This Christmas day we had a little surprise.

We had a beautiful blue parakeet that around three months ago disappeared from the cage where it was living with a yellow parakeet. He escaped from the cage through a small space it had.

The day it disappeared was quite sad for my kids because it was a parakeet that was born and raised in our house. Usually this type of bird do not return home and some even die because they are not capable to survive in the wild.

On Christmas day my husband was preparing to leave the house to buy some fresh bread when he noticed a parakeet on the parking lot. It was our parakeet that had disappeared three months ago. After running after it for several minutes he was able to grab it on his hands and brought it home. It really was our parakeet.

We were all super excited with this finding. The parakeet was starving. He has some wounds on the paws, was a little shaken but overall he was fine.

He is now back to his cage, in fact, to a new cage because we offered out parakeets a new cage for Christmas. We have now four parakeets in a big cage with a nest attached. We are hoping to increase the parakeet family with new members.

Cancer cases are increasing everyday but fortunately the number of cured cases is also increasing.

There are many successful cases of people that survived cancer. They usually receive a lot of support from family, friends, doctors, and nurses. Sometimes even from strangers that were in the same situation somewhere in their life.

Thanking those that somehow helped cancer patients throughout the whole process of treatments and recovery can be a tough journey since there are usually so many people to thank.

Macmillan Cancer Support launched a project called Biggest Thank You microsite in which people can leave their thank you’s to those that were supportive during the disease phase.

To celebrate the centenary of the Macmillan Cancer Support, they launched a 1min 41secs film where six people that suffered from cancer hear to the thanks from other people.

If you were or are a cancer patient head to the Biggest Thank You microsite and thank those that are being supportive to you or were in the past. You can touch the heart of those that also touched yours.

This post is sponsored by Macmillan.

For the first time we (the family) decided to spend two days away from home and stay in a hotel. I know this is common for most people but, the truth is, we never stayed in a hotel in long years. The only time we spent a few nights in a hotel my son was three therefore my daughter was not even born.

Starting from the beginning
My kids never saw real snow. We live in a zone of the country where it never snows. We have visited in the past villages that were built with artificial snow just for the purpose of Christmas holidays but that’s not the same thing as it is to see real snow.

For a long time my kids have been asking to visit Serra da Estrela, which is a mountain where, during winter, we can find snow. This holiday we decided to grant them the wish and we decided to go to the snow.

Where is the snow
The weather has been quite enjoyable but I believed we could find some snow in the mountain. I phoned a local Tourism center and what I heard was not what I expected. There was no snow in the mountain, and no snow in the surrounding areas. However we could find artificial snow in there.

I must confess that I was quite disappointed and wanted to quit the trip. We would be spending money on a trip when out main goal would not be meet.

Managing kids
We were into deep with this trip. My kids were too excited, too anxious and they wanted to go. In fact they weren’t worried about not seeing snow, they wanted to go because it was a family trip to a distance place and, they would be staying in a hotel. They were too thrilled with the hotel idea. I couldn’t convince them to postpone the trip.

Let’s go
We prepared clothes for two days. We prepared heavy clothes for the cold. We prepared gloves and knit hats. We were ready for the snow even a small piece of snow.

Arriving
After three hours driving we arrived at a beautiful, shinny place. The mountain. Serra da Estrela. We could find melting ice on the way and my kids were thrilled with it. Every piece of ice was like a treasure they were finding.

When we arrived at the top of the mountain we were able to play with artificial snow. This artificial snow is made with canons and it is very similar to real snow. My kids were thrilled with it. They made snowmen, we threw balls at each other. It was quite amazing.

Arriving at the hotel
In the afternoon we arrived at the hotel and that was a terrific moment for them. Being in a hotel for the first time.

The hotel is a resort one, with four stars. We found a huge family room. We found a hot water swimming pool. Jacuzzi. Sauna. Turk bath.We found an amazing place where we would stay one night. Of course we took advantage of those facilities for the rest of the afternoon and until dinner time.

