LIFE: Baby Skerritt Sweepstake

About a month ago myself and Chris were starting to get excited about Baby Skerritt's imminent arrival and were joking about setting up a family sweepstake. The more we talked about it, the more fun we thought it would be to get both sides of our family in on the action.

We decided that all parents and siblings (and partners) would get involved. My two nieces joined in, along with Chris' grandparents and his only auntie, uncle and cousin. (At this point, I'd like to add that this is the first baby that will be born on Chris' side of his immediate family, so excitement is huge!) We stopped at this point so it didn't get too out of hand.

First things first, we had to decide on the categories. We settled on the date of birth, the baby's weight and the baby's name. The next step was to add everyone into a WhatsApp group so we could collate all of their guesses. Yes, of course I made a cheeky spreadsheet.. it would be rude not to. We also decided to provide them with an incentive. So, the winner of each category (or who ever comes closest) will be presented with a certificate at the Christening party. They will have to give a speech on why they went with their particular choice and will also hold the bragging rights.

It took a while for people to actually put their guesses down into the group message.. I think nobody wanted to be the first. Pretty much by the end of the day, and after a lot of banter, we had nearly all of the guesses in. A few days later, Chris and I decided to join in too, but obviously not with the baby name.. that would be giving things away!

After that, it was really was just a matter of printing out the table and attaching it onto the fridge door. Now we are just waiting for the arrival. Chris has been crossing the date of birth guesses off as the days go by. I must admit, I keep checking the table every time I open the fridge door and it makes me smile every time.

Have you thought about doing a baby sweepstake? Have you done one during your, or another family member's  pregnancy? If so, leave a comment below as I'd love to hear how it went!

BABY: What I've Packed In My Hospital Bag

In my last blog post, I showed you what I decided to pack in my baby hospital bag. This post is focused on my personal hospital bag. As I mentioned in my previous post, this bag was also hastily packed at the same time as the other bag. I was very conscious of overpacking and looking like a wally, so I've tried to keep my items to the minimum.

 So, here is a list of the things I decided to pack:

• Weekend bag, purchased from Tesco, similar here.
• A towel.
• A nursing top.
• Maternity leggings.
• 2 button fronted nightdresses.
• 4 huge pairs of black full briefs - I've heard the aftermath can be messy and I also wanted knickers that would come up high, in case things don't go to plan and I have a caesearean.
• Socks - I've since purchased some fluffier ones, for possible cold feet during labour.
• Slippers - These were from Primark and I thought were handy as I didn't need to worry about my swollen feet not fitting into them. 
• Flip Flops - Just a cheap pair that I could potentially wear in the shower, if it doesn't look brilliant in there, or for general walking around.
• Pack of approx 20 maternity pads - for after labour.
• Headbands, a hairtie and grips - I'm pretty sure I won't want my hair in my face during labour!
• Lip balm.
• Coin purse with change and notes that will be needed for parking and snacks/drinks.
• Earphones - In case I decide I need music to help me through contractions.
• Tissues.
• TENs machine - Hopefully will help me through labour.
• Washbag.
• A lightweight dressing gown (not shown in the photo, ooops!).

I've tried to cover a lot of bases in this washbag. I've included the essentials like a toothbrushes (for me and Chris), toothpaste, deodorant, shower gel, facial cleanse wipes and moisturiser. If possible, I've purchased travel sized products, just to save on room. I've also put in travel sized hand cream, body lotion, shampoo, conditioner, muslin cloth and a hot cloth cream cleanser. I'm pretty sure I won't get around to using these, but if I did, they're at hand.

Other items that need to be put in at last minute are my hospital notes, hairbrush, iPhone charger and camera (with a charged battery and memory card). We've also got a big bottle of water and 3 cartons of drink for me, along with a red bull and some lucozade for Chris, cooling in the fridge. Snack wise I have a box of Jaffa Cakes, a couple of bags of apple crisps and some Jelly Babies to munch on.

Our midwife suggested we take our swiss ball with us, as our hospital doesn't have these. So, depending on if I'm finding the ball useful during labour at home, this may also get thrown into the car when we set off.

That is it for my hospital bags. If you think I've missed anything vital or that you may have found useful when at the hospital on the labour ward, then please leave me a comment below. :)

BABY: What I've Packed In My Baby Hospital Bag

Throughout my whole pregnancy, I had been looking forward to packing my hospital bags. I pictured myself smiling away as I lovingly folded all the teeny weeny baby essentials into the bag. In reality, like most things in life, this didn't actually happen.

As I mentioned in a previous post here, quite late on in my pregnancy we had booked a trip to Liverpool for Chris' Liverpool FC Stadium Tour. We both decided, running up to this time, that it would be best to pack my hospital bags and take our hospital notes and the car seat, in case the unthinkable happened. Well... fast forward to the day before we were due to travel... still no bags had been packed. Finally, I bit the bullet and made a list of things I thought Baby Skerritt would need, once he made his big arrival.

