Halloween Crafts – Post-it Note Pumpkin

October 16, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

I originally created the Post-it Note Pumpkin several years ago back on Being Mrs C. Time to revive it for this Halloween!

As Little Miss C and I sat at the kitchen table today crafting together with a bit of a halloween theme inspiration struck. Still on our patio windows were the letters that we put up when we reviewed Post-it Notes a few weeks back and as I looked at the orange and green colours I realised that I had the perfect materials to make a giant Post-it Note pumpkin.

What you need to make a Post-It Note Pumpkin

All you need to make this is:

How to make your Pumpkin

Arrange the orange Post-it Notes in a roughly round shape. You could make it a bit flatter at the bottom if you wish. Add some green Post-it Notes at the top to form a stalk.

Take your black paper / card and cut out three triangles (two for eyes and one for the nose) and a mouth shape. Use either glue or double sided sticky tape to attach them on to the orange Post-it Notes.

The Finished Pumpkin

Ta-da! One complete Post-it Note pumpkin.

If you’re feeling really clever you could try to create it in reverse so that it could go in a window and be seen from outside. I’m wondering about a smaller version for the square glass panel in our front door.

Happy Halloween!

Disclaimer: Links marked * are affiliate links. If you order anything via them it will cost you no more than if you’d gone to Amazon yourself to buy them, but I will receive a small commission. Many thanks for any purchases you make. They are very much appreciated in these tricky financial times.

Halloween Crafts – Paper Plate Spider’s Web

October 15, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

I first blogged about making a paper plate spider’s web as a Halloween craft over on Being Mrs C several years ago. Seeing as Halloween is approaching it seemed the right time to dust off the festive cobwebs and share it again.

I saw a picture of this make on Pinterest (my favourite place online right now – please pop over and follow me if you don’t already) when doing some insect crafts with the kids earlier in the year and knew that it had to be on my Halloween list of things to make. The yarn in my Bostik Bloggers box from Craft Merrily was the perfect prompt. Paper plate spider’s webs are not only easy to make with young children, but they also look really effective and are great for children’s fine motor skills too.

What do you need to make a paper plate spider’s web?

All you need is:

Paper plates
Scissors
Yarn / wool
Large tapestry needle (blunt if children are doing the activity)
Hole punch

How to make a paper plate spider’s web

The first thing you need to do is cut out the middle of your paper plate. This can be a bit fiddly to start off with and you might need to fold the plate in half to start off your cutting, so it may be best for an adult to do this part.

Once you’ve got just the rim of your plate left use the hole punch to make holes around the inside of it. Space them out a bit, but they don’t need to be very evenly spaced, nor does it matter how many you do. It seemed Little Miss C had never actually used a hole punch before so we now have piles of paper and paper plates all with holes punched in them as she enjoyed doing it so much!

Thread the yarn on to the needle and start lacing it across the inside of the cut out plate. It doesn’t matter if you go in and out of holes you’ve already used, or what order you go round the holes, just try to make sure you’ve used all of them. Putting the needle in from the front or the back of the plate also doesn’t matter. This part of the activity is perfect for children – the holes are big enough for them to easily fit the needle through and it doesn’t matter at all as to what order they lace it all up in.

Try to finish by either going through the same hole where you started, or the one next to it and then just tie a not in the two ends of the thread to secure it.

Finishing touches

These are perfect for hanging up as decorations for a Halloween party and would also work well with a small toy spider attached – as I’ve seen on Pinterest – but it seems that I just can’t find anywhere selling toy spiders this Halloween. I’ve searched all the local shops to no avail. I’ll keep my eyes out though as I think it would be the perfect addition.

Disclaimer: We were sent a box of craft goodies as part of our role on the Bostik Family Craft Bloggers Network when this blog post was first published. This post contains affiliate links.

