackets/warm winter coats - make sure you have everything that you need before the season starts.

Invest in a Warm Throw - Great for keeping you warm on the sofa on a cold night.

Find Cheap Fleece Blankets - Fleece blankets are great for using to block draughts or hanging behind your front door to preserve warmth. Thermal Door Curtains will also help keep heat in the house, as will stuffing old pairs of tights with toy stuffing or socks, and placing them at the bottom of your main doors.

Dig out Hot Water Bottles - to warm cold beds, or hug to keep you warm.

Have Candles, Matches and Torches close by in case of a power outage. 

Start saving £5 per week for extra Gas or Electric (especially if you have a meter) so that you have enough to heat your house through the winter. Also, stock up on Wood or Oil if you use these to heat your home. 

Snowgrips such as Wintertrax on your shoes can stop you from slipping, especially if you have to walk a lot during the winter.

Buy a Sledge - you can likely pick them up cheaper on Ebay now than in winter and they are great for transporting the kids and goods in winter months.

Dig out Footmuffs/Blankets/Waterproofs for your buggy if you have one.

Stock up on Essentials for your Car - For peace of mind, get winter essentials now, such as: Antifreeze, Ice scraper, De-icer etc. Carry fleece blankets in the car in case you break down, along with a torch and a couple of non-perishable snacks and bottles of water in case you find yourself stuck in traffic due to bad weather.  Invest in snowsocks for your car if you live somewhere that requires them. Check your tires to ensure they are well-inflated. Keep a shovel in your car in case you are snowed in at work, or somewhere away from home and need to use your car to get home. For extra preparedness, carry a backpack in your car for each person travelling with an emergency set of clothes, with a warm jumper, gloves scarf, hat, and snow boots in, along with some non-perishable snacks, a bottle of water, and some spare money. This can be essential if you have to abandon your car for the night.

Don't Forget Your Pets - make sure you have enough pet food in and anything else your pet may need in the in winter months.

As well as remembering to be prepared for winter, it costs more to heat the house in the winter, so here are some things that we do to save money in the winter months,

Some tips for saving money on heat in winter:

• To save money, we typically delay putting the heating on as long as possible, and we will just add more layers to keep warm.
• When you have finished cooking, leave the oven/grill/kitchen door open as this will release the heat into the rest of the house rather than just storing it in the oven.
• Use electrical heaters in the rooms you are in, rather than having the heating on, heating the house all day.
• Set the heating on a timer to come on during the times you are in the house. There is no point in heating the house all day if no one is in it.

I hope you have found these suggestions for saving money on heat and preparing for winter helpful. I would love to hear from you if you have!