I found it a lot easier to just lay everything out on our bed before packing it all into the bag. Obviously I have no idea how long my stay in hospital will be, so I didn't want to have too much or too little. What I decided to pack was:

• Weekend Bag, purchased from Primark.
• Pack of 23 newborn nappies.
• Nappy bags.
• 2 blankets - a fleecy Winnie the Pooh one and a cotton cellular blanket.
• Antibacterial wipes, in case I become a germophobe overnight.
• Cotton wool squares, for nappy changing.
• Water wipes - I know cotton wool and water is the preferred method, but water wipes are practically the same.. plus I've heard that the meconium poo nappy change can be a bit sticky, so wipes may well be easier.
• Lasinoh nipple cream, just in case.
• A handful of breast pads, in case my milk comes in.
• Tissues, for when I'm getting all emotional!
• 2 comfortable sleep bras which are nursing friendly.
• 3-4 muslin cloths, 1 being an extra large sized cloth, ideal for swaddling attempts!
• A few bibs, no idea if I'll use them, but they don't take up much room in the bag.
• Newborn sized socks, hats and some scratch mitts.
• 6 sleepsuits and 6 vests. 

Yes, I feel I may have gone overboard with baby outfits, but hear me out! In the back of my mind I still keep having this panic where the baby comes out, and the midwife announces.. 'It's A Girl!!'
So, just in case, I've packed a few plain white sleepsuits. But if all goes as planned and he is a he, I still wanted some more boy themed sleepsuits for photos. I also plan to pop in one of his newborn toys, but I still need to decide which one!

Anyway, there was no surprise arrival of Baby Skerritt, so the bag has just been waiting around in the nursery for the moment it will be quickly grabbed and put into the car! I did get everything out a week or so ago, to re-pack and check, knowing that it was originally packed in a rush.

Is there anything vital you think I'm missing? What were your essential items from your baby hospital bag? Let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

BLOG: New Blog Design

So, since I started my blog, I have never really been that happy with my blog design template. At the time I wasn't too bothered as:

1. I didn't know how long this new hobby would last.
2. I was so clueless that I wasn't even really aware you could have different designs other than the ones available on the Blogger website.

Now that I am posting a lot more frequently than I ever used to, I started to get frustrated. The blog design wasn't 'me'. It was dull, boring and if I thought that, then surely any visitors to my blog would be thinking the same thing.

Fast forward to last week... I was browsing Etsy for things I don't need (anyone else do this?) and I just typed 'template for blogger' into the search box. Two words instantly sprung to mind.. WOW - look at all the pretty templates; and  OOOH - these are a lot cheaper than I thought they would be.
In that moment I decided to bite the bullet, choose a design and just go ahead and purchase one.

I wasn't looking for a complete custom design, it seemed a bit pointless (and more expensive) going for such a thing when my blog is still very much in its early days. Bearing in mind there are hundreds of templates available on Etsy, I spent the rest of the day clicking through pages and pages of different styles and then managed to narrow it down to a select few.

I'm very much aware that in the blogging world there is a whole monochrome fashion going on at the minute, with black squiggly handwriting in the header. I really do think they look great, but in all seriousness I am not 'cool' enough to carry off that design. As a person I tend to be quite bright and breezy, a little bit daft and probably still don't act my age, or ever will. The stylish monochrome designs seemed to suit the more sophisitcated bloggers out there. I love pastel colours and pretty things so I knew as soon as I saw this template that it was the one.

The template was created by Adrien from Eclair Designs and her whole shop on Etsy is full of more beautiful designs. The template was easy to purchase, you get a file to download and have instructions to install it. With me being such a nube (with a serious case of baby brain) I paid extra to have Adrien install it for me. Adrien probably regretted having the 'ask seller a question' button that day, as I had plenty of questions that I wanted to ask before making the purchase. All of these questions were answered promptly (which I found surprising as I believe Eclair Designs is based in America) and put my mind at ease.

Once I had made the purchase, I still downloaded the file, so I could keep a backup of the template. About an hour or so later, I received a message saying the blog template installation was complete! And that, as they say, is that!

I'm so thrilled with the outcome and am already feeling more excited to write more blog posts. I'm still tweaking things, adding some more links to my social media sites etc, to make it easier for any followers to keep up to date with things. So, I hope you appreciate the design more than the old one and enjoy it as much as I do. If you haven't checked out my new blog design, then you can do so here!

*This is not a sponsored post and everything was paid for by myself.

LIFE: We Are Moving!

So, this was unexpected! We are indeed on the move, and we will be doing it sooner rather than later! The reason for this swift move is because my lovely husband has been promoted! If you're reading this Chris, well done, your wife (and bumpy) are very proud of you.

The difference with being promoted in the military compared to your run-of-the-mill job on civvy street is that with a promotion you become a new rank! With a new rank you will then get posted into a new job that is suitable for your new rank. With a posting you then typically have to move to where the new job is situated.

