A month ago, if you had asked me what my dream job would be, I would probably have replied with something flippant like Johnny Depp’s personal secretary or a chocolate taste tester. Well, my friends, be careful what you wish for, because sometimes dreams do come true!

Thanks to the magic of Twitter and the British Mummy Blogger community I heard that Green and Blacks were looking for blogging taste testers. Without hesitation I volunteered my services and several weeks later, quite unannounced, a large jiffy bag arrived in the post, bursting at the seams with scrumptious chocolate! Since then I have been on a culinary chocolate journey, using my Green & Blacks bars to nibble, suck, scoff, melt and bake.

My surprise parcel contained 11 bars of chocolate – 8 to eat, and 3 bars of cooking chocolate. First off I ate the ‘flavoured’ bars – Butterscotch, Cherry and Almond.  Now I am a firm fan of Milk Chocolate so found both the Butterscotch and the Almond bars quite divine – both creamy and sweet with the perfect amount of burnt toffee flavour crunch in the Butterscotch and whole almonds in the other. Last up I tried the Cherry bar. I normally find dark chocolate too bitter for my taste, but the bittersweet tang of the whole cherry pieces made this bar really enjoyable, and not harsh in the way I normally find dark chocolate – in fact it’s definitely a combination I could get used to!

Onto the plain bars – Milk, Cream Milk, White, Dark 70% and Dark 85%. Now I could have just eaten these – no problem – but I thought I’d be a bit more creative and use some to bake with (although I’m ashamed to say the Cream Milk did disappear in a single sitting!). The Dark 70% was lovingly turned into Valentines Molten Chocolate Pots (see right) by being melted down and mixed with butter, ground almonds, 1 egg, 1 yolk, caster sugar and Baileys liqueur. Once melted the 70% Dark was like pure, black silk and the resulting pudding was incredibly rich but not in a sickly sweet way. Needless to say, my ‘Valentine’ was very impressed!

The Dark 85% was both eaten and baked. I felt I had to try the 85% because I don’t think I have ever eaten chocolate with that high cocoa content before. However the 85% Dark is ’softened with Madagascen Vanilla’ which you could really taste and did take any bitter edge away from the chocolate. The rest of the bar, along with a bar of G&B cooking chocolate, was melted down and turned into Best Ever Brownies (see left). When I make Brownies I normally use cocoa powder so I needed a recipe that used real chocolate  – and boy could I tell the difference! When I got them out of the oven I was too impatient to wait for them to cool down completely so cut them up while they were still warm. The insides of the Brownies were still gooey but they cooled to an absolutely perfect velvety chocolate consistency which was met with lots of appreciative “ooohs” and “aahs” when I took them along to one of our Mum’s The Boss meetings for some of our members to sample. And to make them even better they also contained chunks of the Milk Chocolate and White Chocolate bars for good measure – chocolate cake heaven personified!!

Which just leaves me with 2 bars of cooking chocolate left. One of these is earmarked to make some chocolate cornflake cakes with the girls and the other will be used to make our signature cake at meetings, and the most popular search phrase that leads people to our blog – Chocolate Fridge Cake!

When I excitedly posted on Facebook that I would be taste testing for Green and Blacks one of my friends replied “What’s to review? It’s chocolate. ‘Nuff said!”  Turns out though, that there’s more to this chocolate lark than meets the eye - and I’m more than willing to learn!

Popularity: 25% [?]

“….if a window opens
and the prospect pleases,
float through it;
that window
may never open again.”

Mirabel Osler from ‘In The Eye of the Garden’

Popularity: 3% [?]

“It’s all about Attitude” states the back cover boldly of Making it – Women entrepreneurs reveal the secrets of their success. This book has been written to examine why and how some women have managed to create very successful businesses, whilst juggling their family and home lives, but also, more importantly how you can join them in being a success too.

Attitude is the acronym that has been used for the chapter titles, Accentuate the Positive, Total belief, Trust, Innovate, To aim high, Unstoppable, Determined and Enthusiasm, and is very much the dominant theme running throughout the book. It is all about how YOU are in control, and YOUR attitude can determine whether or not your business is a success or a failure. If you are lacking motivation, or feeling a lack of focus or direction then this is certainly a good book to pick up.

 Each chapter is made up of Mentoring moments, Entrepreneurs experience and an in-depth section where the authors meet and discuss business with a range of successful businesswomen.  Whilst that in itself is interesting, it is really the last section of each chapter which is most useful. It is all very well reading about successful people, but that can leave you feeling even more flat and confused about what to do next. The final part of each chapter takes what has been achieved  and breaks it down into a few simple bullet points and demonstrates you how you too can model that success. You then have to complete an ‘attitude exercise’ to see where you score, and finally you are given 3 steps to help improve your performance in this area.

