Our favourite kid friendly Halloween movies

We love our family movie nights in our house. Popcorn, chocolate, big fire on and a good movie. I've got so many Christmas movies as does everyone else but today I'm sharing our favourite Halloween movies. 

Halloween is my second favourite holiday. I lave decorating the house and carving pumpkins. We've watched a few of these movies already. Some I've got on dvd and some are recorded on the tv. Tesco have a great selection at the moment and they're only €5. That's a bargain right there.

My favourite is the Addams Family. I've loved it since I was a kid. I wanted to be Wednesday Addams when I was younger. The kids are loving Monster House and Scooby Doo. We're sitting down to watch Casper later. It's a classic movie that the whole family can watch. 

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Last year I did a photo challenge called #30thankfuldays2014. I'll be doing it again this year and all the info will be up here tomorrow. You can find out about it over on Instagram too.

Hope you are all enjoying midterm and Halloween celebrations.

What are your families favourite movies? Don't be shy. Let me know in the comments below.

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Weekend Recap

This past weekend was one of my favourite weekends ever.

I spent it with my 3 favourite people doing nothing too important.

Just having fun.

It was Mother's day and my little family spoiled me rotten.

We didn't do anything fancy.

That's not our style.

I like the simple things.

 My kids are young so they can't go buy me things themselves. So, it falls to hubs to go shopping. He listened to me complaining for the longest time about my weighting scales and how annoying they were. I can't find the type of battery that they take and it drives me mad when they run out.

Woke up Sunday morning to a battery free weighing scales and the most beautiful mini daffodils. And my little girl had the cutest card made at school with a teabag attached in case I needed a break.

We went for a walk, visited some family and had the yummiest lunch.

Simple and perfect.

This morning I got the best delivery in a long time.

These beautiful mugs came from Colorines Wonderful.

Aren't they just wonderful.

They are hand painted and individually designed for each person.

And the best news for all of my lovely readers is...

I will have one of these beauties to giveaway on the blog tomorrow.

Check back tomorrow for the details on how to win and a peek at some other mugs.

So, How was your weekend.

Did you spend it doing what you love, with who you love?

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Happy 6th Birthday

I cant believe that my little girl is 6 years old.

I remember the day I gave birth to her like it was yesterday.

The fear, the love, the emotions.

You are the one that made me a Mom and I will always love you.

No matter what comes, good or bad, I will love you.

Happy Birthday Pig.

xxx

DIY Water Bombs : A Cheap & Fun DIY

I'm loving the Summer right now. 

The Sun in actually shining here.

It doesn't happen too often here.

We normally have coats on in Summer because of the rain.

But this summer has broken records.

We've been having temperatures up in the 30's.

They kids have been outside as much as they can but the heat has been getting to them.

What's a sure fired way to cool down in the heat?

Water Fights!!

I love a good water fight but I don't like the clean up.

I also don't think Mr P would appreciate being whacked with a water balloon.

After a quick search on pinterest I found these.

 

I bought a pack of sponges in Tesco for €1.55. 

Cut each sponge in half and then cut each half into about 9 strips.

Tie 6 strips together with string or a small cable tie. 

You done.

Go outside and have some fun with the kids.

I got 9 bombs out of 1 pack of sponges.

We had great fun with these.

We ended up not throwing them because our aim sucked.

So instead we just splashed each other by shaking the bombs at each other.

I hope you have as much fun with these as we did.

Defiantly the best money I've spent in a long time.

Thanks for stopping by.

10 Things I Live For : 52 weeks of Blogging with a Purpose

I'm linking up with Becky over at From Mrs to Mama for 52 weeks of blogging with a purpose.

What do I live for??

I have been thinking about this for the last week. What do I live for. It took awhile to figure what the answers were. I mean I live for so much.. My Family, Husband, chocolate (ha!) But seriously it a tough one when you have to think about it.

Anyway, this is what I live for.

Mr.E (Hubs)

I love this man more than he knows. I would not be the wife I am today or the mother I am today with out him. He is my everything. Even if I want to strangle him on occasion. 

My Kids

These two little monster are the reason I get up in the morning. The reason I stay up past midnight making a birthday cakes. The reason I have grey hairs at 28. They are the reason I keep going. they are my reason for living.