On my feet throughout pregnancy with Hotter Shoes

September 14, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

If you’ve been reading my week by week pregnancy diary you’ll be aware of the fact that I’m a busy person. I don’t really like having nothing to do. As much as the idea of spending a day with my feet up sounds appealing the reality is that I’d probably be bored after a couple of hours. That’s probably why I craft as much as I do. This third pregnancy has been no different.

Since becoming pregnant earlier in the year I’ve managed to move house, get married and also juggle day to day family life with two kids and a step-daughter. I’m also self-employed, a school governor and on my local WI committee. I’m always on the go and therefore always on my feet.

I’ve only discovered Hotter shoes since my youngest was born six years ago, and how I wish I’d known about them sooner. The thing that people don’t tell you about pregnancy is how it doesn’t just mean you grow a bump. The whole of your body ends up changing – including your feet!

When I had Little Miss C eight years ago my feet went up a whole shoe size during pregnancy. It was completely unexpected and I remember spending the latter part of my pregnancy (which was luckily in summer) shuffling around in a pair of flip-flops as they were the only thing that fitted. My ankles also became HUGE.

I assumed that my feet would return to their usual size and shape post-pregnancy, but I was wrong. The fluid retention did vanish, but my feet remained a size larger and I hence ended up having to buy a whole new array of shoes to take account of their increased size.

The size of your feet isn’t the only thing that can catch you unaware in pregnancy. After roughly the 6 month point it also becomes impossible to actually see your feet when standing. Unless you try and stand on one leg somehow. Not advisable with an offset centre of gravity. Trust me. I’m speaking from experience.

Putting shoes on also becomes something of a challenge. Or at least it has done for me. You know that your bump has grown when you realise that putting socks and shoes on can leave you out of breath as you try to bend down and position your arms and legs in such a way so that you can actually reach your feet. It’s like a hardcore yoga class.

An accommodating partner who doesn’t mind helping is useful, but it’s pretty much impossible to have someone on call 24/7 just to help you put your shoes on. With all the hot weather we’ve had this summer I was therefore incredibly grateful when those lovely people at Hotter sent me a pair of sandals to see me through the summer of this pregnancy. When you consider how many pairs of sandals Hotter sell it’s a bit mad to realise that this was actually the first pair that I’ve owned and it’s definitely making me wonder what I’ve have on my feet in previous summers.

Summer 2018 has seem my feet in a pair of Hotter’s Tourist sandals and they have been an absolute life saver. As is the way with all Hotter shoes that I own, they feel as comfortable as slippers and therefore I had absolutely no qualms at all about taking them away to Tea and Tents with me the day I got them. WI ladies love Hotter shoes and at Tea and Tents I played a little game of spot the Hotter shoes as I went around the camp site. Not only were there loads of different sandals and their classic Shake shoes in a variety of colours, but I also spotted a couple of ladies wearing the limited edition daffodil Mabel shoes that they sold to raise funds for Marie Curie.

With the hot weather my Tourist sandals have been perfect for keeping my feet cool as well as being incredibly comfortable. With just one buckle to do up they’ve been easy enough to manage on my own (and obviously I don’t need to put on socks with them!) and they’ve looked stylish with either summer dresses or jeans.

The traditional English weather does mean there have been a couple of occasions where I could have done with reading the weather forecast before leaving the house, but let’s gloss over those shall we!

With the weather now turning it’s time to look at the rest of my Hotter collection to work out what to wear. I’m excited about autumn and the opportunity to pull out my gorgeous purple Belle boots again. But until then I need to find something else that doesn’t involve me having to bend down and tie laces.

What I’m in absolutely no doubt about though is just how comfortable Hotter shoes are. No matter how much the rest of my body has ached this pregnancy I can hand on heart tell you that my feet have not hurt once. Even when I got married last week I pulled out my old pair of their Lauren shoes in Teal (which first made an appearance on Being Mrs C back here) and they were absolutely perfect for my wedding day. Despite being 7 months pregnant, and on my feet for most of the day, they felt like wearing slippers. That’s how shoes should feel. Especially when pregnant!

