Monster Spray

I won this on a Facebook competition

Hi!

I wasn't afraid of monsters when I was a child. The word "monster" probably wasn't even in my vocabulary. I was much more concerned about an imaginary rat or hand grabbing my ankle if I let my foot dangle over the edge of my cast-iron bed at night. I don't think I ever gave much thought to what may be attached to the hand, but I would have loved this.

This is a 250ml bottle of anti-monster spray. Or, lavender-scented water. It promises to put children at ease if they have a fear of "monsters, ghosts and spiders". This worked amazingly well with my son when he was 4 - some people have argued that by pretending to use monster repellant, you're actively confirming the existence of monsters. Not so - this is a product specifically brilliant for children between the ages of 2 and 4, where their imaginations should be encouraged, not stifled. No way was I going to tell my son that monsters simply didn't exist - I told him that there was no way that any monsters could come into the house, and that if he was still worried, that we'd use this spray to keep them out. It worked like a charm - I only had to use it a few times over the space of a few months. He's 6 now and when he saw this today, he said "anti-monster spray? That's stupid, there's no such thing as monsters." So, rest assured, using this will not turn your child into a paranoid nut who worries about what's lurking in the shadows. I think it's a fantastic little product and one that should be encouraged - anything that helps a young child get a good nights sleep in their own room in the dark is fantastic in my book.

There are many variations of this - and you can easily make your own by washing out a spray bottle, filling with water, and adding a couple of drops of lavender/eucalyptus oil. A few squirts in the corner will get rid of any "nasties" and also leave the room smelling fragrant, without chemicals. This one also sports a glow-in-the-dark label, so it can be seen easily in the dark by a child. Yet another little tool to help parents without having to leave the lights on at night.

You can buy it on Amazon or make your own.

Sharon x

My Potato Fritters

Last Saturday, my son wanted hash browns for his tea. I didn't have any, so I decided to have a go at making my own. Here's the result - they definitely turned out as fritters rather than hash browns, but he ate them - which is always good.

If you've read my 100 Things About Me post, then you'll know that one of the things on there is that I don't like to measure ingredients. I've no idea why - I've always just kinda estimated the amounts, and unless it's pastry, I won't bother digging the scales out. I think this is fairly accurate - there are loads of recipes out there, I just winged this one, so feel free to look up a proper one. But I promise, I ate one of these too and I'm still alive.

Ingredients:

2-3 potatoes, peeled

3-4 tablespoons of plain flour

1 egg, beaten

1 onion, chopped

Salt and Pepper (pinch of each)

Oil

Method:

Add the oil to a clean frying pan and heat it.

Grate the potatoes, put them in a colander and squeeze out all liquid.

Put the grated potatoes in a bowl, add the onion, egg, salt, pepper and flour.

Take a small scoop of the mix and shape into a patty (mine are a bit thick - you may want to flatten yours down a bit so that they cook quicker).

Fry in the oil and turn until both sides are golden brown.

Eat them.

Fairly straightforward, nay? These go particularly well with a sausage, a lump of white pudding, and a nice runny fried egg. Yummy. Enjoy!

100 Things About Me

Here are 100 things about me. These should make you understand a little more about what kind of person I am, and let you see if we have anything in common! If you want me to elaborate on any fact, just shout. Enjoy!

