When Mumsnet advertised the chance attend a special showing of Despicable Me 2 I really wanted to submit my application with

"Me, me, me, please let us come, we'll love you forever, Despicable Me is our family favourite and we all think it's totally cool and it'll be an event to remember forever and it'll make Father's Day perfect for my partner because he adores it". 

Thankfully I actually submitted a far more sane and sensible application, and we were chosen as one of the successful families for the Manchester Printworks showing.

Incredibly excited - he didn't want to stand still for a photo!

At 9am this Sunday morning we made our apologies to the teenagers (the maximum and fair allocation was 4 tickets per family) and we set off for the Odeon Cinema to watch a movie about a very special Dad as a very special treat for Father's Day.
 

Mumsnet had arranged a real spectacular, with balloon-modelling, colouring sheets, a chance to try out the Despicable Me Minion Rush game app (available to download free for Android and IOS) and a 'meet and greet' with two real life minions!

Concentrating hard

Competitive Dad getting the new high score!

The balloon-modellers were fantastic!

Balloon 'Carl ~ the One-Eyed Minion'

Boy no.4 thought the live minions were a bit scary at first

Despicable Me tells the story of Gru, a master villain who through a few turns of fate finds himself as a Father to 3 young girls, he then gives up his life of crime due to their influence. In Despicable Me 2 we find him and his minions with a legitimate Jam-Making business and living a quiet life with the girls. Obviously all of this is about to change, and in comes the very lovely Lucy to turn his life upside down in more ways than one. Although it's a sequel, the first film is explained in a few easy sentences very early on, so even if you've never seen it, you can watch Despicable Me 2 as a standalone movie without any problems.

There are the familiar mix of jokes for children and other jokes which go over the children's heads and make the adults chuckle, the fabulous soundtrack headed by the heavy basslines of Pharrell Williams, and the brilliant characters voiced by the likes of Steve Carrell, Ken Jeong and Russell Brand.

The film has a lovely pace, with no 'boring bits' to lose the interest of the younger audience. There is always something going on, the minions making a joke or falling over in the background, children playing at the side of the screen or funny faces being pulled.

The story is very easy to follow, the language usually very simple and accompanied by very descriptive visuals, so even my 3 year old can now tell you the entire story start to finish.

This is as good a sequel to any movie as you can ever hope for. It doesn't disappoint and there is nothing forced about the storyline whatsoever. It introduces interesting new characters and plotlines, but still has all of the old favourites - including the multitudes of minions!
 

Still not entirely trusting the live minions!

We watched it in 3D and it was incredibly effective. Stay until the end because the titles have several fantastic effects over them - the bubbles especially are the best 3D effect I've ever seen - every child in the cinema was trying to pop them!

We all loved it, we'll no doubt have the Blu-ray within days of it's release and it'll get as much play as the first movie has done. A definite 5/5, I can't wait to see it again!


If you are a fan of Lego then we have made our own Minion from Lego and have the instructions for you to make your own here...

I really enjoy using unusual words, I use them with my kids all the time. My 3 year old often complains of harrassment and asks his brother to "cease and desist".

I try very hard not to alienate the person I'm talking to, or sound like a Police Officer giving a testimony, but it's nice to expand your vocabulary. I love to learn a new word. Whenever anyone says something I don't understand I get quite excited and demand to know what it means, or Google it instantly. It's infuriating when I'm in a conversation where I can't stop them and ask straightaway. I'm the same with our teenagers - some days it's like they're talking a different language, and thankfully I'm still keen enough to find out what on Earth it all means!

In the half hour before writing this I've used somnambulism, interrobang and inordinate. I feel quite proud.
 

My favourite word for today though has to be propitious. I've had the prize for my #SpecialK30 blog post delivered and we have a full weekend of adventure and excitement ahead of us. It's raining, but who cares?

What are your favourite rarely-used words? I'd especially love if you have one I've never heard of!


Somnambulism = Sleepwalking
Interrobang = '!?' or '?!'
Inordinate =  unusually or disproportionately large or excessive
Propitious = full of promise, good, favourable

Sometimes my teenagers get something to review, and this really is one of those occasions.

Zavvi.com, the online entertainment, gifts and clothing store, sent us DragonBall Z Budokai HD Collection for PlayStation 3 to have a play.


