One of my favourite recipes and packed with goodness perfect for a snack or for tea served with salad and Greek yogurt.
What you need
120g Spelt flour (not found in all supermarkets, Tesco and m&s) 1/2 tsp baking powder 100ml of milk 1 egg 100g of finley chopped onion 400g of sweetcorn 100g of chopped spring onion 15g of parsley 20g of fresh mint chopped 1 tsp of cumin.
How to make
Prepare the mixture
Place the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and mix together. Whisk in the beaten egg and the milk until nice and smooth. Add in the onion, spring onion and the sweetcorn. Stir. Then add in the chopped mint, cumin and parsley and mix together well.
Heat a large frying pan with olive oil
Heat a large pan with olive oil, it needs to be hot before frying your fritters.
Fry the fritters
Using clean hands make flattened fritters. From this recipe you should get around 8 good size ones and then fry 3 at a time keeping them well spaced in the pan. Remove onto a plate and add into a preheated oven when they are golden brown and carry on.
Serve
Service with Greek Yogurt mixed with a spoonful of honey and salad leaves.
Is it possible to keep your home clean when you own a dog? Yes it is.
The key to being a dog owner is to stay organised and have all the right tools to hand. Dirty paw marks, funny smells and pet hair are the biggest issue for any pet owner.
I choose a dog that is supposed to not malt but she sure does and I am forever grateful for my handheld hoover.
There are a few keys points to making owning a dog a lot easier and still maintaining a pristine home.
Exercise
Make sure you give your dog plenty of play and exercise time. Hetty has two one hour walks a day morning and mid afternoon and playtime when the kids come in from school. This way when she is at home and I am sat working she will generally just sit on her blanket and sleep. I am lucky from day one I trained Hetty into sitting on blankets and throws. She very rarely sits anywhere else as she finds comfort in her blankets. Then the beauty is I can wash them regularly and keep those dog smells at bay. I do add into the wash vamoosh as this is great as dissolving pet hair.
Grooming
Regular grooming with a daily brush and a weekly shower can really help. There is also a great range of really good products that you can use on your dog that are safe and will make you dog smell amazing. The dog grooming gloves are amazing plus I am a fan of the Pet Head Deodorising shampoo and this hasn’t caused Hetty any irritations. . She is also groomed once ever 6 weeks by a local groomer and Hetty gets the best blow-dry! ……..I do also use a little pet fresh cologne
I regularly soak her plastic and hard toys in warm soapy water and put what is left of her soft toys in the washing machine.
Door Mats
Invest in washable door mats and buy spares so that you can give these a weekly wash. Make sure you have these door mats at every entrance to your home. You will find they make a big difference and save you from always washing the floors.
Wiping paws
Your dogs little paws will tread in a lot when you are out and about on your walk. We take our shoes off as soon as we come in but it’s not that simple for dogs. I keep a tub of paw wipes by the doors and Hetty knows to sit on the door mat and wait for her paws to be wiped before she can come in. It took a little training in the early days but now she is a little star at passing her paws. You can also leave a couple of old rags or old tea towels by the door too and just wash after using. In the wetter and muddier weather a little waterproof jacket can help stop the dirt from coming in too.
Pet bedding
I have chosen to use a wipe able plastic bed for Hetty that I pad out with cushions and blankets. I regularly wash the blankets and then daily wipe over the plastic bed .Hetty also sleeps in a dog crate which I wipe over too.
Accidents
Occasionally dogs will have accidents in your home but they are really easy to clean up especially if you spot them quick. For urine and dog mess on your carpets simply use a squirt of washing up liquid and water and blot the mess out using a clean cloth. Do not rub it. Come back to the affected area with a splash of white wine vinegar mixed with water and blot again until. The white wine vinegar will break down any odours that can be left.
There are also some great products on the market that work well and are perfectly safe to use around pets. This stain and odour remover, has been specially developed with a special blend of Pro-Bacteria and Enzymes that targets pet stains and odours it also works great on removing vomit and can be used on carpets, upholstery, or any other water-safe surfaces.
Then for hard floors you can try hard floor stain remover, which works great on works great on sealed hardwood floors, sealed stone floors, linoleum, vinyl, brick, concrete, marble, and ceramic tile
Hetty wasn’t supposed to moult but she does. It’s not much but being a black dog I notice and as soon as I do I grab my Handheld hoover and get them straight away. There are a few other options for pet hair too. lint rollers, I find these great for getting the hair of your clothes. A wet rubber glove is also great for picking up dog hair. Also don’t forget the vamoosh is great for breaking down the pet hair in the wash when washing blankets etc.