Disclaimer: Hotter sent me a pair of Tourist Sandals for the purposes of this review. I am however, very proud to be a paying customer of Hotter as well. All opinions remain my own.

Pregnancy Diary – Week 30

September 14, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

Hmmmm. I’m thinking that week 30 of this pregnancy might be the one where I took on rather a lot. But it was also the best week of the pregnancy, as it ended with me getting married!

Yep – there I was at 30 weeks pregnant waddling down the aisle in a maternity dress. It wasn’t quite what I expected at the start of this pregnancy, but it was perfect in every way that I wanted it to be.

The week actually started off slightly calmer, with B’s birthday and the thrills of my car needing (and then failing!) an MOT. By midweek we were at the back to school stress point with the kids, and then by Friday night all our families had descended on us ready for Saturday’s nuptials.

By Saturday afternoon we were married and enjoying a perfect afternoon tea as husband and wife! It felt like a million miles away from the last minute finding of PE kit and sewing on name tapes of Tuesday evening.

The thing I’ve realised through all this pregnancy is that organisation is key. The only way I think I survived the week is by having lists. Lots and lots of lists. Lists of what the kids needed for school. Lists showing exactly where they needed to be when and with what. Lists of what needed organising for the wedding. Lists of what I needed to tell various family members about when to be where. And finally lists of what we needed to take to the registry office with us on the day.

There may have been some curved balls thrown in mid week to keep us on our toes – an evening dash to Norfolk to collect a relative, a failed MOT and an AWOL registrar! – but our wedding day itself was just perfect. Everything we wanted it to be.

We planned and organised the whole thing in less than two months and actually I think that was the best way to do things. The jobs that need doing will just expand to fill the time that you have available, so by time-boxing it you still get everything done, you just have less time to stress about it all.

We only went for a modest affair and that kept the organisation down a lot, but the midwife had noticed a slight rise in my blood pressure the week before. Not really that surprising when you think about everything I was juggling.

Just ten weeks to go now before baby hopefully makes an on schedule appearance. Let’s hope they’re all nice and calm!

Pregnancy Diary – Weeks 27, 28 and 29

September 5, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

Ok. Who stole the summer holidays? As I sit here writing this my kids are back at school for the first day of term and I’m finally coming to terms with the to do lists that have been growing and growing over the summer. Some days pregnancy almost hasn’t had a look in on things. There’s just so much going on in life at the moment that I’ve found myself getting really annoyed with myself for not being able to do everything that I’ve wanted to.

Busy

Busy is the main word that I’d use to sum up the last three weeks. My step-daughter has been staying with us for most of it, and whilst she’s pretty self-sufficient at 14 it has still meant a bit more to do around the house, and also her Dad being off work too. It’s always the case that trying to get work etc done when kids are around is trickier than during term time. Add into the mix getting everything read for going camping and a sudden deluge of data entry work and sleep went out of the window for a while.

Camping during pregnancy

We did manage to make time for a family holiday though and all five of us headed off to Nottinghamshire for five days of camping together. Luckily, we chose somewhere not that far from my Mum, so it was possible to take shelter at her house when the weather really turned, but the trip did teach me a bit about how different camping is when pregnant.

As well as the obvious frustration about not being able to fully do everything like get the tent up and carry stuff, sleeping on an air mattress is tough going. Even more so when the air mattress decides to empty itself on the first night. Thank goodness for a local branch of Argos and the ability to reserve things online! Even with a new fully inflated air mattress though I still found that I needed to walk B up at 1.15am to help me actually get up so I could accompany the five year old on a trip across the field to the toilet block. Still I survived.

Board and card game obsession kicks in

The kids also had an amazing time which is what matters most. It seems that this was the holiday in which they embraced board games like never before. I’ve written over on Penny Plays about how much Master C loves Snakes and Ladders and Ludo, but that’s now turned into more of an obsession. Amazingly none of them asked for TV at all whilst we were away, even when we visited my mum. Instead though the board and card games had to go with us and they insisted on playing them as soon as we arrived anywhere. I can’t complain though as we’re rather big fans too.

