I feel like it would be wrong not to post anything about my weekend at BritMums Live this year, but the truth is I just do not have the time to write up a big long post to cover all the amazing things that I took from the weekend. I do want to write about it, don't get me wrong, but there are an awful lot of things going on "behind the scenes" right now and one of those includes changing blogging platforms. And as I have just downloaded an export of posts including all my photos, it makes very little sense to blog again until the move is complete.
But how can I not share a little of the amazing weekend I had? So before I explain the move, here are some of my favourite memories...
Meeting Friends Old and New
Thoughtful Discussions
Helpful Sessions
And LOTS of inspirational people (way too many to photograph!)
That's a lot of memories, right? Needless to say, I had a blast!
But I bumped back down to reality rather hard on Sunday and realised that the fun is now over and I need to get serious. I have a book coming out in September... this means that my co-author and I have some serious promoting to do in anticipation of the launch. And that means I need a super reliable blog, which this just hasn't been of late. So, despite the difficult nature of exporting a blog from Typepad, I find myself making the move.
I'll be setting up over on WordPress and am currently sorting out hosting, themes and all the rest. I have designed all 3 of the blogs I have had over the years and tweaked a couple more for other people, so I'm pretty sure I'll be okay once I get going (I just need to remember how WordPress works as I haven't used it in several years!) The biggest issue for me right now though is finding the time... between book promotion, work, a toddler and a husband struggling with neuropathic pain my time is pretty darn limited. So please do bear with me as I make the transition, it may take just a little bit longer than I'd like!
However I am also super excited about this move. It will enable me to promote the book whilst also taking my actual blogging journey full circle back to the home and lifestyle posts I used to write before various health issues (especially HG) and parenting took over. I love writing about the simple things in our lives, the things that we're doing which are helping us create a home (the good and the bad times!) and the everyday stuff that I often forget to document. So I'm excited about having a new place to do that.
So, that's where I'm at. Completely overwhelmed with joy from a wonderful weekend but also completely overwhelmed by some pretty big tasks ahead. I'll be taking a short blogging break as I make the change to WordPress but I look forward to catching up with you all again soon.
Well, it's finally here... on Friday hundreds of parent bloggers will be coming together in London for BritMums Live 2014. Can you believe it?
This will be my 3rd BritMums Live and it has become the highlight of my year. I just love the opportunity to meet other bloggers in person and enjoy the whole BritMums Live experience (if you've not been before, you're in for a real treat!)
But I know how nervous I was my first year, despite going with a friend, because I didn't know what to expect. And I also remember being a tad nervous last year too, because I was going alone. This year I am going with two friends and whilst I am sure there will be the odd butterfly creep up on me as I get my train to London, I am mostly just excited this year.
However I know many of you will be far more nervous that excited, and maybe even baffled about what to bring and what will happen. So I thought I would write my essential guide for getting the most out of your weekend.
Here goes...
What To Pack
This is a tough one, always. You want to pack light - it is only 2 days, after all! But you also want to make sure you have everything you need. And you'll also want to leave plenty of room for all the freebies - don't overload yourself before you get there, especially if you're travelling home alone via public transport! You will amass huge amounts of freebies, not least of which the massive bag full you'll be given as you leave The Brewery at the end of it all. So pack light...
The essentials:
Your phone - for tweeting, texting and instagramming during the event Business cards - you'll swap these with bloggers and give them to brands Tickets - for BritMums Live, for the train, hotel reservations etc Painkillers - you never know if you'll need these come Saturday! Clothes for 2 days & comfy shoes - you walk up and down stairs a lot between sessions Plasters - in case your shoes rub
You may also want:
A camera - the lighting in The Brewery isn't ideal for phone cameras Snacks - unless you are happy/able to eat cake all day long! Spare cash - in case you want to buy a book from the bookstall Sunglasses - if you're likely to be hungover Saturday morning Notepad and pen - (optional because The Brewery provide paper and pens as well)
What you DON'T need:
Paper and pens - these are provided on each table Drinks - ice cold water is provided on each table, teas and coffee available in The Hub Cakes - again, provided in The Hub (and sweets on the tables) Itinerary - you'll be given a copy when you register upon arrival
A note on packing:
I'm planning on packing my clothes and a backpack in a suitcase, so that on the Saturday I can pack my clothes in the backpack and fill the suitcase with all the freebies. This way I have a manageable way of transporting everything home on the train. Don't worry about having to take your bags to The Brewery when you check out of your hotel on the Saturday morning - they have plenty of space in their cloakroom for these.
