Family-friendly fun in Mallorca

Leave a reply

The Mediterranean island of Mallorca is one of Europe’s most popular holiday destinations and its not hard to see why. The coastline is probably Mallorca’s main attraction, known for its clean beaches, clear blue waters and golden sands where visitors can forget their troubles. There are numerous resorts lining Mallorca’s coast, from large budget resorts to small upmarket hotels. The island is also a famous yachting destination and you will probably notice the reams of sailboats, yachts and fishing boats that surround the island.

The capital of Mallorca is Palma, which has developed in recent years and is now one of Spain’s most fashionable small cities. The seaside town is bustling centre where you should spend a day or two discovering the island’s rich culture. Palma Cathedral is one of the town’s most spectacular landmarks, along with the royal palace. Visitors can explore the quaint cobbled streets of the old town on foot and weave through the pedestrian shopping areas and ancient courtyards that make Palma so picturesque. The city also boasts a fantastic choice of bars and restaurants and is home to a vibrant night-life scene, where Mallorca’s prosperous youngsters let their hair down.

Families will no doubt be looking for a friendly resort with lots of amenities where they can spend their holiday. Mallorca has countless resorts to choose from with pools, bars, restaurants and beachside facilities. If you want a good deal, Hotel Sol Mirlos Tordos in Palma Nova is a well-priced family-friendly hotel, complete with a Flintstones theme! The resort is located close to the beach and offers lots of onsite activities that are perfect for keeping the kids entertained throughout your holiday. Since the hotel is all-inclusive, you will have all your costs covered in the price of the holiday, making it a hassle free way to organise your break. Jet2Holidays have some great deals on trips to Mallorca, including package deals. Once your resort is taken care of, you can spend time planning the fun parts of your holiday and begin to learn more about Mallorca.

Visitors who want to spend a day away from the tourist crowds should head inland and discover Mallorca’s glorious countryside. Here you will find traditional rural villages where you can seek tranquility and experience the calmer side to Mallorca. The west coast of the island is home to the Sierra de Tramuntana Mountains, where the scenery is dramatic and the views of the pine-covered mountains are spectacular.

Disclosure

Meal Planning Monday

5 Replies

meal planning mondayIt’s that time of the week again! How do Mondays come around so fast? It’s liquid breakfasts and lunches for me this week in an attempt to shift some weight, whether that works or not and I stick to it is another story of course, but I’m going to give it a go in the hope that it will help me ditch the pounds a little quicker for a week. I’m having shakes for breakfast and a soup, shake or maybe a salad if I get desperate for “real” food for lunch then a “normal” dinner.

Monday

Chicken supreme with rice

Tuesday

The man’s at work til very late so it’s microwave curry for me and pasta for the kids

Wednesday

Sizzling steak with jackets and salad

Wednesday

Chicken and bacon pasta bake

Thursday

Lamb kebabs with cous cous and salad

Friday

Sticky BBQ chicken with wedges and beans

Saturday

Patatas bravas with paprika chicken

Sunday

Pork in tarragon sauce with rice

You know they’re turning into a teenager when…..

15 Replies

Every other sentence is started with a whiney “Ohhhhh, but mum………..”

“I hate you, you’re ruining my life” rears it’s head at least once every other day

Doors slam – a lot

“It’s sooooooo unfair”

There are tears, lots of tears

Scowling, crossed arms, foot stomping, filthy looks and “no” become a way of communicating just about everything

Washing apparently becomes optional

Asking them to do even the simplest of tasks ends in a an argument – queue more scowling, stomping about, screaming and crying hysterically

And this is before she’s even really discovered boys (other than One Direction)

She’s 11 – wish me luck and send wine, the next few years are going to be very long!

Walkers Hoops & Crosses

1 Reply

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

 

Have you ever tried splitting a bag of crisps and a monkey between two children!?! Not a sentence I ever thought I’d hear myself say either to be honest, but that’s what happened when this adorable/yummy package arrived from Walkers this week!