Last year the thought of getting a dog was hugely over whelming for me and I really was very anxious but everyone in the family had wanted one for such a long time. We did a lot of research and doggy sat a few times to see if I could cope. I don’t see it as hard work just a few extra daily tasks but the enjoyment Hetty has brought to the family has been amazing. Working from home most of the time can be very lonely and Hetty has filled this gap and got me out on two good walks a day where I am talking to other dog owners and feeling much more confident around people.
I am so pleased we have Hetty she really is the perfect family pet.
Thank you so much for reading Lynsey and Hetty xoxo
As the school summer holidays draw to a close its back to school we go. Over the summer many of us have lost our regular routines and now its time to kick-start them again.
Back to making those dreaded pack lunches and being super organised with the kids.
Mine go back today and I am really hoping they come back with a list of dates for throughout the year. I don’t know about you but we have numerous mufti days, dressing up days, school discos and bring something into school days plus not forgetting the dreaded school photograph days and if I don’t write all these down I will forget. On top of this there is the school trips and payment plans that also need to be added in you don’t want to be that parent that the school have to chase for money on a regular basis.
I use a wall planner and have a colour code for each of mine and then also repeat this information into my phone calendar with numerous alerts.
Then don’t forget the endless bits of paper they will come home with to make all the paperwork easier I have created a system of plastic folders that I keep in a box folder in my office.
One for each of them which allows me to keep any special achievement awards and certificates as well as important letter and grade cards. Then I scan into the computer any of their artwork that I would like to keep but I don’t want hanging off my fridge.
Getting younger children organised in the morning
If you have younger children leave a get ready for school chart in their bedrooms so you don’t have to keep asking them to do things in the morning rush. I used to find that this really helped me when my were younger as they used to be proud that they had finished their list of morning jobs to do:
Come down for breakfast
Brush teeth and have a wash
Get dressed
PJ’s away tidy
Pack school bag
Don’t forget your lunch Box
Shoes and coat by 8.20am
Small lists/charts like this can really help take the strain off so its definitely something I recommend you try.
Uniform
By now I bet this is all labelled and ready to go. A nice fresh clean PE kit all ready, bright white polo shirts and non scuffed shoes. Photos of this perfection will be displayed all over our social media this week but how long does this last.
If you’re a busy working mum makes sure you have 5 sets of school uniform so if you don’t get time to do washing in the week you know that your child will always be going into school looking neat and smart
Invest in some Ace for whites to keep those white shirts and polo t-shirt looking good.
Love it or hate it we have to feed our kids when they are at school. Schools dinners aren’t everyone’s idea of a good meal although saying that they have come on a long way over the years. Mine actually like a pack lunch. The girls sort themselves out these days I give them the options and they make a healthy sensible snack but I still like to do Jake’s. His more than capable but it’s me having the need to a spotless kitchen all the time.
A few simple ideas I have for mixing the lunches up a bit. I like to keep my colourful to keep them interested too.
Sandwich swap
Tuna pasta. Sweetcorn, mayo, wholemeal pasta and tuna served cold. Fried rice with spring onions, soya sauce and bacon serve cold. Cheese and Apple. – Grate hard cheese with grated apple add a drop of lemon and mayo for a cracker topping.
Snack ideas
You can use snack pots here, prepare and label one for each day of the week)
Carrot and cumber sticks and hummous
Fruit salad
Fruit kebab
Popcorn
Olives
Crackers
Sultanas
pumpkins seeds
Yogurt drops
Home made flap jacks
I also find when they back to school planning ahead your weekly meals really does help too. I have created a FREE printable to download CLICK HERE plus you can also follow my 4 week simple meal plan by clicking HERE
Homework
Give it a week or two and this will start flooding in. I like to know what homework mine have and try to be involved as much as I can. Plan some time in your routine for homework support even if it’s just 30 minutes a week and dedicate this time to your child without any distractions. I have always encouraged mine to do their homework downstairs and not in their rooms and I created a little homework station where they can find everything they need from stationary to a clear work space. I have always believed that doing homework in a messy and congested bedroom can’t be good for their learning.
Encourage your child to have a few educational apps on their tablet too
Try to keep your school routine so that everyone in the house follows it too. A few days of knowing when to leave and when to do homework is all it takes for it to start be the normal. If it helps make pack lunches the night before and hang school uniform out ready in bedrooms with polished shoes by the door.
Your 5 Minute Challenge is easily doable in the morning before the school run. You don’t need to do every room but set yourself a goal to at least do one room. Set your timer and go go. You may also find that my daily Cleaning Calendar will keep you on top to.
Enjoy the first week back and thank you for reading
We all love going away on holiday spending a week or two exploring new cities or relaxing on the beach but the build up can be pretty busy and stressful. Packing can be daunting and its important that we don’t forget any of those essential items.
Following a simple packing guide can really help, that you don’t forget anything.