What To Expect
If you're coming on both days, then everything starts at 2pm on the Friday. By that time there will be an excited mass of bloggers waiting to go in, register and just throw themselves into the BritMums Live experience. Some will be chatting away with old friends, others will be chatting away with new friends. And some will be quietly hovering, unsure of what to do or who to speak to.
The BritMums Butterflies
This is where the BritMums Butterflies come in! If you haven't heard of them, the BritMums Butterflies are there to help anyone feeling a little lost and overwhelmed to hook up with other bloggers and feel less intimidated by the prospect of being in a room full of hundreds of bloggers, all of whom seem so much more confident and at ease than they are.
But here's the secret - even those of us, like myself, who can quite happily talk to anyone and everyone about anything will still be feeling daunted by the idea of going up to someone and starting a conversation!! But you know what, I've never found anyone who wasn't happy to welcome you into the conversation once you struck up the courage to approach them.
However, we all know it can be totally overwhelming... and we also all know that you can go away feeling so down on yourself for not having been able to overcome that fear, and none of us want that! We want you to feel empowered by your time there. So if you're feeling a little lost, go seek out the BritMums Butterflies (they will have a table in The Hub) or tweet to some of your favourite bloggers and ask where they are. Take part in tweets during sessions - send things like, "I'm going to this session and looking for someone to sit with... anyone got a spare seat on their table?" Sometimes sending a tweet can be easier than simply approaching someone in person, but opens up the way to a conversation.
Pre-Event Meet-Ups
There are, as far as I know, two pre-event meet-ups happening on the Friday. One at All Bar One for those who are old-hands at this conference malarkey and one at Starbucks which is organised by the BritMums Butterflies for those who need a smaller, more intimate opportunity to get to know people. The latter is being hosted by myself and Aly from Bug Bird and Bee (although you will most likely know her fom Plus 2.4)
Aly and I will be at Starbucks from 12 noon on Friday, ready to welcome anyone who wants to join us. We currently have just over a dozen bloggers who have said they wish to come to the meet-up, so it will be nice and cosy for those of you who are a little shy, but still a big enough group to get to know several bloggers before you head to The Brewery. If you want more details of this or just want to chat to others before the event, check out the BritMums Butterflies Facebook Group.
The Actual Event
Once you get to The Brewery, you'll be greeted by some male hosts who tip their bowler hats at you and call you "madam"... it's really quite charming. Then you head on in and you'll see a long row of tables in front of you. This is where you register and pick up your name badge and itinerary for the day. To your right there is a place to hand over bags and coats, plus the toilets if needed!
To your left and up the stairs is The Hub - this is where you grab a drink and some cake, and meet the brands. There is the main central Hub and then off that there are several "lounges" where you can meet other brands. There are places to sit for a rest and a natter, and it's a good place to try and meet up with people between sessions.
You'll be given a map of The Brewery with your itinerary so you can find out where all your sessions are. Some are upstairs, some are downstairs (I told you there was a fair bit of going up and down stairs!!) You'll have until 3pm to wander around and get your bearings, and then it all gets going in the main room upstairs. The tables in each room are circular, so you have chance to sit down and meet everyone on the table. Have a natter and get to know who you're sitting with - exchange business cards and discuss why you're here, what you're most excited about and just begin to soak in the atmosphere. It won't be long before it all kicks off...
From this point onwards, you just go with the flow really! There will be a welcome from the BritMums Founders, a keynote speech, and then a panel discussion before everyone breaks away to the various sessions. If you want to see what they are before you get there, you can find the agenda here. Friday has quite a relaxed and party-like feel to it... everyone is just getting into the swing of things and whilst there are some great sessions on during the day, I always find Saturday is the day when we all knuckle down and really eat up all the sessions. Friday is very much about a gentle easing into everything.