It goes without saying the monkey was a big hit with everyone, he’s very cute and has been renamed Jake (like pretty much everything else in the house) after Baby Jake by the baby and now lives in his room.

The Hoops and Crosses were a hit too and were demolished in about 30 seconds. It was much like when the keepers put food down in the monkey enclosure at the zoo, it’s a free for all with little hands grabbing as many as they can at once and quickly stuffing them into their mouths until they resemble hamsters! I managed to get one for myself (I was worried I’d have to lick the bag in the hope of having a taste at one point!) and found them light and tasty. I love beef flavoured crisps, although I much prefer these puffed varieties than actual crisps. They are quite strong in flavour, although I liked that and even the baby and the fussy 11 year old didn’t complain and happily munched their way through them.

They’re aimed at children, specifically as a healthy snack that could be popped into lunch boxes. Made from wholegrains and with only 85 calories per bag and no artificial colours or preservatives, they certainly seem to be a good option and I’d even eat these as a low calorie snack on my diet, after all your mind almost tricks you into thinking they’re naughty because they come in a crisp packet!

They also come in salt and vinegar (one we’re going to try) and prawn cocktail (one we’re less likely to try as we’re not too keen on that flavour) and we’ll definitely get the beef flavour again (read that as I’ll buy them for us and “accidentally” eat the lot) and are suitable for vegetarians – useful on the days when the fussy 11 year old decides she’s a veggie again!

Disclosure

Space when you need it, freedom when you don’t

Leave a reply

Space is at a premium in life. Our homes, workplaces, and storage sites are seemly always maxed out. Of course, it is a sign that we’ve done well in allocating our space; it would be bad to invest money in a cavernous, unused space for storage or living.

The biggest inconvenience comes when that neatly budgeted area suddenly becomes entirely too small. You’ve decided to refinish your wood floors, or maybe do a major redecorating project that includes refinished ceilings, new paint, fresh trim, and the whole thing. Where on earth will you empty that room to without rendering your home utterly nonfunctional? This is just one of many different situations where on-site storage can be helpful. Traditional storage companies like Eagle Trailer Leasing have morphed from a source for portable offices and the like into a provider of temporary storage that can be used right there at your home.

This is just one of many situations where on-site storage can be helpful. Traditional storage companies like Eagle Trailer Leasing have morphed from a source for portable home offices and the like into a provider of temporary storage that can be used right there at your home.

So instead of borrowing everyone’s vehicles and muscles to lug your stuff from home to a rental unit across town–and then imposing on them to do likewise when your project is done–you can have the company bring you a container of a suitable size, set it off right on your property, and retrieve when you’re good and ready. The units are weather-tight and secured with locks, and there isn’t so much as a porthole to tip thieves to its contents.

It’s an unbeatable system. When the renovation materials and contractors arrive, you put in a brief period of work to get the relevant area emptied out. Your contractors, or you as the free-of-charge contractor, are able to work in a wide open space without damaging any of the contents with paint, varnish, or tools. And the rest of your house remains exactly as it was. No couches in the bedroom, no desks on the front porch. Better still, anything you may need from the affected room is just steps away, so if you packed something you didn’t mean to, you aren’t making a late-night trip to fetch it.

Renovation isn’t the only time this is handy, of course. A home-based business often sees surges in inventory or supplies. What better place to keep them than in something that you can quickly send back when it’s no longer needed? All your inputs and outputs will be close at hand, and your home will remain livable.

If you’re making a move to a new home, don’t wend your way through an obstacle course of cardboard boxes, piled waist-high in every room. Get a storage container and pack efficiently. It’s locked, it’s close by, and it is super fast to load from once you arrive with a rental truck for transporting to the new place. And don’t forget you’d have the option of a storage container at the new place if you’re not ready to move in at the time when you have to move out.

Temporary on-site storage is a moneysaving way to generate space that’s quickly available when you need it–and in somebody else’s way when you don’t save.