Alas, our 3 years down in Cornwall will be cut short rather abruptly. This is such a shame as we have been loving life down here. I also feel like we haven't made the most of our time here, mainly because I have been pregnant for the nearly 9 months that we have been here.

Moving a month after our due date is probably not the easiest of times, especially if this little one decides to not come out on time. However, we will just suck it up and get on with it and hope that the cat and our little baby can cope with 6 hours (maybe more for baby feeding stops) in the car.

So, I've put a hold on doing anything more to the nursery than is necessary and decided to just wash every single tiny item of clothing and bedding that we have purchased. It seemed like the most sensible thing to do.

The Cons of this move are just how soon it will be after the birth of our baby. It will mean organising a new GP and Health Visitor, so myself and our baby don't miss out on vital appointments.... not forgetting the general upheaval of having to move across the country.

There are Pros though! We have been posted to Lincolnshire, which is where both my husband and I grew up! We've both not lived there for 12 years now, so we are ecstatic that both our families will now be on hand to help us unpack, settle in and spend precious time with their Grandson!

So, onwards to our next adventure! Have you moved close to the arrival of your baby? If you have any tips feel free to comment below, they will be very much welcome!

LIFE: The Pregnancy Tag

Today I just wanted to do something a little more fun so decided to do more of a "Tag Blog Post". Typically, you tend to find these kind of Tags in the form on videos online, so I'm just taking inspiration from that format and answering pregnancy related questions. So, here goes nothing..

How and when did you find out you were pregnant?
I found out I was pregnant on the 14th December 2014 at around 7.40(ish) AM, by taking a pregnancy test. (I only know this as I took a photo of the test immediately after on my phone!)

How did you feel?
Excited! We both knew that we wanted children and were trying, but thought it would take much longer!!


How did you tell your partner?
I remember it was a Sunday morning, so we were still in bed and I'd got up to let the cat out, needed a wee, decided to do a test and hey presto... I was PREGNANT. My plan was to go back upstairs to bed with the test wrapped in kitchen roll, in case Chris had woken up, then wait for him to need to go to the toilet. At this point my plan was working as Chris stirred and decided to get up for the toilet. YAY! I carefully placed the test on top of the kitchen roll onto Chris' side of the duvet, so he would notice it when he tried to get back into bed. My heartbeat was going mental at this point and I was picturing his face when he saw it etc. I heard the toilet flush, the sink taps get turned off, Chris plodding back to the bedroom, but he didn't come to the bed! I looked over, his back was facing me and he's reaching behind the door for his dressing gown and then said, "Now I'm up, I think I'll go downstairs and finish watching Match of the Day". (Soccer Football catch-up programme). At this point he was on the verge of walking out the room and I'm not really sure what I said but I somehow managed to get him over to the bed.. I probably said "LOOK!". I think I was getting a little teary now with happiness, knowing Chris he probably remarked, "Why is there a marker pen on the bed?", as he's full of quips, but I knew he knew. He looked at it and then looked at me with amazement and said, "REALLY?!" and I nodded. Then we hugged it out as I was a blubbering away.

Did you wait three months to tell people?
No! The plan was to go to the Doctors to do a test there for official confirmation and then perhaps tell our parents. Turns out, my new surgery doesn't do that so we filled in a Midwife Form, did a few more home tests (same result), then made the decision to tell our parents, swear them to secrecy and tell everyone at the 13 week scan. We sent out group messages to both sides of immediate family and very close friends with the baby scan photo, but chickened out telling all of our other friends. When we had our 20 week scan we then told everyone, mainly via Facebook.

Is this your first?
Yes.

Do you want more children?
Yes, at least one more, as we both grew up in families of five and like the idea of our baby having a sibling.

When is your due date?
20th August 2015.

Will you find out the gender? Do you have a preference?
Yes I convinced Chris to find out and we are having a BOY! We didn't have a preference, we just hoped to have a healthy little one. (Although if we were having a girl, I think Chris would keep making us try until we got a boy, mainly so he can train him to be the next football superstar *rolls eyes*)

Your biggest craving?
For a while I was addicted to having toasted bagels with cream cheese for lunch. But nothing really stood out craving wise.


What's the best part of being pregnant?
Feeling your baby move inside you is magical.


What's the worst part of being pregnant?
The tiredness that comes and goes at different stages and awkwardness of turning over in bed. It's such a chore.


Will you have a baby shower?
Probably not. These baby shower things are only just starting to get really common in England. If i was closer to home where my family and close friends are then I definitely would do something. But I'm the other side of the country so it just wouldn't be feasible. Maybe me and Chris will go out for afternoon tea!


Will you have a Maternity Photo Shoot?
No. I think they can look really tasteful and some women look brilliant, especially when they have these neat bumps. But I probably resemble a whale, and I don't think it is something we would ever hang up in our house. I do a weekly bump photo on my Blog and am quite satisfied with that!

