Mini Creme Egg Brownies – Success at Last!

Posted by Caroline Elliott

I may have mentioned once or twice the challenges I have faced with making chocolate brownies with mini creme eggs. I have seen recipes for them with a big creme egg halved and sat on top of the brownie, and my friend even has a recipe for those that works. Apparently though that is too easy for me.

Is this possible??

For ages I have been seeing pictures of gorgeous brownies where they have cut through a mini creme egg and the fondant is there giving this lovely image. Here’s a picture I found on google.

NOTE: THIS IS NOT COOKED OR TAKEN BY ME 🙂

I have now tried 4 times to get a result similar to this. I winged it first, then I followed a couple of different recipes. No matter what happened though, even when the brownie itself was sill raw, the fondant melted and all we were left with was empty shells! I was starting to think that it is actually impossible and that the images were somehow faked (I’m sure they aren’t, this was just the depth of my despair with my baking).

And then, finally, we have something resembling success.

It’s still a bit hit and miss, there are some empty shells, some nearly empty shells, but (hooray) there are some with fondant in! Wahooo!!

So here is my recipe for some, not so perfect, but ever so tasty Mini Creme Egg Brownies. Before I go any further, step 1 – the trick, it would seem, is to put your mini creme eggs IN THE FREEZER. Ours have been in the freezer for a couple of days. I have tried them in the fridge and at room temperature, and personally, only way I have got them to remotely work, was by freezing them first!

I’m melting…

Ingredients
2oz Plain Chocolate (I use Bournville)
4oz Milk Chocolate
2 x 89g Bags Mini Creme Eggs – FROZEN
8oz Caster Sugar
2 large eggs
4oz Butter
2oz Plain Flour
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C

Line the base of a well greased oblong tin with greaseproof paper, allowing the paper to come up 2 inches above the rim of the tin.

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water on a low heat.

Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Once the chocolate and butter have melted, add to the egg/sugar and mix.

Add the flour, salt and baking powder, and mix gently but thoroughly.

Spread the mixture evenly in the tin. Bake for 15 minutes.

While the brownie is in the oven, take the mini creme eggs out of the freezer and unwrap (they are actually easier to unwrap when cold I find). Monkey had been ‘helping’ me bake and at this point I realised, he was COVERED in chocolate!

After 15 minutes is up, take the brownie out of the oven and quickly place the eggs into the brownie, evenly, or hodge podge, depending on what you prefer!

Bake for a further 13 minutes. Check the brownie is cooked by inserting a sharp knife or cocktail stick into the brownie, if it comes out clear then it is cooked! Times can vary according to ovens so it is worth checking!!

Leave in the tin for 10 minutes to cool, then I left it to cool on a cooling tray for a little longer and then popped the whole thing in the fridge for a bit. Not sure if that helped set the fondant again but who knows!

When it has thoroughly cooled cut and see whether the fondant has evaporated! Hopefully yours will be better than mine. One of the problems with the whole slicing into the egg is that actually the top of the egg caves in when you slice through it as it is quite brittle once it has been melted. So I really don’t know how the other recipes I have seen have managed to have these whole eggs sliced perfectly with the fondant in the exact condition as it would have been….. but then, I am no master baker!!

Give these a try though, they are very very yummy even if they aren’t 100% how I wanted them to turn out!!

I’m always on the lookout for improvements, so may try and do them in a slightly smaller tin next time, so they are deeper… and may change the timings slightly so the creme eggs are literally int here for 10 mins. I am happy with these taste wise though and I’m not really sure I have the energy to try them again for a while, so I thought I would share the recipe with you now 🙂

Have you tried Creme Egg Brownies yet?

Heroes of the City Review and Giveaway

Posted by Caroline Elliott

This is officially my first ever proper review and Giveaway!

I was contacted by the lovely people at Ruta Ett DVD AB and offered to review the following Heroes of the City package (you have the chance of winning this package at the end of this post!).