This is a bundle of two games on one disc - DragonBall Z: Budokai 1 and DragonBall Z: Budokai 3, which were originally released by Namco Bandai on the Playstation 2 in 2002 and 2004 respectively. This edition for the PS3 has been remastered in HD and now offers trophies and achievements.


DragonBall Z is PEGI 12 rated (Pan European Game Information). It is basically your standard fighting game, either playing 1on1 or tournaments against up to 7 human opponents using the same Playstation, or against a computer controlled opponent. Both games play very intuitively, so anyone who is used to Playstation gaming can pick up the controller and start right away.

DragonBall Z: Budokai 1

The 'special moves' use button combinations that no ordinary human can remember, but somehow this doesn't put anyone off ~ teenagers especially. I must admit fighting games aren't really my thing, I don't mind a quick go every now and again, but I have no real desire to play one through to the end of a tournament, and when I do play, I tend to find a combination of buttons that causes a special move to happen, and just repeatedly use that - yes, I AM that person.

DragonBall Z:Budokai 3

One let down is that it's very hard to work out which controller you are when playing a tournament against more than one other person, so we did end up with lots of scrambling across the room to grab a different controller as people's characters stood idly being pummeledby their opponent.


This is an essential for fans of the series, who no doubt will enjoy the remastered and enhanced graphics and entirely new soundtrack. It's interesting to play 10 years on, it takes you right back to 2002 and my teenagers have commented on the fact that they were too young to play the original, but were well aware of it and watched the TV show, and they also feel that games from that era have a special nostalgic appeal.


Although trophies and achievements are now fully supported,  there still isn't any online play capability, which I think will mean that this game does disappoint the younger population who are used to being able to play against friends who are not actually with you at the time.

My family have had a real laugh playing this, especially the older 3 males. It stands the test of time as a light and easy game, which is good for a laugh and best enjoyed with a few friends.

Zavvi sells a huge range of PS3 games, mainly at heavily discounted prices. They also sell games for other platforms, CD's, DVD's, gifts, toys and clothes.

Yesterday I was tagged by ET Speaks From Home and asked to show the contents of my handbag and see how much it would be worth should I lose it.....


Okay, so I've been meaning to clear out my handbag for some time. I've barely used it over the Winter as I've taken a big bag with a change of small boy clothes when I've gone out, and just decanted the essentials. I knew it'd be bad, I really did. I perhaps still wasn't quite prepared for what I tipped out....


Erm....yeah. Okay, I'm embarrassed already. Lets just swiftly move on to the bit where I've thrown away all the tissues and the rubbish, the kids ate the sweeties and I've sorted it all out neatly....


There, that's not so bad...

My bag contents - 

Purse. (Not shown because my son took it to play with my pennies). My purse is just a cheap purse and it has very little cash in it, mainly just a heap of loyalty cards, old receipts and stamps. (Value £12).

Nappy sacks. There aren't any in the picture because I used them for the rubbish, but I always carry them for wet clothes, dirty shoes, sick, rubbish on the move and even protecting my phone when it's tipping it down with rain. (Value 50p)

First Aid Kit, antiseptic wipes, burn gel. We have 7 children, they have accidents, come to think of it, so do we. I've held a First Aid Certificate since I was 17 and so has my partner - it could be the most important and useful course you ever go on, but lets hope not. (Value £5)
The burn gel is from when I accidentally tipped a saucepan of pasta down my own front last Summer. (Value £9) 

Multi-Tools. I've long been known for my love of being able to sort out my own problems, so it's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I actually carry a range of Multi-tools - each one has been very handy for fixing or removing things, cutting string and tape and even last week taking apart a toy kettle at toddler group to remove someone's house keys that a child had posted! (Value £25)

Antiseptic Hand Gel. For after the toilet and before eating. (£1)

Socks Size 6-8 child, because boy no.4's still learning how to wee standing up with precision! (£1)

Toothpaste, Nail File, Nail Clippers, samples of Make Up, Lip Gloss. Yeah, not actually a very girlie girl....this is what amounts to my make up collection really....there's usually a Lipsyl too, does that count? Probably not.... (Value £2.50)

Spare Keys. Every home should have them (Value £8)

Foodstuffs. Chewits, vinegar, raisins, decaf coffee, cress seeds - it's like carrying an emergency instant meal. The only food group missing is chocolate....I even have 2 sporks and a fork. (Value £1)

