A Year Of Breaktimes

This month I'm delighted to be celebrating a year of 'My Thursday Breaktime'. Four passing seasons and a wonderful community of people who've shared over 2,200 breaktime moments on Instagram.

Moments which involve lots of cups of tea and coffee, quiet parts of a day, breaths of fresh air on walks and adventures and creative escapes through a whole host of table top crafts.

I've just spent an hour scrolling through the gallery. It's so lovely to see how little ones have grown over that time and how new seasons touch the gallery at different points in the year. I thought I'd share a few of my favourites from throughout the past year, along with March's favourite today. Oh and read on for some exciting news about an anniversary giveaway too!

~SPRING~

@susandavies89

~SUMMER~

@_lisathomas_

~AUTUMN~

@hannahruthking

~WINTER~

@hobosoycandles 

I don't know about you but I love looking through picture calendars, you know the good old ring bound type, to see how seasons are captured. So I couldn't resist sharing these seasonal snapshots.  

This month I have been wooed by the sea and have enjoyed some lovely afternoons by the sea over the Easter holidays. There's nothing quite like time on a beach to recharge your batteries is there! 

So when I spotted this photo in the gallery this evening, it stood out as a favourite for March immediately. 

I wonder what plans these two are hatching! It was captured by my friend Laura (@lovelylollyb) who really is the loveliest. A true tale of instagram friendship turned real life and for that I'm truly thankful for this community.

To celebrate this anniversary month I've teamed up with the very gorgeous Rachael at Hobo Soy Candles (@hobosoycandles)! I adore the candles that Rachael makes, they smell incredible and the packaging is spot on, so they fit in anywhere in your home. Rachael is generously giving away a pair of Tumbler Candles for this month's winner, as well a travel tin for two lucky runners up. All you need to do is tag @littlemaldod and @hobosoycandles into your breaktime posts, along with the usual hashtag, and we'll announce a winner and two other favourites at the end of the month.  

Even more of a reason for breaktimes to put a smile on your face! 

Thank you as always for sharing, liking and commenting, I so enjoy looking through them each week. Do join in with this break loving community we've created together. Get to know those sharing their breaktimes too, you never know what friendships might follow. 

Had me at Hello (Fresh)

Anyone familiar with the term 'grizzle o'clock'? You know, that hour between about 3 and 6pm when children have the tendency to 'turn', whinging hits new decibel levels and tensions get just a little bit fraut.

Well, it was around this hour back in February when we had a knock at the door from someone introducing a new concept for cooking called 'Hello Fresh'. I'm not usually someone who will go for doorstep sales but the idea of a box of fresh food and ingredients arriving at my door, with everything I needed to cook 5 meals for the family, had me at, well, it had me at hello.

We signed up to two boxes there and then and haven't looked back. We've now cooked and eaten our way through 3 boxes, that's 15 recipe cards and 60 plates of food which have resulted in 4 clear plates (almost - there's no accounting for toddler fussiness) every time.

We signed up to a Classic Box which includes 5 recipe cards and everything you need (minus the salt, pepper and oil) to cook those meals. Opening the box and discovering what meals are ahead of us on a Monday morning has become something that the kids and I all enjoy.

One of my favorite parts is opening up the brown paper bag with a label saying 'the little things', containing little pots of spices, sachets of sauces and vinegars to make the dishes sing. The chilled food is kept cool in a cleverly designed wool lined packs which can be recycled for next time too.

Whilst the box is designed for two adults to share, over 5 meals, the portion sizes have meant that we've shared the meals with the children too, sometimes adding an extra side of rice or veg to bulk the dish out for the four of us. The recipes have varied and have had us cooking some meat and veg that we wouldn't normally buy (celeriac, pork chops). As well as giving us twists on some already firm favourites, like the pasta dish above.