I can't really talk much about Friday night and the BiBs as I've always scooted off early to go on a date night with TJ. But this year he isn't coming with me so I'll be there and as unfamiliar with it as the rest of you. I do know that a lot of bloggers hook up and go out for a meal together afterwards, so if you find yourself without any plans, do check twitter or ask people you meet to see if there are any groups you could join!
Saturday is pretty much the same, except it is a longer day, you get given lunch, and generally speaking most people feel a little less frantic and more at ease with everything.
My Top Tips
Whoa, that was a long post, so let's round this up nicely with a list of my 10 Top Tips!
1) Pack lightly - work out what is essential & leave the rest at home! 2) Make plans to meet some of your favourite bloggers before you go - arrange to meet them during one of the breaks or plan to go to a pre-event meet-up. It's easy to feel overwhelmed once you get there, so having a bit of a plan can help and means you aren't disappointed when you manage to miss bumping into them the entire weekend. 3) Wear clothes and shoes you are comfortable in - whether that means dressing up or wearing jeans and a tee, just be comfortable as they are long days 4) Have a "mini survival kit" in your bag - painkillers, plasters etc - better to have them and not need them than develop a headache/hangover or blisters and have to suffer silently all day 5) Remember to check twitter and use the BritMums Live hashtags - that way you can find people you know amid the crazy bustle. 6) Take lots of photos - I never take enough (I always forget) and then when I want to blog about what I loved about the weekend I feel sad I didn't document it better! 7) Be flexible - it's great to know which sessions you really don't want to miss, but sometimes you may have a plan in mind and then meet someone at the event and decide you'd rather skip a session to chat with them or go to the session they are going to because it suddenly sounds much more interesting! You might also find the session you want to go to is super busy and you'd rather go to a quieter one. 8) Remember that it's normal to feel nervous and that even those who look confident may still have some nerves. The BritMums Butterflies are there to help if you feel overwhelmed - don't spend the weekend feeling scared and alone, please make the most of the support at hand to help you feel more confident and enjoy the weekend. 9) Sleep as much as you can before you go to London because the weekend it full-on, with a late night on the Friday and an earlyish start on the Saturday. You'll come away exhausted, but it will be so worth it! 10) Enjoy... do whatever you need to make the most of it. If that means skipping a session for a breather, then do that. If it means throwing yourself into every opportunity, then do that. Whatever works for you - there is no right or wrong!
I hope that these tips help you enjoy your BritMums Live experience - let me know if you have any more tips. I can't wait to see you there!
If you've been around here for a while, you'll surely know by now that TJ and I both love to be outdoors, especially in nature. I can't explain what exactly it is about this that I love so much, but needless to say I never feel more at peace than I do when I get out of the house and away from all the stresses of everyday life.
I've done this for many years now and I remember during my second pseudo-menopause when I was hit with depression and signed off work for a month, we would take midnight walks from the village we were living in at the time to the neighbouring village whenever TJ had worked a late shift and neither of us were ready for sleep! Walking down an unlit country road, with fields either side, the stars above us and only the light from the two churchyards in either village signalling our path, was a truly magical experience and I miss that sometimes.
This photo is incredibly deceptive - there is a massive hill between us and the avenue of trees!
Although we no longer live in a rural village, we are very lucky that the town we now live in has several wonderful woodlands dotted around and about for us to explore. Woodland areas are my absolute favourite places to be. I think that's pretty evident by the fact that the theme of our wedding was "autumn leaves" and Little Man's bedroom is also a woodland themed room, complete with 26 individual watercolour pictures my mum drew at my request, one for each letter of the alphabet.
And we try to get out as often as we can. I love how getting out and about can really take you away from everything that has been bugging you and transport you to a very simple activity of just walking and drinking in every bit of your surroundings. In fact I often feel a very intense sense of longing to remain outdoors as long as possible because I know that as soon as I go home everything will suddeny speed up and I will need to keep up with a million things again.
