School PTA Run for the hills..................

Does the title of this blog post fill you with dread? Are your school PTA hunting you down in the playground. Are the other mums out doing you with fabulous cakes. Are the School PTA making your design a Christmas card again which you know is not going to win a Turner prize sadly. Why don't you join the PTA it can't be all that bad can it? I am sure some PTA are all singing and dancing. 


What makes a successful PTA I 'd love to know?

People and companies get fed up of you asking for donations , they really do. I have a Christmas fair coming up at my school not a problem you might think . But it is a necessity we need to help to raise £5,000 so we can get Charity status and then fundraising easier. We have raised some but just need that little bit more!.

I know that some PTA have those characters that hijack it and are wonder woman or man rolled into one and leaves the presenters skills on Blue Peter for dust.Offering to help before events or at other times during the year is so valuable – it really is a case of ‘many hands make light work’. It doest’t matter if you can’t help on a regular basis, or even if you can’t come into your child's school. There are always little jobs that can be done from home if you have half an hour to spare e.g. wrapping gifts, preparing raffle tickets etc. Your child's really couldn't’t achieve what they do without the unseen ‘army of help’ that exists in your child's school.


When it was the summer fair I had not problems getting people to help on twitter and other companies so what has happened between then and now. I am not expecting donations to drop in my lap, it is hard economic times after all. I had the odd offer of help but that is something lacking,I have not even had any replies to requests for thoughts on School PTA's.


Is your School PTA struggling? or is it all bells and whistles?


So I will hold my breath till I get a comment on this post ... 

Funny things that children say

I thought you might like to see this blog post again as it tickles me how funny children can be!

Please believe in Fairies

On my train journey down to London on a blogging mission me and J sat in a quiet coach or so we thought. There was the lovely fluffy granny with her two grandsons awwh. J was quietly playing his electronic device or reading . I was worrying about weather I would make it through dodge city =London. The little boy came starring over J's shoulder by standing behind him, this wound J up but he and I were too polite to say anything. And then it all cracked off Little boy to Granny

Little boy " If you say you there are no fairies then a fairy will die"

Granny " But you just said it"

Little Boy" I said IF you said it"

Granny"Oh'

Little boy "Also if you say, you believe in fairies then a fairy is born"

At this point the little boy's older brother jumped it and swearing my journey, couldn't get any worse he decided to chip in.

Older brother"I don't believe in fairies!"

Well that was it wasn't the little boy snapped ....

"Fairies are real . I believe in fairies"

So this continued for an hour with the two brother toing and froing believe me the mood I was in once I got off the train I would have sorted any rioters out!. The first half of our journey the little boy as you read earliar was staring over J's shouder.

(Photo courtesy of @Mummybarrow who blogs at http://mummybarrow.wordpress.com/ and this is proof fairies exist especially at the bottom of your garden because she has a door in her tree for them )

So please for love all things magical fairies do exist it may just save a rail passenger from losing the will to live.

Fairies are a very important of children's lives especially little girls so please read this lovely blog post from Inside the Wendyhouse

So if you are going on a long trip or on a train with little ones please please for the sanity of you and perhaps those around you please take the things they love with them and will keep them amused and not drive (me ) or you up the wall!

Mr T relives his memories and makes me go on a walk in Charnwood Forest

Well after my first attempt at trying to find the place of my childhood walks, I found it second time round. It seems that Charnwood Forest covers a large area of Leicestershire, 67 square miles and of course that will include a lot of hills. So for me to find it with so little information from the past, and not wanting to go and ask the one person who would know, my Dad, because I would look such a fool, I think that it was great luck. The place Beacon Hill near Coalville. My memories of the place was a hill with a plinth on top. The surrounding area was clear, not many trees away from the actual wood itself but the views were great.
I remember walking through the woods and coming out to the view of the hill in front of us, which as children must have looked like Everest. I know that over the years things would have changed, trees and plants grow plus car parks built. With is in mind I took my family off to holy place of mine.

I had studied the maps of the country park and pick a car park near to the actual Beacon hill (Upper car park). On arrival I found out that the upper car park was just that. Upper meaning a few hundred yards away from the top of the hill. OK I know that means that I would miss out on reliving my childhood memories but you have to think about the kids, the wife and the car ride home. We set off from the car park, up the hill to take in the views from the top and boy they were great. The countryside around the hill was breath taking. Looking back to the past they had changed, more house and factories to see but that is life.

On your arrival there are lots of walks you can do around the country park. The woodlands are full of life and I remember that this place was the first and only place I had ever seen a woodpecker in the wild, so I could not believe my eyes when within half an hour we had seen one. What did my son say, I have not seen that one on TV for a long time and yes he was talking about Woody the woodpecker!! The walks themselves are very easy. We saw lots of small children running up and down the hill and even if you could not keep up the pace there are loads of sits around the place to take a rest. It this point I better point out that Beacon Hill is the second highest point in Leicestershire at 804 feet.