Heroes of the City is an animated series aimed at pre-school children, which follows the rescue vehicles in a small town and shows how problems can be solved by helping each other.

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I literally just took a picture of the set when Monkey appeared out of nowhere, and grabbed the cars in a flash. He loves cars and I had thought these may be a bit small for him (they are recommended for age 3-6 while Monkey is not even 2 yet) but, nope, he LOVES them. He has spent ages whizzing them around the floor making his doo doo doo noise (I think he means brum brum) and had a good inspect of them. But they didn’t leave his hands for ages.

We then got the book out and he has been having a good look at it (he liked rolling the cars down it). It may be a slightly long book for his age, but he really loves books at the moment so we’ll have a go at reading it to him, and I’m sure he’ll love it more as he grows. I did notice one little type, but that’s just an old proof-reader habit, I spot them everywhere (…except in my own writing!)

I popped in the DVD too and we had a watch, and I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely it was. Monkey can be a bit picky about what he watches on TV (he often ignores the TV if it doesn’t grab him, so we don’t have it on much) but he seemed to really enjoy the series and had a good chuckle at Calamity Crow which was very cute. Overall it has a really nice feel to it, positive messages and good lessons to learn through the programme, which is important to me, I’m quite picky about what Monkey watches too at this young age!

Please excuse the pile on the chair in the background! really should have tidied before taking these pics!

They have a couple of apps for the series too, unfortunately hubby and I are both Windows Phone lovers and there’s no app for it yet so we haven’t been able to give it a try. The links for Apple or Android are here for you though:

AppStore: https://itunes.apple.com/app/heroes-of-the-city-movie-app/id602592310

GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rutaett.HeroesMovie&hl=en

Time for the Giveaway! Enter below to win this set, courtesy of Ruta Ett DVD AB.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I received the above items free for the purpose of the review, however all opinions are entirely my own and 100% honest.

Giveaway is open Internationally. Must be of legal age to enter. The winner will be contacted within 48 hours from the end of the giveaway. I am not responsible for prize fulfillment or mishaps that happen with shipping. Giveaway ends March 16th, Midnight GMT. Prize comes direct from Heroes of the City.

Reflection #ThePrompt

Posted by Caroline Elliott

The Prompt from the lovely Sara at MumTurnedMom this week is “Reflection.”

As always, I wasn’t sure which angle to take. I had some provoking ideas – “Is your child a reflection of you and your parenting?” or “Is blogging a reflection of real life?” But honestly it’s been a busy old week and I really haven’t had the energy to tackle a deep or potentially controversial topic.

So as Monkey and I are sat on the sofa, at the start of a day where I have nothing planned, and we are both happy and calm, I am reflecting on how much things have changed. How much he has grown and how much I have grown as his mummy.

I make no secret of the fact that I found the first year of his life a struggle. Coming to terms with this new role of ‘mother.’ Coming to terms with no longer working, of trying to adapt to fit this new life as a SAHM. It’s why I started this blog.

If you’d asked me a year ago what my top tip would be to surviving, it would have been to get out of the house every day. For a large chunk of Monkey’s life – particularly since he became more alert and needed entertaining – I have had our weeks planned out. An average week would look like this:

Every morning, a work with my neighbour from 9-10ish. Then

Monday: See my parents
Tuesday: Tumbletots
Wednesday: Music class/Play date
Thursday: Storytime at the library/Play date
Friday: See Hubby’s parents.

Every morning and early afternoon was filled and if we did have a day with nothing, I would have to plan an activity – more for myself I know, because I struggled to spontaneously think about what to do to entertain him. I had to have a plan to keep myself sane. Days without a plan, or when plans got cancelled, were invariably the bad days. The days where I struggled, where I guess I panicked at the thought of having to entertain Monkey by myself all day. Where I started the day on the wrong foot and instead of being optimistic, I expected the day to be difficult, so of course, in a self fulfilling prophecy, it was difficult.