Our favourite meals have included:
- Minted lamb and feta Burgers with crunchy salad
- Quickfire beef enchiladas with homemade ranchero beans (the kids loved this one!)
- Sicilian caponata with herbed pork and garlic ciabatta (Sam recreated this dish when catering for 60 hungry students recently - it was a winner with them too!)

One of the best bits I've loved is not having to THINK about what we're having for dinner that night. As much as I'd like to think I'm organised and totally have a handle on domestic life, the truth is far from it! So, to know that the all the food I need to cook the evening meal is already in the fridge or cupboard, is a huge help, all I need to do is follow the recipe card for whatever takes our fancy. The cards are so easy to follow and generally take about 30 minutes, with some (thankfully) a little quicker and tend to jump straight to the top of the cook list when it's one of 'those' days.
Yes, I'm afraid it's true, the introduction of Hello Fresh hasn't banished grizzle o'clock, but it HAS worked wonders for my sanity!

There have been a few weeks where we've known we were going to be out or away so have put our delivery on 'hold' and resumed cooking Harris family favourites. On those weeks though I do miss the convenience and chance to try meals that we wouldn't necessarily think about cooking.

Our box for this week has arrived this morning and I'm already looking forward to cooking the 'Surprisingly Filling Mexican Broth.'

If you fancy trying out a couple of boxes for yourself then the lovely people at Hello Fresh have kindly given me a special discount for you. Simply click through to their website here and use the code HFMALDOD to recieve £20 off your first box and £20 off your second box.

I'd love to know what you think and, if you've already given it a go, do let me know what your favourite recipes are, just drop me a comment below.

Thanks for reading today and happy cooking!

I have not been paid or sponsored for this post, all comments and opinions are my own. 

However, a big thank you to Hello Fresh for kindly offering my readers such a great discount.

Sea Air and Cider

Last weekend was one of those weekends which you know will stay with you for some time.

The type of weekend which you look forward to all week.  That starts with gift giving to celebrate birthdays and an engagement, a walk on the beach to clear away city cobwebs, washed down with a few ciders.

The type of weekend that involves a delicious meal out, and one child pulling a late one on the unexpecting babysitter...

Where you spend a whole morning watching old Disney films while a storm rolls in. Where you sneak out to the shops for some Mum and daughter time, and finish the day with good food, good wine and a stay up at the wooden cabin.

The type of weekend that involves a LOT of chocolate and great friends who travel to spend time with you, enjoying a garden and the look on little faces when they spot a hidden egg in a clump of dafodils.

Well, this past weekend was one of those.

Whatever your plans for the one ahead, I hope you have a happy one. X

March Discoveries

Back in August, I started a new series on this blog designed to share little discoveries that I happen on throughout any given month. You can read the imaginatively names 'August Discoveries' post here.

Despite there being plenty of little finds, delights and discoveries, the series of posts lasted all of two months. But today, you'll be pleased to here, I'm dusting it off and reviving it! I thought I'd combine it today with my 'Styling The Seasons' post for March. 

So, without further ado, he's are few things I've found and loved this month.

~

Lovely Liberty

As some of you might know, March is a birthday month in our household. When I spotted the stunning new range of Liberty party wear by Meri Meri , I knew I wanted to use as much of it as possible for Anwen's party. Almost 2 weeks later and some of it remains in place, it's just too pretty to pack away! 

~

Ranunculus 

This has got to be one of my absolute favourite Spring flowers. Each layer looks like a single piece of tissue paper, perfectly wrapped into a little ball. I've not been able to resist them at our local grocers, even when some of the delicate stems have been battered and bruised and the leaves look scruffy and ragged. 

~ 

Make Believe

The little star wand in this pot is a reminder of all the fun we've had playing make believe this month. Wilf is now at a stage where made up shows and characters are the game of choice, naturally Anwen is happy to fall in line too! We've had a few dressing up parties this month too which have been a lot of fun to prepare for (read, quickly raid the fabric drawer!) Wilf has already requested a super hero party for his birthday so I'm sure the dressing up box will be added to in the months ahead.