This book has been co-written by Lou Gimson and Allison Mitchell. Alison is an inspirational coach and trainer and an NLP Practitioner. Lou is an experienced and accredited business trainer and coach and is a founder member of the charity foundation ‘Dream Buddies’ which helps individuals realise their potential. They have a wealth of experience which they have bought to this book and offer both professional advice and personal insights.

Popularity: 6% [?]

I’m ashamed to admit it has taken me 40 years to have this great idea, but now I have, I thought I would a) share it with you and b) ask your advice. 

This week I borrowed 2 cookery books from my local library. What a fantatsic idea I thought. I can have a proper read through and see if there are any actual recipes in it that I will make. Genius!

I love cooking and I love cookery books and have a fair few on my kitchen shelves. But from each book I have probably tried a dozen or so recipes, and from that dozen maybe 2 or 3 have become favourites that I cook regularly. So I figure this way I can either copy down the 2 or 3 recipes that prove a hit, or if it looks really promising buy the book myself.

So this week I have borrowed The Delia Collection: Soup and Tana Ramsay’s Family Kitchen. At first glance I would say there are maybe 4 or 5 soups I would try from Delia’s book so probably not worth buying, but the Tana Ramsey book has some definite potential.

So my question to you is, which cookery books would you recommend me to borrow from the library next week?

Popularity: 12% [?]

“I am what I am
And what I am
needs no excuses…..”
from La Cage aux Folles

What’s more I am not a clothes label, a newspaper,  a TV channel,  a political party,  a make of car,  a holiday desitination or a brand of buggy.

I am not yummy, slummy, earthy, alpha, retro, attachment, middle-class, chav, cloth nappy, baby-wearing, organic, non-organic, controlled-crying, vegetarian, meat-eating, feminist, traditionalist, designer, liberal, conservative, socialist, scrounging, breastfeeding, bottlefeeding, over-anxious, boho, pushy, unmarried, single, teenage or aging – or any of the other ‘labels’ you wish to bestow on me.

I am a mum. And I am so much more besides.

Popularity: 5% [?]

We were emailed this story recently and thought it was just too good not to share.

Recently, in a large city in Australia, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, “This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?” A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans). They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia. Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don’t exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them … where is IT? Therefore, they don’t have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends.

With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!

How fabulous do you feel now, having read that??!!

Popularity: 16% [?]

Now I know that at least half of you are thinking I may be suffering some sort of delusion or mental breakdown; how can she possibly be cheering the school holidays? The other half know why. It’s quite simple: I love being with my children and the whole reason I was a stay at home mum and am now a WAHM is for this very reason.

No, my children aren’t saints, and no my work doesn’t stop and the work/life balancing act doesn’t go away or fit in with school holidays perfectly. However,  as ‘my own boss’ I can decide when to log on, I can decide when to work and I can forward plan so that anything major does not clash with my children’s holiday time.  I took those decisions because I wanted to be with my children; 90% of the time it is a fulfilling and brilliant job – and 10% of the time it isn’t, but then nothing in life is perfect!

Depending on what sort of business you have, the school holidays may realistically present you with a challenge; but you knew that when you started. And it is only a few weeks of the year.  I have friends who work full time, and in fairness their children are used to the routine, but I always feel a little sorry for them. They don’t get to have a pyjama morning, a picnic in the park or an afternoon film snuggled up with mummy – at home – chilled out and free from the stress of school. For those that work and are reading this – no judgement is made – I am simply explaining the freedom of my choice.

Many people would delight, or look forward to the day when their children are at school full time. I however still miss them dearly and actually relish the time they are at home in the holidays. As well as spending some real time with them, awake and fun, it gives me an opportunity to relax, play and enjoy their childhood with them. I actually get to ‘have a holiday’ from what I normally cram into the week and my mindset is switched over to ‘anything is a bonus’. I can just ‘be ‘ with them, I can catch up at home and the  housework,  which is always bottom of my list in term time, and I am relieved from continuously time managing the school run, play dates and homework.

The added bonus to all of this is when the Other Half gets home after work, having spent the day with the children I feel justified in sneaking off to reply to the emails or have a relaxing bath  as I have already spent the day with them, and then rather than do the night shift I actually have some evening time.  

