Us Two Plus You

 Halloween is going to be very different this year, things are going to feel more secluded and some big traditions are just a straight up no-go for so many. I know for us it will be a new experience for sure, we usually celebrate with lots of local events and a spot of trick or treating on Halloween night. All of which is totally cancelled so I wanted to do something different for the children this year, especially since they are already excited. 

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking about ways I can add to Halloween but still be safe and make it 2020 friendly? Now that it's under three weeks away I thought it would be nice to share some of the fun activities I created. The first of which is wicked witches hat ring toss, a fun game to play, this would be a perfect night time game as it uses glow sticks!

To create your own wicked witches hat ring toss you will need:

• Black card
• Witches hat PDF Templates
• Coloured card and/or coloured foam
• Scissors
• Glue Gun
• Extra Glue sticks for glue gun
• 1 pack of bendable glow sticks

1. Take your templates and cut out the biggest circle and semicircle piece. You will need to cut two of each piece from your black card. This should use 3 A4 sheets of black card. Position the circles to one end of the card to allow space for the smallest circles later. 
2. Cut around the second circle and semi circle pieces in your template. Again you will need two of each piece and this will be another two pieces of card. You should be able to get a circle and semicircle from each A4 sheet.
3. The final cut out are the smallest circle and semicircle in your template. Cut four of each piece for these instead of two. Cut the circles out of the card leftover from step 1. The semi circles can be cut from a new sheet of card. 
4. Now that you have all your pieces cut out it will be time for assembly. Take each circle and pair it with one semi circle. Starting with your semicircle you need to glue along the tabs, attach to the other side of the semicircle to make a cone shape.
5. Add glue all around the rim of the cone (be as close to the edge as you can) and press onto the matching circle. 
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each witches hat.     

 Every year on Halloween we create a little tea party type dinner with lots of spooky themed treats, yummy savory bite and we usually spend the days leading up to it making everything together. This year won't be any different other than the fact it falls on movie night! However this year will see us use one of my own Halloween themed creations to add to our tea party. 

I'm using my go to recipe for shortbread, I don't think this recipe came from anywhere in particular it is just a basic 3-2-1 recipe that I adjust depending on how much we want to make at the time. With the shortbread recipe I made our very own pumpkin jammie dodgers and they are so simple, not to mention adorable!

You will need: 

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups of plain flour
• 1 cup of butter 
• 1/2 cup of caster sugar
• Jam (any flavour) 
• extra flour for rolling

• Mixing bowl
• Baking paper
• Rolling pin
• pumpkin shaped cookie cutter 
• Small cookie cutters for faces (a knife works fine too)
• 2 trays for baking
• Measuring cups

1. Preheat your oven to 180oC. Line your baking trays with baking paper. 
2. Once you have all your ingredients measured out you can combine the sugar and butter in a bowl and mix until combined. 
3. Add in the flour in several parts ensuring you mix well between each addition. Towards the end of the flour your dough will come together and may be easier to handle with your hands.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
   
   
   
4. Sprinkle some flour on your surface and roll out your dough to about 0.5-1 cm thick. Cut out pumpkin shapes using the cookie cutter and place on the trays.
5. Combine all the leftover dough together and repeat the last step until there is no dough left. You should have two separate trays with even numbers on each. Our dough gave us about 26 pumpkin shapes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
   
   
   
6. Place one tray in the oven to cook for around 12-15 minutes. These will become the back piece for the jammy dodgers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
   
   
   
7. Meanwhile you can use your cookie cutters or knife to cut out faces or words/ shapes in the remaining pumpkins. I used a knife as our mini cookie cutters hadn't arrived in time. You'll notice there are also a few ghost shapes in our photos, you can make them any shape you like!
8. Once you have the faces or shapes cut out you will be ready to bake this last set, be aware these will take less time than the previous set. Our took around 8-10 minutes to go golden brown.                                                                                                                                                                                                                
   
   
   
9. Allow all the shortbread biscuits to cool fully. I added some lustre dusting in an edible gold spray to some of our pumpkins to give them a bit of fun colour and shine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
   
   
   
10. Finally you need to start sandwiching together a back and front with your chosen jam. I went with strawberry jam as it's the favourite in our house and it's the classic jammy dodger flavour. 

You knew, you've known for a while. It's cancer, your dying and you never thought I deserved to know, to hear it from you. You have 6 months left, or that is their guess but you don't want to see me and that hurts in my chest.

