Friday 30 October 2015

Baby Baker Friday - A Fitness Interview With Dr Joanna Helcke


So as you know, I decided that Friday's on the blog would be dedicated to my pregnancy and now, new mummy status.

I know it's not something everyone wants to read about but it is something that I really wanted to do - so I'm doing it - after all, being pregnant and having a beautiful new baby is a huge thing to be happening in my life and I really wanted to share bits and pieces of what is going on amongst these pages.

So here we go

~ Baby Baker Friday ~

Now that my very beautiful Baby Baker is here, all safe and sound in the world, as well as re-learning what it is like to have a newborn in the house I'm starting, just slightly, to become increasingly more conscious of my figure.

I'm not too overly concerned at the moment - no where near as much as I assumed I would be by now - but it is there, this little niggle at the back of my mind making me aware that I really do need to start doing something about all of this extra baby weight I'm carrying.

If you remember, a little while ago I introduced you to a pregnancy exercise programme that I started, and was finding really useful, not so much for any kind of weight loss, but certainly to help with my pregnancy related aches and pains.

Now whilst the exercise videos were great I have to admit that I haven't been following the plan as regularly as I intended to lately, mainly because of the car accident I was involved in bringing about a form of SPD meaning that I was in quite a lot of pain for the later part of my pregnancy.

And now, since the birth, I've been getting myself over the cesarean section I had which means that obviously any sort of exercise is a big no-no at the moment.

However, once I'm up and running (not actually running!) I'll be getting myself back involved with the programme that's for sure.

But until then, I wanted to bring you a little Q&A I recently took part in with the founder of the programme Dr Joanna Helcke to give you a little insight into why it is she does what she does...


What inspired you most to focus on health and well-being?

My focus on health and fitness for mums and mums-to-be, comes very much from my own experiences as a mother of three “lively” boys. I have to confess to finding motherhood quite challenging – I love it and adore my boys yet at the same time feel as though I am running flat out 100% of the time. Exercise has proven to be an absolute sanity saver for me over the years, so much so that I wanted to pass this on to others. I deeply believe that exercise is one of the most useful tools for a mother to have in her “Keep calm and carry on tool kit”! And so after the birth of my third son – Ben – I decided to leave my job as a university lecturer and retrain as a specialist in pregnancy and postnatal exercise. It really was a case of following my heart and my dreams.

Your videos are brilliant and well informed, did it take a long time to build up such knowledge and how did you do it?

With a more academic background – having done a degree, masters and doctorate – it was a fascinating experience going back to studying as an adult but a type of learning that was of a far more hands-on, practical nature than I had ever done before. To be honest I was smitten, loved every minute of it, and was the ultimate swot in class! Once I’d caught the bug for this more practical form of learning I simply couldn’t stop and I love going on regular study days to keep abreast with new developments. In fact I’m currently following an online course and next month I’m off to Bristol to do one of the wonderful Rachel Rafiefar’s specialist pregnancy Pilates courses. In short, the building up of knowledge is an ongoing, never-ceasing process. I think that, perhaps, the advantage I have is that with my background as an academic, I love to communicate that knowledge - verbally and in writing – in a manner that is (I hope!) accessible to everyone.
   
What is the most rewarding part of your job?

I absolutely love everything I do – without wishing to sound completely corny, my job is my passion. But I guess that if I had to tell you what I find most rewarding, it is seeing the truly beautiful and lasting friendships that develop between mums who do my classes – I specifically build social elements into my pregnancy and postnatal fitness because I believe deeply that friendship breeds happiness and happiness is absolutely fundamental to overall health and wellbeing. My dream is to be able to recreate this supportive family of mothers within my online fitness.

Do you ever find parts of the career you chose difficult?

Yes – all things technical! I am very much an “ideas person” and I frequently think I have a brilliant idea and jump head first into the deep end, only to discover that on the technical front, my idea is considerably more complex (and infinitely more expensive to bring to life) than I had ever imagined. In fact, I’ll let you into a secret: I’m currently working on a physical product for pregnancy fitness and it’s an absolute case in point. I thought “wow, that’s a BRILLIANT idea”, I dived into it and 10 months later I am still working on its development. It has proven to be so incredibly complex. I still think it’s an awesome idea, though, and I’m so excited about launching early next year!

Have you personally ever found fitting exercise into a busy schedule hard to do?

