You need around 4 biscuits of your choice per 100g chocolate. Digestives are traditional, but I like to use shortbread as well. Crush them or crumble them with clean hands or a rolling pin, but leave them quite chunky.

Marshmallows!

The rest of the ingredients are up to you. We chopped up some fudge and we also used some chocolate orange buttons. You can use dried fruits, smarties, sweeties, and all kinds of other sweet treats.

Exactly 6 months ago, all of a sudden, the lives of all of our family changed when my partner got Meningitis. On that day, after leaving him in hospital, I came home and wrote about what was happening. I still didn't know at that point that he had Meningitis, and I certainly didn't realise for how long, and how much, it would affect our lives. 

We were told and we've read no end of times that 6 months after you have Meningitis you've pretty much recovered, you've reached a level which is where you will be, with incredibly slow progression for any remaining symptoms. We are 'back to normal' but it's not where we were. Some of the symptoms have gone completely, some are hidden almost all of the time, most show up as soon as stress and tiredness come into play.

I think it's easier to list, so here in no particular order -

1. Tiredness. This is the biggie. He still needs naps and sleeps a lot, and it doesn't matter how much he sleeps, he still feels tired. When he's tired he can't cope. That's standard for anyone, but with him it comes a little more quickly and it's all consuming. There isn't any grey - he's coping, he's coping, he's done.


2. Concentration. He can't drive distances or concentrate too hard for too long, it really wears him out. After 2 hours driving he needs a nap, he just can't carry on any more. After a nap he's fine, but concentrating is still much harder for him than before and he favours the familiar, the easy.

3. Sharpness. He's pretty sharp now, he is back to making sarcastic and witty comments, not as often, but they're there. He can join in with us when we play games, but once he's tired he can't win, and he gets tired before the rest of us - whatever time of day it is.

4. Pain. He's still in a lot of pain and is beginning to accept this is likely to be his future and is looking at walking sticks. The B12 sadly wasn't magical and didn't just make him better, although it definitely improved his temperament massively, it didn't improve his pain. His limbs hurt and the more he does, the more they hurt. Lifting and carrying isn't something he's really capable of, and walking leaves him limping and sore. He has persistent pain in his arms from using a computer and writing ~ which is basically his work.

5. Stress. He can't cope with stress like he could at all. It makes his head hurt and he gives in. He goes for a nap or just falls asleep when it's too hard, that's his coping strategy. It's hell on me, but it's all he can do.

The response to Tesco not bringing our shopping on time.

6. Memory. Some things and even entire people and events (mostly from the 6 month period before he became ill) have gone completely. He can't remember them. The whole period around the time of his Meningitis is sketchy and intermittent and mainly missing. His short term memory is poor. He has to write down everything and still forgets. He can't take charge of moving things or knowing where things are because he can't remember and won't have any more chance of finding them than I do. He sets timers on his phone for everything. He knows that he's lost a lot of memories and that making new memories is haphazard and in his own words -

Robot Slayer is the first graphic novel by Vincent  Kamp. Suited best to children aged around 5+ it tells the story of Benny and Leo, two brothers living in Robotolis - a city designed by Professor Arnold Robotolis and built entirely by robots.

The detail in the novel is great, and there is masses to look at on every page. Once your child has heard the story they can 'read the pictures' even if they aren't yet able to read the text. The book starts with 2 different texts on each page, narrative and speech, and then changes once we know the backstory and have set the scene, with the rest of the story told purely by the characters conversation and the illustrations.


The robots do everyday jobs and tasks, and make life very easy for the humans, until one day when they begin to go wrong. A virus has overtaken the robots and when Benny is captured and taken prisoner, it's up to Leo to save the day.


The illustrations are great and I love the use of colour to show the 'human' world, as opposed to the steel greys used when the robots are in charge. The characters are instantly recognisable and have just the right level of 'evil' or 'cute'.


Vincent Kamp created this novel for his own two young boys - Leo and Benny - and it's taken 4 years from idea to release. I read this novel with my 2 youngest boys and they both loved it. Although my youngest isn't yet 4, he loves robots and science fiction stories and he adores books, so he's sat and 'read' this story to himself more times than I can count.

I think it's great and a lovely way to introduce children to graphic novels when the closest they might come would be comic strips such as The Beano. It's a grown up book for kids. There's even a bonus because every now and again a novel will be sent out in a painted envelope, and I was lucky enough to be one of those who's envelope has been hand painted by Vince - it's fantastic and very special!


It doesn't stop there though because YOU can see if you've got what it takes to be a robot slayer using a mini game which is part of an interactive iPad app. Sadly I don't have an iAnything, but there are plans to release the app on Android in the future and it gets very good reviews, generally scoring 4/5.

