Some things that I love #5

Some thing I love #5

This week has been a little off my normal routine as my little girl had two visits to her new class. (As I have previously mentioned she starts school in September ) Luckily the visits went well and she can’t wait to start …in all honesty I think she would start next week if we let her!! ….she can’t wait to be just like her big brother!! Me ….I’m not as keen, but hey I’m getting there ….Soppy Mummy that I am!! …. anyhoo onto the things I have been loving this week ….

Something I read ……

Well I have been loving Pinkoddy ‘s blog ….her posts are always inspiring and I always find myself eagerly anticipating her next one ….well worth checking out …I promise you won’t be disappointed !! 🙂 xx

Something I have watched……

Dailymix’s Beauty Boot camp ….yes it is YouTube again !! …I can’t help myself …well to start with I love the Dailymix channel and secondly as soon as I heard about the premise of this I knew I was gonna be hooked !!….basically Dailymix are a cool channel which have loads of bits on ; health, beauty and skin care , exercise, fashion ,fun little challenge type videos etc …anyhow they are running a boot camp ( think Masterchef for beauty ) in which  to’own’ one day of the week on Daily Mix for a month. Therefore kinda of becoming the next star of Dailymix !! It’s hosted primarily by Sam and Nic Chapman (Pixiwoo)and features some of the stars of Dailymix …..all very fun !!The boot camp is running this week Mon to Fri and with each episode averaging less than 15 mins each …if you like beauty you’ll love this !!

Some thing that I have been wearing ……

Maxfactor Clump defy mascara ; I am super fussy when it comes to mascara …I hate clumpy lashes and 9/10 prefer and more natural well-defined but lengthening formula in terms of mascara. This one from Maxfactor ticks all the boxes!! …It does add a bit of volume and can be buildable but it doesn’t all come out at once and just blob onto your lashes!! …I personally love the rubber wand ….It’s quite reasonably priced too and Maxfactor nearly always have fab deals on … I will definitely be re-purchasing this !!

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Something I listened to ……

The song that I have been playing over and over again this week is Naughty Boy – La La La ft. Sam Smith  ….the video is based upon the story of the wizard of oz and the tune is just brilliant …very addictive !!

Some thing I can not live without……

Deep conditioner ; As I’m trying to grow my hair again and as the weather is back to being gorgeously sunny here in the U.K (We had a few day’s of showers!!) my hair has a tendency to dry out a bit and look a tad lack lustre ….my solution to deep treat my hair more. The product I have been loving the most is the John Frieda Full repair deep conditioner .The product comes in a tub so you scoop out what you need then leave on for 2-5 minutes (I normally opt for 5 ) then rinse out ….my hair is left feeling super soft and looks glossy and healthier .

So there you have it …hope you all have fab weekend  …mine will be crammed with school fete , dinner with friends and MORE kiddies parties !!! xxx

Self Esteem ; Helping your child to feel good about themselves (Motivational Monday)

Self Esteem ;

Helping your child to feel good about themselves

We all want our children to be happy and have a healthy self-esteem .Recently I attended a short workshop run by the local children’s centre in order to help my little ones …I wouldn’t say they suffer hugely but my eldest definitely shows aspects of a child with low self-esteem. When I saw the course I did immediately think it was something worth looking into . I am writing this post in order to share some of what I learnt .

What is Self esteem;

• The internal view and beliefs we have about ourselves, our abilities and attributes.

I also learnt that confidence and self-esteem isn’t always related. You can have a confident child who suffers from low self-esteem and vice versa; a quieter less out going child who has a perfectly healthy self-esteem.

The coke can demonstration

They asked for a volunteer to come to the front of the room and asked them to stand on a can of coke …this can happened to be empty so therefore obviously crumbled under the weight of the person treading on it .They then got the same person to tread on a full can of coke …this can easily withstood the pressure being put on it . The lady leading the course then told us self-esteem is much like the coke can if we have a low self-esteem( then like the empty can) when pressure is put upon us we are more likely to crumple under the pressure and stress put upon us ….compared to the full can (which demonstrates healthy self-esteem) that can withstand this pressure much more easily.

I found this explanation to make a lot of sense as it clearly shows why we need to help boost our children.

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Everyone needs;

• Unconditional love, Feeling special , Structure, Understanding, Healthy modelling ,Challenge ,Belonging.

