Monday 31 March 2014
Saturday 29 March 2014
Happy Mother's Day
So, tomorrow. Mother's Day. My first. Wow.
I have been pretty excited about Mother's Day just because I am so amazed that little man has almost been in our lives for a year and I'm still getting used to the fact that I am his mummy. It's a lot to get used to but it's such an amazing feeling to know that he is my special guy and I'm his special mummy.
I don't think you can fully appreciate your own mum until you become one yourself. You certainly see them in a different way and I think it can only make you closer. Everything I said in last year's post about my mum is even truer now.
Being Ethan's mum is the best role I have ever had and I know that it's only going to get better. Over the last year, I have tried to enjoy every moment with my baby boy and I've done my best to show him new things and give him a great start in life.
I love you Ethan.
A very happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mamas out there. Enjoy your special day with your special ones, you deserve it and so much more.
Friday 28 March 2014
Busy week!
I posted about the March challenge from Center Parcs and I was also a guest blogger over at Bump to Baby for the lovely Alex whilst she's settling into her new home, sharing my tips on making the most of your time when you're a working mum - did you have a read?
I just haven't had the time to do very much else. I have a big campaign at work that launches soon so I have been clocking up the miles in my car, I've had a friend come to stay and of course I've had Ethan to look after, and he's been a little sick and restless this week. I'm calling today Frazzled Friday as I am very much looking forward to the weekend!
My week started with a mini breakdown on my part; nothing serious had happened, but I just had one of 'those' days when a few little things added up and I felt a bit sorry for myself. From slamming my fingers in the front door to cleaning carpets after Ethan had been sick, Monday wasn't a lot of fun for me. Having hubs working away during the week can sometimes be too much and I have pangs of working mum guilt too, where I feel I'm rushing around, not getting things done and not spending enough time with Ethan.
My week and my mood improved considerably when one of my best friends, Bex, came to stay. She arrived late on Tuesday night and we spent two days together, chatting, shopping, playing with Ethan, eating and chatting some more. Oh, and we also went to see Backstreet Boys on Wednesday night. Yep, I am a self confessed BSB super fan and proud of it! We've been to see them many, many times but they were the best I've ever seen them on Wednesday and we had such a fun time.
I was so glad when Ste came home last night and I had the first good night's sleep in a while as Ethan managed to not be sick and slept through, which was a fantastic early Mother's Day present (thank you little man).
I'm finishing early for the weekend too so things are definitely looking up. Ethan's nursery is having an afternoon tea and crafts session for mums today which I am really looking forward to.
I have no idea what I am doing for the real deal, but I understand that Ethan has been busy making plans with his Daddy and I am so looking forward to spending this special day with my special boys, big and small.
Happy Friday everyone!
Monday 24 March 2014
A splodge of paint
I have a pin board in the dining room, next to our welsh dresser, and it's here I display anything and everything that makes me smile. I have Ethan's day sheet from his first day at nursery, I have some of my favourite photos, a few concert tickets, thank you cards and of course, Ethan's masterpieces.
I love that at nursery, regardless of age, the children get to have some creative play. Be it sitting in flour, making pizza rolls or putting their fingers to paper and making a picture for Mummy to take home, Ethan has had so many new experiences.
His first experience with paint was when he was just eight days old and we took some prints of his tiny feet. The finished canvas now hangs on the wall in his room as a reminder of how small he once was. His second was when we took him to Clay and Play and he painted a piece of pottery for us (well, we helped a bit!).
On Friday, his nursery is having a special afternoon tea and craft session for Mother's Day which I am really looking forward to. I've seen a sneak peak of some homemade cards in progress and I can't wait to see Ethan getting a bit messy with paint to make me something I'll no doubt treasure forever, no matter what it is he paints for me.
I loved drawing from an early age and went on to do art GSCE and A-Level but haven't touched a paint brush, aside from painting a few walls in the house, for a long time. It's something I'd like to encourage in Ethan and from the daffodils growing in our back garden this Spring to to the changing colour of the leaves on the trees in Autumn, I'm sure there'll be plenty of inspiration around us.
Here's Ethan's leaf painting, just one of the creative things he's made and I know proudly display:
Saturday 22 March 2014
Celebs do it, we do it...
Just think of Scarlett Johansson - she hasn't officially confirmed reports of her pregnancy but the media are in a frenzy trying to take pictures that show off her 'bump'.