What you don't realise is that you mean so much to me, your like a father to me. It's been a while but I think about you often and wonder if you still smile. Do you remember my children? You've only met one and they won't know the man that you are. They won't see who you once where. They won't remember you holding their hand or you running around to catch them and make them laugh like you did with us. They won't see you smile or laugh or even frown. They won't know that you cared or loved them. They won't know who you where.

You taught me how to tie my shoes and you helped me up when I couldn't be me. You built me up when others tore me down and you loved me without need for love in return. You protected me when you needed to, you steered me right and you felt like a friend, there to listen and offer your advice, never to judge or look down upon my choices. You cared and you listened, you helped and just been there. How can I just forget that your there. Just a few miles away and I can't just come, just give you a hug and tell you just how much you are loved.

I watched you get married and smile and love. I watched you live and now I don't get to say goodbye. It's not something your giving to me and I understand it's your wish but I wish it wasn't true. My heart hurts when I think about you not being here. You'll never be there to give me away. You'll never watch as my children grow and learn. You won't know who I become or where I'll end up and I miss you for that.

You won't be here for Christmas nor will you see another birthday. It's oh so close now but just so far away. You have weeks now, not months and I can't breathe when I think about a world where you don't exist.

 *AD - The product featured in this post have been gifted for this giveaway.*

To help us celebrate six years of blogging at Us Two Plus You I have been running several giveaways across the blog and on our social media channels in the last week. Today we are continuing the celebrations by joining up with ModiBodi! Which works out to be perfectly timed with World Environmenstrual Week.

If you have never heard of ModiBodi before they are an underwear brand from Australia with a bit of a difference. ModiBodi create beautiful, comfortable underwear that is made to fit all women of every shape and size, oh and they are made to be period, perspiration and pee proof! They even make swimwear, so you are covered for every need. 

The founder of ModiBodi, Kirsty Chong has spent years making incredible technology like the patented Modifier Technology™ which is used in the ModiBodi underwear range. Her journey started after she had her second child and dealt with pelvic floor issues. It was then that she realised our underwear hasn't changed even though we have made significant advancements in the technology available. This Modifier Technology™ brings women around the world a whole range of leak-proof underwear that is comfortable, lightweight and even looks fantastic on. What more could we want? 

In the UK ModiBodi offers a wide selection of underwear and Swimwear with 16 different styles available. The range covers everything from underwear that is moisture wicking and perfect for exercising in right through to maternity underwear to see us through the challenging changes that brings our bodies. In fact they even have a leak-proof breastfeeding top for when baby arrives and our bodies change all over again.

Today I am going to focus on their underpants range, I think this is the biggest range they do and it covers you for everything from light spotting and discharge to heavy periods or pelvic floor issues. You won't miss out on having your favourite style of underwear to enjoy either since the ModiBodi range has seven styles available including a thong that is suitable for occasional discharge and period spotting which is considered to be super light on the ModiBodi flow ratings. 

The other six styles cover a range of the available flow ratings from moisture wicking for exercising in through to moderate to heavy which is perfect for heavy periods and discharge or light bladder leaks. Some of the styles even offer a sensual or seam free option which means you can enjoy your favourite underwear without restricting your wardrobe choices!

The other six styles you can get at ModiBodi are listed below with their available flow rating alongside. 

Brief: moisture wicking, light-moderate.

Boyshort: moderate-heavy, heavy-overnight.

Boyleg: moisture wicking, light-moderate, moderate-heavy.

Full brief: light-moderate, moderate-heavy, heavy-overnight.

Bikini: moisture wicking, light-moderate, moderate-heavy, heavy-overnight, maxi-24 hours.

Hi-waist bikini: light-moderate, heavy-overnight, maxi-24 hours.

The range doesn't just stop at different styles being available, many of the underpants in the ModiBodi range comes in a variety of colours too. Being able to choose underpants colour is both fun and practical. I know I love having my underwear be fun colours instead of just black so the ability to choose the colour while benefiting from the technology of ModiBodi underwear is a big plus for me!

So why would you decide to change from what you use now to ModiBodi underpants? 