~ 

Painting

We've had fun with some water colours this month and this glass jar has been slowly filled with paint brushes, at the ready for whenever we need some calm creative fun. The calm doesn't last long obviously, as it doesn't take long for Anwen to start licking the brushes and for squabbles over the water pot to commence. 
 The grey ink pot is something I picked up from a shop called Meticulous Ink which I stumbled upon on our weekend in Bath a few weeks ago. Let's just call it a 'something I'd like to have done this month'. I've got plans for some new prints for the shop, so am hoping to find some time to crack it open in April.

We have a fun month ahead of us, starting with a night away with friends this weekend and topped off with a break in Norfolk and a wedding at the end. Roll on April, I'm looking forward to whatever
you have to offer. 

Thanks for stopping by, keep your eyes open for the 'April Edit' over the weekend, where I'll be featuring my top shop picks for the new month.

Golden Bunnies and Glass Eggs

I love decorating throughout the year, tinkering with shelves and moving things around depending on the season. The arrival of Spring gives me a chance to bring colour into the house again, with spring flowers a plenty, how can you resist daffodils when they're 30p a bunch?!

Easter is an important celebration for us as a family. It's meaning is central to our Christian faith and, whilst I'm all about the chocolate eggs and bunnies, decorating the house and celebrating over the long weekend will have special significance for us.

Our new tradition to decorate an Easter tree has taken a slightly paired back stance (so far) this year. I decided to use some Eucalyptus branches, which I bought last week, and I'm so pleased with the result.

I hung these glass decorations which I bought for a couple of pounds in Tiger a few weeks ago. The delicate glass eggs compliment the eucalyptus really well, much more than the chunky felt bunnies and eggs I dug out the loft would have! Although I'm sure they'll also be hanging from somewhere in due course this week.

Another subtle touch I'm pleased with is this golden bunny, added to an enamel vase that I bought (from House By Betty) recently. The bunny is part of a set of Easter Stickers (which you can find in the shop here), I can only guess how many more will be making an appearance around the place before Sunday!

These pastel pinwheels are also adding a lovely seasonal touch to the house. I hung them in the kitchen this week for Anwen's birthday but they'll be left to cheer the breakfast area for a while yet.

The pinwheels come as a pack of 6, with 3 different colours and sizes, if you fancy snapping up a pack you can find them here.

These sticks and signposts will be put to use at our annual Easter egg hunt but for now they're adding a fun touch to some pottery on the hall shelf. If you have an egg hunt planned this weekend then check out the Egg Hunt Kit here, it includes everything you'll need to help little ones search for chocolate this weekend!

Of course decorating would not be complete without seasonal flowers and this bunch called 'The Chloe' from Bloom & Wild is spot on. The scented stock is so delicate and, for me, the perfect shade of pastel for this time of year. 

Over this weekend I held a little 'Easter Giveaway' on Instagram. I was absolutely staggered by the number of entries so as a little thank you am offering FREE P&P all day today. So if you fancy snapping up any of the items I've featured above, just pop in 'easteratlittlemaldod' at the checkout.

I'd love to know how you decorate your home for Easter, I'm always looking for new ideas. Do leave a comment below and say hi!

Have a great week.
Lowri x

Anwen Turns Two ~ A Pretty Party And Some Time Saving Tips

Our beautiful, feisty, adventurous daughter turns two today.

Getting to know her personality over the last two years has been such a joy (and a challenge in recent times!) Her strength of character and sunny personality constantly leaves Sam and I smirking at each other, trying not to laugh, whenever we attempt to tell her off about something.

Yesterday we held a party for her to celebrate. It was the usual sort of party that we hold for the kids - at home, with their best friends, garden fun and plenty of cake. I'm not sure there's anything else someone at their age needs....or any age for that matter.

