'Bling' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

So yesterday I ran my second half marathon and I have to say I loved it. I was so nervous beforehand as my training has been terrible but I was determined to give it my best shot. And it turned out to be an enjoyable race unlike the half marathon I did in September which nearly broke me! It was hard work obviously but I pootled along OK until about eleven miles when my legs just said "no more!". I decided to treat myself to a little walking break but my legs screamed at me even more and I could only manage to walk a few feet at a time before I had to run again. Anyway, I managed to conquer those last two miles and was so proud of myself as I crossed the finish line with a new PB that knocked 15 minutes of my last half marathon time. And the best bit is featured in the photo above. The best medal ever. It's right heafty old thing with the a bright pink quality ribbon. I wore it most of yesterday and even put it on again today just to check it still fitted! I hope you all had a fab weekend too.

'Spring is here' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

Well hello March. After what felt like the longest January known to man I can't believe how quickly February flew by. Due to our recent home improvement work the month was mainly spent painting and decorating and assembling flat pack furniture. But the house is starting to look really fantastic. We all have new bedrooms now and it feels like a fresh start for our house. And I am hoping that spring isn't far away - spring is the season of fresh starts and positivity I reckon. The sun is shining right now so here's hoping it sticks around for a while, makes us smile and warms us up a little.

I bought these daffodils a few days ago and yesterday they were ready to be photographed. I love spring flowers. And I love how you can pick up a bunch of daffodils for £1 and instantly bring a little bit of sunshine into your home. I might have to brighten up the house with some tulips soon too.

Hope you are having a lovely weekend and I hope spring is starting to appear wherever you are. (Unless you are reading from the other side of the world of course. Then I hope you have been having a brilliant summer.)

'My world' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

Today my husband and I are celebrating being together for 18 years. That's as old as a whole grown up. Our relationship is now old enough to drink! The past 18 years have been amazing and I feel so lucky to have found my soulmate so early on in my life (I was 19 and he was 18). I don't really know what to say other than I love him so much and am really looking forward to going out on our own tonight to celebrate.

Here is a photo I took in the summer of the three best people in the whole wide world. Happy photo of happy days. And another one that makes me think 'roll on summer'!

'A cold and frosty morning' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

I took this photo of the car this morning. It's a shame it's not perfectly in focus but I really wanted to capture those beautiful snowflake shapes of ice. It's been so cold this week but it's not snowed here. Not a single flake. I think it might actually be, as the saying goes, too cold to snow. I'm not that bothered by the lack of snow as after the initial excitement has warn off it's just a right pain in the bum. But I would love to see what my two year old makes of it. It has snowed in his lifetime but he would have been too tiny to remember it now. I think he would love it!

Wishing you a warm and happy weekend.

'St Ives' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

This summer we went on holiday to Cornwall. It was our second holiday there and I loved it just as much as I did when went last year. In fact I think I fell in love with it even more. I hope we can manage another break away down there next year. It's hard to explain why exactly but the place has really captured my heart. It's still in England but feel like a million miles away. It's just so beautiful and I love the relaxed atmosphere. As you can imagine I took one or two photos so I had better start sharing them here. Here is Porthminster Beach at St Ives. It is such a lovely sandy beach I could stay there all day. Sigh... Cornwall I miss you...

'On top of the world' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

The Easter holidays are over and that makes me sad as we had such a wonderful couple of weeks. My motto for the holiday was "A change is as good as a rest" although when my husband questioned whether this was actually true I did suggest perhaps "A change is as good as we're going to get" would be more realistic. I do think the change of routine did us all good though and the lovely sunshine definitely lifted my mood.

Here is a photograph I took of my little boy at the top of the Spinnaker tower in Portsmouth. He loved it up there and it's safe to say he's not scared of heights as he ran straight on to the glass floor and enjoyed looking down at everything below.

Here's a list of a few other things we got up to in the past few weeks.

