Mummy From The Heart...

Blogging Is Just Like The Real World

2012-01-28T10:23:00.000Z

Just recently I have seen many comments and some posts pop up around the subject of some established bloggers not being very friendly or bloggers being in cliques and groups of friends that they cannot penetrate. There seems to be a trend that each January and February this happens and roll back a few years, I was the newbie wondering what on earth I was up to in this big scary blogsphere.

But I'll share with you what I have discovered in the last few years, in the hope that it might help you put your mind at rest and to relax and enjoy blogging and social media. For it should be enjoyed, it is not a life or death matter it is just a hobby (whoops, I'll have offended a ton of serious bloggers there!).

So here is my opinion on the whole parenting blogsphere is cliquey business. So what? Life is life, it is rich because people are so different and because we all communicate and act in completely different ways. I really do believe that life would be boring if everyone was the same. The beauty of a group of friends is that you are all unique and bring something special and differnet to the group collective. Blogging relationships mirror real life ones. Simple really.

At any point when you are the new person, so in adult life that could be new job, new school for your kids, new evening class, new park that you visit, new toddler group and so forth you will probably feel a bit vulnerable and alone. But what do we do in most everyday life situations? We smile at people, we say hi, we strike up a conversation, we look for a similarity that we can use and lets be honest we make judgement calls - is she my kind of person? You look at her clothes and the group of friends she is chatting to, how boisterous her kids are and you decide if you will make the effort to chat to that person. Again blogging mirrors real life, do you like their tone on twitter, is their blog design nice, do they do too many reviews?

Yes there are some superb circles of friends in the parenting blogsphere and some of them use media like twitter to chat and many of their conversations look as if they know stuff about each other that no-one else knows and their tweets are full of innuendo that you and me do not get but so what? They may have years of history together and have shared things we could never hope to understand - bereavement, divorce, parenting issues, all sorts and we know that this draws friends close and creates special bonds. Ones we cannot hope to penetrate in a week or even a month. However, that does not mean they are exclusive with each other. If people choose to follow you on something like twitter it means they want to engage with you. So go ahead and say hi, but into a conversation, especially if it just looks as if it is general opinion and persevere. Keep chatting to people.

Please do not go on twitter and sit there feeling lonely. I have done that many times and it does not feel nice. Why torture yourself? Make sure you follow at least 100 people and tweet multiple people in one sitting, soon you will be having a chat with a few people. Yes it might be all fluff and no substance but you are building new friendships here - baby steps. Remember in the playground we may smile for a couple of weeks before we venture a hello. Social media will be the same, unless of course you are one of those super dynamic people who storm in and establish yourself in a week. Not many of those about and certainly not me.

I'll let you in on another secret, it is not just established bloggers who have circles of friends. Last January loads of new bloggers came onto the parenting blogging scene and within a couple of weeks there were at least two groups that I knew of who had established firm friendships and tweeted each other as a collective group, therefore perhaps looking cliquey to the naked eye. They started blogging at the same time, had things in common, had kids at the same stage and chatted loads. So what did I do, as a blogger who has no particular circle? I butted in every now and then, I commented on their blogs and I was friendly and helpful. I now call those two circles of friends my friends too but that does not mean I am always involved in their tweets as I go on twitter far less than many people, so I sit on the outskirts and I watch and listen and then chat sometimes but I have made a wonderful range of friends who I can trust and call on. I just do not speak to them everyday....

So what I say to any newbie who feels a bit out of their depth at the moment is to keep with it and remember that many of the cliques that you perceive are in your mind. Just because people have a group of close friends does not mean that they don't want to make some new friends too. I truly know this from experience. I have met and shared time with loads of great bloggers, I have one super fab one coming to stay soon, I am excited to be sharing a room with a couple for BritMums and there are some new friends I have been chatting to online who I will be really excited to meet for the first time in the summer. Blogging can result in some awesome real life friendships but it does take time and work.

Reasons to be Cheerful: The Winners Edition - Week 4

2012-01-26T12:00:00.043Z

So we are at the end of the anniversary period for Reasons to be cheerful and time for me to announce all the winners. If you have been lucky in the draw then I hope you like your prize. Please email me on mummyfromtheheart @ virginmedia.com and give me your name and address and I can pass your details onto the PR's who will send the prizes directly to you.

I think the amount of smiles this giveaway should be providing today will be reason enough for my post but just in case you are not happy with that, I'll give you a few more reasons why I am feeling cheery this week.

I started my new job this week and it is going well.
Tuesday night I had some girl time with my Mum, we had a wander around Covent Garden, went for an Indian and saw Legally Blond at the theatre, it as a jolly good night.
Sunday we are all going up to London together to see a showing of Johnny English Reborn. I know my kids will adore this, JJ is mad about spy's and the girls will just think it is Mr Bean!
My little ladies had a trial session at gymnastics last night and boy did they love this. Miss E did not want to do it and I am so glad I made her try it as she adores it.

Now onto the important business of who the winners are:

1. £50 Experience Days Gift Voucher - Bod for Tea
2. Silver Mai Tui Ava Style Bag - Fay C
3. Sports Direct Golf Shoes - Grumpinator
4. Hotter Sheepskin Boots - 1978 Rebecca
5. 1/2 day Enrich Package at an Imagine Spa - The Rambling Pages
6. Beauty Hamper - Julie, My Life and Kids
7. Zibbits Battle Fortress - Lakes Single Mum
8. JewelPet Playset - Forest Bump and Beyond
9. Orchard Toys Monster Bingo - Old Fashioned Mummy
10. Build-A-Bear - Cupcake Mumma
11. Grease game on Xbox 360 - Kate on Thin Ice
12. Zumba 2 game for the Wii - SeasiderClare
13. 3 Children's books - Tired Mummy
14. Leather Baby Shoes - The Gingerbread House
15. 2 DVD's from Warner Bros. - Mutterings of a Fool
16. Martha Hill Skincare Set - Glenda Gee
17. Leapfrog Peek a Shoe Octopus - Emma and 3
18. Rosebud London Change Bag - EmsyJo
19. Discovery Channel Discover the Extreme World x 2 BooRoo & Tigger too & also The Monkey Adventures
20. The Playgroup by Janey Fisher - Inside the Wendy House
21. Cars 2 Lego Kit - Actually Mummy
22. Cars 2 Monopoly - SeasiderClare
23. Cars Augmented Reality Book - Qwerty Mum

A big thanks to everyone who has joined in and linked up during the giveaway period. I hope some of you will stick around and join our lovely little #R2BC community, we tend to be a friendly bunch. Big apologies that I did not comment on anyone's post last week, life was just too busy. I have been helping a lady who is in a really tricky situation and that had to be more important than blog stuff I am afraid.

I intend to come and visit you this week, especially those who take time to comment here, I'll reciprocate the love. Have a great week. Mich x

I want to be a girl in the 1980's again....

2012-01-25T10:35:00.000Z

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JJ and I were having a chat this morning about reading and he told me that on Saturday he read a book in a day. Now he is only 8 but I can totally believe this as he loves reading as much as I do. I can recall being slightly older than him, at about 12 years and taking a whole day reading a Judy Blume book or perhaps one of the Sweet Valley High series... ohh those were the days. I started to reminisce and think back to the 80's when I had just turned 8 like JJ and recall all those wonderful early teenage years in the 1980's.

Life was very different then!

You know you were a girl in the 1980's when......

* You wore Rimmel pink shimmer lipstick and Body Shop White Musk or Fuzzy Peach perfume.

* The serious decision you had to make was would you marry John Taylor from Duran Duran or George Michael from Wham (of course nowadays we know that one would not have worked out well at all!)

* Your most valuable life lessons were learned from Jackie and Just 17 magazine.

* You had your hair permed so you could look like Sharon from Eastenders (yes really!)

* Your parents let you play out in the street, you could just walk up the road and knock on your friends front door and ask if they were coming out to play. No play dates, no tea at each others houses. Just running around the street like loonies playing Tin Tan Tucker or 50/50 Home.

* You owned at least 2 pairs of luminous socks, so you could wear odd ones.

* The t-shirt you wore either said 'Relax' or 'Fame' on it.

* You thought a Chopper was such a cool bike and you collected Garbage Pail Kids cards.

* Phrases such as 'ohh I could crush a grape' and 'I could wrestle with an actionman' were just a part of everyday life.

* You wore fingerless gloves and lace in your hair, thinking you were so cool.

* A big treat was to be bought a Cornetto and your family would sing the advert!

Were you a child in the 1980's. What do you recall?

Review: Pilates at the Perfect Balance Clinic

2012-01-24T08:00:00.002Z

One of the Mums at the school asked me the other day at pick up if I had been to the gym (I suppose because I was wearing trainers and I am not at all a trainers kind of girl), 'No' says I, 'I have just been to Pilates' and then I burst out laughing, as did she. How posh did I sound? Those of you who have met me know that I am anything but posh. I am just an average 38 year old woman who is pretty overweight and does not have any heirs and graces. I'll chat to anyone and am pleased to call everyone my friend.

I have to be honest and say I was a little nervous about reviewing the services at the Perfect Balance Clinic in Hatfield. It is situated on the David Lloyd site, which is the most expensive gym around and when I looked at the web site I thought it all looked rather swish. The idea of there just being clinics in London and Hertfordshire gave the company an air of splendour and then when I saw there are clinics on Harley Street, in St Johns Wood and St Albans this confirmed my assumption that it was a quality company.

My first appointment was to see Stephen Makinde, an osteopath for an initial assessment to ensure that I was fit and well to attend the Pilates classes. When I read the web write-up about Stephen to dh we both chuckled at the fact that he regularly works with top class athletes and now he was going to see me! I may be a bit of a shock.

How wrong I was, Stephen was a very gentle and approachable man. I felt completely comfortable in his presence, he did not even once mention about my size and before he physically assessed me he asked for permission and made sure I was happy with this touch. I felt very respected and looked after during this assessment. I walked away from the 25 minute appointment a bit shocked that someone could know nothing about me, just see me with my clothes on, ask some questions and take my case history and be able to provide such an accurate assessment of what I knew was going on with my body.