All this does mean that the board game buying level seems to have gone up another notch. Not something I thought possible before, but definitely preferable to them just spending all their time in front of a screen.

Top Trumps has also become a firm family favourite too. I’d forgotten how much I used to play at primary school and with all the new versions that are now out my two are trying to collect as many as possible. Long may it continue!

Popping our Geocaching Cherry

The time with all three kids also saw me finally giving geocaching a go. It’s something that I’ve been meaning to do for ages, but just never got round to. I’ll pop something up about it over on Penny Travels very soon, but it’s been a brilliant way of all five of us getting out and discovering new places.

It’s even meant the kid being excited about going on walks. Something I’ve been trying to do for years! They’ve always been fine once we’re out, but actually getting them out of the house with their shoes on hasn’t always been easy.

Pop goes my tummy!

Halfway through our camping trip also seemed to co-incide with me suddenly “popping out” around the week 28 / 29 mark. My midwife tells me it’s common, but it was literally the case that I woke one morning realising that my sleeping bag was somewhat tighter than it had been when I went to bed.

Then, that night, I realised that I couldn’t actually zip the sleeping bag up any more! Fair to say that there was absolutely no chance of disguising this pregnancy after that and also the realisation that I really do need to try to take things a bit easier now.

Back at the midwife

Our return from holiday saw the kids go back to their Dad’s for a bit and an opportunity for me to catch up on work and wedding preparations. We’re keeping things very simple on the latter, but it still feels like my to do list is just growing and growing. It also gave me the opportunity to slot in what I think was officially my week 28 midwife appointment.

With the baby moving about so much more now it’s all feeling much more real than it has done before. There’s a little person going to be joining us in just over a couple of months and I think my head is finally catching up with that concept. This midwife appointment also felt much more like the ones I had with the other kids. Practical things like measuring my bump and listening to the baby’s heartbeat along with also having more blood tests and my Anti-D jab. There really isn’t that long to go now I guess.

Looking forward I’m hoping that the return to school will mean things calming down a bit and a return to a routine for the kids. We’ve had a blast this summer, but I think they too are ready for that regular pattern of doing things in the week as much as I am.

BBC Ten Pieces Prom – taking kids to the proms

August 17, 2018 by Penny Leave a Comment

There are some experiences in life that just blow your kids minds. That’s exactly how I would describe taking my children to the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Ten Pieces Prom. I have never seen such a look of wonder on their faces and found the whole experience quite emotional if I’m honest.

Let me backtrack a bit in my tale…

BBC Proms

Firstly. The Proms.

If you’re British you know about the BBC Proms. They’re an institution and rightly so. It’s likely that people are most familiar with the world famous Last Night of the Proms, but musically that’s just scratching the surface. The Proms actually go on over eight weeks and include daily classical concerts – with most taking place at the Royal Albert Hall in London’s Kensington.

The thing that always amazes me is how varied the Proms programme is. There really is something there to suit all different classical music tastes. From world music to famous tunes that you hear regularly. And hundreds of different pieces in-between. I’m lucky enough to have been to the Proms once before and I’ve always known that it was an experience that I want to share with my kids.

Proms for Kids

When it comes to getting children involved in the Proms there is a whole schedule for families. In the BBC’s own words:

There are regular matinees for all the family to enjoy, with tickets half-price for all young people aged 18 and under. Or for families looking to delve deeper into the music, the Proms Family series offers the perfect introduction to the classical Proms. Whether you play an instrument or sing, whether you are a complete novice or an aspiring virtuoso, come and join in the fun at our family-friendly workshops.

As part of this family programme we were lucky enough to be invited along to the second of the two Ten Prices Prom (Prom 20) and also the accompanying Proms Children’s Press Conference, held at the neighbouring Imperial College Union.

BBC Ten Pieces

The BBC Ten Pieces project has the aim of opening up the world of classical music to 7 – 14 year olds across the UK. To educate and inspire them to develop their own creative response to the music. The initiative was launched in 2014 and has so far reached over four million people across the UK. The project provides an amazing set of teaching resources for this age group, all based around ten pieces of classical music.

