Vicky aka The Young Mummy

Its been a crazy few weeks in our household. I've got loads of posts planned on how we are updating our house and in inparticular organising! Today however I'm leaving you with one of our favourite autumn recipes, this crispy salad and tasty pork is perfect for when the nights draw in but the temperature is yet to drop. When cooked without oil it is also sinn free on slimming world.  This is one of the first recipes I have truly written so I hope you love it as much as we do.  Greek Style Pork Salad Serves 4-5 cooking Slow cook for 4-6 hours - grill for 15 minutes. Ingredients for the slow cooker   800 g lean pork joint  Juice of 1 lemon  1 Tablespoon of finally diced fresh mint or dried  1 Tablespoon of finally diced oregano fresh or dried  1 Teaspoon dried rosemary  3 good sized cloves of garlic crushed 1 Tablespoon of red wine vinegar   Ingredient for the grill 1 Red onion  2 Tablespoons of olive oil  ...

Hi Guys For parents today marks a the start of new term or which for some will be that all important first term. As mums cry at the school gates, children run off happily to make new friends and dads breath a sigh of relief the kids are off to school. Zach had a terrible first year at nursery, he hit, he bit, he cried but he also made friends. Today I dropped up a very much more grown up boy who finally looks ready to be a big boy. A big hug to all the mums out there crying as their babies leave home it will get easier, now just to find something to fill my time!

When the British Sun decides to make an appearance you have to make the most of it. We headed to South Shields yesterday for a fun filled family day relaxing by the sea. After handing over an astronomical amount of money for a bucket and spade we spent a lovely morning building sand castles, splashing in the sea and wandering along the pier. Before long we headed to the North East institution that is Colmans  for a spot of middle class fish and chips. Sorry this post is so short I really just wanted to share the photos of our day with anyone reading this. Love  Vicky  x

Hi Guys  This post isn't really planned, prewritten or even spell checked....sorry guys. So last Sunday daddy was at work and the sun was shinning. Zach is at the age where he can verbalise what he wants to do. His little friend who lived next door has just moved out so I agreed to a very messy day at Hamsterley Forest. For those not in the North East of England Hamsterley Forest is a national trust park about 20 miles south of Durham. I always find national trust parks are a great opportunity for kids to run wild but also do some structured activity at the same time. So I thought a little run down of our day would be good for those wanting to visit the region then I will finish it off with some muddy pictures for all the mums out there to laugh at my punishment. The park consists for three main trials which are colour coded according to difficulty, the map would be great for older kids to explore however we kinda just did our own thing down by the river. The river ...

Soft gooey cookies are a favourite in our house, however not only are they relatively expensive for what they are, the gooeyness just don't last once you bring them home. This simple recipe is a favourite in our house. Usually I encourage Zach to help pre-measure the ingredients into small bowls before mixing them to form the cookie dough. Ingredients 125g of butter  125g of caster sugar (regular table suger will do)  100g of brown sugar  1 beaten egg  1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)  225g of self-raising flour  200g of chocolate chips (a mixture of milk and white works best)  Salt to taste (optional)  1. Measure all the ingredients and preheat the oven to 180 degrees.  2. Cream the butter and both sugars, it is easier for little hands if you partial cream with a electric mixer before allowing little hands to finish the process with their hands.  3. Add egg and vanilla.   4. Sift in the flour....

Hi Guys We recently spent a weekend at our friends in North Yorkshire so I thought I would write a little review of The Forbidden Corner . Photocredit Firstly I will start out with a simple statement BOOK EARLY . When we were looking for things to do we talked about the forbidden corner and looked at the availability. At the time of looking all times were available however 5 days before we travelled down (when we booked I know, I know disorganised) the only morning slot available was 10am on the Sunday (i.e opening time). This was great for us as we were staying relatively local and have a young child so getting up at 6am was well normal. Don't think our friends though the same...sorry guys. So we headed off the attraction is accessed through a number of sleepy villages and winding rural roads, we even passed a set of race horse returning from a mornings run. This was great for us as we live relatively rural and Zach loves to watch animals however for all you city dwelle...