Disclosure

Meal Planning Monday 6th of May

6 Replies

meal planning monday

Not quite sure how it’s possible that it’s May already, but it seems there’s no escaping the months slipping by these days! So last week I joined a gym in a bid to lose weight so my meal plan had better reflect that I guess!

Monday

Spaghetti bolognaise

Tuesday

Gammon, egg and home made chips

Wednesday

BBQ – lamb skewers, marinated chicken, cous cous

Thursday

Steak & Chips (I promised the man I wouldnt buy a cheap frying steak and get him a decent cut this week!)

Friday

Tandoori lamb, chicken tikka, rice and bombay potatoes

Saturday 

Fajitas

Sunday

Pesto roast chicken, jacket potatoes and veg

For lunches I’m going to make some “pizza pasta” – pepperoni, cheese and cherry tomatoes with pasta in mayo and some chicken and bacon for salad as a bit of a change from boring sandwiches and to cut down on bread.

Fingers crossed it works!

The one where I join a gym

9 Replies

After my moan about feeling a bit down recently I decided I needed to take things into my own hands and get out of the house on my own and while I was at it I may aswell do some exercise to try to tackle my weight, so I joined a local gym.

I popped down there on Monday and paid, knowing full well I would have to go back again once I’d paid for it. Even just walking into the gym to pay was a big thing for me, my confidence being so low at the moment and I very nearly didn’t bother, but I need to do it for me both health and confidence wise, so in I went.

Having put on a total of 25lb again over the last few months (and by few months I mean since Christmas!) I am looking and feeling pretty horrendous. My knee that went when I was doing 30 day shred is giving me a bit of trouble, it seems to constantly ache whether I’m sitting down or moving around so I’m hoping a bit of exercise and losing weight will help take the pressure of it. I bought some nice tops to wear in the size I’d got down to thinking I was still around that weight and they of course were practically impossible to tug on and off my massive frame. My stomach actually sags, I used to absolutely detest my muffin top and although I’m not exactly keen on it now it’s the bottom half of my stomach I’m more disgusted with these days, since having the little one it has just kind of deflated and stayed there, even when I had lost weight and this horrible flappy lump of fat and flesh just sort of hangs there bulging over the tops of my legs, it makes me feel sick. I can’t wear tops that don’t go below the tops of my legs, they have to be tunic length or you can see this disgusting flabby mass bulging at the tops of my legs where there shouldn’t be a bulge. I can’t wear trousers without it bulging everywhere so I wear leggings, every single day and I hate it. I have maybe six pairs of leggings and 3 or 4 tops that cover the disgusting mess that is my body and that’s all I ever wear. I hate it. I look like shit to be perfectly honest, I know I do, no one ever tells me I look nice even if I make a real effort and when I do that’s practically traumatising because nothing fits or looks good on me, or I catch a glimpse of my millions of chins in the mirror. I know full well I need a tummy tuck, even without losing weight, how can I not when my stomach rests on my legs? In some ways it makes me wonder why I should bother losing weight when the saggy mess I’ll end up with will no doubt be worse than what’s there now, and if I find it hard finding clothes to hide it now, what on earth will it be like then when I’m having to tuck my stomach into my socks!?! I’ve got boobs that look like tennis balls flapping around inside a pair of socks (again thanks to the little one), bingo wings that could take out a wall when I wave and and arse that merges in with my massively fat back that looks like it has a pair of boobs of it’s own! Believe it or not I don’t mind my calves, my thighs are a state, but my calves are strong and muscular for some bizarre reason and relatively slender compared to the great lump that is the rest of me.

Needless to say I was the biggest person in the gym by far, I’d say everyone else was at a healthy weight, some were there to prance about in front of the mirror flexing their muscles and others were there for a quick circuit before work. I made myself do an hour on the exercise bike and even included a bit of interval training while I was on there. It did hurt my knee but it’s tough, it’s either exercise or my knee will get worse anyway. I only managed to go once this week, but the membership is so well priced I only have to go 3 times a month to make it worth it. I aim to go 4 times a month minimum, if I can make it 8 times a month on both of the mans days off then that would be great, but we’ll have to see. I quite enjoyed it, I put some old garage tunes on my ipod knowing they’d get me in the mood to move, didn’t do a Bridget Jones and collapse on a heap in the floor and enjoyed just being on my own for a while, even if it was only for an hour.