Stephen confirmed that there appeared to be nothing fundamentally wrong with me but that I did have diastastis, which is split abdominal muscles. I knew this already, as about a year after having the girls I went to the doctors about the ridge I had from my boobs to my belly button. I got sent for one session of physio where they laid me on a bed, explained nothing but said I had to draw in my tummy and now go away and do that all the time. Needless to say I was not motivated by them and have spent 4 years doing crunches in the hope of helping. Stephen confirmed to me that all I had done was close up the top part of the split as that is the area the crunch affects but that the lower part, which is the girdle like muscle that should support my back was very split and even weaker on the right side. I knew he was right from the way my distorted tummy looks. He sent me away with the advice to try out the Pilates classes.

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The second time I came back to the clinic I attended a basic core Pilates class with an instructor called Joe. I took a shine to him instantly, he is such a nice guy and again he really seems to care. In fact that is my overriding impression of the clinic, that they honestly care and want to make you better and will journey with you. From the lovely receptionist and the prompt call-back service to the professional instructors it really is all very good.

Anyway back to my class, I spent an hour in a class of 3 people, which costs £14. Joe managed to deal with 3 people with completely different reasons for being there with ease. He gave me beginners move and watched me perform them whilst helping someone else that was a Pilates pro and another needing rehabilitation for a knee injury. Everything was explained to me and even demonstrated, Joe was not afraid to help me move or hold me if he needed to. As I left the class I felt good, as if I had embarked on a new positive journey. Three days later my body still told me that my muscles had been awoken and that this was a good thing.

The Pilates Studio

On my next visit I met with another Instructor, Slim and he was every bit as good as Joe. Today's class was a taster and assessment. Again there were 3 people and Slim watched us all perform basic moves to assess our ease and flexibility. Were we able to engage our core muscles, isolate them and hold them with good posture? In this class I really did learn how to stand tall and to relax my shoulders. For the first time I tried out the Pilates equipment, which looks like it is made to torture you but was actually good fun. At the end of the class Slim confirmed to me that I would be best to stay with the basic mat work class for the next 4 - 6 weeks to really perfect my moves and to learn the basics, so that when I did progress to the equipment I would get the most out of them.

I have been back again since for another class and Joe managed to show me that I had not awoken every muscle at the first class, there were at least another 20 more to ache this time and I am booked in again for next Friday. At £14 a session it is not cheap per see to use the Pilates classes at the Perfect Balance Clinic but it is a competitive and comparable price for the service. The classes are kept really small to a maximum of 6 people, the instructors are so knowledgeable and approachable and the actual clinic is a pleasure to attend as the surroundings are luxurious but not intimidating.

I figure that I cannot afford to give up these classes now I know there is a way to repair the awful mess I have allowed my body to become. In short I am exceptionally pleased with the interactions I have had with the perfect Balance Clinic in Hatfield and I would happily recommend their services, in fact I already have to quite a few real-life friends.

Disclaimer: This is a review post

It's about more than just weight loss... #Mumentum

2012-01-22T22:19:00.000Z

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Last week I posted about my new exercise regime and I am pleased to say that things are still going well. I am doing my walking DVD and I also went to Pilates on Thursday and yes I ached again for a couple of days.

I was chatting to my instructor and he said that if he could give me one tip this week it would be to eat my carbs at lunchtime and then to have a meal full of protein and green veg for dinner. This really struck home with me, as when I lost lots of weight in 2006 that was exactly what I did, cut back on the carbs. I know I need to take heed and make some changes to my food. An eating plan has not really been at the top of my list in the last couple of weeks. Hence I won't be reporting any weight loss again this week but that is OK. I realised I am in this race and it is a marathon and not a sprint.

I am getting a new Thinking Slimmer slimpod, the Chocoholics Cure in the next few days and that I expect to make a really good difference. I know the value of listening to my slimpod but I do feel ready for a new one to add a bit of variety.

I have also been reading a new book the last week or so. It is by Joyce Meyer who is a prominent US preacher and I have watched many of her sermons before and I like her style of teaching. I am finding this book very good. It basically says it has 12 keys to enjoying a healthy life, the title is 'Look Great. Feel Great' and that is certainly my mission. I have only read the first 3 chapters so far but my appetite is whetted and I am ready to read more.

In the first Chapter she advises that we allow God to do the heavy lifting and reminds me that I cannot deal with my weight problem/ food addiction alone. My eating fellowship taught me the same thing and sadly I have not been remembering that on a daily basis. The task I had to complete from this chapter was to write myself an affirmation to say each morning to remind myself that I am not alone and that I am worth it. I'll share it with you -

Dear Lord,

I thank You that You love me and care about every aspect of my life. Please strengthen me Lord to do Your will and to be able to be the best person I can be in Christ. I know that when I turn to You and ask for something in Jesus name that You listen. Help me Lord, to remember to turn to You. When my willpower is wavering and I am tempted, remind me Lord that You are waiting and You wish to help. How beautiful it is to remember that You will never give me a burden too heavy for me to bear. When times feel tough I need to turn to You God as my Lord and master and not to food as my false idol.

Thank you for making me free through the truth of Your word and for empowering me with Your power, strength and wisdom. Help me to be all that You want me to be.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

So that is me for this week, all in all not too bad!

Exercise                                                     tick
Early nights                                                tick
Loving myself                                            tick
Reading healthy & helpful literature       tick
Balanced eating                                         to work on...
How are you doing? If you are on a weight loss journey then link your post up with Liska at New Mum Online for #Mumentum.

Mich x

Taking YouTube by Storm!

2012-01-22T08:05:00.026Z

Sadly not me taking YouTube by storm, the most views one of my videos has had is about 1000 and that is my girls dancing to the Zingzillas music, amazing what people want to look at!

No this video is pretty special in my opinion. It is called Why I hate Religion but love Jesus. Have you seen it? It was only uploaded a week ago but already it has had over 15 million views. I watched it the other day and all that came out of my mouth was WOW! I thought it is awesome and has some amazing messages in there.

For a long time I have told people that I am not Religious I have Faith, but this poem just takes me to a new level and makes me think about my life and how I am living it. Now don't get me wrong I know this can be hard to understand, I am a Christian and of course that is a Religion, I can not deny that. When I say I am not religious I mean that I do not strive to follow a set of rules for life, nor turn up at Church to show off how great and Holy I am. My belief is that to be a good Christian and to follow my faith and be faith filled I have to strive to be like Jesus. In every situation I need to be the good Samaritan and offer my help and love to all people. Yes that is exceedingly hard and yes I fall short but through a continuing relationship with Christ I improve and live better.

I see on YouTube there are already loads of videos in response to this video, a couple of interesting ones are a Catholic Response and this one. I don't think any of them are perfect but it does make me very happy to think that 15 million people are thinking/ chatting about Jesus.

I would be interested in your view. What do you think of this? Especially if you are not a Christian, does it impact you at all?

Can I just say that as far as I am concerned the message of this video is not aimed at any particular religion.

Bring the Romance Back...

2012-01-21T08:06:00.002Z

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I am starting to realise that I have been a bit of a fool really. Dh and I have been together for nearly 18 years now and married for 10 of those. Since we got married we bought a house that needed a decent overhaul and had 3 babies. I changed jobs to do a role which is far more convenient in terms of taking care of my family and home life but which pays considerably less, so we have not had a great deal of disposable income over the last 10 years.

Dh is a solid and practical kind of guy (just like my Dad!) and he has always been really good with money, he saved as a youngster and when we were looking to buy our first house back in 1997 he was the one that had the deposit to put down for us. I on the other hand have always been a bit useless with money and have had the attitude that it is there for spending. When dh and I decided to get married we obviously talked about finances and having a joint bank account and basically without saying in so many words, dh said I had to buck my ideas up and start to be more frugal.

I knew he was right and I want to be a good steward of the things that God has entrusted me with, so over the last 10 years I have really improved and we have lived a good life, but instead of increasing our mortgage or taking big loans we have paid for the things we needed to buy or have done to the house. As part of these cut-backs somewhere along the line dh and I stopped buying each other Christmas, valentines and birthday gifts. Stupidly I am pretty sure it was me who suggested we stop! At first we would arrange to go out together and to enjoy a meal or the theatre as our gift to each other but in the last couple of years, probably since the girls have been around and money has been at its tightest we have mostly stopped altogether and I am just realising now that I do not like this.

I am a typical hormonal female, I like to feel loved and when you have a husband who is not the most wordy of people, it is nice to receive a gift. For the first few years I really did think we had done the right thing because if there was something I needed, I would just buy it for myself but now that has lost its shine and I want to feel loved again and to know that dh is putting some thought into our relationship. I am guilty too, so I feel we need to sit down and talk this through and come to a mutual agreement of what we will do. If we set a price limit then we will have to be creative about the things we buy for each other. So if you have any valentines day gift ideas then do let me know, ones that cost less than about £20 preferably. What do you buy for the man that wants nothing? Hmm I am very stuck with that.

As for me, I am easy to sort out. I would like a Pandora bracelet and I am happy to build the charms up over time, so I need to do some hinting to dh. Maybe if I do this via JJ that might just work! Failing that, Interflora do some lovely gifts for her and I could point dh over to them as I love the look of their personalised love heart cupcakes. Yes it may be extravagant to spend £24.99 on 9 chocolate cupcakes but I now realise that when they arrive at the door I will feel special and loved and you can’t put a price on that.

Shame dh does not read my blog isn’t it? That would save me an awkward conversation! Wish me luck....

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Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post

Bloggy Reasons to be Cheerful - Year 2, Week 3 #R2BC

2012-01-19T10:38:00.001Z

Morning cheerful bunch. How is everyone? Doing really well I hope and managing to stay cheerful despite the bitterly icy and then rainy weather!

This week I am feeling grateful for all things blogging. I truly believe that my life has been enriched in the last few years by having my blog and making loads of super new friends. Here are just a few of the blogging things that have happened in the last couple of weeks that have made me reflect on my gratitude for my blog and the whole parenting blogsphere.

