Mrs Birks Blogs

I  know I haven't been here for ages but let's not dwell on that! Today, I want to talk about CBeebies Land, so this is really one for the Mums and Dads - feel free to tune out now if that's not you. We are all big fans of CBeebies in our house, even our 6 year old will still watch the occasional programme when there's nothing on CITV. Our 2 year old loves Night Garden and Teletubbies but will also have a glance at most things that pop up. With this in mind, I booked a trip to CBeebies Land at Alton Towers way back in January.  We took advantage of the special offers available which included 2nd day free and 35% off an overnight stay.  I had also found out about the indoor water park, which I knew my daughter would love - so for just over £230 we got tickets to Alton Towers, the Water Park and a stay at the Splash Landings Hotel - not bad considering our holiday this year would mainly consist of a staycation.   For some, theme parks can be hellish.  Whilst

Earlier this week, a friend was writing her shopping list and moaning that her and her husband always eat the same food and that she was bored.  Everyone else sympathised and it reminded me of the time Jon and I had 'recipe week'. Out of sheer desperation not to spend another week eating Spag Bol and Jacket Potatoes, we decided to spend a week trying a new recipe each night.  Now this is not easy for everyone and it was a week when I had a bit more free time.  Also it can be expensive, so you might want to make some rules about what you can and can't choose. Anyway, I'll be honest, I can't remember everything we had but here are some of the recipes and some of my other favourites too. Recipe book 1: My Daddy Cooks We have had this book for several years and have cooked quite a few recipes from it.  The thing we like about it is the simplicity of the recipes - they're tasty but not too difficult to cook.  You also don't need masses of ingredients and

So my quest to write one blog post a month has already slipped.  March has blazed past and it's already April.  However, as this post is all about last month, hopefully it will make up for it, a bit! March is a marvellous month! The first of the Spring sunshine, daffodils out, the prospect of the Easter holidays and...my birthday. Yes, March this year saw me celebrate birthday number 38. Not a great number but, as my father in law would say, better than the alternative.  This year for my birthday, I decided to go out and do something.  In the past, I've been happy to let the day drift by and at times, I have been a bit of a birthday martyr - "I can't believe I have to do the hoovering on my birthday", "I can't believe I have to make my own lunch on my birthday" - that sort of ridiculous thing.  This year I noticed Leonie Dawson's page in her Amazing Year book (see my previous post) ages before the event and so started thinking about what I&#

My main resolution this year was simply to end the year in a better place than I started.  I don't mean physically where I live but a kind of vague notion to be happier and healthier at the end of 2014.  Of course being happier is a massive thing and if I was taking a SMART target approach, I would have broken this down into mini-targets with lots of dates to achieve things by.  I have done this a little bit (no set dates or anything) and in terms of my blog, I've decided to aim for one blog post a month.  I know that once a month isn't very much but it still feels fairly regular-ish and it's probably all I can manage.  Of course, when I have more to say, I might blog more regularly and I have a number of blog posts in my head, I just need to actually write them.  Anyway, it's still February and if I crack on, this will just make it onto the blog before the end of the month. For various reasons, 2014 has already been a good year and I'm looking forward to what

As my blog has reached its first birthday, I decided it was about time I finished this blog post which I started ageeeeessssssss ago.  What's it about?  Blogging! When I wrote my welcome post a whole year ago, I mentioned that I have taught about blogging for several years and watched as students created their own blogs.  I was always put off creating my own blog because I didn't really think I had anything to say and I couldn't decide what topic to blog about.  I am typically one of those people who put off doing things because I don't think it will be good enough or that it's too difficult so why even start? I listen to what Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way  describes as "creative blockers".  When I finally started blogging I discovered that I have quite a lot to say and quite a lot that I'm interested in - who said a blog had to be about just one topic?  I'm really enjoying reading blogs about my interests (there are so many clever and i

We are not the sort of family who can afford to spend loads of money on Christmas and with that in mind, I always try to add something handmade to gifts that we might have bought.  In the past I have made Christmas stockings filled with little goodies but this year it was the turn of the scrabble and button picture.  Scrabble pictures/coasters/mugs/cufflinks/rings are everywhere at the moment.  What I like about them, is that you can make them really personal and decide exactly what your picture/brooch/coaster is going to say.  I combined my scrabble words with textured papers, photographs, glitter and feathers to create three different frames, each one completely individual to the person it was intended for.  I haven't photographed all of them but here is one made for Auntie Vicki which is very pink and fluffy!   As I say, cost is always a factor, so I was pleased to pick up these photo frames in IKEA for £3.50.  I had seen others in Hobbycraft but had resisted buying the