I'm desperate to get back on my diet but sick of the normal veg and meat. Diet groups aren't really for me however I love the Slimming world plan when I do it myself. Last nights quick dinner was sticky Soya sauce chicken in 25 minutes YUM! 1. Chop up two chicken breasts. 2. Thinly slice a peper & onion. 3. Mix the pepper and onion with 3 crushed cloves of garlic and a piece of finally chopped chilli to taste before setting aside to rest. 4. Fry off the chicken until sealed. 5. Add the mixed vegetables to the pan and fry until the chicken  is cooked. 6. Reduce the heat until the pan is on put not actively frying. 7. Add enough soya sauce to coat the meat and veg stir through. 8. Increase the heat and keep stirring until the soya sauce binds to the meat and the water evaporates. 9. Serve with warm rice or alternatively stir fry with an egg and rice to create a great friend rice. P.s Excuse my kitchen this was the fourth thing I made today befo...

Hi Guys Just thought Id put up a quick VIDEO, I know I know I said I wasn't going to be a vlogger but I just had to film our attempt at making dessert to let mums out there know its okay to struggle. I want this blog to be about challenging the stereo types associated with being a young mum or a mum in general. I know Im a good mum when Zach wakes up every morning for cuddles however I'm not a Pinterest mum at all. Hope you enjoy the video and it gives you a good laugh. First heres a picture of our kitchen after we had made lunch, I'd love to see your pictures using the hash tag #itsreallife So here we go our first video, hope you love it as much as I do!

Sorry for the long time between posts, starting a blog isn't easy money! Its hard work and takes practice. Ive said before I'm not afraid of hard work however (I must stop using that word) I'm pushed for time at the minute. My lack of time actually leads to this post, over the years I've often wondered how kiddie TV hasn't been banned considering all the bad press it gets. Kids TV aka Thomas the sinking tank engine and rider + his silly Paw Patrol have quite literally saved my sanity and therefore my life. Mums of boys will know just how demanding they can be, I often see my friends with little princesses set up a few dolls before walking away to wash the dishes in peace. For a mum of an active little terror that just isn't going to happen anytime soon. No sooner have I ran the dish Zach is ready for his newt activity or has come up with a new way to try and kill himself! Do I feel guilty for letting him rot his brain with a few episodes of Paw Patrol so I...

Has anyone noticed that since the Youtube lot got their hands on BioDerma the market has just exploded with Micellar waters! I mean its water in a bottle right...well wrong. Micellar waters are made up of tiny droplets of oil called micelles suspended in water. So it stands to reason that the different oils in different cleansers will have different effects. I set out to test The Simple Kind to skin Micelle water (400ml £5.99, currently £3 n my local Boots) against my favorite Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water  (Boots 700ml £5). I picked up the Simple product as it was cheaper than my usual Garnier plus I'm always up to trying new things. So I'm just going to cut to the chase as I'm sure most people just want to know they work interchangeably so you can grab which ever is on offer.  As a mad scientist I quickly mocked up a non biased test haha I hear you laugh. I had Rimmel Lasting finish 25 hour foundation with a Mac blusher finished with Soap and glory...

As a mum I'm often trying to lose the baby weight (yes three years later) however I don't want to put the hours in the gym. So when the next diet trend comes along I'm always one to give it a go. The latest trend in our mummy circuit is slimming world which granted gives great results however the effort some days isn't for me.  So when iceland started advertising a range of ready made slimming world friendly meals I had to give them a go. If you would like to see more reviews like this please leave me a comment as I think we have just about tried them all.  So on to the review  Syn-free sausages my heart did a little flip when I laid my eyes on these we love a good BBQ in this house and banger + mash is the hubbies favourite. At 6 for £3 they aren't a bad price and the picture looked good.  The instructions said to grill them so that what I did.  Appearance 1/10 - the pale sausage with brown patches looked anything but appeal...

Money is such a dirty word regarded as vulgar in some circles yet we all need it to survive, while many desire significant quantities of the green stuff. We are conditioned in the UK to not talk about our wages as not only a business decision but also as a social custom. As one who always wishes to break with social customs I though I would discuss my life goals with you guys.  I suppose we should start with my teenage years whilst my peers were lusting after Busted I was reading Sir Richard Branson's biography and watching dragons den. My interest wasn't just about their lives rather it was a desire to follow in their footsteps. I never wanted to be part of a rock band or model I wanted to make it big in business as an individual. My background doesn't lend its self to being the traditional business woman rising through the ranks from uni to the CEO of a FTSE 100 company. When (okay I will give you if) I make it to my goals it will be as an individual with a story to t...