They are currently on the third list of Ten Pieces which forms the central core of the programme, with teaching resources arranged either by piece or via other theme. These ten pieces were then included in the Ten Pieces Prom, as ten musical spells to help bring the Firebird back home to the Royal Albert Hall.

BBC Ten Pieces Prom

The Prom itself was a beautiful musical story which not only introduced the audience to the ten pieces, but brought them all together with the firebird story and also dance and poetry. It really was a showcase of the arts, and an amazing way of introducing children to more than just music.

With children’s television’s Naomi Wilkinson as the musical spell-caster, we also had the on stage delights of Shakespearean actor Paapa Essiedu (as composer Joseph Bologne) and the magical Josie Lawrence (as eccentric music bird spotter Molly Finch).

The three of them took the audience on a musical journey to find the Firebird and bring him back home.

With pieces as varied as Aaron Copland’s Rodeo Hoe-Down and Kerry Andrew’s No Place Like the Ten Pieces list really does give children a huge variety of music to help inspire them. I particularly loved Kerry’s vocal composition – full of human observation and humour.

Brave New Voices

Another inspiring part of the Prom for me was the performance of the poem Home by Brave New Voices. Brave New Voices is English PEN’s ongoing outreach programme for young people from refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds.

The group created this poem having been inspired by Dvorak’s New World Symphony. It was performed in English and Arabic and was, quite simply, breathtaking. There was a lovey clip from this on the BBC News website in advance of the Prom and it makes you realise what an incredibly piece of work the Brave New Voices project is.

The Royal Albert Hall

As if the Prom itself wasn’t enough for the kids, there was also the spectacular Royal Albert Hall for them to take in. None of the three of them had visited before and even as an adult I remember it taking my breath away the first time I went in. It is a huge space. Incredibly impressive. Like nothing they’d ever seen before. The closest Master C could come was comparing it to the circus! I suppose he’s right when you think about it being in the round like a circus is – but it did make me laugh when he kept telling people over the next few days that he’d been to “a concert at the circus”.

BBC Proms Children’s Press Conference

As if a Prom wasn’t enough for a day out in London, the kids also got the excitement of going along to the BBC Proms Children’s Press Conference first. Hosted by Barney Harwood of Blue Peter fame, this press conference gave children the opportunity to pose questions to leading musicians to find out what it takes to make it in music.

On stage with Barney were composer Bushra El-Turk, saxophonist Jess Gillam and clarinetist and composer Mark Simpson. All three of them spoke passionately about how they made it in music. The dedication and determination that they had to show as children and how hard work and practice can pay off.

Whilst none of our three show an interest in becoming a musician (yet!) what came across loud and clear was how the messages that all four of them on stage were giving could be read across to other professions. My step-daughter wants to be an actor, but as is often the case when you’re young, has received some set-backs in her aspirations. The messages that Jess and Mark were giving in particular about not giving up and remaining focussed on an end goal were so important for her to hear from someone other than her Dad.

The girls were also completely starstruck to meet Barney. He’s been a key part of all their Blue Peter watching over the years and they were particularly excited to see him in the flesh, and really that he’s actually a real human being! Little Miss C was incredibly proud to put on her recently acquired Blue Peter badge for the occasion and was thrilled when Barney asked her about it.

A musical education in the arts

I have to say that our afternoon at the Proms was definitely a school holiday highlight for all three kids. Not only did they get the experience of amazing classical music being played by incredibly musicians (the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Rafael Payare and accompanied by the BBC Singers) in a world-class venue, but there were also so many other messages that they took away, especially from the press conference. I feel that it was an important step in their arts education for all three of them, and one which I urge any parent to try to follow.

Disclaimer: We were invited as guests to the BBC Ten Pieces Prom. The accompanying BBC Proms Children’s Press Conference was free of charge to attend. All opinions remain my own.