The Great Oreo Cookie Quest Challenge #OreoCookieQuest

As a family, we are huge fans of Oreos, which just so happen to be our favourite 'accidentally vegan' brand of biscuits. The fun and tasty little sandwich biscuits make a great occasional treat for all the family to enjoy. A serving of two Oreos makes the perfect after school snack for Freddy to enjoy, along with a glass of chilled almond milk and a handful of grapes.

Oreo is currently celebrating The Great Oreo Cookie Quest promotion, with special promotional packs available in store now. You can pick up a pack for the chance to win some great prizes including a once-in-a-lifetime trip to California and the Googleplex!

Oreo are challenging everyone to experience their own joyful family moments, to celebrate The Great Oreo Cookie Quest.

Making everyday moments into precious memories is something that we always strive to do. It's often the little things that happen during the course of the day, that create some of the sweetest, most unexpected and cherished memories. The times when the kids do something spontaneous and funny can lead to some genuinely joyful moments, filled with laughter.

We love spending time as a family. My five children are aged between 8 and 29 years old and getting everyone together is always chaotic, noisy, hilarious and filled with absolute fun. We never fail to create some joyful family moments, creating memories to last a lifetime. These are the times I adore the most, more than anything else. And of course, it's always good to have some Oreos on hand to serve up as a teatime treat for my (mostly) vegan family!

We also  love playing board games and card games together as a family. It's nice to take some screen-free time away from technology and get back to basics with a game that involves dice and card decks instead of batteries or an app. Everyone can join in, whatever their age or ability and enjoy some quality family time. It often ends in a lot of laughs and we never take things too seriously. Rules are regularly bent!

To add an extra element of Oreo fun to our games night this Friday, we decided to use them as a prize with the additional chance to enter the code on the pack to win wonderfilled prizes from Oreo! At the end of the games, Ella who was the winner, shared the packet so everyone could enjoy a post-games snack. She also scanned a cookie and entered the code into The Great Oreo Cookie Quest app, keeping her fingers crossed! Unfortunately her winner's luck ran out and she didn't win this time. Look out for the promotional packs in store now - and good luck!

This post is an entry for BritMums #OreoCookieQuest, sponsored by Oreo.

A Silly Family Photo and a Wonderful Celebratory Weekend

Four generations of the Jones-McDonald family gathered together to celebrate my parents' sixtieth wedding anniversary this weekend. We were joined by my sister, who has recently relocated down south, who returned along with her husband and two little ones, and her four grown-up daughters with assorted fiances, who helped make a day that my mum and dad will remember forever. There were 22 of us in all, including eleven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Unfortunately, my niece Kate and her little boy couldn't make it and my nephew Tom lives in America - but it was almost a full house! A wonderful time was had by all, including a lovely three course Sunday lunch at The Hind's Head, a gastro-pub in a village three miles away from my home. It was so nice to catch up with everyone, and Freddy was overjoyed to be reunited with his cousins Addy and Dylan again.

I took a lot of photos as it is quite a rarity to have all five of my children home at once, and to get all four generations of our family together. I was pleased to get some new family pictures, but my favourite of the day was this one of my family, (soon to be) daughter-in-law, grandson and parents pulling silly faces...you can only stay serious for so long!

Days spent like this, surrounded by loved ones, laughing, chatting and having fun, makes me realise just how blessed I am. I've got a family that brings me love and joy and makes me so very proud everyday. I couldn't really wish for more.

What Fred Said about Music and his Family Easter

Freddy requested some music for us to listen to in the car:

Me: "Freddy you've got such good taste in music!

Freddy: What do you mean taste?  You listen to it not eat it!!!

***

Freddy had a fabulous Easter weekend with his brother, sisters and his nephew Ted all home, along with Ella's boyfriend Frank and Joe's fiancee Jade, His grandparents also came for Easter Sunday.

There were Easter Eggs, our Annual Eggstreme Eggstravaganza Easter Quiz, roast dinner for 12, bunny ears and some rather extreme plate spinning!!  I have honestly never laughed so much in my life!

I love Freddy to spend as much time with his three eldest siblings as possible, as they don't live  at home any more and he loves them so much. When all five of them are together I am at my happiest. We have so much fun! 

Freddy is such a lovely uncle to little Ted, looking after him, playing with him and teaching him the odd rude word!  Ella's boyfriend Frank has rapidly become Freddy's honorary bro' and he spent many hours on the trampoline with him playing games that Freddy called Sizzling Sausage, Beetroot, Scissors, the Gorilla game and Avoid the Ball.

Freddy spent the weekend saying that things were "divine" - Ella's dress, his dinner etc. - and that it was the "best Easter ever!" so he obviously had a great time too.