I am blogger of the month over at the Tots100 and that feels like a really special privilege. Also, Sally said such nice things about me. I just went over to get the URL to link to and found more comments on there I had not read and you know what? I nearly had a snivel. People had said such nice things, this is what makes blogging rock!

I have started to write a short intro each week for the Charity category on Love All Blogs. I was super touched when Annie approached me to do this. So if you have written a recent Charity related post or have one in your archives, link it up for next week, you have until midnight tomorrow.
It has been confirmed that I will be part of the Blogger's Studio at BritMums Live. I knew I was going to be speaking but I did not know the specifics. Now I see that I will join super women like Nickie from Typecast, Maggy from Red Ted Art, Jane from Northern Mum and Melissa from HerMelness Speaks (I am super excited about that last one).
As well as joining this panel I will be writing a monthly review round-up for the BritMums blog, so if you write a review that you are really proud of, make sure you give me a poke and I might just include it in my best of that month post.
I had a guest post over on the NetMums blog about why I do not think January is a month to be gloomy.
My #R2BC anniversary giveaway seems to be going well. More people are joining in and it is fabulous to see people counting their blessings and being cheerful in January.
I am lining up some superb writers for New Bloggers Fortnight which will be held here from 6th February 2012. People have been so willing to help out, thanks all.
Then lastly I have a guest post going live tomorrow over at SAHM Loving It about how to beat social media fatigue. Take a peek tomorrow evening onwards and show me some comment love (pretty please).

Fabulous Bloggy Friends - Do you know who they are? Take a guess.....

There we go, that is plenty! Over to you, what is making you cheerful and grateful this week? Write your post and link up, then go and visit some of the other blogs linked up and spread some comment love. I am so behind I have not even made it to last weeks #R2BC posts yet.... but I will.

Remember this week is your last chance to link up to be entered to the #R2BC Anniversary Giveaway. The giveaway closes at midnight on Weds 25th January 2012. Earlier this morning I published the full list of the 23 prizes that you could win. If you want to be included in the draw I need you to take a good look through that list and let me know what your top 2 prizes are. Then as I pick the winners using the random number generator I will try and take into account your wishes. If the prizes you want have already gone then I will allocate you a different prize and I will do that in the order they are listed in this post.

Take a look HERE for the full list of 23 prizes and the full giveaway information.

.....and now I leave you with the linky! Enjoy your week. Be blessed. Mich x

#R2BC Anniversary Giveaway Prize List

2012-01-19T10:00:00.002Z

OK get ready to take a look through this little lot! 23 prizes in total.

This is the list of prizes that you could win one or more of, by creating a Reasons to be Cheerful Post and linking up to my blog on 5th, 12th and/ or 19th January. Each time you link up is one entry and each time you tweet about my giveaway and mention me in the tweet @michelletwinmum, you will receive an entry too (your tweets about your post do not count for an entry).

All entries will be assigned a number and the random number generator will pick the winners. I will announce the winners on my blog in my reasons to be cheerful post on the afternoon of Thursday 26th January 2012. The full T and C's are at the bottom of this post.

If you want to link up this week, head over HERE.

But for now, the prizes.....

1. Experience Days gift voucher, worth £50. With hundreds of different experiences to choose from you could enjoy this voucher yourself or give it to a loved one. I personally fancy a day at the races for two for £45... roll on the sun!

2. Silver Mia Tiu Ava Style Bag, RRP £39.99. Ava is a medium sized, stylish tote that is perfect for the woman who’s dashing out with the kids, headed to the office or simply a day shopping or with friends. You’ll find the same unique interior as the Amelie – all those great pockets and clips and it’s waterproof inside and out.

3. Choose your own golf shoes from Sports Direct up to the value of £60.00.

4. Hotter Shoes quality sheepskin boots. They are currently discounted to £99 from £125. This style comes in brown or black and having had a pair of Hotter boots I can vouch for the fact that they really are super comfortable and a joy to wear. Perfect to snuggle up over winter trousers or woolly tights, new Charisma will keep you cosy and warm in style. Fashionably fringed suede, lined in premium quality sheepskin for warmth and softness, on a hard wearing yet incredibly light sole with a textured underside for enhanced grip.

5. Half day Enrich Spa Package at an Imagine Spa, worth up to £99. This package includes 60 minutes of therapist time (you can choose massage, facial or body treatment) and 180 minutes in the thermal spa. How I wish I could win this one. There are Imagine Spa's in Kings Lyn, Norwich, Near Windsor, Peterborough, Merry Hill and Knaresborough, North Yorkshire so do make sure that you can attend one of these venues if you win this prize.

6. A stunning beauty hamper containing over £100 of products. A Sheer Cover Deluxe VIP make up set containing 2 x Mineral Foundation in two shades (4g each), Duo Concealer in two shades (3g), Extra-Length Mascara (9ml), Base Perfector (15ml) , Sheer Cover Studio Foundation Brush, Sheer Cover Studio Concealer Brush and Sheer Cover® Sophisticate Palette. Also WEN Volumising Treatment Spray and Re-Moist Hair Treatment and finally Proactive green tea moisturiser.

7. Zibits Battle Fortress Playset, RRP £39.99. Mega Zibit Playset comes packed with features including an exciting Zibit accessory and comes complete with an electronic Zibit Lift, Zibit Runaway train, Plasma Portal and a 3 Sludge Monsters. It even Contains a Zibit!

8. JewelPet Magical JewelLand Playset RRP £29.99. Open out the magical Jewel Palace and play with all your Jewelpets. Place the JewelCharm on the tower to reveal the Jewelpet and activate the lights. Go round in the Ferris Wheel or down the slide.

9. Monster Bingo from Orchard Toys. In my opinion the best board games and puzzles around for combining learning with fun play. Learn about shapes and colour with this fun first bingo game. Two ways to play!

10. Peace and Hearts Build-A-Bear Teddy. A super soft friend for your little one, my kids have numerous of these now and just adore them.

11. Grease Dance game on Kinect for Xbox 360. Grease – It’s the all singing all dancing one you want! Grease brings the 50’s back to life and straight to your living room where players can turn up their style and release their inner rock ‘n roller! Grease combines the movies’ timeless music and memorable choreography with motion sensor technology to deliver the ultimate singing and dancing experience. With fifteen tracks from the original film and five extra bonus classic rock ‘n roll tracks, two singers and two dancers may compete at any one time and a total of eight players can compete in Party Mode. Grease is definitely a guaranteed party-starter

12. Zumba 2 game for the Nintendo Wii. Three million players and counting have already discovered the exhilarating way to sculpt, tone and party yourself into shape with the first Zumba Fitness – Now Zumba Fitness 2 takes the party to the next level!

The Zumba® Fitness video games are inspired by the international phenomenon of the Zumba® dance-fitness program, which pairs easy-to-follow choreographies with contagious international rhythms to create an exhilarating fitness-party.

13. A bundle of 3 super children's books from Random House. Pets in Need - Marc Abraham, the UK's favourite vet introduces a case of lovable character in this story of his life as an emergency vet.

Polly Price's Totally Secret Diary - Our first-ever four-colour fiction for 8+. If you like Clarice Bean and Amelia's Notebook, you'll love meeting Polly Price in her Totally Secret Diary. A guaranteed hit with girls and the whole package - looking like a real notebook complete with holofoil cover - makes it the perfect present
TO BE A CAT - This is a fast-paced, exciting story about how twelve-year-old Barney copes when he wakes up as a cat - and not just any old cat. His worst enemy's cat!

14. A beautiful pair of soft leather baby shoes from The Baby Shoe Company. Loads of designs to choose from and prices start at just £8.99 a pair. Boys and girls catered for, you will not be disappointed. I have fallen in love with this little white pair which retail at £14.99 and are named Sunday Best!

15. 2 Children's DVDs from Warner Bros. Happy Feet - an animated wonder about a penguin named Mumble who can't sing, but can dance up a storm. This big, beautiful, music-fueled film that will have kids and their parents dancing in the streets. From his first moment alive, Mumble (voiced by Elijah Woods) feels the beat and can't stop dancing.

Scooby Doo and the curse of the Lake Monster - Just what you would expect, the normal Scooby Doo fun for kids, JJ got this one for Christmas and is loving it.

16. Martha Hill Evening Primrose Skin Care set (worth £33.80) from Beauty Naturals.

From famous fashion house to herbal skin care specialist, Martha Hill launched her high quality skin products 40 years ago and celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. The set provides everything your skin needs for all day care and protection, featuring a Cleansing Lotion, pre-moisturising Toning Gel, a soothing daytime Moisturiser and a night time Nourishing Cream. All products are free from artificial fragrance and colour and are cruelty free and UK made.

17. Leapfrog Peek A Shoe Octopus toy. Colourful ball-drop play with peek-a-boo shoe surprises! Drop a ball into the Octopus arm or hat, then follow colour or number clues to discover which shoe it's hiding under. 2 different modes of play introduce counting and number recognition or colours. Press the friendly Octopus collar to add music to the mix and hear 2 lyrical songs (Sea Creatures Song and I’m an Octopus I Love to Count to Eight) and 4 instrumental tunes.

18. Designer change bag from Rosebud London - Family tree messenger bag, RRP £45

Rosebud London Messenger Changing bag designed by Charlotte Pearl has well thought out features including: - •Wipe clean outer body fabric with exclusive print design •2 x external elasticised pockets

•2 x internal elasticised nappy pockets •2 x internal insulated bottle pockets •1 x internal zip pocket for valuables •Signature Rosebud London printed water resistant wipe clean lining and padded changing mat •Adjustable shoulder/buggy strap (22 inches shortest & 41 inches longest) •All bags include – mobile/blackberry pocket, key/dummy fob and pen loop.

19. The Discovery Channel 'Discover the Extreme World' Encyclopedia. I have 2 of these to give away, we had one for review and JJ loves it. He happily sits there and reads the bite sized facts. IT really is aimed towards children and will keep them interested.

20. The Playgroup by Janey Fraser. I read this book over Christmas and I finished it in just a few days, I really enjoyed the characters and the anticipation of hoping the plot would go in the way I wanted it to!

