Silent Sunday 31st March

Lets Get Ready To Rumble!!!

When I think back to the nineties, and my teenage years, there are some things I believe in leaving firmly in the past, probably including my neon orange skirts, baggy checked shirts, and my Nike Air trainers which pumped up (so stylish).

Some of my musical tastes are probably best left in the past too. Over the past few months, I have been hearing about the programme, the Reunion, featuring some bands from the nineties including Five, Blue, Atomic Kitten and Bewitched amongst others, and have been thinking... why oh why would you want to reincarnate something which is clearly best left in the past?

So on Saturday, when I tuned into Saturday Night Takeaway, I was not prepared for the surge of emotion and nostalgia which bestowed me when I saw one of my favourite duo's of the nineties stage a come back and perform live on TV.

Yes, as a hapless teenager, I spent many hours in the local Our Price, listening to my favourite pop bands. I recall one Saturday, when a certain Pop Duo came to town, I camped out at dawn to see them, to make sure I was right at the front when they made an appearance. When they appeared, I cried, I screamed, I hyperventilated to be in the presence of pop royalty..... and I got my poster and CD cover signed by them. I also got a dodgy angled, head half cut out photo of Ant and I, which I probably still have some where in my loft.

Now that I am a mature, sensible grown-up, it appears, that I had managed to block out the embarrassing teenage behaviour which I one exhibit.... until Saturday Night that was.

As soon as those arms and legs started flying and spinning around on the TV in front of me, I was right back to the screaming fourteen year old who knew all the dance moves and had the hats and the shells suits. The kids were extremely embarrassed as I jumped around the living room, screaming in excitement as PJ & Duncan reminded me of their fabulous pre-presenting dance & singing skills.

It seems that Saturday nights performance has created quite a hit, as today, Let's get ready to rumble has soared to number one in the ITunes store. Could you imagine way back in the nineties, ever having a PJ and Duncan song available at the touch of a button on your phone? Mindblowing......

So for all those secret Byker Grove & PJ and Duncan fans, I present: Pj and Duncan, or Ant and Dec as they are now better known, performing their top hit "Let's Get Ready To Rumble".

Enjoy the trip down memory lane. I certainly did! Now.... who remembers Geoff???

Silent Sunday 24th March

Grazing in the Supermarket

Like everyone else, I have a few pet peeves in life. These include people who pull out in front of you whilst driving and then break (grr), those who are always at least fifteen minutes early for every appointment (I am always the late one), and those who use social media as an excuse to lose any grasp on the english language and use words like "gud" "bin" and "n e fink" in place of their proper spellings.

Another of my pet peeves is people who graze, or let their kids graze in the supermarket. By graze, you know what I mean.. those who wander around the supermarket eating food that they have not yet paid for. The term "grazing" is often used to justify an act which is effectively, in my personal opinion, a form of theft.

From what I have read on parenting forums and the like, the subject of "grazing" is quite a controversial one. It seems to be one of those slightly grey fuzzy areas which some view to be perfectly acceptable, and which others, would never entertain the thought of. In a survey published in The Grocer magazine, 48% of people think that handing over an empty packet to scan at the checkout is wrong, whilst 52% of people think it is perfectly acceptable - showing just how divided people are on the subject of eating your way around the supermarket.

One in five supermarket shoppers in the UK admit to eating food before reaching the checkout.  Of course, the excuse of many is that they are fully intending to pay for what they have eaten, but unfortunately, this doesn't sit well with my personal ethics. As a child, I was always taught that you pay for something before you eat it, and I have always taught my own kids that they have to pay for things at the supermarket first. I must admit that I do feel irritated when I see people walking around the supermarket, or kids in the trolley eating their way around the supermarket, having not paid for their goods. I feel even more irritated when I see people leaving crisp or chocolate packets in trolleys, without the intention of paying for what they have just eaten.