I guess looking at that list a lot of the things seem obvious but in practice sometimes we can overlook things and get complacent.

Child with Healthy Self-Esteem is able to:

• Act independently

• Assume responsibility

• Can take pride in their accomplishments

• Can tolerate frustration

• Will attempt new tasks and challenges

• Can handle positive and negative emotions

• Will help others

Child with Low Self Esteem will:

• Avoid trying new things

• May feel unloved and unwanted

• Blame others for their own shortcomings

• Feel, or pretend to feel, emotionally indifferent

• Be unable to tolerate a normal level of frustration

• Will put down their own talents and abilities

• Be easily influenced

Emotional nourishment exercise

In our seated tables they asked for another volunteer from each table. This volunteer was asked to leave the room , they were told to think of a story to tell us and that when they came back we would be demonstrating our best listening skills. Those of us in the room were told that when the volunteers returned we were to in fact demonstrate the worst kind of listening skills e.g look at our phones , look around the room, talk amongst ourselves, fidget etc!!

This exercise was a real eye opener ……..it was actually very difficult to ignore the person as you felt so very bad !!!.The exercise served its purpose though as it made me think about the times when I’ve been distracted either cleaning, texting or chatting to others when I haven’t really been listening properly to my children .This is an area where I know I can improve and since the course I have definitely made changes to make my children feel heard and more understood.

Provide Special Attention

• Have breakfast together

• Do household jobs together

• Spend leisure time together

• Plan family events and occasions

• Play games

• Help with homework

• Talk about the day openly

Love and limits

They then talked about how children need love and limits in equal measure in order to feel secure.

Positive Discipline

• Be clear

• Be consistent

• Have house rules and routines

• Use consequences

• Work together

Have Fun Together!

Low cost or no cost activities

• Take a bike ride

• Go for a walk in the woods

• Listen to music together

• Read a book/magazine

• Do art or craft together

Summary; I know a lot of this information may seem fairly obvious but sometimes it is the obvious things that we often over look. As parents we can not easily control how our children will react to the challenges that face them day-to-day when they are away at school, but we can do our best to nurture and support them at home. It will be the little things WE do that will have BIG impact . This is ultimately what I learnt and will take away from this course .

Let me know any tips you have picked up as it’s always useful to hear other people’s experiences xxx

Silent sunday #4

Some things I love #4

Well I have had a brilliant week this week as my gorgeous hubbie has been at home …nice to get a bit of quality time together without the kids !! We have had whole conversations without the cute interruptions of “mummy!!!”Anyhoo onto the things I have been loving this week….

Some thing I read……

I have again failed on this section ….My days have been so filled that at night my head hits the pillow and I’m gone !! zzzz….next week I will read more no excuses!! 😉

Some thing I watched……

So for ages now I’ve been hearing loads about the American t.v show Dexter.I have kept meaning to try and watch it but it has passed me by time and time again until Tuesday night. As is often the case on this particular night of the week I was around my lovely mate Helen’s house with my equally lovely friend Emma(Her b’day was yesterday ….Happy Birthday matey!!) …anyhoo Hels was borrowing her sisters copy of Dexter and so we sat and watched the first episode . It was gripping …quite high paced but I loved it !! Dexter (Michael C.Hall) is a blood splatter analyst who also has a side hobby as a serial killer …the difference being he only kills bad guys!! …I am absolutely hooked and can’t wait to start watching the other episodes!!

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Some thing I wore ……

My gorgeous fingerprint heart necklace …. I love it for obvious reasons …it was a gift for my 30th and something that I will treasure forever xxx

Some thing I listened to ……

This week I found out which class my daughter was going to ….exciting but this also made me feel sentimental and kind of sad I feel she’s growing up so fast …this made me think of the Mama Mia; track slipping through my fingers (wee bit dramatic but you get how I was feeling… silly Charlie!!)…I ended up listening to the whole sound track again …which I love !! It did end up cheering me up a bit!!

Slipping through my fingers ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi7OXmTmgGg

Super trouper ( this one especially makes me smile!!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KeZPDtrnns

Some thing I can not live without……

My kitchen scales !! I love baking and this week I have baked quite a bit mainly cakes and cookies !! 🙂

So there you have it those are the bits I have been loving this week …I hope you’ve all had a good one xxx

Day at the beach

Well I’ve had a little rest from my blog this last week …but I’m back and I thought I would share with you a few pictures from last friday’s trip to the beach ….