Yes, this is something I struggle with all the time – with the three kids (actually four at the moment as I am currently looking after my friend’s daughter for 4 months as she is over in the UK to improve her English), fulltime work, a partner who gets home between 9 and 10pm most evenings and no family nearby, I really do have to put in place strategies to keep fit. So, for example, I cycle with the boys to school and back; I then squeeze in 45 minutes of exercise between school drop off and work and on weekends I shoehorn exercise in around my youngest son’s endless sporting activities! People always say to me “You must be really fit because you are constantly teaching exercise classes” but I firmly believe that when I am teaching I am there to look after everyone else’s fitness and not my own. I am there to help with technique and good form and not to get a great workout for myself!

Some very fabulous hints, tips and words of advice, all from a very dedicated exercise expert.

I really can't wait to get started with it all again now.

Happy exercising and see you next week
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Wednesday 28 October 2015

My Geek Box - A Fab, Fun Subscription Box


I can still remember the last time I had a subscription box sent to my door.

It was a very popular, very well-know beauty filled one and the thing I loved the most about it was the fact that each and every month I knew I had a little bit of a surprise heading my way.

Like a mini Christmas each and every month.

But, of course, all good things must come to an end and because my beauty collection was beginning to multiply faster than I could use it up, with great reluctance I was forced to hit the cancel button and sadly waved goodbye to my monthly beauty treats.

~ Sigh ~

Sad times.

But, well, it was only going to be a matter of time before something else spiked my interest really wasn't it.

And this time, whilst this "something" was still a monthly subscription type box, the contents couldn't be any further away from my beauty-packed boxes of old.

This time, I actually had no real idea of what I would be getting - and that was fine with me, it just added to the surprise.

All I knew was the name...


Come on - how on earth could I not want a piece of this.

Married To A Geek....

My Geek Box...

It's as though this thing was practically designed with me in mind.

And I discovered that each month, each box had a particular theme - the theme within this box was...

"AFTERLIFE"
(find here)

...which could have meant a whole host of things really, so yep, I was way beyond intrigued for this to arrive that's for sure.

And when it did, the geek within had every need to be a tad giddy.


There was a whole array of, well, death themed goodies, all with a real geeky spin...


But before we delve too far, what is "My Geek Box"?

Well, you already know it is a subscription box delivery service which is delivered direct to your home each and every month that you request it.

The theme of the boxes will alter monthly and contents will fit around this theme.

Before you sign up the theme will be known but the contents, well those will remain a total surprise until you open the box.

Oh and the cost of each one is £19.99...

...which isn't bad really when you consider that there will be a t-shirt included within each box too.

A t-shirt which you are able to choose the size and gender-fit of before placing your order making sure everything will fit you perfectly.

 Obviously I would always have the box sent directly to myself (because I'm very selfish like that!) but you may decide that you want a box creating as a gift for a friend or a partner and it's a great idea that each one can be tailor made to properly accommodate the wants and needs of the recipient.

So what exactly was inside my box of goodies?

Well, as I said above, the theme of this box was "afterlife" so all of the contents fit around this area somehow.

We had...

~ a "Boo", Halloween appropriate t-shirt


~ a "Zombie Outbreak Team" sticker


~ a blood printed tea-towel


~ a Dracula puzzle



~ a retro metal wall sign
(zombie related of course)


~ a Twisted Dark Volume One comic style book



(which has me excited to read, yet terrified that it's going to scare me senseless!)

If you are looking for something a little different, or have that one person you really don't know what to give as a gift then I would certainly recommend giving My Geek Box a go.

I know I'm "Married To A Geek" but the excitement on my son's face when he spotted all of these zombie related goodies makes me wonder if all of that geekiness has rubbed off on him a little bit too much too...

My Geek Box - definitely a fun, unique gift idea


* box sent free of charge to review. Words & pictures all my own
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Sunday 18 October 2015

Mother Shipton's Cave - A Halloween Spectacular Giveaway


Although my jaunts away haven't been all too plentiful recently, usually, especially during the school holidays, I love nothing more than heading off for a fab day trip filled with fun, laughter, and of course, my brilliant family.

Last year you may have seen that on one of these family trips out we headed over to Knaresborough to visit Mother Shipton and her cave for the day - and it was blooming brilliant.



