I spy green

Me: I spy with my little eye something that is... brown.

Walking the dog whilst simultaneously keeping the wee one amused and teaching him colours. Yes, I can be a good mother sometimes.

Wee One: Green
Me: Er.. what? Green? No brown.
Wee One: In that tree.
Me: Er... bark? Yes, that's brown but its not the answer I was looking for.
Wee One: Leaves.
Me: Leaves are green not brown. I spied something that is brown remember.
Wee One: Misty!
Me: Yes!

*pauses for a proud mother moment*

Wee One: I spy with my little eye something that begins with blue.
Me: Um... that sign.
Wee One: No. In that tree.
Me: Er...*wonders what the fascination with trees is about*
Wee One: Toast!
Me: Pardon?
Wee One: Blue toast in that tree! Your go.

*takes a moment to decide whether to congratulate him on his imagination or lack of concentration*


Joining in with Sticky Fingers and the theme of Green for The Gallery.

Britmums Live 2013 on balance

Positive: meeting loads of fabulous bloggers for the first time and loving their blogs

Negative: adding another 20 blogs to an already over-populated blog reader

Positive: Inspiring key notes
Negative: Running out of tissues during key notes

Positive: Discovering blogging brand opportunities
Negative: Nowhere to hide

Positive: Meeting old friends
Negative: Not having enough time to chat with old friends

Positive: 2 days of potential blogging inspiration
Negative: Sessions that promised more than they delivered

Positive: Great venue
Negative: Not enough loos; mean portions at lunch

Positive: The gorgeous stylist Katie at TKMaxx
Negative: In her words " drab and off message selection of clothes" with which to style with

Positive: Yay, time in London
Negative: Hotel prices in London

Positive: Swag to keep the kids happy
negative: Swag not relevant to ages of your children

Positive: Very well organised and smoothly run
Negative: Agenda too packed and not enough chatting/relaxing time

Positive: Key note speakers and session experts
Negative: Very easy to tell that they didn't all research their audience

Positive: Meet the editor and writing sessions
Negative: All on Friday and I missed it :-(

Positive: Refreshments on tap
negative: Weak insipid coffee

Positive: Community spirit
Negative: Some communities are too cliquey

Positive: Tickets for Britmums Live 2014 are on sale now
Negative: A whole year to wait

A lie-in with Dunelm

After the brain fizzing, emotionally exhausting, blogging banter of Britmums, on Saturday night I crawled into my bed, grateful for the love of my family.

Sunday I woke and this was my view.

Dunelm Mill has filled my bedroom with some beautiful luxurious textiles, birds flying at my window, ripples of crisp blue and cream on my bed and a wonderfully calm atmosphere. I should point out that Dunelm hadn't snuck into my bedroom during the night and transformed it. It had actually been like this when I got into bed the previous night but I was just to darn tired to appreciate it.

My bedroom curtains have always been a sad disappointment. The windows had previously been draped with some rather naff beige chintzy polyester, followed by some dark red velvety swags, neither of which did anything for the room at all. Then Dunelm suggested I try out their curtains. I drew up a short list of my favourites which I passed over to the Mr to select from. I then ignored what he said and went for these embroidered song bird curtains instead.

What I love about these curtains is that the birds contrast so beautifully when the morning sunlight shines through. The birds look like they are a dark colour but they are in fact a lovely duck egg blue which coordinates perfectly with the blue in Dunelm's circles bed linen set. Harmony in the bedroom.

I was pleasantly surprised by the prices particularly given the great quality of the fabrics, and the choice was almost too much for someone who couldn't make a decision. I made my choices using their website which although is excellent in being able to see the range available, was not so brilliant when it came to seeing the detail of the fabric up close. The quality of some of the photos they used could have been better. The images were not a high enough resolution to zoom in close enough. I was confident about the curtains as that image was good on the website but the bedding was actually nicer than I thought it would be.

Browsing their website was very easy, too easy! I could have spent many a happy coffee break virtually dressing my home. Well done Dunelm Mill, and thank you for a lovely Sunday morning in bed *cough*.