Things have changed now. Monkey has grown up. In may ways he is easier to entertain now. He has a longer attention span so isn’t distracted every 2 minutes (now it’s about 10 minutes ;)). He is getting more independent, and will find what he wants to play with sometimes. He can think for himself and though he obviously still wants a lot of my attention and interaction, and I am happy to give it, there are times when he doesn’t want or need me so much. I love watching these changes in him. It’s a bit scary to see my little man growing up and moving ever so slightly away from me… but for the most part I am just so proud watching him grow up.

I’m proud of myself too. The thought of a day with no plans doesn’t fill me with the same trepidation it once did. I don’t start the day miserable at the prospect. I know that he will be fairly happy pottering about in the house for part of the day. I know that a bit of telly won’t do him any harm (though he gets bored of the TV easily so it’s never on for long). If the weather is fine we will go for a run down a hill, or just on a walk around the local area, picking up sticks or knocking on trees.

If the weather is less good I will get out the paints, or cloud dough, or we could do some baking, and the time will pass. If we do go a bit stir crazy we can pop to a local shopping centre for a wander, or pull on the waterproofs and wellies and got for a splash about in the rain.

I used to obsess over weather forecasts to see what it meant for our day. Now I look out the window very so often.

I am a planner by nature so for the most parts our weeks are stilled planned, though there are definitely more gaps now. On a day with no plan, I try and form a vague plan in the morning, but it changes as the day goes by depending on how we feel and Monkey’s mood. I don’t cling to my plans like a liferaft.

Before Christmas I mentioned that we are thinking about baby number 2, and it is very much on our minds at the moment. The thought of going back to baby days does scare me slightly, because I struggled last time. I know it will be different this time, as I have done it once, and I have Monkey. But I know it won’t be easy so I am sure I will be needing my plans again if we are lucky enough to get pregnant again!

I’m also linking up with Mother Wife Me, Mama -and more and City Girl at Heart for All About You.

A Family Day

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Sunday was just a lovely day. We had Hubby’s parents and brothers and sister in law round for a roast dinner. Nothing grand, just a nice roast dinner and get together for a good natter, as all too often time goes by without seeing people, or without all of us getting together. I love family occasions and we love cooking and preparing for it (though not so much the grand house clean that is needed in advance!).

Monkey loves spending time with all his family too, so he had lots of fun with his Aunt and Uncle.

And his Aunt and Granny

And his Granddad.

He’s a bit obsessed with books at the moment, which we do not have a problem with, and it was nice for someone else to be able to read the same stories to him over, and over again, rather than just us hehe 🙂

We had a yummy yummy roast, though Monkey decided to be a fidget pants and played musical chairs, taking it in turns to sit on everyone’s lap rather than on his chair! Daft apeth!

I decided that I wanted to try and get a shot of all of us together, as it’s something we hardly ever do. The last time was a year and a half ago! So we set the self timer up and crowded round to get a photo. Keeping Monkey still and getting everyone to have their eyes open at the same time was a bit of a challenge!!

This was the best shot we got, though Granddad’s eyes are closed. I changed the settings so we wouldn’t get a monkey blur – but then didn’t like the lighting! I’ve had a bit of a play to brighten it up, it’s not perfect, but at least we are all smiling, or in Monkey’s case, still!

Anyway, it’s a nice record of a lovely family day 🙂

Family Photo Friday @ Thursday's Child, Friday's Thoughts

The BEST Word of the Week- Monkey’s First Word!

Posted by Caroline Elliott

We have an actual word from our little Monkey! He has said Go once before, a while ago, but it was never repeated. Then this week he started saying it again. To start with we weren’t sure. Is he just saying ‘ga’? But then he was pushing a car and he definitely said ‘go.’ We quite often say ‘ready, steady, go’ when playing with cars, so this made sense.

Then, in one of his Spot books there is a bit where you say ‘let go’ and he repeated ‘go’ back when Daddy said it to him. Then if daddy asked, can Leo say ‘go’ ? He said ‘go.’

