Friday 28 October 2011

Our journey towards Home Ed

From the very first time elissa came home from nursery in whails that thomas had pushed her in the toy box, its been sitting in my unconscious that may girls aren't built for mainstream school.
This i feel kinda responsible for, i wasn't built for school either. If i wasn't the socially awkward kid sat at the back on my own i was prime target for any sort of abuse the kids had going and as you do as parents, certain parts of your personality rubs off on your mini people.
My girls are strong willed, independent and very sure of who they are yet socially they don't make friends well, they show signs of shyness and can't be described as the dreaded 'popular' label.
Now for me this doesn't ring bells, i don't care who they are or what they want to be but society doesn't seem to have a place for them anywhere.
Even more so with Emma's special educational needs she's neither 'Special' or 'Normal', again labels have no place in our home but society feels we need them to justify how we are treated.
Im a mum, therefore i can't have a job, have interests or know anything about anything other than cooking, washing or my kids.
You would think in this day and age that we no longer need stereotypes when dad's are being the primary carers, mums are marrying other mum's and most families don't all come from the same gene pool.
Aren't we all a little past, boxes and pre-conceptions, as a species? i mean really???
Anywho back to the pressing matter at hand!
Yesterday (thurs) we where invited to a Home Education Group Halloween Party. Now i admit i had preconceptions of what it was going to be like, i don't know what they where but i went with an idea in mind. But seriously and in all honesty i have NEVER EVER in all my days met a bunch of kids so amazing in all my life!!! The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, in 3 hrs i didn't hear a child cry, not even a baby! No one fell out, no one tried to hard, everyone laughed and we where simply accepted. They came over to us and introduced themselves to the girls, one at a time. My girls looked at me in disbelief that these kids, their peers, where kind, well mannered and where actually interested in the fact they where there to share their party!
There was no hint of competition, there was no cliche's, no same age groups and no one left out, not even zoe!!!
They spent 3 hrs playing games, making friends, colouring in, making stuff, eating, drinking and generally having the time of their life!! Every single mum there came over and spoke me like i was someone they had known for years, everyone was kind and really made me feel welcome, and that has to be the first time in 7 yrs I've been in a room with a load of other mums and they didn't look down on me, judge or pretend they where interested in what i had to say.
The minute i walked us through that door i was converted!!! I want to spend a whole summer learning about the garden, spending every meal out there, teaching the girls how and why and just generally enjoying the outdoors and learning without restrictions.
I want to spend autumn making leaf printings and learning about Halloween and finding out what happens to all the bugs.
I want us to spend a whole day out in a museum soaking up the culture, watching as they absorb information that they can use their whole lives.
I want them to learn skills that are practical and know who famous painters are and be able to plan a round the world trip on a globe and all just because THEY WANT TO KNOW HOW?WHY?WHAT?WHEN!!
Now i know thats all very roses round the door with rose tinted lenses, i know that deschooling them will be hard work, i know i will have less down time but to watch them grow into happy, well rounded and fountains of knowledge ready to take on the world because they are happy in their own skin fills me with more delight than anything else.
I don't expect for everyone to agree that this is a good idea, for the majority of people this idea will fill you with dred, maybe I'm a new age hippy deep down and i want bare footed, nature children with dirty faces and homemade clothes.
Maybe I'm just a gluten for punishment but what i do know is i don't want sad babies anymore and seeing all those shiny happy faces yesterday told me something, that what I'm doing now is not what my girls need.

To be continued....

He's coming are you ready???



Note down 14th Nov on the calendar, circle it red and brace yourself for the next installment of the man, the legend Justin ' Mr Tumble' Fletcher.
His brand new album, Hands Up!
Available now to pre-order here https://bitly.com/sQpZ46
And you can now follow him on Facebook and Twitter at @_JustinFletcher and facebook is    http://www.facebook.com/pages/Justin-Fletcher/170941312992806
We have been lucky enough to get is early and will be bringing you a full blown review over the coming days, my conissuers need time to gather their thoughts!


Wednesday 26 October 2011

Halloween...The frugal way!

Have a happy Halloween…on a budget!

