The most stressful time of the year!?

With Christmas just round the corner (already!!) many of us will have started the fun and games that is Christmas shopping.

There was a time I enjoyed shopping for others presents, enjoying the atmosphere in the shops and excited to see their reactions when they opened their gifts,  Since becoming a parent I have actually seen the other side of Christmas shopping.....the stress!

Is this the right one? Do they have this already? Did we get them enough? Did we get them too much? Do they have the same amount of presents each? ARRGGGHHH.  Add to that, having to take the youngest with us whilst trying to hide what we are buying at the same time! To the computer I go.

Oh yes you read that correct.  I would say that 95% of the shopping at this time of year is done online.  Better prices, delivered straight to the door and best of all LESS STRESS.  Of course there will still be the same questions but it doesn't seem as bad when you are on your sofa with a cup of tea.

This year I will go the the shopping centre to pick up a few things that way the kids can see the lights and Christmas displays.  When they are distracted by that I can stand with them and send James in to the shop to collect the gifts.

Degustabox November 2014

I received my second Degustabox yesterday and yet again I was like a child at Christmas!!

The box is £12.99 per month (via subscription) and there is no contract or obligation so you can cancel at any time.  I think this adds to the appeal as I know some people don't like to commit to such services. The products in the box are worth more than the £12.99 fee.

Here is what I got in the box this month.

COOL DAWN RECOVERY

This is a herbal detox drink that is formulated
to prevent and cure hangovers. Perfect for the party
season!
£1.49 each


http://www.cooldawn.com/

HOLY COW

I haven't tried these yet but will soon. They are authentic
Indian curries which are made from natural ingredients.
They are also gluten free, suitable for vegetarians and coeliacs.
£1.69 each.

http://holycowfc1.jimdo.com/

KENT'S KITCHEN

I used one of these little beauties last night. I love fajitas and these
flavour pots are perfect. Small yet packed full of flavour. I 100% recommend these!!
£1.85 for 4

http://www.kentskitchen.co.uk/

BRANSTON CHUTNEY

This was used in my fajitas last night. The Mediterranean tomato goes amazingly well with chicken. This added that something extra to my meal. Yummy.
£1.50

http://www.bringoutthebranston.co.uk/

KETTLE CHIPS

My husband pinched these! I had to hide them so he didn't finish them all. These ones are Salsa & Mesquite flavour.
£2.19

http://www.kettlefoods.co.uk/

PIP ORGANIC

Cloudy Apply. I love love love this product. So refreshing and no yuck stuff added. 100% perfect. The kids loved it too. Let's just say there was a fight to get some.
£1.50 each

http://www.piporganic.com/

LINDT

My favourite chocolates! You can imagine my face when I found these
little pieces of heaven in the box! Melting moments indeed! A snowflake filled with melted Lindor milk chocolate. Bliss
£0.65 each

http://www.lindt.co.uk/

MONTANO

Italian Cider.  This is delicious. Crisp and dry yet incredibly smooth.
Different to what I normally have but I can see this being a favourite.
£2.79

http://www.sidromontano.com/

DRINK ME CHAI

A beautiful spiced tea from India. Exotic spices, milk and sweetened tea.
Absolutely delicious.

http://www.drinkmechai.co.uk/







I love this months box it is awesome.  Can't wait for next months.  I have a discount code for my lovely readers 6MI2S - £3.00 discount.

It was a success

Well I hosted the coffee morning yesterday and.....IT WAS A MASSIVE SUCCESS!

I had a target of £75 and I managed to raise £150!!

Everyone who attended had a wonderful time. £3 entry got them as much tea, sandwiches and cake as they could handle! You would be lucky to get cake for that in most cafes! I also sold some cakes my awesome sister Claire made for 50p a cake!

I also held a raffle for a beautiful hamper that Jacqui made for me! This was £2 a strip (you can see why)

I held a raffle for other awesome goodies too at £1 a strip.

Here are some more picture from yesterday.

