Now it’s December I can officially start talking about Christmas without getting evil looks from all the scrooges out there. Hoorah!

Not that I haven’t been talking about it or thinking about it for weeks if not months already, but now it’s socially acceptable so I don’t just have to do it in my head.

At home things have been festive for a while. Candles have been lit, Baileys has been drunk and robin wrapping paper has been made. (Instructions for this coming soon.)

Robin wrapping paper

If you’re not really a crafty person but love the idea of making your own wrapping paper, you’re going to love wrap.me.

I’m listening. What’s wrap.me? View Post

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Let’s be clear, I’m not talking literal ingredients here. We all know those are butter and sugar and what not. I’m talking about the cakey qualities that set a truly great cake apart from an ordinary cake.

(I like to tackle the serious issues of our time.)

To demonstrate my point I am using a selection of the new cake squares from Kate’s Cakes. Kate’s Cakes are available in Tesco and wholesale, should you have a small business that you are looking to cake right up. As you know I take my work very seriously, so I am going about this properly:

Kate's Cakes

Portability View Post

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We have two Hollies in our lives. People as in, not bushes.

To distinguish them we have different names for them; we call them ‘Normal Holly’ and ‘Crisps Holly’. (Not to their faces, just when we are referring to them in private and their identity could be ambiguous.)

Normal Holly is my cousin and, as the name suggests, is relatively normal.

Crisps Holly is the five year old daughter of my friend Jo and, although also relatively normal, does like crisps. She has had her name for a couple of years now, (the crisps bit of it – she has been called Holly since birth), ever since she once stood in front of Bee, who was eating a packet of crisps, and peered in.

“I really like crisps,” she said, looking pointedly between Bee and the crisps.

“I really, really like crisps,” she said, having clearly not received the response she was expecting i.e. Bee handing over her crisps.

“You really like bread,” said Crisps Holly, breaking off a piece of her sandwich, placing it on Bee’s lap and helping herself to some crisps, “so let’s swap.”

You may wonder where I am going with this. As you will now see, what’s actually happening is that you are very cleverly and subtly being led into hearing me tell you what I think of the new Market Deli range of crisps from Walkers.

*smooth* View Post

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Belle likes to educate me.

“Do you want to hear some facts?” she asked me in the car yesterday. The tone was casual but the implication was ‘I’m not sure your general knowledge is good enough.’

“Sure,” I said.

So, she began to tell me all about different phobias. She had been looking apparently for the official name for her phobia of being eaten by animals in the night but, funnily enough, she couldn’t find it. Instead she told me the name of the ‘fear of getting out of bed in the morning’. I couldn’t remember it today so googled it, but couldn’t find anything. I suspect she made up the whole conversation just to plant the seed that her not being able to get out of bed and go to school is a medical condition.

As much as I dislike getting out of bed and as gloomy as the sky is looking this morning, I am making an effort at the moment to actively have a more positive attitude to things, so have come up with four things I like about Monday morning.

Reasons to like Monday

Monday mornings are a fresh start View Post

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This is a two part review.

First off I’m going to tell you a little bit about Bluestone National Park Resort and what they’ve got going on over Christmas, then Bee is going to add her two pennies’ worth as a pay-off, as she mentions, for getting the double bed for a night. I thought this might give you a nice perspective on what teenagers are really thinking when they are made to go on family mini-breaks. (It’s not what you might be expecting, although Bee may not be a typical teenager.)

My bit first then, as I am the tallest. (Bee once said she just always thought of me as being in charge of the family as I am the tallest. God help us when Belle grows.)

Bluestone National Park Resort in Pembrokeshire was to my mind a kind of mini Centre Parcs without the forest. (I don’t know if every Centre Parcs has a forest, but the one I have been to did.) I’m not sure if this is a comparison Bluestone like, but given that Centre Parcs is rather lovely, I hope they would take it as a compliment.

The general format is similar in that you stay in self-catering lodges and chalets in beautiful surroundings, get to enjoy a well-equipped water park, and then can book extra activities on top depending on your own interests. There is also a rather luxurious spa. In the middle of the park is the ‘village’, a small cluster of shops and restaurants, plus a play area. The Christmas lights are up now, so in the evening it’s very pretty and has a nice festive feel to it. The benefit of it being smaller is that everything is within a sensible walking distance so you aren’t forced to hire bikes, although bikes and golf buggies are available should you want a little extra help getting around.

As well as lights to get you into the Christmas spirit, Bluestone are also running the ‘Kingdom of the Elves Elf Workshop’, an interactive festive journey, where children get to meet different Christmas characters, take part in mini challenges and games and collect items for their elf aprons. I have to be honest and say that there was a certain amount of reluctance on Belle’s part to don her elf pinny but she is 12 and the average age of the other elves was about 6, so perhaps it’s to be expected. The experience was really well thought out though and the small children definitely enjoyed being spun around on a giant penny, collecting coloured snowballs and getting squirted with bubbles. View Post

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A while ago you may remember I asked you how often you had had sex in the last month after reading a report that showed the average to be far fewer than I had thought. It’s kind of comforting, being able to see how everyone else is (quite literally) making out and realising you’re doing alright really.

Today then, in the definitely very healthy spirit of seeking personal validation by comparing myself to others, I took a test to see how my lifestyle matched up to other women.

You can take it here if you fancy it.

The test highlighted a few issues for me, issues I’m very aware of but basically too lazy to do anything about.

Firstly, I do very little exercise. I’ve been to a few netball sessions in Taunton since I moved but have found it hard to stick with. Work and other things have got in the way and I don’t feel the same sense of camaraderie as I did with my team back in Bristol. I know that takes time though, so this is definitely something I need to make more of a commitment to.