Disclosure: I was given the curtains and bedding free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and if I didn't like it, I'd tell you x

An Inspiring Week

This week started with Father's Day, even though he was working away, and ended with a day for Mummy; a day for me to explore, chat, be inspired and rediscover my love of blogging. Britmums Live has worked its magic again.
A few weeks ago I promised a blog facelift. I now know where this blog is going (finally) and in a couple more weeks the results of my fizzing brain will start to find its faltering way onto your screens.

In retrospect I can see other things have inspired me this week:
A group of my friends walked 26 miles for MNDA.
The phone continued to sit idle and not ring.
I got my craft on.
I decided navel gazing isn't very productive.

A new start beckons. 

Photo-bombed by the Wee One whilst trying to do a selfie.

Phone hijacked by the Big One

Wishing Daddy was here.

Sometimes the weeds are the brightest.

And sometimes the shadow is more inspiring than the object.

London, you are epic, but I'm glad I'm home.

What I hope to be in the coming weeks - as busy as a bee.

Join The Boy and Me to follow more 365'ers

Silent Sunday

Magic Knickers

So if someone offer you a pair of magic knickers to try, what is the polite response?
I suppose your answer would depend on who was offering.
Should I blush?
Should I pack the kids off for a sleepover?
Should I book a date night with the Mr?

Well my blushes were saved when I discovered that the magic knickers are in fact cropped leggings in the style of Knickerbockers. In Sweden cropped trousers are known as Knickers and when Meandi brought them to the UK the name just stuck.

As for the magic part, well I feel magic when I wear them!

They are made from very high quality jersey, which fit perfectly round the bum, are looser through the leg and then gather into a wide cuff at the calf which really flatters my legs. The waistband can be worn high (particularly comfortable after a curry night) or can be folded down for a low waist look. The waistband isn't super tight so it doesn't hold it all in (or bulge it all out) but it just smooths out the stomach area nicely.
 

I am not a fan of showing off my bum in leggings so I will ALWAYS wear a tunic length top with these but I have worn them with a hoody and trainers for comfy Sundays and with a long length tshirt and ballet pumps for a shopping trip. I think they may be my summer uniform!

Meandi is a Swedish company that has brought fabulous bright and modern clothing for kids and women to the UK. We have previously tried the kids canvas trousers which the Wee One would wear every day if I let him. They are launching their Autumn collection on the 14th August so I will be logging on to see the new great colours and prints.

Although you can order Meandi online you can also arrange a clothing party with the benefit of a social gathering with friends and gifts for the hostess. You'll find all the information you need on their website and anyone who is interested in becoming part of the sales team in the UK should contact them through the online application form.

Disclosure: I was sent a pair of Magic Knickers free of charge for the purposes of review. All opinions are my own and if I didn't like them I would tell you!

Motor Neurone Disease - Global Awareness Day

This Friday 21st June, is Global Awareness Day for Motor Neurone Disease.

To promote awareness of this terminal disease, a film called "I Am Breathing" has been released to document the last few months of a young father's life as the disease takes hold of his body leaving him paralysed and on a ventilator. It was only 12 short months from his diagnosis to his death, hardly enough time to see his son take his first steps or say his first words. His widow was featured on ITV This Morning this week.

Ned is a neighbour and father to one of the The Princess's school friends. He was a fighter pilot when he noticed his first symptoms more than 10 years ago and has lived with the disease and its incredibly debilitating symptoms since. He is not only a father and a husband but he is also an inspiration to so many.

There is no predicting how the disease will progress or how quickly. Neil, in the film, died within a year. Ned, 10 years on, is still fighting. There is no cure for MND. Donations fund care for those that are affected by the disease and research in the hope that one day a cure can be found. If you are able to spare a few pennies or, better yet, a few pounds you can donate by following this link to the MNDA website.

If you have the opportunity to go and see the film please do.

Thank you.

Silent Sunday

Ring, damn you!

Last week I got a phone call that had me squealing like a girl.
This week I have been waiting for the phone to ring to confirm it.
The phone hasn't rung.
It's still a possibility. But increasingly a slim possibility.
So this week I will not watch my phone. I will not wait. I will not be disappointed.


Instead I will get excited about BRITMUMS LIVE!

I will be there. I'll be clutching my phone, trying to remember how to work twitter so I can find people, and snapping the instagram life out of my battery.

I am so excited about meeting some blogging buddies and making some new friends, especially my fellow 365'ers. See you there I hope!