We spent the day trekking through the woods, playing on swings, following treasure map clues hoping they would lead us to treats of the chocolate kind, and even managed to slot in a yummy picnic too.

It was so much fun.

The learning aspect for the kiddies was great too and certainly kept all of their young, enquiring minds busy throughout the whole day.

And then when we stumbled across the Petrifying Well a whole new level of interest was sparked - and not just from the children either - the adults were just as intrigued...


It was fascinating.

And so, because I had so much fun, this little post is dedicated to giving one of you the chance to take your family along to the attraction to enjoy it all too.

And for free!

How brilliant is that.

But what makes this even better is that as well as having the chance to enjoy everything I did, over the October half-term holiday, Mother Shipton's Cave will be adding a whole load more into their fun-filled days too.

They will be hosting a Halloween Extravaganza, filled with all kinds of scary treats and thrills...

...much too much for me to be enduring though I think...I'm far too much of a wimp...


There will be things such as face-painting, crafting activities and a brilliant prize - each and every day - for the person with the best spooky fancy dress costume.


~ How fantastic ~

And it couldn't be easier to enter either - simply check out the Rafflecopter below.

Oh and just for reference:

~ The winning "Family Ticket" will admit two adults and two children or one adult and three children into the attraction
~ The prize does include free parking for the whole day
~ The winner will need to be free to attend the attraction during the half-term week between 24th - 31st  October 2015 (10am - 4pm)
~ Competition will run for five days and will close at midnight on Thursday 22nd October so Mother Shipton can be notified of the winner

a Rafflecopter giveaway And that is it!

Happy Entering
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Saturday 17 October 2015

Baby Baker Friday - Oh...Hello...


So as you know, I decided that Friday's on the blog would be dedicated to my now end-nearing pregnancy status.

I know it's not something everyone wants to read about but it is something I really wanted to do - so I'm doing it - after all, being pregnant and having a new baby is a huge thing to be happening in my life and I really wanted to share bits and pieces of what is going on amongst these pages.

So here we go

~ Baby Baker Friday ~

Today is hardly any "normal" day for me I must say.

It is currently 2.32pm on Saturday afternoon.

I am typing a very quick post as I sit, slightly uncomfortably, on my bed at home.

My two boys have swanned off to watch rugby for the afternoon so I am just left with me, myself and I for a few hours.

Or am I..?

Well no - actually I'm not.

I am currently sat, mesmerised by the most amazingly beautiful, perfect, adorable baby girl I have ever had the privilege to set my eyes upon.

She is amazing, and oh-so-tiny.

And what's even better is the fact that she is all mine.
(OK, she's her Dad's and brother's too, but you get my point!)

Yep - Baby Baker is here.

The beautiful little pink bundle, who has my heart all a-flutter, and who brings tears of joy to my eyes every time I look at her beautiful, teeny face, was born two days ago  - Thursday 15th October at 10.57am - by Elective C-Section.

~ She weighed a tiny 6lb 12 1/2 oz

~ She has lots of beautiful dark hair

~ She has dark brown eyes

And her name...?

Well her name is Willow Felicity Baker

And she is beyond perfect


Her big brother is smitten with her already and when he came to visit her for the first time in the hospital he just burst into tears and was so overwhelmed.

I couldn't be any more proud, or any more in love, with my two little people if I tried.

Her Dad, well, he is one big mushy mess right now, and it is very clear to see that his little girl has him well and truly wrapped around her small fingers already.

And Mum?

Well, Mum is very sore, very tired but is oh-so very, very happy - a total wash with so many emotions.

Cloud nine springs to mind.

It's crazy but as soon as I laid my eyes on her, everything seemed to change and I knew, right there and then, at that exact moment, that a second piece of my heart had left me - gone from me for good - forever to be held in the hands of another little beauty.

Baby Baker is more than amazing and I want nothing more than to spend each and every minute of the day with her.

I am one very lucky lady.
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Wednesday 14 October 2015

Da Tonino - A Fabulous, Bradford Based Italian Find


It's no secret that I'm a little bit of a foodie.

I mean, how could I not be - there is just so much amazingness out there to be enjoyed.

I think I'm definitely at a stage in my life now where, as body-conscious as I can often be, a "good night out" is more about enjoying lovely food with fabulous people and having great conversation than it is about throwing shots down my neck and suffering for days afterwards.
(Wow - when did I get old...)