Tissues and wipes. EVERYONE carries tissues and wipes, it's rule no.3 in the Parenting Big Book of Laws. (Value £1)

Head Torch, Glass Hammer, Carabiner. I was a Scout, I know the motto. I'm ready for anything...lots of things....some stuff.....I can find keys in the dark! (Value £9)

Old Tickets. The cinema, Legoland Discovery Centre, Blackpool Pleasure Beach. They were good days out and the little boys like to play with tickets. (Valueless)

Bottle Tops. If I'm camping I won't leave them in case they fall on the floor and an animal later eats them or cuts themselves. (Valueless)

Pens. I can never find a pen. Turns out that may be partly because I had 7 in my bag. (Value £1)

Toys. Tiny toys I've confiscated or picked up. 2 dinosaurs, a flashy hat, a black skull, a car with real wheels and Gary the Snail. And a Nerf gun. (Value £6)

Womanity Thierry Mugler Perfume Travel Bottle. My partner chose this for me a few years ago and I've worn it ever since. (Value £5)

Irish Leprechaun. My older 3 went on holiday with their Dad a few years ago and boy no.2 bought me this back. I put it in my bag for luck and it's stayed. (Value - Priceless).

So, in total that lot was worth around £87 to replace, which does surprise me a lot. I really thought it was just a pile of tat. Actually, it really is a pile of tat, it just has collective value far greater than I expected! Add to it my phone, which is almost brand new and with a value of around £320, my bag which cost £30 or more (it was a present), and I'm walking around with £437 on me.  Then the insurance excess if my bag was taken and my keys used, and my bag is worth £675. Thankfully I don't very often have any money left in it - and I am insured in case I leave it on the bus! (Again....although last time was 13 years ago and I did get it back safe and sound....).


I'm notifying 4 other Bloggers about this challenge, and they are - 


The Life Of Spicers
What Me And The Boys Say
Sims Life Blog
Mummy Of Two

On Monday 10th June at 10.30am we started our Pyrex Twitter Chat, over the next hour we were treated to some fantastic hints and tips for cooking healthy meals with minimal time and effort. Here are a selection of the best I could remember, copy or find afterwards....

 

Hints and tips to save time and add a little something extra to your cooking. 

Slow cooking was a real favourite, with many people mentioning slow cookers as being brilliant for getting everything prepared and then being able to walk away and let it do it's thing. I think at the moment they are having a real resurgence, the popularity of Slow Cooker groups like the one on Google+ with hundreds of members is testament to that. 

@VickiHigham linked us to her super, super easy slow cooker recipe for Slow Cooked Pork in Cider and Mustard Sauce

Oven baked risotto - most of us didn't even know this existed and it's a revelation to me. Risotto is a real family favourite, but it needs nursing. Being able to mix it up and put it in the oven makes it a really great meal for a busy chef.

@Mymummyspennies linked to her all-time favourite recipe for Butternut Squash and Asparagus Risotto

Sadly I missed the beginning of this conversation, but I think I can see where it was coming from when @HappyHomebird told @RedRoseMummy "It's mega easy, just roast the beetroot, add to risotto. Crumble Cheshire cheese on".

Hotpots, Stews and casseroles were all popular, with several people giving recipe ideas and examples.

@Jacintaz3 "a hotpot with chicken, mushroom, carrots, fennel, beans, beetroot, potatoes. Kids love it".

@HappyHomebird "summer one-pot with chicken, tomato and whatever is ready on my allotment like broad beans".

If you prefer your meat and veg with less of a sauce, then @maximka25 gave us her recipe for family favourite All-In-One Roast Chicken 
@YorkshireMumOf2 caused a bit of excitement when she mentioned Hunter's Chicken, described by @mymummysworld as "Lovely! Chicken, bbq sauce, bacon and cheese".

Pasta Sauces that you cook and freeze a portion for later are invaluable to people with young children to feed. It's such a quick and simple meal to be able to whip a portion of sauce out of the freezer and heat that through while the pasta cooks.  

@BlueBearWood suggested we 'try adding Coriander seeds to Bolognaise sauce for a change', and an excellent tip "Make your tomato sauce base in the oven to concentrate flavours". She even kindly linked her recipe for Super Easy Tomato Sauce.

This would possibly be an excellent choice for @MelTinkFerrari's "mini pizza on ciabatta bread kids can add own toppings, getting them involved often makes them enjoy it more".

