Center Parcs November Challenge - An Autumn Poem

This month, Center Parcs is challenging bloggers and their families to come up with a poem inspired by Autumn.  Autumn has always been my favourite season as it takes us from the glorious summer sunshine to the cold winter's snow, heralding great changes from day to day. You can really see nature at work and marvel at all its wonders.  

Emma Tapp is Center Parcs Whinfell Forest resident nature expert and Conservation Ranger.  She has some top tips to bring inspiration to help us unleash the inner poet.  Our favourite tip is:  Be inspired by your surroundings - Observe as the leaves change colour from green to red and let the beautiful burnt oranges get the creative juices flowing, what does it look like and remind you of?

It was fun to go out for an inspirational autumn walk and kick up the leaves.  We talked about what we could see and what things we did in the autumn months and let our surroundings inspire us.  Kizzy is a very poetic soul and we brainstormed and talked about similes, metaphors, rhyming couplets and the imagery of Autumn, inspiring each other further.  I love hearing her ideas and working with her on something creative.  Especially when we get to scrunch through the fallen leaves at the same time.

Autumn

Low sun shining in the morning skies

Its orange glow dazzling our eyes,

As our warm breath mists the cold air

And coats are zipped with a mother's care.

Keeping the cooler air at bay

On the school run or out at play.

The roads are lined with litter bug trees 

Mindlessly dropping their unwanted leaves

Leaving them to fall and tumble 

Autumnal acrobats, nature's jumble.

Reds, brown and yellow - a tapestry,

Of Autumn's colours for all to see.

Summer seems so long ago,

Tomorrow holds promise of winter snow,

But here and now, each autumn day

Brings ripening fruit and golden hay,

Leaves to crunch and darkening nights,

An extra hour and Halloween frights.

Watching and wondering at seasonal changes,

The marvel of nature as the world rearranges.

Preparing itself for the coldness to come,

Whilst bringing along its own sense of fun.

A walk in the park, feeding the ducks,

Football fans cheer, all praying for luck.

Wishing on rainbows, the first frosts appear,

Another step taken through another great year.

This is my entry to the Center Parcs and Tots 100 November challenge. If I’m chosen, I would like to visit Whinfell Forest.

Our Spooky Fruit Monster Party #spookyfruit

Alex and Alexa have a great Halloween competition where creative families can win some brilliant Halloween goodies.  They are asking bloggers to come up with a new take on the traditional pumpkin Jack O'Lantern by crafting some spooky creations using different fruits.

So I bought a load of interesting fruits from the supermarket including figs, persimmon, dragon fruit, various berries, peppers, pomegranate and passion fruit and challenged Ella 17, Kizzy 11 and 4 year old Freddy to get creative and make spooky fruit monsters!

Freddy absolutely loved this challenge getting stuck in with various fruits and colourful berries to make a whole host of monsters, giant bugs, zombies, scarecrows and aliens.  He also made a wonderful hand-drawn sign for the display which directed monsters to come to the Spooky Fruit Monster Party which was the idea for their creation.  There was no stopping him!

It was amazing how many different designs the kids came up with.  They tried nibbling a few of the fruits along the way so it was interesting for them to discover some new tastes as well as fashioning those fruits into spooky designs.  They used raisins, nuts and a tube of icing to add on some of the details.  Cocktail and bamboo sticks helped hold the fruits together.

I loved the banana ghosts, the dragon fruit monster, the avocado zombie and the satsuma pumpkin!  But Freddy's giant melon alien with his grape and berry antennae was just so cute.  I love what the kids did with a load of fresh fruit and their imagination.

Making fruit creations is a really fun activity for Halloween that little ones can get involved in.  Most of the  fruit can be eaten afterwards by making a giant fruit salad!  

My children did a great job and really enjoyed being creative and making their Spooky Fruit Monster Party display.  I love seeing Freddy working hard with his big sisters to make something together.  He was very proud of the end result.

Freddy's hand drawn signs finished off the Spooky Fruit Monster Party display perfectly. 

Competition closes on October 24th 2013.  For more details see the Halloween #spookyfruit competition at Alex and Alexa.

Rapping About Wraps! Lunch Less Ordinary - Week 2

This week's task in the Lunch Less Ordinary Bloggers Challenge with Mission Deli Wraps really appealed to us:

"Mini ‘wrappers’ - get the kids to make up the lyrics to a ‘wrap’ about their lunch."

This was perfect for 11 year old Kizzy, who was set the challenge to become a rapper...Li'l Kiz...and compose and rap a song dedicated to everyone's favourite lunchtime treat - Mission Deli Wraps!