What springs to mind when you think of Halloween? Carved out lanterns and apple bobbing? Or is it the more Americanised tradition of kids in spooky costumes trick or treating at night around the neighbourhood? Increasingly, the latter of the two is at the heart of Halloween and can put worry on parents when allowing children to roam the streets. So how can we keep our kids safe this Halloween?
One option, of course, is accompanying little ones on their neighbourhood visits - that way they can have fun under adult supervision. Or, why not allow the children to have fun whilst being under your watchful eye  by throwing a Halloween party?  That way the whole family can join in and have smiles on their faces!
To the kids, parties seem to come together as if by magic, but we all know there's a lot more work involved - time, patience, creativity and expense! Let’s face it, most of the time it can seem like an uphill struggle trying to gets kids' parties organised so everyone's happy. So here’s a helping hand to throw a Halloween party with minimal spend and stress!
It's easy to bring Halloween themes to life in your own home and - if you know where to look – it can be affordable too. There are plenty of websites offering handy tips and ideas for crafts and activities at Halloween. Kaboose.com is a great website with plenty of ‘how to’ guides and videos that demonstrate costume ideas and straight forward quick-makes that are fun to do together.
Another resource for inspiration are ‘Mummy’ blogs. These wonderful writers often test a whole variety of products with their kids, so it’s worth checking out their reviews on Halloween to see what products are available.
Thankfully though, Halloween products are readily available on the high street so you don’t need to head to specialist party shops for your supplies. Make sure you find a store that sells a range of inexpensive products so you can decorate the house for the party and let the kids pick up everything they need for their costumes without the cost mounting up. It is only one day of the year after all! 
Besides products, your Halloween party really needn't cost a fortune. It’s a great opportunity to recycle things from around the home; using old cotton wool as spooky spiders webs, the last bit of tomato ketchup as fake blood or a little talc to get a perfectly pale complexion. Old clothes and sheets can be recycled too and made into costumes. Or there’s the toilet roll trick - wrapping it around the body can make a very convincing Mummy! Getting into the spirit of the occasion and involving the whole family is part of the magic of the day; it needn't break the bank to keep your little witches and devils happy.
If the children do still want to head out trick or treating this Halloween, there are lots of sites like Kids Health, which offer handy tips on staying safe. From wearing bright costumes so they can be seen in the dark, to not carrying so much that they fall over . Poundland has guides you can download from its website too, with tips on throwing Halloween parties on a budget and suggestions to keep the children safe.
Wishing you a very Happy Halloween!

Great sources for Halloween party ideas:

·         www.halloweentips.com/

Amazing value products you’ll find for £1 at Poundland:





Lxx

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Stage 1 of 'operation life in order'

Don't we all find life so much easier when we all just go with the flow and never fight against the current?
For the majority of my life, including my childhood with a bossy, ' i know best' mother I've always gone along with the whatever was the easy life and now I'm fast approaching 30 its dawned on me that well, Why the chuff should i?! (yes i censored that!)
So after a very successful SENCO meeting t school this morning, even is half the people that should of been there didn't bother to turn up, it seemed to focus me on what i WANT to be doing not what i think everyone else wants me to do.
Ive booked a carpet cleaner for the lounge ( not the first thing you expected me to say I'm sure, but its LONG over due and well i don't really want to recarpet!)
I have booked me and zoe onto a toddlers music class on a monday afternoon.
I have booked elissa and emma onto a dance and drama class for children with special needs, yes you heard right! i FINALLY found something that will take emma without encouragement and that will take lis too, regardless!!!
Ive finished my Curiosity Project box.
Wrote a letter.
Sorted 3 birthdays that are due over the next month, including cards and is all wrapped and ready to go.
Ive started replanning interiors for the house again.
And I've found a holiday for Jan at a BARGAIN price that i will be rushing to book on fri!
And now you are all sat there thinking "WTF was all that fuss about!!"
Well for someone that tends to drift with the tide i feel VERY proud of myself that I've actually done something about the back log of "things to do.."
Now all thats left is my REAL life!! Still firmly got my heart set on Baby Sign Teacher but I'm worried for the outlay that i won't get the people in good ol' sunny blackpool, to buy into it.
Ive even reconsidered my passion for teaching but knowing how hard my friend found it getting a job it puts me off taking the plunge into teacher training.
As much as i love making jewellery its not a "real" business, its just a hobby that inadvertently makes me some spending money and no matter how hard i try to convince myself that in 5 years people will shop my "brand" i know its one of those far flung dreams we will never reach. The market is flooded with competition and to be honest, no matter how low my prices are and however 'unique' my look is, i will never be able to compete with the high street. We still aren't at a time where people prefer to shop online for those 'impulse' buys that jewellery is mostly consisted of.
So heres me trying to move away from all the drama, ill happily keep the shop open and let it tick over, doing orders now and again and fulfilling my wholesalers orders but other than that my heart just isn't truly in it any more. It makes me sad knowing i "work" so many hrs a week trying to make it work when clearly it just isn't going to. Im not completely disappointed, i know i did all this all by myself, with no funding or business help and I'm proud of that fact, and its been fun it truly has but i really don't want to kid myself any longer.
Stage 2 will be finding my perfect profession. Any advice greatly appreciated!!!

