Meal Planning Monday - the very late but only half a week edition!

Yes, it's late. I know. I spent most of Sunday chasing children around, making cakes for teachers (despatched to school today), and watching cricket, golf and cycling. I started a plan but it's a bit of a half plan this week, for we are away this weekend. We are off to the Anniversary Games in London and we can't wait!

Thus, I only need four meals so I haven't planned loads. In fact, the supermarket shop was more snack foods for long journeys than it was about meals as most of the ingredients were already to hand and I'm not buying lots of fresh stuff. There is one carry over from last week which didn't happen when Monkey went off to a party, husband was at work and a small child called Missy Woo pleaded with me to take her to Burger King. It was hot, I relented.

This is really three and a half meals because although I have a plan, tonight is not yet set in stone. Husband is going over to Pennington Flash to do an open water swim and has asked if we'd like to go. If we do, then they have a barbeque there but I can't decide if I want to go or not so I'm going to leave it up to the children to decide. If they want to stay home, I'll just do them some pasta.

So, eyes down, look in.

Monday - Barbeque or pasta, pesto and meatballs
Tuesday - Roast chicken (yes, I am bonkers)
Wednesday - Ham, feta, olive and rocket platter with crostini
Thursday - Sausages in buns or a freezer dive
Friday - not cooking
Saturday - not cooking
Sunday - not cooking

More - and better - meal plans can be found by clicking on the badge above and visiting Mrs M's place.

My MAD weekend part 1 - Myleene and me

You may remember I was a finalist in the MAD Blog Awards last year and this year, I was a finalist in two categories. The awards ceremony last Friday so off I set to London on a train. The journey down was torturous as I ended up sharing a table with a Geordie and two Norwegians, who all appeared to be born again Christians and one of them tried to convert me by giving me a leaflet to read. I declined and instead tweeted to pass the time to London. My timeline was certainly an interesting read. 

Being one of the earlier arrivals, I had been lucky enough to get myself hair and make up appointments but they were a good couple of hours ahead of the festivities starting. I strolled down and a lovely lady from Regis Salons straightened my hair in the blink of an eye. Next, I waited in a busy hotel room as the ladies from Arbonne got ready as I'd arrived a little early and so I became the first to have my make up done whilst the consultant told me about their products (Swiss) and their business (all the consultants work through recommendations). 

By 4.30, there I was, all made up but nowhere to go so I headed back to the room I was sharing with Elaine who was a finalist in the best business blog category and is also an NCT friend of mine going back several years. I hadn't seen her in 18 months but this was the second time in two weeks! Still, we managed to spend the next hour and a half putting the worlds to rights in the room before we got dressed in our finery.

Once finally fully glammed up in our outfits - mine was a lovely red dress that the lovely people from Simply Be kindly sent me along with a fab pair of silver shoes - we wandered downstairs to join the waiting throng, accessorised by a Seksy Sekonda watch from Find Watches. Luckily, arriving a little late meant we weren't waiting too long before we were ushered through to the reception. I decided to wander over to look at the table plan. I found my name and looked to see who else was on my table. There were a few names of people I knew, or wanted to me but one name on my table stopped me in my tracks. 

Oh my goodness me. 

Not only that, I then found out she was brand ambassador for Start-Rite Shoes who were the sponsors of the Best Schooldays category. And the sponsors wanted a photograph of us with her too. Within a few minutes, I found myself sat next to a very beautiful (and very slim!) Myleene on a couch. Very unreal. In my head, I was screaming "oh my God" whilst trying to smile and look vaguely cool at the same time. 

Over dinner, she was opposite me on the table but during the ceremony itself, she ended up this close again. 

Tweeting on her Blackberry, my kinda girl! Honestly, she was totally lovely - she was prepared to chat with people about anything and everything, have her photograph taken, and showed a real interest in people. When one of the categories for which I was a finalist came up, she was excited for me and when I didn't win, she patted my arm in consolation. 

And no, I didn't win either category. I hadn't expected to. In both categories, I was up against some bloody great bloggers. I hadn't expected to win; I just went to have a fantastic evening. The winners of my two categories were firstly Multiple Mummy, who has been very ill in hospital following a brain haemorrhage caused by an aneurysm. Her husband was there to accept her award and there wasn't a dry eye in the house.  And in the schooldays category, the lovely Actually Mummy won against some very stiff opposition. 