Family

The older I get the more I realize that I don't know what I'd do with out them. The help more than they know. They make me laugh. And even though we fight and argue over an egg roll (long story) we always forgive and forget. They will always be in my life. Just don't go and tell them. Ha!

Running

This is the newest thing that I just could not live without. I never liked distance running when I was younger. I was a sprinter. But the I've come to love it. It's my thinking time, my forgetting time, my Me time. It's helping me get to where I need to be health wise. 

Making Memories

I live for making memories. Going to new places with my little family. Seeing things for the first time. Seeing their faces when we do something new. Being told I'm the best Mom just because we went to the park. It's these memories that I will cherish when I'm older.

Laughter

 There is an old Irish proverb that says " There is nothing a good laugh and a long sleep won't fix". I truly believe laughter is often the best medicine. That feeling I get when my side are sore from laughing and I have tear in my eyes. That really is the best feeling.

Horses

These amazing animals are my first love and always will be. My horse is my best friend. I trust him completely. I put my life in his hands when we go riding. Horse riding is my was of escaping. Galloping across a beach is the most amazing and freeing thing I have ever done.

Taking Pictures

I am that person that always has a camera. That one person that will take a picture of everything. And I mean everything. From taking pictures of horses, which is my favourite thing to do, right down to my daughters first time peeing on the potty. Such a proud moment for her and I have that captured. I wish I could capture every moment my eyes see and put them on my laptop forever. So I will never forget.

Writing/Blogging

I never thought I would be saying this. the girl that did do well in English at school. The girl who hated reading books. But I would be lost with out my little blog. I know it's not huge and I don't have 100's of readers but it's mine. I can say what I want. Write what I want. It's for me. Just me.

Cooking/Food

I love food. All kinds of food. I love cooking food. I love preparing a big feast at Christmas and seeing everyone tucking in. I love the feeling of accomplishment. I made that. I made those people happy, full, content. It's not just about cooking. It's about being creative. I'd be lost without food.

Thanks for stopping by!

52 weeks of Blogging with a Purpose : Who I am?

Today is the first day of a series of blogs I'll be doing. For the next 52 Mondays I'll be linking up with Becky over at From Mrs to Mama.

I thought about tell you all that I am a mom, wife, sister, daughter, blogger, the list goes on but then I thought you already know all this. Then I thought about how i preform in these roles. And then it came to me.

I am Me. I am Human.

I am human!! I make mistakes. I'm not perfect.

I'm A Mother. I am a mother that loves my kids with every inch of my being. I the kind of Mom that writes notes her daughter's banana going to school. The kind of Mom who throws over the top birthdays because her kids deserve it. I'm the kind of Mom that needs to be more patient when she has been "Mom'd" for the 500th time that day.

I'm a wife. I'm the kind of wife that need to learn how to be more patient with her husband. The kind of wife who tries to have a nice home but sometimes there is just too much laundry. The kind of wife who tries to get a hot dinner on the table every evening but sometimes we have takeaway. I'm the kind of wife that knows she needs to spend more time with him. The kind of wife that knows it's ok to want to strangle your husband but not doing it cos you'd miss him.

I'm a Runner. I love to run but I don't get to do it half as often as I want or need to. I'm the kind of runner that runs for me and not to win. I'm the kind of runner that is happy running in the rain but I hate the heat. I run to forget about my stresses and worries.

I'm a Daughter.  I'm the oldest daughter in my family. Even though I'm stubborn and would never admit it, I would be lost with out my parents. I'm the kind of daughter that tries too do what ever she can to help her parents even though sometimes it seems I'm doing it the wrong why. I'm the kind of daughter that still need to hear that her parents are proud of her and that I'm doing a good job.

I'm a Blogger. This is the newest role in my life. I love blogging. I love finding blogs that inspire me. I hope that one day my blog inspires someone the way that I have been inspired. I love how I have been able to connect with women all around the world that I would never even know existed if it were not for blogging. I love that I am a Blogger.

But...

I am Human!!

I make mistakes. I get it wrong. I forget. I have good days and I have bad days. I get stressed. I laugh at myself. But I am always me. Honest, open and slightly crazy me. But I am happy with were I am in my life right now. I'm am proud that I am a mother and wife. I am confident in my ability to fulfill these roles. And once I am always true to me and keep trying to be a better me, I'm happy with the job I'm doing.

So, Who are you??

Thanks for stopping by.

