Give the Gift of a White Christmas with Insta-Snow

We're singing songs about dreaming of a white Christmas. There are images on Christmas cards portraying snow covered landscapes and carrot nosed snowmen. However, most children in the UK  have never actually experienced a white Christmas. Most Christmases in recent memory have been pretty grey and damp without the magical addition of a sprinkle of snow. In fact the last time we saw snow on December 25th was seven years ago.

This year, we can all enjoy the excitement, fun and magic of snow thanks to Insta-Snow. Winner of the Science Toy Awards 2017, Insta-Snow creates the magic of real snow, with the added benefit of teaching STEM skills. Insta-Snow’s unique super absorbent polymer changes its state from a dry powder to a big, fluffy and moist snow-like consistency. It’s science, but with added magic!

You simply add water and the powder expands to 100 times its original size, fluffing up like real snow. Just without the chill!

Insta-Snow doesn't melt or dissolve and so it lasts for ages. When it dries out, you can add more water to enjoy the fun all over again.

At just £3.99 for a single pack it makes a great stocking filler, guaranteeing a white Christmas for your little ones this year, whatever the weather! It's also available in a 100g jar for £7.99.

Find out more at www.trendsuk.co.uk/insta-snow.

March in Pictures

Another month has flown by.  March wasn't great for us with Ian's operation coupled with the kids' tummy bug, but we survived smiling!  We saw more snow.  We celebrated Easter with  Ian's sister Debbie, along with  Megan and Dave who came home for the whole weekend.  Ella performed at the Severn Theatre.  The girls had haircuts and got new glasses.  We are hoping that spring arrives soon and we are looking forward to April...a month that brings birthdays, Meatloaf in concert and our Butlin's Ambassador holiday.  Bring it on!!

January In Pictures

January in Pictures

There's No Business Like Snow Business

It was a treacherous drive to school and nursery this morning, but thanks to the new Winter tyres that Ian bought 'just in case' I managed not to slip and slide.  I really recommend having them if you are, like me, a rubbish driver!  Every other year I have done 180 degree spins and end up facing the wrong way and crying!  I felt so much more confident, and even though I didn't get into anything over second gear, I managed to deliver the kids to school in one piece and untraumatised by their mother's driving skills.

The snow did not abate at all and by the time I had to pick up Freddy three hours later, there was a good three inches on my car.  I opened the door dropping a tonne of the stuff from the roof onto my car seat and had to endure a cold bottomed drive to nursery.  Freddy's nursery is off the main road, down a tiny side road with a 90 degree turn into the drive which is surrounded by high walls.  Scary stuff as the road was now impacted with icy snow.  I inched round the corner without hitting anything (I thank my new tyres again) and managed to collect him safely albeit with a wet bum.

We drove back home and I Googled school closures as the snow was getting heavier and I was worried about Ella and her one hour bus journey, only to discover that Kizzy's school had closed 15 minutes earlier.  Another trip out in the Arctic conditions to rescue her.  She was panicking thinking I wouldn't know to get her as I don't listen to the radio so didn't hear the announcement.  She had asked the school to phone me and they said they wouldn't and if necessary she'd have to walk home!!!  I'm just glad I had checked online.  It was blizzardous by now and I wouldn't have wanted her to walk home in her little school shoes on her own.

By now Ian was on his way back from Birmingham and had already witnessed two accidents on the M6.  I always worry about his commute when the weather is bad and was relieved to know that he was on his way home.  We also heard that the bus company was suspending its service from Shrewsbury and so Ella had to leave college early to catch the last bus home or risk being stranded! With everyone heading back to the safety of home I was able to at last relax and do the one positive thing that everyone loves to do in the snow...PLAY!

Pre-School Jabs, US Drama and A Cool Hoodie!

I got a totally cool hoodie jacket for Christmas which includes the caption "This is totally going on my blog!"  It's a very apt piece of clothing and is a constant reminder to me to keep my eyes and ears open for blogger fodder.  With the influx of reviews and sponsored posts last year, I felt like my little corner of cyberspace was drowning in a sea of commercialism.  I don't want that to happen again so I am going back to basics and writing more about the real stuff!  The things that make us who we are.