Puddleducks Playgroup has been run successfully for several years. Now, with an opportunity to prove herself Gemma Merryfield can't wait to take over running it in September. But the arrival of the new head of the infant school, Joe Balls soon tempers her enjoyment. Ex-banker Joe has been employed to bring the school back up to scratch, and that includes interfering with Gemma and her playgroup. Gemma adores her unruly group of children, and she can even find affection for the parents, but Joe's interference is the last thing she needs.
Find out about other great read for women here.

and lastly three great prizes from Disney.

21. Cars 2: Ultimate Build Lightning McQueen Lego Kit RRP: £25.99.
From the starting grid of the Tokyo stage of the World Grand Prix, Lightning McQueen is keen to show off his golden racing wheels to a crowd of excited onlookers. As Guido cheers him on from the pits, can you help Lightning McQueen race to victory in style?

22. Cars 2: Monopoly: Cars 2 Lightning McQueen Racetrack Edition RRP: £19.99

Aimed at younger kids, Cars 2 Monopoly is a fast and fun game on a roundtrack board. Instead of rolling the dice, players send Lightning McQueen racing around the track to determine how many spaces to move. Players 2-8, age 5+.

23. Cars Augmented Reality Book RRP: £9.99
Augmented reality is an interactive experience where virtual components are dynamically merged into a live video stream in real time. Literally immerse yourself into the world of Cars 2 with the Augmented Reality book. Use your webcam and home computer with the book to access games which place you into the head of Lightning McQueen!

So how will the giveaway work?

The giveaway will be in the style in a raffle. For every prize I will randomly draw an entry. You could therefore win multiple prizes if you have multiple entries.
On this post you need to leave me a comment letting me know what your first and second choice of prize would be if you won. Then as I pick the winners using the random number generator I will try and take into account your wishes. If the prizes you want have already gone then I will allocate you a different prize and I will do that in the order they are listed in this post.
You will need to leave me a comment with a twitter ID or email address.
If you have linked up to #R2BC you are welcome to tweet the giveaway for another entry.

Terms and Conditions

The official giveaway post will go live on 19th January, However you are entered for each post you link up to my #R2BC posts on 5th, 12th and 19th January (so a maximum of 3 entries per blog)
The winners will be chosen at random.
The giveaway will close at midnight on Wednesday 25th January 2012.
The winners will be announced on my #R2BC post on the afternoon of Thursday 26th January 2012.
The winners need to contact me within a week of my announcing them or I will draw again.
The giveaway is only open to UK residents or those with a UK postal address.
The prizes will be posted out directly from the relevant company or PR.
The prize you win is not transferable and there are no cash alternatives.

I am not receiving anything for running this anniversary giveaway, I just wanted to celebrate what has been a fab year!

Good luck!

Which Muppet are you?

2012-01-18T21:28:00.001Z

Do you remember the Muppets? I do, vividly, how I used to look forward to a Sunday tea time back in the late 1970's when The Muppet Show would televise. My favourite bit had to be the opening scene as all the Muppets marched on and sat in their own little windows in the theatre and then of course my favourite character was Miss Piggy! I had to laugh when I took a quick look at a which Muppet are you like quiz? as apparently I am like Miss Piggy. Hi Ya and a chop of my arm!

For a couple of years now dh and I have likened Miss E to Beaker as she tends to whine and gets a bit stressed and makes these funny little noises, which sound exactly like him. Until this weekend the kids had no real idea who Beaker was but after a trip to Leicester Square on Sunday morning they are now fully versed and have fallen in love with the Muppets too. 'When can we see the Muppets again Mummy?' is what I am hearing a fair amount at the moment and it is a fair point, bring back the Muppets!

On 10th February cinemas nationwide will start to screen the new Disney Muppets movie and I can tell you now that it is well worth going to see. Whether you are 4 years old and brand new to the Muppets or 38 years old and a stalwart fan like me you will not be disappointed. It had me in hysterics, I heard more adult laughter fill screen 1 at the Empire Leicester Square on Sunday than I did children's and that is a big room to fill. There are so many references in it that will go completely above the kids heads but have the adults belly laughing but the great thing is not because it is rude or full or innuendo, just more grown up at points. There is plenty of the original Muppets charm in the film too, the same things that endeared me as a child had my own children mesmerised, kids do not change that much, despite what some might say.

After the movie JJ was keen to know which character he resembled from the Muppets and we settled on Fozzie Bear as sadly the Cookie Monster from Seasame Street is not an official Muppet! JJ, like Fozzie Bear constantly tells us some very poor jokes but always had a cheeky smile on his face.

Let me show you this picture and you can guess which Muppet we think Miss M is just like. Let me assure you that sadly she really is just like him!

Here is the official low down on the film -

On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets' former stomping grounds. To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino tribute band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate. With secret, signature, celebrity cameos, Disney’s “The Muppets” hits the big screen in the UK on 10 February.

Talking of cameos, there are some really great stars that pop up and will make you smile. Jason Segal who plays the lead is phenomenal and I loved his rendition of I am a man or a Muppet? I have no complaints from seeing the film, dh thought the plot was a bit lame but to be honest you do not see a Muppet movie for the plot. He agreed that the actors were excellent and it was nice to see a new Muppet introduced with Walter.

You can Like the Muppets on Facebook and follow Disney movies on Twitter.

I'll leave you with the trailer for the new Disney Muppets film.

and just before I go, I'll share a few family pics from our day in London on Sunday.

KFC for lunch and Miss E says thank you Mummy!

Have you been to M&M World in Leicester Square, well worth a visit. It is free!

Disclaimer: This is a review post.

Online Tutoring for GCSE Maths, Well I Never!

2012-01-17T19:12:00.001Z

As you'll know JJ is my eldest at 8 years so I have not really started to think ahead to GCSE's yet, the adolescent years ahead are still scary to me. As someone who got a D in her GCSE maths I do have a niggling worry that I might not be able to keep up with JJ when he gets to a certain level. He is a very bright boy and excels in maths and luckily I can still keep up with him right now but roll forward a few years and add algebra, trigonometry or Pythagoras into the mix and I truly have no idea. On some levels it does baffle me how I managed to get a BA (Hons) and a Masters (both with outstanding results if I say so myself) and still be rubbish at maths.

I learnt this week that I do not need to worry though, help is at hand and not just any old help but assistance that is convenient and not going to cost me the earth. Have you heard of iTutorMaths before? No I had not either, but do read on if you have children who are preparing for their maths GCSE as iTutorMaths may just be the answer to your prayers for help.

First off take a quick look at this video and see what it is all about. It is only 2 minutes, what are you waiting for?

And here are a few questions that I thought every parent would want to know the answers to -

In a nutshell what is iTutorMaths?
iTutorMaths is an innovative new way of providing top-class tuition to a techno-generation within the constraints of an economic recession. It takes the very best maths tutors, and broadcasts them live to small groups of students anywhere in the country, via the Internet.

I have never heard of online tuition before? How does it work in practicality?
Like traditional tuition, iTutorMaths is based on the principle that interactivity between pupil and teacher is key to understanding and success. Students log-in to their own, secure, online environment, and engage with their teacher as if face to face, except from the comfort of their own home.

What about if my child works better on a 1:1 basis rather than in a group setting?
Many parents believe that 1:1 tuition would be “more effective” for their child. The fact is that iTutorMaths incorporates different methods of teaching into its practise, and students are placed individually into “break-out rooms”, to complete exercises and worksheets, wherein they have ample opportunity to ask questions and engage their tutor in 1:1 conversation.

It should also be considered that leading educational psychologists have confirmed that group learning and peer-to-peer learning plays a vital part in the learning process, and can contribute to the achievement of a better level of comprehension than 1:1 alone.

What are the benefits of online tutoring rather than the traditional face-to-face?
The benefits are simple. It is much easier to access tuition via the Internet than it is to get your child to a tutor’s home; it’s a fraction of the price of traditional, face-to-face tuition; and the variety of method that it enables us to offer means that your child has the best possible chance at achieving the grades they need.

Will I need to buy expensive new equipment to access your tutoring?
Alongside a computer/laptop and the Internet (of which most households in Britain already possess), all that is required is a simple, USB headset (with microphone). This can be set up in minutes, and the one that we recommend using costs only £15!

How much are the tutoring session going to cost me?
Our sessions run at only £15 per lesson, lower than the national average cost of tuition!

What age range is your tutoring aimed at?
GCSE students, either Year 10 or 11; younger children who are being encouraged to take their exams earlier; and we even run a separate service for adult-learners who are returning to their GCSEs, and feel they require help.

Is this just something for very smart kids?
Not at all. In fact, we run courses that are tailored specifically to students who are struggling with their maths, as well as courses for those keen to achieve the highest grades.

How can I rest assured that the tutor will be suitability qualified and checked? And does my child retain the same tutor on an on-going basis?
We are committed to the highest standards. We only hire experienced and proven teachers, with a minimum of 5 years’ experience of tuition, who are experts in the curriculum. They are all required to submit to a CRB check, and provide the appropriate credentials to prove their quality.

Will my child receive homework that they have to complete outside of the tutoring session?
Students receive worksheets and other revision materials to be completed outside of the sessions; however, this work perfectly compliments any homework that they are set from their school, and is weighted in order that it does not distract priority from their existing school work.

How often will their tutoring be? Is it one session each week?
Our support course consists of one session each week, however iTutorMaths also has revision courses, which start later, but entail two sessions a week.

I showed JJ this clip showing a sample tutorial and his response was, 'that's cool Mum when can I start?', I had to explain he had just a few years yet. I do have to admit I have bred a bit of a Maths/ IT/ Science nerd, lucky he is super cute.

So what do you think? Would you use an online tutoring service? After seeing the demo I think I would if JJ needs thne help at that stage.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post

Exercise as Damage Limitation #Mumentum

2012-01-16T20:01:00.001Z

Whoops, this is where I have been this week! Not the ideal place but a better one than just doing nothing. It has been a mixed bag of a week with a poor start on the food front, good on the exercise and then I was really good with food Friday and Saturday and then a trip to London and ‘that’ time of the month meant Sunday was not so good. My weigh in this morning was disappointing but to be expected I suppose, no loss this week but I refuse to be down as my weight always fluctuates around this time of the month anyway.