Once again I took out my camera and took some pictures of this place that holds so many memories for me.

The last picture above shows the hill now covered in trees and other plants etc, but for me I will always remember it as I did as a kid, bare from top to bottom.

Well to that one picture That I aim to get. What is it this time? Is the woodpecker, or some other wild animal walking around? Well may be. Just take a look. I came across this animal just sitting there all on its own. It was not a set up I truly did just come across it.

Crazy frog was just sitting there.

New Zealand Co Honey

What’s the “buzz” about honey?

New Zealand Honey Co’s new range of delicious honeys are an easy way to incorporate natural goodness into your diet and help improve health and wellbeing. What’s more, they’re also a wonderfully versatile way to add flavour to a whole host of your favourite dishes.

Unlike other squeezy honeys, New Zealand Honey Co’s range has a unique pre-biotic and antioxidant rating which tells you just how much goodness you’re getting from each spoonful. Available in two exciting varieties, the range of ‘squeezy’ honeys makes life in the kitchen even easier. No knife required, just hover the bottle over its target, squeeze and hey presto you’ve added a sweet and healthy shot that gives your dish a gorgeous new flavour.

Smooth tasting Beech Forest Honeydew is fabulous spread on nutty breads and tastes fantastic with fruit, yogurt or muesli. The honey is packed 
full of 
pre-biotics which are good for the gut and for strengthening the immune system.  For the more adventurous amongst you, why not add it to a Moroccan Chicken 
dish
 for an extra kick to an already exotic meal.

Thyme Honey, as well as being great on toast or with yoghurt, also creates a delicious and tender marinade for meat dishes. The honey is packed full of antioxidants, which can help neutralise harmful free radicals, that have been known to cause anxiety and other common health problems.

New Zealand Honey Co’s range is not only delicious and packed with goodness but is also a great alternative to sugar. This means that you and your family can still enjoy tasty sweet breakfasts but with a natural sweetener that is better for you than refined sugars.

Owned by a group of dedicated beekeepers, New Zealand Honey Co harvests its honey from over 14,000 hives in the rural and unspoilt South Island of New Zealand. The company is New Zealand’s largest single producer of speciality honeys and they work hard to ensure the final products preserve all of the full flavour and nutritional qualities found in raw natural honey.

So fill that space in your cupboard today with New Zealand Honey Co’s range of squeezy honeys and put the buzz back into your diet.

A staple must to have in your cupboard for your cooking and of course your breakfast.

This is a quarter of the price I have seen other quality honey for and it's a brand I shall be sticking with from it's superb taste to it's ease of use.

New Zealand Honey Co’s range of squeezy honeys are available from Waitrose, priced £3.49.

Follow New Zealand Honey Co on Twitter @NZ_Honey_Co  

Become a fan on facebook: http://goo.gl/BK93
(Disclosure I was send some honey for review I had some for my breakfast and I also used it in my  cooking)

Heinz Beanz Pack Rollie opens up.

Heinz Beanz Pack Rollie opens up.

Helping the country stay on track and offering even more choice when it comes to eating healthily the nation’s favourite beans brand is back, with a new twist on a classic favourite; the Reduced Salt and Sugar Heinz Beanz Fridge Pack.

As the latest must-have for your fridge, the Reduced Salt and Sugar Heinz Beanz Fridge Packs provide beans lovers with all the flexibility and advantages of a convenient re-sealable pack.

Containing no artificial sweeteners, colours, flavours or preservatives, 100g contains one of your five a day, giving you complete peace of mind when it comes to consuming the ultimate comfort food classic.

Containing the equivalent of nearly two and a half standard cans, the 1kg Reduced Salt and Sugar Heinz Beanz Fridge Packs are a quick and convenient solution that ensures no waste. Ideal for families and those with busy lives, the screw top pack can be re-sealed and popped back into the fridge, staying fresh for up to five days and allowing you to use as many beans as you like.

For those who want to keep an eye on how many beans they have left to feed the family, top their toast or cover a jacket potato, each pack features a handy see-through measure on the side to help you keep track.

Paul White, Heinz Beanz Marketing Manager, comments, “The Reduced Salt and Sugar Heinz Beanz Fridge Packs mean beans fans can now tuck into as many beans as they want, in portions that suit them, whilst helping to reduce their salt and sugar intake.

Ideal for busy families, the new packs offer a convenient mealtime solution with the added benefit of providing one of your 5 a Day.”

Heinz Beanz has been fuelling the nation for over one hundred years, with the much-loved range now including Heinz Beanz Snap Pots and Heinz Beanz Fridge Packs, for those seeking super convenience. And with Brits consuming over 442 million cans of Heinz Beanz in the past year alone, this popularity is set to continue.

Reduced Salt and Sugar Heinz Beanz Fridge Packs are available from major supermarkets including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Co-op available now. RRP £1.93