Tuesday 31 January 2017

Relax and refresh at Fishmore Hall

Last weekend, I escaped to the Shropshire countryside for some R&R. There's not many things that I love more than a spa break to recharge the batteries and to make me feel like a new person all over again and when I was invited to try out the unique Spa Shell experience at Fishmore Hall, I just could not say no.

Nestled in the Shropshire Hills, near Ludlow, Fishmore Hall is a charming hotel that's renowned for its food (more on this later...) and benefits from beautiful views all around. In November of last year, the owner decided they wanted to create a spa escape for guests, or for local visitors, to enjoy and the concept of a spa cabin was developed.

After just 10 days of building work, the Spa Shell was open and ready for business... and I can tell you, it's such a neat idea and a lovely place to spend a few hours, whether you are staying at the hotel or looking for a retreat.



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Monday 30 January 2017

A juicy idea to be healthy and save money

* Collaborative post

Being a busy mum (or dad, or human being) can take it's toll and I know that it took me a while to adjust to life as a working mum, juggling everything that comes with it.

Work life. Home life. Doing the shopping. Arranging appointments. Scheduling family visits. Squeezing in, dare I say it, 'me time' to do, you know, things that are just for me or for hubs and I. We were a pair once upon a time, after all.

Life certainly picks up pace when you have little ones and I think you really can make of it what you will. Sure, you have a timetable and requirements and things to remember, more so than ever before, but you can and will make it work. For you. For your little one and for your family.

We all do this in our own ways and we all need to find a way to make time for what we need and what we want. Either that or we simply become workbots / homebodies / insert other appropriate nickname here.

For me, at the moment, I feel on track with some things and slightly outside the lines on others. I like to be organised as it makes me feel in control and being in control makes me feel calm. Together. Collected.

It's our eating habits in particular which have been a little out of control of late but it's something we are focusing on, to both eat and drink better but also to be more mindful of the pennies we spend, as lack of planning and relying on pre-made food and drinks really does add to the monthly bills.

So, I'm dusting of my juicer and getting back into making healthy smoothies and juices packed full of good things. 


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Wednesday 25 January 2017

The catch 22 of being busy

I like to keep busy and always have something going on or coming up to keep me occupied. Since I was young, I've been able to entertain myself, as I'm an only child and became comfortable in my own company. I like organising and planning and love looking ahead at what's to come.

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Thursday 19 January 2017

Our budding superhero and DisneyLife

As a regular blogger with DisneyLife, I wanted to share some super ideas for the mini superhero in your life, as we have a budding superhero in our house and have used the subscription service a lot recently for him to enjoy adventures with his favourite caped crusaders.

Over to my hubs, aka. To Become Dad, to tell you more...

With me as his father it comes as no surprise that Ethan could recognise – and name – most superheroes by sight not long after he could say “mummy” and “daddy”. I’ve always been a big fan, particularly of Marvel, with Spider-Man being my all-time favourite.


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Tuesday 17 January 2017

Taking inspiration from hotel bathrooms

* Sponsored post

Following on from my bathroom makeover dreaming post, I wanted to share a few ideas for how to create a hotel bathroom feel in your very own home.

I don't know about you but whenever we stay away anywhere, one of the first things I do is take photos of the room and the bathroom. I love decor and feel so inspired by the gorgeous bathrooms that hotels often have - and immediately wish that our own bathroom could in any way resemble these stylish spaces.


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Planning a bathroom makeover

* Sponsored post

If there's one room in the house that needs attention, and has ever since we moved in, it's the bathroom. Despite it being one of the most used rooms in the house by the whole family, we have never got around to making it over and our bathroom does need some TLC to turn it into a space we actually want to spend time in, and soak away the stresses of the day.

I often think about the design possibilities and even though we have a relatively small space to work with, I know we could make the most of what we have if we start by rethinking the layout.


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Monday 16 January 2017

A New Year break to Alicante

I've never been away at the start of a new year before but this year, a friend surprised me with a couple of days away to a mystery location that was only revealed on the day itself.

I soon discovered that I would need my passport, which hubs sneakily offered up, and within just a few hours I was transported from wintry, frozen Birmingham to the much sunnier and warmer climes of Alicante. It was not what I was expecting at all and in next to no time, I had a change of scene and felt really relaxed. A world away from my normal routine.