And for those of you who don't like tomatoes on your pasta @HappyHomebird suggested "A quick meal is pasta & throw in fresh vegetables like tomatoes and peppers, cream cheese too.Great for summer".

Other Quick and Easy Recipes that were shared included @maximka25 with Lamb pilaf and @BlueBearWood with Sausage and Salad Pitta Pockets

For a drink with your meal @loveandcakeblog offered 'Left over bananas can be frozen too, perfect for smoothies', and if it's a warm day @RedRoseMummy knows how to cool your drink "My friend uses frozen grapes as ice cubes! Yum!"....I'll take your word for that!

Dessert. Well, no meal is complete without it. @BlueBearWood (healthy as ever) suggested fruit, sharing her recipe for "super fast" Easy Peasy Fruit Sorbet Smoothie

Around this point @thesoupdragon44 announced she was going, all the talk of food was too much and she was off to bake herself a nice healthy apple. I hope she hadn't put it in the oven before @maximka25 had chance to point out that instead of raisins she could fill her baked apple with ginger cake...."utterly lush"
I've missed a ton of other stuff that was said, but 2 hours looking at Tweets was enough for my eyes! A HUGE Thank You to everyone who took part, you really made it a great and enlightening hour and it would have been nothing without you.

All Tweets with the hashtag were eligible for the random draw to win £25 of Pyrex Summer Classics, and the winners were - 

@ohnoitsbex
@meltinkferrari
@mymummysworld
@Foodie_Laura

Congratulations to all 4 of you! 

It's my belief that wherever possible, and with sensible limits, children should be taught how to use things safely rather than just kept away from them until they're 'older' or have lost interest. Whenever children see adults hammering and making things with wood they are fascinated, and this toy allows them to explore that and learn for themselves.


Inside the box are 27 wooden shapes in lovely colours (around half with printed detail), a very light little hammer, a cork board and a bag of little tacks approx 1cm long and with a semi blunt tip.


When my brother was 4 I remember him coming home regularly from nursery school with bits of wood with bent nails hammered into them and telling me about the rocket or train he'd made. Nowadays it just wouldn't be possible, which is a real shame because my boys are having a huge amount of fun playing with this, and I really do think when their Dad and I start putting together a new interior for our Campervan, they will be there to 'help'.


The Tack Zap (try saying that 3 times in quick succession!) or Nagelspiel Im Einsatz (which is easier to say even to a non-German speaker, surely) is designed for children aged 3+ and is currently retails for an incredibly reasonable £13.60


It is excellent for hand/eye co-ordination, fine motor skills and concentration. It teaches colours, requires problem-solving skills and definitely sparks the imagination.There are several examples of builds you can make in the leaflet from the box, but you can make a bazillion more with the 27 shapes supplied.


We've had no injuries and I've only found very few nails dropped on the floor. They understand they're using a 'grown up' toy, and are treating it with the respect it deserves. I think this is another way in which this toy is teaching my children a lot.


We absolutely love this toy.

It's a real hit and great fun for the children, the teenagers have all been caught with it too!  It is so many different things rolled into one, a jigsaw puzzle, an imagination trigger, a storyboard and a 'big boys tool kit' etc. The price is excellent and I'd heartily recommend it for any child. I'd certainly buy it as a present and encourage any responsible adult to consider getting one for their children. A very well deserved 5/5

My children have always spent lots of time outdoors because we camp a fair bit. The older children were lucky because they used to camp every other weekend. Because they are teenagers now and busy making their own independent lives we can't get away as much as we'd like, but we can still get out in the garden and play.


When I saw the #KidsGrowWild Challenge I thought it was a brilliant thing to be a part of. I have a vegetable plot in our garden which keeps our slugs well fed all Summer and my children love helping to plant and water, and pick anything which looks remotely ripe! We're lucky because we have a big garden, but it is sadly lacking in beautiful colours because it's mainly easy to care for shrubs.


We applied to take part and a few days later a big box arrived with very exciting contents - a fantastic gardening bag full of children's gardening equipment.

The boys loved the gardening gloves, and the chance to use proper gardening tools like Mummy does!
 

Before I could stop them they'd decided where they thought some seeds should be planted and started digging!


I did point out that it might not be wise, and possibly we should start a little further away from where the lawn mower would be next time boy no.1 cuts the grass!