1. I was born in Co. Galway, Ireland.
2. My sister is the only person in the entire world who I can say just a single word to and she'll know exactly what I mean.
3. My first dog saved my life.
4. I could spend hours looking around cluttered little second-hand shops.
5. My earliest memory is breaking my Nana's favourite porridge bowl. It was blue and white.
6. My Nana died in 1999 and I still think of something I need to tell her every day.
7. I had an imaginary friend called Belinda, who lived in our lane.
8. Sometimes I look people up on Facebook & I'm a bit jealous that they all stayed in touch.
9. My favourite colour is purple.
10. I pretend I hate my hair but it's wild and I love it.
11. I love that my name means "princess".
12. My Dad passed away when he was 49 from cancer.
13. I'm a mother.
14. I absolutely hate being proven wrong, and have been known to ramble for ages in order to justify why me being wrong, is completely wrong.
15. I'm allergic to whatever they cover the chicken with in KFC.
16. I have the worlds hardest skin on my feet, which I like to pick.
17. When I was little I used to cover my hands in glue just so I could pick it off.
18. I love cross stitching, and have been doing it since I was 15. But I can't do ordinary sewing to save my life.
19. I really, really miss the 1990s.
20. Whenever I'm home alone, I sing like hell.
21. And I pretend the sweeping brush is a microphone stand.
22. I have a slight (ok, more than slight) list-making addiction.
23. I have a very sensitive gag reflex. I once puked when someone farted.
24. I have very vivid dreams and I always remember them. Sometimes I write them down.
25. My heart thumps like crazy whenever I have to make an official phone call.
26. Sometimes if someone comes to my house and I don't feel like talking, I hide.
27. My favourite smell is almond & brazil nut body wash.
28. I love Christmas, but not as much as I love Halloween.
29. I was obsessed with witchcraft and spells and once swore blind I made it rain.
30. I can eat a bag of pistachios without pausing.
31. My favourite beer is Heineken.
32. I once spent a summer translating Shakespeare into "normal" English.
33. My favourite film is "A Night at the Roxbury".
34. I wear glasses when I watch TV, otherwise everyone has the same face.
35. If I had one wish, it'd be a full set of veneers.
36. I have my ears pierced in 7 places.
37. I never have the guts to wear all 7 anymore.
38. I love nail polish. But I always pick it off.
39. I would love to be a photographer, but I don't enjoy photographing people.
40. I have a fake front tooth due to a bike fall.
41. I never had a boyfriend at school.
42. My favourite song is "Fisherman's Blues" by The Waterboys.
43. I really want to see the Northern Lights.
44. Sometimes I ask my son if he wants to colour because I want to.
45. I believe in karma.
46. I secretly love reality TV shows.
47. I once caught my thumb in a door and ripped the nail off.
48. I never, ever iron anything unless my other half needs a shirt done.
49. I sometimes rubbed aftershave samples on my pillow at college.
50. Sometimes I research historical events and write essays about them for fun.
51. I'm addicted to buying Yankee Candles.
52. I feel awkward whenever anyone gives me a present.
53. I used to watch Batman cartoons and hope Batman would die.
54. I could look at the stars forever.
55. I love all kinds of crafting.
56. I have fairy lights in the kitchen all year round.
57. I'm a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan.
58. I've been with my lovely other half for almost 8 years.
59. I want to get married, but not in a church.
60. I could live on Tacos. I once (disgustingly) ate 12.
61. My favourite coffee is Kenco (blue).
62. I'm a member of a paid survey site.
63. I collect Nemesis Now figurines.
64. I can't write with blue pen.
65. I speak to my mother every day.
66. I wish I'd taken better care of my toys and books.
67. Until I had my son, I couldn't sleep at night without music.
68. I despise wearing socks, I'd go barefoot 24/7 if I could.
69. I collected stamps as a child.
70. When I was little I did a test and my score was the highest in the entire province.
71. I had a very dark gothic/emo phase aged 17.
72. I used to play GTA: Vice City for 24-36 hours at a time.
73. I once fell down a stairs and fractured my ankle in 3 places.
74. Going to the library was the highlight of my week as a child.
75. I like medical dramas.
76. My favourite Halloween movie is "Hocus Pocus".
77. I burn a lot of incense.
78. I love when the postman has mail for me. Even junk.
79. If I could, I'd sleep all day and stay up all night.
80. I love doing jigsaw puzzles.
81. I despise sudoko/sudoku/sudoku/ WHATEVER. That.
82. I listened to Atlantic 252.
83. I could have done so much better in secondary school if I wasn't so stubborn and afraid to succeed.
84. I have green eyes.
85. I hate chocolate, but I'd quite happily live on crisps.
86. Sometimes I pretend I'm the lead singer of a rock band.
87. I'm terrified of a house fire.
88. I always chew 3 pieces of gum at a time.
89. I love cooking but recipes rarely turn out as intended. I have a bit of an aversion to measuring, which doesn't help.
90. I am addicted to buying DVDs. Sometimes I don't even watch them.
91. When I was little I wanted to be a forensic scientist/teacher/mortician.
92. I talk to myself a lot. Out loud.
93. I have to have an ice-cold pillow or I can't sleep.
94. I once pretended to be pregnant to skip a toilet queue.
95. I used to make and sell friendship bracelets at school.
96. I really want a jukebox.
97. I once did a ouija board with friends. Never, ever again.
98. I can't sleep if the wardrobe door is left open.
99. Ventriloquist dummies scare the living bejaysus out of me.
100. I don't believe in ghosts but love ghost stories.

So there you go. Stick around if you'd like to chat with me about anything and everything, and please comment - it's nice to know that someone reads my stuff.

S xxx