Yesterday, I went to the supermarket and whilst there, I picked up a bag of crisps. When we got to the checkout, I noticed that the bag had been opened. Someone had obviously gotten there before me, had helped themselves to a few crisps, and then put the bag back on the shelf. Trying to do the right thing, I went and selected another packet, and gave the open packet to the checkout person. Rather than thanking me for giving her the open bag, and getting it off the shelf, she looked at me accusingly, and insinuated that it was youngest who had been eating them. I suggested that she take a look at the CCTV if she was really concerned we had been eating without paying for the goods, and told her how I felt about supermarket grazers. She told me that the supermarket are trying to cut down on those who eat their way around the supermarket, as it is starting to become a real problem. This was also in a more upmarket supermarket in an expensive area - suggesting that grazing is socially acceptable in all areas of society. As earlier figures suggest, if fifty two percent of people think that grazing is acceptable, I can see why.

According to a survey by security firm G4S, people who graze in supermarkets cost the industry £207 million a year. Although retailers bear the brunt of the cost, those costs are ultimately passed on to the consumer in overheads of one form or another.

Personally, I don't feel it would be my place to confront someone I suspected of 'grazing' in the supermarket myself - even though I have seen it happening many times, as you could never prove whether they had picked the item off of the shelf, or had walked in with it.

Ultimately, it seems that this socially acceptable form of stealing has now become a part of every day life.

What's your view on supermarket grazing? Do you think it's acceptable or not? Do you think most people who intend to pay for the items they eat actually do?

Silent Sunday 17/3/2013

Kid Bloggers featured in The Telegraph Magazine!!

I don't often play the proud parent card, but this weekend, I am extremely proud of eldest - especially after last weekend's antics! Eldest recently started blogging as "Betsy Lou", earning her the accolade of "Britain's Youngest Blogger" as she recounts life through her poems and stories. At the beginning of the year, she was approached to give an interview for the Saturday Telegraph Magazine, which she was excited to take part in.

After an interview with lovely Journalist Jess, and a photo-shoot - all of which eldest was really enthusiastic about, she couldn't wait to see her name in print. Eldest has patiently waited for the last month, and has kept her exciting news under wraps, and today, her interview was finally featured, as part of an article about Kid Bloggers. 

I am happy to say that Betsy Lou is really impressed with the piece, which tells readers about five influential kids airing their opinions through their blogs. The article is available on the Telegraph Website now, and it will be available in print in the Telegraph Magazine today, Saturday 16th March.

Do go out and buy a copy, and find out about all of the fabulous kid bloggers featured! Betsy Lou may even sign your copy if you're lucky!!!

Film Review: Argo

Recently, we were invited to review Argo - the new dramatic thriller directed by Ben Affleck - star of many films including "Good Will Hunting" and "The Town", and produced by Affleck, George Clooney, and Oscar nominee Grant Heslov.

Argo has been a wide-spread success, winning a host of awards including:

• BAFTA Award for Best Film
•  BAFTA Award for Best Direction
• BAFTA Award for Best Editing 
• Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture- Drama
• Golden Globe Award for Best Director – Motion Picture
• Academy Award for Best Motion Picture of the Year 
• Academy Award for Best Achievement in Editing
• Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

With such accreditation from the film industry, hubby and I were excited to settle down and watch the film, and we were not disappointed!

Argo is based on real events which occurred during the Iran hostage Crisis. It focuses on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played in the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which did not become apparent until many years after the Hostage Crisis ended.

The film is set in 1979, when six Americans slip away from a militants-stormed Tehran Embassy, to seek refuge in the home of a Canadian Ambassador. As it is apparent that it is only a matter of time before the six are found out, and likely killed, the CIA are asked to intervene by the Canadian and American governments. The CIA pick their go-to guy, top "exfiltration" specialist Tony Mendez - who comes up with a plan so incredible to get the six Americans safely out of Iran, that it could only happen in the movies.

The Mr and I both loved this film. The action is well-paced and keeps you gripped throughout, although there are some violent scenes. It is also a really great story - made even more interesting by the fact that it's based on real-life events. I would definitely recommend Argo for a watch as it's a fantastic film - backed up by it's many award accolades.

Argo has just been released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is definitely one for the grown-ups only, as it's rated R, so it's great for a night in with your partner or friends.

Disclosure: Film offered in consideration for review

Responsible Punishment

My husband and I are quite fortunate as our children rarely exhibit extremely bad behaviour. Apart from the occasional tantrum when they are tired, they are both mostly very well behaved children. Typically, a trip to the 'naughty' step, and depending on the situation, removing a toy/treat/tv is enough to let our girls know that their bad behaviour was unacceptable, and I can only think of one previous occasion, that eldest's behaviour has warranted more than the naughty step - although she was too small to comprehend why her actions were naughty.