A little while ago - well it was actually a huge while ago now I think about it, Baby Baker wasn't even on the scene - we had a large family celebratory meal planned for my Grandparent's Wedding Anniversary and it was brilliant - especially to have all of us together for once because it's such a rarity these days.

Anyway, as it was all so nice, I still wanted to tell you about the fab food we had - I mean, you never really forget about good food now do you, and all it means is that I'm going to have to take another trip to the restaurant again - very soon - and make sure I try everything all over again.

So which restaurant did we go to?

Well it was a really lovely one which is actually in my own home-town of Bradford.

It is a fab, family-run Italian situated in Shipley and it is called Da Tonino


Now the restaurant isn't slap-bang in the centre of town, it's a little way out, but not too far away and is very easily accessible by car, taxi or bus.

My auntie, cousins and grandparents are regular "Da Tonino Customers" and absolutely love the place, but this was the first time myself, the Hubby or the son had been, and it was immediately clear to see why the rest of my family favoured the place so highly.


Being a family run business, there was certainly an emphasis on making customers feel as welcome as possible as soon as they stepped through the door.

The manager came out to personally say Hello to us and everyone couldn't seem to do enough to make us feel happy and totally looked after.

Once we had ordered drinks we were seated in our own little private area - not fully away from everyone else but just enough to give us a little bit of privacy.


We chatted, laughed and perused the menu whilst yummy plates of "Focacia Con Pomodoro e Aglio" - or garlic pizza bread - appetisers were brought out for us to enjoy...


~ Oh carbs how I do love you ~

The slices tasted lovely and the garlic wasn't too overpowering.

They weren't too large that they filled you up quickly either, but were just enough to get you ready for the next course.

As the restaurant offers an Early Bird Menu option at certain times of the day (Sunday - Thursday until 7.30pm) I chose two courses from that which meant I was having a starter and a main course for less than £14 - what an absolute bargain.

Especially considering the quality of the food that was brought out.

For my starter, I just couldn't resist the huge slab of amazing "Mozzarella in Carozza Milanese" - breaded mozerella in a tomato sauce...


...the aroma as it hit the table was outstanding, and then the taste - oh my days - waist-line I do apologise but this just had to be done...


~ It was delicious ~

Perfectly cooked, rich mozzarella covered in a nice amount of breadcrumbs and then coated with a really flavoursome tomato sauce which complemented the rest of the dish perfectly - it was very wow.

 And the portion size was huge - which I liked very much!

Obviously I managed to finish it all too.

Well...you didn't really think I'd be leaving any of that hunk of cheese behind now did you...

No way.

Once our starters had been devoured and after a little breather, our main courses began to arrive.

Now I do think after such an exceptionally cheesy starter, opting for "Lasagne Al Forno" - just Lasagna to me - (any pasta or pizza dish from the main menu priced £8.95 can be chosen within the early bird deal too) was a slight rookie mistake, but I do really love lasagna and will nearly always opt for it when I see it on a menu.

And then when it arrived I was oh-so-happy with my choice...


It was this huge, bubbling-hot stack of pasta, tomato, cheese and beef bolognese, and it tasted divine...


Unfortunately I wasn't able to finish nearly as much as I would have liked, but that was my own fault - the dish was cooked to perfection and I have to say was probably one of the nicest lasagne's I've ever had.

And I do really want to eat it again right now...

Throughout the whole meal, the staff were very accommodating and kept popping over to check if everything was OK for us or if we needed anything.

Certainly an A* for customer service.

Especially when, as it was such a special occasion, they brought out a huge cow bell and made a massive fuss of my Grandma and Grandad, playing them a very loud, very attention-grabbing song that the whole restaurant couldn't fail to hear.

The manager then plyed each of them with a shot of sambuca - and Go My Grandparents! - they downed them in one!

It is really nice to find lovely places to eat close to home, and Da Tonino is a place very much worth a visit - whether you are from Bradford or not.

I know I'll be heading back that's for sure!
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Monday 12 October 2015

Mankind - Helping Prepare Us For Christmas


It's been a fair while since I featured anything majorly beauty related on these pages, which is a shame I know.

As much as I do love a good Boots splurge, recently my shopping attention has been drawn "elsewhere".