L x

Wednesday 12 October 2011

shouty

Today is most defiantly a shouty day!! i woke in a FOUL mood, no doubt someone wronged me in my land of slumber and i seemed to have woken up before i managed to throat punch them to justice.
Emma has been in a moany mood for 48 hours and there is only so much complaining a girl can deal with, zoe has been equally as moany but with tears thrown in for good measure. Elissa has been playing the marter, just for a change, and Mr Geek Pants has been 'asking' me (in other words politely TELLING me what to do, which for the record i HATE!) to do stuff for him that he's quite capable of doing himself!!!
I think this post should of come with a severe health warning!!
I'm currently trying to do a stock take of the items i have sent since FEB to an outlet, not the easiest of tasks when you have been a total knob and not kept proper records!! *sigh*
A VERY nice friend ..(ok totally changing the subject for a sec) told me yesterday i was an inspiration to women for juggling home life, kids, small business and my own sanity whilst looking marginally calm on the outside. I was, as you can imagine, brought to tears that such an amazing woman herself could say something so kind about little old, crazy me! But all i can think about, 12 hrs on, is that I'm so totally shit at everything i do.
This would be where a 'Doctor' would tell me how its all my mothers fault for being a total bitch to me as a child..(ok maybe not their words there!) I think ill add her to my stabby list while I'm at it!.. however its my own life choices and experiences that bring me to that conclusion. I don't sit here in an emotional mess on a daily basis but I'm not one to pass the buck. Oh don't get me wrong theres plenty of excuses i can use to be teetering on the edge on the psychotic presipis but hey who am i to judge?!
I took on the pressure of a small business to ease the financial burden on mr geek pants, yet at least once a day he'll be telling me (in a 'only cos i love you' kind of way...also HATE!) what I'm doing wrong, how cut throat i need to be to succeed and how if I'm not already rich i should call it a day! *sigh* then the minute an order rolls in he's on the band wagon again, talk about mixed messages!! I also shunt invest serious money in to it, 'Just in case' but also agrees that if i don't invest i can't grow *SIGH*
So what does a girl do faced with adversity at every turn? She bakes cakes and hides in the office at any possible opportunity, she avoids ' business talk' and pretends it doesn't matter!
But where do i want to be in 5 years time? surely thats the business plan everyone should have, a five year goal. To be fair i don't even know the answer to that. Part of me wants to be an established brand part of me just wants to be living in the country with kids with dirty knees and chickens.
Seriously, what IS a girl to do???

Tuesday 11 October 2011

A Fine Choice-Review


The lovely people over at 'A fine Choice' sent my daughter one of there amazing 350ml bottle's to trial. When it arrived i was impressed already by the quality as we have tried many of these style bottles in the past but we have had nothing but bad things to say about them!
The quality of the materials is excellent, it doesn't spill or leak if dropped and it kept Emma's juice cool during the night.
Emma loved the colour and felt very special using her ' special juice'.

These BPA water bottles come in a choice of colours, sizes and can even be personalised with a name or team or club name.
350ml, 600ml and 700ml are available to buy from there website www.afinechoice.co.uk .
There you will be spoilt for choice and find it hard to choose the perfect colour for you.
I asked Dani for a little more info about her company.

"How it all started...
As a mum (of three young kids), I always strive to find healthy, natural products for the whole family.
One day, a friend of mine told me that at her son’s school the kids drink from plastic bottles (provided by the school). Her son complained about the taste while my friend was worried about the bottles not being environmental friendly and potentially containing BPA (Bisphenol A) which could cause health problems. She loved the stainless steel water bottles my kids were using and we thought about ways to convince some schools to swap from plastic to something healthier.
I started to do some research and enquired prices of different types of non-plastic drinks bottles from various manufacturers...and that’s how I became a distributor for Green Bottle, a bpa-free water bottle from stainless steel that comes in various sizes and lots of different, beautiful designs that not only kids love.
I quickly realised that it is not only schools that might consider swapping from plastic to BPA free Water Bottles but essentially everybody!
My aim is to provide top quality, natural as well as fun products.
In short: A fine choice! "

Daniela Schaffrik
Founder and Director for “a fine choice”



Stop by www.afinechoice.co.uk and support small business.

Thanks to Dani for letting us review your amazing product and for letting us feature you on our blog.

L xx



Monday 10 October 2011

Aphrodite Wedding Shoot

Last week was the shoot with Aphrodite Weddings which i provided an abundance of jewellery for from hair slides to rings, gotta over all the bases just in case!!
We have received some images back from Tony Jones Photography and they look amazing!!
So without further a do...


 Here we have an up cycled vintage necklace, that was surprisingly originally a pair of earrings.

 A gorgeous brass tone locket necklace.

 A brass and cream pearl bracelet.

And this stunner is brass with a large amber charm.