When I was pregnant, I wrote about celebrity bump pals and how when you know you're expecting, it's easy to latch onto someone famous who is also at the same stage as you, as a way of comparing how you're doing.
And when baby comes, well, the magazines are full of how the birth went, the story behind the name they chose and the latest bits and pieces they've bought their little bundle.
Have you seen this super cute video from super cute couple Mr and Mrs Tom McFly? Following on from the soppy but sweet wedding speech video to their Halloween pumpkin reveal that they were going to have a baby, I have to say it's rather nice to see a celeb couple taking their happy news into their own hands and doing their own thing:
Brands do very well from a celebrity baby boom and I have to admit, I do like seeing what famous mums buy for their babies, particularly when it's from a high street shop or normal brand that us real mums shop with too.
Friday 21 March 2014
In defence of mummy bloggers
This week, someone I know posted a link to an American blog entitled 'why I hate mommy bloggers'. Despite being one, I can enjoy a little self-deprecating humour so I wanted to read on and see what this blogger had to say which was so funny.
To be honest, whilst there may be a few characteristics that ring true or some experiences which I'm sure do happen with some bloggers from time to time, I failed to see the blogger's point and just couldn't place why she was so angry.
You can read the post here and I encourage you to do so - if you're a mummy blogger, I'd love to know how you feel and if you're not, but read related blogs (which I guess you do because you're reading this), see what you think of what she has to say.
The main argument that this woman presents and keeps coming back to is how she's not bleep bleeping interested in posts that share mundane anecdotes from an average life or share things she doesn't want to know. She continuously makes a point that she's not a mum by choice, and fair enough, she deserves respect too just like any SAHM. But, my question is, why is she reading mummy blogs?
It's like if I chose to read sports blogs and then wrote a post slating what such writers talk about. What do I care about the latest transfer deals or th debate over whether there should be standing areas at football matches? (How did I do there, seeing as I have no interest in football whatsoever?!). Who am I to judge these kinds of bloggers when clearly, their content isn't for me?
She says that we have a feeling of importance based on the success of our blogs and events we go to and yes, I have to agree, at least on my part. Who doesn't like to know that something they work very hard on is read and enjoyed by others? She says we demand respect. Yep, correct. I can see the humour in what she says but I feel that every women, whatever her choices, deserves respect and mummy bloggers are sharing their experiences, no-one else's.
Other points she tries to make is that we overdo the mummyness. Er, guilty! If you write about being a mum then I'm pretty sure you're children will feature somewhere. That's the point. And again, if you read mummy blogs, you know what you're in for.
She also says that we're fakes. Again, I'm sure that some people may come across like everything in their life is A OK but the blogs I read and this very blog itself share the life of real mums. I don't pretend to 'fart rainbows' as this blogger says I think I do. I acknowledge the good times and the hard times because this is what my blog is about. Sharing my life and interests and hoping people enjoy reading and find something helpful, useful or reassuring now and again.
She also ask what our talent is. Well. I'm not sure what hers is to be quite honest - being a snippy person who enjoys verbally bashing other people perhaps?
My main issue with this post and the comments the people I know we're making about it on Facebook is the cynicism and downright judgement that too many women have about other women. To be a blogger of any kind is a very open and exposing thing to do. I do it because I get a great deal of support from the people I connect with and blogs I read and I too want to support other mums like me. And share cute photos and beauty tips and other bits and bobs that interest me.
I don't even know who this blogger is but this post bothered me.
I just hate that we can be our own worst enemies and rather than just accept what someone else does for what it is, even if it's not for you, we attack them. Poke fun. Pigeon hole everyone in the same category.
I judge judgement. And I support mummy bloggers in all their guises as we do have something valuable to contribute.
If you don't agree, then this blog isn't for you.
In defence of mummy bloggers
Wednesday 19 March 2014
DIY Ombre Hair
I was pleased with the result but I had started the fade to the lighter shade a little too high up for my liking, so I repeated the dark blonde shade on top and blended this into the lighter shade around my ear level so after 15 minutes, this had darkened. I then put a little more of the ombre lightener on the ends of my hair to give it a little more lift.
Here's the before and after - it's a shame I couldn't get a better 'after' photo but the daylight had faded and I couldn't quite capture the finished look.
I'm pleased with the results though. It's a natural shade for me to have and I like the fact I still have blonde in my hair without it being to harsh. I think it will be easy to look after too and I'd definately recommend the ombre kit as it was easy to use and you could clearly see the colour lifting as the dye developed, so you knew when to stop when the shade you wanted was achieved.