• Ate a lot of chocolate - I think we'll be eating Easter chocolate for many weeks to come
• Did Easter crafts
• Met up with friends - it was good for my daughter to catch up with various friends she doesn't see so much now they are all at different schools.
• Watched a lot of Peppa Pig - thanks to Nick Jr 2 becoming Nick Jr Peppa throughout the month of April
• Went to soft play - two different ones and neither were that busy despite being the holidays
• Hung out with family - including seeing my youngest sister who I don't get to see very often
• Ate out lots - and had the best burger even in Cafe Rouge
• Went to gymnastics lessons
• Ran lots - that was just me though
• Shopped for clothes - got lots of summer things which I can't wear now as it's raining
• Had tea at friend's house - that was just my daughter
• Went to playgrounds - there are loads of good ones round here
• Did homework - most of that was reading which my daughter just loves to do anyway
• Went away for a few days to Southampton - a much needed break away
• Went to the Zoo - I thoroughly recommend Marwell if you are ever in the Hampshire area
• Watched films - Monsters Inc, Monsters University and Frozen are the big favourites at the moment
• Went swimming
• Celebrated my 37th birthday - and didn't feel as old as I thought I would
• Went to the seaside - Brighton of course
• Splashed in puddles - when the rain finally came on Sunday my son was really keen to try out his new wellies in some puddles
• Had picnics
• Drank wine - just the grown ups of course
• Drank champagne - well it was my birthday
• Went up the Spinnaker - see photo above
• Sailed a boat - just a little one but my daughter loved it
• Bought school summer dresses - which are currently hanging up in the wardrobe as it's not summer dress weather any more
• Painted the bathroom - it looks as shiny as new
• Cleared out my wardrobe - had to make room for the new clothes
• Hunted for Easter Eggs - and hunted for Easter bunnies too

I'm sure there other things I could mention but that'll do for now. I hope you've been having a fantastic time recently too. 

'It's all about spring' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPudlle on Flickr

I am shattered. It's all good though. It's just the sign of a fantastic first week of the Easter holidays. We have been so busy and had so much fun and I'm sad we're almost half way through now. Never mind, another fun filled week lies ahead of us. I expect I will be twice as tired by next weekend but I won't complain (yet) as I'm finding a change is indeed as good as a rest.

Happy weekend everyone. I hope you are having lots of fun in the spring sunshine!

'Mother's Day tulips' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

A Happy Belated Mother's Day to all you mothers in the UK and in any other place in the world that celebrated Mothering Sunday yesterday. I hope you had a lovely day. I had a really wonderful time and felt very spoiled. My five year old daughter is so sweet. She chose her present for me all by herself. Apparently she had her heart set on getting me a vase to put flowers in. She dragged her daddy round lots of shops on Saturday and fell in love with a glass butterfly vase which she really wanted to get for me. I tried photographing it today but was really not happy with the shots I got so here is a close up of the beautiful tulips that are currently sitting in it.

'blue skies and parasols' by Me

Photo credit: PhotoPuddle on Flickr

Kids don't care about the weather. They just want to get outside and play. Today my daughter's year did a sponsored scoot around the playing field at school. It was raining and the parents all expressed their disappointment at the rubbish weather (and by that I mean we grizzled a bit as we had to stand outside and watch). But our children were all so excited and didn't care about the rain. It was so lovely seeing them all scooting and cycling round the field. My daughter was very proud of the six laps she managed to do in the time. In the end I didn't care about the weather either.

That said I do like a nice sunny day where the skies are a perfect blue. I took this photo when we were in Brighton the other weekend. The weather that day was rather different from today. That's the funny thing about spring, you never know what what weather you are going to get. At the end of March two years ago we had a proper heatwave. I had to rush out and buy emergency sun cream, flip flops and sun hat for my daughter. And rushing anywhere wasn't easy being eight months pregnant! Then last year it snowed in March. Proper snow where the schools were closed and everyone panic bought bread and milk - because you know how the world stops if you can't have milky tea and sandwiches.

Anyway, I love this photo. It looks like it was taken somewhere exotic on holiday but really I was just sitting on a bench by the beach eating fish and chips. I looked up and thought those brollies look nice. Click. Job done!

'Polargram love' by Me

Polargram love, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Let me start by saying this definitely isn't a sponsored post. I just am really pleased with this particular photo related product and wanted to share my enthusiasm with you.

For ages I've been wanting to get my Instagram pictures printed but most companies that did it seem to be based in America and rather expensive. Then the other week I was introduced to Polargram and have been nothing but impressed with the service. It cost me £10 for 48 prints which I think is fantastic value. The ordering and payment system couldn't be more simple and they arrived much quicker than the 10 working days I was told to allow for. And most importantly the quality of the prints is excellent. The card they're printed on is great and I think the pictures themselves actually look even better than they do on my phone. I was so impressed that I ordered another set tonight. I think I'll probably keep going until I get all my Instagram photos printed. I just have to find somewhere suitably pretty to store them now!

