I didn’t rescue a skinny dog or de-flea a bedraggled cat or anything, but I did donate what I think is the most expensive item in my wardrobe. (Not hard to be honest as most of my clothes come from charity shops or sales.)
The PDSA are working with SendItNow to collect special items from a group of bloggers, which can be auctioned by the PDSA to raise money for their valuable services, and I am one of them! Hoorah! It sounds like a cliché, but I love using my blog for good things, and to be able to make a little bit of difference where it’s needed.
You’d think, with this generous attitude, that I’d be the sort of mother to shower her children with gifts and attention, doing my best to fulfil their every dream.
That makes it sound terribly dramatic doesn’t it? Like she might be off to New Zealand or something, never to be seen again.
She’s not, she’s only going to Ireland, but that is a whole other country, and it will be the farthest away she has ever been from me. I know it’s not technically that far, but at the moment she lives 20 minutes away, and you can’t very easily just go to Ireland for tea can you?
Needless to say, I will miss her very much.
There is something very special about a sibling. You share a complete history, from a very similar perspective, and it gives you a unique bond that you can never really have with anyone else. Nobody else will ever appreciate the fun in a game of ‘Estate Agents’ quite like she will. I also rely on her completely for all of my childhood memories, partly because my memory is terrible, but also because she is the night owl, and I was always in bed before all of the exciting things happened. View Post
Belle loves to share facts. She has a QI book on her Kindle, and every so often she reads them out. While we were away last weekend, she told us one about popcorn.
“Did you know,” she asked, “that £30 of popcorn kernels resells in cinemas for £3,000?”
I always knew that cinema popcorn was a rip-off, but blimey, that a bit much. If ever you needed a reason to stay home and watch a film instead, then that’s it really isn’t it? Pop down to Tesco, pick up a bag of Butterkist, stick on Sky Movies, job done. View Post
All summer long we’re bombarded with emails, social media posts, TV adverts and posters about how to get that perfect “festival fashion” look. By this point I know we are all sick to death of seeing images of 20 year olds sat around a fire wearing brown suede fringe crop tops, but not all festival fashion has to be worn by an unusually skinny girl with dirty blonde hair, laughing manically at a sunset.
If you’re off to a family festival with your kids this summer, you can all still look the part too. It’s a big part of the festival experience and your kids will love getting into the spirit of things with some cute new outfits. Over at melijoe.com there are loads of lovely pieces that will get your kids in the mood for a summer of great family festival memories.
Here’s a summery summary of my favourite new items on the site:View Post
In my head right now I am singing ‘here comes the bride’. Take a minute if you will to do the same and get into the right mood.
(Note that I am singing the ‘here comes the bride, all fat and wide’ version, because that’s the only version I know.)
(Another thought – does it even have words?)
Anyway, that’s the kind of mindset I need you in, as today I am sat at home waiting for the arrival of my eBay wedding dress. I have never bought a wedding dress from eBay before; in fact I don’t know if I have even bought a regular dress from eBay before. It’s jolly exciting anyway.
I wish I could tell you all about it and post a picture, but that would rather spoil the whole ‘groom not seeing your dress’ thing wouldn’t it? I could ask him not to look, but what groom is really going to think ‘sure, I’ll let the whole of the internet look, but I’ll be sure to avoid that one blog post.’
I’ve never been into wedding dresses as a thing, so have no idea if it’s even going to suit me. I’ve never looked at wedding dresses for fun, never even tried one on before, even just to pretend. I am a complete wedding dress virgin. Today will be my actual first time. View Post
Last weekend we went down to the River Dart Country Park for the day. One of the perks of having moved back to Somerset from Bristol is that you’re that bit closer to all of the nice bits of the south west, and so it only took us an hour to get there.
We had only ever been once before, camping for a weekend back in May for my nephew’s sixth birthday, and it rained pretty much the whole time. Belle was keen to go again in nicer weather, so that she could have another go on the high ropes and drag us out on a canoe.
Our first attempt at the high ropes was rather shameful. We bought tickets for all three of us, and we all made it as far as the start of the course, but it turns out that neither my fiancé nor I have the guts that Belle does, and we ended up watching her complete the course from solid ground. It was a little embarrassing, but much better, I felt, to chicken out right at the beginning than to have to be airlifted from a tree half way round.
I surprised myself if I’m honest. I’m not the most physical of people, it’s true, but I’d never really thought of myself as being scared of heights or afraid to try new things. When I got to the edge of the first rope net though, I was terrified. I got as far as putting out one foot, but I just couldn’t do it – I felt paralysed. Is it an age thing I wonder? I’m pretty sure I’d have done it at Belle’s age, so do we just get more afraid of adventure as we get older? View Post
We dropped Belle off at school this morning at 7.45am for her end of term trip to London. She’s going to be away until Friday night and, as you might imagine, she has been a good mix of nervous and excited for quite a long time now. Having finally resolved the dilemma of whether or not to take her teddy – (she consulted a friend and they agreed they would take a very small one each) – we left her, suitcase in hand, on the curb outside school.
“Do I get a kiss?” I asked, very aware that two of her friends were standing next to her but also aware that if she went without one she would secretly be sad.
“Sure,” she said, shuffling awkwardly.
And then she was gone.
Belle is going to be 13 this year and it seems incredible to think how quickly she has grown up. I look back at posts like this one that I wrote in January 2010, where Belle got excited about sliced bread, and it’s just bizarre to think how much has changed. It makes me so grateful for blogging, as my memory is hopeless and I’m sure the only way I’m going to be able to remember family events and holidays in years to come is to read about them. View Post
Before we start, I have to say up front that I am not a big shopper. I particularly don’t like trying on clothes and seeing my bottom in mirrors.