So I will focus on the positive and that has definitely been finding some exercise that I am enjoying. Here is what I have been up to –

Pilates

I have now been for an initial assessment and two different Pilates classes. One to try out the basic mat work, then one to be assessed and try some of the ‘torture’ looking machines. I am pleased to report that the machines are nothing like torture, I actually had fun. My sessions have been at the Perfect Balance Clinic in Hatfield and I’ll write a full review about the service I have received there later this week.

I have been advised by my Pilates instructor that I need to spend the next 4 – 6 weeks focusing on some basic mat work to really learn the moves and to develop an awareness of my posture and engaging my core muscles each time I move. I have to say that I was pleased with myself during these sessions, as someone who has very split stomach muscles and is grossly overweight I was delighted to see that I could isolate my core muscles and that I did manage to awaken them and make them ache! Ohh yes, I know I have been using them!

Writing this has reminded me that I need to book myself in for another session later this week. If you want to find out more before I write my review you can check out the Perfect Balance Clinic on Twitter and Facebook.

Leslie Sansone Walk at Home DVD

I started following the 4 mile workout DVD at the beginning of January, so I am into my third week now and I am loving it. I really am. I had the idea originally to do it every morning at 6am Monday through to Friday and to have the weekend off. I had sort of forgotten that I am not very fit and that might be too much. So I have been being kind to myself and having the odd day off. The strange thing is that I really do feel motivated to get up at 6am and to workout before my kids wake.

When I mention that the DVD I am working out to is a walking one people give me a strange look. It is hard to explain that actually it is not just walking. I suppose the easy way to describe what I am doing at the moment is low impact aerobics but mostly on the spot. I love that my footsteps are basically counted and that I get an indicator when I reach 1 mile, 2 miles etc.

One of the other things I really like about the DVD that I have (and it appears that Leslie Sansone has made tons, she has been doing this for 25 years and has the world’s number 1 walking program with 70 million walk fans) is that she is very warm and friendly. She has a laugh with the people exercising with her and they are both male and female, as well as from all walks of life and age groups. The DVD I am watching has people from about 20 – 65 years and not all of them are particularly slim. Hooray for real people!

If you want to find out more you can find Leslie on Twitter and Facebook, take a look at this little taster to see what I am on about.

Now go and visit the lovely Liska to see what she has been upto.

Listography: Top 5 Blogging Tips

2012-01-15T22:00:00.000Z

When I saw this weeks listography over at Kate's I knew I had to take part. I consider myself to be a friendly, approacable blogger and one of my favourite things is passing on the knowlegde I have gained in the last 3 years of blogging. I have been through such a massive rollercoaster ride on this blogging journey that it feels only fair to offer my services where I can to newer bloggers. Hence New Bloggers Fortnight coming up in just a couple of weeks.... keep your eyes peeled.

So what are my top tips for blogging?

1. Have confidence.
It is your blog, write it how you like. Really think about why you are blogging and remember that. If your blog starts out as therapy and a place to rant and that is why you continue, then remember that and do not get distracted by number of comments and stats or if your blog is primarily a place for you to make friends, then go out there and comment on other blogs and make friends - attract them back to your blog with your friendly personality.

2. Persevere
Blogging can be a massively emotional journey. Most bloggers I know have shed tears at some point and it can be over many things; the emotions it brings up for you, the mean person who talks about you on twitter, or your lack of visitors. But stay focused, if blogging is working for you on most levels then ignore the bad and keep going. At some point it will all come good and you will reach a place of serenity..... it just takes time!

3. Blog from the heart
You have probably noticed what my blog is called. I tend to be known as a pretty honest blogger. I reveal mostly all about my self (not others) and am happy to do so. It helps me and I know from the emails, comments and tweets that I get that it helps others too. That works for me. Blogging from the heart does not mean you have to be as open as I am, it just means that what ever you write should be written with passion and care. Do not try to imitate others, it is not flattery, it just will mean your blog will fall flat on its face.

4. Don't be afraid to ask
If you want something, go out there and get out. Need to know how to put that widget on your blog? Want to know how to use twitter? Would like to be tagged to join in with that popular meme? Would like to write a guest post for someone? Ask, just be bold and be polite and ask for help. There are some wonderful places where you can ask for help like BritMums, Blogger.Ed, Love All Blogs and Twitter or just find your favourite blogger and use their contact page.

5. Make Twitter your friend
I had a love/ hate relationship with twitter for months when I first joint. In fact it took me about 5 months to feel like I could spend an enjoyable hour on there. The best thing I did my shed my inhibitions; I learnt that on twitter you have to just dive in. No-one thinks you rude if you just jump into a conversation, the quicker you learn this the better. You will start to have banter, fun and conversations with all sorts of people. Follow 1 or 2 bloggers you have found you like and then look at their follower list and just start following people that you think look interesting. You are going to need to follow around 100 people to ensure that enough is going on in your timeline to give you variety and something you fancy joining in with.

Last year I wrote a longer post wth tips for bloggers, take a look here if you fancy reading and if you are a new blogger you might be interested in the post I published a couple of days ago called How to get the most out of meme's, linky's and blog hop's.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post I am hosting New Bloggers Fortnight for the 2 weeks commencing 6th February. This is where new (ish) bloggers write posts for new bloggers with the aim of helping them find their feet quickly and with the least amount of pain! If there are any particular topics or questions you would like to see posts on then do leave me a comment and I will see what I can do.

Now head over to Kate's and check out all the other entires in this weeks Listogrpahy linky.

Cheers for reading, Mich x

My Top 5 Toys from the Wooden Toy Shop

2012-01-15T12:05:00.002Z

Have you visited the virtual Wooden Toy Shop before? I have and they have been fabulous; they offer a superb selection of wood toys for children. There was nothing I could knock - good price, quality toys, great customer service, quick delivery and well packaged.

I was having a browse there earlier today and though I would share my top 5 picks with you -

Top Girls Toy when you want to Splurge!

Plan Toys Dolls House At £98.95 this is not the cheapest dolls house but it is my personal favourite. If my girls did not already have one I would be trying to persuade them this is what they should have for their birthday. I love the fact that it is open and you can easily access all rooms. Many a time have I been found tidying up my girls dolls house and making all the rooms look neat! The terrace and stairs are movable to make play even more fun and you can buy all sorts of wooden furniture accessories to fill it up.

Top Boys Toy when you want to Splurge!

Big Jigs Construction Train set with 116 pieces retails for £74.75 and I do not think this is a bad price considering the quality and longevity of wooden train sets. JJ was crazy about his train set for a number of years and many a rainy afternoon we sat there playing together. I love toys were children have to engage their imagination and make up a scenario. Not only that it is also good for developing hand to eye coordination as they piece the train set together.

Best Unisex Value Toy

For his birthday JJ received this fabulous Big Jigs mini solitaire set and he loves it. Many a boring car journey has been made more fun by him challenging himself to get a better score and he is doing pretty well for an 8 year old. The set is just £4.95 and the wooden case is sturdy and all the pegs store inside it when you are not using it. I have to say I do love my children playing with toys like this rather than being on a computer the whole time.

Best Unisex Creativity Toy

All my children have loved to thread beads from an early age. Boys and girls alike are quite happy to wear a necklace they have made themselves. This Melissa and Doug lacing Beads in a Box is a beautiful set for £12.94. The primary colours means this truly is universal and the dots and numbers on the beads help children to make counting fun. As there are two long laces this makes the set suitable for twins and of course the wooden box houses all the beads perfectly when they are not in use.

Best Garden Toy

Summer will finally arrive at some point and then it will be fab for the kids to get back out into the garden. I know my three would adore having something like this Plum Products Chacma Wooden Pole Activity Centre. Just look at it! You would be the most popular kid in the neighbourhood with 2 swings, slide, play den and climbing deck and all for £429.99. Not such a bad price for the amount of kit that you get.

So there you have them, my top five picks for wood toys for children. Why not have a browse at the Wooden Toy Shop now, I know you will not be disappointed.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post

Getting the most out of Linky's, Blog Hop's & Meme's

2012-01-13T17:28:00.000Z

It is January and that tends to mean an influx of new bloggers appearing on the scene and I am all to aware that the blogsphere can be a confusing world to arrive in. It is like there is a secret language that bloggers share with SEO, backlinks, HTML, alt tags, pagerank, technoratti, meme's, linky's, blog hops and so on. Help, what do they all mean? Not only that, all of a sudden you realise people are reading what you have written, ekk or maybe that people are not reading and you wonder why not? So many questions...

New Bloggers Fortnight

Well fear not because there is lots of help at hand. First start to visit some of the great blogging communities out there, like BritMums (if you are a parent), Love All Blogs, Blogger.Ed and Tots100. Then come back here in early February and enjoy two weeks of guest posts from new(ish) bloggers for brand new bloggers. Last year I held the first New Bloggers Fortnight and it was very successful; go and take a look at some of the posts, they are still totally valid now. Read about other peoples journeys in blogging, how to build relationships, why you should find your own voice and the stress of being the newbie.

The two weeks commencing 6th February will see my blog being taken over by new bloggers sharing their experience, strength and encouragement with you. If there is a particular subject you would like to see written about, leave me a comment and I will see what I can russel up for you!

For today, as a taster I thought I would share about linkys, blog hops and meme's, as getting involved in these is one of the easiest way to start to feel at home in the blogsphere, encourage some comments and to feel like you are making some mates - all good, right?

What is a Meme?

Different people tend to have slightly different definitions but the Urban Dictionary says 'that in blogspeak a meme is an idea that is spread from blog to blog'. Basically one person writes a post and tags other bloggers to write on the same subject. They then link back to that original post and if it spreads well it becomes a big web of blog posts all around the same subject that are linked together. Back in March last year I created the 1 Word Meme and that spread pretty well. Others I have created have bombed but never mind it is all good experience.

As a new blogger, do not feel you need to create a meme, you may not have the know how, confidence or community yet to be able to pass it on. Get involved with ones that are already out there, if you see a meme you like, ask the blogger for a tag, most people will not mind at all. You need to be brave as a new blogger and just jump in and say hi and ask for what you want.

