Yesterday I read back through some diary entries from last year. I use ‘diaries’ in the loosest possible sense of the word – unpunctuated ramblings would probably be a better description.

What struck me though was the variation in my handwriting over just the space of a week. I can remember how I felt in this particular week, and my handwriting, even without reading the words, gives you an instant picture of my frame of mind.

One entry, wich I remember writing late at night in a mild state of anxiety, is barely legible. Letters are scrawled, racing to get onto the paper, tumbling over each other to make themselves heard and getting muddled, unsure of which words they are meant to be forming.

The spaces between each word are blurred and haphazard, and the pressure is uneven – big splotches of ink in some places, faint traces of letters in others. The words themselves form nervous, short sentences, frequently stopping and starting, changing their mind and starting again. The message is clear, both visually and in the language itself – I am uncertain. I do not know how to proceed.

What does my handwriting mean?

Another entry, a few days later, is completely different. It is as though the words have said to themselves ‘right girls, we need to pull ourselves together and stand up straight. No more running about all over the place, let’s get things sorted.’

Letters are formed with slow careful strokes, like an eight year old writing in best. Many of the words are written in clear, bold print, none of the letters joined together.

The entry is less a stream of consciousness and more of a list, setting myself tasks to achieve, wanting to proves that I am in control, of my handwriting if nothing else…

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A couple of weeks ago I was tagged in a meme by The Fabulous Mom Guide. The subject of the meme was ‘ten things I tell myself every day’

This was a tricky one for me. My internal monologue witters on incessantly, but is it consistent, does it tell me the same things day in day out? I had to listen for a while to find out, and this is what I came up with – ten things I think about at various times most days:

1. When I first wake up – “OK chubby, today is going to be the day you show a bit of self-control and don’t eat any crap.”

2. On walking up to my study – “Gosh, there really is a lot of dust on those skirting boards. I should do something about that.”

3. About 11am – “Just one biscuit really wouldn’t hurt, you have worked very hard today so far.”

4. About 11.05am – “Step away from the biscuit tin. No, not one more. OK, one more, and then put the lid on and walk away. WALK AWAY!!”

5. At intervals during the day – “I really must write that post today about the ten things I think about every day.”

6. On hearing the washing machine beeping but being in my study and too lazy to walk down and switch it off – “I will just let it beep once more and then it will stop. Gah! Once more. Pause. Gah! Once more. Pause. GAH!”

7. On walking back up to my study, having turned the washing machine off – “I wish I hadn’t had a biscuit while I was down there. Those skirting boards are really dusty.”

8.From 3.30pm onwards – “I probably should go downstairs and do something wholesome with the children. I’ll just have a little look on twitter first.”

9. Around 5.30pm – “Goodness, what happened there? I really must go downstairs now.”

10. Lying in bed – “Tomorrow will be the day I clean the skirting boards and don’t eat any biscuits.”

As you can see, my mind really is a thrilling place to be.

Now I have to pass the meme on, to other people with more interesting thoughts than mine. I’m going to tag three very lovely new friends – Bristol bloggers who I have met for the first time in the last couple of weeks – Ella at Purple Mum, Hilary at Bishopston Mum and Kath at Knitty Mummy.

What thoughts dominate your brain on a daily basis? Please tell me they’re as dull as mine…

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I bought a scratch card this week.

The urge comes upon me every few months. I try to resist, as it feels like a bit of a common thing to do*, and I fear it’s a slippery slope then to playing bingo online during the day and appearing on Jeremy Kyle, but I only ever do it in secret, with only me in my company, so I think it’s OK. That IS what makes things OK isn’t it?

Maybe it’s the secret part that makes it more exciting, but there is something about those few minutes before you scratch that are totally detached from reality. Suddenly your life is at a crossroads. Under that shiny coating could be £100,000. A whole new future could be waiting for you.

I sat on a wall on the way home to scratch it. (Another rather a common thing to do surely?) I imagined for a moment what I might do with £100,000, a million pounds, ten million pounds. I know you can’t win that much, but I feel it’s good to aim high.