It is never a clear division between being employed and being a WAHM, and there are many pluses and minuses to both – but if you did chose to be a WAHM….remember why….take a deep breath – count to 10 ……… and don’t wish the time away…..very soon they will be grown up and gone.

How do you manage the holidays? What are your tips and experiences to share with us about managing children in the holidays?

Popularity: 2% [?]

We are delighted to announce the launch of Mum’s The Boss Leicestershire, which will be run and hosted by Rebekah Harriman of R&R VA Services.

The first meeting will be held on 19th February at Soar Valley Leisure Centre, Mountsorrel, from 10.00-12.00. There will be no formal speaker at the first event – instead Rebekah will be talking about the Mum’s The Boss ethos and her plans for the group, and encouraging her visitors to chat and get to know one another over tea and cake!

The cost of attending the meeting is £5 per person.  Creche places are available and must be booked with Soar Valley Reception and paid for directly by the parents 1 week in advance (i.e.today!).  

Mum’s The Boss Leicestershire is kindly being sponsored (in cupcakes!) by Rakhee Townsend of Fashion Cake and by Emma Moore from Print Monkey.

A full schedule of speakers for the year will be posted shortly at www.mumstheboss.co.uk or you can follow Rebekah’s updates on Twitter at @MTBLeicester .

We are delighted to have Rebekah on board and wish her lots of luck with the new Leicestershire group – we’re certain she will make it a huge success!

Popularity: 5% [?]

As part of the Building Enterprising Communities project, Exemplas are running some workshops for people who are interested in starting their own business.

If you’re interested in seeing whether self employment if right for you or if you can turn your skills into a hobby their Business Experts are covering the key business basics – from finance to planning, market research to attracting customers – to help you make an informed decision.

Location: Family Groups Training Room, Southways Nursery, Raleigh Centre
Time: 9:30 – 14:30
Date: Friday 26^th February
Refreshments: Lunch included
Creche: Free childcare provided

You will also have the opportunity to speak to their Business Advisers who are on hand to answer your questions.

The workshop is open to anyone living in Bedford Borough and who is economically inactive (i.e. unemployed, stay at home mum etc) 

To book a place on this workshop, please call 01707 398290 or email your full name, telephone number and email address to annes@exemplas.com

Popularity: 5% [?]

One month ago today a catastrophic earthquake hit Haiti. Haiti’s government now says about 230,000 people died in quake, 18,000 more than its previous estimate, and the final toll is now approaching that of the 2004 Asian tsunami, which killed 250,000 people. Immediately after the quake there were numerous appeals for money and aid and many people gave generously.

In the week following the distaster the blogging community ‘blogged for Haiti’ and managed to raise over £4,000, with donations still coming in. However the problem has not gone away, with food, water and shelter still needed, before the authorities can even think about rebuilding the infrastructure of this broken country. 

As parents we are constantly faced with situations that make us feel guilty – kids, work, family, the environment, the food we eat, the amount of exercise we take – the list is endless. And when family budgets are tight you can feel even more guilty by additional requests asking you to donate to charity.

Which is why I think Tescos new Clubcard Voucher Scheme, where you can donate your Clubcard vouchers to the Haiti Disaster Appeal is such a brilliant idea, allowing you to contribute to a great cause without actually having to dip into your pocket.  

By donating your Clubcard vouchers you can help the Red Cross save lives in Haiti. Just £2.50 in Clubcard vouchers could provide a blanket to offer warmth and protection to a survivor who has lost everything in the quake.

So if you feel you would like to donate more to the disaster fund then this is maybe another way you can. It may not seem a lot, but as Tescos likes to remind us, “Every little helps”.

Popularity: 5% [?]

“Take the first step in faith.
You don’t have to see the whole staircase,
just take the first step.”

Martin Luther King

Popularity: 2% [?]

My discovery of this yummy recipe is all thanks to writer and Daddy Blogger Tim over at Bringing Up Charlie. I made these Brownies for our last Business Drop-In and, unusually, politeness/January diets went out the window and everyone came back for seconds.

Some people might find white chocolate a little sweet and sickly but teamed with the raspberries these cakes are moist and delicious whilst maintaining a hint of virtue in the tartness of the fresh fruit.

Ingredients
250g white chocolate
75g butter
125g caster sugar
2 large eggs
5ml vanilla essence
150g plain flour
2.5ml salt
150g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

There weren’t very many leftovers to bring home last time I made them so I will be making some more very soon!

Popularity: 31% [?]

This week’s guest blogger is Interior Designer and mum of two Sarah Barnes, owner of Ivy House Interiors. In this blog Sarah gives some handy hints on how to organise your workspace in the home.

