Category Archive: Children
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A Prayer for Madeleine – 6 years on
Today I will be saying a prayer. I won’t be alone in saying a prayer – I’m hoping that all around the world, people will be praying and hoping for the safe return of a very special little girl. A little girl who turns 10 today and that 6 horrible years ago went missing whilst on holiday in Portugal. A beautiful little girl that should be with her family now, should be in year 5 of school enjoying being one of the biggest in the school, should be enjoying teaching her little sister and brother about what is cool (and what isn’t). I’m sure there’s not a mother alive, who knows about Madeleine, that doesn’t wish as much as I do, that she is found safe and sound and returned to her family. What that family continue to go through is just unimaginable. 2 year ago, I went to a mass at my local church where Madeleine’s grandparents talked about her and the family – It would take a heartless soul not to be affected by how much she is missed. The case of the 3 women found in America this week must give hope that this can still be more »
Spicy Chutney – Sainsbury’s Kitchen Heroes Competition Win £50 Voucher
I seem to have been talking to a lot of people at the moment about leaving a legacy to my children when I die – don’t worry, I’m not planning on going anywhere just yet but it is something that crosses my mind from time to time. I’m constantly making notes in various recipe books and when I decide that a particular homemade recipe has become a family heirloom it will get a place in a very special folder. Each of my 3 girls will get a version of ‘the folder’ with our very special recipes in that they can choose to either make, ignore or even pass onto their children. You know the sort of recipe, my fruit cake, my sponge cake recipe, my shepherds pie – the sort of thing that I’d have to kill you if you found out my recipe. Another one of these recipes is the now infamous Costello Chutney. This was the first attempt I made at making chutney and it was fabulous. I now make it every Christmas for gifts and at least one other time during the year. A spicy, chunky chutney with a real kick. Perfect with cheeses and hams (and more »
Feeding the 5000 or Our Top 5 Tips for Getting The Kids To Eat Their Lunch
Anyone else found themselves really struggling towards the end of term for school dinner ideas? That last week of term holds such excitement at the thought of not coming up with new combinations of lunches every day. I am determined that this last term of the school year will be different though. I’m armed with sparkly new packed lunch boxes (that don’t have ‘that’ smell) and I’m turning to the net for support. I have been receiving emails from Supersavvyme for ages now but always thought it was a site for promoting products – little did I know that they were brilliant for kid’s packed lunch ideas too. I’ve a feeling I’ll be on there a LOT! I’m sure my kids are not unusual in that they are not fans of too exotic flavours but want something a little bit different. I have found combinations of every day ingredients that I would never have thought of putting together but just seem to work. Our Top 5 Tips for Successful Lunchtimes are: Freeze a bottle of water/juice/smoothie/squeezy yoghurt – Kids love anything frozen and the novelty of having something that is still refreshing at lunchtime doesn’t seem to wear off. Lots more »
Project Complete – Lego Campervan Review
We are a massive Lego family – we have whole cupboards, huge boxes, small boxes and now a Lego Head dedicated to the stuff. Its become an important element of Christmas that on Boxing Day the dining room table is cleared and our comes the Lego kit that Santa delivered a day earlier (He’s never let us down yet!) We’ve had alsorts over the years – A plane, An Airport, A House, Fire Station but I reckon this year’s is my personal favourite… A Lego VW CamperVan (I’m sure I’ve mentioned here before about our other obsession of VW Campers too – and yes, I still haven’t finished that knitted Camper!) The kit came with over 1300 pieces and said that it was designed for age 16+ – Not a family to be deterred by a challenge, we set about it after our Boxing Day lie in. There were about 12 bags of different sized Lego pieces (some of which were the teeniest I’ve ever seen). If you needed 3 of a certain size, you couldn’t guarantee that all 3 would be in the same bag – You have to be a Lego fan to know that this is the more »
The Costellos visit Chill Factore, Manchester