What sort of house would I buy? Would I retire to the country, and fill a beautiful rose covered cottage with pine furniture and doilies? Or would I jet over to New York and spend my days sat surrounded by shoes and cocktails, gazing out over the city skyline through my floor to ceiling windows?

Just for a minute, the world is my oyster.

And then I can bear it no longer. I get out what is surely the luckiest penny in my purse and start scratching.

£50, £10, £1,000. That would do me.

£100,000, £20, £100,000. Yes! I’m going to be rich!

£5, £5,000, £1,000. Oh. No I’m not.

I shove the card in my back pocket and go home. Maybe next time.

*Apologies to regular scratch card buyers, I can’t help it, it feels chavvy.

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Belle is a massive fan of all things wholesome. She loves crafts, painting, and especially baking. I on the other hand, do not. I’m much more a nice quiet trip to the cinema type of parent.

So yesterday, in the spirit of the Easter holidays, I outsourced my parenting, and booked Belle into a cookery class. It was the perfect solution – she enjoyed herself, and I did some work in the adjoining cafe, looking up and waving now and again.

I was a little bit disappointed with the class in general, as the promise of ‘making easter biscuits and carrot cakes’ was really more ‘decorating easter biscuits and carrot cakes’, but Belle did her best to pretend to enjoy herself, and to block out the rather annoying boy at the table next to her who kept shouting ‘does anyone know any jokes?’ if the group were quiet for more than 30 seconds.

After half an hour let loose with the icing-in-a-tube, Belle produced these two rather lovely biscuits:

Easter cookery for kids

Biscuits duly iced and pre-prepared carrot cakes spread with icing, she then decided to go off-piste, and to come up with her own Easter ideas. She had a rather furtive look about her, clearly concerned that any sort of unplanned fun would be frowned upon.

Easter cookery ideas

Here’s what she made. I think it’s quite adorable.

Easter crafts for kids

Parenting duties complete – albeit by someone else – we went home to enjoy an afternoon tea of milkshakes and marzipan bunnies.

Will you be partaking in/paying for any Easter craft activities this weekend? Do let us know…

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Can I just say how genuinely excited I am by the fact that people are actually joining in my new thing – seriously, every time I get a message saying someone has added something to my linky, I get my smiley, trying-not-to-look-too-chuffed, face on, like when I score a goal at netball.

So thanks for that.

*beams casually*

This week I’m going to do something a bit different and tweet as Belle. For those of you who aren’t regular readers, Belle is nine, and a little on the dramatic side. She is wonderful of course – full of energy and passion – but she was what some might call a ‘sensitive’ baby, and she has yet to grow out of it.

I should say too that I did ask her before I did this and she said it was fine, I’m not just teasing her in secret.

Monday – Have to tidy my room again. So unfair. I already did it last month and I like my clothes on the floor. #criedforabit

Tuesday – Really hungry but Mummy only offering fruit. Something about dinner in ten minutes. Fine. I’ll just starve. #criedforabit

Wednesday – Wish I wasn’t banned from watching Disney Channel. Where else can I go for advice on sucky nail beds? #criedforabit

Thursday – Had to get up for school. Again. Why? Why? #criedforabit

Friday – Said I’d cleaned my teeth but no one believes me even though I ran my toothbrush under the tap. #criedforabit

Saturday – Not allowed chocolate brioche for tea, even though I ate five grapes yesterday. Mummy obviously hates me. #criedforabit

Sunday – Mummy says five episodes of H2O is plenty. Disagree. Wish I was a mermaid and could swim away to island paradise full of brioche. #criedforabit

Click here to enter your link and view the other entries on the Linky Tools list.

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This morning, along with my recycling, I put out a sack of garden waste – my first this year. What this means, apart from the fact that I am getting old and will soon be buying my clothes in The Edinburgh Woollen Mill for comfort and durability, is that spring has officially sprung.

With this in mind, I thought today I’d slip in a quick gardening guest post, to give you a little inspiration for the weekend. Obviously now I have done this, it will rain. Sorry about that.