I weighed myself before I went to the gym actually and I’d lost 1lb since the previous week, so I’m one pound off that evil 25lb I gained back so far. Lets hope I can keep up the exercise and try to eat relatively healthily and see how I get on this week!

Spring into the Season with These Key Wardrobe Updates

Leave a reply

As we start to shed our winter layers, it’s time to prepare our wardrobe for spring, which is perhaps the trickiest season of the year. Our chunky knits now feel too stifling against the mild weather, yet hopes of be able to wear bright and light summer dresses are still much too optimistic – yes, spring puts us all in fashion limbo, yet all is not lost! With just a few key updates for your wardrobe you can breeze through the season with ease, so let’s take a look at our top ladies’ fashion  essentials for spring 2013.

A Bold Handbag

Fashion editors everywhere wax lyrical about the importance of a colourful handbag, and who are we to disagree? On spring’s duller days, a striking accessory is the perfect alternative to a bright dress or patterned shirt, and a handbag in a bright shade of magenta, turquoise or even animal print will instantly add zest to an otherwise understated look. The trend for vibrant satchel bags is here to stay but if those feel too frivolous, try a practical tote bag or clutch.

Cropped Trousers

With a great pair of cropped trousers in your spring fashion arsenal, you simply cannot go wrong. They’re for when it’s too warm for jeans but still too chilly for shorts, plus they make any outfit look smart and put-together. Black or beige are the obvious choices of colours to maximise their versatility, but for the more daring lady, why not try out a pair of floral cropped trousers, one of this spring’s hottest trends, and wait for the compliments to come rolling in!

Striped T-Shirt

If you don’t already own a striped t-shirt, now is your time to add this essential wardrobe item, and discover why they never go out of fashion. Horizontal nautical striped t-shirts look just as chic with jeans or khaki shorts as a trouser suit, plus they make great pieces for layering, as well as colour blocking and contrasting with other prints. Stores like Bonmarché always have a fantastic range of comfortable and flattering striped t-shirts to choose from and at great value prices, so there’s no reason not to pick up this favourite fashion staple.

Maxi Dress

A great maxi dress will see you through spring, and all the way until the end of summer, making it the one piece that’s really worth the investment. As well as being elegant and complimentary to all shapes, maxi dresses are incredibly versatile, as they can be worn with tights and a cardigan for cooler spring days, a silk wrap scarf and cork wedges for a special evening occasion, or flat sandals and a floppy hat for a simple yet stylish look when the sun shines.

Disclosure

Making time for me

1 Reply

Last week I was feeling a bit low as you could probably tell from my post rambling on about losing my temper, being sick of nagging everyone to clean up after themselves and feeling like a shell of my former self. I’m still not feeling great, although it did make me feel better to get it off my chest both here on my blog and to several people in “real” life.

One of the things I’m struggling with is not having any time for me, whether it’s at home or outside of the home, not living near family makes it difficult for me to plan anything because my partner often works late or gets stuck in traffic jams on the way home so a social life is pretty much impossible. I’ve kind of resigned myself to that, I went out at night with a friend last month for the first time in almost three years so that gives you an idea of the likelihood of me going out again any time soon, but I have decided to work on getting some much needed time on my own – with no kids or the man around (that doesn’t involve cleaning).

I actually got a lie in yesterday, the 11 year old was off school for the day, the man on a day off and when the baby woke up he was whisked off into the other room to give me my first lie in for months. I dozed for a bit then just enjoyed being on my own for a bit, I checked facebook and twitter, checked my emails, had a quick game on Golden Bingo and just generally enjoyed being left to my own devices for a few hours. I even got brought a coffee in at one point – that never happens!

