Do you know the difference between use by and best before dates?

According to the UK Food Standards Agency the 'use by' date is all about the safety of eating the food, so if the packaging has a 'use by' date, then you should never eat it once that date has passed as it is not safe to do so, even if the food looks or smells ok, it could have bacteria in it which could cause serious illness. However, the 'best before date' is all about the quality of the food and is perfectly safe to still consume years after the date has passed.

5 tips to writing a great library based dissertation

Writing any type of dissertation can be a very daunting task and for me, I was absolutely terrified of the whole idea as I just felt that it was something that only really smart academics could achieve, so I had a battle with my mind before I had even started. Most dissertations require the student to conduct a research study and collect the data themselves, but for a social work degree, you can choose to either do the former or to undertake a library based dissertation which is what I chose to do.

January 2015

January has been a strange month as I have been quite unwell which has made it difficult to get going again after all of the Christmas festivities. 

It has been a month of planning ahead which is lots of fun. We have booked our summer holiday for July, a camping trip in May and a weekend in Yarmouth at Easter, along with a few fun days out along the way.

Resolutions 14/15

Last year I set myself three new year resolutions which I'm ashamed to say that I failed big time to complete!

I set myself the challenges of 1) Giving up smoking.

                                                2) Losing a minimum of three stone in weight.

                                                3) Opening up a new business.

42 days of summer!

The summer holidays are always a controversial topic with many parents dreading occupying their children for such a long time, other parents worrying about how they will manage with childcare during the long summer holidays and then the parents like myself, that actually can't wait for the summer holidays as we have so much fun each year! No matter what your view on the summer holidays is, there is no doubt that they can be stressful if you are not prepared, so I thought I would share some of my tips on making the most of the summer holidays.

My top tips for a stress free summer (although a little later then I had anticipated) are;

1) Plan! I am a huge believer in the old saying - failing to plan is planning to fail! Now I am all for children having time to use their imagination and deal with feeling bored rather then being totally over scheduled with every minute accounted for, but I also think that as a parent you need to know what you are doing and when, so that you can plan for work commitments, plan budgets, book activities etc so every year I make my children summer holiday books which tell them what we will be doing each day. You can read about these on a previous post which I wrote here. The idea is that the children do not have to continually pester me about when will we be doing certain activities and I can create a good balance of activities and free time where they can play in the garden or out with friends, use their imagination and over come boredom. Having a routine for each week mapped out in the books makes life so much simpler and is good for the children as it keeps them more focused and we are all kept happy.

2) Make a back up plan. I like to keep a few indoor activities in a secret place so that if something happens that you can not predict, such as bad weather or one of the kids becomes poorly, and you can not do what you had planned there is still something fun that is on hand to keep the kids happy and you sane!

3) Be open minded. I think that the summer holidays are really important for bonding with your children and as a family and they are also the perfect time to make memories that will last a life time, so the summer holidays are a time for letting your hair down and being silly! Do cart wheels in the garden, join in at the soft play, cover yourself in homemade face packs, dig for worms in the mud and get stuck in with the kids, they will love you for it.

4) Relax and be a bit more flexible with the children. Yes it is important to still keep some kind of routine for the children as most children do thrive when there are rules and boundaries in place and they know what they are doing, but does it really matter if they have sweets three days in a row, or if they stay up a little later then usual? You need to relax your expectations and there will be far less arguments and stress.

5) Make a budget and stick to it. Money can often be tight for families now more then ever, so decide on a budget that you can afford and then plan your holidays with that in mind. If you are on a very low budget there are lots of free or low cost activities that you can do if you do a bit of research and use your imagination. 

This post was inspired by the McVitie's/Britmums blogging challenge and McVitie's were kind enough to send me some of their BN biscuits. 

We received a packet of the chocolate flavoured biscuits and a packet of the raspberry ones.





The biscuits are artificial free and 45% wholemeal and whole grain. They are also really tasty and make a great treat after a busy morning or afternoon of summer fun!

I was a bit worried about the raspberry flavour if I'm honest, but they actually taste great and my oldest daughter Lauren who is 16 said that the raspberry ones were her favourite. 

I loved the chocolate ones the best as I am a bit of a self confessed chocoholic and Faith said that she could not decide on a favourite flavour as they were both equally yummy!

The biscuits are a good size to fill hungry tummies and I will definitely be keeping some in my cupboards from now on!

I had to laugh when I came into the kitchen and found Faith using two of the biscuits like dolls talking to each other! It's because of the cute faces on the biscuits so they are also great for imaginative play!

This post is my entry for the 42 days of summer linky challenge sponsored by McVitie's BN - Learn more at http://www.mcvities.co.uk

Meal planning Monday - July 7th 2014

 Monday 7th July.

Chicken pie, mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.

A store brought pie makes this a nice and easy dinner to kick start the week!

Tuesday 8th July.

Turkey dinosaurs, cauliflower and broccoli cheese and chips or roast potatoes.

Wednesday 9th July.

Spaghetti bolognese.

I use a Dolmio sauce in a jar for this as I prefer the taste to my own and it only takes 25 minutes from start to finish for this dinner.