Preparing your garden for spring

For some of us doing the gardening is more of a chore than a pleasure. For others it is a passion. Regardless which you are it’s still important to prepare your garden for spring, and to get your children involved at an early age. The activity gives you a chance to teach your little one about plants and weeds, about dos and don’ts, and it also gives you something more to bond over. This opportunity can’t be missed no matter how much of a reluctant gardener you, yourself are, so open up those gardens sheds and get out the tools. You’ll need a rake, and a small shovel or trowel. You’ll also need to make sure you’re both wearing old clothes, or clothes specifically for gardening as you will get muddy.

First up is the grass. You can easily remove leaves and thatch together. Have a bucket at the ready to put them in as this saves you having to go to the compost bin every time you have a handful.  After this is done you can rake away the moss as a team, by either having a rake each, or if your child is too young to have their own rake, you can do it together using one.

Next up are the flower beds. Again leaves and thatch will need to be removed, and some weeding will need doing. You can teach your garden helper the difference between a weed and a plant. After doing some areas together, split up for a while and do the chore alone. Check on your helper’s progress after some time, and don’t get too angry if mistakes are made. It is a learning curve after all.

Now that the flower beds are ready, head to your local garden centre and pick out some spring plants. It’s important to both choose which flowers to have. Some very nice spring plants ideal for a flower bed are: daisies, pansies, marigolds, petunias, begonias, impatiens, and gazanias. Try to get a good mix of colours.

Once back home take a look at your flower bed and plan where to put the plants. It needn’t be particularly precise, just a general idea of which areas should hold how many plants, and if you are going to plant all the Daisies in one area, or the same colour per area, or mix the colours and plants up regardless of type.

Planting the spring flowers together is a fun task to do, as you can teach your little one how deep the hole should be, how to carefully remove the plant from the pot, the importance of compost on top of the plant, and how vital it is to water straight after planting. You can divide these tasks up, having one person digging and watering and the other planting, and after some time switch roles. Be sure to talk about what you are going and what the name of the particular plant you are planting is. This is particularly good for younger children as it will improve their vocabulary. If you are in the garden with an older child, then simply talk about everyday things, and mention which of the plants are your favourites, and maybe even reminisce on the garden activities you used to do as a child.

After your work is done, sit back and admire your handy work.

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I’ve been going to The Baby Shows for work for a couple of years now, and can honestly say that Me&I is a brand that always catches my eye. They are a Swedish company, who produce clothes for both adults and children in a range of funky, eye-catching prints, and as someone whose dress sense has been described many times as ‘colourful’, Me&I have a real appeal.

They operate through a network of agents across the country, who host parties for you in your home. Nice parties though, not the kind where you feel you have to buy something because unless the hostess takes £27,000 of orders she doesn’t qualify for her ‘free’ hostess gift spoon.

When I asked Belle if she’d like a new dress, her first question was “Do I have to review it?”

Oh how cynical! And yet perceptive…

“Yes,” I said, “of course you do.”

She sighed.

“Ok then, if I have to.”

Honestly, you’d think I never bought her clothes the way she carries on.

She looked far less put upon though when her dress arrived. I chose the ‘Chubby Bird’ print because, well, because it was called ‘Chubby Bird’ obviously, and I thought it was cute. Always keen to add her personal touch to an outfit, Belle set about accessorising furiously. “Look!” she said when her outfit was complete, “I look like Nancy Drew!”

kids chubby bird print dress

Being quite small for her age, Belle’s dress was plenty long enough to wear on its own, but as she gets taller it could work well as more of a tunic with leggings underneath, as there was plenty of growing room width wise, and the fabric had a nice little stretch in it.

We went and found Bee in the kitchen. “Wow!” said Bee. “You look like Nancy Drew!”

We tried some more photographs, this time going for a ‘girl detective looking into the distance thinking about a recent crime’ feel, so as to avoid Belle having to look at the camera.

kids chubby bird print dressIn lieu of having a mystery to solve, we went instead for a walk to St Werburgh’s city farm where, after a quick look at the pigs, we settled into the cafe. With an outfit like that Belle was definitely a lady who lunched.