Waiting by the school gates. Phone hasn't rung.

Dripping school run. No messages.

Look! Over there! A phone that isn't ringing.

Head sized cookie break. While the phone doesn't ring.

Tea break in the garden. Away from the phone.

Daydreaming out of a rain splatered window. About a non existent phone call.

The Wee One playing the fool. While I panic about a lack of phone signal.

Join The Boy and Me to follow more 365'ers

How to eat a Ferrero Rocher

Picasion

I absolutely love Ferrero Rocher so when a friend of mine gave me a box for my birthday I could not have been happier. I must have previously bored her with my love of retro confectionery so it was in no way a naff present. It was perfect.

We then got talking about how you eat yours and I was amazed to discover that not everyone knows how to eat a Ferrero Rocher. I mean, some people don't even know that you nibble the chocolate off a Kit Kat first, or eat the caramel off the top of a Twix before eating the biscuit! Astonishing! However I did learn that you should always peel the chocolate off the top of a Tunnocks teacake to reveal the perfect marshmallow dome of sweetness, thus proving you are never too old to learn something new.

That said, I feel it is absolutely necessary to instruct the nation the on the correct way to eat a Ferrero Rocher before any more chocolates come to a wasteful, eaten in one, end. 

1. Ensure Ferrero Rocher is at room temperature.
2. Carefully remove foil wrapper and smooth out to form a perfect silver square*
3. Nibble outer chocolate and hazelnut casing taking care not to damage the wafer shell beneath.**
4. Separate two halves of wafer shell by gently opening at join. **
5. Lick out praline from one half of shell (preferably the half that does not contain the hazelnut).
6. Eat that half shell allowing wafer to dissolve on the tongue.
7. Lick out second half of shell reserving hazelnut to crunch on last.
8. Repeat stage 6 with second half of wafer.
9. Lick fingers.

Notes:
* In case of a ripped foil wrapper, reserve a foil wrapper from a previous chocolate to substitute.
** If at any point the wafer shell breaks, consume remaining Ferrero Rocher whole and start again.

Just in case I missed the memo on how to eat a Jaffa Cake, please feel free to educate me how you eat your confectionery.

Silent Sunday

Hiding

It is so easy to hide behind your own front door, behind your children, behind your partner.
But occasionally, when you summon the courage to step forward, you are surprised by the warm welcome waiting for you. This week has been a little like that. Friends have been wonderful and generous to a fault, bringing smiles and laughter, hugs and kisses, and chocolate and wine.

I have had a lovely birthday/birthweek extended through the generosity of friends.

Layers of leaves hiding from the glare of the sun.
Laughter behind the cow parsley.
Hiding in the willow maze.
Giant splashes of yellow pop out from simple green buds.
Bubbles blown into a  milk shake.
The elusive S was hiding under an elephant.
A surprise Raaawr!


Join The Boy and Me to follow more 365'ers

Two

You know that completely baffling and confusing moment when you realise you've forgotton your own birthday?
No?
Just me then.

I actually didn't forget my real life birthday. I well and truly enjoyed that with a glass or two of Pimms with some wonderfully generous and gorgeous friends.

How many chins? Birthday silliness.

It was on Sunday. I wasn't two.



BUT MY BLOG WAS!

I missed my bloggerversary.

How could I?

Happy Second birthday, Five Go Blogging!

The Big One, when he was a wee one.

This revelation has made me realise that I have been neglecting my blog. I've been taking it for granted, cruising through the week with an review here and a couple of my favourite weekly linkies there but I haven't been in love with it like I used to. I could blame that floosy Instagram but in all honesty I've just been lazy.

So my dear blog, my birthday present to you is a makeover. New header, new buttons, and some new fresh content. Watch this space!


Joining in with Sticky Fingers and the theme of Two for The Gallery.

Silent Sunday

Inch by inch

I normally crush and squeeze and tease my daily photos into some kind of theme at the end of the week.

But instead I am going to use this weeks photos as prompts for a little dedication to my wonderful, generous and loving Mr.

Inch by inch,

drop by drop,

step by step,

tile by tile,

crumb after crumb,

hand over hand upward,

till i get to where I need to be.

With you.

Join The Boy and Me to follow more 365'ers