Saturday 31 January 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 5

This has been a busy week filled with birthdays, shopping and more home improvements. Freya turned 7 and I am now one year away from my 30's and contemplating just what I need to get done before the year is done.

The girls continue to do well at school, winning prizes for stranger danger posters and going up in reading levels, couldn't be more proud.

Daddy Hazelden and I seem to have got ourselves a little addiction as we find ourselves visiting The Range and Dunelm Mill far too often (not good for the bank balance!) but the house is slowly coming together with all the little purchases.

Day 25

Freya's birthday and her best present, a tub of pic n mix lol.

Friday 30 January 2015

Turning Something Old Into Something New

Moving into a house is an expensive time, especially when there are lots of things that need doing around the house and furniture that needs to be bought. Trying to do things on a budget can prove difficult but there is a way to save the pennies simply by taking your old furniture and transforming it into to something new and shiny.

The latest project in our house was to get Elise's wardrobe painted, making it match in with the rest of her bedroom.

pink wardrobes

Thursday 29 January 2015

Shaking Up My Wake Up #BreakfastWeek

Did you know it's national breakfast week? Well if you didn't you do now!! To celebrate Nestle Cereals challenged some bloggers to 'Shake Up Their Wake Up'. How you ask? The idea is that the kids and I needed to mix up our favourite Nestle cereals and give the tasty concotion a new name.

Wednesday 28 January 2015

Imprify Photo Book Review

I love taking photos and since starting the project 365 project last year the number I take has risen immensely. All the images that I snap are taken on my mobile. The trouble is, is that I am lazy I tend to let the amount of photographs I capture pile up on my phone and then never do anything with them. This is partly because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to upload them all onto the computer to enable me to create things like photobooks online. Then I was asked if I would like to review an Imprify photo book.

imprify

Eat Clean Live Well Book Review

This year I have been on a 'healthy' kick, getting myself back into eating well and doing regular exercise. The trouble I have when it comes to eating better foods is that I tend to start gravitating to the same meals over and over, you know salads and this leads on to me eventually getting bored and giving into the temptation of junk food. So when I was asked if I would like to review the Eat Clean Live Well book by Terry Walters, I was hoping this would lend a helping hand on keeping on the right path.

eat clean live well

3 Minute Belly Blitz DVD Giveaway

3 minute belly blitz
If you hadn't noticed I've started my new year in a healthy way, eating better and getting my bum off the couch. I've never been confident enough to go to the gym so I always opt for exercise DVDs, my collection is always growing and my latest purchase is Charlotte Crosby's 3 minute belly blitz.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this one. The DVD includes 12 rounds of workouts, each one lasting 3 minutes. There is also a 10 minute extra workout for your abs and an included diet plan to get you off on the right foot.

Now 3 minutes might not sound a lot but I was left sweating after just the warm up. Each round has a beginner and a hard version and you even have the option of choosing which round you'd like to do so you can either do a couple, half or if feeling energised you can do the hole dvd.

My favourite rounds are 5, 7 and 12!! Two weeks of doing it and I am definitely noticing a difference in my figure.

Tuesday 27 January 2015

Weekly Weigh In 27.01.2015

It's that time of the week again and I have to say I've been left feeling really disheartened after my weigh in. I didn't lose anything at all.

Now I have to admit I had a couple of glasses of wine and a slice of birthday cake over the weekend and I was already feeling guilty about having them but now I'm left feeling even worse. The only positive to take from this is that I didn't gain anything so I guess you could say I broke even.

I think I'm more disappointed because although I allowed myself a treat, I really worked on the exercise doing more every day but I'm not giving up.

It is my birthday today so I am going to allow myself a chocolate bar that has been sitting in the fridge for a few weeks now and then I'm back on that wagon.

Exercise wise I think I did well. I went for a couple of early morning runs and kept up with the exercise dvds, a mix of 30 day shred and 3 minute belly blitz.  I am going to add in more weight work along with the cardio and resistance this week.

Monday 26 January 2015

Read With Me 2015 #4

Hey there. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. So what have you all been reading this week?? I was doing really well, reading one book a day, well that was until Friday when the hubby had his days off work.

read with me
One of my favourites from last week was Bright Side by Kim Holden - another emotional read but one that had me totally engrossed, just read the blurb :

Secrets. 
Everyone has one. 
Some are bigger than others. 
And when secrets are revealed, 
Some will heal you ... 
And some will end you. 

Kate Sedgwick’s life has been anything but typical. She’s endured hardship and tragedy, but throughout it all she remains happy and optimistic (there’s a reason her best friend Gus calls her Bright Side). Kate is strong-willed, funny, smart, and musically gifted. She’s also never believed in love. So when Kate leaves San Diego to attend college in the small town of Grant, Minnesota, the last thing she expects is to fall in love with Keller Banks. 