P.S. If you think Belle looks pretty cute, you might want to vote for us in the ‘style’ category in the Brilliance in Blogging awards.

I am a member of the Mumsnet Blogging Network, a group of parent bloggers picked by Mumsnet to review products, services, events and brands. I have not paid for the product or to attend an event. I have editorial control and retain full editorial integrity.

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Welcome to week two of  ‘A week in tweets’. Thank you so much to everyone who joined in last week. This week, by popular request, I’ve added a linky, so you can come and share a link to your very own week in tweets. Remember they don’t have to be real tweets, they can be a retrospective reflection on the week, a complete fabrication – whatever you like.

This week I decided to set myself a theme.

I moved to Bristol last summer, and when I tell people, the first question is normally ‘where did you move from?’

“Bridgwater,” I say.

Reactions fall into two camps. Some people have never heard of it, and just nod and smile politely. Those who’ve been say “Ah, I see…” and make that sideways jaw movement you do to a friend behind a third friend’s back when the third friend has just introduced you both a her new boyfriend, who is clearly a moron.

I’ve wanted to move to Bristol for years, and thought now I’m here, I should celebrate the fact.

Monday – When people ask #whyImovedtoBristol, I explain that I used to live in Bridgwater. ‘But you look so…normal!’ says one new acquaintance. #nfb

Tuesday – Off to @The SteadyTable writing group to write, chat and eat cake. Must do Actual Writing this time. Not just tweet. #whyImovedtoBristol

Wednesday – Drive to meeting. Take the suspension bridge. Worth 50p if only to think to self ‘I’m driving to a meeting across the suspension bridge’ #whyImovedtoBristol

Thursday – Sat in traffic wondering #whyImovedtoBristol. See a man in shorts casually walking along playing a tambourine and singing. Remember again.

Friday – Planning weekend. Love having more choices than ‘go to Wilkinson’s’ or ‘go to another town’. #whyImovedtoBristol

Saturday – Stroll to the city farm. Cast cursory glance at goats then head for café that looks like Gaudi built a treehouse. #whyImovedtoBristol

Sunday – Arranged to meet @bishopstonmum for a coffee next week. Never spoken until today. Feel nervous. Like on a blind date. #whyImovedtoBristol

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First I was strutting my stuff for Littlewoods and then I went all yummy mummy for Mint Velvet – who’d have thought I’d ever be a fashion blogger? Who could have possibly imagined I would go from this:

vintage baby pictures

To this:

Littlewoods clothes review

In just 30 short years. It’s a miracle isn’t it?

As unlikely as the idea of me pretending to be in any way stylish is, this week I found out that I am a finalist for the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging awards, in the ‘style’ category. That’s right family and friends, you read that right. Style.

This is what the style category has to say for itself:

To paraphrase Coco Chanel, a fashion blogger’s site should be two things: classy and fabulous. Bloggers in this category have no problem with either of those criteria. We believe being a parent adds an interesting dimension to fashion and beauty coverage – combining a world view with a catwalk view.

Classy and fabulous eh? That’s definitely me.

Now just because I’m slightly dubious about the authenticity of my fashion blogging credentials, doesn’t mean I don’t want to win. Hell no! If I can’t even bear to let my nine-year-old daughter win at snap I’m hardly going to stand back and let virtual strangers steal my fashion crown am I?

Anyway, my point… My point is, please go and vote for me. It’s very quick and easy, you literally can just tick one box if you like, you don’t even have to fill in your name. What are you waiting for? You pop of to vote, I’ve got the latest edition of Vogue to check out…

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This weekend, inspired by the budget, and a significant amount of time spent listening to all things financial on Radio 4, I’m having a money theme. Yesterday we talked savings and investments for families, and today I’ve written a little Slummy single mummy guide to saving money on family holidays – some top tips from the woman who, for about ten years, was too cheap to even own a passport.