Thursday 10th July.

Iceland Chicken hotpot, extra potatoes and vegetables.

Friday 11th July.

Pizza for the kids.

Darren and I are going out to a country pub for a drink and something to eat.

Saturday 12th July.

BBQ chicken breasts, boiled rice and garlic bread.

Sunday 13th July.

Rustic chicken with extra potatoes and vegetables.

One of those packets which you add fresh ingredients to the bag which has some herbs or spices in and oven cook the meal in the bag.

Meal planning Monday - June 23rd 2014

With a hectic week ahead I have gone for some very easy dinners as my week will be busy organising things for Lauren's prom which is fast approaching. 

Monday 23rd June.

Turkey burgers, chips and baked beans.

Meal planning Monday - June 16th 2014

This is my meal plan for this coming week, it is a week packed with old and trusted favourites and a couple from last weeks menu that I didn't make as I was unwell last week with a bug.

Monday 16th June.

Stewed stake, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

Meal planning Monday - June 9th 2014

I am a huge fan of meal planning as I wrote in one of first posts - The importance of meal planning. When I came across a linky called Meal planning Monday from At home with Mrs M, I knew that it was one linky that I would have to join in with. I also think that it is a good idea to share my meal plan each week as sometimes it can be tough trying to work out what to have each week so hopefully my plans with offer some inspiration to others and also inspire me as I read other bloggers plans.

How I plan my blog

You may remember last week when I posted about my blog planner, well today I will tell you how I actually plan my blog using my planner and one other tool. An index card holder and cards.

These are so cheap and for me such a great way to plan my blog, I love them. The holder only cost £1.50 from Asda and a pack of 100 cards is also only £1.50. I have three main categories for my cards which are; blog posts with deadlines, ideas for blog posts and linkies that I take part in.

The prompt - Time management

This weeks prompt from Sara at Mumturnedmom is a topic and it is:

I wish I had more time…

Time is something that I often hear people wishing for which is funny as we all get the same amount of time in each day but some people do seem to be able to achieve so much more then others in those 24 hours. 

My blog planner

Planning my blog is something that I have been trying to do since starting back in November and I have tried a number of methods and at last found one that works for me. I have a two part system and today I will tell you about the first part which is my blog planner.

One on one time.

As a mum of three girls I think that it is really important to make the time to spend some quality time with each child on their own. Of course it is great to spend time together as a family, but sometimes children crave the sort of positive attention that only comes from one on one time. 

Our relaxed morning story.

Mornings for us are quite relaxed and you may be thinking to yourselves that there is no way a family morning can go smoothly on a school day, but it honestly can if you plan ahead.

We get up at 7am and all the children know that they must get dressed before coming down stairs. I also get ready for the day as soon as I wake up.

Number 14 - check!

Today is the day that I can successfully check off another item from my 40 by 40 list!

I feel that I have now been smoke free long enough to say that I have officially given up smoking and my goodness do I feel better for it!

May idea list

Welcome to the May idea list, there is a different idea for each day of the month. Feel free to follow the list to the letter or just pick and choose the ones that best fit your life style. The whole idea of this list is basically to give you some 'ideas' to get more organised and have more fun in your life. I always love to hear from you so please do get in touch to let me know if your following the list, what you think about this months idea list or anything else on my blog or life in general.

April idea list.

Welcome to the April idea list. There is a different idea for each day of the month and then at the end of the month I will post a new list for May. Feel free to follow the list to the letter or just pick and choose the ones that best fit your life style. The whole idea of this list is basically to give you some 'ideas' to get more organised and have more fun in your life. I always love to hear from you so please do get in touch to let me know if your following the list, what you think about this months idea list or anything else on my blog or life in general.

April.

Tuesday 1st - Today is April fools day! Why not help your child play a trick on an unsuspecting family member!

Wednesday 2nd - Have a look in your airing cupboard at bedding and towels. Discard any that have seen better days and make the cupboard more tidy and organised.

Thursday 3rd - Put on some rubber gloves and give the toilets in your home a good scrub down on the outside as well as the inside. Daily maintenance cleaning means this job only needs to be done a few times a year.

Friday 4th - Plan your Easter activities. What will you be eating? Who are you buying for and what will you buy? Are you planning any outings over the bank holiday weekend? What activities are you planning for your little ones? Draw up a shopping and to do list to make sure your on top of things.

Saturday 5th - Pick a room for skirting boards cleaning time.

Sunday 6th - Why not have a family painting session drawing the signs of spring.

Monday 7th - Now the weather should be getting warmer, now is the perfect time to get the patio furniture out of storage and cleaned up ready for sitting in the garden.

Tuesday 8th - Organise your child's garden toys and clean any that need some attention. Access whether any more toys are needed and check your paddling pool if you have one for wear and tear to see if you need to fix any holes or buy a new one.

Wednesday 9th - Gather up all the hats, gloves and scarfs and put them away in a labelled box ready for the autumn.

Thursday 10th - Treat your feet to some love and attention, removing hard skin and painting your toe nails ready for sandals in warmer weather.

Friday 11th - Get the barbeque out of storage and give it a clean taking note of any needed cole, utensils etc.