It was fantastic night. I met some lovely bloggers I hadn't met before as well as renewing the friendship with some I've seen here, there and everywhere - and yet there were still loads that I never got to speak to that I would have loved to have met. It was a true celebration of blogging where I felt everyone was genuinely pleased for the winners. 

Huge, huge thanks to Sally and her team for organising a fantastic awards ceremony. Thanks to those lovely people who sponsored awards or gave me lovely things to wear on the night. I had a brilliant time and was made to feel very special. Not everyone won an actual award last night, but we were truly all winners. 

(I was sent the items mentioned above to wear at the ceremony and my hair and make up were also done for free for me. All opinions, as ever, are mine!)

Preserving London 2012 memories with the Olympic Scrapbook

This is a sponsored post (but you might like it anyway!)

Two weeks to go, after seven years of waiting. I remember sitting, holding Monkey (a nearly 4 month old baby) in my arms watching the announcement of the host city of the 2012 Olympic Games and tearing up with joy and excitement when Jacques Rogge uttered the words "the games of the thirtieth Olympiad are awarded to the city of London." (I just looked those words up on YouTube to make sure I got them right and it set me off again!) I was excited, not just for me, but for the baby that I was holding in my arms, that such a fantastic thing was going to be happening in our country and that it would be something we would be able to share as a family. 

Seven years of waiting, but once it starts, the Games will be here and gone again in the blink of an eye and we will be left with will be some - hopefully fantastic - memories. I've been pondering how best to do this with the children for a while. Monkey, in particular, loves his wall charts - he dutifully filled out his Euro 2012. But I wanted more than that - a keepsake that can go into their memory boxes to remind them of the this once in a lifetime event. Then, I was asked if I'd like to be involved with the project I'm about to tell you about. Being a sports mad family, I jumped at the chance as we will be devouring the Games in all forms when it starts. 

Foreword by Lord Coe

The Times and The Sunday Times today announced the launch of their ultimate Olympic Scrapbook that will offer readers the opportunity to catalogue their memories from this once in a lifetime event. Readers of the newspapers will be able to collect and record every day of London 2012 with their free scrapbook inside every copy of The Sunday Times this weekend.

The scrapbook, supported by London 2012 sponsor P&G, will feature editorial content from The Times and The Sunday Times’ award-winning journalists, including an Olympic timeline along with stats and facts about this summer’s Games and past medal winners. Readers will be able to collect pictures, athlete profiles, medal tables, as well as adding in their own images and memories – plus an exclusive sticker set that will be available inside The Sunday Times on 22nd July.

Stickers? Monkey will be overjoyed! He has that geeky, slightly obsessive quality that little boys often have, collecting stickers and cards wherever he can. I suspect Missy Woo wants to join in as she likes stickers although they will have to be pretty ones.

A sample page from the scrapbook

We have had a sneak preview of the scrapbook as we were sent a copy to get going. The scrapbook is a really nice size (just under A3) with Jess Ennis on the cover, and a foreword by Lord Coe. Every page is in colour, with information for you to cut out and keep from the newspaper or their website (although that is behind a paywall) as well as interesting information about the Olympics, like profiles of high profile athletes and a series about Olympic villains over the years. There's space to write in who won what on each day. 

Monkey is very excited about the prospect of filling out this scrapbook over the coming weeks. Missy Woo is less so, but I know she will enjoy it too. This is going to be a great summer holiday activity, which we are going to need if the weather carries on the way it has been! I think it's nice to be able to do something like this together - choosing the pictures, cutting them out, sticking them in - to make memories the way we see them, not anyone else. 

Over the next month, I'll be blogging about our experiences of putting the Olympic Scrapbook together, and showing you what we're doing with our scrapbook. If you'd like to join in, please do. I'd love to see what other people do with the scrapbook. In my next post, which should be early next week, I'm hoping to share a How to video with some useful tips for completing the scrapbook with your children. 

Get your copy of The Times & The Sunday Times OlympicScrapbook free this weekend with The Sunday Times and you can visit: http://bit.ly/STOlympics for more information. If you have arrived late to this post and missed your chance, all is not lost. You'll have a final chance to get your hands on the Olympic Scrapbook by visiting your local Waitrose or WHSmith on Saturday 21st July and purchasing a copy of The Times. 

If you want some more ideas for Olympic related activities to do with your children, you can visit the Olympic Fever section of Netmums throughout the summer.

I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network. I am paid an expenses fee to cover my time but Netmums have no editorial control whatsoever about what I blog about. Being a member of the Netmums Blogging Network means that I get to try out products and brands and get my expenses covered but that I retain full editorial integrity. On this occasion, I have been asked to share some key information about this promotion, which I have done because it is relevant to the project and informative. 