These are pictures of my children having a brilliant morning. A morning that they are still rabbiting on about 3 days later. Ok, I know the picture of Tara looks like I’ve squashed her into a rubber ring (and to be truthful I had but she looked really funny) but believe me she was having fun. Last Saturday saw a rare visit to Manchester that didn’t involve a pool and all 5 of us could take part in. The Costellos landed at Chill Factore. We were there to take part in sledging (anyone aged 4 +), Meet Father Christmas in Santa’s Grotto and encounter Peppa Pig. When we first arrived we were quickly whisked through to the changing area. There’s no messing here so you don’t feel like you are wasting time. It was here I developed a love of ski pants that can be worn over jeans – I’ve never felt so comfy and cosy! Myself and Tara were only going to the snow play area suitable for ages 2-4 so we didn’t need helmets but were still given trousers, boots and jacket (I wore my own). Clever Tip: Put the bottom of the trousers over the heel of more »
Pop Party 10 CD Review
If you want to be cool with your 10 year old, just get them a copy of a CD with Gangnam Style is the first toon! Well, that moment of coolness lasted all of 10 minutes when I realised I didn’t know who most of the groups/acts were. Good heavens, soon I’ll be talking about who is in the Hip Parade like my Dad used to. Aside from me being an uncool mum, I had better get on with the job. What did the girls think of the latest Pop Party CD? They blinkin loved it of course! The verdict from our house is that if you are needing a Christmas Gift for someone around the ages of 7-12 then this could be the one for you. I will admit to thinking previously that Pop Party CDs were full of party tunes but this has a good selection of varied chart hits. (Oh god, whatever I say about it makes me sound like an old croc!) If you want to buy a copy, it retails at £10.99 and can be bought here There’s CD included, a DVD of 13 of the songs’ videos and 2 Behind the Scenes exerpts and more »
CBeebies Album Review and Giveaway
Who knew a CD could save your sanity and keep you safe? Certainly not me but anyone who has ever gone on a long car journey alone with a toddler in the back of the car will know how hair-raising it can be. Last Thursday I set out to go to my sister’s in Leeds. From St Helens, this is just over an hour on a very good day. Let’s say it was a medium day – the traffic was heavy, it rained in parts and I was alone with Tara. About 10 minutes into the journey, I realised she wasn’t going to drop off straight to sleep and she was wasn’t going to readily enjoy the snacks I had packed (ever tried to persuade a child to eat when they are sat behind you and you are driving on the m62?) And then I remembered the CBeebies Album I’d been sent to review! I was slightly sceptical, I will admit, particularly as up until then Tara hasn’t been a big TV watcher (A stomach upset over this weekend has fixed that too!) I kid you not, though, she was like a different child. Happily swaying to the music in more »
Twinkle Tower Dolls House Review
It’s pretty safe to say that our house is a shrine to baby dolls and prams. Having 3 girls means they are everywhere. It may be a stereotype but the fact is that these are the toys that get played with the most. I’m on a constant search though to find something that little bit different that can be played with by a variety of ages. When Dollshouses.co.uk sent us a Twinkle Tower to review, we were happy to give it a go. There was much excited in the Costello household the day it arrived – even Millie at 10 enjoyed setting it up. At under 50cm high and 22cm wide, I was pleased that it didn’t take up too much room. Setting up didn’t take too long either – the unit comes complete in the box – you just have to add the furniture and the dolls – but that’s the fun bit isn’t it? The main thing I noticed was that the quality was lovely. Beautifully painted with smooth edges and good quality wood. I always think its really hard to judge those sort of things by just looking at a picture on the internet. The Budkin dolls more »
The School Teddy – A Rant
Its not often I use my blog to rant but I feel I’m justified on this occasion. Most parents of school age children will recognise this scenario… You are standing on the playground waiting for school to kick out (invariably it is raining as it always seem to do at 3.20PM but that’s a different story). Out comes your child with a huge grin waiving an inanimate object in your face. Huge delight ahead, we have the school frickin bear! Who on earth decided that taking a manky, dirt ridden, germ infested, piece of tat home for the night was a good idea and in the slightest bit educational? Let me tell you teachers, its not educational in the slightest. There’s not a parent alive that relishes writing a diary about what your sodding bear has done over the weekend. Let’s be honest, its normally 8PM on Sunday night when we remember to read out what our little one needs to write in the diary. Some things to remember about the school bear … Teachers, you may think you are being helpful suggesting we might like to add photos or drawings of Bear’s activities into the diary but we truly more »