Saturday 24 January 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 4

Can't believe we are already on to week 4 for project 365, this week has certainly been a chilly one. I would say it has been a quiet week, we've had rain, snow and plummeting temperatures so we've not ventured out much, although sometimes doing nothing can be refreshing.

Daddy Hazelden has been working all week, boo!!! This means I've had to walk everywhere, my hands have spent a lot of time feeling quite numb. However we did manage to get out for dinner last night to celebrate my birthday early as he'll be working on my actual birthday on Tuesday, boo again!!

We celebrated my mums birthday on Wednesday and tomorrow we will be celebrating Freya's birthday, how has she grown to be seven already??!! January is a busy month when it comes to birthdays.

Day 18

Freya was off to a friends birthday party, here she is striking a pose and looking far too old for my liking.

Friday 23 January 2015

New Carpets Can Transform a Room

When we were looking around what is now our home, one of the things we weren't keen on was the carpet. The colour just wasn't us and dare I say it, it just look more ideal for and older person. However the owners were telling us it's good carpet blah blah blah and in the end when we looked at the cost of changing it we were tempted to stick with it. That was until the day we moved in….

Well first of all just let me show you colour.


You are porbably thinking it's not that bad, well then we noticed this…

Thursday 22 January 2015

Hint of Chilli Carrot Crisps

I find my snacking is what really lets me down when it comes to losing weight. Like others, I find it hard to resist the junk food, why do chocolate and crisps have to taste so good? So I've been searching the web to find some healthy alternatives that will trick my mind into thinking I'm having something a little bit naughty!! On my search I found carrots crisps but on they're own they sounded a little bland so I added a little something to spice them up…

hint of chilli carrot crisps

Wednesday 21 January 2015

December's Degustabox, What's Inside?

Last year I was so lucky to receive Degustabox over a few months. I mean who doesn't love a good surprise and even better when it contains some yummy edable treats. December's box was no exception, just take a look what I got inside…

The Chia Co Oats + Chia £1.70 - I am a huge fan of both porridge and chia seeds so to get them in a lovely package together is perfect. These are perfect for anyone on diets as you only need to add water so they are low in calories, high in protein and packed with flavour.

Puzzle Club Review

As my kids get older I find it increasingly hard to get them interested in learning. They would much rather be sat watching a film on Netflix or playing away on their tablets. One of the latest magazines to hit the market, Puzzle Club, aims to solve this problem by making learning fun.

puzzle club magazine

Littlest Pet Shop Style Sets Review

My girls love to watch The Littlest Petshop cartoon on the TV so when I was given the chance to review one of the newest toy sets featuring some of their favourite characters, I just couldn't refuse.

the littlest petshop

Tuesday 20 January 2015

Weekly Weigh In 20.1.2015

Does anyone else feel when they are trying to lose weight that the weeks seem way longer than normal? I don't know if that is because of the thougt of jumping on the scales every week or because I am thinking more about what I do in my days that will affect my weight now?

I was quite proud of myself this week because the hubby had his days off during the week and he is one of these people that can eat what he likes and not think about the food he's eating so whilst he was opting for McDonalds for lunch, I declined and went home and had soup instead. And when he was snacking on crisps and chocolate in the evening I was eating nuts and celery sticks. My will power  and determination has definitely increased.

But has my will power made a difference?

The scales tell me that I've lost 2lb which I'm really pleased with. I think 1-2lb a week is a good and steady loss.

So what's the plan for this week?

Exercise wise I think I want to add in more weight based workouts as my main aim is to tone up rather than lose massive amounts of weight. I've started using hand weights whilst doing my normal exercise DVDs to increase the intensity of them.

Food wise I feel happy to continue the way I have been. Although I am due to go out both Friday and Saturday night for a meal and I don't know what will be on the menu but I think I will opt for the healthiest meal that I can choose. One thing I have noticed with my food intake is the difference cutting out bread has made. I've noticed a distinct difference in bloating and stomach cramps since not eating it, maybe something for others to consider?

Here's a snap shot of what I was eating last week :

Monday 19 January 2015

Read With Me 2015 #3

Hello. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. Firstly thank you to all those who linked up last week, it was lovely to see the regulars but also a couple of new participants too!!

read with me
I'm pleased that so many of you are finding some recomendations, increasing those 'to be read' lists.

I've found this link a great place to find authors that I perhaps would never have heard of otherwise.

So what have I been reading recently?

Unlit Star by Lindy Zart - A very emotional read, full of wonderfully meaningful sayings that really get you thinking, I highly recommend this one!!

The Mason List by S D Henderson - A cleverly written book that has you moving between past and present but the ending isn't quite what you'd expect.

Saturday 17 January 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 3

Week 3 Project 365. So what have we been up to this week?