Are you still watching this space? My night at the MADs and THAT dress!

Yeah, yeah, I know. It's four whole days since the MAD Blog Awards ceremony in London and I've neglected to show you my dress and tell you about my big night out.

So I arrived in London at lunchtime and checked into our hotel before going for a group tapas late lunch. It was a bit rushed as they didn't seem able to cope with large numbers and then Nickie told me that the hairdresser was due to arrive back at the hotel. We found the hairdresser hanging around outside and I went off to have a quick shower whilst he did the hair of my roommate, Lindy. The hairdresser,  Adam from Electric Hairdressing, dried and straightened my hair and generally made me look presentable once I was dressed in my lovely dress. When he was done, I barely had time to do anything because it was time to get cabs to the awards ceremony at Talk Talk's Customer Experience Centre in Soho.

Kate goes to London part 1 - Disney Store, Oxford Street

I've just come back from London (which translates as I came home on Thursday but have just managed to unpack everything, find the kitchen and the living room floor, and generally catch up on things I need to do). The main purpose I'll reveal in part two but as I knew I was going to London on a trip, when an email arrived inviting me to a preview of the new Disney Store in Oxford Street on the very afternoon I arrived, it seemed too much of an opportunity to pass up. Unfortunately, Monkey and Missy Woo had to stay home to go to school, especially as it was their sports day, so I got to look at it all by myself.

Not even Virgin Trains could keep me away. Despite the late running of my train, having to buy a tube ticket whilst balancing a trolley case and handbag and negotiating the crush that is Oxford Circus tube station all conspiring against me, I made it there only 3 minutes after the appointed time. This new store is double the size of the previous store and runs over two floors, making it the largest Disney store in Europe. After a brief chat and a drink, we were allowed to explore the store in detail. And wow, it really is something else. This is not just a shop. It's an experience.

As soon as you enter, you can't fail to notice the 28ft (that's about 9 metres in new money) high Princess Castle onto which they project custom made animation which dominates the staircase. Missy Woo would have been entranced as she is a big Princess fan. Upstairs is mainly focussed on boy stuff - including a Cars Ridemakerz area where children can customise and race cars. That's Monkey sold right there. There's also some London memorabilia given a Disney Twist. (Think Mickey Mouse!). There's some Pirates of the Caribbean things too but mine aren't showing an interest in that just yet. Mark Kermode will be pleased.

Downstairs is more of a girlie haven. There is a Princess Magic Mirror and the various princesses appear to tell their own stories when you wave wands or move your arms in front of the mirror. Missy Woo would have been spellbound. There's also a theatre with a big screen where children can watch clips from films or trailers but will also host a whole range of events throughout the day. The store is the first to have an Entertainment Manager with a team of TEN Cast Members (that's staff to you and me) whose job it is just to work on these events.

Other features includes these new recruits to the Palace Guards.


Hmm, where have I seen them before?

All around the store, there are trees lining the paths around the merchandise. Again, they have animations projected onto them which will change with the season, and when they have special events running.

Disney very kindly gave me a voucher to spend, which I used to buy some pyjamas for the children and some novelty plates. They also gave me a goody bag to take away including Minnie Mouse dressed as a Queen, a Mickey Mouse Union Jack notebook and a map showing London locations featured in their films.

Even if you can't afford to buy anything in store (and I admit that I do find a lot of their merchandise quite expensive although it is possible to find some things that represent good value), this is worth a visit for the experience alone. The attention to detail is really second to none - as you would expect from Disney - and pretty much any child would find it magical. You might get pestered beyond belief to buy this toy and that one but you'd probably enjoy the experience too.

As I left, with extra Disney goody bag to add to the handbag and trolley case I was already juggling, people approached me and asked if they could go in. I had to tell them it wasn't open until the day after and their look was a mixture of jealousy and disappointment. Everyone was stopping to try to get a look but they would have had a job getting past the security on the door!

If you get the chance, do pay a visit.

Goody bag and purchases!

The Disney Store is now open at 350 Oxford Street.

Disney gave me a  £25 voucher to spend in store and a goody bag. I have not received any other compensation. I was not required to write a blog post in exchange for the above. The opinions and words are my own and have not been influenced by the aforementioned compensation. 

Kate goes to London part 2 will be along soon enough. 