There is a place near to us which has this fantastic folly right at the top of the hill and at the edge of a beautiful wooded area. Whenever I walk up to and through the archway I feel like I am almost passing into another world, and it just feels so special. The woodland beyond is a popular place with families and dog walkers, but it is never crowded and so Little Man can run around in freedom as we wander behind him at a slower pace. It's here that he first discovered that nettles can sting you, because he tried to "tickle" them. And it's here where he met a very friendly dog who danced around his feet and made him squeal in delight!
It's also where I introduced him to the idea of a "kissing gate". (A kissing gate is one of those gates which allow people through but not livestock). I don't know exactly why they are called kissing gates, but my family have a tradition of letting one person go through the gate and then they have to turn and the next person has to give them a kiss before going through the gate. And then that person has to receive a kiss from the next person before they pass through. Does anyone else do this or is it just my family?
Little Man, has taken this to also mean he needs to kiss the gate itself, which is both adorable and amusing in equal measure!
The onlyproblem with this beautiful woodland (and all the others in our area) is that we have to drive a short distance to get there. It is just too far to walk there and back. And this means that we don't go out nearly as often as we would like to. I crave going outdoors so much, and if you remember my posts about Little Man you will know he does too!
We go out in our garden as much as we possibly can, and actually one of the things I love most about our garden is that we have gradually allowed it to just grow a little bit wild and free. We've been here for 4 years now and in that time we have planted rose bushes, climbers and trees that we've found for just a couple of pounds each and they have taken over in a beautiful way. And out herb patch is a crazy mingle of rosemary, thyme, sage, chives and mint that spread into each other and right across the garden (the feverfew really has taken over the garden!)
We even have a small tree which I found as a tiny seedling growing right next to our old house (we lived opposite an old churchyard and it must have found its way over the road somehow) and a Buddleia that planted itself randomly in another pot. I cannot tell you how much joy this natural process brings me. And the fact we're also growing a variety of fruit and veg this year again also pleases me immensely.
But despite the garden being a lovely place to be, it just isn't a place that Little Man can run around in freely and explore. There isn't much room. And as we live on a major road, it will also be many years before I feel safe letting him out to play on his own (because, after all, cars in this area don't even seem to stop at the crossings!)
And this makes me sad as I remember playing in my parents' garden a lot as a child. And as I grew older I went out and about. My sister even used to go with friends to the local Arboretum to climb trees. It was fun and it was wild. That's not to say there weren't times when I didn't appreciate it - there were many days when my parents would ask me why I was holed up in my bedroom, with my curtains closed, instead of outside in the sunshine (I enjoyed reading in private a lot of my teen years!) but on the whole my memories of childhood were that I had the chance to explore, even if I didn't take the opportunity given to me every single time.
And this is what I want for Little Man. Especially as our world becomes more and more dependent on technology. It is so easy to spend so much time reading about life or watching it on a screen rather than actually experiencing it. As a blogger I see this very clearly even in my own life, and so I want to guide Little Man in the best way I can to find a good balance between the two. I see only positives in technology, if and when it is used alongside other means and experiences.
Which is why I am so excited to tell you all about Project Wild Thing. Have you heard about it? My mum brought us the DVD to watch the other day and we found the time to watch it yesterday. If you don't know what it's all about, the easiest way to find out would be to watch the film trailer. However, if you want a quick overview, here it is:
Project Wild Thing is a movement to get more kids (and their parents) out into nature.
It's that simple! And yet it is so big it seems wrong to call it "simple". Honestly, I cannot do it justice, you really should just watch the film!!
You can join the movement by visiting the website and clicking "join". You can then pledge a certain amount of time each day that you will swap "screen time" for "wild time". You can start from as little as 10 minutes per day. And depending on which time commitment you make, you will be able to find activity ideas that you can try in that time frame.
I signed up earlier in the week (before even watching the film - I knew I would love it!) and pledged to spend 30 minutes outdoors everyday. At first I thought this felt like a lot - we can't go to the woods every single day. But what I found really interesting when watching the film was that going outdoors doesn't have to mean going out in nature... not everyone has easy access to that option! What it does mean, however, is that you are simply getting away from the confines of being indoors and allowing yourself freedom to explore the world outside.
