We are delighted to have our new Mums Spaghetti Cafe Lounge Schedule for 2012.  If you are a mum of a little one looking for a friendly and welcoming enviroment to meet new mums and at the same time want to enjoy some good, tasty nosh, then this is the event for you.  

Book now as spaces are limited!

• 10.30 to 12pm and held fortnightly (schedule will vary during school holidays)
• Teas, coffees, squash for little ones, sweet treats and lunch
• Informal cookery demonstration whilst lunch is being prepared!
• Relaxed, social, welcoming and homely environment for parents/carers of babies and toddlers.  Parents/carers must supervise their children at all times.
• Places are limited so pre-booking is required.
• Cost: £10 (1 parent & 1 child) for advance payments via Paypal. £1.50 per additional child.
• Or: £12 (1 parent & 1 child) on door.  £2.00 per additional child.
• Address and parking details will be provided at time of booking.

Mums & Babes Cafe Lounge Schedule

• Wednesday, 25 January 2012
• Tuesday, 7 February 2012
• Wednesday, 22 February 2012
• Tuesday, 6 March 2012
• Wednesday, 21 March 2012
• Tuesday, 3 April 2012
• Wednesday, 18 April 2012
• Tuesday, 1 May 2012
• Wednesday, 16 May 2012
• Tuesday, 29 May 2012
• Wednesday, 13 June 2012
• Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Please call Sarah or Sophie directly on 07773 753737 or email info@mumsspaghetti.com to book your place now!  Places are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment!

Food is much more than nourishment, it also gets people together, nurturing love and friendships. In that spirit, a friend gave my little girl a bowl of sour cake mixture, to be called Herman, along with a letter containing some instructions on how to care for it. My 4 years old daughter was very excited and felt very special to have been chosen to look after Herman. She wanted to be part of the all caring & baking process and could not wait to make another friend feel special too. Herman the friendship cake could be compared to an edible chain letter. I thought that it was a simple and lovely gesture. So go on, spread a little happiness and start a new friendship chain. What’s more, the baked cake was very tasty too!

Food makes people happy and it is an easy and thoughtful way to spread the joy all year round by gifting delicious home-made treats. Get the kids involved in the preparation too, they will love it. Home-made presents are also a great way to treat your nearest and dearest for a special occasion whilst on a budget. Taking time and giving special attention to prepare the gift will make it extra special.

For inspiration, here is a small selection of some of Mums Spaghetti recipes that could be perfect give-aways:  Apple Jelly;  Gooey Crunchy Chocolate Squares; Chocolate Chips Banana Muffins; Fruity Flapjacks or Fairy Cakes.

Love, Mums Spaghetti xx

[Photo credit: PetitPlat ]

Food is a key essence to our being, and so is Spirit.  So I am dedicating this blog, not to a recipe or a yummy food, but to the Spirit of the Child and having a good bit of the old proverbial Fire in your Belly!

At the gym the other day there was a mum, struggling with her tantrumming little one.  I felt her angst.  Of course I don’t know what her real emotions were but I could imagine that not only was she struggling with the situation of the tantrum but she may have also been struggling with the emotion that she knew that people may be quick to judge … judge her as a parent but, worst of all, judge her little boy.  Having your little child judged is a completely heart shattering and confidence shattering experience.

I felt her angst and my heart went out to her as I, also, have one of these challenging little people.  We definitely have fewer tantrums now (thank goodness) but she can at times, be a HUGE challenge!  Take a lot of emotion, exuberance, spirit and down-right wilfulness, wrap it up and pop it in the body of a 4 year old and you almost certainly have a challenge on your hands!

We have all done it, haven’t we, tut at the misbehaving child … wonder at the parenting skills … assume that the child comes from a household with a completely different value system to yours …   May be I’m exaggerating a little, but you probably get my drift.