It has to be said that the benefits of working from home, especially with children’s hectic and somewhat unpredictable schedules, are endless.  I’m lucky in that my commute (usually after loading up the washer) is up 15 steps to the spare bedroom and takes, traffic permitting (i.e. junk piled up on the stairs for “putting away later”) around 30 seconds. I can store my paint sample pots, off-cuts of wallpapers and mood boards without them getting in the way of the normal hubble bubble of family life.  But what happens if this isn’t the case ? If you are commuting to your kitchen table of sofa what could you do to create a practical, unobtrusive yet productive working environment? Here are a few suggestions to get you started…

Storage
There is no denying it, even if you run your business completely from your laptop and mobile you are still going to need some kind of storage space for those bank statements and other accounts paperwork if nothing else.  Rather than having a shoebox or storage crate that is constantly moved from one corner to the next, stake your claim on a permanent home for your business.  Time for a quick spring clean – ideal places include a kitchen cupboard, a few shelves in the airing cupboard, a shelving unit wedged into the bottom of your wardrobe or a small chest of drawers hidden in a corner of a room.  If you give yourself a base then you can keep everything together and are limiting your search area when that all important prospective client calls back and you need to get your hands on the paperwork quickly.

Your desk 
If you can pick up and pack up at the end of each day then you can probably get away with the dining table or kitchen worktop but if like me you are a bit more space hungry then how can you squeeze in a nice flat surface ?  Time for a bit of multi-tasking – a dressing table doubles up perfectly, especially if its in a spare room and won’t get the remains of the day dumped on it each night.  Do you have an integral garage ? Could you make yourself a work surface out of a piece of worktop attached to batons on the wall ? (My inventive friend Mrs W has created a workroom in her utility room by buying another identical length of worktop but without the sink cut-out, this then sits snugly on top – perfect !)  Folding tables can be great – they bring back memories of caravan holidays when I was little – if you don’t quite get everything finished by tea-time it can stay put and just get moved aside. But when it’s time for Sunday lunch it can all be folded up and tucked away from view.

Keep it simple 
If you’re anything like me then buying stationery is second only to blitzing Boots make-up counters or raiding Space.NK.  You really don’t need to buy post it note dispensers or fancy desk tidies if you don’t have a desk ! A few old mugs or jam jars are perfect for storage especially if your home office is going to be hidden away from view.  Priority would be lever arch files and a stack of filing trays to allow you to prioritise your work load.

Keep on top of it
Give yourself a slot in your schedule to tidy away and file.  The last thing you need is to turn up to an important meeting at the bank to find that the statement that you left on the worktop has been used as part of a pre-schoolers art creation (or my usual trick, a coaster) – you may work from the kitchen table but its still important to present a professional image.

It’s a small start but who knows the contents of that kitchen cupboard could be the very things that lead to your first million – by which time you probably won’t be worrying about what your bank manager thinks of the kids colouring!

For help with de-cluttering, organising and prioritising for day-to-day living or before putting your home up for sale contact Sarah on 07711 293320.

Popularity: 6% [?]

I wanted to do something a little special, and personal, for Sam’s birthday so decided
a little poem may be in order……easier said than done! 
However, I was not booed off at its ‘preview’ on Friday night
- so here for more of you to enjoy is my badly written verse!

An ode to a 40 year old friend

 As Sam turns 40, I thought it only right
To write a blog, and on her shed some light!
But where do I start, this is the key
So many aspects to this woman you see.

A new found love of Mojitos and colours clashing and bright,
But also a studious contributor to Judith’s Room by night.
Definitely a yummy mummy and a British Mummy blogger
And more recently ……..she’s even a mummy jogger!

Sam is now an established professional of the Tweet,
And in December that even got us to Downing Street!
But more importantly than any of that
We got to meet you all and enjoy a cyber-chat.

And so we move on to cake, a most important part;
Baking, eating or decorating, Sam has made it an art!
And her most recent buy, just the other day
She owns the word as well – what more can I say!

Messer’s Tennant, Firth & Depp will have to wait another day,
As it is Nig who is taking her to the ballet.
Let’s hope that for this special treat
He has booked her the very best seat!

Annie & Molly, her two daughters dear
What will they give their Mummy this year?
Flowers, clothes or maybe some shiny bling
Chocolate & books are definitely her thing!

And so as Sam moves on another year
I’m sure by blog or Tweet you’ll lend your ear
As she updates you on all her progress
But quite, often I’m sure she’ll just digress!