So as you can see we all had a brilliant time !! Such a laugh with my gorgeous mates and the kids were very well behaved …….plus we were lucky with beautiful sunshine!!  xx  🙂

Some things that I love #3

This week is the week that the heat came back to England ,not really sunshine but we’ve had a bit more heat …quite humid .Father’s day has now been and gone the kids love making daddy feel special … as for the rest of the week I don’t know where it’s gone !!We have however got a busy few days ahead !! My friends and I are travelling to the beach today (well actually tomorrow where I am now but today where you are….Timey wimey stuff!! 😉 )..we also have 2 children’s parties this weekend …FUN FUN FUN!! Now onto the bits I have been loving this week ;

Something I read……

To be honest I’ve barely touched my Life of Pi book this week ,I have also read less blog posts than normal due to the Broadband having issues in our area the last few days!! I have read lots of books with my daughter in particular her Flower Fairy book …it contains some beautifully drawn pictures with poems to go with each fairy .

Something I watched……

Well the thing that I watch was largely influenced by mummyheartsyou who I believe was recommended by butwhymummywhy (click on the badge below for her link xx) …I had already been on the verge of wanting to watch it and I’m sooooo pleased that I did!! It was AMAZING …literally breath taking…The performances from all the actors were first class. The series is set in Belfast . Its based around the character Paul Spector(Jamie Dornan)He’s a family man ,a grief counsellor in fact….yet at night he commits horrific murders.(This fact is revealed from the beginning.)You then have Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson whose job it is to catch him. I found it to be deeply psychological …. watching Paul’s character so happy with his kids in one instance then minutes later a stark opposite. This series is a must see in my opinion…it’s available on Netflix and is released on DVD .I can’t wait to see what they do with the 2nd series !!xx

Some thing I wore……

As I said the weather has been quite hot which I’ve loved but one thing I hate is feeling sticky …my solution dresses and skirts ..I wore this black maxi dress on Wednesday … It fits perfectly and being tall I love a good maxi dress !!

Some thing I listened to……

One of the Black Eye Pea’s songs came onto the songs on my phone this week as a result I ended up sitting down and YouTube’d other tracks !!! I do love their style of music ..always makes me jump up and want to dance!! The track I heard was The time (Dirty bit)(I love Pump it and I gotta feeling too!!) …this song also makes me think of Dirty Dancing so I had to include the classic version of that track for all of you.
The time (Dirty Bit)

The time of my life

Some thing I can not live without

One of my pet hates is dry lips … I always have to be wearing lipstick, lip balm & lip gloss (Estee Lauder make my favourite glosses) …the one I reach for nearly daily especially at the moment has been my Sleek Pout Polish in Electro peach …it has quite a good amount of pigment and on the lips looks like a orangey red..(not really peachy!!) it also contains Spf 15 which isn’t the highest SPF but as I like to reapply this throughout the day it does the job!! I just love it …it does have a sweet smell…not as sweet as some of the other pout polishes I’ve tried and it doesn’t personally bother me but be aware of this in case you purchase it. The colour is beautiful and in days when you want to quickly put something on your lips it’s perfect!!

So there you have it ….I hope you have all been having a good week …let me know in the comments about any films etc you’ve been loving this week xxx

Being mummy (Motivational Monday)

Being Mummy

Being mummy isn’t easy,

Some of things might be cheesy,

It’s true they are my world, my life,

Cooking and cleaning,trying to be a good wife,

Balancing everything ,trying to be cool,

A special kind of juggling tool,

Remember ,remember we must not forget,

We dare not ,must not,the goals are set,

Set by each other ,held up by our piers,

Trying to be perfect,it’ll be like this for years,

The love for our children,the passion keeps us going,

For them we will do everything,we maintain these levels knowing;

Knowing that in the end love will save the day,

“I love you my babies” are the simple words I say xxx

Saturday Summary (…ooops!!)

This month I signed up to the Bonjour Blogger June comments challenge as part of this you are required to comment on a min of 5 posts a day .I thinks it’s such a great idea as it encourages you to be more pro active in interacting with other bloggers !!