Before you go………..
Deep Clean
Give yourself time before you go to have a really good deep clean. Its will make all the difference when you return home and allow you to focus on the unpacking and holiday washing. Empty all your bins add new liners and make sure all the toilets have bleach in the pan so they smell lovely and fresh when you walk in.
Make sure your laundry is up-to date
There is no better feeling than an empty laundry basket and a non-existent ironing pile. This can be rare for busy families but challenge yourself before you go away to ensure you are up to date. You are going to be coming home with a big pile of washing and ironing and you really do not need to add to this pile. If you are struggling for time there is no harm in using a local ironing service.
You may also be coming home to back to school, make sure uniform is all ready hanging up in wardrobes ready for that first day back and school bags packed.
Declutter as you pack
Now is a really good time to tackle any clothing clutter. When you are packing for your holiday use this time to pick bits out of the wardrobes that are no longer worn and create a pile for reselling or charity. You will be surprised at what you find that no longer fits or will just won’t wear anymore.
File away that build up of paperwork along with any old magazines and newspapers that will be out of date upon your return.
Food Delivery
If you have a regular food delivery organise this before you go so you don’t have to go to the supermarket and do a full weekly shop. You can always add to the list whilst you are away, but don’t arrange delivery for when you step in the door, delays and traffic do happen so give yourself a good few hours grace.
Ask someone to drop some fresh milk and bread into your home just before you return so you can at least have a cup of tea and toast.
Plan a meal
Cook up a health meal and pop in the freezer before you go so you can defrost and enjoy when you get home. Holidays normally mean over eating and not eating so well so you will be probably be craving a home cooked healthy dinner. Knock up a quick Bolognese or a stew packed with vegetables.
Let your neighbours know your going away
If you get on well with your neighbours or have a friend that lives close by ask them to put the bin out for you and to water the garden flowers. This can really help as you don’t want to come home to a full bin smelling awful or dead flowers that you have been keeping so well all summer.
Don’t jump straight into socialising
Give yourself a few days before you start to out again with friends and try not to organise any gatherings at your house. Ease yourself back in gently.
Back to work
If you can and have the flexibility book an extra day into your diary so you can give yourself time to adjust after your holiday. There is nothing worse that coming home in the early hours of the morning and then having to be at work for 9am.
Keep your out of office on
Use this tool to your advantage and don’t switch it off until you have caught up.
Check your family calendar
Look at your calendar a few days before you are due home so you are not surprised by meetings or events that are going to sneak up on you for the up and coming week.
If there is one thing that seems impossible to achieve when you are a parent, it is a clean house. Children have a knack for creating mess wherever they go. The last thing you want to do is spend your day scrubbing the floor and tidying up, only to find that you need to repeat the process come tomorrow. With that being said, read on to discover some secrets on keeping your house tidy while you have children.
Involve the children
Why not put your kids to good use and get them to join in with the cleaning too? Needless to say, it is not like your eight-month-old baby is going to pick up the hoover and give the house a good vacuum. However, most toddlers love helping out around the house because it makes them feel like they are adults. Kids love copying their parents, so why not get them their own children’s sized broom or mop and let them give you a hand? Head to Raising Children for some examples of household chores that are suitable for children or check out my top tips CLICK HERE
Get up before the kids do!
Waking up before your children can make a massive difference in terms of keeping your home tidy. You will typically find that you have a lot more time and, shockingly, more energy to do the dishes, laundry, and put their toys away than you would if you left this task until later in the day. I have a good hour downstairs before my 3 come down and I get so much done. The mornings are the best time of the day as you have much more energy too. Why not give my 5 minutes challenge a go – JOIN HERE
Consider putting some items in storage
It’s crazy to think that one little child can end up having more belongings than you! One of the best ways to keep your house tidy and organised when you have young children is to put some of your belongings in storage – just until they get out of the phase whereby they want to cause destruction around the house. Plus, it will help to make sure some of your favourite items don’t end up damaged. Some great storage ideas from canningvalestorageunits.com.au You will see that there are plenty of different options available depending on the type and quantity of items you need to store.
Have a routine
It is also pivotal that you have some sort of routine to your day. This does not need to be a stringent routine whereby you need to follow it to the minute. However, if you have a bit of a pattern to your daily activities it will ensure that you build in the time to tackle chores. Right down what errands you have, any shopping you may need and any household tasks you need to do and tick off as you through.
The fabulous Mummy of Four swears by a virtual calendar to act as you PA and its such a fab idea. Read how she does this and keeps extra organised with her very simple simple.
As you can see, there are many different ways that you can keep your house clean and tidy while you have children. Of course, no one is expecting your home to be immaculate, but you can keep a bit of your sanity by following the suggestions that have been mentioned above.