'My Britmums Live photo that has nothing at all to do with Britmums!' by Me

My Britmums Live photo that has nothing at all to do with Britmums!, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

So this weekend I went to BritMums Live and I can honestly say it was amazing. I wanted to write this post yesterday but spent the day just processing the whole thing in my head. This was my first blogger conference and I think it’s fair to say the whole thing was rather overwhelming but totally inspiring. I met some amazing, inspirational, talented and genuinely lovely people.

I have no idea exactly how to write this so I thought I would go with the bullet points I jotted down in my notebook on the way home on the train. So in no particular order here are my thoughts on the conference.

Not all of the sessions felt particularly relevant to me or my blog but I loved the two photography ones I attended. I am now in love with iphoneography thanks to a great presentation by Richard Gray so expect a few Smartphone pictures to appear here in the future.

My last post was all about decluttering. Well that’s all gone out of the window thanks to the massive amount of freebies I brought home with me. Seriously I must have looked a sight carrying so much stuff through London. I was close to getting myself stuck in the barriers of the tube station at one point.

Bloggers are amazing people and I wish I’d met more of them and been a bit more vocal. Because I’m a tad on the shy side and it felt like no one had really heard of me (having an anonymous blog doesn’t help with this) I didn’t really make as many new friends as I would have hoped. I’m much harder to shut up on Twitter though so I’m sure I will chat with people from the weekend on there instead.

I got a feeling not a lot of people actually read my little blog but that’s fine. I honestly do blog just for me and if anyone else reads this it’s a bonus. I did give out a few business cards though so hopefully a few people will come over here for a visit.

I missed my family like crazy, especially my two children as it was the longest I’ve ever been apart from them. I definitely got the “me time” I’ve been craving for a while though which was fantastic.

There were some fantastic speakers. Katy Hill is hilarious. I love her openness and the way she is a self-confessed over-sharer. I will definitely be following her new blog. And Katie Piper is an inspirational woman. I met her when she signed her book and thought she was lovely.

And finally this weekend was really special for me as I got to finally meet my good friend Heather from Stay at Home Mum Loving It. We’ve been friends for a while now but had never actually met until this weekend. And I am pleased to report that she’s just as lovely in real life as she is online! It feel like we’ve know each other forever and I’m sure we’ll be friends for life. I now need to convince her to come and move to the south east of England as we live just too damn far apart.

I had no idea what photo to put with this but I figured it should really be one of mine. I hardly took any pictures at the event itself so here is a picture of beach huts in Cornwall. I figure this might be the first post some people read of mine so I should make it known from the start that if you follow my blog there will be beach huts!

'One from the archives' by Me

One from the archives, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I thought I'd show you this photo as it's one I took of my daughter when she was about the same age as my son is now. She's on her knees here but in fact she was just learning to walk. She first walked when she was ten months old and I've always been such a proud mummy about that. Trouble is my son is almost ten months old and whilst he's an expert crawler and very strong on his feet he's not walking and I doubt he will soon. I must admit I am finding it rather hard not to compare my two children. I know this is wrong and ridiculous, especially as one's a boy and one's a girl, but my four year old has set the bar really high - for example have I told you how great at reading she is? I need to remember that they are complete individuals and will have different strengths and weaknesses throughout their childhood and beyond. And you know what, whatever they do I know I will always be so incredibly proud of them both.

'Spring is on the way' by Me

Spring is on the way, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Spring is on the way. It really is, I can feel it. It had it's chilly moments but today was a beautiful day. The gorgeous sunshine made it a perfect day for getting some painting done at home so while hubby did that I took the kids off to the park and they had a great time. My daughter was chuffed because she found daisies to pick and these little flowers we spotted really made me smile. My daughter was sad when I said she couldn't pick them though. Here's hoping for lots more lovely days like this, especially over half term week!

'Good morning' by Me

Good morning, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

Well the new year's resolutions are going well so far. I am very proud of myself for ignoring the big pile of Christmas chocolates that are still sitting around in the kitchen staring at me. Most importantly though I remembered to take more photographs. When I pulled the curtains back this morning the most beautiful sky greeted me so I had to take a quick snap. I love morning skies like this that look like they're on fire. I am particularly pleased with this as it was taken through the window as I didn't actually have time to open it. Perhaps my windows are cleaner than I thought they were.