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Sunday 15 January 2017

#MySundayPhoto - the view from Alicante castle

My first #MySundayPhoto share for 2017 and I was a bit spoilt for choice, looking back at some simple but stunning snaps I managed to take during a brief visit to Alicante (which I will be talking about and sharing more of tomorrow).

We went to the top of the castle on the hill and enjoyed such amazing panoramic views of the city. We could see aeroplanes taking off in the distance and boats coming and going, the mountains behind looked like they were actually a painted movie set and the seagulls were circling around, flying on the breeze.

An absolute must if you visit, or if you go via Alicante elsewhere. It's much more than just an airport.


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Friday 13 January 2017

Beauty as easy as XYZ

The colder months can really take their toll on my skin and even though I generally have an oily t-zone and still get hormonal spots (who said spots were just for teenagers?!), I do get dry skin and at 32, I do have fine lines that start to show my age.

I do my best to take care of my skin and like finding new products to try. I love luxurious creams but sometimes they can be too heavy and can clog up my skin or not absorb fully, leaving a sheen and making it hard to apply make up.

I had seen a few posts about a 'tattoo cream' that was getting rave reviews and I then had the opportunity to try it out for myself.


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Wednesday 11 January 2017

Save time and money finding what you need with Bidvine

* Sponsored post

With a new year ahead of us, it's a great time to start thinking about what you want to get out of the months ahead. Whilst I do believe that you don't need to wait until 1st January to decide what you want and go for it, it is a good time to reflect and set some goals and I find that doing this makes me feel organised and positive - even when this time of year can be hard. Getting back into work and counting those pennies all means we have less time to get things done, and we want to get the best price for everything we do buy too.


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Monday 9 January 2017

Recipe... Around the world in 7 days with Princes Mackerel

At the start of the New Year, I like to clear out the cupboards, read up on some new recipes and give our daily meals a bit of an overhaul. We all tend to have the best of intentions, don’t we, when a new year begins? And I have a fun and healthy recipe idea to share with you, in collaboration with Princes.

Having a well-stocked cupboard is really useful when preparing midweek meals and we always have some cans of tuna and some veggies too. But how about mackerel fillets? I really like mackerel, particularly in salads, but have never tried anything other than plain fillets. Princes has a full range of mackerel fillets in a variety of delicious sauces and I have been experimenting to come up with a tasty dish using their Mexican flavour.

I love Mexican food and mackerel is packed full of omega-3 fatty acids and so good for you, so I had a lot of fun putting this together. I wanted to create a quick dish that’ll appeal to little ones, mixing in that mackerel with a few different colourful veggies so that all the good stuff is hidden from any fussy eaters, and that’s quick to prepare too.

So, let me introduce you to my Mexican Mackerel Boats…


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Neck candy from Happiness Boutique - plus special discount for my readers

I love jewellery and if there's one thing in particular that can make even the plainest of outfits pop, it's a necklace. I have such a thing for neck candy. The pieces I wear now all have meaning to them; dainty pendants bought as gifts, a vintage find, a few new treats (will share more soon - pop to @tobecomestyle on Instagram for more in the meantime). But I used to have lots of different, bolder necklaces to mix and match with outfits.

I was all about statement necklaces.

And I think I might be again, thanks to Happiness Boutique; fashion pieces inspired by vintage jewellery.

A dream come true.

Let's just say I was really happy when they got in touch, and offered a jewellery junkie like me the chance to pick a necklace, any piece, to review.

It was tough to pick just one and it took me a good while as there's a great range, from dainty chains to on-trend chokers and everything in between. As I say, I have several necklaces that are daintier and I like to layer them up, and whilst items such as this arrow (in rose gold, because I'm obsessed at the moment) and moon and star pieces caught my eye, I decided to be a bit more daring and choose something different.


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Friday 6 January 2017

Find out what's the word at What The Ladybird Heard - on until 11thJanuary

Over the past year, I have been fortunate to attend a few family shows at Town Hall Birmingham, including We're Going on a Bear Hunt and Stick Man, and we have all really enjoyed ourselves. The venue is lovely, and conveniently located in the city centre a couple of minute's walk from several car parks, and the shows are always fun, cleverly put together and full of audience participation.


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