Ickle Intro….
I have to tell you all a secret…I have never played Bingo.
But I am very found of @bingoreviewer. And I love the kitsch idea of bingo cup cakes! So when she asked if she could do a guest post I was thrilled!
Who knows maybe we can start a new trend, Bingo cup cake parties? (more…)
Well its Monday dear friend’s and still no sign of the new Icklebabe site.
I spent yesterday being more than a bit gutted about it, and last night having terrible anxiety dreams about it.
Me and Mr Big J have even fallen out about it. He is not only the love of my life and father of our mini teriorist, but also as my webdesigner and programer the real life giver to all things icklebabe!
Icklebabe is my little dream but at the moment the new shop is Jay’s.
The truth is, its really my fault. Trying to coincide the launch of my ickle website with Big J’s first shop opening was never going to to a winner. (more…)
Quick Disclaimer- In the interest of political correctness and neighbourly harmony I must just say nobody in the ickle family is at all racist, we all live in harmony with our neighbours..its just some of us are suffering from a touch of world cup fever ;D
The house opposite has a flag up…. 
We noticed it first on our way home from school….
I said to Ten Boy Jack ” Look Jack, see how pretty that house looks!”….
Jack said ” Thats NOT pretty, thats a French flag, I am outraged!” (he likes big words at the moment) ” I am writing them a letter saying that they are being highly inappropriated, and if they don’t take it down I’m calling the FBI! ” (more…)
This week I went clothes shopping with Teen Ellie….
Since having Milly this has been a daunting task. The changing rooms seem to have got smaller, a whole lot hotter and the mirrors seem to be of the fun house variety, enlarging my bottom to mammoth like proportions!
I mostly shop Online for myself now, preferring the comfort of my own home with its trusty “kind” mirror. To give me the unwelcome news that I am not as skinny as I used to be!
I have always been very happy in my own size 10 skin. Now I have to get used to a whole new, rounder shape.
Other super skinny mums at school and the dreaded rise of the celebrity mum don’t help either. They seem to have shed their baby weight and now all resemble cute little Twiglet’s , whereas I am more the shape of a puffy Wotsit! (more…)
So its the school holidays again, can I get a yip?..and a eeee?!…..
(….tumbleweed moment…) 
Don’t get me wrong I totally love hanging out with the kids (well, most of the time anyway) . But this time is different, I don’t know if its just me. But it seems only five minutes from the last and way to close to the long six week summer hols to be at all possible.
But hay ho..holidays it is! I don’t think it helps that my kids are so different in age ( and sometimes it seems, in species! ), its tough to find something for us all to do together in the school break.
In case your new to my odd ramblings and random recipes I will fill you in… (more…)
I made these lovelies a couple of weeks ago and promised to post the recipe, so here it is!
Now, I know that this one looks a bit mishapped on close inspection. Like all rubbish work men I am going to blame my tools, as my cupcake tray is about fifty years old (and from my mum). I think its more for Yorkshire puds but I am coveting a new fancy rubber one, in pink.
So hopefully next time they will be peeerfect!
I cannot take any credit for it either as its Women’s weekly recipe (not very rock’n'roll I know but too, too fabulous none the less! ;D).
It is a treasure and well worth the little bit of effort they take to make!
Worryingly I seem to have become a bit of a meatball aficionado!?
After several different “meatball” posts I have been inundated with meatball conversations and requests. The first and most strange is from the lovely Becky @babybugeting (who’s blog indecently is a very good read;)) and its for veggie meat balls… kind off a contradiction in terms perhaps but I am always up for a challenge, so here they are!
They are like yummy spicy cheesy balls made with Halloumi cheese, as this stuff keeps its shape perfectly when cooked.
Even if your not veggie I urge you to give em a try, they are really good honest. (more…)
This week has been a toughy with my middle son Ten Boy Jack. As his name suggests he’s Ten, and just hit that age.
He hates school, he hates his big sister (who teases him relentlessly) and I think sometimes he hates me too.
I know he is just flexing his baby man muscles and trying to find his place in the family now he’s growing up, but the constant answering back and always knowing better stuff can get a bit waring at times.
Last week he was banned from anything with a screen, an ingenious plan that Big J came up with. It meant that for a week he had no TV no INTERNET, no i pod touch, no x box 360 and no Nintendo ds…. for Jack, this basically meant no life!
But still by the end of the week he was muscling up and giving all the back chat, so even though painful he got banned for another 3 days, gutted!
Sometimes its hard, I’m a big softie so he has a few big doe eye and even bigger tears tricks that he likes to pull on me.
And I also have a irrational fear, as a split family and somehow especially as he’s a boy, I have this horrible fear in the pit of my stomach that he’ll want to go live with his Dad some day. (more…)
Just a little note…. I have had so many lovely comments from part one of this post, just wanted to say a quick, BIG thankyou to everyone who took the time out to read and comment. It cheered me up no end.
And here, as promised in part one, is the recipe. I have lovingly named it , “Old Mother Hubbard’s Pie”. Due mostly to a slight lack of the usual ingredients, also I just love the rhyme!
Firstly I need to tell you the story about how it began. Are you sitting comfortably? ( tea in hand? earl gray or builder’s? I’m found of a builder’s cup myself, …. anyhow…..)
Then I’ll begin…..
I thought it was time for a new fun foodie blog, but I have to confess its been hard to muster up the energy to do one lately.
I’m not sure why, but I seemed to have misplaced my cooking mojo. Kind of stopped channeling my domestic goddess , the cooking version of “writers block” I guess.
I think every mum (or dad) who has to cook for a family every night feels this at some point. In my case it has to be not too spicy for Ten Boy Jack, but not too bland for Big J. Not heavy on the calories for Teen Ellie, but not so you’d notice….. or Big J will think he’s eating “diet ” food and insist on a pizza an hour later!
Tough job really, and I am sure you could add plenty of your own family’s food “eccentricities ” to the list!
And with a little tired toddler pulling at your leg it feels tougher than cooking on master chef most nights! (more…)
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