Saturday 12th - Time to organise your clothing. Either put your winter clothing in a box and store elsewhere or hide it all at the back of your wardrobe so your spring, summer clothes are close to hand. If you remove your winter clothing make sure to leave one or two things at the back of your wardrobe as you can never rely on the British weather to be as expected!

Sunday 13th - Why not go on a family bike ride, weather permitting. If you do not all have bikes you could walk, roller skate or scooter. Fun in the fresh air as a family is always nice.

Monday 14th - Organise your children's clothing in the same way as your own. Get them to try anything on which you are unsure of fitting and make a list of any needed items.

Tuesday 15th - Give the oven a good clean today. There are some fantastic products available now to help make this job easier.

Wednesday 16th - Tie a damp cloth to the end of a long handled broom and go to every room in the house getting rid of any nasty cobwebs that have appeared over the last couple of months.

Thursday 17th - Catch up on some reading today. Also if reading is something that you are passionate about, why not look into local book groups?

Friday 18th - Today is good Friday. Why not have a go at baking some hot cross buns with the kids.

Saturday 19th - Last minute Easter prep, if you are planning an egg hunt now is the time to finalise those clues!

Sunday 20th - Happy Easter! Enjoy the day spending time with family and friends.

Monday 21st - Take a look at your family notice board, the front of your fridge or wherever you stick your take-a-way menus, letters from school and child's artwork etc. Discard anything you no longer need and make it look more tidy and organised.

Tuesday 22nd - Wash all the net curtains or blinds in your home today.

Wednesday 23rd - How does your home smell? Check if air fresheners need replacing and check to see if you still have Christmas scented candles dotted around your home.

Thursday 24th - Take your household waste bin outside and give it a good scrub both inside and outside as bins always manage to get dirty even if you always use bin bags inside your bin.

Friday 25th - Today do a job that you have been avoiding for a while. Get it done as early as possible in the day so that it is out of the way and you can feel proud of yourself for the rest of the day!

Saturday 26th - Get the kids involved in making tonight's dinner. They could help make bread rolls to go with homemade soup or a salad.

Sunday 27th - Why not give the children a small patch of dirt in your garden and help them make a vegetable patch or a flower garden. They will love watching their crops grow and you will have good fun working on the garden together and caring for what you produce.

Monday 28th - Wash and clean your tea, coffee and sugar canisters and your salt and pepper shakers as these can often get forgotten when doing general cleaning.

Tuesday 29th - Hoover or sweep the stairs and wash the skirting boards.

Wednesday 30th - Clean out the bread bin.

The prompt - week 9

The Prompt for this week from the lovely mumturnedmom is a quote and it is:

Spring is the time of plans and projects. Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

I like to think that spring is the next step for planning and goal setting after setting new year resolutions.

When we get to spring it is the perfect time to review those goals that we set ourselves and make an action plan on moving forward adjusting our previous goals to fit where we are with them. If those previous goals and plans have got waylaid, now is the perfect time to start again.

Spring brings more sunlight which in turn seems to lift the spirits of most people and the idea of the flowers starting to bloom and the baby lambs being born adds to that feeling that now is the time to spring into action.

Spring is also a great time to start making plans on improving our homes and gardens and of course the somewhat dreaded spring cleaning also comes to mind.

For me, it is this time of year that I really start brain storming about different ways that I can be more organised in myself and with the household chores and planning out projects that I hope to undertake during the year. It is a time that I plan out exercise and health and beauty plans that will help lift my mood and make me feel better in general and it is a time that I take stock of the household finances and work out which projects are realistic for us to try and tackle for the rest of year. 

Less food waste = more money!

Image courtesy of dreamstime.com

According to the love food hate waste website we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink every year and as a mum trying to feed a family on a budget I thought that it would be a good topic to cover.

It may sound silly to most but it was not until a year or so ago that I learnt what the differences between the dates on food actually meant. I use to think that they all meant that the food would not be safe to eat once the date had passed and I hate to think how much food we threw away that we didn't actually need to!

If you see a date that says 'use by' then that means that you must use the food by that date as it would be unsafe to eat. However, if you see a date that says 'best before' you can still consume the product. The date is simply to let you know that after that date the product will no longer be at it's best but it is still perfectly safe to eat.

More tips on less waste.

If you have meat that is going to be out of date before you can eat it, pop it into the freezer and then when you need it, just defrost it thoroughly and consume within 24 hours.

You can also freeze foods such as cheese and bananas. Bananas freeze well without there peels and if you have cheese that will run out of date just grate it and store in a zip lock bag.

Bread also freezes well and you can even keep it in the freezer just taking out slices as and when needed and put them straight into the toaster when making toast.

Survey your fridge and cupboards every week before going shopping and plan meals according to foods that need to be used up. There are some great recipes on the love food hate waste website. Also planning your meals really does help save time and money as well as help prevent food waste. For more tips on menu planning check out one of my earlier posts here.

40 by 40 part two!

Here is part two of my 40 by 40 list which is a list of 40 things all together that I would like to achieve by the time I reach 40 years of age. If you missed part one you can have a look here.