Today, Freddy had his pre-school jabs.  I have never questioned the ethics of immunisation as I personally believe that the programme we have in this country is definitely for the greater good.  We eradicated Smallpox through immunisation after all, so it obviously works!  When I went to ante-natal classes during my first pregnancy I met a woman who was rendered partially deaf and paralysed down one side of her face after a complication of measles. She urged all of us young mums to immunise our babies and the thought of my inaction leading to my child getting ill and possibly suffering such complications simply wasn't an option.  All five of my kids have had their immunisations, thankfully with no negative effects, so I believe I did the right thing for us.  

It is never nice subjecting little ones to having a needle stuck in both arms, but Freddy was unfazed.  In fact, after the second jab he asked for another one!  I believe that watching Doc McStuffins and Dr Ranj's Get Well Soon has demystified the doctor's surgery and hospitals for young kids.  I wish we had those characters 20 years ago when my poor eldest daughter was constantly in and out of the doctor's with her asthma.  She ended up terrified of the surgery and just one look at a stethoscope sent her scarpering to hide under the doctor's desk.  Poor little thing.

The fact that Freddy had his pre-school jabs has made me think about the fact that he will be starting school this year.  He is still so little and although he is so much more confident since starting nursery, he is still sometimes intimidated by other children.  I hope that my decision to send him to the big, local infants school pays off.  Sending him to a very small, rural primary school will almost reinforce his tendency towards shyness and never give him the chance to 'grow'. I want him to have a good experience that prepares him for his future and helps him reach his full potential. I don't want him shielded from being a part of a big school until he is eleven and has to start secondary school. I hope that I've made the right decision, I really do.  

Freddy being back at nursery has given me more free time.  I have used a few of these hours to catch up with the series of Dallas that has sat on my Sky Planner for months.  Oh my goodness, I LOVED  every minute of it.  It was sad to think that Larry Hagman has since died, but what an amazing swan song for JR.  Now I have the new series of Revenge to satisfy my love for glitzy American dramas.  They are my little bit of escapism to counteract the problems of the weather and the economy!

I really hope the snow that is forecast fails to materialise next week.  I am dreading the thought of icy roads.  Not so much for me (although the prospect of sub-zero snowy school runs do scare me) but knowing that  Joe, Megan and Ian all have to drive to work, and Ella has to endure an hour long bus ride at the hands of a slightly mad bus driver to get to college.  If the Easterly cold front could limit itself to weekends only I will be a much happier woman knowing my loved ones are as safe on the roads as they can possibly be!

Yes We Had Snow!

It is definitely a pre-occupation of the British to obsess about the weather.  This weekend, we had a will it, won't it debate regarding the likelihood of snow.  Although I was dreading the s-word after last year's frozen nightmare, I must confess to that feeling of magic as the white flakes begun to tumble from the sky.

It settled quickly and Freddy grabbed his wellies and ran to the back door wanting to get out into the garden.  They have a sixth sense that makes them know how much fun is to be had, in spite of the sub zero temperatures.  Now Fred is potty trained, he didn't have the luxury of a padded nappy to insulate his nether regions so it was a real first for him to feel the freeze, but he didn't seem to mind too much!

Kizzy and Freddy enjoyed a day in the snow, and these photos show the fun they had.  They made a snowman, snowcastles using a bucket and had Daddy pull them round and around on their sledge.  Afterwards they came in for hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows.  A perfect winter's day!

I was glad to see most of the snow on the roads had all defrosted this morning, school runs and the M6 commute are not helped by the white stuff.  Hopefully this is a one off treat for the children that is not to be repeated any time soon.  We were lucky having a weekend Winter Wonderland to enjoy, but I remember all too well how terrifying and dangerous the big chills can be.

Winter Worries

After all the mild weather we've been having, it was quite a shock waking up to a frosty, winter morning today.  The car windscreen needed scraping for the first time since last winter.  The gossamer spiders' webs looked beautiful, bejewelled with iciness. We could see our breathe hanging in the air.  There was at last a real sense that winter was looming.

I was glad that we had been shopping yesterday to buy scarves, hats, gloves and coats for the girls. Perfect timing!  All the recent news about the approaching cold fronts from Siberia, may actually prove to to true.  I just hope we are not thrown into the unbelievably, awful freezing conditions we had last winter.