I want to say thanks to the following people: Mum, Dad, Claire, Dave, Aunt Margaret, Jacqui, Emma, Marie & Lisa for all their donations and cake making!!  Douwe Egberts, Tetley & Yorkshire Tea for sending me tea and coffee for my event.

I also want to thank everyone who kindly donated money.

Christmas lights switch on

On Saturday we took the kids up to the Antonine Centre.  I know that sounds like an every day event, BUT, this time Santa was there and he was switching on the Christmas lights.

When we told Liam & Sophie where they were going WOW they were that excited I was nearly crying. Their faces just lit up and that made me so so happy. I painted their faces, a Christmas tree one one side and Santa's hat on the other side haha. They loved it.

We got there 5 minutes before the lights were being switched on as we didn't want them waiting around too long. The shopping centre was extremely busy, not surprising really!

Santa came down the steps and you can imagine the noise from all the kids!!  The light went on to cheers and I am sure i saw some tears too!

Liam & Sophie met Santa and he gave them some sweets. They were so excited and happy, yes I did have tears in my eyes. Even though I felt unwell, and it was the first time I have been there in a while, I felt amazing seeing my children so happy I came home and James stayed a little longer with Liam & Sophie so they could spend more time with my mum and sister.

The plan - hopefully.

2008/2009 I went back to college so I could study Social Science.  The course included media, politics, sociology and of course my favourite subject psychology.

I found out I was pregnant towards the end of my course and put off going to university until my son was older.  He is at school now.  Sophie came along 2 years later and she won't go to school until 2016.

When she does go to school I plan on going back, re-doing higher Psychology and then going to university to study Psychology.

The plan is to graduate with the necessary qualifications and go on to become a clinical psychologist.

It is something I really want to do so fingers crossed it all goes to plan.

upcoming post

Hi everyone.

I will be posting something a little different in the next few weeks.  I will be speaking to a Scottish footballer about the psychological side of the game, how he prepares for a game and how he deals with coming back from injury.

I know many people, myself included, who love football and I used to go to games on a regular basis, however, how many of us thought of the psychological effects on the player when they were hurt, scored that important goal or were booed by the fans?

Once the interview has taken place I will publish it.

Angela
x

Weekend fun

This weekend my husband James was in London to see the Dallas Cowboys play in an NFL game. It really was a dream come true for him and I am delighted he got the chance to see his team play, He got time away, which he needed and totally deserved, met up with other fans and had an amazing time.  Plus he got time with his brother too. Even better for James his team won (31-17)

Me and the two bears went to my mum and dads Saturday morning.  The kids had a blast.  They played games, got messy painting, well Sophie did haha, coloured in Christmas cards and generally had a good day.  On the Sunday my dad and I tool them for a walk to get them out in the fresh air.
Oh did I mention there was cake, very yummy cake. Cake is good.

I brought the kids home Sunday night so they could get back into a routine for the school week,

James comes home today and we are all excited to see him.  As much as I missed him it is nice to get time away from each other too.  Well they do say absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Message to my readers

Hi

I won't be on until Monday night at the earliest due to the husband going away for a few days so I will be busy.

Back soon

Angela x

Modern Vintage Style

When it comes to jewellery I love pieces that are unique and have the something special about them. I have been know to search the internet for hours looking for such items.  Now I have found them all in one place!! Modern Vintage Style.

Modern Vintage Style sell handmade, designer and vintage jewellery, everything from necklaces to brooches.  The items are sourced from various antique auctions, fairs and private collections from all over Britain and with over 30 years of experience they certainly know what their customers want.

Having looked at all the pieces on sale, and yes I want to buy them all, I have narrowed it down to a few favourites so I can show you what they offer.  This was not an easy choice trust me!!

This stunning Vintage Silver Butterfly brooch really stood out. It is simple and elegant.and a bargain at £25.00

I absolutely adore this beautiful blue topaz quartz gemstone necklace.  The colour is amazing and it is so so pretty and at only £34 you would be crazy to let it go! For this and more of the stunning gemstone range it can be found at http://www.modernvintagestyle.co.uk/collections/gemstone-jewellery

These earrings are fun, funky and quirky.  Who doesn't want a cool piece of jewellery in their collection!  The earrings are handmade, even better!  At a cool £14 they should be in everyone's jewellery box.  

