Preparing for Winter

jcr16

not sure if it has been mentioned, but i'm planning on stocking up on some good jigsaws and bored games.

ok so my children are only 2,5 and 6. but they love playing disney scene it. the youngest wil roll the dice. they all love watching the dvd clips and my 6 yr old loves reading out the cards. Also we love playing scrabble we do teams boys v's girls. and also pictureka. hubby and i love scrabble ( even if he did beat me last night, but only by 9 points,lol) we have loads of trumps cards, card games, crib i think it is.

but seen a few more we want to buy. bored games are fantastic fun for the whole family. every game is different. and one a wet , windy freezing cold day it really does provide alot of entertainment and with 3 little ones who have loads of energy it a great way entertainment on days when we can't get out.

redlady_1

I had a carpenter round last night with regard to fitting a new front door on the cottage. This will be the seventh I have had round!!! :eek:It would appear there is no recession in carpentry or people just dont want a difficult job (its not a standard sized door). They appear and then I never hear from them again so fingers crossed this time. The current door fits so poorly and was kicked in by the police to get the the little old lady who previously lived there that it isnt the best thing in the world. However, in my old cottage I made a door curtain from upholstery material and lined it but its about a foot short for this door. So my plan is to get some additional material and then sew it to the bottom of the curtain. I definitely need to do that before winter and I fancy an electric blanket. I have a "Nukey" bear. So called because he has to be "nuked" in the microwave to make him toasty for bed.

elisamoose

jcr16 wrote: »

not sure if it has been mentioned, but i'm planning on stocking up on some good jigsaws and bored games.

ok so my children are only 2,5 and 6. but they love playing disney scene it. the youngest wil roll the dice. they all love watching the dvd clips and my 6 yr old loves reading out the cards. Also we love playing scrabble we do teams boys v's girls. and also pictureka. hubby and i love scrabble ( even if he did beat me last night, but only by 9 points,lol) we have loads of trumps cards, card games, crib i think it is.

but seen a few more we want to buy. bored games are fantastic fun for the whole family. every game is different. and one a wet , windy freezing cold day it really does provide alot of entertainment and with 3 little ones who have loads of energy it a great way entertainment on days when we can't get out.

Charity shops are great for this - they always check pieces etc . I stock up my school wet playtime cupboard this way.

One of those jigsaw fold up mat things ( cant remember the right name!) is great (if you have the space) to keep a large puzzle going for a week or so.

[Deleted User]

that raintoday site I posted about is SO accurate, almost to the minute as I found yesterday when I went out in the only dry 50 minutes of the day. Today we have a window from 12.05 to 2.30 and I am going to get my washing finished by then as it is always windy here and it`ll get a bit dryer. After that we are due to have massive rain again so I`ll be putting the stove on for hot water as solar water is no good today and the pellets will also heat the bathrooms so getting the washing dry at the same time. I spent the £25 for a years premium sub as you get faster updating and more facilities and it`ll be so useful in winter as it`ll tell me if snow is coming in or rain

It so worth the money but you can get the basic for FREE. I just leave it updating on my laptop all day now. Fascinating

jcr16

we have one of those really big jigsaw folder things. bit like this but bigger

http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/jigsaws-and-puzzles/unbranded-portapuzzle-deluxe-jigsaw-carrier.asp

it fantastic as can stop and start puzzle when we want and it slides under the sofa when needs to be put away.

i often check charity shops for games and puzzle. bit of a risk if there is a piece missing,but when your only paying a few pence then you don't mind taking a chance.

Berni888

shellieholly wrote: »

Ladies... (mostly ladies here I believe !?) in my "what I am able to do while attempting to entertain and watch over the 5 year old..." time I've rescrubbed my slow cooker. It generally only comes out for winter when the stew pots are popular, but can anyone recommend other good slow cooker recipes?

I subscribe to a few cooking Feeds, this one is for slow cooker recipes
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

She only has the one recipe for slow cooker but you might enjoy a look through her others

http://jeenaskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/03/slow-cooker-vegetable-curry-stew-recipe.html

The rest are just Slow Cooker recipes
Carrot & Lentil Soup

Lasagne

MSE Slow Cooker Recipe Index

Carrot Cake

Weight Watchers Lentil Soup

Poached Salmon

Leftover Pork Roast Casserole

Hot Fudge Cake

How to Roast a chicken in Slow Cooker

Frugal Cooking

Christmas Pudding

Guinness Beef Stew

Yogurt

dramarama

Hi, Just wondering if anyone can suggest how me and OH sort out house for winter?!! I've picked up some ideas from reading the posts in this forum. We live in rented accommodation and do not have double glazing?!!! Does that plastic stuff from wilko's really work and foil for the rads- is it just tin foil or a special kind?!

I was born into an incubator so really feel the cold...always have thermals on in winter!! I love cooking so the slow cooker will be making an appearance soon. Have to try out some of those yummy recipes listed.

X

annie123

dramarama wrote: »

Hi, Just wondering if anyone can suggest how me and OH sort out house for winter?!! I've picked up some ideas from reading the posts in this forum. We live in rented accommodation and do not have double glazing?!!! Does that plastic stuff from wilko's really work and foil for the rads- is it just tin foil or a special kind?!

I was born into an incubator so really feel the cold...always have thermals on in winter!! I love cooking so the slow cooker will be making an appearance soon. Have to try out some of those yummy recipes listed.

X

Yes foil does work. Somewhere on this thread is the test hubby and I did with 1 of our rads on an outside wall
If you dont want to buy the ready stuff then 'space' foil blankets are good, (2 for 99p @ the 99p store at the mo) put onto cardboard, or just kitchen foil will do.

The window film is great. I have drafty single glazed windows and love them, but not in the winter.
Window film is quick and easy and good value in wilkinsons.
Other options are newspaper stuffed in gaps, silicone sealer in gaps or foam draft excluder all stop drafts coming in but dont cut down on the cold from the single glazed glass.
Bubble wrap stuck onto the glass with water works well too, but you can't see through it and doesn't look good if used at the front of a home.

[Deleted User]

dramarama wrote: »

Hi, Just wondering if anyone can suggest how me and OH sort out house for winter?!! I've picked up some ideas from reading the posts in this forum. We live in rented accommodation and do not have double glazing?!!! Does that plastic stuff from wilko's really work and foil for the rads- is it just tin foil or a special kind?!

I was born into an incubator so really feel the cold...always have thermals on in winter!! I love cooking so the slow cooker will be making an appearance soon. Have to try out some of those yummy recipes listed.

X

stick cooking foil on card, cut slits and lower it behind the rads. It works very well and is cheap

Also stretch clingfilm over the windows from frame to frame and then heat with a hair dryer

dramarama

Thanks so much for the help...I'll get onto it asap! Xx;)