Do you have a nursery theme planned?
Yes! We have white nursery furniture and our theme is a nautical/sea related one with whales and fishes etc. We live in married quarters so won't be painting walls and changing curtains, but have got some wall stickers to put up that peel off. 

What's your birth plan?
We haven't actually written one yet! The overall plan is to have a natural birth (unless intervention is needed) at the local hospital. No birthing pools are available there, but hopefully I can do without an epidural, but it isn't completely ruled out. That's as far as we have got in our thinking!

Who will be your birthing partner/s?
My husband Chris. Nobody else lives down in Cornwall so he will have to cope all by himself!! Honestly though, I'm not sure I would want anyone else in the room with me.

Will you breastfeed?
Yes, I do plan to breastfeed, but if it gets to a point where our baby isn't putting on enough weight and I'm really struggling, then I am open to the idea of formula feeding. As long as the baby is nourished, it shouldn't matter which you opt for. I just like the idea of the bonding and that it is free!

Do you plan to work or be a stay at home mum?
When we found out I was pregnant we decided that I would not work and we would live off one wage.


Will you be getting all of the baby vaccinations?
Yes, both myself and Chris were fully vaccinated and it seems the right choice for us to make for our baby.


Will you be blogging once the baby is born?
Yes! It may take me a few weeks to get back on track, but I do plan to keep blogging and including our baby in the blog posts too.




I hope you enjoyed this Tag and got some insight to my pregnancy that might not have been previously mentioned in my other posts. Feel free to do this Tag, and if you do, comment below and send me a link to your own Blog. I'd love to read your answers!

LIFE: The Expense of Having Children

Money. We all need it. We probably all want more of it. It's the reason why we all get jobs. Yes, some people may adore their job, but at the end of the day, we are all waiting for the payslip that we get at the end of the month. After all, we all need to live! If you are in a position to be able to save a part of our wage each month, then it is well worth doing. This gives the security we all need to have money put aside for various reasons. This could be for a wedding, a holiday, retirement, a house deposit, a rainy day or even if you plan to have a baby.

Chris and myself have always tried to save a little each month as our long term plan has been to buy our own house. By the time we were posted to Norfolk, I had left my much loved job and was struggling to find a full-time job with us living in a more remote area. In the end I settled for a part-time job, nothing special, which allowed me to contribute to the monthly bills. During our 5 years together Chris has done two 6 months tours away from his base which allowed us to top up our savings quite significantly. After the first tour, Chris proposed and we spent most of our savings on our ideal wedding and honeymoon. We regret nothing as we have some beautiful memories from our most special day. Chris came back from his last tour last year, which put us back on track with saving for a deposit, but then we were posted to Cornwall.

We moved into Married Quarters for the first time and were given a three bedroom house. It really is a lovely home, but it made us realise we would be unlikely to afford to buy a house down in the South-West and would likely be in Married Quarters for the next few years. So, the decision was made to put buying the house on a back-burner for the time being. We had decided that when Chris returned from his tour, we would start trying for a baby. A month after Chris returning, we conceived and were (and still are) so happy and excited! Then the reality set in that we really didn't know much about babies and all of the things you need to buy to keep them alive.

So, for the past few months we have been doing some research and the "Baby List" appeared to be getting longer and longer... baby clothes in different sizes, nursery furniture, blankets and bedding, nappies, feeding equipment, a pushchair, a car seat, a moses basket, changing bag, maternity clothes etc, etc. The list is endless! How can one tiny little human need so many things!

According to The Money Advice Service, parents in the UK will typically spend between £1565 and £7270 on their baby in the first year of its life. This is dependant on whether you are on a budget or if you you are going to have the "no expense spared" attitude. I would say we sit somewhere in between. We have been quite lucky that we have a lump sum of money that we can delve into whenever we decide to buy things. We are willing to spend a little extra on the important things, mainly because we hope to have another child in the future and plan to re-use everything we buy now. A lot of our main purchases have been from your typical high street shops like Mothercare, John Lewis, Argos etc. We have also purchased things online from Amazon. Even though we don't mind spending a little more, I still love a bargain. This has meant me comparing lots of baby items on various websites to see which has the best price. I think we have saved over £300 by doing this, so it may seem a bit tedious, but it is the ideal past-time when Chris is hogging the TV, watching the football.

For those that are on more of a budget, there are various ways of cutting costs. If you don't mind second-hand then check out sites that are selling things in your local area like Gumtree and Preloved. If you are on Facebook then you can join a group in your local area where people are selling items. EBay is always a safe option and keep an eye out for "Nearly New Baby Sales" in your local area. These are typically like indoor car boot sales and you should be able to pick up a bargain there. You can also check out the NCT website which host Nearly New Sales around the country.

Hopefully this may have helped out anyone who is struggling with the cost of buying things for their little bundle of joy. I'm sure there are many other ways, but these are just what I have found in the past few months. If you have any more thrifty advice, feel free to comment below.