The website is full of amazing pieces at incredible prices.  Please head on over to http://www.modernvintagestyle.co.uk/ and take a look.  I can guarantee you will find that something special that you have been looking for.

When Everyone Shines But You

I am the kind of person who loves to read and I always look to better myself so usually I put the two together and read self help books.

We all know the books that tell us we have something wrong and we need to be fixed, I know I have read books like that.  That was until I read "When Everyone Shines But You - Saying Goodbye to I'm not good enough" by Kelly Martin.

I always felt like I should change who I was to fit in with everyone else and that I should hide certains things about me as I felt others would dislike me.

What Kelly does through this book is change that view.  It is ok to be you, flaws and all.  Why? The answer is simple. You are human and that is ok. She teaches you how both positive and negative situations are needed to make us who we are.  Well be honest do you actually know anyone who is "perfect"? no I didn't think so.

Recently I was at a party, my first big night out in months, and I was in and out of the hall due to the heat, which makes me really uncomfortable. I would usually worry that people would question what I was doing and ask my why I was in and out and ask what was wrong with me.  That night I just did not care.  I had my reasons and that is that.  Does it make me different? Well not really but I am me and that is just one of my many little quirks.

I honestly cannot thank Kelly for writing this book.  It has helped me change my outlook on things and now I am even more happy to just be me and take the good with the bad.  After all that is what life is.

You can purchase the book at http://www.amazon.co.uk/When-Everyone-Shines-But-You-ebook/dp/B00LUXNG8E for £5.99 Kindle Edition.

To find out more about Kelly go to http://www.kellymartin.co.uk/books.html

buyahipflask.com

The lovely people at buyahipflask.com sent me the most gorgeous hip flask to review.

I received the beautiful Eiffel Tower 6oz hip flask and it is so so pretty.

It is very girly which I love.  What I really love is how the Eiffel Tower is surrounded by beautiful flowers yet it still stands out and draws your eyes right to it.

The flask is made with stainless steel and the cap is leak proof.  The 6oz fluid capacity is perfect for taking your favourite drink with you.

The flask comes in a lovely presentation box which sets the flask off beautifully.

The service I received from buyahipflask.com was amazing.  Friendly staff who were quick to respond to any query I had.  The delivery was quick which is fantastic!

The Eiffel Tower hipflask costs £18 which I think is a bargain and it would make a lovely gift.

They offer flasks with different volumes, 5oz, 6oz etc and various designs from Mackintosh to contemporary there is something for everyone.

Postage prices vary depending on the weight of the items being sent.  You will get an accurate price once you add the item(s) to the basket.

Head over to buyahipflask.com and have a look.  You could very well find that special gift you have been looking for.

Halloween 2014

Wow Friday was a very busy day for us.  During the night Liam was up as he was sick but he was well enough to go to school.  I am glad as he had a Halloween party in his class and he got to dress up as a vampire. He looked so cute!!

Whilst he was at school myself and Sophie went to Clarks with my mum and dad to get Sophie much needed new shoes, her feet grow far too quickly! It actually turned out to be a rather quick trip as Sophie knew what she wanted. Yes she is 2 but when it comes to shoes she knows haha.  She conned her gran and Granda into a pair of trainers too. On the way back we saw the Kelpies. This was the first time I have seen them up close.  They are amazing.

On Friday night we all went to a charity Halloween party, yes me included, along with my mum, my sister, her boyfriend and my aunt.  Liam is a right party animal we hardly saw him all night as he was busting some moves on the dance floor.  Sophie was talking to everyone and had a dance too.  They played pass the parcel and it came down to Liam and Sophie.  Sophie won and Liam wasn't too happy oops but he did win the scariest face competition so all was well again!!  As for me I lasted over 3 hours before having to sit in my mums car.  This was not down to anxiety it was down to a really sore back!! Not long later we all went home.  The kids were exhausted, we all were.  It was a fantastic night and we all had a great time.