Mum’s The Boss has led you all here,
And so for Sam I want you all to cheer.
So join me now and mark this momentous date,
Raise your glass and say “Happy Birthday mate!”

By Helen (the other half of Mum’s The Boss)

Popularity: 2% [?]

As most of you will know, cake is very important to me – I love baking it and I love eating it. It never ceases to amaze me how so few ingredients can metamorphosise into something quite so delicious.

I love reading cookery books and trying out new recipes and, having relatively few ingredients, cake is a great thing to experiment with.  A dash of lemon juice, a teaspoon of ginger or a scoop of cocoa and you have 3 completely different tasting cales! Plus cake is generally very well received by willing taste testers so it’s lovely to get positive feedback on something you’ve made!

Cake is also a big part of Mum’s the Boss meetings, so much so that I have a sneaking suspicion that for some people cake may be the driving force behind their regular attendance!

All of which is why I now find myself the proud new owner of the word ‘cake’. For £20 I have adopted the word for a year through the Adopt a Word scheme, which raises money for the children’s communication charity I CAN.

One in ten children has a communication difficulty – almost three in every UK classroom. A difficulty with language and communication impacts on all aspects of children’s lives – making friends, reading and writing, passing exams or finding a job later in life. I CAN helps in several way:

• running specialist schools to help children with the most severe problems whose needs cannot be met in mainstream school
• giving expert advice to parents and families about what to look for and how to get help
• providing assessments for children so that their families know what support will best meet their needs
• training teachers and other childcare workers in what a communication difficulty looks like and how to best help children who struggle
• increasing awareness and understanding of the problem

So if you have something that means a lot to you, why not see if the word is available from Adopt a Word and nab it for yourself, and help a great cause at the same time.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Mum’s the Boss member Geta Gill is a Mona Vie distributor. Having spent 18 years working in the Government sector, she reached a turning point in her life in 2005 when she had an accident. After the accident Geta became depressed, put on 5 stone in weight and became a virtual recluse. “I think I needed to let my health deteriorate both physically and mentally before I realised the damage I was doing to myself.”

Now Geta’s work is all about promoting a healthy lifestyle. She started with Mona Vie in March 2009 and built her team with no product. Mona Vie is a nutritional beverage whose main ingredient is the Acai berry from the Brazilian rain forest. The berry has been blended with 18 other highly nutritious fruits and people who drink it on a regular basis have reported significant improvements with back pain, neck pain, eczema, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, arthritis, and many other chronic illnesses that have a negative impact on your quality of life. People also report that they look and feel younger. The product is not sold over the counter, as it is being sold solely by word of mouth or relationship selling. Geta has been using the product herself since its launch in the UK in early September and has noticed significant benefits to her health.

What inspired you to start your own business
The thing that inspired me most to start up my own business was my children. I have a picture of my children in my diary, in my car and on my laptop because they are the main reason for doing the business.  In the early years I didn’t spent that much time with them and I felt that I had lost that time. Nowadays, my life revolves around my Faith, my Family and my Business. I have learnt to take tiny steps to reach my goals and take every day one at a time – I learnt this from my children.

What has been your biggest challenge
Having not worked almost five years and not mixing with anyone except direct family I had become a loner. So I had to pick myself up and rediscover the old Geta that had been buried under the depression and excessive weight for so many years. 2009 has been hard work but looking back it has helped me built the foundations for my success.

What have you learnt about yourself since you became self-employed
I’ve learnt that I can do anything I want to do. I have started to believe in myself and have started dreaming again – and it’s nice! I was a very confident, strong personality when I used to work could sometimes be a bit tactless and insensitive. Since becoming self-employed I have been able to polish all my rough edges and I quite like this Geta now!

What has been the best thing about being your own boss
The best thing about being your own boss is that you make all the rules, you have no-one to answer to and you have your own working structure that can be based around your family’s life. I can finally choose to wake up, to get dressed, to go to work and etc. It’s not something I have to do, it’s something I like and enjoy doing now.

If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring ‘mumpreneur’ what would it be?
One piece of advice that I would give is ‘Never give up, no matter how many negative reactions or how much negative energy you get’. When you’re feeling low, do what I do – find another inspiring woman and meet up for coffee and try and absorb as much of that positive energy as you can - kind of like recharging your batteries.  I have met so many great people on my early journey in networking and look forward to helping many other people who want to boost their health, their wealth and have loads of fun doing it….like I am.

You can contact Geta on 07976 644341 or email her at getagill@yahoo.co.uk and for more information on Mona Vie visit www.monavie.com 

Popularity: 8% [?]