LIFE: Highlights of Last Week

Early Evening in the Cemetery

Last week felt like quite a productive week. This is my rundown of the main highlights of my week...

• Finding the gate that leads from our married quarters to the local cemetery. Some people may find this morbid, but I love having a stroll around a cemetery. They are just so peaceful, you get to see lots of wildlife and it's the perfect time to have a little think.

• Finally ordering our Nursery Furniture.. with 20% off the price too! This is our first big purchase. We then proceeded to have a moment of panic when we realised how much baby things we actually need to buy, eeeeek! We are getting the delivery for this later on in the week, so I will give you my verdict then.

• Getting the delivery of our Shnuggle moses basket. (Ordered at the same time as the other furniture, but delivered really quickly!) 

The Red Vintage Mini was my Favourite

• Seeing a line of vintage Mini's lined up in a car park. We saw lots of Mini's last weekend, so there must have been some kind of "meet-up". My favourite was the red one!

• Going out in the evening with friends for a curry. We try and book a meal out in Newquay every month with some of Chris' colleagues and their wives, but we somehow missed last month by accident. It was great to catch up with them and have a laugh whilst eating some lovely food. (I paid for it with heartburn later though.)

Alfie Perusing his Treats

• Finding the best deal for Alfie the cat... Alfie loves treats. He begs for them throughout the day and is very partial to the multipack cat sticks you can pick up in the supermarkets. Not only did we find his favourite flavour (lamb), but they were reduced to 25p!!! We picked up 11 packs, so he should be good until the end of July.

• A trip to Truro to finally purchase a few maternity tops and a comfortable bra. Although I can still fit into a lot of my clothes, it was nice to now have something that isn't struggling to stretch over my bump. I got fitted for my new non wired bra in record time by a lovely lady in Marks & Spencer. It is pretty ugly yet actually feels so amazing. I'm in love!

• Having cucumber and salad cream sandwiches for lunch. Is this a late craving? Who knows! Either way they are delicious and are my new addiction. *Drools*

 What were the highlights of your last week? Did you do anything exciting? Let me know in the comments below.

April Favourites

How can April already be over? So much has been going on for me this month and these products have helped me get through this month in their own way.

Cath Kidston Mug // This was a birthday present from my Sister-in-law, who obviously knows me well as I love both Cath Kidston designs and hot drinks. Apart from the beautiful floral design, I really love the size of this mug. It is not so small that I feel like I need another brew immediately after finishing the first, but not so large that I never finish it. Who do I think I am.. Goldilocks?

The *TeaShed Teabags // This also came as a bonus present for me along with my mug. I adore Earl Grey tea. I know a lot of people find the fragrant taste a little overpowering, but I really think it's one of my favourite types of tea. The packaging of this is lovely with, "Probably Definitely The Best Cup Of Tea" emblazoned on the side, which makes me smile every time I look at it. And, you know, I would actually have to agree. It really is perfect, especially when accompanied with a cheeky biscuit (or three).

Sweet Freedom // A few years ago I stopped taking sugar in my tea and changed to a sweetener. I found it helped with my sweet tooth, but helped me decrease my sugar intake. I know that there are many health concerns with regard to a regular usage of sweeteners so I have been looking out for another alternative that could become the new replacement. Well my friends, I think I have found it in the form of Sweet Freedom. In the bottle it looks like golden syrup, but it is actually made 100% from natural fruit extracts. It also has 25% fewer calories than sugar, which is always a good thing. It's in a squirty bottle so it is clean and simple to squirt into your tea, baking or cereal etc.

Papaya Body Butter // I picked this up in one of The Body Shop's many clearance sales. They also do many promotions on their website, so if you are a TBS fan then get yourself on there! I paid £5 for this and it was certainly money well spent. Having quite dry skin, I really benefit from a more nourishing body moisturiser. I have no problems in putting this on after my shower and getting dressed pretty much straight away. There is no stickiness and my skin drinks it up beautifully. It literally smells so summery and fruity that I can't stop smelling my arm on my way to work. Standard.

Hand Dream // I featured this hand cream in my Soap & Glory Haul and I have not been disappointed. I work in a cold environment at work, which makes my hands incredibly dry in between my fingers. This not only smells delicious, but soaks in quickly and doesn't leave my hands feeling greasy. That is my one pet hate. It is actually quite a large bottle so I've been keeping this at the side of my bed to put on when needed.

Palmer's Swivel Stick // This is one of my favourite lip balms ever. It is pretty huge and people do make fun of me at work when I pull it out of my bag. Most people think I'm putting Pritt Stick on my lips, well they probably wish I was with me being a little chatterbox. It is a cocoa butter based lip balm, which feels smooth when applied on the lips and really helps to nourish my lips when they are feeling sore. I do use it under lipsticks sometimes, but it can make things a little slippery if applied straight after. Give it 5 minutes and it will sink in nicely. Because of the size, it can be used for dry skin patches and elbows but mine never makes it past my lips.