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Nominations open today for the BiB Awards 2014
So, the MAD Award nominations have only just closed but a different set of nominations are now open for another awards ceremony which recognises the efforts of the humble parent blogger - the BiBs.
From today, you can do your bit to recognise the brilliant blogs you read by nominating them for a BiB (Brilliance in Blogging) Award. Hosted by BritMums and highly contested, with more than 200,000 nominations and votes cast last year alone, the BiBs do exactly what they say - celebrate brilliance in blogging.
There are 16 categories in total for which bloggers can be nominated. If you consider To Become Mum worthy of a nomination, you have until the 12th April to do so and I know that any blogger you decide to support will really appreciate it. I'd particularly like to be considered for the Fresh Voice, Inspire and Family categories, but I'll leave you to decide.
Once the nominations close, 16 lucky bloggers are chosen - 11 from the public nominations and five from the BritMums team - and the shortlist will be announced on 29th April. The voting then opens and you have until 16th May to vote for your winners, with the six finalists of each category are announced on 23rd May (four chosen with the most votes and two by BritMums). FINALLY, the overall winners of each category are announced at BritMums Live on 20th June.
Phew! That's a lot to take in! But don't worry, all you need to do is a) nominate and b) vote.
It's really hard to decide who to put forward for awards such as these as there are so many great blogs and lovely bloggers out there, and we all want to be good at what we do. Recognition of our efforts is amazing and if I were to be nominated for a BiB, I would be amazed and truly grateful.
Find out more about the awards here - now go, make your nomination today!
Monday 17 March 2014
Park life
We needed a break from the house and wanted to take our pooch for a nice walk, so on Saturday morning, I headed to Asda to buy some snacks before we bundled up Ethan, Watson and ourselves for some park life fun.
I took Ethan to the park quite a lot last summer as I was on maternity leave and wanted to make the most of the nice weather and I'm keen that as he gets older, we do lots of nice things as a family. I used to love day trips out to the farm, to see a castle, to wander around a museum or go for a walk along the beach. I want Ethan to experience lots of new things and to grow up appreciating nature and the simple things in life.
It may only be small, but we visited a local country park and Ethan got to try something new - he went on the swings! He's never been on a swing before and I was so excited to see what he would make of it. Something tells me he enjoyed himself...
We had a lovely day, the three of us and the dog, enjoying the fresh air and some relaxing time together as a family. Something about a little sunshine and the people you love can really do you the power of good.
Saturday 15 March 2014
Planning the perfect party
The theme
It's going to be a teddy bear's picnic party, held indoors because you can never rely on the British weather!
Venue and timings
We're hosting the party at a church hall that is regularly used by hubs' family and it offers everything we need. The dance floor area will be for the little ones, there's a separate room for the food and there's a bar so all our family and friends can enjoy a drink and sit together.
We've suggested that Ethan's friends come along between 12pm and 2pm mainly, as we all know that kids will wear themselves out quite quickly at this age and they'll all be ready for a nap after all the food and fun. We then have the hall until 5pm so our friends and my parents, who will be travelling to come to the party, will get plenty of time to have cuddles with the birthday boy.
Activities
To keep the children busy, we've booked a soft play hire package for the afternoon, which includes mats, a big ball pit and other fun toys that the children can climb over and play with. I think it's best just to keep things simple - they're all so young, we can't really play any games as such so we'll just let them play together.
We also need to arrange a music playlist for the party - a mix of children's classics and crowd pleasers to make sure everyone is happy. Of course, Teddy Bear's Picnic will have to be played, but we'll need to give some thought to other more general songs... I don't think something like Blurred Lines would be acceptable at a party for one year olds!!
Invites
I'm a stationary addict and spent ages researching invite ideas. I was going to make these myself, but I realised that it would be quite a big project (flashbacks to our wedding!) and with all the bits and pieces I would need to buy, it could end up being rather expensive.
After being rather uninspired by what was available from the usual shops, and with the teddy bear's picnic theme in mind, I had a look at the Vistaprint website. I was really impressed by the amount of designs on offer and it was quite hard just choosing one design. I chose a design which let me add photos and stuck to a palette of red and blue, with a picnic print used as a background on the reverse. I was able to adapt the design too, so I ended up adding even more photos to the reverse of the invites. I wanted to show how much Ethan has changed since he was born and thought the invites would be a nice walk down memory lane.
The invites were really easy to design and the end result looks great. Even with the linen paper and coordinating envelope stickers I added to the order, they still worked out at a good price so I'm really glad I used Vistaprint.