Then once you take part, make sure you link back to the person who tagged you (ask if you are not sure how) and link to some more new bloggers that you have found on your travels through cyberspace.

Weekly Linky's and Blog Hop's

For me, I believe that a blog hop and a linky are the same thing, people just use different names. I host a weekly linky here called Reasons to be Cheerful or #R2BC if you are on twitter. Each week I post my reasons for being cheerful and grateful and other bloggers write posts on their blogs on the same concept and then they use the linky tool to link up with me. Then anybody that comes here will also be exposed to your post that you have linked up and that is a great as a new blogger, as the 7500 people that come here each month also now know about you too.

There are absolutely loads of different blog hops available for you to join up, every day of the week if your heart so desired. Love All Blogs are putting together a good comprehensive list at the moment. A few of my favourites are -

Kates Takes 5 - Listography
Sticky Fingers - The Gallery
Mammasaurus - Saturday is Caption Day
3 Bedroom Bungalow - Dear So and So...

Here are my top tips for getting the most out of blog hop's/ linky's

Write a good post; re-read and spell check it. If it is being exposed to a new audience you want it to be your best work.
Link up as soon as you can after the linky list goes live, it is just the way it is that those who link up first get the most hits. If you link up a day or 2 later you will probably not feel the benefit in terms of traffic and comments.
If it is a blog hop, take the code from the blog hop and inset it on your blog, it makes life far easier for people who want to follow the linky list. (Again, if you are not sure how, just ask).
Make sure you visit some other blogs in the linky. Think about it, if you don't, why should they? Blogging is reciprocal and 2 way.
Don't just visit them, comment as well (this is a subjective one, some people say if it does not move you then don't comment for the sake of it. I personally say that if you are new and you want to encourage people to visit you then do comment on every post you read. Even if it is a 'Hi, first time I have stopped by here, nice to meet you').
Do not copy and paste the same comment on every post in the linky, you will be blackballed in no time!
Leave the host a comment when you link up. It is very disheartening as a host to see 10 posts linked up and only 2 comments. Hey, what happened to the rest of you? I took time to write my post too, do you have no opinion on it? but do you expect me to visit yours and comment?
Use the linky hashtag to promote your post (and in doing so, all the others in the linky) on twitter.
Enjoy doing the linky, if you are just doing it for hits then it is the wrong reason and it won't work out for you.
Try not to just post linkys on your blog. It is really good to mix your type of content on your blog, the same every day rarely works. So perhaps a linky on a Monday, regular unprompted post on a Weds, use a BritMums blogging prompt on a Fri and another linky on Saturday or whatever your personal posting pattern is. I have seen enough twitter conversations to know that a linky post every day of the week will turn many readers off.

However, I leave you with one nugget of wisdom that always applies. It is your blog and therefore your rules and you must suit yourself.

New bloggers - any thoughts of posts you would like to see during New Bloggers fortnight? and what linkys have you joined in with so far?

Established Bloggers - Do you agree with my tips or am I talking rubbish?

#R2BC Year 2, Week 2 Celebrating Hidden Gems

2012-01-12T08:00:00.002Z

Hello all,

Giveaway fever is still running high here at the MFTH... house. Practically each day I am securing another new fabulous prize for you to win. I am up to 20 prizes now and I tell you I would certainly like to win some of them, shame I can't enter! By linking up with this week post or next week (or both = 2 entries) you will automatically go into the draw. Check out HERE to find out more information about the giveaway and next Thursday I will post the full list with photos of all the prizes you can win.

Don't forgot to tweet about the giveaway inserting @michelletwinmum and #R2BC if you want an additonal entry to the draw.

For this week, I am sharing with you a few hidden gems. These are bloggers that link up with #R2BC but I do not think are that 'out there' and I am sure they would love a few extra visits. So go and see them and share some blogger love.

First up is Julie who blogs at Party of 5 - My Life and Kids. This is a beautiful blog, full of real family time. I love this, which is featured in the sidebar -

In our house:
We do REAL
We do MISTAKES
We do I'M SORRY
We do SECOND CHANCES
We do FUN
We do HUGS
We do FORGIVENESS
We do REALLY LOUD
We do FAMILY
We do LOVE

Next we have Ems, blogging over the seas at A matter of choice. She had to win the award for the best #R2BC post last week. I love going to visit Em as she has had a tough end to 2011 but stays strong and positive in spite of the adversity. She is an inspiration to us all.

Then lastly for my recommended gems this week is Fay, over at Glass Half Full. She is another true ambassador for Reasons to be Cheerful, I think the name of her blog gives that away. I met (virtually) Fay last year when she was recovering after an operation and she has inspired me ever since.... You rock Fay!

So over to you, I look forward to coming and visiting you. Write a post and link up and please, pretty please go and visit a load of the other people who link up. Blog hops work best when we do all share the comment love.

Cheers Mich x

Does Parenting Get Harder As They Grow Up?

2012-01-10T19:22:00.000Z

Image Credit

I never realised what a minefield I had let myself in for when I decided to have a baby! If I had known, would it have stopped me? Probably not, but it would have been nice to at least feel a little bit prepared for all the tough stuff that comes along as they grow up. Every few months there is a new challenge to deal with and I am not entirely sure that I am adequately equipped.

Learning as you go along, on the job so to speak seems to be the order of the day. When they are babes you have to learn all about feeding, bathing, changing and winding them amongst other things but there is pretty much logic to all this and once you have mastered a good routine it mostly goes along like clockwork and then they crawl, walk and run and start to put a spanner in the works but fear not as there are reigns and buggies to hold them back and let you breath easy.

What I am now just starting to realise is that the older they get the harder the emotional and behavioural stuff gets. Not just for the child but for the parents too. Toddler tantrums do not even compare when you start to deal with bullying, manipulative friendships, spiteful behaviour and generally acting without thinking through any consequences. However, someone said to me the other day I had to remember that they were kids and not adults and I needed to act accordingly and that has been a good reminder for me.

There have been a couple of occasions recently with one or the other of my kids where I have had to have a serious chat about behaviour and they have ended up crying and what did I want to do? Well hug them and tell them everything is fine of course but I could not do that as it was not the right message for me to send. Instead I had to have a firm chat about the naughty behaviour and ensure that my child starts to think through the consequences of their actions and starts to try and put themself in someone else's shoes.

I watched the shame wash over my child as they had to tell me what they had done and I was so pleased to see that shame and hear them cry. Not because I am a heartless monster but because it showed me that my child cares, yes they get things wrong and do silly and even hurtful stuff but it is not from malice. The desire to fit in with peers is great and many kids are easily misguided. Sadly some children are just always the one who gets caught. I do not believe any of my children are any worse than the average amongst their peers, but sadly at least one of them so far follows the trait that both dh and I have, in that we were always the child who was caught or dobbed in by the group!

I am so glad that these type of serious conversations are still far and few between but then I do only have 4 and 8 year old kids so far. Soon I expect I may be fighting battles over facebook access, playing computer games for older kids, wearing make-up, back chat and even girl/boyfriends! Gosh now that is a scary thought. Add hormones into the mix and it could be an explosive cocktail. I hope I have a few years yet...

So what do you think people, does it get harder as they get older, or just different? What do I need to know and how can I equip myself? Pearls of wisdom greatly appreciated!

Fat and Proud? #Mumentum

2012-01-08T20:00:00.002Z

Should I accept my size?
Last Wednesday evening whilst dh was out at a meeting I watched a program on Living, it was entitled Fat and Proud and was all about larger people being happy with who they are and the size they are. I turned the program on out of sheer nosiness and at first was greeted with some super-plus size ladies (around the size 30 mark) and a special club night they went to for larger ladies and the men who fancy them. This was what I expected from the program.

What I did not expect from the program was to be greeted with some seemingly respectable people talking about the work they do to try and get society to accept that there are larger people and that we are not all lazy slobs. 'Size acceptance' they called it and one lady also talked of fat phobias and it is true, much of society has negative biased opinions already formed about people who are fat. In honesty I have never had that much of a problem with this, my issue has always been with self-acceptance. I do not like fat on me, I do not want to be mega skinny, but I want to look good in clothes, feel nice, be healthy and active and have a great sex life.

What this program did get me thinking about was whether God intends that I should accept myself rather than keep trying to change me. My automatic assumption has always been that God wishes for me to be slimmer and to be healthy and fit for whatever purpose he has in mind for me. I believe He forgives me for my sins of overeating but that his desire is for me to be free of this burden. Now I am wondering how I should be free, is it free due to acceptance of myself or free by losing weight. or even a combination of the two. Having pondered on this all week I think that a combination of losing some weight to be healthier and then learning to love and accept myself, flabby bits and all is probably where I should be heading.

Also on Wednesday last week during my day at work, one of my colleagues was talking to me and she basically said she was not sure why I worried. I can not recall her exact words but I think the sentiment was that I was fine the way I was and that I just needed to accept myself adding weight to my thoughts that I have some work to do on self-loving and acceptance.

So how has this week been?
It has been a good week in all. I have not been perfectly good with my food and that is OK but the best thing is that I have not beat myself up about this. I am aiming for 3 meals a day with a maximum of 2 healthy snacks. Sometimes I have eaten outside of this and that is OK as this is something I need to sustain for life. No fads this time or regimes I can't keep to.

My weight this morning was 17st 5lb and that is a 4lb loss and I am very pleased with that.

Welcome to the world of Exercise
I have enjoyed exercising this week, it has not felt like a hardship. Isn't that a turn up for the books? I did my Leslie Sansom walking DVD on Tues and Weds and then by Thurs I had to have a break as my muscles had been awakened. Saturday I went for my first Pilate's session and again I am feeling that. I had no idea I had any muscles at my middle. I am then genuinely looking forward to doing my walking DVD again tomorrow morning. Getting up at 6am on a weekday to exercise before the kids awake is working perfectly.

So I am in a good place. Today God delivered me the most perfect gift. I have spent the whole day not wanting food. I did not have any cravings and I was able to say no to muffins at Church and snacks when the kids had them. Thank you Lord that are are walking with me and holding my hand.

How are you all doing #Mumentum friends?