Wax Lyrical Colony Candle // I was actually doing a very middle aged thing where myself and Chris went to the supermarket and popped into the adjoining Dobbies store. If you've not heard of Dobbies it is a bit like a garden centre crossed with The Range. I get lost in the homeware sections every time, much to Chris' annoyance. I was on the lookout for a new candle and spotted this amongst the Yankee Candles. I liked that the company is based in Cumbria and their products are made in the UK. I spent ages sniffing them all and finally chose Mandarin & Peach. It really does manage to throw it's scent around the room. It doesn't burn as evenly as more expensive candles, but it isn't terrible by any means. I have it on the table next to me in the living room and love getting the occasional whiff of fruit. Perfect for Spring.

Whiskas Dentabits // No, this is not my mid-afternoon snack after my daily cat nap. (geddit!) These are for Alfie the cat. If he could he would eat cat treats instead of his food. He may need to go to rehab for his addiction. What I've tried to do is meet him in the middle and get him cat treats which have additional benefits. These treats are quite knobbly in shape, which are supposed to help clean Alfie's teeth. Whether it works, I'm not sure, but he enjoys eating them anyway.

Pedometer // Now this is not anything crazy expensive, It was just a cheap bargain from EBay. I actually purchased 3, as myself and my friends at work wanted to see how many steps we were taking at work. I do a 5 hour shift and am averaging around 4000 steps. Not bad eh! It does resemble a plastic toy and has been prone to fly off my trousers when bending down, but for 99p, I'm really not going to complain.

So there we have it, these are my April favourites. What have you been loving this month?

All products featured were purchased by myself or were presents from my family.

Birthday Jewellery

Well hello there guys! Sorry about the gap in blog posts. The husband has now left the country and I have just been adjusting my routine accordingly. Well, Alfie the cat and my good self haven't changed things around too much, but I am finding myself going to bed a lot earlier, having more full blown conversations with Alfie and there's a lot more dancing around and singing at the top of my voice. Standard.

So anyway, let's take it back to April Fool's Day. My birthday! On a side note, how am I now 29 years old? I don't feel it but I'm sure this is how most people feel. Let's be honest here though, age is just a number and I am not at all scared at getting older.  I had booked the day off work so I managed to get breakfast in bed and was presented with my cards and presents. I didn't really ask for anything, as there's nothing that I desperately needed. I did get some lovely gift cards, pretty mugs, tea, socks etc.

Something that was different this year was that I actually got jewellery. This is completely out of the ordinary and I was actually really touched. The first present that I opened was from my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. This was the Lotus Bud Necklace from Tatty Devine. My brother-in-law's girlfriend actually works at Tatty Devine and she picked this out for me. The neon green and pink is perfect for the Spring and Summer. I think this necklace was actually from their SS2013 season, and unfortunately is no longer available on their site.

 

The next present I opened was from my parents. Now this ring is something I've had for probably 6 or 7 years. It was originally a holiday present from the parents, brought back from Tenerife. The ring is silver and has 3 stones that are made from local volcanic rocks. It was something I would wear every day on my middle finger and one day (two years ago) one of the stones came out. Very sad times *sobs*. My mum told me to hand it over and she promised to get it fixed. Fast forward two years and we both finally remembered that she still had it and now I have been reunited with said ring, YAY!

The final present I opened was from my husband Chris. This was a complete surprise. He had only gone and got me a Pandora bracelet! Wowsers!! He was feeling pretty smug as I fell in love with it instantly and proudly told me that he chose it himself (he may have rung his Sister for some guidance). This bracelet is part of their Essence collection. You buy the necklace by itself and then you can add Essence Charms to it. Each charm has a different meaning which I think helps to make it really personal. The charms that Chris chose all had specific meanings for us. Firstly Love was pretty self explanatory! Secondly Trust was to help me remember to trust that he will be safe and fine whilst he is away. Strictly no worrying allowed! Finally Positivity was to remind me to keep my sunny disposition whilst he was away, instead of being sad and morose. My Mother-in-law also got me one last Essence Charm which was Wellness. Again, Chris helped to choose this whilst she was on the phone but this was mainly based on how ornate it looked, but she obviously wants me to stay well!

Quick disclaimer - I am in no way suggesting you rush out to buy these or am trying to show off. I just thought you would like to see some pretty pieces of jewellery that mean so much and are now all close to my heart.

50 Random Facts About Me

Hi Guys, I hope you had a spiffing weekend. Mine wasn't too bad, thanks for asking! Saturday started with work, but it went quickly enough which meant I could get home quickly to see the husband! He only had a few hours released from his pre-deployment training, which soon whizzed by. The rest of the weekend was spent being lazy, mainly watching Modern Family. If you haven't watched this, then you need to. Seriously, the funniest sitcom I've seen in a long time.