Inside the bag were 3 packets of flower seeds - Sunflowers, Pansies and a flower mix. They can all be sown directly into the ground, but our slugs are really hungry and there are bazillions of them, so we decided it might give the baby plants a better chance if we started some seeds in trays.


The trays I use are trays from inside Lego Christmas Avent Calendars - which makes them free and recycled, but at £25 each also possibly the most decadent seed trays ever! I made a small hole in the bottom of each section to let out excess water and filled it with compost.


They were both very impressed with how tiny the seeds were and got to work putting one or two in each section of the seed tray. I'm not sure a little fork or trowel was actually essential for this part of the job..


There was a bit of a fight over who got to water the seeds once they were planted, so we came to a compromise....


We decided to sow the mixed seeds directly into the ground among the shrubs, so that hopefully we can add a bit of colour later in the Summer. The seeds were very interesting shapes, textures and colours and the boys liked trying to guess what the flowers from each type will look like.


We prepared the ground and added a bit of compost to give the baby seeds a better chance.


Because of our slug problem I've been saving egg shells to put around plants. Slugs don't like to climb over egg shells because they're sharp, so hopefully it will help deter them from eating so many of our seedlings.


Adding the egg shell was possibly one of the boys favourite jobs - I don't know how successful it will be, only time will tell us that, but fingers crossed.



Once we'd finished there was just the job of giving the seeds a little drink, standing back and admiring our hard work.


In a few weeks time we'll be able to update you with how well we're doing, and hopefully our green shrubbery will have a bit more colour for all of the insects and more nectar for the visiting bees.

Do you cook one-pot meals for the family? Which healthy easy meals do you cook? Maybe you have a family favourite, or a recipe handed down through the generations? Are one-pot meals still suitable when it's as Summery and warm as it has been these last few days?

On Monday 10th June from 10.30am until 11.30am I will be co-hosting a Twitter discussion about easy cooking for busy Mums, and we'll be giving away a selection of Pyrex Summer Dining Essentials to four lucky participants.


We want to know what makes a successful and convenient meal when you don't have all day to prepare, and hopefully share a few recipes and tips.

Here is one of my family's favourite recipes to get you started. I use this meal when I am busy and don't have the time to stand over the cooker nursing a meal (which realistically is most days!). This should easily feed 4 for 2 meals and is infinitely adaptable and almost foolproof - even my teenagers can be trusted to throw it together!

Nice and Simple One-pot Chilli

2 large onions ~ sliced or diced
2 bell peppers ~ chopped
2 chilli peppers ~ finely chopped. You may wish to leave these out if cooking for young children.
4 cloves of garlic ~ crushed
500g Mince (Soya or meat. If using meat please ensure you brown it in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients).

2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chilli powder
a pinch of cloves
a pinch of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper to taste
whatever spice takes your fancy
2 tins tomatoes or equivalent fresh tomatoes, or passata (tomato puree)

And a selection from the following -

Mushrooms
Adzuki beans (go brilliantly with Soya mince)
Kidney beans
Borlotti beans
Canelloni beans
Haricot beans
Canned baked beans
Tinned or frozen sweetcorn
Courgette
Cooked sausage (sliced)
Cooked bacon

Method

Brown the mince with the onions, peppers and garlic (or just until the onions start to soften in the case of veggie mince), add the spices and cook for a further 3 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook either on the hob or in the oven or slow cooker until the juices are brown and the chilli flavours have all come together. I tend to leave mine for an hour or two on a the lowest simmer or in the oven at around 170 degrees/Gas Mark 3. If it's drying out too much then add water, but this is unlikely because of the veg and beans.

Always taste your meal when cooking, you can add extra spice or just about anything else, but removing it is far more tricky!

Serve half of your Chilli with rice, pasta or even potatoes or chips!


With the second half keep it safe in the fridge or freezer and use it to make a simple lasagne. Layer it with lasagne sheets and slices of courgette, cover the top with a white sauce (make your own or buy a packet mix, or even a jar for convenience), and grate cheese over the top. Because I don't eat cooked cheese (and white sauce can be bland) I make a sauce using a tin of creamed mushrooms mixed with the same quantity of water, and because I'm a kind Mummy I grate cheese over everyone else's portions (or get a slave or assistant to do it)


 Et voila. 2 meals cooked from scratch with healthy ingredients and minimal effort, and minimal washing up!

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