No matter where you are, you can always look up at the sky!
Yesterday evening, however, TJ and I decided we needed to get into nature. We needed to rebalance as this week has been really tough for us. And so we decided to take advantage of a public footpath just a few minutes walk from our house which leads up a hill and then around a massive field. We had only ever been up there once before and never at this time of year, so I was stunned by the sheer beauty of fields full of wheat, glistening so brightly in the early evening sunshine.
Walking around the edge of the field I was reminded of how we used to take our niece for a walk around the local farm of an evening when we stayed with my in-laws. It was always such a pleasant way to spend an evening and our niece looked forward to it every night. I want that for Little Man. He had a fantastic time running his hand along the edge of the wheat, picking bits of tall wavy grass (which led to us reciting parts of "We're going on a Bear Hunt") and sniffing at the Elderflower we picked (we will be returning to do some foraging soon). He even decided we should all have a sit down by the side of the field at one point and just enjoy each others' company.
We brought his Elderflower home and it is now a lovely reminder of the time we spent together as a family, outside having "wild time" instead of "screen time". So how about it - do you fancy joining us and pledging some "wild time" of your own? If so, visit the Project Wild Thing website for more details.
A couple of weeks ago I was at a low point in my life. I was stressed, I was sick, and I was pretty miserable. At times like that I am reminded of how very different my adult life has turned out compared to how I always imagined it would. And I very much doubt I am alone in having these feelings.
But, as often happens, as I was knee-deep in these feelings (note I could have been much deeper!!) I stumbled across exactly what I needed...
This book. Eat, Pray, Love is the book I have been yearning for and just haven't bothered to pick it up, despite having known about it for a long time! And then in one weekend we found both the DVD and the book (the book in a second hand shop too) and I made sure to make time to sit and read it whenever I could.
This weekend TJ and Little Man have gone away on a little "venture" as Little Man called it. So I have been home alone. It's a strange feeling being on my own and actually having time to do what I want instead of trying to fit way too many things into my life, most of these connected to work, being a parent or just because I find I cannot say "no" and offer to do way too many things! And so Saturday was spent feeling an underlying guilt for not doing anything productive at all... because, after all, there were so many things I wanted to do that I just hadn't had time to do when so busy doing other things, if that makes sense?
But by Sunday I had found a bit of a groove and enjoyed breakfast in the garden, crocheting a little something, photographing the flowers that filled me with joy and picking up this book to read a bit more. And yes, I was wearing my flowery pyjamas with bright yellow shoes and enjoying being lazy as anything at that point.
The sun was shining and I felt hugely content reading the book. Whilst I do not have the same passion for food as the author (my relationship with food has never been great, but is slowly improving) I do love the way she expresses so much joy in learning another language. As a linguist, this is something I can really relate to.
Okay, I'm not sure whether I can still call myself a linguist because I graduated almost 8 years ago, and it is almost 10 years ago that I first set off to Germany for 3 months and then Russia for 3 months. But my love of languages remains, even if I do not have the time to practise much these days. I've always loved learning languages just for the sheer joy of being able to communicate in a whole new way and find these amasing new words and turns of phrase that feel so sensual almost as you try to get your tongue around the closest pronunciation to a native as possible and open up a whole new world of discovery. It's why at school I spent at least some time learning Latin, French, German, Italian, and Chinese and why I loved helping my dad with his Spanish homework and then went on to study both German and Russian at university. And the Elizabthe Gilbert manages time and time again to express exactly what it is I love so much about learning all these languages.
Interestingly, though, I never planned on going to university to study languages. I had always thought I would train to be a teacher, not study some random degree just for the sake of it. And in this respect I always tell people I know that you kinda need to want to go to university to enjoy it. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the experience, but the whole time I was there I remember wondering what the point was. I learnt far more in my 3 months in Germany than I ever did in the 8 years prior to it. But my teachers had told me to study something first and then get a PGCE in teaching. But by the time I completed 4 years at university I had pretty much had my fill of education and wanted nothing more than to work rather than study any further.