And by "elsewhere" I mean more in the direction of Mothercare or Next's baby section...
(I just can't help myself!)

But today it is all about the beauty bits.

However.

...these beauty bits aren't exactly for me...

Such a tragedy I know.

The first beauty parcel I have landing on my doorstep in what seems like forever and it's not even for me to enjoy....

Booo

But nope, this lovely little bundle I received was all for the Husband.

~ s i g h ~

But I do have to admit, even I was very impressed with the contents he received, and everything came from those lovely people at Mankind...


Now Mankind are all about providing good quality skin and hair care for "the modern man - the man who isn't afraid to take care of himself" - a concept that I find fantastic...especially now that my Hubby has started looking after himself a lot more.

In fact, he is already a bit of a Mankind fan and loves the quality of the products they have and the ease in which he is able to find what he wants and needs.

We have products from Mankind spilling out of the bathroom as it is and this little box of goodies certainly spiked his attention when he spotted them that's for sure.

He was like a child on Christmas morning and couldn't wait to delve inside.

...Hmmm...Christmas...

Is it too early to mention that word yet?

No?

Yes?

Probably..!

But tough - I'm bringing it up anyway because I'm trying to be as organised as I can this year with the whole gift selecting thing.

I really can't leave it all until the last minute...again.

And after seeing the reaction from my Hubby when he spotted this lovely little lot, I know that these products, and many of the others that Mankind have in their fab gift section (find here), would make brilliant gifts for men everywhere.

May as well get the guys pressies sorted and out of the way a few months before the big day, eh.

So what do we have and how do they rate?

Personally I was really impressed with everything.

I found all of the packaging to be quite sleek, masculine and very high end-looking.

I would certainly be pritty chuffed with myself, and confident that everything would be well received, if I were to give any of these products as a gift.

But what did the other half think - after all, it's his opinion you want.

Out of the hair products and the two that were from American Crew...


...the Hubby informed me that his favourite was the Fiber putty as it had a "high hold" level which was perfect for his longer, thicker hair style.

I used this one on my son's hair too as his is quite long as well and he was very impressed with the fact that it kept his "quiff" in place all day at school (yep - he really did tell me that and he's only nine!!) and that it "didn't make his hair look all shiny" like some of the other products he uses.

I personally liked the scent of the Defining Paste myself...but eyes were rolled in my direction when I mentioned this.

The other hair-based product we found was the small tube of Liquifflex cream to liquid styling gel...


Now this has a "medium hold and medium shine" so I wasn't all that convinced it would work on either of the boys' hair's but the Hubby tried it out anyway.

He found, as it stated on the tube, the cream product liquifies once it is on the hands making it really easy to pull through the hair.

Whilst the product did help tame the fuzz factor the Husband's hair can have it didn't really help to create any sort of a style and is obviously suited more to people with shorter hair.

Now as those of you who follow the Husband's blog - A Blokes Eyeview - will know, he has a beard and has loved finding amazing products to help him keep it in check.

Cue him having a very intent gaze when he spotted the Beard Oil and Awakening Beard Balm in the box...


He used them both that very same day and has been applying them ever since.

I have been told that they both "tick all the right boxes" and "do exactly what they are supposed to do", with the balm being voted his favourite because it makes his beard "really soft and smell great".

I think he's very impressed!

Personally I was also a fan of the Beard Balm because...well... (no eye rolling please) it made the Hubby smell all fab and fruity yet still quite masculine - which was very nice indeed.

But as I've been told before - "it's not just about the scent"...although this time round he too was really taken with this side of things himself.

And then last, but by no means least, we had a 100ml bottle of Trafalgar aftershave...


Now - as you are probably very well aware the Hubby doesn't shave - but if he did the properties within this masculine looking little bottle would help to "soothe and stimulate the skin".

As it stands we are both very much enjoying the freshness of this - to me it smells a little of the sea...or perhaps that's more the fabulous bright blue colour of it reminding me of exotic beaches...

Either way, this is a winner and regardless of the fact that it is meant to be an after shave, the Hubby still slaps it on, on top of his beard.

He said that he loves the fresh scent too much not to enjoy using it - and that the scent lasts for ages - which is apparently a major plus.

So Mankind, once again, you are voted "Most Fabulous" in our home - you with your vast array of male-appropriate beauty goodness.