I know this may sound daft as it’s such a small word but we are so excited! It’s been a long road to get here, I’ve talked about it many times and wondered if it was somehow my fault that he has been a late talker. We’ve been seeing progress over the last couple of months so I was worrying a lot less – but it is a huge relief to have that first word!

It is also quite an apt word as it really has been all ‘go’ this week! My car had it’s MOT and service, and now needs new tyres, boo :(. It’s also car insurance renewal for both our cars. Thankfully we have a savings account for car related things!

Monkey had a doctors appointment this week too. He’s walked with is feet pointed out since he started walking at 10 mths and we’ve been waiting to see if there has been any improvement, but there hasn’t, so we have finally taken him to the doctors. Monkey was very good and his shyness has improved so much as he let the doctor move his legs about and we had no fuss at all! The Dr said it is probably nothing and he will probably be fine but has recommended we get him checked at the hospital just to be sure his hips are ok. So I am pretty nervous about that but best to be sure!

We’ve also found out this week that our tenants for my flat (where I lived before I met hubby) have given notice to leave at the end of March. So now we need to see what condition it’s in and try and sell it (again). We are hoping that the market has picked up a bit so we can sell it now, and still get out the money I originally put in. It would just be a real weight off our minds if it sold, but there’s work to be done before we can get it to that point.

This week hasn’t all been bad, we had a lovely Pancake Day meal with hubby’s family and Monkey likes pancakes – but only with golden syrup and whipped cream on hehe! We have also been busy doing lots of work and organising for our Operation Garden Renovation, which included finally ripping down the shed and arbor, and having a big bonfire in the garden! More to come on that next week!!

But, yes, Monkey is right, this week has definitely been all ‘go!’

Operation Garden Renovation #2 Starting the Clearance

Posted by Caroline Elliott

If you read last week’s post, you’ll know that we have a whole load of clearance to do in this garden, and that one post is not really going to cover it. It is probably going to take quite a few weeks to just get it cleared so it feels like quite a daunting task to undertake.

We are planning a bbq for my birthday at the end of April so that has lit a fire under us and given us the push we need to really get going with it. We have asked for help from our brothers and they are all coming to give us a hand over the next few weeks, but for the first weekend we are on our own – but still determined to make a start!

Hubby and I thought that as it was just the two of us we would start with the simple stuff and cut down the existing bushes. We have some of the prickliest bushes in existence, seriously one of these bushes has spines about 2 inches long, terrifying, and fricking painful when you get stabbed by it!

The garden is also FULL of junk. The previous owners seemed to use it as their personal dumping ground. Anything they didn’t want or didn’t know what to do with, it just got dumped in the garden. We found so much stuff in the early days, such as rusted rakes and loads of other old, broken garden tools. We thought we had got rid of it all, but no, we found some other hidden gems during our lopping. Including:

A sock

A plate

Loads of bricks

An old clock.

Some hosepipe.

Just in and around the bushes. I mean why? We also found loads of old bike tyres and lots of balls in various shapes and conditions, which monkey had fun with for a bit.

Monkey initially had a lot of fun entertaining himself in his little car (I got it from ebay for a fiver last summer!)

and then had some fun rolling around in the garden..

But he did get bored after a while, and we realised we need a wheelbarrow and to actually figure out what to do with the growing pile of garden waste, so we left it for another day.

Next week we have hubby’s brothers round to help and we should get this clearance well under way!!

Mammasaurus and How Does Your Garden Grow?

Creative Challenge Linky #2

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Welcome to week 2 of the Creative Challenge!

Thank you so much to all the lovely ladies who linked up last week, I was very grateful to you for making my first ever linky a success!

My favourite posts of the week were Mummy’s To Do List with her awesome creativity with toilet rolls, and All about a Mummy for taking steps to get over her Play-doh phobia!

It’s not all about creativity with kids though, it can be anything remotely creative. Decorating, baking, sewing, even being creative in what you wear. This linky is about challenging ourselves to be a bit more creative – in whatever way best suits you!