You can find out much more about Robotslayer on the website and see a preview of the app in the following You Tube video...
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Before Christmas I was sent a selection of snack bars from NoGii to review. They have a range of different products in several different varieties to suit the whole family, and all are made to the following standards -

• ALL NATURAL
• NO GLUTEN
• NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP
• NO TRANS FAT
• NO HYDROGENATED OILS
• IDEAL BALANCE OF PROTEIN/FAT/CARBS

The bars I have been sent are all also suitable for vegetarians.


I like simple things, and I like snacks that are handy to put in my bag and take out with me. It's far better if they're going to fill me or the children up and stop us feeling hungry for hours, and it's best of all if it's made from good stuff that has positive benefits for our bodies.

We all liked the High Protein Chocolate Mint Bar the best, it was lovely! Covered in a thin layer of chocolate and with a texture that's chewy and almost brownie like, it isn't low on calories, but it's very high in protein, which is incredibly rare for a snack.

The Nuts About Nuts Paleo bar is very much a 'nuts and seeds' bar, which I like, but doesn't suit a lot of people. It has a figgy type of taste and texture and although chewy it's quite heavy. It really fills you up and keeps you going.


The NoGii Kids Chocolate Chip bar is mallow and puffed rice with chocolate chips and goodies. Chewy and sweet enough to satisfy a child, but really filling and again loaded with protein - 8g per bar - to digest slowly and really satisfy.

NoGii are available in 5 different ranges ~ Paleo, High Protein, Super Protein, D'lites (chocolate covered low calorie bites) and kids.They're new to the UK and currently available from Win Naturally Online Health Food Store, and instore from Win Naturally in the Trafford Centre, Manchester. They are not at all cheap, costing around £2.50-£3 per bar, or around £1 each when bought in packs of 18, but they're ideal for athletes, people in recovery, walkers, hikers and others who have specific needs for energy or protein, or coeliacs who want a treat they can eat.

Parragon books have sent me a real treat of a book to review. Recipes From An Indian Kitchen is a collection of authentic recipes from across India and a nice return to less rich foods after all of the Christmas excesses. Garlic and Chilli and some of the common Indian spices are all excellent for helping boost the immune system and kill off some of the Winter colds that everyone suffers from at this time of year.


I've decided to treat my family to a nice big meal for tea tonight, so I'll  be making 4 dishes from the book - 2 main meal curries, a potato dish and a rice.
 

Although the ingredient lists can be big and the recipes sometimes require a lot of different spices, if you're new to Indian cooking don't be put off, because there are plenty of recipes in the book that have far fewer ingredients. If you cook Indian food regularly you can build up your number of spices over a while, rather than buying handfuls at once.

Red Kidney Bean Curry (page 172)

2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 onions, finely chopped
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves, crushed
2 fresh green chillis, chopped finely
2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
800g canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1tsp palm sugar
500ml warm water
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp fresh chopped coriander to garnish
natural yogurt to serve

1. Heat the oil and add cumin seeds. Then they stop crackling add the onions and fry until they are soft.
2. Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2 minutes. Add chillis, tomatoes, ground coriander, cumin, turmeric and garam masala and stir fry for 12-15 minutes.
3. Add the kidney beans, palm sugar, salt, water and cook for 10-12 minutes until the beans are soft.
4. Remove from heat and transfer to serving dish, garnish with chopped coriander and serve with yogurt.

Garlic and Chilli Flavoured Potatoes with Cauliflower (Aloo Ghobi ~ page 100)

 

350g new potatoes - boiled in their skins for 30 minutes and then cooled in cold water.
1 small cauliflower cut into small florets, blanched for 3 minutes in boiling water, rinsed and then cooled in cold water.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
5 large cloves of garlic - lightly crushed and chopped
1-2 fresh chillis, finely chopped
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
fresh coriander garnish

1. Peel the potatoes if you wish, then halve or quarter to be a similar size to the cauliflower florets.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Remove from heat and add Garlic and Chillis. Return to a low heat and cook while stirring until the garlic has a light brown tinge.
3. Stir in the turmeric, followed by cauliflower and potatoes. Add salt, increase the heat slightly and cook, stirring gently regularly, until the vegetables are well blended with the spices and heated through.
4. Stir in chopped coriander, remove from heat and serve.



And I can confirm it was all very nice. The rice was very fragrant and everyone enjoyed it. The Garlic and Chilli Flavoured Potatoes with Cauliflower  were really tasty, not too dry and stayed together well. The Tandoori Mushroom Curry was very nicely flavoured, although I think less peas, but bigger peas would have worked better. The Red Kidney Bean Curry was the pleasant surprise of the meal. Kidney beans can sometimes be a bit much, but they were lovely and it worked really well.