And yes, you would definitely make any guy happy on Christmas Day...any guy aged from nine years onwards it would seem...
(my son has snaffled the hair Fiber all for himself - it is currently hidden away in his bedroom!)

Now don't mind me, I'm off to sulk in the corner and avoid making eye-contact with my Husband's very impressive beauty product shelf in our bathroom...

Happy Mankind Shopping!


*products sent to test & review - all pictures & words are my own. Thoughts are my own - & the Hubby's!
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Sunday 11 October 2015

Adding Value To A Potential Home


~ Wowzers ~

I still can't get my head around the fact that in just a few days time - yes, just a few days - my little family of three will be spreading it's wings and expanding into a slightly larger family of four.

I'm not even sure that I've sat and contemplated all of the things that will need to alter in the coming years to try and accommodate such a huge change yet either.

But a change that is obvious is the fact that, sometime very soon, we are going to have to discuss moving house because, quite frankly, the one we currently own is way too small.

We only have two bedrooms you see and with absolute zero storage space it's far from ideal for a growing family.

And whilst I am all ready to uproot and move, my bank account has slightly different ideas - unfortunately - and it really needs me to stay put for a whole lot longer...

But what is a person to do?

It would seem that all of the important things that I need in a home now - which are things a lot of other people need from their homes too - are actually quite expensive commodities.

If you want the space and the great location then you are certainly going to have to pay all that more to have it.

With our next move being the third under our belt you'd think we would have realised all of this before now, that we would be dab hands at the whole moving lark, but the things we just couldn't do without now weren't things we even thought to look out for in the past.

We're obviously "think for the moment, not the future" kind of people...

Take out first home for example, no way on this earth would it be looked at twice if we were to view it now.

The area it was in wasn't ideal for a start and it was small - just a four roomed cottage with only one bedroom - and when we went to look around, it was full to the brim with the owners junk.

It was dark, poorly lit and not all that attractive at all if I'm honest.

In fact - it was pritty grotty.

It needed so much work doing to it - a total new kitchen, full rooms re-plastering - everything.

But at the time we were a young couple with no children, we were offered a good price and found a very low mortgage deal and because we lived with my now Hubby's parents we desperately wanted our own space - so we snapped it up and vowed to (eventually) make that tiny little hobbit hole perfect for us.

And do you know what, we did it.

But it took a lot to get there.

Nowadays, oooh, I wouldn't touch that big a project for anything.

My needs and my wants from a home now certainly match up more to the findings that Lightbulbs Direct sourced and, I'm guessing it's an age thing, but I've certainly found that I fit more into the "norm of property requirements" than I did before...


There are so many things I didn't even think about all those years ago that would be crucial for me to have in a home now.

My main focus would be to source a really great area, one with as low a crime rate as possible but one which would have, have, have to be within the catchment area of the schools that I know I want my children to attend.

And that is not something I would have batted an eyelid at considering almost twelve years ago when we signed on the dotted line that very first time.

Next up, and a very close second, would have to be space - having a boy and (very soon!) a girl with a ten year age gap in between means that we one hundred percent require a house which has three bedrooms - three bedrooms at the very least.

Actually, ideally I think I would need the extra bedrooms plus a lot more storage space and a good sized garden...oh...and a garage wouldn't go a-miss either...

~ Don't ask for much do I ~

But whilst I'm on with this little wish list I may as well throw something else into the mix too - both of our past purchased homes have needed work doing to them - and by work, I mean a lot of work - as in full new kitchens and bathrooms just for starters.

For once it would be simply amazing to have a lovely, fresh, bright home that we could practically move straight into from the off-set without the need to demolish and rebuild parts of it first.

Yep...I could see me liking that for sure, but then again I'm back to being "in with the norm" as seems this is quite important for a lot of the population too - 43% of people in some areas in fact would be totally put off by huge DIY projects too...


And I do not blame them one little bit

So it would seem there are actually a lot of things that are really important when it comes to choosing a property to buy - especially as you get older - things which a lot of people want and are certainly willing to pay all the more to have.

And these things really do help add value to a home.

Who knew that this getting "more mature" lark could be so expensive...!


* compensated for my time in writing this post yet all words, thoughts & scenarios are my own
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Friday 9 October 2015

Baby Baker Friday - My Fabulous Baby Shower


So as you know, I decided that Friday's on the blog would be dedicated to my now end-nearing pregnancy status.