Continuing with my plan for more me time and to help me shed a lot of unwanted pounds and get fitter, I joined a gym on Monday and my first session is today. By the time this post goes live I’ll be sweating it out in the gym, a place I haven’t set foot for almost six years! It kills two birds with one stone – the weight thing and the me time thing, so it sounds pretty good to me. I’ve even treated myself to a new pair of cropped joggers and some tops so I actually look the part when I’m working out too! Wish me luck!

Disclosure

16 months

Leave a reply

The lunatic that is my baby/toddler son turned 16 months last week. He is every bit as mischievous as usual and getting more and more clever by the second. On Friday morning for example he said “love you daddy” (which of course made me burst into tears) and I thought was pretty damn impressive – three word sentence people! He just comes out with words all of a sudden now, he was watching Mr Maker recently and suddenly just said “yellow, red, blue” when he’d never even attempted to say those words before, needless to say I need to remember to moderate my language around him so there will be lots of “whoops” etc used in future! He is all about the “uh oh” (he sounds like a telly tubby half the time!) at the moment and “ah bubba” which has been one of his favourites for a few months now, his latest is “aww pretty” – he even said it when he pointed to a photo of me, him and his sister earlier, I’d like to think he meant me but no doubt he’s praising his own good looks, little monkey! Another latest is we ask him what noise does a sheep make and he runs laughing up the hallway shouting “BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA” – nutcase! He’s also rather prone to shouting “DUCK” at the top of his lungs which rather sounds like something else at times – you can bet that will always happen in public yet he’ll say duck perfectly well when no one else is around! His sister who often shouts “Oi” at the top her her lungs (delightful) may have influenced him to copy her too as I’m sure I’ve heard him say oi in the last two days – great!

He doesn’t stop from the minute he gets up at about 7.30/8 until the minute he goes down for a nap around 12.30, if I’m lucky I get an hour, maybe an hour and a half to myself/to clean before he wakes up and demands his lunch before destroying the entire house all over again until bed time at 7.30/8.  He runs everywhere, smiling, laughing and being as loud as he possibly can. He has one hell of a temper though, shouting and sort of growling when he’s prevented from doing something or something’s taken away from him, but if you leave him to his own devices he’s quite happy and just gets on with things himself.

He loves spending time with other children, something we don’t do often enough where we don’t live near friends and family and this past month we’ve only managed his mum and baby group once so we will have to make up for it by making sure we definitely go this month and have a few more trips to the indoor play area and the park too. He’s a bit of an animal fan too, cats, dogs and horses in particular although he was rather partial to the chickens we saw the other day too!

He regularly takes his nappy off now after he’s had a wee, I’m hoping this is a sign he’s started to recognise when he’s been to the loo, we just need to wait for him to recognise he’s about to go to the loo then it’ll be potty training central here, although that wont be for quite a while yet I imagine. When not wearing his nappy on his bum it often finds it’s way onto his head, as does his pyjama bottoms, trousers, scarves, socks, his sisters coat, my tops – you name it they all make equally exciting hats for my loopy boy.

I’m still yet to attempt “messy play” with him. I have a weird phobia of getting my hands dirty (despite having a house that is in desperate need of a spring clean on a weekly basis!) and hate “messy” mess in general so we’ve done a little bit of water play so far. I bought him a washing up bowl for messy/water play purposes, some stacking cups and a funnel and he happily plays with them and his ducks in the water, pouring water from one cup to another and splashing his sister and I at every possible opportunity. I keep buying little bits to add to his stash of “messy play” toys, we have crayons for drawing, some sponge letters and numbers which are supposed to be for painting but could be used in water or as part of a messy play scenario and some foam people which will come in handy too. I’ve also bought some zip lock bags so I can make some sensory bags full of shower gel and shaving foam etc which may help ease me into messy play as they will contain the mess – clever that eh! And next on the list are water beads so we can use those in our water play too. As for me I just need to get a grip and get my hands dirty – literally!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...