Hop on over to Liska's and join up with the other #Mumentum participants.

Review: Morphy Richards Flavour Savour Slow Cooker

2012-01-08T08:05:00.002Z

Morphy Richards made my Mum a very happy lady just before Christmas as they sent her a 4.5 litre Flavour Savour digital slow cooker to try out and report back on. Mum is not much of a writer so she has asked me to write up her thoughts and I was also lucky enough to get a go with the slow cooker and to try a couple of meals cooked in it.

For ages both my Mum and I have wanted a slow cooker, so this was the perfect opportunity for us to try out a few recipes. The Flavour Savour is a really nice model as it has 3 functions: quick brown to seal your meat, fast stew to cook for between 1 hour 30 mins and 1 hour 45 mins and traditional slow cooking for between 4 hours and 11 hours.

Firstly Mum used the fast stew function to make a spicy sausage casserole. Firstly she used the brown function to brown off the sausages and drained off any excess fat. Then all the other food got put into the same pot and the fluid put into the cooker as well and it was then left to cook for 1 hour 45 minutes. Once cooking finishes the cooker automatically goes into keep warm mode and holds the food at a constant temperature for up to 2 hours.

Browning the sausages

At the start of the cooking process

Sadly she forgot to take a photo of the finished meal but it was very good I am told!

Plus Points for the Flavour Savour Slow Cooker

Large steel cooking pan which is lightweight and easy to carry due to the handles. It can also be used on a gas or electric cooker hob.
Stay cool handles on the pan and lid. The lid is also glass so you can see how your meal is cooking.
Simple digital display settings.
Cord storage in the base for smart storage. You can also store the base in the cooking pan if you wish.
It has stylish exterior and does not look out of place left out on the work surface.
Versatile that it can be used for fast or slow cooking.
Excellent browning function for meat and onions, keeping down mess and minimising the pans used.
Dish and lid are dishwashable and came clean very easily.
Easy to understand and follow instructions

I asked Mum the question we all want to know, what could be better or where was the flavour savour slow cooker not up to scratch and I have to be honest she could not fault it and could give me no reason why it was not an excellent buy. The only comment she had was to shop around and find a good price as that would make it even better!

Then when I was down at Mum and Dads just after Christmas we tried out the slow cooker function and had a beef and tomato casserole A few more pictures for you:

Quick frying the onions

Yet again we forgot to take a photo when the stew was finished and we had to take a photo of the last dregs once we had all eaten. Do you get the feeling that we all like our food?

I have to say that the flavour savour makes a superb meal and with the very minimum of fuss. I was really pleased, as was Mum who give it a 5/5.

The 4.5 litre Flavour savour retails for £89.99 and the larger 6.5 litre model is £99.99. I have to say that the 4.5 litre easily made enough food for 6 adults to eat a good portion. You can check out the full specification on the Morphy Richards website or head over to their blog Home of the Houseproud for some super recipe ideas and great deals.

Morphy Richards have teamed up with Age UK to put together a portfolio of products that are suited to the older generation. Making it easier for them to perform everyday functions that younger people take for granted. Whilst my Mum is officially an OAP she is in fact a very fit and active woman. However I am pretty sure that if my Nan, at 84 tried to use the flavour savour she might find the pan too large and too heavy for just her living alone. The super thing about this range is that Morphy Richards are making a donation to Age UK for every item sold. I can heartily recommend the Accents One Cup water boiler that I trialed a few months back and then gave to my Nan. I saw her just after Christmas and she told me it was a godsend at 4am when she can not sleep and wants a quick cuppa!

Many thanks to Janelle, who has been a superb contact over the last year whilst I have been a Morphy Richards House Proud Innovator. I am enjoying working with such a great brand.

Disclosure: This is a review post.

Caption It Saturday - oh JJ!

2012-01-07T00:56:00.000Z

Come on then tell me, what is my little man JJ up to??

Saturday is Caption Day, Click the badge below and hop over and check out all the entries at Mammasaurus!

Grand Anniversary Giveaway, A Year of Reasons to be Cheerful

2012-01-05T15:04:00.002Z

We have finally reached our first anniversary and I thought I would take a trip down memory lane and look over some of the posts I have done in the last year. It has been an enjoyable hour or so!

Last year on 5th January I posted this post to introduce my idea to have a weekly link up where people could focus on the bright side of life and take just 5 minutes to be thankful for 3 things that made them cheerful right then in their life. Even when times were tough they could tune out for a short while and remember there is always hope.

A walk down Memory Lane

Week 1 saw 39 people join up and share their thankful posts. It was such a lovely start.

Week 3 saw the most ever people link up with 45 people joining in.

Week 17 saw my first ever recipe idea as a reason to be cheerful. Chocolate chip banana bread anyone?

Week 20 was the MADS edition. An exciting time for me as I was a finalist in the MAD blog awards.

Week 21 saw me doing something I like to do every so often - recommending a group of new bloggers.

Week 25 was the CyberMummy edition and much excitement about the impending conference.

Week 31 and something different again - a book recommendation week.

Week 41 was the Upside Down edition. I was not feeling at all cheery and had I not have been the host of #R2BC I probably would not have posted. So I took the silly stuff that was getting me down and turned it around into a positive.

Week 47 celebrated a gang of tweeters who make me really cheerful!

A year full of gratitude really is enough to make me feel very good right now! I hope you will join me this week and link up.

Thank You and the Show will go on...

Thank you to everyone who has joined in with Reasons to be Cheerful in the last year. There have been 1075 posts linked up in this last year - yes I really did add them all up!

I had been wondering whether to keep this linky going but when I asked the question I had so many responses of 'but I need it', 'I love #R2BC, it makes me focus on the good stuff' that I knew the answer. So we will be here for at least another year!

Another big thank you to all the wonderful people who have hosted for me in this last year - Clare, Kate, Becky, Dara, Mummy at BodForTea, Ems and Fay.

Grand Anniversary Giveaway

Because we have hit our one year anniversary, I thought it would be nice to celebrate by having a grand giveaway. Here is the deal - For every #R2BC post you link up in January you will be entered once into the giveaway draw. It does have to be a grateful/ cheerful post though, I will be stopping by to comment.

So what can you win?
There is loads up for grabs and still more offers of prizes are coming in. The full listing will be published on 19th January but just to say so far the types of things I have are designer change bag, loads of kids toys - boys and girls and all ages, fiction book, children's books, beauty hamper, golf shoes, DVD's, Build A Bear teddy and more....

Keep an eye here next Thursday and on 19th January I will reveal the full details but for now just know that if you are linking up you are being entered for the draw, unless you comment and tell me you do not want to be.

How will it work?

The giveaway will be in the style in a raffle. For every prize I will randomly draw an entry. You could therefore win multiple prizes if you have multiple entries. On the #R2BC post on 19th January I will list all the prizes and the order in which the winners will be drawn.
You will need to leave me a comment with a twitter ID or email address.
If you have linked up to #R2BC you are welcome to tweet the giveaway for another entry.

Terms and Conditions

The official giveaway post will go live on 19th January, However you are entered for each post you link up to my #R2BC posts on 5th, 12th and 19th January (so a maximum of 3 entries per blog)
The winners will be chosen at random.
The giveaway will close at midnight on Wednesday 25th January 2012.
The winners will be announced on my #R2BC post on Thursday 26th January 2012.
The winners need to contact me within a week of my announcing them or I will draw again.
The giveaway is only open to UK residents or those with a UK postal address.
The prizes will be posted out directly from the relevant company or PR.
The prize you win is not transferable and there are no cash alternatives.

I am not receiving anything for running this anniversary giveaway, I just wanted to celebrate what has been a fab year!

The Spoilt Brats Are Back to School - Yippie!

2012-01-04T22:05:00.001Z

OK, before you shout at me, I don't really think my kids are brats ~~(not much anyway)~~ but I do worry about them being spoilt and I was completely thrilled that they went back to school today. I was at work and the time apart really does make it easier when we come back together. By 3.15pm today I was ready to pick them up and chat about their day before doing some craft with the girls and helping JJ to sort his room.

The last week of the holidays has been pretty intense. Whilst I have learnt the value of down time - PJ days and time just with the family my kids do not seem to, I have massively intense and high energy kids. They are super demanding and I am not always on top form to be able to deal with that in the best manner. I do question what we can do to help them be more chilled. I am pretty sure some of it will come as they mature and grow up. JJ is easy to be around now, at age 8 and he used to be like the girls; a timebomb waiting to explode basically. He is now responsible and will do as he is told, he enjoys playing alone as well as having some parent time too. The girls are a different matter, at age 4 and with a partner in crime they can reap havoc in our house - stickers everywhere, toys just thrown together in piles, book pages drawn on, wallpaper borders ripped and so many more things. The word respect comes to mind!

On Monday they trashed Miss M's bedroom together and to some extent I can live with that as they are young and have to play. We expected them to stay in the whole day and to chill, so tidy up time comes with that expectation. What I do not expect is them to then not want to help clear up or to keep doing other things whilst I am helping and directing the clearing up. I got so fed up that I threatened to put everything left on the floor in a bin bag and to put it in the shed for a month. 'Don't care' was Miss M's response. Ohh red rag to a bull, off I went and got the bin bag and started to pack it all in. Poor Miss Ewas crying as she had been helping to clear and some of her stuff was in Miss M's room but I did feel it was important to follow through. As I did it Miss M handed me Cookie, her new dog toy that she got for Xmas and told me 'give him to a child who has nothing, I don't want him'. Boy did we have a chat about being grateful for the things we had and how we do not use the phrase 'don't care' in this house. Lesson for Mummy, less toys for Christmas next year - too many just creates apathy.

Since about age 6 months Miss M has been my hardest child to look after. Always demanding and wanting her own way. Nothing seems to bother her, you could empty her room and she would not be outwardly worried, she is not particularly attached to anything. When she was younger the only thing I could find that she might get upset about if it was taken away was my bedtime cuddle and obviously this was not something I wanted to do often. This child takes me to my wits end and then in the next hour can have me so in love with her again. She can be loving, helpful and gorgeous too, all rolled up with her minxy behaviour.