I know it's not something everyone wants to read about but it is something I really wanted to do - so I'm doing it - after all, being pregnant and having a new baby is a huge thing to be happening in my life and I really wanted to share bits and pieces of what is going on amongst these pages.

So here we go

~ Baby Baker Friday ~

I wanted to make this Baby Baker Friday post a really lovely one, and what better of doing so than by sharing bits of my fabulous baby shower with you.

I had such a great afternoon, it was so much fun, but I didn't get my camera out once (too busy socialising!) so apologies if the photograph quality isn't all that great.

Anyway, I think I kind of latched on to the idea of having a baby shower quite early on in this pregnancy and in the early planning stages I did as I always do - I got a tad carried away and thought big.

My initial guestlist held about sixty-five names and so to accommodate I booked out a really large room but one that would have needed a lot of decorating (and a lot of cash spending) to make it look as pretty as I wanted...

~ Eeek ~

Too.
Much.
Stress.

However things kind of took a little turn when, as with most events, a lot of people told me they couldn't make the day - most already had things arranged and some - well, let's face it - some probably just didn't want to come at all.

Which was totally OK.

I mean just because this was MY baby shower it doesn't make me oblivious to the fact that these kind of get togethers aren't for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that in the slightest.

It just meant that my "List Of Invited" whittled down quite quickly and in the end it settled at a very respectable (and a lot more reasonable) thirty five people.

And so to accommodate this change, I decided it would be wise to switch my venue too to somewhere slightly smaller which required less money spending on it to make it pretty and so I managed to get my hands on a fab little local dance studio for the afternoon - AKA Dance Studio - in Queensbury which if fairly close to where I live.

So, guests and venue all sorted - brilliant - but that still left me unable to hide from the fact that I actually hate making big decisions and am not really the best party planner that ever walked the earth, and so, being the lovely that he is, the Hubby said that he would take over and plan the whole Baby Shower for me.

~ What a star ~

As the weeks rolled by though, I could tell that it was all getting a tad too much for him, and he was struggling to put things in place so I began to feel the pressure again and then I began to stress...and worry...and panic...

...that is until my amazing "Bonus Mum" stepped in and put her fabulous organisational hands to the task and simply told me to back off and just turn up on the day.

~ Y A Y ~

Now that is MY kind of an event.

And so the day very quickly rolled by - Sunday 27th September to be exact (2pm if you want the time too!) and that morning I was left at home on my own to relax and leisurely get myself ready whilst the Hubby went to lend a hand in setting up the room.

The way every party should be started I think!

I even had some spare time to take a few pre-outing selfies...



Well, why not eh!

My chauffeur - aka The Hubby - aka A Blokes Eyeview - returned home just before 2pm and off we went.

~ Exciting ~

Now the dance studio venue is really rather cute - it is decorated all lovely, filled with cute ballet slipper pictures, photographs of mini ballerinas in fluffy tutus and has pink, girlie touches everywhere.

It's the perfect backdrop for a little lady's baby shower really and I'm so pleased I found it.

And so - we arrived - and I was faced with a closed door...


...which quickly opened showing me a very fantastic, very pretty sight...



It was perfect and there had obviously been so much effort put into everything - just for me - well...for Baby Baker...but, you know what I mean.

It certainly made me feel very special indeed.

People arrived and just continued to make me feel even more special as the afternoon went on.

There were friends, family members and work colleagues alike, each bringing with them a book for Baby Baker rather than a card, signed lovingly with a special message.

I wanted something that would allow us to remember the day for years to come you see, and we all know that cards usually just end up in the bin, but books, now books are something that last a lifetime.

And we now have a crammed full book shelf at home which we can all sit and read together as a family.

I love the fact that each book has a special message inside too, straight from loved one to Baby Baker...


It is something very special and helps us begin making some all important memories already.

Throughout the afternoon, people played silly baby-themed games and won small token prizes that I had wrapped up in baby paper...



They had afternoon-tea style drinks (and wine!) and ate yummy nibbley party food along with a fabulous curry my Dad was busy preparing in the kitchen...



Everyone Oooh'd and Arrr'd over my fab baby footprint cake (check out the boobies!) made for me by my fabulous Auntie's own two hands...


And best of all, everyone laughed, chatted and just seemed to have a really lovely time.