Just in case, I've ordered snow socks for the front tyres of my car.  Last year I was resorted to tears more than once as my car slid across icy roads.  I hate feeling out of control!  So hopefully these will give me the bit of extra traction I need to keep my car going in the direction I want it to go.  I've also invested in my annual pair of fur lined boots to keep my feet cosy for the next few months.  I'm all prepared for what nature throws at us this year.

I'm trying to resist the urge to order 50kg rock salt.  There was a well timed leaflet pushed through the letterbox yesterday, clearly targeted at the worriers of the world like me!   I think my "be prepared" ethos may be getting out of hand.  I'll be ordering a snow plough next, if this obsession for coping with the winter continues to escalate.

Because I am so prepared, it probably means we will have a really mild winter.  It's usually the way.  If I stock up on Factor 50 sun cream, you can guarantee we won't have a good summer.  After buying new waterproofs for everyone for a weekend away, there wasn't a cloud in the sky.  It seems that whatever I prepare for, the opposite happens.  So, hopefully my investments for an Arctic winter will guarantee that it will be snow free. (With the concession of a glorious flurry for Christmas morning!) Time alone will tell!

In the meantime I will snuggle under my slanket (all you haters out there don't know what you are missing!), crack out my thermal vests and enjoy the latest Christmas offerings from Starbucks while I wait and see if my preparations have been made in vain!

Day 7 #NaBloPoMo

Mixed Blessings of the Snow!

As the Shropshire snow continues to fall, I am riddled with mixed feelings.  The practical  side of me fears the treacherous roads as I tentatively drive my girls to school in the morning.  Today I had two hairy moments where braking made my car slide.  Thankfully, I was going slow enough that I just juddered to a stalled stop, but the heart still beats a little too fast in these moments!

The cold is biting, even in the house.  I'm not one for cranking up the central heating, but desperate times call for desperate measures!  The gas bill may be bigger than usual. 

Everything grinds to a halt in England when a "big freeze" descends.  We are so ill prepared in coping with any extreme weather systems.  I can only imagine how the economy is suffering with everyone housebound.  My Christmas shopping is yet to happen...I'm cutting it a bit fine, but our nearest town is a good 18 miles away and no way am I risking that journey.

My parents who are 77 and 78 end up stuck at home because they live up a steep hilled road in Wales.  Thankfully the snow there isn't too severe, but it's enough to postpone their weekly visit.  Dad insists on walking to pick up The Sun everyday from the paper shop, and I fear for his safety.  His poor arthritic joints would not tolerate a fall.

However, in spite of all the negative connotations, the snow still holds a magic that is undeniable.  The freshly blanketed landscape looks beautiful, magically transformed into a Winter Wonderland.  Children come alive, catching snowflakes on their tongues, building snowmen and sledding. The promise of Christmas hangs in the air.

Freddy has seen snow for the first time since being able to walk on his own two feet.  He has loved shuffling through the ankle high snow, wearing his dinosaur wellies.  He has been fascinated by the new sights and sensations the snow has created, altering the world he knows into a whole new environment.  Inevitably, he falls over and feels the numbing cold and at that moment he has had enough! 

I think we have all had enough now!

Seasons : Winter's First Snow

I've just discovered The Gallery and have enjoyed looking at some wonderful photographs within some lovely blogs.  Fabulous pictures capture the weekly theme and are shared and enjoyed...and I'd love to be a part of it!

Winter:  There is nothing more magical than the first flurries of winter snow.  The children grab their hats, scarves and gloves and hurry out into the garden eager to make footprints in the unblemished blanket that covers the ground.  Snowball fights and snowman construction ensues.  The top picture shows my three girls sitting on their giant snowball that they'd rolled round and around gathering snow making it bigger and bigger!  Very quickly the novelty wears off though and freezing fingers and numb toes make the lure of the warm house very attractive.  We pull off wellies and peel off frosty, wet socks. Scarves and hats and gloves hang over radiators dripping onto the floor.  Hands are warmed on mugs of delicious hot chocolate.  We all snuggle up under our slankets, rosy cheeks aglow!