Decorations
I haven't started these yet but I'm thinking of hanging some bunting here and there to set the scene then would like to put some pictures of famous teds, including Paddington, Winnie and Rupert, dotted around the walls along with some snaps of the birthday boy himself.
We'll no doubt get a big number one balloon too and I have a clever idea for the tableware. There's quite a few small tables in the hall and then the big L shaped table for the buffet, so rather than buy lots of disposable tablecloths, I thought I could use patterned wrapping paper instead, which we can easily cut to size. I've seen some that has a picnic print and at £1 for a five metre roll, this could help us save some money too.
Food
There's going to be a table for the little ones, with lots of finger foods, including grapes, carrot and cucumber sticks, cubes of cheese, cocktail sausages, Pom Bar crisps and jam, soft cheese and tuna sandwiches which I am going to cut into teddy bear shapes using a cookie cutter. For the adults, they'll be lots of your usual buffet / picnic items, so salad, ham, sandwiches, crisps and dips and so on.
I'm going to try and buy and prepare all the food myself. I want to watch the pennies and I've worked out that I can put on a nice spread for everyone for no more than £100. I've also planned things to make sure there's not a lot to do on the morning of the party - I have a friend coming down and plenty of people who can help if needed, but I want to make sure I get to spend lots of time with my little man, rather than being stuck in the kitchen making sandwiches for three hours.
Goody bags
I am quite excited about these! Ethan has around 10 friends coming and I wanted to give them something nice to take home. This is where I'm going to get creative... I want to buy some brown paper bags with string handles, that will sit up nicely. Then, using brown card, I'm going to cut out two circles, then two smaller circles from pink card. I'll stick these to the bags, one on each side, draw on a nose and smiley face in pen then add two googly eye stickers and voilà , you have goody bags that look like bears!
Inside, I'm thinking of putting a bag of Organix snacks and some Heinz Biscotti in each goody bag, plus a small toy or bear-related book.
Making memories
For his first birthday, we're mainly buying him some new clothes, as he will need the next size up of everything, a car seat and a photobook of his first year. I made one for our wedding, with additional books for our family, and Stephen made me one for Christmas the year before last about just the two of us. My plan is to show what Ethan did, month by month, and to leave a few pages blank at the back so that people at his party can write a special message to him.
I'm also going to take my DSLR camera with me to capture the fun of the party. I'd really like to put together a collection of teddy bears at one end of the hall so that we can get some fun photos of Ethan and the other children sitting amongst them.
After writing everything down, what seems to be a small get together for our baby boy has now turned into something else altogether but that's just me - I have to do all that I can to make something special and there's nothing as special as my baby boy and his first birthday.
Friday 14 March 2014
My letter to Ethan at 10 months
Ethan, you're 10 months old. 10 months!
I've said it before but I'll say it again because it's true - every month, you change so much and your personality grows as you become your own person with your own mind. Over the past couple of weeks, you've learnt to shake your head and you find it hilarious when you do. You'll copy us if we shake out heads and now you have a cute little wiggle, where you wave your arms back and forth at your sides, whilst shaking your head really fast. It's so funny to watch!
On the day of your 10 month birthday, the tip of your first tooth started to ever so slightly poke through your gum. Both your front teeth are on their way and they cause you a little discomfort but nothing too bad so far. You've even started brushing your teeth! Well, mummy brushes them for you, but you do seem to enjoy it. I think you think the toothpaste is food but you're very happy to let me give them a little brush with your turtle toothbrush.
You've had some snuffles of late and a cough that has been lingering for a while. It's caused you to be sick a few times - mostly on mummy! - but you're still such a happy boy almost all of the time, no matter what.
The past few days, you've started saying 'nannannanna'. 'Dadad' is still your favourite but you are starting to make more noises (no 'mama' yet - come on baby boy, you can do it!), and we regularly chat with you as you sit there jibbering away.
Another new thing you've started doing is eating your feet. Yep! You've always loved your feet and hate to wear socks, but this past week, you've started putting your feet in your mouth when you're sitting down, even bending over to try and nibble your toes. It's quite a silly sight!
You're still loving nursery and everyone there thinks you're a little star, and of course, we have to agree. You're happy in the company of anyone and everyone you meet and you've been to see your Nanna and Gramps too this month. They hadn't seen you since just after Christmas so they were amazed at how much you had changed - particularly how much hair you have! We can't tell what hairstyle you're going to have but it's fun to play with it - we can sweep it over to one side or let it go all curly after a bath.