I do try to make the effort to walk more than I might normally feel inclined to do, but I need to get sweaty. View Post

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“Can we have delivered pizza for tea tonight?” asked Belle on Saturday as we walked past Papa Johns. Delivered pizza is her favourite meal. Normal pizza is second.

“No,” I said.

“But we haven’t had pizza for aaaaages!” she complained.

“We had Domino’s on Wednesday,” I reminded her.

“Exactly,” she said, “that’s ages ago!”

“No,” I confirmed, “we aren’t having pizza for tea.”

Pizza

She was quiet for a little while. I thought she might be hatching some sort of bribe based plan where she would try to negotiate pizza in return for doing a chore that she should be doing regardless, but I was wrong. View Post

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This review is from Bee. Enjoy!

…

I’m sure you all remember my breath-taking review of the Hudl 2 I did recently.

Well as soon as I got it I was hunting around on the web for accessories and a case because I always drop/break/spill something on/loose things basically as soon as I get them.

However the only place I could seem to find any was the official Tesco Hudl accessories page and all of the cases on there were a) not really my style and therefore b) a bit more than I was willing to pay for something I hadn’t really chosen the look of.

Then, as though they had READ MY MIND, GearZap.com asked me if I wanted to review their Hudl 2 wireless Bluetooth tablet keyboard case!

“Yes please!” I said.

This thing is the COOLEST. For starters, it’s a great case made from a posh and important black leathery material which makes me look like I’m doing something businessy on it, e.g. a pie chart. It fits around the Hudl 2 with room to spare so it keeps it safe, even from clumsy fools such as myself.

I’ve never had a case that flips open before because I thought the front part would get in the way all the time but I actually quite like it. You can flip it open dramatically as though you’ve just been sent an important document that you must look over immediately and not at all that you just fancy a go on Kim Kardashian Hollywood. The only thing I wished the case did was automatically lock the Hudl 2 when I close it, like the iPad mini case does. Although I’m pretty sure that’s more to do with the features of the tablet. A girl can dream. View Post

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I know only too well that if I go for even one day without eating that I will fall over, so I got my new boyfriend to test out the Juci Wellbeing detox for me. This is how he got on…

Juci Wellbeing

If Gillian McKeith is to be believed, and you really are what you eat, then I’m in a lot of trouble. Last year, I lost a whopping three stone by doing all the right things – a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and only a moderate intake of alcohol. I felt (and although I say so myself, looked) fantastic. I bought an entire new wardrobe and reveled in the ability to wear slim-fit tops and skinny jeans. I never grew tired of the unadulterated joy I encountered over the next three months at being stopped by everyone I knew so that they could tell me now wonderful I looked. I know that sounds horribly vain, but if you had spent the preceding five years looking like a darts player, you’d understand my situation. My confidence went through the roof, and all was very much right with the world.

Well done me.  View Post

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Whenever I am nursing a hangover, moaning and groaning and complaining about feeling sick, I like to think that I am teaching my children a valuable lesson about what not to do when it comes to alcohol. I am kidding myself of course, but with a hangover you need something to feel good about.

Is seeing me lying forlornly on the sofa going to be enough to put them off underage drinking though and if not, does that really matter?

There is a bit of a misconception that underage drinking is just one of those things that all teens go through, a silly and often messy phase that although worrying as a parent, is relatively harmless in the long term. When I look back on my teenage drinking experiences I certainly don’t do it with a great deal of angst. If anything, they are fond memories; ‘Ah, remember that night when we thought it would be fun to see if we could drink ourselves into a coma?’ Happy days.

My teenage drinking years were curtailed by becoming pregnant at 16 – not a drinking related accident – but nothing awful ever happened to me. Sure, I did ‘accidentally’ get off with a second cousin, I may have wet myself in a field once, and I’m sure my teeth have never really recovered from having me open Diamond White bottles with them, but in the grand scheme of things those are hardly disasters.

As Belle approaches the dreaded teenage years then I’ve been thinking more about all of those new things I’m going to have to worry about and I decided to talk to her about alcohol and what she perceived as the risks. I knew she would be pretty savvy as she has been known to raise the odd eyebrow when I’ve dared to pour a second glass of wine of an evening. View Post

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Have you tried Coca-Cola Life yet?

We have.

See?

Coca-Cola Life

Such a pretty :-)

In fact I recently got the chance to learn all about Coca-Cola Life, as Coca-Cola were my sponsor for Blogfest. I met up with them for breakfast before the conference to find out more about stevia and the initiatives Coca-Cola currently have running to help people lead healthier and more active lifestyles. View Post

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There are very few things I love more than Christmas.

My children obviously, just about, and Millionaire Matchmaker if it’s an episode I’ve not seen before and I have a bottle of wine and bag of cheese and onion crisps open, but apart from that, not much.

Things I love about Christmas include:

  • Being able to eat Roses for breakfast without fear of judgment
  • Collecting piles of Christmas catalogues and imagining what I would buy everyone if I won the lottery (and by everyone I mean myself)
  • Watching Love Actually on Christmas Eve whilst frantically wrapping presents and guzzling Harvey’s Bristol Cream
  • The pre-Christmas shopping trip to Marks and Spencer where I let Bee and Belle put anything they like in the trolley
  • Buying presents

Buying presents is my Best Bit. Good presents mind you, none of your tat. There is nothing that makes me want to poke myself in the eye with a sprig of holly more than those nasty gift box sets you find in places like BHS where someone has thought that a miniature jar of Marmite and a cheap, branded butter knife in the large box makes for a considerate gift. I like Marmite, but come on, just add it to your Ocado shop like a normal person.

To help you escape the horror of the Marmite gift set I have picked out some of my favourite gift ideas for all the family: View Post

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