And I'm glad I didn't become a teacher for that very reason, to be honest. Teachers have a hell of a time these days. But what this little story of mine means is that my life didn't really work out the way I had planned and actually that can be okay...
This afternoon I reached chapter 30 of the book and it amuses me that it is in this chapter that I really found my inner thoughts and feelings reflected back out at myself (after all, I turned 30 just a few weeks ago). In this chapter, Elizabeth Gilbert writes about how she imagined being the one who would end up having children and how making a choice not to do so can lead you to feeling guilty, as if it is a selfish decision:
"I thought it would be me who would end up with a houseful of muddy boots and hollering kids... we grew up into different adults than anyone might have foretold when we were children. It's better this way though".
"Not all the reasons to have children are the same, and not all of them are necessarily unselfish. Not all the reasons not to have children are the same, either, though. Nor are all those reasons necessarily selfish... I say this because I'm still working out that accusation, which was levelled against me many times by my husbands as our marriage was collapsing - selfishness. Every time he said it, I agreed completely, accepted the guilt, bought everything in the store."
For me, aside from the going to university and becoming a teacher thing that never turned out the way I expected, the biggest thing I always thought I knew about myself was that I was the most maternal and deeply broody person I had ever known and would therefore end up surrounded by children.
And I'm not the only one who thought this. My aunt once told me she thought I'd have 6 kids. And my friends have told me, since I've had Little Man, how cruel it seems that the most maternal person they have ever known doesn't feel able to have any more children.
And for a long, long time that realisation has hurt. In my mid-20s, TJ and I discussed not having any children at all, because my health wasn't great at that time. We talked about how much more we could do if we didn't have children. But ultimately I have been broody since before I even hit double figures in age myself, so it was kinda inevitable that urge to have a child would kick in at some point. And when it did it hit very hard indeed!
I was so very lucky to be able to fall pregnant naturally and have a healthy (in terms of outcome) pregnancy. However the experience was sheer hell and fraught with worry and even almost 3 years on we still feel our world rocked by what we went through. But I have found myself falling into this trap of wanting another child because I didn't want this to be "it" for us. I didn't want that part of my life I always dreamed about (i.e. having babies) to be over so soon. But deep down I also knew that it was and it needed to be and that this was actually the right thing for us.
But it's so easy to fall into that trap of self-doubt. Yes, having an only child means I can give him so much more than I could if I were even more stretched than I am now by having another child. Yes, having an only child has enabled me to write a book (another dream which I never expected to happen at all, go figure). And yes, having an only child means that as he grows older and more independent I find I have time to do the things that Ipersonally love doing. I have time to sit in the garden, in the sunshine, reading for pleasure. I have the time to blog about the things that mean something to me. I have the time (and the money) to attend a blogging conference for the third year running. I have all this time, and energy and space, that I would not have were we to have another child.
We've talked about fostering. And actually fostering is something I do feel we will do one day. But not right now. Not for a long time. Not until our only child no longer needs us so much. Right now I want us to have time to enjoy life... to be like Elizabeth Gilbert and find pleasure in life by saying, "no... that path wasn't right for us". And to do so is not selfish at all... selfish, for me, would be putting my entire family through the stress of having another child because they would need to hold me up whilst I followed a long-held dream that no longer fits in my life.
And nobody is more surprised by that than me!
Today I have learned something I have been trying to learn for years. That is is okay to step away from the dreams and plans you have held for years. To realise that whilst it is scary to do so, whilst you may worry about whether it's the right thing to do, and whilst you may panic that one day you will regret it, sometimes stepping away is not only a good thing but necessary to find your own centre once more. As I discovered in another chapter in the book, sometimes we do not always know who or what we are anymore, but it becomes clear what we are not... and clinging on to that just because we don't know who we are now isn't the wisest or healthiest decision we'll ever make.
If you haven't read Eat, Pray, Love I cannot recommend it enough. It is such an easy read... Elizabeth Gilbert has such a beautiful honesty to her writing and for all the times she has had me nodding my head in agreement she has also had me crying with laughter just as much with her turn of phrase and amusing descriptions of a situation. I promise you, if you buy a copy you will not regret it!