Of course there is misbehaving and misbehaving.  But, generally, when we’re talking about little people, the misbehaving and tantrumming is down to things like not sharing, not taking turns, perhaps being unkind to each other like sticking out tongues, putting fingers in ears to show they are not listening, not listening to mummy and daddy, wanting to give their friend the blue lolly when the friend wants the orange lolly or perhaps being given a gift by another little friend and not graciously accepting it!  It’s up to us to steer our little people through this myriad of behaviour and they clearly need to understand when something is not acceptable.  But, if it’s not your child misbehaving, please don’t be too quick to judge … the little terror, with the right guidance may turn out to be a wonderfully compassionate person.

So, I dedicate this blog, not only to the Spirit of the Child but also the Spirit of the Challenging Child! I truly count my lucky stars that I have one of my very own!  For all her belligerence, awkwardness, reluctance to listen (to mum & dad!) and bloody mindedness, she is also caring, kind, great company, adored by her little sister, very funny and every bit ours.  She has taught me so much about myself and our adult world.  There is absolutely nothing wrong in having a bit of Fire in Your Belly and I for one am celebrating it!

Come and join us for a welcoming and friendly playgroup where you can meet other mums & dads and enjoy teas, coffees, treats and a light lunch for you and your little one.  Our Cafe Lounge is held in Sarah’s home and kitchen, where she will be preparing lunch, so informal cookery demonstrations will be going on for those interested!  Our Mums & Babes Cafe Lounge is perfect for those who are weaning or about to wean their baby and want to learn more about our cookery classes before booking a class.

• 10.30 to 12pm and held fortnightly (schedule will vary during school holidays)
• Teas, coffees, squash for little ones, sweet treats and lunch
• Informal cookery demonstration whilst lunch is being prepared!
• Relaxed, social, welcoming and homely environment for parents/carers of babies and toddlers.  Parents/carers must supervise their children at all times.
• Places are limited so pre-booking is required.
• Cost: £10 (1 parent & 1 child) for advance payments via Paypal. £1.50 per additional child.
• Or: £12 (1 parent & 1 child) on door.  £2.00 per additional child.
• Address and parking details will be provided at time of booking.

Mums & Babes Cafe Lounge Schedule

• Wednesday, 25 January 2012
• Tuesday, 7 February 2012
• Wednesday, 22 February 2012
• Tuesday, 6 March 2012
• Wednesday, 21 March 2012
• Tuesday, 3 April 2012
• Wednesday, 18 April 2012
• Tuesday, 1 May 2012
• Wednesday, 16 May 2012
• Tuesday, 29 May 2012
• Wednesday, 13 June 2012
• Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Please call Sarah or Sophie directly on 07773 753737 or email info@mumsspaghetti.com to book your place now!  Places are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment!

I recently turned 40 and it actually felt great.  My day started simply and spectacularly, because, not only did I get some wonderful presents and cards, but me and my girls made chocolate chip banana muffins, first thing in the morning.

My 4 year old, Holly, demanded that I have a cake, mainly for her benefit I am sure.  I didn’t really want to buy a cake and I really didn’t want to bake one either but, if I didn’t make a cake, there would be no cake (my hubbie does many things, but baking is not one of them).  But, in the eyes of a child, birthdays just aren’t birthdays without cake.  So, I settled on baking some chocolate chip banana muffins. 

The 3 of us (me and my 4 and 2 year old) trundled downstairs, in our nighties, at 7.00am and set to work!  By 7.15 the muffins were in the oven and by 7.35am they were out and ready for breakfast.

And we all had a candle lit muffins for breakfast!  So much fun!

Thanks girls (and Warren too) … it really is true, Life begins at 40 … with chocolate chip banana muffins!

Sarah

 xxx

writes Doctor Helen Coulthard from De Montfort University.  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14532589

It is always reassuring to see something that you are doing being promoted in the national press and this article does just that for Mums Spaghetti! 