Don’t do it – According to one survey, nearly 40% of us stayed home last summer, so the ultimate money saving holiday tip? Simply don’t go. You’ll save hundreds if not thousands of pounds in travel, accommodation and family travel insurance, have far less washing to do at the end of it, and probably feel a lot more relaxed than if you attempt to introduce small children to the delights of European architecture in sweltering heat. Believe me, I have tried, all they care about is when they can have a lolly.

They say a change is as good as a rest. They lie.

Stay in the UK – I was perhaps being a tad hyper-cynical with my last suggestion, as I do actually like going on holiday, I just don’t see the point of dragging small kids thousands of miles, knowing they’ll complain the whole way there about ‘feeling sick’ or being bored, when we have such a wealth of beautiful countryside and interesting cities in the UK. Staying in the UK means you cut out the hassle of foreign travel, save money on flights, and have a bit extra to spend on treating the family.

If you’re worried about looking cheap, tell the other parents at school you’re doing it on environmental grounds.

Camping for wimps – Hotels cost a bomb, and even caravans can set you back a fair bit, but seriously, who wants to spend a week with kids in a tent? Not me. I do like the idea of camping though, so for a low-cost, self-catering, back-to-nature option, we’ve spent several of our summer holidays in yurts. As a single parent, you can bring the cost down even further by bunking up with another single parent friend and splitting the bill. This year we’ll be spending a whole week yurting on the Cornish coast for just £300. Bargainorama.

Shop around – given that there are about 27 million price comparison websites nowadays, you really have no excuse for paying full price for anything, whether it be flights or flip-flops. It may feel like a bit of a faff, but shopping around really can save you loads. Just think of it as every few pounds you save meaning one extra gin and tonic in the hotel bar.

Don’t risk it – I have a very simple approach to insurance. If I could afford the consequences should anything go wrong, I don’t bother. With foreign travel though, you really don’t want to risk it. Think about how often you intend to travel during the year to work out whether a single trip or annual travel insurance gives you the best value for money, and if you’re travelling in Europe, don’t forget to apply for your European Health Insurance Card.

And there you go, that’s my indispensable family travel guide. Do let me know if you have any destination recommendations or holiday money saving tips.

This is also my entry for the BritMums Piggy Bank Tales competition, sponsored by Virgin Money

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A little while ago I ran a competition, where I asked you what topics you’d like to see covered on the blog. Funnily enough, (anyone would think we were in a recession or that it was budget weekend or something), lots of you said you’d like to read about money. Or, more specifically, how to save it.

To prove that I take you all terribly seriously, I decided to have a bit of a finance themed weekend. I spoke to Scottish Friendly, who specialise in child and family investments, to find out how you can make the most of your money with a Junior Individual Savings Account, junior ISA or ‘JISA’.

The JISA, which replaced the Child Trust Fund when it was discontinued in November last year, is basically a tax effective way to save or invest for your kids, whether you’re looking just to put aside a little something, or wanting to save or invest towards something specific, like university.*

If you are thinking about getting a JISA on behalf of your child, you’ll need to know exactly how it works if you want to get the very best value for money, so here’s a run down of the basics:

  • Savings or investment: The JISA is available in two types: ‘Cash’ or ‘Stocks and Shares’. A Cash JISA works like a regular savings account: money put in is secure and generates interest. A ‘Stocks and Shares’ JISA is an investment account – money contributed is invested in the stock market. Bear in mind, like any investment product, the value of shares can rise and fall on a daily basis and your original investment is not guaranteed. It’s a bit more exciting though isn’t it? You can wear red braces and read the FT and make thoughtful noises, like you know what it all means. A child may hold both a Cash and Stocks and Shares JISA at the same time, up to the current annual limit of £3,600.
  • Tax protection: This is the best bit. Returns generated by interest or investment in both the Cash and Stocks and Shares JISAs are exempt from income and capital gains. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and tax law may change in the future.
  • Contributions: Once the JISA is set up by a parent or guardian, anyone may deposit money in a child’s JISA, so rather than overwhelming small children with birthday and Christmas gifts, why not get all those generous spinster aunts and Godparents to pop some money in their JISA instead? Compound interest – the gift that keeps on giving…

*Haha! You’ll never be able to save up that much surely??