The past few months have been really challenging for us as a family healthwise. The biggest issue for me has been my digestion - having suffered from IBS for years, everything just seems to have become so much worse over the past year, with a rapid increase in symptoms since 6 months.
In desperation I saw my GP when nothing seemed to be helping and weight loss was added to the mix. He referred me to a gastroenterologist and after a busy few weeks of various investigations, I finally saw the gastroenterologist for a follow up on Monday.
It appears that everything looks fine internally, other than the fact that my digestive system isn't working as efficiently as it should. So his suggestion was to change the way I eat to see if that would combat the nausea and indigestion I am suffering from after eating. Namely, he wants me to drink at least 3 litres per day and start eating 6-8 meals per day to help make things as easy as possible on my system.
That's quite a change to the 3 meals a day, often at random times and struggling to make time to stop and drink even 2 litres a day around work and looking after a toddler! But it makes sense, so we're trying it out...
The problem is, finding a way to work around this new way of working. There are certain things that I cannot eat and haven't been able to eat for years - wheat, too much meat, too much dairy, raw vegetables and leafy greens like lettuce etc. So I am already limited in my variety of foods, so how can I find enough for 6-8 meals each day?
It turns out it hasn't actually been that difficult. I've discovered that I can easily create nutritious meals that last me several servings - things like "saladas" made from a mixture of green beans, peas and sweetcorn left over from the night before, added to egg mayo, cheese or ham the next day and split between two "mini meals" an hour or so apart rather than all in one go at lunchtime. Or a fruit salad, made in bulk one day (and kept fresh with a bit of lemon juice) and then eaten as a "snack" with some yoghurt or homemade museli at various intervals throughout the day!
The upside of all of this is that I've really started to enjoy cooking and preparing meals again for the first time in a very long time. We're experimenting in ways we've never done before - creating our own wheat-free muesli and discovering new combinations of tastes and textures. I feel pretty happy in the kitchen these days and find myself taking pleasure in feeding my family and myself in a whole new way. And that feels good!
As does the fact that my digestion seems to be dealing pretty well with the changes. I still have a long way to go before I am at the optimum suggestion made by the consultant, but so far so good. And whilst it's working I am going to enjoy trying new things...
Tell me, do you have any tips for nutritious and tasty "mini meals" or meals that can be split over several servings?
This post is another of my "Joy in the Everyday Moments" posts as I am finding so much joy in the simple act of preparing food - you can't get more "everyday" than that, can you?
In just under 3 weeks I'll be heading off down to London for my third BritMums Live and I haven't got a clue what to wear. I'll confess right here and now: I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to "fashion" and as I work from home these days I rarely think about putting together an outfit. So working out what to wear for 2 days away (when those outfits will not end up smeared in food or paint or felt tip or whatever else Little Man usually throws at me) is both exciting and rather alarming!
I am liking the idea of "white" because when else can I wear white without it getting grubby within minutes of putting it on? But my outfit also needs to be practical - it needs to be comfortable, it can't crease too easily, and it needs to take up minimum space in my suitcase (so I have room for all those goodies as for the first year ever I am going home by train without my trusty husband to lend a hand in carrying everything!)
I'm thinking that the easiest way of hitting all of those points is to think of outfits which work well together - something I can wear casual during the day on Friday but dress up for the evening, seeing as though Emma is a BiBs Finalist and I want to celebrate with her in style! I've always skipped off early on the Friday night for a "date night" with TJ so I've not actually been to the BiBs party before... do people dress up for it?
I'm also torn between summery dresses and skirts and a more casual leggings ensemble. I've thought about wearing a dress before but ended up being far more casual the past couple of years. To be honest, the first year I was still very much in the "new mummy" stage of simply throwing on some clothes without even thinking about it, so I can't even remember what I wore. And last year I wore jeans and a tee on both days. So this year I really ought to make a bit more of an effort...
So what do you think? Are any of my 3 outfit ideas look better than the rest? Or would you suggest a different combination? I could really do with your suggestions!