Anyway, I digress, today I thought I'd do the 50 Random Things About Me Tag that I've mainly seen people do on You Tube. I thought it was a more fun way of you guys getting to know the weird and wonderful things that make up me. So here goes.....

1. I was born in Nottingham but grew up in Boston, Lincolnshire from the age of 3.
2. I got married last year to the love of my life, Chris on Saturday 14th September.
3. I have a cat called Alfie, who will be 2 this July, and I'm completely obsessed with the ginger kitty. Like, really obsessed. Seriously! Ask my friends!!
4. I will put onion in most main dishes that I cook, but I wont eat raw onion. Bleurgh!
5. I went to Liverpool John Moores University and got myself a 2:1 Honours degree in Childhood and Adolescence Studies.
6. My favourite colour is green.
7. I've never dyed my hair, ever!
8. I love baking cakes and biscuits and force feeding them to Chris, impatiently waiting for him to tell me how delicious they are.
9. I watch a lot of TV. I do have Sky, so I record my favourite programmes (Criminal Minds, The Walking Dead and Emmerdale to name a few) and fast forward through the adverts.
10. I will pretty much order the same things when we have a Chinese or Indian. (Beef in Black Bean Sauce and Chicken Bhuna... come to Mama.)
11. I take a size 5 shoe.
12. I support Liverpool FC and Boston United. If I didn't, I'm not sure Chris would have married me.
13. I love countryside walks and bird watching.
14. I am a member of the RSPB and The National Trust.
15. I really struggle to eat a normal portion of rice or pasta... they are so filling!
16. If I could live in Pyjamas, I would.
17. I spent my Honeymoon in Kephalonia. I want to go back there already.
18. I have 2 older siblings. Rachael is 4 years older than me and Simon is 7 years older.
19. I am an Auntie to 2 gorgeous nieces and 1 handsome nephew.
20. My favourite pizza toppings are chicken, sweetcorn, mushrooms and olives.
21. I'm 5ft 4in (and a half, it makes all the difference!).
22. I rarely wear heels these days, unless you count a chunky boot heel.
23. I'm an April Fool! Thanks mum, you couldn't have held me in a day longer?
24. I only had 1 Ken Doll as a child, so I would cut the hair off one of my Barbies and dress it in boyish clothing and give it a boys name.
25. Because I work with fresh food, I can't wear nail polish on my fingers, so I just do my toes.
26. I currently live in Norfolk, but Chris is in the RAF, so we could be posted elsewhere every 3 years. (Fingers crossed for Cyprus!)
27. I love Galaxy chocolate with a huge passion.
28. I absolutely love to get lost in a book. Mainly fiction and I love Jane Austen novels.
29. I was born in 1985.
30. Up until the age of 25, I had only really played on hand-held games consoles like GameBoy and DS Lite. XBOX consoles and Playstation consoles scared me as they looked too complex.
31. I really like online shopping as going out to shop for fashion annoys me with all the queues and they NEVER have my size.
32. I am addicted to mangoes. (mmmmm my mouth is watering)
33. I have quite small sized hands. My niece now has bigger hands than me. Tch.
34. I've had a crush on Paul Rudd since I first ever watched the film Clueless.
35. I've got my driving licence, but haven't driven since I passed. I passed 10 years ago.
36. I am a tea and coffee lover, but if I had to pick one, it's got to be tea.
37. In the summer I get freckles across my nose and on my cheeks. On my arms, however, my freckles look like tiny red pin-pricks. You can only see them if my arm is literally 2 inches from your face and yes I do find them to be very odd.
38. I still get ridiculously excited about my Birthday, Christmas and Easter.
39. I am very clumsy. My co-ordination is really bad, so much so, that I frequently trip over my own foot whilst walking.
40. I am rubbish at remembering birthdays! If it's not on the calendar, it will be a belated card.
41. I have an unhealthy addiction to watching 24 and seeing Jack Bauer save the world. His acting may be hilarious but he is amazing all the same!
42. I am not the best of singers, yet I still belt out the songs all day at work, in the shower and in the car. (The shower is best for acoustics)
43. I bruise like a peach. This is linked to Fact 39, but I will have at least 2 or 3 bruises on my body each week.
44. I love candles as they are pretty and smell nice but I always feel a bit sad when lighting one, as I know it will be all gone in the near future.
45. My Iphone photo album is mainly filled with photos of Alfie the cat. He's very photogenic!
46. Chris proposed to me on the beach at RSPB Titchwell Marsh. It was unexpected and lovely and I'll never forget it.
47. If I'm at home I always have slippers on. I am always cold, so these are a necessity.
48. I am the washer up-er in our household. Chris dries up.
49. I don't drink much alcohol these days but in the summer I love a fruit cider and in the winter I love mulled wine.
50. I can nap anywhere and at anytime. The sofa, plane and car are typical places that you'll find me napping.

So that's it! I hope you enjoyed this blog post and please comment below if you want to add your own facts or let me know that I'm not as weird as I sometimes feel I am.