The one thing I was so pleased that people went along with and really put effort into was probably the only thing I was adamant that I wanted during the afternoon...



I wanted everyone to write down a simple message - a wish or a thought - for Baby Baker personal from them.

I think they will make a brilliant introduction to the start of her little scrapbook, giving us yet more lovely things to look back on when she is older.

See - it's all about those memories.

All too soon though, the afternoon was over and people began to depart taking with them a sweetie filled goodie bag to enjoy as they went...


I had a brilliant afternoon and although I didn't do much except mingle (thanks again "Bonus Mum" and Dad!) I went home absolutely beaming, absolutely shattered and absolutely amazed at the sheer generosity of all of the lovely people I have in my life.

Their gifts (yep - there were a lot of gifts!) were outstanding.

Baby Baker sure is one very spoilt, very lucky, very full wardrobed little lady already...




And these are just a very small selection of the treats and goodies I was presented with for her.

How lucky can one baby be.

Have a fabulous week and here's to the next post...
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Wednesday 7 October 2015

Leeds And Why I Love It So... #FlauntYaHaunt


So when I was asked by Travelodge to talk about "my haunt" - as in the place that I live - in relation to Leeds and why it is so amazing I initially thought, well I don't actually live in Leeds, so how could I possibly write about it..?

But because Leeds has been such a huge part of my adult life, I realised that the real question had to be, "How could I not write about it?", flaunting it's fabulousness as I go.

You see, I spent a whole three years of my life in and around Leeds whilst I was studying for my degree at Leeds Trinity And All Saints University and the people I met and the experiences I gained really helped shape me into the person I am today - I absolutely loved the place.

But, this isn't the part of Leeds that I'm flaunting today - I mean, it very well could be - but there's another part of the city that I love all the more.

And the area of Leeds that I'm all singing, all dancing about is the part that has made me the happiest over the past few years.

It's a fairly general area I'll admit, but it would be so hard to pick out just one venue as there have been so many that stand out - but once I explain I'm sure you'll understand why I have a need to group them together.

The part of Leeds that I love the absolute most has got to be The Headrow and it's surrounding shopping-friendly streets.

But why?

I mean, yes, OK there are the obvious reasons - this area of Leeds is packed full of fabulous shopping establishments - many of which I could gladly spend the best part of a day in.

And yep, Leeds certainly is full, pritty much all of the time, with hordes of people, all from totally different walks of life, who, if I'm honest, I could simply sit and watch pass me by for hours on end.

Leeds City Centre is certainly an interesting place to people watch that's for sure.

But I love this area for a different reason, a reason that means so much more to me than just the shopping.

What makes me smile the most about Leeds is the fact that it was here, on this street, just over two years ago that the lovely Kel took pity on me and my reclusive ways and brought me along on a day out, introducing me to an amazing set of lovely ladies.

And then here, amongst this group of brilliant people - people that I now call friends - my journey into this crazy, fabulous world of blogging began.

It seems that over the years, everywhere I turn this same section of Leeds, along with the lovely new friends I made, keep on presenting me with more and more new, fun and exciting opportunities.

There have been...

~ product demonstrations and relaxation parties at Lush...



~ meet-ups, games-a-plenty and gossip galore...




~ make-up workshops and product sampling at the fancy Harvey Nichols...


~ yummy lunches in pop-up tents situated, crazily, slap bang in the middle of the street...



~ cocktails and celebrity meets in new, up-and-coming bars...



~ celebrity schmoozing whilst fancy jewellery browsing...



~ even more alcohol and pizza creating workshops...



And as if all of this wasn't enough, it genuinely is just the tip of the Leeds-love iceberg for me.

Naturally over the years the dynamics of the group has grown, altered, changed and extended, but for me, this fabulous group of people and this amazing, action-packed, much-to-do area of the city is why I love Leeds so much.

The combination of the two - the area and the people - really helped to bring me out of my shell and gave me back a social life again - one that didn't need to consist of stumbling out of a nightclub at 2am once every six months...although I also know Leeds is pritty good for this too...

But I digress...

Leeds is such a fun, bustling, lively place, filled with fabulous and amazing people and I'm more than happy to "flaunt it" any day.

#FlauntYaHaunt and tell me why you love Leeds so much

* collaborative post - all thoughts, opinions & pictures are 100% my own
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