My Fitness Story... - Maria

Today, on My Fitness Story..., I'm pleased to welcome Maria, who blogs at Mummy's Busy World. Maria has just run the London marathon so I asked her if she would like to write a post about her experience of training and running it. She agreed to write a post for the series, but she decided to take a slightly different angle to the one you might expect, which is quite brilliant. I loved it when I first read it and I'm sure you will too. If you're a mum (or a dad), I'm sure you will be able to empathise with it! Time now to hand over to Maria.

Comparing a marathon to giving birth? More similar than you think!

Pain

On Sunday the 17th of April, I crossed the London Marathon finish line in 5 hours and 51 minutes. I had battled the heat and fatigue, but crossed the 26.2 mile mark with all limbs in place, no blisters and in pretty good spirits.

Now as strange as it sounds, I began to think of the journey we women go through when becoming mums. From conception to the birth, it has its similarities to a marathon. I know, call me crazy, but hear me out.

You first decide “I am going to do a marathon”. You may discuss it with your husband/partner. You decide that you will need support and that it won’t be easy, but that you have always wanted to do one. Then you sign up and getting training. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get going, but once you do you can’t stop! You buy the right running kit, shoes, clothing and buy a few books and get reading. You tell everyone you meet “I’m doing the marathon” and thrive on the praises and excitement for you and cringe at the useless advice and ridiculous questions such as “how are you feeling?”, “Is it your first?”, “A friend of mine did one and she couldn’t walk for days afterwards”.

You begin your training. You meet up with other runners who are doing the marathon and discuss the big day. You compare your injuries and your running secrets. You join a running group and talk about your past races or if it is your first, you are reassured that it will be amazing, but hard. You mentally prepare for the challenge that lays ahead. You know it’s going to be painful, but the reward is huge.

You spend months of preparation and taking care of your body and legs. You watch what you eat, you take care of your feet and ankles, you are extra cautious when it comes to drinking and staying up late. You are conscious of your weight and all you do is focus on yourself and avoid being injured or sick. Your body is a temple. You just want to be the best you can be for the big day. You notice your body change shape.

Joy and pride

You are constantly in and out of the toilet. People know that you are training and it’s no surprise you have to pop to the loo every hour on the hour because of all the water you are drinking.

You prepare your race day kit a few days before. Clean socks. Shoes, water bottles, gels, race number, extra shirt, body glide, watch. You want to be prepared and must not leave anything to chance.

The big day arrives, you get up early. You start out in good spirits, and think “it’s not so bad”. People cheer you along the way, you enjoy in conversation with your running partner, then suddenly, BOOM, the pain kicks in. You push through it, and then the pain worsens. And it’s not a pretty sight. It’s hot, there is sweat, tears, you've peed on yourself, had to go poo, snot on your hands and blood. Around the 24 mile mark, you scream out loud, you want to drop out, stop, but your mind is telling you to keep going, to push through the pain. Mile 25 you think “God, I can’t do this! Why did I think I could do this?”.

You continue to push through the pain because there is nowhere to go but forward and then you see the finish line up ahead. You hear the cheers; suddenly, the noise is muffled by your determination, you quickly focus, straighten up, steady your breathing, wipe the sweat away and just kick into gear. You cruise along the last few hundred meters ignoring the indescribable pain shooting through your body, and then you cross under the FINISH sign and cry. Tears of joy, tears of pain and a huge smile on your face. You forget the last 26.2 miles and firmly grip your medal and your pride. You have done it. YES! I AM A MARATHONER!

"Would you do it again?", everyone asks, "What was your time?"

I will probably take a break for some time, but YES, ABSOLUTELY!

Huge thanks to Maria for telling the story of her first marathon in such an interesting and different way. I loved the parallels - people often refer to marathon labours. If you would like to read the story of Maria's marathon as told by Little M, then please visit her blog here - there are also a few videos of her marathon experience. Please leave a comment if you can - all my guest posters really appreciate the support of you, the readers. 

If you would like to share your fitness story, then please contact me on Twitter or email me on the address on the About Me page. Posts can be partly or fully anonymous, or if you are happy to be named, I will link back to your blog. All contributions are really appreciated so do get in touch, even if you feel yours is not a worthwhile story. If it's a personal experience, it is. And I mean that even if you have failed at something, because it is still YOUR fitness story and you learned from it. If you want to read previous posts in this series, click on the My Fitness Story... tab above and they are all linked on that page.

Thanks for supporting My Fitness Story... and do come back for another guest post next week.