These two made my mini fashion shoot so much fun (and made me far less self-conscious about it) so I had to include these photos... these are definitely going down as "Joy in the Everyday Moments" memories!
We've been slowly redecorating our (rented) house for the past couple of years now and we're finally at the point of thinking about our bedroom. We've been putting it off for so long and, quite frankly, I'm still not looking forward to the actual decorating part of it. But the other day I came across a wall plaque that really caught me eye and made my heart leap because I knew, there and then, that this was the inspiration for our bedroom.
Everything about this sign is just perfect - the soft pink roses, the sweet reminder of how "our story" is the most important one for us. I saw it and suddenly had the urge to replace all our bedding and put photos on the wall and create a room full of love.
It's quite a change from the bright and bold theme I chose just last year as my entry to the Debenhams Dream Bedroom Competition isn't it? I still love the bold and beautiful decor, but suddenly I feel like I want my home to reflect the softer, more understated part of our life for a while. After a couple of years of working so hard on the HG book and getting back into the workplace, I'm ready for a slightly slower pace of life for a while, and this reflects that perfectly.
So I decided to take to Pinterest (with a little bit of guidance from the wonderful Jen from Love Chic Living) and began building up an idea of how I could interpret this plaque into an entire room. And it turns out, it's not that easy to find exactly what I have in my mind. A lot of the rose prints I found just weren't quite right somehow, I want them to include big flowery blooms like the peonies above, not just tight rose buds.
So my inspiration phase is still ongoing. But I had a lot of fun starting it and it really helped me get a clearer idea of what it is I truly want from this room. It is still very much in the early stages, but here's what I have so far (I'll be adding more over the weekend)...
Of course, we don't have lots of money to spend on redecorating. It's a rented house and so we do not want to put lots of money into somewhere that isn't ours, not because it isn't worth it but because when you're in rented housing you never know when you may have to move. That being said, we've been here for several years now and I do feel we have put down some pretty firm roots for the time being so it is definitely worth investing a certain amount.
We decided to paint all the walls white, so that the decor could be changed by means of furnishings and little additions like pictures and trinkets. Our house is definitely lacking in photos, so this is something I shall be working on in this room... once I actually get around to getting photos printed, that is. Unbelievably I have not had a single photo printed since the very end of 2011!
We do, however, already have a couple of framed photos to start the room off with...
This one used to sit above the fireplace in our bedroom... it was taken down late last year by TJ and I've just discovered that it has somehow been splashed with liquid and some of our friends' messages have been smudged *sniff*. It's made me quite sad, but I think we can save it! So many memories in those messages, especially the one from my cousin who sadly passed away the following year when I was expecting Little Man.
I feel like perhaps it should become the central photo from which to create a photo wall of our "story" ever since. Luckily I scoured the charity shops for gold-coloured picture frames prior to our wedding, so we have quite a few of them hanging around which will complement this well. The gold will also pick up on the detail of this mirror which I also found in a charity shop and which we now fondly call our "Darling Buds of May" mirror, having seen one that looked identical on one of the episodes.
It's really not the most practical of mirrors, being a fisheye and all that, but it is lovely. This does remind me that we really need to buy a full sized mirror at some point too as we currently only have this one and two smallish ones downstairs so I can never check how any of my clothes look when getting dressed. Perhaps a white framed freestanding mirror would work well? What do you think?
Finally, I've also discovered a few other bits around the house which may work well in the room, such as this Home sign which used to hang in our hallway. I currently keep all my necklaces in a drawer and they get ever so tangled up, so this could be the perfect jewellery hanger to rest near my head.
So that's where we're at! I need to really pull these ideas together and put a proper plan of action together so we can actually decorate the room and start enjoying it. But for now I am going to enjoy looking for further inspiration and dreaming of a room that makes me feel happy and content as I reflect on our "story" so far.
If you fancy following along with me, why not join me on Pinterest - I'd love to see you there.
I've joined in Jen's #LoveYourHome linky over on Love Chic Living... why not have a wander over and see what other bloggers have been doing in their homes?
Recent Comments