Well my weight loss journey has continued, I've kept up the healthy eating and exercise and even bought some more weights, workout clothing and exercise dvds.

The girls have been busy at school. Elise started going to Lego club this week, it was nice for her to have some time away from her sisters. And Gracie is finally starting to recognise her numbers properly which is a huge achievement for her and a proud moment for me.

While at home the improvements continue, new carpet has been laid where it desperately needed it, more pictures have been hung and Elise finally got her bedroom sorted with a shiny new bed to boot.

Day 11

This weeks attempt at a group photo, there's always one that looks the wrong way!!

Friday 16 January 2015

Guide to Transforming Your Fire Surround

This year is all about home improvement. We bought our first home in December and now we are looking to do it up where we can. The theme I have in mind is blacks, whites and greys, a nice clean look. We are trying to do things on a budget and first up on the list was the fire surround in our living room. I wanted to transform it from the beech wood colouring to white and this post shows you just how easy it was to do.

Thursday 15 January 2015

4 Overnight Oats Flavour Combinations

Overnight oats, a simple to make breakfast that is not only delicious but nutricious too. This convinient "summer porridge" can be made into so many different flavours and is perfect if you have little time in the mornings.

overnight oats

I can't believe I didn't discover this sooner.

Wednesday 14 January 2015

January Children's Book Round Up

I was lucky enough to be sent a lovely bundle of books from Little Tiger Press over the festive period.

Book post is the best, even when the books aren't specifically for me. I love watching my daighter's faces as they get engrossed in a good story and get excited by the tale infront of them

After taking the time to sit down and read them with the girls I thought I'd share my thoughts with you, well not just mine, the girls had plenty to say too.

The books I received were Kiss (My Little World), Badger and The Great Storm by Suzanne Chiew and Caroline Pedler and Angela Nicely (Pupple Love) by Alan Macdonald.

These stories are each aimed at different age ranges, stemming from baby up to around 10 years old but they are all equally wonderful and perfect for families to read together.

Win a Aynsley Owl and the Pussycat Money Box

It's the time of the year where we all think about how we should have saved our money better throughout the year so that our bank balances didn't look so poorly after Christmas. And surely we should be teaching our kids about saving their pennies too.

I've started to introduce the idea of doing chores and earning pocket money to my eldest two daughters and they have just the place to store their hard earned pennies, their money boxes.

Now if this idea sounds good to you, then I have a fantastic competition for you to enter. House of Fraser have kindly allowed me to give away one of the Aynsley Owl and Pussycat money boxes worth £24.95 to one lucky reader.

Tuesday 13 January 2015

Weekly Weigh In 13.1.15

One week in to my "diet" and I have to say I feel better in myself and the weekly weigh in wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

The scales are closer to being my friend again as apparently after all my hard work I managed to lose 2lb. I am yet to take measurements as I still need to get a tape measure but I don't feel as bloated now.

So with that in mind, how am I going to go forward this week?

Exercise wise I am continuing almost the same. I'm exercising every day except Sunday (it is the day of rest after all) but I am going to increase the amount of time I'm exercising for. I was only doing around 20 minutes each morning, so now the plan is to exercise for 40 minutes at a time. I've just added to my exercise dvd collection too with Charlotte Crosby's 3 minute belly blitz.

Food wise, I've been surprised at how little I have missed the junk food. I treated myself to a hot chocolate and some nougat on Saturday but apart from that, nothing naughty passed my lips. Although I find myself thinking about food in general more. I've been taking photos of the food I'm eating, like a visual food diary, I think that has helped keep me on track.

Here's a snapshot of what I've been eating :

healthy meals

Monday 12 January 2015

Read With Me 2015 #2

Hello. Welcome to this weeks Read With Me. It was so nice to see so many of you back and linking up last week. I really do appreciate each and every one of you stopping by.

I was a bit of a reading machine last week.

Having set my Good Reads reading challenge for 150 books again this year, I caught the reading bug immediately again.

I have actually read 14 books already this month.

My favourites from last week were :

Raze by Tillie Cole

and

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.  I've only read one other of JoJo's books and I loved it. This book was even better, it had me ugly crying and that's not a bad thing.

Saturday 10 January 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 2

Week 2 of project 365 has arrived already. This year seems like it is going to be another one that just flies by!!

So what have we been up to? Well the kids are back to school and routine is well and truly back in place.

Poor old Daddy Hazelden also went back to work after a 2 week break, 5 night shifts in and he's finding it hard going. This is the point where I wish we could win the lottery!!

And me, well I've given myself a kick up the bum and have cut out the junk food and dusted off my trainers in a bid to get myself back to being fit and healthy, this is reflected my photos this week.

Day 4

The girls finally got around to decorating the chocolate baubles the the received in their stockings at Christmas.