Honestly they are better for everyone, firstly the impact on the environment from disposable products for periods, discharge and pelvic floor issues is huge. Inside disposable pads you will find up to 90% of the materials are plastic! Even tampons contain plastic without considering the plastics they are wrapped in or the plastic applicators on tampons. By deciding to change from disposable pads to ModiBodi's reusable underpants you will be saving plastic from entering the ecosystem. Not to mention the savings you will make from not having to keep purchasing all the disposable products that currently take up space in your bathroom. 

Another question you might ask is 'isn't it hard to keep up with the washing and upkeep?' 

The answer is no! You don't need to washing your ModiBodi underwear in any special way to benefit. You shouldn't use fabric softener and they should be in an underwear bag in your washing machine to give them a long life of use. However those should be included in your normal underwear washing! The only difference with using ModiBodi underpants is that you should rinse them when you take them off in cold water until the water runs clear. This helps them last longer and prevents staining. It's actually just as easy as it sounds and is really a matter of a routine when you start wearing them ! 

You can purchase the whole range of ModiBodi underpants on their site with prices starting at just £14.50 up to £25. 

Now for the giveaway.

ModiBodi are giving our readers the chance to win two pairs of their underpants in your size! To enter you can fill in the Gleam form below.

Win two pairs of ModiBodi Underpants 

Terms and Conditions:

• Entrants must be aged 18 years or over.
  
• Competition is open to UK residents only.
• Entry into this competition confirms your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions
• The winners will be selected at random from all the correct entries received before the closing date and time.
• All prizes must be accepted as offered. There can be no alternative awards, cash or otherwise. 
• There will be one winner.
• The underpants styles will be chosen at random from those available in stock on ModiBodi when the winner is announced and details have been confirmed. 
• The winner can choose their prefered size from those available on ModiBodi.

 *AD - The product featured in this post has been gifted for the giveaway*

To continue on the Blog anniversary celebrations I have joined up with BadmintonHQ to give our readers the chance to win a Victor Badminton longsleeve in Blue Melange. It is a perfect top to wear for badminton and many other sports now it's getting colder.

BadmintonHQ is an online shop that specialises in badminton equipment. BadmintonHQ was started by David Tuttlebee when he got frustrated about a lack of information and unavailability of a badminton racket he was trying to buy for a friend back in 2018. He decided he wanted to change things and in January 2019 he signed a deal with Niel Tiger (a former International badminton player) and Westgate badminton centre in Hampshire. The deal wase create the UK's biggest racket demo centre while providing all the information a player will need to decide on a racket purchase. In August of 2019 the online store BadmintonHQ was launched to provide players both new and experienced a trusted place to buy all their equipment and more at the best price. 

One of the products available on BadmintonHQ is the Victor Badminton Longsleeve, available in Blue Melange. A long sleeved sports top  that is designed with sports and exercise in mind. The Victor Badminton Longsleeve is made of a spandex material that is lightweight without compromising on comfort or movement while exercising and playing sports. As you can see the Victor Badminton Longsleeve features a quarter zip on the front to ensure ease of use when putting on or taking off this pullover style top.

The Victor Badminton Longsleeve also includes an inner fleece membrane which works to keep your warmth close to your body. This design makes it perfect for autumn when you want something a little warmer for exercising/ playing sports in. The even better news is that there is a good range of sizing with sizes XS to L currently available.

You can purchase the Victor Badminton Longsleeve in Blue Melange from £35.95 on BadmintonHQ

Now for the giveaway! 

To enter our giveaway with BadmintonHQ to win a Victor Badminton Longsleeve in Blue Melange you can use the Gleam entry form below. 

Good Luck! 

Win a Victor Badminton Longsleeve in Blue Melange 

• Entrants must be aged 18 years or over.
  
• Competition is open to UK residents only.
• Entry into this competition confirms your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions
• The winners will be selected at random from all the correct entries received before the closing date and time.
• All prizes must be accepted as offered. There can be no alternative awards, cash or otherwise.  
• The winner can choose their prefered size from those available on BadmintonHQ
• There will be one winner 

Since it's October and we've already changed all of our books over to the Halloween selection a few weeks ago I thought it would be nice to share the favourite so far! Usually I would share last months favourite but it would mean the next few months books would come after each holiday so I'll share these a little differently. 

It's hard to believe it has been six whole years since I first sat down and made the decision to start a blog. I started writing Us Two Plus You back when Dylan was small to help those people in our family who live too far to visit often stay up to date on our lives. Over the last six years that has totally transformed into a little slice of the web where I share our lives, advice, fun activities and so much more. I didn't really imagine we'd be here six years later but here we are and I absolutely love writing, a new development since I was awful at English lessons at school!