Re-designing your blog or your home

Trying out a new recipe

Learning how to take better photographs

My creative challenge was a bit more successful than last week, and Monkey had a whale of a time in the messy play. I had to conquer my heart palpitations ever so slightly but I was very glad I pushed myself to do something I had been holding back from for a while. I have linked up my post about this below 🙂

Right, now it’s your turn to link up your posts, and tell me all about your Creative Challenge!

<div align="center"><a href="https://becomingastayathomemum.com/category/playtime-blogs/creative-challenge/" title="Creative Challenge"><img src="http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c325/cazzabella2304/CCbadgesmall_zps32623a4b.jpg" alt="Creative Challenge" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Here’s how this works.

Write a new post (or an old one if it fits the theme) all about your Creative Challenge.
Grab the Creative Challenge badge (by copying the code above) and pop it at the bottom of your post (in the ‘text’ version).
Link your post by clicking on the ‘Add your link’ button and filling in the form.
Remember: Linkys only work when we take the time to read each others posts and leave comments so please let’s support each other and read and comment on as many posts as you are able to.

The linky opens at 6.30am on Wednesday and will close at 11.00pm on Sunday so there is plenty of time to join in.

The Mummy Tag

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Meme’s are like buses it would seem! I’d never heard of them then ended up with 2 to do in as many days! It’s taken me a while to get round to answering it all though but I am finally done.

1.Are you a Stay at Home Mum, or a Working Mum?
A Stay at Home Mum

2. Would you have it any other way?
I’ve gone back and forwards about this and it wasn’t an easy decision but no, right now I wouldn’t have it any other way.

3. Do you co-sleep?
No, each to their own but no it’s not for us.

4. What is your one must-have item for your baby?
One thing? That is tricky! I wrote a post about some of our favourite things for surviving the first year but I think that the answer has to be the green thing. Otherwise known as a star fleece blanket. Last winter when monkey was younger, it was so useful, it was great for short trips in the car and kept him toasty warm without needing to get him in a coat or snowsuit. It was also amazing at naptime. You get the idea, it was amazing! The best present we received for him! (You can buy it at Not on The High Street)

5. How many kids do you plan on having?
Undecided. We definitely want at least 2… but beyond that we aren’t sure yet. Hubby wants at least 3, I like the idea of 4… but I hated being pregnant and had a lot of problems, so really it depends how the next pregnancy goes!

On a rare date night

6. Date nights? How many do you have per month?
Per month? 0 We somehow manage to get out every couple of months though thanks to some lovely grandparents 🙂 Mostly for events and things but occasionally we go out just the 2 of us which is really lovely 🙂

7. Your child’s favourite show?
Postman Pat. He does like Baby Jake a lot too and the Numtums have been a fave for a while. Postman Pat is definitely the fave though and Jess is his favourite character.

8. Name one thing you bought before you had the baby and never ended up using?
A Babasling, I thought it looked amazing but we could never get Monkey happy or comfortable in it. We tried a lot but just no. Shame though.

9. Your child’s favourite food?
Curry, randomly. We started off very mild but these days he eats the same level of spice as we do (which is pretty spicy) as long as he has a cup of milk and some bread. Pretty impressive for a not yet 2 year old! Even in the height of his fussiness he loooved curries! Hubby is 1/4 Indian/Malaysian so maybe it is in his blood.

10. How many cars does your family have?
Two. Mine is the main car then hubby has a banger for when he occasionally drives to work or goes on a business trip. (He usually cycles to work as it is just round the corner.) I love my car, a Honda Civic, I bought it a few months before I met hubby. I had some inheritance that I had kept in the hope of using for a wedding one day. I was in a low place having just got out of a pretty destructive relationship and decided to blow a huge chunk of it on a lovely car, which was something I never thought I would do. I still love it though 31/2 years later so I don’t regret my decision, even though I did end up getting married less than a year later! Oh and the start of the number plate is BJ08 😉

11. Weight gain, before pregnancy, during, after and now?
I’d put some weight on before I got pregnant and got pregnant before I had a chance to lose any. I lost quite a bit in the first few months but then piled the pounds on after I stopped breastfeeding at 6 months and got to 13 stone. So then I went on a weight watchers diet and lost 1 1/2 stone more easily than I thought I would. I lost another 1/4 stone a little while later but that 1/4 refuses to stay off so I go up and down a bit but mainly am at 11 1/2 stone and it seems that is where my body is happy.