Sophie and myself set-up Mums Spaghetti, offering cookery classes and a website with lots of tried and tested family and baby recipes because, not only are we mums, who have weaned our babies but we believe passionately in home cooked food for all the family to enjoy, including baby.  For all the advertising and pretty attractive packaging that surrounds baby food, there is no substitute for the real deal; being what each and every parent can cook in their own kitchen, for their own family.  Unfortunately the advent of baby food, baby food marketing and pre-prepared kiddie foods with all their delightful and enticing packaging seems to have somewhat replaced good old fashioned family meals that everyone can enjoy, including baby.  Naturally parents assume that if it’s baby food, designed for baby, then it’s going to be best for baby, perhaps, unfortunately, taking confidence away from parents in their own ability to cook for their young families.  But, of course there is no substitute for home cooking, with all its different flavours and textures.  Home cooking generally involves making things from scratch and every time you make the same dish, it generally varies from the previous … may be ingredients are slightly different, you had some veggies that needed to be used up, so they went in, may be you added a little less stock …  This all makes home food so much more interesting and definitely more tasty!  Giving interesting and tasty food to a baby (after having sought advice from your health visitor or doctor about when and what to wean your baby) should set them up with a love of good food that will last a life time.

Plus, home cooking saves money too!  If you don’t have a lot of time to cook (what mum has a lot of time to cook?!) there are so many quick and easy recipes (check out our website!) and of course, you can batch cook too.  Love your Freezer because it is such a great tool in saving time and money when putting great grub on the table for your family!

The great thing about Mums Spaghetti is that it has been started up by 2 mums who are absolutely not chefs!  We just love good food and want our children to grow up loving good food.  We tell everyone who come to our classes, “If we can cook, sure as anything, you can cook too!”

Happy family cooking!

Sarah and Sophie

Mums Spaghetti – it’s never too soon for tasty food!

 For a limited time only we are offering a 50% discount on our Cookery Classes! 

So, for only £20 you get a 3 hour class from which you will take away 4 baby/childrens meals to the approximate commercial value of £10!  You will also enjoy teas, coffees, yummy treats and a light supper too.  Our classes are fun and friendly and held in Sarah’s kitchen in Lichfield.  We aim to help you get whatever it is you want to achieve from attending a class, whether that’s gaining more confidence in the kitchen, learning new recipes or just sharing tips and experiences with other mums on feeding young families. 

The details of the offer are as follows:

•  Classes must be booked and pre-paid via paypal between Thursday, 18 August and Wed, 31 August
•  Available class dates are as follows: Tue 13 Sept, Tue 20 Sept, Thu 22 Sept, Thu 29 Sept
• The class times for all of the above dates is 6 – 9pm.
•  We require 4 attendees for a class to take place so give us a call with your preferred date/s and we will invoice you once all the class places are confirmed.  If you already have a group of 4 and would like to book one of the above dates, give us a call before it gets booked up!

For more on our cookery classes and to learn what other mums have said about them, click on the below link.

http://www.mumsspaghetti.com/classes-group-events/

Don’t miss out on Mums Spaghetti’s Summer Bonanza of incredible value cookery classes … get in touch now before we run out of spaces!

Happy Cooking!

Sarah and Sophie

Mums Spaghetti – it’s never too soon for tasty food!

www.mumsspaghetti.com

t. 07773 753737

E. info@mumsSpaghetti.com

Again, a big thank you to the mums who came to our Cookery Playgroup on Tuesday, 2nd August.  It was great to see the little ones making their cheesy croissants and getting stuck into bowls of pea and ham soup!  As always, we had lots of fun seeing you all again and meeting some new mums too.

As promised, the recipes have been uploaded onto the website … all you have to do is just click on the below links.

Pea and Ham Soup, Gooey Crunchy Chocolate Squares and Becky’s Mums Apple Cake

We haven’t uploaded the recipe for the croissants but they are so easy.  All you need is a roll of puff pastry from the supermarket (butter puff would be ideal but you can’t always find it).  Cut it into triangles, pop a sprinkling of grated cheese or chocolate buttons on the top of the triangle, and then roll into a croissant (moon) shape.  Finally brush with beaten egg and pop into the oven, 200 C / Gas 7 for approx 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Sarah and Sophie

It’s never too soon for tasty food!