Anyhoo below are some of my top picks of the posts I’ve read this week;

Pigeon pair and me Home is the heart of online activism; This is a superbly written post which has a very positive message. A brilliant read !!

Natasha May Artworld Crystals and Happiness; Natasha is an artist and in this post she has captured the Dalai Lama, using one of his quotes too as part of the piece. There is also a photograph of her crystal collection. It’s just a fabulous post!!

But Why Mummy Why? A paid up member of the bad mums club; This post captures perfectly what a lot of us mummies feel … It’s honest and witty and I just love it !!

Nicki Kinickie When it comes to men: Is less more? In this post Nickie discusses the subject matter that as women we often wonder !! I loved the style of this post and the perfectly picked Oscar Wilde quote at the end !! Well worth checking out!!

Lullaby For Pies Healthy Snacks #1 simple Hummus ; Magdalena is primary a food blogger who I discovered through my #BEDM days … Her posts are always beautifully photographed and give me the immediate urge to go and make whatever I read on her blog that day !! This post teaches you how to make Hummus …it’s another simple but yummy recipe !!

So there you have it my picks for the week !! Hope your all enjoying your weekend … If you would like to know more about the Bonjour Blogger June comments challenge click on the link below!! 🙂 xx

Silent Sunday #3

Some things that I love #2

Another week has past!! So this week I have spent time with my gorgeous niece, attempted some furniture restoration e.g fixing my chester draws!!!, had exciting time cleaning and enjoyed the obligatory chats with chums !! Now onto the rest of the things I have been loving this week;

Some thing I read……

Well after successfully finishing The fault with our stars; John Green which was such an emotional journey (The sign of a good book!!)…I then went onto starting Life of Pi ;Yann Martel :This book is no quick read but what I have read of it so far is so sincere and is beginning to draw me in ….. I’ll keep you posted with how I get on with it next week !!

Some thing I watched ……

Run Fat Boy Run; Directed by David Schwimmer (Friends) starring Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton & Hank Azaria. This film is not the newest but it’s been on my list to see for a while. It came through the post with our Lovefilm subscription this week … so last night I sat on the sofa with my gorgeous hubbie and we watched it together. The story starts with Dennis(Simon Pegg) jilting a heavily pregnant Libby (Thandie Newton) …the rest of the film is his attempt to win her back from the seemingly perfect Whit (Hank Azaria). Some of my top highlights were when Dennis goes for a spinning class with Whit !! … I also loved Mr Goshdashtidar (Harish Patel) such a warm and funny character !!

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Overall thoughts; the story flowed well and there were some good comedy moments balanced with a little “ahhhhh” factor with the relationship between Dennis and his son ….well worth a watch!!

Something I wore……

Jogging clothes ; This week I have been attempting to get back into jogging regularly with the help of my lovely friends Nicola and Laura .Therefore my jogging gear is something I have been pulling out of the wardrobe … just simple sports top from Primark and cropped jogging bottoms from my local sports shop.

Something I listened to……

As I stupidly broke my phone last week ( left it on top of a car which then fell off the car and got run over …. #FAIL OF THE WEEK!!!!) …my husband kindly replaced it with a Nokia windows phone which has Nokia music; like having a radio on your phone. It has current chart music that you play and then skip which tracks you don’t like … very handy and this morning my daughter was dancing all the way to school hearing it!! It also played one of favourite old tracks Iris (Goo Goo Dolls);

I have also been listening to John Denver …. might be a bit random but I like to hear his songs and remember someone special. Instead of picking one of his more sombre tracks I’ve picked an upbeat one; Thank God I’m a country boy !!!

Some thing I can not live without……

My camera !! ( My photography loving friend Mary has finally converted me !!) ….I have not always been best friends with my camera …. it was neglected and unloved but fairly recently that’s changed!! I have been loving taking pictures…. so much so I have begun to nag my hubbie for an upgrade!!! … I think I might need to save a few pennies to get a nice one, but this shows how far I’ve come 😉 !!!!!

So those are the things I’ve been loving this week , I hope you all have a fab weekend …I wanted to send love out not just to the fab dads (It’s father’s day weekend in the U.K) but to those whose dads are not around for what ever reason AND NOT forgetting the amazing mummies who work hard too ….BIG LOVE TO YOU ALL ….have a GOOD ONE !!! xxxxxxxx