Friday 9 January 2015

Saving Money After Christmas

I don't know about you but I have the Christmas blues and so does my bank balance apparently. I love giving and receiving presents but it would be nice if we didn't have to spend money on anything else over the festive period, a nice month off from paying bills.

It has been particularly hard for me this year as we moved into our new house in the middle of December so the bills have already started to pile up.You know those dreaded brown envelopes that come in the post, the ones that want to take all your hard earned money, yep those pesky things.

And I'm sure you've noticed the prices of household utilities seem to go up year on year but I don't feel like I'm getting anything extra for the money that I'm paying.

A survey conducted by Santander recently actually revealed some quite shocking results when it comes to paying household bills. Just take a look at the infographic below :

How Not To Take a Couples Photo

I am not the best person to take pictures of, I tend to be the one behind the camera, however every so often I do get the urge to have a nice photo taken, you know for those all important profile pictures!! Now when I say I'm not that photogenic my dear husband likes to take it to another level, he's not one to strike a serious pose so taking a couples photo is even more difficult than getting a good old selfie of just me.

We were out for dinner the other night with some friends of ours so we took the opportunity to have one of them take our photo.

Here's a few images you don't want to be capturing :

The I've gone to sleep one.

Thursday 8 January 2015

Tomato and Onion Egg Muffins

If you've read my blog this year, you will know that I am on a quest to get healthy!! Food plays a major part in this so I thought I'd start sharing with you some of the recipes that I am trying in a bid to eat better. One of those recipes is for egg muffins.

Now I have opted for tomato and onion ones but the great thing about this quick and easy recipe is that you can put in any ingredients to you like. You can make them meaty, cheesy or packed full of vegetables.

These tasty little treats can be made in advance and heated up later and they make the perfect speedy on the go breakfast or a scrummy snack to keep your energy levels up.

tomato and onion egg muffins

Wednesday 7 January 2015

Sofia the First Interactive Storybook Review

One of the items that I was lucky enough to be able to review last year was the LeapPad 3. This has fast become one of my girls favourite toys, my youngest calls it her iPad. The experience of using it has been made better by the games/apps that we've been able to download. One of the latest apps to appear on our LeapPad is the brand new Sofia the First Interactive Storybook.

This is what is typically known as an ebook but you will soon learn that this storybook is so much more.

Available as a download or in cartridge form, it is suitable for all LeapPads so no Sofia fans have to miss out.

sofia the first interactive storybook

Dapper Animals Colouring Book Review

As a kid I enjoyed colouring and my love for colouring didn't deplete as I got older. It has been said that colouring can be a brilliant stress reliever. You'll often find me beside my own children colouring in pictures with them, although as relaxing as it is, you can watch my face freak out when they don't stay in the lines.

I was recently sent a colouring book from GMC distribution. Priced at £5.99 each, there are 9 different books available including day of the dead and travel landmarks, I was sent the Dapper Animals edition.

dapper animals colouring book

These books are made for adults but you can still share with the kids ;)

Tuesday 6 January 2015

Time This Couch Potato Got Fit

It's January, you know that month where we all suddenly decide we need to get fit and start eating healthy. Well I too am jumping on the band wagon, it's time that this old couch potato finally got fit.

This time last year I was saying almost the exact same thing but I was lacking something, well two things actually, will power and focus.

I haven't been shy about putting photos of my body on my blog in the past but this year I feel more embarrassed and I'm not willing to put those images out there just yet, however the photo I took this morning has certainly given me a huge kick up the bum to actually quite moaning about my body and instead to do something about it.

Monday 5 January 2015

Read With Me 2015 #1

Hello and welcome to the first Read With Me of 2015. I considered not restarting it this year but my love for books gave me the nudge to continue.

read with me
So how was everyones Christmas? Did you get much chance to read any books?

I've already set up my latest Good Reads challenge, I'm hoping to read atleast 150 books again this year, so far I'm 4 for 4.

The books I got so engrossed in were :

Sound Advice by L B Dunbar

and

Never Been Ready by J L Berg

Both have a romantic theme running through them but there are also other issues covered which give the stories more depth.

Saturday 3 January 2015

Project 365 2015 Week 1

I am so excited to be starting project 365 again this year. I'll be changing it up a little this time, my lovely daughters will still feature but there will be a mixture of photographs, I'm hoping by doing things this way that it will keep it interesting for both myself and for those of you who choose to take a look.

We've started off 2015 how we mean to move forward, with home improvements. Mixed in with trying to fill ourselves up with the leftover food and drink from Christmas and recovering from yet more sickness bugs, here's to a good year everybody.

Day 1

The first room of the house to get some much needed TLC is my eldest daughter's. New coving, repainting and soon to come, new carpet. She will finally have a space of her very own.