However, I do like a relaxed mooch around a few well chosen shops, looking at cushions and notebooks, followed by a spot of tasty lunch. I also like it when shops are lined up in a nice row or circle, so I don’t get too befuddled by choice, which I why I normally prefer doing serious shopping in a shopping centre rather than a town; then I can be sure I have visited everywhere, and not be worried that I’ve missed a gem in a back alley somewhere.
(I do appreciate that this probably makes me very unfashionable, and I do support local, independent retailers, but on big days out I just like a bit of order thank you.)
This weekend we went off to explore the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Swindon, never having been before, and I was immediately comforted by the fact that everything was laid out in a circle and that there was a map, where I could tick things off. I also liked that up to five hours parking was only a pound – bargainorama. It was very easy to find, just off the M4, and by the time we arrived Belle had only said ‘I want to go to Claire’s Accessories!’ about 27 times, so it was all good. View Post
A couple of weeks ago we were given a new smart forfour to try out for a week. As I mentioned here, two of my favourites things are cheese and trying new things, and although there was no cheese involved in this review, it did definitely tick one of the boxes.
The idea behind the smart forfour is pretty simple – it’s designed to combine all the innovation of the standard smart car, but it’s a four seater. You’re with me so far aren’t you?
By way of an introduction, here’s a little video of the smart forfour being driven around a deserted, lightening-filled warehouse. (This is not obligatory in your own smart forfour).
My first thought when the smart forfour arrived at our house was ‘how sweet! A car that looks like a mint imperial!’ It is very cute and definitely feels like the sort of car you could give a name to. View Post
Eat a cream tea to help save a child’s life? Why would you not?? It’s certainly a lot more fun than running a marathon or shaving your head. Today’s charity is a very important one, so please do have a read and help if you can.
What’s the problem?
Research is the key to saving many children from a lifetime of suffering, yet surprisingly, medical research into conditions that devastate children’s lives is poorly funded in the UK. Action Medical Research has a critical job to do in helping fill this gap to protect children.View Post
I racked up a significant amount of debt in my early twenties. I had Bee when I was just 17, and had gone off to university at 19, with a toddler to take care of. I say ‘gone off’, I didn’t actually go anywhere – I needed to be near my Mum and my Gran to help with the childcare, so I lived in Somerset, and commuted every day to lectures in Bristol.
As you can imagine, this wasn’t cheap. You didn’t have to pay fees back then, but I did have to support a whole household, albeit a small one, and find the money somewhere for all that petrol. It’s no surprise then that I came out the other end of it a little the worse for wear financially. View Post
Today I have a guest post from Veena at Mum to Millionaire. I recently recorded a podcast with Veena, sharing my blogging tips, so now Veena is returning the favour by sharing her vlogging tips!
Veena V here from Mum to Millionaire – Radio presenter turned receptionist turned online entrepreneur. I’m a single Mum to a hyperactive 6 year old and I just so happen to be a YouTube addict!
So you’ve seen loads of Mums creating a successful blog, now you’ve seen that Mum down the road vlogging and getting thousands of hits. Do you fancy giving it a go? Before you whack out your phone here’s three mistakes that all new YouTubers make:
1) COPYING OTHERS – Maybe if you copy that Mum down the road and record the exact same baby hauls, pram reviews and ‘how to make fairy cake’ videos you’ll be super successful too?
WRONG – you must record videos that YOU want to make. What are you passionate about? What is your style? Look to other vloggers for inspiration but don’t copy them. You will get people watching your videos if you strive on being the best version of yourself.
Yes its blimin’ dam hard to build a YouTube following, but just remember to be consistent and love the videos you make, then it will never be a chore.
2) BAD SOUND &LIGHTING – The way YouTube has evolved over the last few years means you simply can’t get away with bad lighting and sound. But don’t worry – it’sreally easy to ramp up the quality of your videos.
If you’re vlogging at home, always film in front of a window – with the light shining on you. 90% of my videos are filmed with natural light, its free so make use of it! You can also buy affordable external microphones that can plug straight into your smartphone. Or if using your webcam you can buy cheap USB microphones that will really make your videos sound much more professional.
If you can’t be bothered with all of that and just want to start recording a few videos then remember to be as close to the cameras internal mic as you can.
3) NO CLEAR GOAL – I find this one a little sad. A lot of people start vlogging because they see everyone else doing it. Just because another blogger has started making videos it doesn’t mean you have to.
If you do decide to pick up your camera, think to yourself why are you doing it? Is it to be ‘famous’, do you want to drive traffic to your blog? Or maybe you want to document your family’s life & don’t care about how many views you get.
I make videos to help people get started on youtube and strengthen my brand. I know some people who just want to make money. Whatever your reason, be focused and be clear.
I really hope this has helped you & if you want more youtube tips, here’s six more mistakes vloggers make:
Remember if you want to do something in your life, just do it! Take action today & create an incredible life for your kids – yes I know that sounds cheesy but its true!
I recently had the privilege to stare at Jo’s beautiful face when she was a great guest over on my blog and talked about the truth about blogging. I LOVE Jo’s wit and how brutally honest she is – take a listen to her on theMum to Millionaire blog and you can also listen on your phone.
Come on what are you waiting for? Grab your camera and try vlogging – you never know where it could lead….