At the start of the day I had my usual MASSIVE list of things I wanted to get done/ bake/ decorate and, whilst buzzing around on caffeine, mostly managed to tick everything off. Thanks to some lovely partywear from Meri Meri I was able to pull off a lovely Liberty theme, with their distinctive florals adorning the decor, cake and party bags.

Some of the items are things I stock in the little maldod shop (direct links are listed below) and all day TODAY you can enjoy 20% off the whole 'party' range, (with the code 'letsparty' until midnight 16th March). Other items were directly from Meri Meri and you can find direct links to their shop below too.

 The Decorations

These Liberty Betsy Pinwheels added an easy but effective touch to different parts of the house, from my favourite shelf in the hallway to the mantle piece. The Miniature Liberty Flags looked great above the mantle too and will be staying up long after celebrations are over.

The Games 

No new tricks here, we stuck to classics - pass the parcel and musical statues. Check out the concentration on Wilf's face, he takes after me in the competitive (Monica Geller) game stakes. Meanwhile his younger sister remained restless until I stopped the music on her, giving her a long awaited "choc choc" (Milkway).

The Cake

Obviously I had grand plans for a masterpiece 'naked' cake or one that was perfectly iced to within an inch of it's life. My slightly uncooked sponge (which went back in the oven on the rack to finish off) didn't quite cut the Mary Berry mustard. Cue time saving tip number 1 - Nutella.  Nobody can argue with a freshly baked cake and lashing of hazelnut spread can they?! I reminded myself whilst licking the spoon that, to little ones at least, cake is cake and when one of them laughed at the fancy pink Gerbera on top, all was confirmed.

The Liberty Cake Flags added the perfect finishing touch and will definitely be reused for future celebrations. 

The Party Bags

Again, in my grand plans for the party, I'd imagined stringing these Gerberas from ribbon and giving one to each guest along with their party bag. Cue, money saving tip number 2, accept that some ideas are nice in theory but totally unrealistic and unnecessary when your guests are due to arrive in 5 minutes. In actual fact, they looked just as nice in a tall vase by the fire (not sure what's going on with the random up ended log!) 

I was pleasantly surprised by a quick upcycle of a left over white storage sack I had in my stock cupboard. With a few Liberty Alphabet Stickers I turned it into the perfect place to keep any gifts that were kindly brought by guests. I can see 'personalised birthday sacks' becoming a new family tradition and maybe even a new product for the shop.

How lovely as these mini Liberty Crackers and  Betsy Party Hats! The crowns went down a treat but in all the chaos I didn't get a chance for any photos anyone wearing them. A few were left behind so no doubt we'll be sporting them at some point today.

This week when thinking about party bags, I turned to the wonderful Instagram community for some tips. I was determined not to fill the bags with little bits of plastic or yet more bottles of bubbles, so wanted a few tried and tested ideas that were just a bit different. I was amazed at the brilliant and creative suggestions that people had and gladly used a few to fill some Besty Treat Bags.

A trip to Tiger left me with a great stash of goodies including packets of seeds, birthday sunnies and some wooden beads which I used for mini bracelets. I picked up a couple of packs of Easter cookie cutters in a pound shop and popped them into a spotty treat bag. Finished off with a bit of chocolate (obviously) and a number 2 shaped iced biscuit, just in case they didn't get enough sugar AT the party. All in all, the contents cost just over a pound (don't tell the guests!)

Here's the birthday girl commanding the buffet table (ahem, bowls of fruit, pom bears and party rings). Whilst her friends took their plates into the lounge for a carpet picnic, she stood there grazing, shouting "GUYS" after people as they headed out of the kitchen. I don't think she minded being left to her own devices, with all the cake to herself!

Anwen, you are a delight to spend time with, an absolute gift to our family and an honor to Mother. You bring life to any room you're in and I can't wait to see what the next two years have in store for you. 

Happy Birthday Pops! X

Thank you to Meri Meri who kindly sent us a few items from their lovely Liberty range to help us celebrate.