The photos look amazing and it was great taking part in such a huge shoot!!


Other business involved:


Forever Your Bridal Boutique - foreveryours-ofrye.co.uk


Tiggy Johnson Bespoke Florist - tiggybespokeflorist.blogspot.com


Tony Jones Photography - www.tonyjonesphotography.co.uk


Home Gurr'own - www.homegurrown.com


Vintage Amethyst - www.vintageamethyst.com


Idyllic Days - -www.idyllicdays.com


The perfect starting point for all brides to be :)


L xx

Saturday 8 October 2011

Gone AWOL

I have been a naughty blogger of late and neglected my old friend and i feel i must broach this issue and rectify the problem.
With christmas fast approaching and juggling 3 kids, a wayward husband, a mental cat and my rough around the edges home, i have barely had time to glance in the mirror and smile never mind have a rant or generally, catch up with life.
So how have you been? i hope your asking. Well I've had build ups to be knocked down, played nurse, decorator, inspirer and teacher. I've been busy then not so much and all round un-talkative. Life as a full time mum then some, a wife and small business owner i wonder some times if success can ever really touch those that cannot commit to the hard slog more than snatching an hr here and ten mins there.
I do well, for what i can commit but i fear this half in half out attitude will never see me good. I have journals upon journals of designs and ideas i just never get round to with the girls needing so much of me more often than time allows, i mean jebus they even steal my sleeping time!!
Don't get me wrong i love being a mum and at times i think id be much happier if i did just shelve it til they are older, be more focused on family life but then i remember how it felt to not have anything to aim for.
I fear i am a complicated soul who worries to much and that that fact is whats holding me back. Others do it, so why can't i? Am i selling something that people just don't want? Is the jewellery market just flooded with 'look-a-likes' and newbies that theres just no room for an almost middle aged woman working her socks off!!
Changing craft wouldn't be a bad thing. I could aim at something i can do downstairs and isn't as dangerous for the kids to be involved and to be around. I could choose a more therapeutic craft so i can 'Work' at the evening without it over taking my hubby time.
Maybe I'm just a moaning cow that just can't accept that ill never be happy cos I'm far to critical of myself!
I have new jewellery ideas noted and designed ready for the christmas season. Hopefully these styles will be more of a hit and i can drop the more 'assembled' jewellery in favour of more unique designs that people seem to crave, simple, unique and classic with a touch of pretty seemed to be the consensus.
On another note, my handmade year isn't going as badly as i had thought. I have cheated and purchased a few 'new' items. Generally only being shoes and underwear and i have sold on a lot too which i hope balances this out.
As for as handmade christmas goes, I'm getting there. Planned beauty hamper for my sister filled with free gifts and samples so only the basket/hamper to buy and a gardening hamper for my sister in law which will be filled with seeds etc that are free gifts or very cheap for her little plot, i even popped in a paid of gardening gloves i was given that I've never used as i already had a pair. For my brother in law he's having a tea hamper as he loves tea! (but hey who doesn't!!!) There will be handmade jewellery and cross stitch samplers for those that are hard to buy for and I've used discount codes and freebies for the family i don't get to see. For the girls I've been grabbing sale items and ebay finds just the hubby to figure out now!!
All in all I'm pretty proud of myself, the girls have only had ebay and charity shop clothes, they spend their life in uniform now anyway! and I've only bought second hand books. Ive cut down the amount of magazines i buy and I've cut out impulse buys all together. Though i had wish i had kept a running tally of the amount of money i have saved!!

So on that bomb shell i shall retire to my mountain of ironing and alanis morrisette.
Enjoy your saturday peeps :)
(and sorry for no pics!!)

L xx

Thursday 6 October 2011

Shopping for a good cause-Shop With Love




With all the large bands jumping on the pink band wagon to support Breast Cancer Awareness, the very fabulous people over at shop With Love have released this most inspiring and most awesome pink Ribbon soap with a whopping £1 going to charity, when the soap only retails at £2.
A very worth while cause, when most people have been touched by cancer in one form or another and a gorgeous little stocking filler for your loved ones at Christmas.
Heres what Jemma at Shop With Love had to say about her charity soap...

"This curved heart soap holds Breast Cancer Care's pink soap ribbon, which has been elegantly embedded into the centre of the heart. 

This has been made to show our support of the Woman (and Men) who have been affected by breast cancer in the UK today.

£1.00 from every sale of these soaps will be donated to Cancer Research UK. We are registered and will publish the total sent at the end of  October!

This is a  very worthwhile charity, and gives a quick and easy way to donate to it whilst getting a beautiful natural soap in return! 

People can follow us on twitter: @soapswithlove for up-to-date notifications on the running total we have made! "




Now get over there and getting supporting :)


L xx