You reach out for us now when we hold out our hands and it's not going to be long before you're on the move. After leaning for toys when you're playing on the floor and getting a few bumps along the way, you are so close to crawling. If we put you on your tummy, you can push yourself up with your arms so far now and you can pivot on the spot, reaching for a toy and turning around to see what's behind you. You just need to get your legs moving and they'll be no stopping you.
You're first birthday is just around the corner and mummy and daddy are busy planning your party. We know that you won't remember it but we will and we want to make some wonderful memories that we can share with you when you are older.
Your first birthday happens to be a Bank Holiday so all of your family and friends are coming to celebrate, as well as some of your little friends too, whose parties you've been going to recently. Your party is going to be a teddy bear's picnic, with a soft play area for your friends, some fun goody bags and of course, lots of teddies! Mummy is even thinking of making your first birthday cake!
I wrote recently about how things just keep getting better, and they do. Ethan, you are amazing and you make so many people so happy.
Happy 10 month birthday our precious baby boy. We love you so, so much.
Mummy x
Thursday 13 March 2014
New announcement! #midsblogmeet for beauty bloggers, Saturday 31st May 2014, Birmingham
Following on from the fun of the first #midsblogmeet on 22nd February, we've decided to host a couple more blogger events over the course of the rest of this year. We had such a great time organising the first meet up and met so many lovely bloggers face to face, we couldn't wait to do it again.
As we've had such a great response from those who came and those who read our post event posts, we've decided to host themed events to cover off different blogging interests.
The first new meet up we're announcing is for beauty bloggers, or bloggers who love beauty (and who doesn't?!). We're going to be hosting this on Saturday 31st May in Birmingham, the heart of the Midlands and where I live, at a city centre location TBC shortly. We're thinking of running this as an afternoon session and with so many fabulous beauty brands and shops on our doorstep, we'll have a few different ideas to keep us entertained on the day.
We're also giving everyone who attends the chance to bring along a beauty product they would like to recommend to others or something they themselves haven't used / do not want, so we can have a beauty swap shop on the day. One woman's unwanted body lotion is another woman's treasure!
So, pop Saturday 31st May in your diary, email myself (tobecomemum@gmail.com) or Emma (missemmaberry@gmail.com) to add your name to the guest list and keep your eyes peeled for further details as we confirm the venue, start time and plan for the day in the very near future.
Kelly x
Wednesday 12 March 2014
Paddington Preview
Another bear I've always had a soft spot for is Paddington. A couple of months ago I wrote about a special book Ethan was given which chronicles Paddington's love of marmalade and the bear in the blue duffel coat is sure to make an appearance at Ethan's first birthday party, which has a teddy bear's picnic theme.
So, you can imagine my excitement when I saw this trailer:
I'll be at my local cinema on 28th November for sure, marmalade sandwiches and all.
Tuesday 11 March 2014
#treatyourselftuesday - brown shades for blue eyes
However, my recent beauty briefing with The Body Shop has helped spur me on to try something new. One of the ladies from the Nottingham store had fantastic brown shaded eye make up which really enhanced her blue eyes and so I decided to give them a go.
Below is a step-by-step of my eye make up make over. I used a creamy, beige pearl shade from Soap and Glory, followed by Bronze Blitz which is a pearlescent shade across the lid and Coconuts About You for shading at the outer edge, both from The Body Shop.
So, what do you think? It was quite a big change for me but I really like the shades I chose and I was quite taken with my new look. Depending on what I'm wearing, I've started to gravitate more towards the brown shades now during the day so I'm pleased that I gave my look a little shake up.
Monday 10 March 2014
Meet my BritMums Live Sponsor - Udo's Choice
Saturday 8 March 2014
Help - my baby's stolen my brain!
Thursday 6 March 2014
Putting a price on the care of your child
The Family and Childcare Trust has issued its annual report and has found that many parents pay more for childcare each year than the average British mortgage bill.
I'm sorry, but was that headline supposed to shock us?
If you have a child and you need to work, the options available, and the associated costs, aren't a mystery to you. Every penny of your monthly income is accounted for and childcare is a huge percentage of most family's outgoings.
Some mums are fortunate to have family who live close by and who can help provide childcare whilst they go to work. This is a great resource if you have it, but comes with its own considerations and complications, with many family members providing this support free of charge due to circumstance.