My left hand : My daughters story

I never wrote about this before. I never felt the need to. But I thought it would be nice to share it for anyone who is going through it. It's rare but it does happen. It happened to my Daughter.

All through my pregnancy I had a feeling. Well I had two. The first was that I was having a girl. I just knew. Don't ask me how but I did. A gut feeling. The second is that there was something different about this baby. I was worried that my baby was going to be born with DS, or spina bifida or worse. But every Mother to be has those feelings. Right?

I had my scans and everything was fine. No signs of DS, the spine was perfect. Everything looked perfect. A tiny little perfect human inside me. But that feeling never went away. That feeling that something was different about my baby. 

Fast forward to my labor. It was the best I could have asked for. My midwife was amazing. She did everything I asked . We had music on, the lights were low, she entertained my husband. She made everything so relaxed. My labor was easy. Only gas and air and I was doing great. When my daughter finally came into the world, she was perfect. I was right, it was a girl... and I was right about the other thing too... She was missing part of her left hand.

You can see the little fingers here when she was a few months old. Cute, right?

The midwife gave me my baby. I looked at her. Her dark hair. Her big beautiful eyes. Her little left hand. She was perfect. I had her for a few minutes and then the room was full of doctors. They looked, poked and prodded her. They handed her back to me and said she was a happy, healthy baby just missing a little bit of her hand. That was it. I wasn't crying. I wasn't in shock. I was relived. I was imagining much worse things for my baby.

The next couple of days were a mix of x-rays, blood tests, every doctor coming to have a look at her. I didn't mind. They were checking to see if she was ok. My family were asking if I was ok. I was fine. I wasn't upset. They were all saying "the poor little thing". That made me upset. In my eyes there was nothing wrong with her. 

A few days passed. I was kept in hospital a bit longer than normal. They were waiting for test results and I liked the quite time with her. And then it hit me. It hit me like a tonne of bricks. I just started crying. All the emotions since the birth burst out of me. I was sitting on the bed with my little girl in my arms and all I could do was cry. I was a mixture of sadness, joy, tiredness, anger, worry. Why did this happen ? Why us? Why this little girl? I just had to let it out. What was ahead of my daughter. Would she be ok? Would she need surgery? Would she need a prosthetic?

I didn't know what lay ahead of us. We ended up having to go to Cappagh Orthopedic Hospital in Dublin. More x-rays, more tests. I still didn't know what caused this. Why did it happen? They said it was one of those things. I did nothing wrong. It wasn't something I took or ate. I wasn't something I did. There was no reason for this. They said it could happen again. They said it might not. They said that if I had another child it could be worse. They said it might not. I was confused.

My daughter is 5 and a half now. She is amazing. Nothing stops her. Her hand has never been an issue. If anything it makes her more determinate to do things. I have never stopped her from doing anything. If she wants to try something, she goes for it. I thought she would find it hard to crawl... Wrong! I thought she would find it hard tying buttons and zips... Wrong!! She had that down at 2 and a half. I never thought she would ride a bike... Wrong again!!! She amazes me everyday. She ride horses, bikes, climbs up on things that I never thought she would be able to. She is amazing. She is always smiling. Never complains. Never uses her hand as an excuse. I'd kick her butt if she did. 

I now know that I was right. There is something different about my baby girl. And it's not just her hand. It's her. She is going to do amazing things. I just know it.

If I have any advise for Moms and Dads who find themselves in this position, it's to never give up hope, never let it hold your child back, never let anyone tell you that your child can't do something. 

Because this little girl proved to me that you can do anything you want and nothing can hold you back. Not even missing part of your left hand.

Little things!

There have been loads of little things going in our lives lately. 

Nothing too exciting but important all the same.

First off my little guy got his first pair of big boy shoes and he love them. He loves pounding his feet into the wood floor and hearing the noise he can make. He loves showing anyone who pays him attention his new shoes. He's growing up so fast.

P also started getting his molars. I didn't even know he was teething. He was so good. It wasn't until I was trying to get something he wasn't meant to be eating out of his mouth and he bit me that I realized they were there. He is such a good child. I really am blessed with him.

Jasmin is doing so well at school. She is getting 10 out of 10 in her mini assessments. I couldn't be prouder of her. I hope she finds school this easy for the rest of her life. Sure would help this Mama.