'Beauty on a grey day' by Me

Beauty on a grey day, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

So have you made any new year's resolutions? I don't normally make any myself. I tend to make big resolutions with myself at other points during the year just when it feels right. Sometimes this is on my birthday as getting a year old seems a perfect time to make a change. And often September is a good time of year for resolutions too. I think because even though I'm in my thirties I've never stopped thinking in school years!

Anyway, since deciding I wanted to do a post on how I don't make resolutions I seem to have accidentally made a few. Here's hoping I can keep them. I don't think they're too hard though.

My first resolution is that I don't want to go on a diet in 2013. By that I mean I have lost my baby weight and apart from a little overindulgence over Christmas I am pretty happy with what I weigh. I want to now eat sensibly so it doesn't creep up when I'm not looking and one day I suddenly can't do my jeans up.

Secondly, I want to read more. I love reading but never find the time to do it. I have a huge 'To Read' pile so it would be good to make a big dent in that.

Thirdly, I want to de-clutter my house and have a good old sort out. I know it's an impossible dream but I would love to live in a house that was tidy all the time.

And the resolution that is most relevant to this blog is that I want to make more time for photography. Other than photos of family and friends I've hardly taken any pictures in the past couple of months. I think I get put off by the bad weather. I need to learn to embrace the grey skies more like I did in the photo above. I took this on a dull day but I think it is still a great dramatic image. Also I got bought Polaroid film for Christmas so I'm going to have fun playing with that.

So tell me, what do you resolve to do (or not do) in 2013?

'My very first Flickr photo' by Me

My very first Flickr photo, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I thought tonight I wouldn't post anything festive and instead show you the very first photo I posted on Flickr. I am rather unimpressed with many of my early pictures but this one I actually really like. I find that trees can make really great subjects for photos. I love the shapes of the branches here and of course I love the blue sky.

'Trinket boxes' by Me

Trinket boxes, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I thought I would show you another 'corner of my house' style picture tonight. Here is another favourite corner of mine. I guess things here are what you would call trinket boxes as they are wooden boxes I keep bits and bobs in. The beach hut one I love because it's the closest I have come so far to owning my own beach hut. The other one I bought at a shopping party at a friends house where they were selling all kinds of pretty stuff like this. The heart at the front is actually a picture frame but I never got around to putting a photo in it as I just really like this one of the flowers in the vase. And finally there's a card which my hubby and daughter got me once just to say "we love you". It was over a year ago but I still keep it up permanently just because it makes me smile!

'Making Christmas cards' by Me

Making Christmas cards, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I think I am going to have to give in and let my husband put the Christmas tree up. It is starting to feel rather festive around here. The festiveness really got underway last night when my hubby surprised me with a meal out, just us two. This was fantastic as we NEVER go out together on our own in the evening. We had a delicious meal in a lovely restaurant and it felt all Christmassy because we had turkey dinner and pulled crackers.

This morning it snowed, not for long and it didn't settle, but the flakes were really big and it did seem rather magical. Then this afternoon my daughter and I spent about three hours making Christmas cards. She worked so hard as she wanted to make the cards and write them all herself. Oh and whilst we were doing this we had the music channels on playing Christmas tunes.

So to conclude, I think Christmas is here and I like it.

'Bright flowers' by Me

Bright flowers, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

I wanted to post this photo of mine today as these flowers are just so damn colourful. I need a bit of colour to brighten up what has been a very grey, cold and wet few days. You've got to love the British weather. In my last post I said give it a few weeks and it'll really feel like it's winter but actually I only needed to give it a few days. I'm now not sure if I'm brave enough to check the weather forecast for tomorrow. Perhaps, I should just accept that I'll probably be all cold and soggy for the foreseeable future! Anyone fancy a hot chocolate to warm up?

'The bead box' by Me

The bead box, a photo by PhotoPuddle on Flickr.

My baby boy is starting to get very mobile. He's not actually crawling yet but he's getting everywhere by rolling and kind of shuffling on his belly. This means it really is time to put all the small things away which is really hard when you have a four year old in the house. I can't believe how many little toys she owns, such as Hello Kitty and Moshi Monster figures, Barbie accessories and of course those annoying little toys that come off the front of comics. I have told her that all these kind of things have to live in her room now but we'll just have to see how that goes! Nap time is very exciting though as it means we are free to get out all the less than suitable for a seven month old activities. Today we had the Lego out and the other day we got busy making jewellery with a huge box of beads!

Here is a snapshot of the beads. I am pleased to say that none of them escaped or ended up in our baby boys little mouth!