Those were the days…

~ Natalie Tyler ~ Leave a comment

Oh the 90’s what a decade.
The music,the fashions the trends, even the arrival of the internet!

We had records, cassettes and walkmans, and quickly became super quick music masters learning how to press play and record just at the right time so we could tape the top 40 on a sunday afternoon without capturing the voices of the dj.

Posters of popstars adourned our bedroom walls courtesy of smash hits magazine and shell suits were still a fashionable item eek!

At the age of 13yrs there was nothing I liked more than being with my friends, singing into our hairbrushes and practising the latest dance routines in front of the mirror and before we knew it we were being told to ‘spice up our lives’as a brand new girl band came bursting into our homes and indeed our lives.

The world was being taken by storm as a group of 5 girls named the ‘Spice Girls’ were about to introduce us to a whole new set of trends and of course the ever famous ‘girl power’.

The girls who each represented their own unique style and personalities, introduced themselves as ‘Posh”baby’ ‘scary’ ‘ginger’and ‘sporty’.

The spice girls songs soon proved to be popular and catchy and the catchphrase ‘Tell me what you want,what you really,really want’ was born.

What we really wanted(and still do to this day) was some walkers crisps~the varieties seemed endless but some firm favourites were ‘salt and vinegar’ and ‘cheese and onion’.
The bags were blue for ‘ salt and vinegar’and green for ‘cheese and onion’,the colour packets may of changed but tbey still taste as good today as they did back then.

Music continued to be a big part of our 90’s lifes and top of the pops was a firm favourite on a thursday night up until 1996 when it was moved to a friday evening to get the weekend started.

1996 also saw the spice girls very first appearance on the show when they sang a live performance of ‘wannabe’.

Bringing us back into the present day the girls kicked off their Uk and Ireland 13 date stadium tour on the 24th May 2019 and can be found at various stadiums throughout the country.

On that note I shall ‘stop right now’, dig out my biggest hair brush, dust off my best dance moves, grab my friends and reminisce over those fabulous teenage years. If the girls are really lucky I may even share a packet or two of Walkers crisps with them~its a good job the range of flavours has kept on growing so we will have plenty to choose from.❤x

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Lost?

~ Natalie Tyler ~ Leave a comment

‘Mum do you want to go for a walk?’ Were not exactly the words I was expecting to hear from my teenage daughters mouth before 9am this morning!

If I am honest I was thinking erm no! I was in bed with soaking wet hair,having a coffee catching up on loose women.

I paused and then thought, do you know what why not?! I have had barely any sleep and some fresh air would be good.

So off we went and I am so glad we did, I feel like I don’t really recognise myself at the moment~last night whilst out with kids, I caught sight of myself in the mirror and couldn’t believe the person looking back was me, some how along the way the old me seems to be slowly disappearing~I am determined that she will be back though.

So yes this morning walking and talking with my girl with no distractions and lovely scenery was a good start to my day (although the hills and steps she made me climb made me question her intentions hee hee).❤x

Pick UP!

~ Natalie Tyler ~ Leave a comment

Here at crazy little thing headquarters,we have had our dull,rainy friday afternoon thoroughly cheered up by a parcel arriving.

Inside said parcel was lots of yummy PickUP! bars. Follow us and keep your eyes peeled for more. ❤x

Capture the memories

~ Natalie Tyler ~ Leave a comment

I am not a fan of having my picture taken,unless its a selfie that has been attempted many times and edited until I am happy with it.

Our Dad was always snapping photos, random moments when we weren’t looking or weren’t camera ready.

I would often take his phone and say ‘oh dad thats awful, delete that one or please don’t put that on facebook’.

Looking back does any of that matter? Who cares if an image of me was captured when I felt I wasn’t looking my best? Those pictures are moments in time,memories captured right in the moment. Moments we will never get back again.

There comes a time in our lives when photographs are the only visual representation of loved ones and life itself, be in the photos, be happy, be impulsive, be present.

Have those moments to look back on, to laugh, to cry, to remember but mostly to love.❤x

These boots weren’t made for walking?!

~ Natalie Tyler ~ 1 Comment

This was yesterday but I got a little distracted by trying (unsuccessfully) to fix my hoover and forgot to post!
❤❤
You know that feeling you get when its your day off and your going out for coffee and you decide that instead of your boring flats you will wear heels instead?

In my head this seemed like a fab idea, all was going well until we had parked the car and began walking to the coffee shop. After a few steps it became apparent that the gaps in the walkway were not designed with any one wearing heels in mind as pretty soon with almost every step I took I found myself getting my heel caught.

To avoid breaking either my ankles or my boots I had to adopt a unique style of walking which consisted of almost walking sideways~think of a crab scuttling around and you probably won’t go far wrong for a lifelike image!

Fortunately the coffee was good as was the company so I can’t complain.

I decided that a change of footwear was probably necessary before the school run this afternoon to avoid further embarrassment and indeed injury.

Whilst at home I noticed my boy had left half an easter egg casually lying around in his room~he is either very trusting or a bit silly leaving it in my line of vision~fortunately for him, I neither hid it or ate it but I must confess that the latter was extremely tempting.