I never thought I would post a picture of my messy spare room for the world to see!! This post is once again the product of an over heard conversation at nursery. How come when dropping little one off at nursery it automatically becomes time to quickly run around the house doing jobs? Im sat on my bum drinking a can of coke, watching building the dream and surveying the house! 1. Washing needs folding. 2. High gloss kitchen could do with a polish.  3. Toddlers trains have taken over every surface. 4. Need to ring someone to come collect the trees other half cut down two days ago.  5. Vicky go buy an iron and tackle the three loads of washing that is sitting everywhere.  But this half an hour to just chill has done wonders for my mental health and general mood. I've stopped stressing about what people think it will get done but don't drive yourselves mad mums. Love  Vicky  P.s. Im off to buy an iron after melting plastic to ours

Just a quick one today as I couldn't wait to share this We were all in the bathroom as little one had finally decided to graduate from the potty to the big boys toilet hurray. Zach is sat on the toilet with peter straight in front of him In a split second zach pushes his bobby in the tip springs up and sprays Peter with urine  I couldn't stop laughing I still can't P.s got to run summer is here Love  Vicky x

I'm writing this post whilst watching my son colour in his trains something he couldn't do only a few weeks ago before starting nursery. Today I wanted to talk about the darker side of state education in the UK. Our nursery has a uniform that is affordable and durable. It isn't enforced but kids are encourage to wear it not only to give them a sense of belonging but also try and hide the differences between some of the kids. Today I witnessed a scene that really upset me. As a younger mum some things have been a struggle financially, thankfully we are now comfortable and able to save every month, but I remember the first few months after we bought our first house accounting for every penny so we could afford to buy the essentials to make it a home for Zach. Stood in the porch with my baby Paddington I was so happy I had gone to Sainsburys instead of picking up one of the cheaper costumes in ASDA (score ten yummy mummy points if you know why), when one of Zach little f...

 Well hello there! I thought I would just type out a quick catch up. When I started this blog after xmas it was with the best of intensions however motherhood got in the way! DS has recently started nursery and struggled to settle in. I thought Id maybe hit you guys with a quick post on the topic of the threenager. Our dearest son is shall we call him a livewire, I think that more PC than a little shit! Don't get me wrong nothing fills my heart with love more than picking him up and listening to him tell me about his day. However being called into nursery after week two was to say a shock is understating it. Our clever little boy was refusing to even sit down for his teachers. After a few weeks of structured play at home thankfully things are quickly improving. So its back to my new years resolution of getting in on the blogging game and starting the book I said I would right after only a few weeks of being a mum. (Yes I know wishful thinking). I thought I'd leave you...

Slimming world That word should be added to the swear jar in our house the amount of times it is muttered under my otherhalfs breath!! Ive been doing slimming world on and off for 3 years now (as long as little man has been on the planet), being a mum I find my self reaching for the sweetie tin more times than I can count. Also since having a little person in the house we have way more snack food than I promised my pre-baby self I would ever buy! The advantage of slimming world is that with a little planning you don't really feel like your on a diet, however I generally find my self reaching for the same trusty recipes time and time again. Today as I was grating some extra cheese for Zach pizza I decided to go out an experiment a little. Behold!! Roasted cheesey tomato salad Ingredients Mixed salad 30g of cheddar cheese - healthy extra A 60g wholemeal roll - healthy extra B Tomatoes 1. Cut your tomatoes in half. I used cherry tomatoes for this as that ...

Well hello there! This is the 5th blog I have started to the point it has become quite frankly a new years tradition. Whether this blog will still be going in year remains to be seen! Every time I decide to start a blog it gets put on the way side after a few months as life takes over, what makes this one any different I hear you ask. Well since last new year I have really found my self as a mum and hope to share some of our new found way of life with you.  I hope this blog has a more broad appeal than my previous attempts, with baby, toddler, life style, fitness and food post planned.  We also get married in 13 months time so I hope to get some hand made wedding content out there.  Heres to the next 12 months, hit me up with your new years resolutions.  Vicky   X