Catch Up: Sickness, Movies and Burgers.

Hi guys, now I owe you a huge, mahoosive, ginormous apology. I have been a bit M.I.A for the past month. After having a brilliant Valentines day, I managed to get myself a stonking cold. Not a sniffle, but the one where you feel like it is the flu, that your life is ending as you have known it, that you feel like you need a nose transplant. You get the picture.

After I had recovered, the husband managed to get some a few days on leave from his pre deployment training so we made the most of it. Well if making the most of it involves me finishing work at 11am, getting into my baggy sobbing out gear and us watching 24 and drinking endless cups of tea, then that's what we did. Chris will be away for probably around six months, so when he gets time to come home he has my undivided attention.

We did manage to leave the house on my day off to drive to the cinema. Living in a tiny town means you have to travel to get to any decent shops or amenities, the cinema being one of them. We normally opt for the Odeon in Norwich, as there are plenty of restaurants for us to grab a bite to eat. I really wanted to embrace my inner child and go watch The Lego Movie 3D. Lego was one of my favourite things to play with when I was younger and I wouldn't even mind playing with some now! Well the film was brilliant, a great storyline with plenty of laughs for both children and grown ups. We are both Will Ferrell fans so if you are too then you probably will enjoy it as much as we did. My favourite characters had to be the 80's spaceman as we had that character when we were young, and of course Unikitty. 

Image sourced from johnlewis.com, priced £7.99

I found this key light on the John Lewis website, which technically I don't really need, but it's so adorable that I NEED it. Fingers crossed I'll get it for my birthday. We actually headed to TGI Fridays prior to the film for a bite to eat. We both got burgers. It had to be done. Mine was the Swiss Dip which was covered with caramelised onions and Swiss cheese. I upgraded my fries to sweet potato ones as I am literally obsessed. It also came with a teeny, tiny jug of gravy for dipping. I was all over this, but I suppose it wouldn't be to everyone's taste.

Sorry about the cheesy photo (geddit!) I was sending it to my friend and I can't send a serious photo to her. Also, the awful camera angle I can blame on Chris! So all in all, our day out was brilliant.

Apart from working I have nothing else to really catch you up on. I had a few blog posts lined up for that period, but I feel the moment has passed. Never mind, onwards and upwards, as the saying goes. 

I'm thinking of doing a few "Tags" for you all to get to know a little more about me. I also need to do a haul post, which I may split up into a few parts. 

What have you been doing recently? Are there any films you think I should go see?

#100HAPPYDAYS Challenge

[Source]

Last weekend, one of my friends shared a link to the #100HAPPYDAYS challenge, via Facebook. I had never heard of this before, and I was most definitely intrigued, so I clicked on the link.

The challenge sounds simple enough... Every day, for 100 days, you need to submit a photo of what has made you happy that day. It can literally be anything. A photo of a pet, family member, food, a lovely view .. you get the idea! What I find surprising is that 71% of people fail to complete this challenge, due to lack of time. This seems slightly strange to me when a majority of my friends are sharing a photo on various social networking sites throughout the day.

Anyway, on the website there is a simple form to fill in which took me all of one minute to complete, and this is where you choose which platform you are going to use to submit your daily photo. The choices are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, or via Email if you want to be completely private. You then simply include the hashtag #100HAPPYDAYS and share your daily photo.

I would like to say that I'm not the type of person who spends my days moping around and I generally try to see the glass half full, although I'm fully aware that I can have my moments of petulance, self pity and complaining. (in fact, my husband could probably pinpoint the exact time of the month on the calendar when these moments flare up!)

So, the main reason that I really decided to take this challenge on was when we found out the date of my husband's next tour of duty. Chris is in the RAF and will be sent to Afghanistan for the third time and spend 6 months there. The last time he was away on tour was in 2011. I was living with flatmates at the time and working full-time, which definitely helped fill the void, but it was a lot harder in the evenings and when I had days off as this was when the loneliness would set in and I would feel a bit like Eeyore... gloomy for the sake of being gloomy!

Since then, we have been posted to Norfolk, got married and now live together in Norfolk. The big difference is that I know what to expect this time around and have a great set of friends, not to forget my biggest rock of all... Alfie the cat. Combined with this challenge, which will finish when the husband has already gone away, I hope this will keep me in a positive frame of mind and remember to appreciate the simple things in life that really make a difference to my day. (truthfully... mainly food and Alfie!)

Now, the website does mention that you can get a book of your 100 photos if you complete the challenge, but I have no idea how this works or if it costs anything. Perhaps I will find out WHEN I complete the 100 days. If I do I will let you know in the comments below.

If you feel up to the challenge then head over to the website and sign up. If you do, then feel free to leave a comment below with a link to your platform you are using, I'd love to see what makes you happy! If you want to check out my #100HAPPYDAYS challenge then you can follow me on Instagram.

Happy Snapping Guys!!!