However, if you have to work and you don't have a support network in place, you need to rely on a childminder or a nursery and neither option is cheap when you look at the grand total.
Source |
The Family and Childcare Trust's report says that the average family with one child in part-time nursery and another in an after-school club incurs £7,549 in fees per year. Full-time childcare costs for a family with a two year old and a five year old come to an estimated total of £11,700 per year. These costs represent a rise of an incredible 27% in just five years, whilst the average wage has remained relatively unchanged during this time.
For us, we have Ethan in for four full days per week and our childcare bill comes to just over £800. And yes, this is bigger than our mortgage, by quite some way. And yes, this has a big impact on our family finances.
But it's money well spent.
Unfortunately we do not have the choice when it comes to work - we both need to bring home the bacon in order to cover our bills and do what we need to do. In an ideal world. things would be different, but I do the best I can to focus on the positives.
Hubs and I both have our own careers and independence. Ethan has the best of both worlds - three days with me, enjoying quality family time, and four days at nursery learning new things and developing so fast.
When you break down the cost of childcare, it actually makes you feel a lot better. For just under £50 a day, Ethan is looked after for an average of 10 hours, has two milk feeds, three meals which are freshly made and nutritionally balanced (two of which come with dessert!), nappies, wipes and cream are included, then add in the non-stop playing, learning, cuddling and sleeping whilst being looked after by a friendly team who treat him as one of their own. That's such a lot to provide and I can see the savings in my weekly shop as four days a week, I don't need to give him more than a bottle of milk and a couple of nappy changes.
This isn't even taking into account the wages of the nursery staff who, when you do this calculation, can't be earning very much at all.
But it is what it is. When you are leaving the most precious thing in the world to you in someone else's care, no figure sounds quite right.
It's hard for me to leave him at nursery each morning but seeing how happy he is and the warm welcome he receives makes it so much easier.
I'm in the position where I need to work and that by doing so, I'm not just working to cover my childcare costs, but I know that for many people, it just doesn't pay to go back to work so I fully agree more support needs to be given to parents who are struggling to work and do the best they can for their children.
Childcare is such a big proportion of my monthly salary but it is an investment. An investment in Ethan, his development and our future.
Read more on the Family and Childcare Trust's report here.
Wednesday 5 March 2014
Win Weleda treats - just like my Facebook page or RT my tweets!
As you probably already know, I'm a big fan of Weleda - I first tried their calendula baby face cream and since then, I've come to rely on their teething granules and have worked with them to put together some fantastic goody bags for #midsblogmeet.
Here's what you could win:
Tuesday 4 March 2014
#treatyourselftuesday - cleaning up my act
Applying the cleansing butter - I've kept this pic small as I don't want to scare you with my make up free face! |
Monday 3 March 2014
Help your town to win the Cath Kidston touch
Having visited the shop before in January when I went to the #ccbloggers meet, I was keen to go back and I got to speak to some of the team again about all things Cath.
Source |
One of the latest prints for 2014 is Brighten Up Your Day - a seaside inspired, hand-drawn pattern of, well, Brighton, plus colourful flowers in the signature spring colours (pictured above). It's a beautiful design and has obviously been well received as Cath Kidston is running a competition for someone, their local CK store and town to win a bespoke piece of artwork from the talented lady herself.
To nominate your town, you have to show Cath Kidston why your town should win and the favourite entry will be made into a unique handmade blanket - one for you and one for your town's local store.
Nominations can be made here and the deadline for entries to be submitted is 9th March 2014, so you have just this week kleft to talk up your town.
So, who deserves this special design accolade? Having lived in Birmingham for nearly 12 years, I personally have to vouch for the city that is my home - I'd love to see how Cath would turn the Floozy in the Jacuzzi, Rotunda and Bullring into a work of art worthy of her vintage twist.
Tell me where you would nominate and why - I wonder which town will win?
Saturday 1 March 2014
New season, new coat
Hopefully the new season will bring with it some warmer weather and I've just bought the perfect coat to see me through to spring and beyond.
Source |
Source |
At first, I was unsure whether I could pull the look off. Short and not particularly trendy, I feared the coat made me look like a ringmaster in a circus or a red coat at Butlins - not sure which one is worse!
However, after posting the snap below on Instagram, I was convinced by some lovely ladies that I was being silly, so this is now my new go-to coat.
It's comfortable to wear, versatile (as long as I stick to a pallette of black, white, cream, grey and / or navy) and does a lot to lift my spirits too.
So, what do you think of my new coat for the new season?