Physical punishment is not the way we do things in our family but I think there comes a point when children do need to be punished more severely to learn the seriousness of their actions, and some situations occur which require more than the naughty step for the lesson to be learnt. Today, we find ourselves in the untrodden territory of having to punish, with a lesson behind the punishment.

You see, yesterday, eldest (6) did something incredibly irresponsible, which is quite out of character for her. At the end of a long day, I quickly popped into the local sorting office to collect a parcel. As it was a quick two minute job, I left the girls locked in the car as it was quicker, and safer than getting them out of the narrow spaces which were too narrow for me to undo their straps and get them out, and then crossing them over a busy car park. The sorting office has a glass fronted entrance, so I had an unrestricted view of the car. Youngest cannot get out of her straps, and eldest always stays in hers too.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, yesterday, eldest was tired from after-school activities and so didn't want to do as I had asked. She decided to wind down her window, climb out of window, and cross herself over a busy carpark - which is completely out of character for her. Through her actions, she placed herself in potential danger by climbing out of the window and crossing the road, and her sister in danger by leaving the window wide open with youngest exposed to potential stranger's. Now, I'm sure there is a school of thought that I shouldn't have left the girls in the car in the first place, but I know my children, and in that situation, assessing all of the dangers, they were safer in the locked car.

As a result of eldest's reckless behaviour, and because she put herself and her sister in danger, hubby and I both feel that her punishment warrants more than the naughty step, as it needs to reflect her bad choices, and so we have been trying to come up with a suitable punishment for her, which firstly punishes her bad behaviour, but also shows her how dangerous her actions were, to ensure she learns to be safer in the future.

Our strategy so far has been to punish her by removing her books and computer/tv access, and requiring some help with light chores around the house. We intend her to learn her lesson and think more carefully in the future, by asking her to write a cautionary tale about safety and danger (the kid loves writing). Having not been in this situation before, we are hoping that these measures will ensure she learns her lesson.

This punishment lark is all a bit of a minefield with parenting - and not one we are required to enter into very often, so I would love to know - especially from those with older kids, how do you responsibly demonstrate to your kids that their actions were unacceptable? - to ensure that they learn the lesson in the future?

Answers on a postcard please! (or perhaps the digital equivalent is answers on a comment!)

Featured Post: Vanish Stain Remover

As a busy Mum, one of the chores I loathe the most is the constant washing, drying, folding, and putting away of washing. It seems like my house is a constant chinese laundry! My little ones love to make the task of keeping clothes clean even harder for me, by using their attire as a blank canvas for spilling school dinners, pen, paint, mud, and goodness knows what else all over. This results in my having to contend with the task of doing battle to make the clothes look clean again. Time is too precious for busy Mum's to spend ages scrubbing stains from clothes, and to be honest, there is no longer any need to be on our hands and knees beating the stains out of clothes as older generations did. 

That's where Vanish Stain Removing products come in.
I have actually used Vanish stain removing products for quite a few years, and so when I was invited to review their products, I was happy to assist, as this is a product which I personally have faith in. I was sent Vanish stain removing spray, and Vanish coloured and whites oxi-action powders, along with Vanish Power Foam for carpets.

In a bid to provide a realistic review, I included the oxi-action powder in the wash, and found that my clothes came out of the wash stain-free. I also pre-sprayed some of the particularly tough stains before putting them in the wash, including eldest's school shirts with the oxi-action spray. Again, they came out of the wash stain-free which I was rather pleased about!

Despite me being rather "OCD" about my carpets (ask anyone who know's me), accidents happen and so when I discovered mud on my carpets, I reached for the Power Foam Carpet Stain Remover to get it out, and it worked a treat, leaving me breathing a sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to call in the pricey carpet cleaner's again.

Vanish products retail at around the following:
Vanish Oxi Action Fabric Stain Remover Spray £2 - £2.50
Vanish Oxi Action Fabric Stain Remover Powder (coloured/white) £4-£5
Vanish Oxi Action Stain Remover Power Foam Carpet Cleaner £4-£5

Vanish products are great for stain removal, and I would thoroughly recommend them to make your life easier around the house!

Disclosure: This is a Featured Post which I received payment for

Silent Sunday