I have no idea where Us Two Plus You will take me. I have some ideas on things that I want to start sharing more about and that will be a goal for me to start doing over the end of the year and the beginning of next. For now I have lots of fun Halloween and Christmas, yes I said the dreaded C word but I'm really excited about it!

For now though we'd best get onto the celebration part of hitting 6 years of blogging! This week will hold a whole host of giveaways that I have planned, some have been a collaboration with brands while others are just from me. The first giveaway is included in the post but over the next few days there will be more. Some will be here on the blog while others are going to be hosted on our social media channels so be sure to head over and check them out. (click the icons in the side bar along the side of this post.)

 I'm starting off with a small but a fun giveaway, I have a box of Zimpli Kids Slime Play in green to giveaway to one of our readers. We've had lots of fun with slime play before but I have to say it's one of the products I always keep around for quite rainy days at home. It's very versatile and offers a great sensory play activity for fun or even for learning.

You can get involved and enter the first giveaway using the Gleam entry form below. 

Win a pack of Zimpli Kids Slime Play in green.

 It's October which can only mean that Halloween is on our minds. This year is certainly different to normal and we'll be spending much more of the holiday at home. I think for many families celebrating will be very different and I wanted to create a fun activity style felt set for this month. I decided to create a pumpkin felt set that has interchangeable face pieces for children to create their own pumpkins.

It's a really simple set but with Halloween quickly coming up I wanted to create a set the easy to make, fun to play with and something smaller children could enjoy as well as older children too. 

To create the set you will need:

• Pumpkin faces felt set PDF printed off (small or large)
• Orange, yellow, green and white or brown felt
• Scissors
• Glue gun

Once you have decided you will need to print the PDF off (download using the link above) and cut out each of the pieces. Take the template pieces and place on top of your felt, do this one piece at a time to cut it out, be mindful of what pieces you can cut close together. I cut the pumpkin out of the orange, a leaf out of green and cut the pumpkin stem and the lines in the pumpkin from brown and then I cut all the face pieces from two colours, I did yellow and white for the small pumpkin shape and then I cut the large pumpkin face pieces from both yellow and brown. 

I would say I prefer the brown and yellow combo, they make for good shadowing, they can also be used as a non lit pumpkin face and one that is lit up. 

Once you have all your pieces cut out and ready you need to get the pumpkin shape, leaf, stem and the lines for the pumpkin together. Use your hot glue gun to stick each piece in place. I decided I wasn't as big a fan of the pumpkin lines as I hoped and I glued them on the side with the stem and leaf to enable the other side to be plain. Scarlet seems to prefer playing with that side too. 

When you have finished gluing the pieces on your all done and ready to play! Pair it up with a felt board and get creating. 

 It's October! This time of year is my favourite, I enjoy spring and summer but for me the run up to Halloween and Christmas is what I love. We've already started getting into the Halloween spirit with movies, decorations and even our bookcase has made the switch to be more spooky!

With Halloween comes the beginning of Autumn, there's a nice chill in the air that makes you want to cuddle up under a blanket with a hot drink and the beautiful colours of nature appear. For children there comes the promise of rain, much more than we have in summer and with rain comes puddles. I don't know about your children but for mine puddle jumping is a sport of which they adore! 

As I had said last week when I talked about exploring nature and getting outside I have prepared for autumn and every one of us has wellington boots while all three children have waterproof clothing for when it's wet. You can bet that the minute it rained enough to leave giant puddles we had to head out and enjoy splashing around! 

We found a quite street in the area with an enormous puddle which everyone enjoyed splashing around in. Scarlet and Dylan both ran around for about 20 minutes before we convinced them it really was home time. Simon and I had even joined in, I can't say it is something we have done since we were children but it was fun! We also Avery played in smaller puddles along the way, even if I'd lost one of his wellington boots and he had to wear Scarlet's old ones!

We've already had requests from Dylan and Scarlet to go out in the rain to the park! Which is obviously a fantastic idea and once my waterproof coat arrives will be our next rainy day adventure. Perhaps we'll even bring some coffee in a flask for me and Simon since we can't join in with that one.

Do you get out and go puddle jumping in autumn?

We are again joining in with The Ordinary Moments link up, be sure to head over and check out the other bloggers joining in.