12. Dream holiday with your kids?
When they are older, my dream, dream holiday would be a African Safari, to show them Lions and Elephants and all those wonderful animals in the wild. It is one of my dream holidays and I think it would be wonderful to take the kids when they are old enough to really appreciate it. We’ll see if we can afford it though!!

13.Dream holiday without your kids?
I’m not sure I could have a dream holiday without Monkey, but I know when he is all grown up and moved away (god that sounds like a long time away but I know it will happen one day!) Hubby and I will hope to have lots of adventures. I have travelled a lot, but hubby has hardly been anywhere. I’d love to show him some of my favourite places, Western Australia, Laos, or Santiago in Chile. My dream holiday before having Monkey was to go kayaking with killer whales in Canada. Hubby isn’t too keen on that idea though so not sure if we’ll ever do it!

Some of my favourite places

14. How has your life changed since having kids?
Completely and utterly. Life is all about Monkey now. I no longer work, I bake and cook more, try to do more crafty things but my life fits to his routine and what works best for him and to make him happy. I still try to hold on to some of myself and visit friends as much as can but I inevitably do those things a lot less than I used to. I am a much happier person now too.

15. Where do you shop for your kids?
Usually Tesco and Mothercare for the most part. I love Next clothes but find them too expensive for what they are and while I would happily buy them in the sales, the Next sales are just too crazy for me! I try and buy things in the sales in the next size up where I can and we sometimes have a look in charity shops, and have got him some great buys. I not big on spending lots of money on clothes for myself so I guess it’s no surprise I try and get Monkey’s clothes as cheaply as possible too! Just seems silly to me to spend lots on clothes that only fit them for a few months!

16. Favourite make-up and skincare products?
I very rarely wear much makeup but when I do I use L’oreal Derma Genesis Pore Minimising smoother as it makes my skin luminous, an oil free foundation (my current one is Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid) a good black liquid eyeliner and some Maybelline mascara. Occasionally I go the whole hog with powder, blusher etc but I find a bit of eyeliner makes enough of a difference on an average day!

17. Huggies or Pampers?
Out of the two, pampers. We use pampers at night because Monkey has always wee’d a lot in the night and they seem to be the only ones that can keep him dry. During the day though it’s generally what is on offer or cheapest. When he was little Just 4 bums by kiddicare were the cheapest, whereas most of the time now we find the tesco own brand ones cheapest and they work really well.

18. Have you always wanted kids?
Yes, but I was never in any great rush. My mum had my brothers and I in her thirties so I always thought that was the right age to have them. I wanted to live my life before having kids, and I did. I suppose meeting the right person helps though too. It didn’t take long for hubby and I to get down the aisle and get pregnant so I guess the timing was perfect!

19. Best part of being a mum?
Watching him grow into his own little person. Seeing him develop his personality and watching the joy at all the the simplest things. I found being mummy to a baby really quite hard but I love being mummy to a toddler. He brings so much happiness into our lives every day and I feel so lucky that I get to be his mummy. God, how soppy was that?

Phew that was longer than I thought it would be!

Now to tag some other lovely mummies who I hope haven’t already done it!

A mini photographer #wotsofunee

Posted by Caroline Elliott

Monkey and I went on a play-date to a friend’s house the other day. We are very good friends and even though her little girl (E) is almost exactly a year older than Monkey they generally get on pretty well together and play nicely with each other, even if Monkey is pottering about by himself a bit.