Containing 100 really easy to follow recipes I think this book is an excellent recipe book for anyone wanting to begin or expand their range of curries. There is plenty for the vegetarian or the meat-eater, and the meals, side dishes and accompaniments in this book are really varied and interesting. The dishes we tried were gorgeous and my whole family enjoyed them.

Recipes From An Indian Kitchen is published by Parragon with an rrp of £16 and currently available from Amazon for around £5.50 plus postage. I think it offers excellent value and really does have plenty to suit any lover of Indian food.

Before you throw all of that cardboard and paper into the bin, it's worth thinking for a minute if it can be of use. Fortunately now most of our waste is recycled rather than thrown in landfill or simply burnt, but it's still often better used instead of buying something new.


It's 12th night and my decorations are coming down, and I've miles of Amazon delivery brown paper and torn used wrapping paper that is perfect for wrapping up those precious glass Christmas baubles. Don't have printed sides of brightly coloured paper next to decorations in case they get damp with condensation and stain. Brown paper works brilliantly and will also help if your loft or storage isn't the driest environment in the world, as it will help to keep your treasure moisture free.
Sachets of silica gel that are found in all kinds of boxed and bagged gifts can be re-used to protect your valuables - they're dangerous when dry as they absorb an immense amount of moisture, so make sure they're well away from anyone or anything who might try to eat them.


Bubble wrap that came with deliveries before Christmas is also useful for lining boxes of precious things, and creating layers between glass baubles.


Don't recycle your cards! Put them away with the decorations and next December get them out and cut into strips to make paper chains. You can glue them, or you can cheat and staple them. Because they're card they last far better than paper and can even be reused for a couple of years. Some cards can be cut into amazing strips, with fantastic festive pictures, bright colours, glitter and even Christmas messages. It also has a level of nostalgia, I can look at our paper chains and remember who sent a few of the cards they were cut from.


It goes without saying that all of the sweets, biscuit and cracker tubs and tins can be reused. Perfect for biscuit and cake storage and all manner of other things, they can also be great outside the kitchen. We've used some for Children's toys - my young sons cut out pictures from a Christmas catalogue so that they know what is inside.


The colourful streamers in party poppers can be used as pretty padding for breakable gifts next year.
 
Nut and egg shells can be used to discourage slugs and snails from crossing your vegetable patch or eating your flowers.

Cardboard boxes from food, egg boxes, cardboard tubes from foil and a host of other things are great for junk modelling and nurseries are often very pleased to take them off your hands if you can't use them.

Mince pie foil trays can be strung together and make an impressively noisy garland - or a bird scarer for the garden to protect seedlings.


I've left out the obvious.....regifting.....because none of us would do that now, would we?

At a time when bin space is at a premium, it's very satisfying that rubbish doesn't always have to be thrown out...and whenever you don't buy something new you save money and do a tiny bit for our planet...

I'm expecting you to do a better job than the last guy.....

2014 started with my partner spilling a full cup of tea all over himself and our bed at 2.15am. It's wrong I know, but I did laugh when I turned and saw him sitting in a puddle of hot tea. Fortunately despite his scolded behind he also saw the funny side and if you're going to stay up late changing bedsheets and drying a mattress at 3am, New Year's Day is better than most.

I have big hopes for this year. I have a new date for my leg operation on 15th January and although I'm less excited than last time, I have high hopes it will fix it before I ruin both knees permanently. Then my year can really start properly.

We got engaged when we were watching the Olympic Torch pass through Bury on 23rd June 2012, and I'd actually like to get married this year please. I was always a bit iffy about the number 13, so I actually didn't want to get married in 2013. Thank goodness for that! That would have been an expensive disappointment because ideally we'd have married in August and my partner spent almost all of August in bed asleep and, if I'm brutally honest, completely unable to cope at all with anything taxing. Getting him to a Wedding ceremony and keeping him alert and aware of what was happening for more than an hour would have been unlikely. It'd have been the equivalent of getting him bladdered and telling him everything would be fine. I always said as a teenager that I'd get married at 42, and although I in no way planned it this way, it looks like that might just happen.


We have 2 of our young people taking their GCSE exams this year. I'd love for them to do as well as they deserve and not let stress ruin it for them. I say I'd be happier if they came home with 10 C's than nothing because they'd run away or had a panic, and I really mean it. They're both high achievers and predicted to do exceptionally well, and with that comes a real added pressure of expectation.