The one thing that I do always find has a positive effect now the kids are older is using sticker charts. Dangling the carrot to ensure that they get the stickers which then means they can have daily and/or weekly small treats. It baffles me as to why I do not keep with the sticker charts on an ongoing basis. Why is it I learn a parenting lesson and then promptly forget it again?

At the end of August I had come to the end of my tether with the kids and I sat down with them and drew up a sheet with what good behaviour included. We were using a sticker chart also and their behaviour improved (well what I should say is that Miss M's behaviour improved and that positively impacts the other two). Then I found myself here again early this week, sitting down with the kids and explaining that I was absolutely fed up of not being listened to and that they needed to show more respect. Then we made a sticker chart again and it is working, in a fashion. Take tonight at tea, Miss E had got herself 2 spoons for her yoghurt. Miss M promptly decided this was the best idea ever and she would also get 2. I was able to say 'ohh Miss E is being silly, I thought Miss M was listening today, I'd love to give her a sticker for her nice behaviour at dinner'. You visibly see her realise and she turns around 'Ok Mummy, I am your good girl' and sits back down. So it has the desired effect but I do wonder why I have to keep resorting back to this.

I have always thought of myself as a tough mummy. Firm but fair and I carry through when I make a threat but do not pick on every tiny bit of poor behaviour, picking my battles wisely but I have to say that I am starting to wonder where I am going wrong as surely my kids should be able to sit down nicely for short periods of time when we are out in pubic. They just do not seem to get it.

Do you ever sometimes just feel a bit 'I'm a Mum get me out of here!'? because I certainly do. If you have any good tips for me then please do share.

I was over at Jane's place the other day and read a hilarious post there about the drama of the kids still being home once Christmas is over and school has not yet started. She feels my pain! Go and have a read, you won't be disappointed.

I have joined up on Saturday 7th January for TheBoyandMe's Saturday Show Off Show Case - the one that shoudl have doen better!

2012, The Start of a New Beginning #Mumentum

2012-01-02T20:00:00.001Z

Image Credit

2012, a brand new year and a great time to make changes. Not to make resolutions you understand, they are too easily broken but to make changes that will stay with me forever, sensible ones that are long overdue.

I am feeling good at the start of this new year, any worries I had about being depressed have been blown out the water by a couple of weeks at home with my family. Downtime and a lack of pressure have had a marked positive impact on me. It has finally dawned on me that in 2013 I will be 40 and that at 40 I should be fit and healthy. If I do not take control of my eating by then I may never and that is too scary to comprehend.

I have some superb goals to aim towards with regard to sorting my weight out. At the end of June this year I will speak at BritMums live and whilst I am a confident person, a trainer even by profession. The thought of this is a bit scary and that is a good thing as I always do well when I am apprehensive. I have vision of me in a dress standing there confident and feeling great.

Then in August 2013 both dh and I will turn 40 and I am hoping that my lovely parents will come and look after our kids for a week so dh and I can concentrate on a wonderful week alone as a couple. I just need to imagine how great this alone time will be if I am slimmer and feeling good about myself – watch out dh, you may find you are married to a 40 year old hottie (oh, you have to poke fun at yourself don’t you?).

So what changes am I making? Simple ones, the kind that I can keep up and that will stay with me:

• I want to eat 3 balanced meals a day and if I feel the need to snack in between they need to be simple and healthy at about 100 calories max.

• I will keep to around 1200 – 1500 calories per day. So nothing too drastic but enough of a cut that the weight will start to move.

• I want to cut down on the amount of carbs I eat. It does not feel right for me to follow the Dukan or Aitkens diets as I want a way of eating that I can establish for life but I have seen before that when I eat less carbs and have more protein and veg I see better results and feel a lot more energy.

• A superb friend that shaped up a couple of years ago has lent me a walking exercise DVD by Leslie Samson and it looks really good. I am actually interested to start using it. I have bought my stretch band to use too.

• I will listen to my Thinking Slimmer slimpod each night as I know that when I do that my thought processes change and I want to eat better.

• I will pray and hand my problems over to God. I have to believe that my weight is a big enough issue that He cares about it and will help me.

• I need to go to bed at a decent time most nights. The more tired I am the harder I find it to lose weight, so the obvious thing is to make me a priority and get enough sleep.

In 2012 I do not want to follow any fads or drop a large amount of weight in next to no time. I want to do this right and be able to sustain it. Today I weight 17st 9lb and am a size 22/24, then by BritMums Live I want to be a neat size 18 and whatever weight that brings. I suspect it will be a drop of around 4 stone. So 56lbs to lose in 25 weeks that is roughly averaging 2lb a week, which I know is realistic and healthy.

Rock on Mich…… and good luck to anyone else joining me on this #Mumentum or should I say gargantuan journey! I’ll be posting each Monday and keeping you abreast of my progress.

Come on, who is with me? There must be quite a few of us trying to start shifting the pounds or getting fit. I am hoping the lovely Liska will be keeping the #Mumentum linky going in 2012.

Just to keep reminding myself of the need for this. It is the awful starting pictures again. Ohh delightful - every lump and bump is shown in these. My idea is I will get photographed in the same outfit ongoing so I can see the success.

A Short 'n' Tweet Trip to London for New Years

2012-01-01T20:50:00.001Z

Dh had to work New Year Eve and very luckily his work give him a room to stay over as he does not finish until the early hours. Stroke of luck he could only get a room for a 2 day minimum so off we go as a family for a trip to London for 2 nights and with no cost for the accommodation! Can't be bad... Check out our stay in London by my imaginary Twitter updates.

Friday 30th December

2.00pm Leaving home, Maccy D’s for lunch – We know how to live!

3.15pm Premier Inn Euston, divine! Room so big, I'm over the moon

4.00pm Bus to Oxford Street, kids so excited. Let’s go see the lights!

4.20pm ohh have you seen Debenhams on Oxford Street. It’s a rainbow shouts Miss E!

5.30pm Hamleys is so busy & hot. Even my phone has misted up! Get me out of here…

7.30pm Carpet picnic for late tea, the kids think this is ace. How I love the simple pleasures in life.

10pm yap, yap, yap will those 4 year olds ever go to sleep. 1 room and 5 people is not a match made in heaven.

Saturday 31st December 2011

8am Woo hoo, how did it get to 8am without any of the kids waking yet! Read for 1/2 hr I reckon.

9.30am Oh JJ how much inclusive breakfast can you eat boy? You are like a waste disposal unit!

11am NYE is the day for the Science Museum - never seen it so empty - result!

1.45pm Should have worn my other boots, ouch. Are we nearly there yet?

2.45pm Lunch over & quick trip to Westfield. Surely the kids do not need more Build-A-Bears?

4.30pm Apparently they do, £78 later & time to go back to the hotel.

5.30pm Carpet picnic take 2 and all ready and in bed by 6.30pm - divine. I am in heaven! Dh and JJ head off to his work.

8pm £5 for 1 hours wifi, ahh I am not paying that but I will get twiter & blog withdrawal surely??

8.30pm Little Ladies finally asleep. Alan Carr for company, luckily he is making me laugh.

Sunday 1st January 2012

12.20am My boy arrives home, what kind of time is this? He is 8 years old! but had an amazing time apparently.

4am Will the police sirens please bloody stop! ENOUGH

9am Breakfast part me, the girls and I! Behaved like little angels, thank you Lord!

10.45am Breakfast part 2, the dirty stop-out boys. Dh had got back in at 2.30am apparently.

12noon Piccadilly is chocka, go home peps, we want to actually see the parade, thanks.

2pm Hello, it's Britain - welcome rain and not just any rain but a mega downpour. 5 drowned rat look alikes off home

4.30pm I'm home and I'm happy. Washing on and now to eat something, been good all day. Welcome 2012 and the new me.

Happy New Year one and all. I wish you love, luck and happiness in 2012. Be blessed. Mich x

Week 52 - #R2BC Christmas Was....

2011-12-29T08:26:00.008Z

Quite simply..... a wonderful time. Just what it should be. Lots of relaxing, some lovely food but not too much, parties with friends, time with family, playing with the kids, great presents, good movies and just generally feeling good.

So what else could be a more perfect topic for this weeks Reasons to be Cheerful (#R2BC) post? Christmas made me cheerful. I don't think there was anything about it that gave me a cause to be anything other than happy, grateful and glad to be me. How blessed I am to be able to say that.

I'll share my week in photos this time, it is always nice to vary my #R2BC posts. This is my 52nd one of them after all! Yep one whole year - how time flies when you are blessed!

This weekly linky will keep going in 2012 too. Enough people have said to me that they enjoy joining in, that it is definitely worthwhile. We may not be the biggest weekly link up around but we certainly have the most fab group of people who join in.

A big thank you to Warner Bros. who sent me the most beautiful lined hessian sack filled with superb Warner Bros. family movies. My JJ was super chuffed with the full set of Scooby Doo DVD's stored in the Mystery Machine. We received loads of other fab movies too such as Happy Feet, The Polar Express, Yogi Bear and Ben 10.

Our beautiful wooden nativity set. The kids used it to tell the story to dh and I on Christmas eve, very cute!

The kids made us lots of beautiful tea light holders this year and our Christmas table had them all.

Far too many gifts. I had said I was going to be so frugal this year - whoops! Yes that is Miss M crawling into a present bag practically as big as her.

Favourite present of the day? the £1 children's make up set from a pound shop of course!

Off to Church we go. Not a flattering picture at all but at least it is all 5 of us together.

Fun at Nanny's, at last Miss E is getting brave with climbing frames and even tried out the zip rope.

Dh takes his role as chief craft adviser very seriously. The girls loved having Daddy help them decorate their jewellery boxes.

So many great things that I forgot to catch on camera, but I think you can see from that lot it has been good fun here!

So over to you. What are you feeling cheerful about at the moment? Take a few moments and count your blessings, especially if things feel tough right now. It really will help, even just a little, to focus on the positive stuff - for there always is hope...

If you are new to #R2BC and want to see what it is about, then check out HERE. Please do visit some other people who link up and I will be over to visit everyone but it will be early next week.

Happy New Year, Mich xx