Penny Loaf Day

Today is Penny Loaf Day. This holiday originated in the 17th century in Newark, Nottingham, when a man named Hercules Clay dreamt for three nights in a row that his house would burn down. He moved his family out on March 11th and shortly thereafter, his house was burned down during the English Civil War. To give thanks for his unbelievable luck, he created a fund of £100 to buy Penny Loaves of bread, boots and shoes for the poor each year on the 11th of March. To get the bread, the poor had to listen to a sermon first. Although the funds are gone to give bread today, the sermon is still delivered in Newark.

To celebrate, watch a video on making bread and then try some of these family-friendly bread recipes . In the spirit of the day, make an extra loaf of bread and donate it to a local shelter. Older children can make bread dough beads and talk about how grains keep us healthy, while younger children can play with bread themed items in a sensory table or tub, such as oats, corn, barley, measuring cups, funnels and spoons or play Bread Basket Upset.

Image Credit: (Moonimama's Memoirs)

February Sunday Lunch

It is time for our monthly Brit family Sunday Lunch! We will be meeting on Sunday, February 28th - the whole family is welcome. For location and additional information, visit our group page. If you are not a member and would like to join, please send an email to the address on the right hand side of the page. Looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting some new families!

January Family Outing

It has been a busy few weeks, and I apologize for not posting much!

Please join us this Sunday, January 24th for our monthly Family Outing. Bring the entire family and meet for some food and conversation. For location and additional information, visit our group page. If you are not a member and would like to join, please send an email to the address on the right hand side of the page. Looking forward to seeing everyone and meeting some new families!

US and British Husbands the Most Likely to Help Around the House

Well, some good news! Recent news reports that a survey by Dr. Almudena Sevilla-Sanz of Oxford found that men in Norway, Sweden, Great Britian, the United States and Northen Ireland are the most likely to do household chores. The author contributes this to the fact that these countries are the most egalitarian, meaning it is more of a social norm for men to contribute to what was traditionally known as "women's work". Rounding out the bottom half were the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Austria and Australia taking last place.

Luckily for me, my husband is very helpful with both the children and the house. In our house, we have an unspoken agreement. He does the laundry, which I don't like doing, and I do the cooking. He cleans up the dishes, and I do the kids' baths. He walks the dog and I vaccum. It works well for us. Where does your husband fall on the list?

Traditional Food Favorites: Yorkshire Pudding

I am American, and prior to meeting my husband, I had never eaten yorkshire pudding. I tried it at a few local pubs, but still was not won over. After our wedding, we visited my husband's hometown of Newcastle and I met a lot of his family. I was told that as a proper British wife, I had to know how to make yorkshire pudding. I brushed it off, but now that we have children, I do want to make them traditional English food. Growing up here, they will be overloaded with typical American food, but we want to make sure they love their sausage rolls and chip butties too!

Do your children eat mostly UK or American dishes?