I want to get out more. 2013 was our year of 'staying in'. We'd just stripped my partner's camper van when he became ill, so it has no MOT and no interior. There was no hope of going tent camping, he wouldn't have coped and nor would I trying to wrangle all the kids and do everything else. We missed our big holiday and several other possible weekends away, it'd be great to get his camper back on the road and get us both to the point where we can drive distances again.


Driving is a biggie. I used to walk everywhere that I could, and that's not possible, but neither have I been able to drive. I've been virtually housebound for the last 5 months and my partner has had to do all of the weekend child-ferrying, which leaves him shattered from the effort and steals our time because he falls asleep when he gets home.

In 2014 I will spend more time with my friends!! I have so many friends that I never really noticed were there and I've met so many amazing people this year and have developed really lovely friendships with handfuls of them. My partner's Meningitis and my broken leg saga have shown me support and consideration and even genuine love from so many people, and had I not needed it I might never have known it existed. It's a very precious gift and I really want to enjoy it.

I will redecorate parts of my house and tidy my garden. In the last 6 months we've done nothing and it's looking a real mess. My youngest child goes to school in September, and I hope that'll give me the time I need to get my home ready for Winter properly next Autumn.

Most of all I'm hoping for good health and an easier year than 2013, which was undoubtedly the most physically challenging year I've ever had. No sleep and masses to do every minute I was awake because everything takes twice as long has been hard work. We all need to rest just occasionally....


I hope you all have an excellent 2014 and whatever you wish to do, I hope you achieve it.

I don't think I'll miss you...

Gains And Losses

Some amazingly lovely things have happened this year and at least 3 of our children will end the year in a far happier frame of mind than they started with, but by God it's been hard!

I've had hard times before, money, health, relationships have never always been perfect, but never before have I had to work so damn hard just to keep it all together.

Running a household with 7 children aged from 3 to 19 isn't easy at the best of times, but this year I really did have to take on far more than I ever signed up for.

My broken leg and a catalogue of errors and unfortunate circumstances means that I'm still waiting for it to be fixed 5 months later. The simplest tasks day to day tasks take forever.You have no idea how often you crouch or kneel until you can't, and stairs have become my nemesis (I joke I'm a Dalek).

I've seen things I never want to have to see again, things I can't unsee. I have watched my partner and father of my children lying in a hospital bed seriously ill, I sat and cried with him while he had a lumbar puncture and thank heavens I have been given the opportunity to spend the last 6 months watching him recover.

One of my biggest gains in 2013 is this blog. Exactly a year old I could never have ever begun to imagine how far I'd come in only 12 months.


I could never have forseen the brilliant things I've been sent to review, the places I would get to take my family, the skills I'd learn and the lovely things people would say about my writing. I've worked with Britmums, Netmums, Mumsnet and Tots 100 and hopefully I'll add Parentdish to that in the new year.

Goodbye's

Sadly there are always a few who don't get to stay with us....

Politics lost Jose Sarria, Nelson Mandela and Margaret Thatcher. They'll all leave their lasting impression on all of our lives. Good or bad.

Roobarb and Custard, which was second only to Bagpuss in my eyes as a child, lost it's voice with the passing of Richard Briers and a few days later it's animator Bob Godfrey.
Ray Cusick, the inventor of the Daleks, and Mr Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK47, both left us in 2013 - I'm not entirely sure which we should have been more scared of.


Corgi lost 'Mr Corgi' Marcel van Cleemput - the designer of some of their most iconic models including the James Bond Aston Martin, the Batmobile and the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, which sat on my Great Grandparent's mantle for my entire childhood with flattened wheels where they'd melted.



 So long to Alan Turing's conviction. His royal pardon has come a mere 59 years too late
 
I lost my schoolfriend Chris this morning, he always started conversations with me online at 1.30am and kept me awake for the next hour or so, and I'll miss that - as much as he'd often annoyed me with it and stole my sleep. Earlier in the year I lost Sara who I met at antenatal classes when pregnant with our first children. Cancer took them both too early.

Goodbye to them all.

Turn the page.....but never put down the book.




The Dalek illustration is by Nick Abadzis - you can find him here
The Bart and Miss Krabappel still is taken from The Simpsons
The Roobarb and Custard illustration is by Captain Howdy and based on the original illustrations by Bob Godfrey
 

Anna from In The Playroom has had a fantastic idea for a linky - your top 13 parenting posts of the year. Hers are all really informative and useful, mine are more of a mix. These are the posts that get Google hits every day, the posts that I am most proud of, and a wild card or 2....








 






Yeah okay, there are 14, not 13, but I've never been keen on 13's and I'm less keen than ever now.... I hope you'll let me off....