Kizzy went with the challenge 100%, writing a rap, dressing like a rapper complete with bling rings, big necklace, headphones and cap, making a backing track on Freddy's electronic piano, gathering props and performing her rap.  She was fabulous!

Take a look at Kizzy's performance in this video!  


                        

Lyrics

Listen up here's a rap for you,
Lunch Less Ordinary challenge 2.
Brought to you by Mission wraps so yummy,
They taste so good in my tummy.
Wrapping up with chilli and spicy cheese.
Wrapping up curry with potatoes and peas.
How about making an enchilada?
Pop in soft cheese or Cheddar it's harder.
Salad is good and healthy to eat,
Or try a  pizza for an Italian treat?
Even a banana with chocolate sauce,
Wraps are so versatile for any course.
So if you want something less ordinary for lunch,
Try Mission deli wraps, they pack a punch!!

Mission Deli Wraps is committed to inspiring people to enjoy A Lunch Less Ordinary; whether it’s leaving your desk for an extra half an hour over lunch, swapping your usual packed lunch for a tasty Mission Deli Wrap, getting covered in tomatoes at La Tomatina in Valencia or partying at the Mardi Gras with their new on pack competition.  Pick up a promotional pack in store!  See missionwraps.co.uk for more information.

Join in the fun at www.facebook.com/MissionWrapsUK and enjoy a lunch less ordinary!

We're on a Mission for a Lunch Less Ordinary - Week 1

We are thrilled to be taking part in the Lunch Less Ordinary Blogger Challenge with Mission Deli Wraps. Mission believes that life is what you make it...and the same applies to lunch.  They are encouraging the nation to grab a wrap, get stuck in and enjoy an exciting and less ordinary lunch!

Our first challenges included putting the kids in charge of lunch and eating an exciting lunch in a homemade den.  Unfortunately, we have had a week filled with illness delaying our involvement.  Everyone of us has had a nasty bug, from little Freddy through to Daddy.  I'm not going to lie, it's been a grim week. However, this weekend, the germs departed and we were able to get stuck in to our challenge!

Armed with a pack of Mission Mediterranean Herb Deli Wraps, we put Freddy in charge of lunch and he was only too happy to make a yummy wrap pizza with sweetcorn and cheese.  He even remarked that he was a chef!  He had so much fun spreading tomato sauce, sprinkling cheese and piling on sweetcorn to make our tasty lunch time treat.  To make our lunch even less ordinary, we made a den in the dining room where Freddy enjoyed playing and munching on slices of the wrap pizza.  What a perfect lunch!

Take a look at Freddy's video...a budding future chef indeed!  He loves helping out in the kitchen and I think he did a great job taking part in the Lunch Less Ordinary challenge.

                          

Check out the Mission Deli Wrap Facebook page and join in the fun at www.facebook.com/MissionWrapsUK

Cheesy Pizza Dip Recipe

I am one of the contenders in the Ryvita Blogger Challenge.  We were challenged to make a dip that would compliment their Ryvita Thins, the perfect flatbread for dipping and sharing!   And at just 37 calories each, the thins are low in calories so you can enjoy an indulgent dip without any guilt. With the weather being so chilly, I decided to go with a hot dip, oozing with bubbling cheese and herby tomato sauce.

With layers of hot bubbling cream cheese and herbs, mixed grated Mozzarella and Cheddar and herby tomato sauce, the dip delivers all the deliciousness of pizza and the fun of sharing with friends.

My recipe will be featured on Ryvita's Facebook page along with the other bloggers' dip recipes.  You can vote for your favourites and the winning recipe may feature on a TV ad!  You can vote here in a simple one click poll.  It'd be lovely to get some support!!

In case you wanted to make the Cheesy Pizza Dip for yourself, here's the recipe:

150g Cream Cheese
1 teaspn mixed herbs
2 oz Mozzarella grated
2 oz Cheddar grated
5 tblspns herby tomato sauce (make your own using: 1 crushed clove of garlic and 1 diced onion, fried until soft, add teaspn herbs and 150g of tomato passata...simmer for 15 minutes)
Chopped red pepper

Combine cream cheese and herbs, top with half the grated cheese, spread sauce on top and finish with the remaining cheese.  Decorate with chopped pepper.  Bake for 15 mins at GM 5 until bubbling and serve with the Ryvita Thins.

At my dad's birthday lunch and I used him, my mum and sister as dip guinea pigs!  Thankfully it got a big thumbs up and everyone enjoyed the taste and texture of the now tried and tested Cheesy Pizza Dip!