Next day
The next day my kids decided they wanted to stay in the hotel. Going to the mountain was not a priority. They wanted to take advantage of the hotel luxury. And…we let them. Until it was time to leave. And we were back to reality again.

Christmas gift
I can realize now that, what we are missing because of lack of money is huge. People that are financially well and can travel whenever they want have at their disposal resources we can’t have.

My kids are so happy with this Christmas gift. Yes, it was like a Christmas gift. Now they can’t say they never stayed in a hotel. Snow will have to wait for another trip.

From time to time I consider myself a disaster in the kitchen. Not a disaster from unsuccessful meals but a disaster for lack of cooking ideas.

Christmas holidays is the time of the year when my kids are on holidays, therefore full time at home. I have to cook two main meals a day and they like to eat what they hear that it’s common for this holiday. Special meals, special desserts, special snacks, all according to the traditional dishes for the season.

This is the time to search cookbooks, cook blogs and other cooking sources. However it is wonderful when we can gather as many information as possible on the same spot. And that is what Tesco Real Christmas have set up…a Christmas Zone.

Christmas Zone is the right place for us to go to find all the information regarding how to make a Christmas dinner without too much thinking. Here you search for recipes, cocktails and can even search for a turkey timer. All the things you need to make your Christmas dinner go smoothly and untroubled can be found  in the Christmas Zone.

In the Christmas Zone you can also find videos that help you out make some recipes. Here is an example:

Making Christmas diner or other meals during the holiday season was never so easy. Take advantage of the Tesco Real Christmas recently set up Christmas Zone and enjoy your Christmas to the fullest.

This post is sponsored by Tesco. All opinions are 100% mine.

While going back to college after an absence of several years to raise a family can be a highly rewarding experience, it will also come with its share of challenges. Time is already limited between work, kids, laundry and meals so that the idea of finding an opportunity to study may seem laughable. It will take planning and organization, but that college career is there for the taking as is the better future it could provide.

Juggling responsibilities

There are a multitude of issues that will need to be straightened out ahead of time in order to make a smooth transition to college. Preplanning will reduce stress levels later.

*Daycare – Unless the children are old enough to care for themselves, a reliable babysitter or daycare center will need to be found. There may already be one if the parent is working, but either their hours will need to be expanded or an additional one may be needed.

*Get support – Talk to a close circle of friends who may be able to help out whenever needed, particularly with watching the kids or picking them up. If a friend or relative is willing to watch the children for free that will lower some of the additional expense. College is expensive enough, paying extra money for daycare will only add to it.

*Studying – Realize there may be no set time to study and it will have to happen whenever an opportunity presents itself. If children are young, they will need their mother’s attention while awake and mom won’t want to miss those family moments for the sake of hitting the books. Instead, study during lunch breaks at work or after the children have gone to bed for the night. If they are a little older and have their own homework, set up a study hour in which everybody does their own assignments.

*Get organized – Use a calendar to mark all the important dates coming up, from exams and homework assignments to any after school activities the children might have. It could also include chore assignments for the rest of the family. Having important dates listed in one place will save time and not clutter the mind.

Paying for it

Tuition at colleges and universities is rising faster than inflation and shows little sign of slowing down. There is some help to be had, though.

*Grants – A variety of government education grants are available for parents going back to school, especially women. The federal government has some available in hopes of encouraging women to study fields that have been historically dominated by men.

*Finances – Look at the household budget and determine how much will be available for tuition, books and other supplies. See if there are expenses that can be cut to help pay for them.

Going back to school provides many challenges but the rewards can be just as numerous. The most important step is to believe it can be done and then plan for it to happen.

This is a guest post from Christina Lloyd, who believes time management, forward planning and teamwork are essential for moms returning to education. She writes for a site that has advice on women back to school grants and other sources of financial aid.

Here I am again participating on the Piquing My Pinterest from Tina Gray {dot} Me blog. Every Sunday people join this linky and share the best Pins of the week.

This week I’m going to share Yummy Food. There so wonderful pins of look-so-yummy-food that I can’t resist to post some.