Tomorrow I’m continuing the theme, and talking low-cost holidays for families. Then on Monday I’ll go back to being less dull.

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Looking to shift a bit of weight? Have a read of my Skinny Sprinkles review to see if this product could help you…

I’m one of those people who love eating. I love the taste of food, I love how it feels in my mouth and I love how it makes me feel. To me, eating isn’t just a survival thing, it’s a total pleasure. I often think that if I could have one wish, I’d choose to be able to eat and drink whatever I wanted and it never have any adverse effect on my weight or health. Sod world peace.

Which is all well and good, except eating does make you fat. There’s no escaping that, and eating at my normal rate, which is me being fairly restrained, seems to equate to putting on about half a stone every year. Half a stone may not seem like much, but add that up and it means that by the time I’m 50 I’ll have put on eight stone. Not pretty.

Now generally I don’t buy into the whole dieting culture, and I certainly don’t think women need to be thin to be sexy or desirable or feel good about themselves, but I also don’t particular want to be a heffalump when I retire, so when I was asked if I’d like to review Skinny Sprinkles, I thought I might as well give it a go, and see if I could shed some of 2011’s excess.

I was slightly worried at first that I’d signed up for one of those diet regimes where you eat nothing but shakes, but thankfully Skinny Sprinkles are snack replacements, rather than meal replacements, designed purely to control your appetite between meals and your portion sizes, rather than turning you into a starving, caffeinated lunatic.

When they arrived, I got rather excited by the idea of having three ‘smoothies’ a day as a treat, and after I’d made up the first one, (paying careful attention to the instructions, and not simply opening the sachet and sprinkling the powder into my mouth*), I began sipping my tasty snack. This was a big mistake. These ‘smoothies’ are not delicious. They taste a bit like soluble paracetamol with strawberry pips in. I would recommend stirring them really fast until everything is floating nicely, and then gulping it down in one. [Update – Skinny Sprinkles have improved their recipe since I wrote this – check out my later Skinny Sprinkles review for more info.]

Still, they are a diet aid, not a Mars Bar, and actually the fact that they were a tad gruesome worked in their favour. If I did find myself wanting something else to eat, I just remembered the smoothie, and asked myself ‘do I really want to have drunk that for nothing?’

I’m being a bit melodramatic, and they did grow on me after a while to be honest – I just needed to get into the right frame of mind, and not expect them to be an actual replacement, enjoyment wise, for three chocolate Hobnobs.

How do they work then? Well, here’s the science…

“Glucomannan is scientifically proven by the EFSA to aid weight reduction as part of a calorie controlled diet and is a water-soluble dietary fibre from the root of the Konjac plant. By delaying the absorption of glucose by the stomach, it slows down the digestive process and absorbs up to 200 times its weight in water – swelling when it mixes with water in your stomach – making you feel fuller.”

They also contain caffeine in the form of guarana and green tea for an extra pick me up, although I did check, and a whole day’s worth of sachets contains less caffeine than one fresh coffee, so you’re not going to be bouncing off the ceiling or anything.

And you know what? They actually worked. Whether it was the sachets themselves, the boost it gave to my willpower, or a combination of the two, I don’t know, but at the end of a week I had lost four whole pounds!

The downside I’d say is the cost. At £29.95 for a week’s supply, this certainly isn’t a cheap long-term solution, but I reckon for just a couple of weeks a year, if it means that for the other 50 I can eat my usual amount of cake for breakfast, then it’s not a bad investment at all.

Have you tried Skinny Sprinkles? Why not leave your own Skinny Sprinkles review in the comments and let me know what you think!

*This was an actual warning. Who would do that??

PS I am currently on the short list for the ‘Style’ award in the Brilliance in Blogging Awards. Please take half a minute to cast your vote and tick the Slummy single mummy box.

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