My luck must be on the way up. I'm not lucky. I don't win money on scratch cards or lotto tickets. But I entered a draw in the local charity shop and low and behold I won. What was the prize you ask?...

This!!

Amazing, right?

Jasmin LOVES IT!!

Think if it survives the crazies in my house it might be a family hand me down.

I signed up for my next 5k. It on this Saturday morning at 4am. Yes, I said 4AM. It's for Pieta house and I can't wait. I wanted to do it last year but I had no training done. My mom, sister and her boyfriend are doing it with me. It also knocks one of my30 things before I'm 30 so that is brilliant too.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

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First day of Summer!

Yesterday was the first day of Summer and Mother Nature didn't disappoint. 

This little guy got to go outside in his first pair of big boy shoes and he had a blast.

 He got to play with his big sister. How cute is this? My heart was melting!

 This is her "I'm a cool big girl" look.

Nana Got a little more than she bargained for when she tried to get P to pose for a photo. That boy just hates the camera. This was the best I could get.

Remember how I said P like his food. Well he thought he'd try to eat some stones too. He didn't like them too much though.

I just hope the we get the summer that we're promised because 3 months of rain and kids stuck inside and I'll be in the mad house.

Go outside with your kids and enjoy the weather. Those dishes will be fine until later.

Kids like the strangest things

From a very young age, my son would stop doing whatever he was doing to watch this.

I mean whatever he was doing, Drinking his bottle, eating, playing. Everything!

It's not a cartoon. It's not kid related. Heck, It's not even funny.

He's so obsessed with this thing that once, while in his high chair with his back to the tv he tried to climb out if his chair to see it. 

And this amazing this that stops my son in his tracks.

An insurances add.

Kids do like the strangest things.

Mid week catch-up

I haven't done one one these in a while.

Lots happening in my life at the moment.

I've started training for a 5k. Mad, I know. It's actually going quite well. I forgot how much I enjoy running. I'm using a couch to 5k program. I blog about it every Friday for Health and Fitness Friday. The run I'm doing is for a very good cause. TLC4CF and Limerick Dialysis Unit. It's going to be a challenge but i can't wait.

Paddy.

Where do I start. This little guy has been hitting the milestones lately. Waited so long for those teeth to come through and now we have 5 big beautiful teeth. And he really knows how to use them. And he has started walking too. Only a few steps here and there but I don't thin it'll be long now.

Had Jasmins first Parent/Teacher meeting last week. Didn't know what to except. Turns out my little girl is

doing great. No problems with her reading or writing. Gets on really well with the other kids. No issues with her hand. It was such a weight off my mind to know she's not getting picked on for being a little different.

I'm back taking photos again for my hunt club. I love taking photos and even love more so of horses. They are amazing animals. Getting a huge amount of likes on my photos. It feels so good to know people like your work.

I'm also starting a link-up series on this little space of mine. Every Tuesday, I will be posting a new recipe and you can all come link-up. New or old recipes. Doesn't matter for now. Here's the button to add to the post. I'm really excited to connect with new people and find some fab recipes.

That's it for now.

Snowed in with a Jolly Little Snowman

The weather here is normally rain, rain and more rain.

But every once in a while we get snow!

SNOW!

Every day since Christmas Jasmin has woken up asking the same question,

"Did it snow last night??"

And every morning it was the same answer, "No." 

Poor thing was so upset.

But then it happened. It snowed! She nearly burst when I told her it snowed and then totally burst when I told her she had no school.

Snow day!

And so we had a snowball fight, made snow angles and made a Snowman.

I was really looking forward to making the snowman because I thought of this amaze-balls idea of how to make your snowman extra special.

And all you need is red food colouring and a spray bottle.

 Looking a bit flushed!

How cute is he?
All I did was mix a few drops of red food colouring with water in a spray bottle and gave him a healthy glow.

I try not to complain when we get snow. Yes it mean I'm house bound because my car won't make it back up the hill but it makes everything look so pretty and I get to act like a big child and go play in the snow.
Not that I need an excuse to act like a child. ;)

So, go out! Have some fun! And make some memories.

Christmas 2012

Christmas was Amazing!! everything was perfect. Christmas morning was so magical. Got to spend the day with my family. We ate too much, opened too many presents and played loads of board games. There was even the traditional arguments over who's turn it was or he's sitting too close to me.

But it was family time that I will remember forever.