After the school run it was a typical afternoon, 2 trips to tesco (because one is never enough quite clearly!), I made dinner and was contemplating washing up when I had a very nice suprise delivery from a friend of mine in the form of a ‘halo’ ice cream it tasted fab and the wrapper made me giggle hehe.

I then proceeded to torture myself by taking the hoover apart, well most of it apart from 2 screws which refused to be moved, after nearly 2 hours it remains still not fixed on the lounge floor~well tomorrow is another day and all that jazz.

Bedtime has rolled around in a flash and I am hopeful for some sleep, as much as I am rocking the bags big enough to get a months worth of shopping in underneath my eyes, a good snooze would be much appreciated.
Well one can dream or not as the case may be! ❤ x

#MeatMatters Challenge

~ Natalie Tyler ~ 1 Comment

This week in the crazy household we have taken part in the #MeatMatters challenge.

We have made two quick and easy dishes using Lamb and Beef,both of which are naturally rich in protein.

Lamb provides 4 essential vitamins that help reduce tiredness and fatigue~something I think is helpful for everyone with the busy lives we lead today.

Beef provides eight essential vitamins and minerals which support good health and well being, another bonus and a great reason to try new recipes to entice the whole family.

First up we made Beef Quesadilla’s

You will need~

*Soft tortilla wraps

*Beef strips

*Red and green peppers

*Mushrooms

*Onions

*Cheese~thinly sliced.

Firstly gently brown the onions,peppers and mushrooms in a pan, then add the beef strips and cook until thoroughly cooked. Line another frying pan with a soft tortilla wrap, add the beef and vegetables, cover those with the sliced cheese and top with another soft tortilla wrap. Press down gently and heat lightly until the cheese starts to melt and seals the wraps. Turn the wraps and once lightly browned on each side, remove and cut into quarters, serve with salad or sides of your choice.

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Now for the lamb, I decided to go for a twist on a classic dish and made Chilli Shepherds pie.

You will need~

*Lamb Mince

*Onions

*Baked Beans

*Fresh Chillies

*Chopped tomatoes

*Potatoes (butter and milk for mashing)

Peel and chop the potatoes, put on to boil whilst the lamb is cooking.

Gently cook the onions until softened and add the chillies and lamb mince.

Cook until thoroughly cooked, add the beans and tomatoes, stirring well.

Remove the cooked lamb and place into an oven proof dish. Mash the potatoes with the butter and milk then cover the mince and pop under the grill for 5~10mins until golden brown.

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There you have it two quick, easy and tasty meals providing various vitamins and minerals for you and your family including~Vitamins b6 and b12, pantothenic acid,niacin and zinc.

Enjoy.❤x

*This post is an entry for the #MeatMatters challenge sponsored by simply Beef and lamb*

Parent life

~ Natalie Tyler ~ 2 Comments

When you confiscate the teenagers phone and get constantly reminded by them that you have done so!

So far the conversations are going some thing like this~

‘What time do you finish your club after school?’
‘ Well it should be about 4.30pm but might be earlier or later, obviously I won’t be able to let you know as I don’t have my phone.’

‘ What time is Dad picking you up later?
He said he would text me and let me know but obviously I haven’t had my phone so…..’

So far this is my personal favourite ‘Have you done your revision for your test?’
‘No because EVERYTHING I need for that is on my phone which I don’t have.
Oh ok and you have no other means of getting the information that you need?’ ‘No of course not!’
‘No worries then I will just phone the school and explain the situation about you being phoneless and why you are in fact without said phone and maybe your teacher could help you??’

‘Urgh Muuuummmmmm!!!! Its fine I will manage!’

Funny that I thought you might.
Teenagers hey.❤ x

Chocolate Thursday’s

~ Natalie Tyler ~ Leave a comment

You may recall our famous chocolate fridays~well may I now introduce you to chocolate thursday. Every thursday I collect the smallest members of the crazy gang from school and buy chocolate for all the kids (the biggest child included too hee hee).

I however have re~embarked on my weight watchers journey so treated myself to some more daffodils~don’t worry I realise I can’t eat them instead!
We also managed to grab a coffee this morning and mine looked pretty cool. ❤x

Grief

~ Natalie Tyler ~ Leave a comment

Grief~a small word with a huge meaning. It rocks up uninvited, makes itself at home and before you know it, its joining you each and every day.

Where you go, it goes.

Its like a constant shadow, always there, sometimes its quiet and gentle, other times it leaps up and slaps you in the face, catching you unaware.

It brings tears~ sometimes of happiness as it reminds you of the good times and sometimes of sadness as you ache for those things you will never have, see or do again.

They say that to grieve means you have loved and felt love that’s why it hurts so much.

Much like the sea, the waves of grief ebb and flow, back and forth,up and down. Good days and harder days.

Grief is here to stay, however it will never take away the love and memories that will live on to be cherished forever.❤x

Thoughtful

~ Natalie Tyler ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes its the little things in life, a hot coffee whilst everyone else is sleeping, sitting by the window watching the rain drops falling against the window, bright flowers just starting to bloom. Sometimes things seem so big that we can’t appreciate anything big or small,we simply can’t see them because our eyes are blurred and our minds are full.
Sometimes we need to sit back and focus on the good because luckily life really is full of lots of good which do outweigh the bad.
Happy Sunday everyone.❤ x