At one point, E was playing with a shapes app on my phone, monkey was playing with some toys and my friend and I were having a chat. A few minutes went by and we suddenly realised E had figured out how to get to the camera on my phone and take pictures. Her mum has an iphone and I have a windows phone, so completely different operating systems. Clever girl! So she took a few snaps and even managed to take a few selfies with the front facing camera.

She took some pics of Monkey and then, I thought she was taking pics of me but it turned out she was taking pics of her ken doll. So I lifted him up for her to take a few snaps. Pretending he was was smiling and saying cheese.

She took a few snaps and then said “that’s great Ken, now let’s take you clothes off and take some more pictures”. Her mum and I roared with laughter at the shock of the request then I said “err no, no we don’t take pictures of people with their clothes off” and managed to distract her by bringing barbie into the frame for some photos. I made them kiss each other, which E was NOT amused by.

So I tried to make them hold hands, semi-successfully…

Then I slipped and it looked like Ken was holding Barbie’s bottom!

E’s mum and I had a good chuckle about this, and then E cottoned on to what we were saying and started requesting that they touch their bottoms in the photos!

Haha , silliness but who knows, E may be the next Annie Liebowitz!

Playing with Cloud Dough – 21 months

Posted by Caroline Elliott

We first found out about Cloud Dough in the summer and Monkey had great fun playing with it outside. You can read about it here. It was fab and I have thought about making it again but I am not always fond of REALLY messy play indoors, I do it, but I have to work myself up to it and prepare myself for the clean up operation!

As I have created the Creative Challenge Linky I felt I really should challenge myself to have some indoor fun with cloud dough.

Ingredients

What is Cloud Dough? It is Flour mixed with Baby Oil. It’s something like 8 parts flour to 1 part baby oil but I have to say I don’t really measure it. What’s the point in it? Well it turns to the consistency of sand, though has a much silkier texture. Otherwise you can play with it like wet sand, build things with it or just have a good old play.

I got a Tuff Spot ages ago with grand plans about this kind of messy play, but so far I have been too chicken to play with anything other than Play Doh in it. I just don’t trust monkey to keep things INSIDE the tuff spot. But as I said, this is as much about challenging myself as it is Monkey having fun and learning so we went for it.

And, do you know what? It was great! He has a whale of a time, as you can see! And yes, a bit of cloud dough managed to escape the confines of the Tuff Spot but it all got hoovered up

It started off quite sedately.. and he was moving some toys around in the cloud dough.

Then it got messier…

and messier…

then he had a little dance to “wind the bobbin up” in his head (a definite sign he is enjoying himself a lot).

He had a good stomp around..

and well he was covered from head to toe, but he absolutely adored it, which was great.

And it wasn’t too much of a nightmare to clean up, just pulled his clothes off and wiped his hands and feet and that was it. The cloud dough is in a tub to play with on another day, the tuff spot had a wipe and the floor a hoover and it was not too bad.

Phew! Successful Messy Play!

A quick word to the wise, if you do end up playing with it outside, like we did in the summer, make sure you sweep as much up as you can. Because our garden is a tip we left a pile of cloud dough in the corner of the patio, big mistake! It is a now a bit gunky pile of yukky stuff! It goes pretty disgusting when it has been rained on!

Becoming a Stay at Home Mum

Can I really do this?

Mini Creme Egg Brownies – Success at Last!

Heroes of the City Review and Giveaway

Reflection #ThePrompt

A Family Day

The BEST Word of the Week- Monkey’s First Word!

Operation Garden Renovation #2 Starting the Clearance

Creative Challenge Linky #2

Right, now it’s your turn to link up your posts, and tell me all about your Creative Challenge!

Here’s how this works.

The Mummy Tag

Meme’s are like buses it would seem! I’d never heard of them then ended up with 2 to do in as many days! It’s taken me a while to get round to answering it all though but I am finally done.

A mini photographer #wotsofunee

Playing with Cloud Dough – 21 months