My top Cath Kidston Autumn/Winter 2015 picks

I don't know about you, but I much prefer Autumn to Summer and Spring. Perhaps it's because I am a teacher and Autumn always marks a new start, a new academic year, new classes, new timetable, new stationery, new boots etc. I love the first chill in the air and getting candles lit on a snuggly, cold Saturday afternoon whilst curled up on the sofa. I also prefer Autumn clothes; I don't like strappy tops and shorts, they just don't do anything for me at all. I much prefer chunky tights, knee high boots and dresses, so half way through the Summer holidays I have started thinking about Autumn and the new school year. 

As you know, I  LOVE Cath Kidston. My love and indeed, obsession, has definitely grown over the past few years. I now own 6 dresses! I never used to even bother looking at the fashion section, but now I have to steer myself away from it as I want it all. I put about 10 items in my basket tonight but I decided to not buy for the sake of it and in the end I ended up buying something that wasn't in my original basket.

There are hundred, literally hundreds of new items for A/W 2015; I couldn't actually believe the amount of pages there was - I don't remember that many for S/S. I've decided to highlight what my favourites are and what *may* end up in our house over the next couple of months.... I've found though that if you love it, buy it straight away as things go out of stock so quick - for example I really wanted the Cowboy dress, but it's already gone in most sizes!

Anyway, here are my absolute favourites....

Posy drop waist dress £45

Penguin Lace Knickers £7

Bramley Sprig Nightwear Leggings £28

I

Billie Goes To Town dress £65

Squirrels Travel Purse £12

Woodland Rose cake stand £36

Sausage dog cup and saucer £16

Dino kids long sleeve t-shirt £15

Dino kids hoodie £24

Sausage Dogs kids backpack £28

Knitted Dinosaur £16

Billie Goes To Town set of 4 notebooks £12

Since starting to write this post I may have purchased a few of these items!! 

Week 5 on Weight Watchers

So I've been doing this for a month now and I am really into it. I can often guess the points correctly-ish in a food and I am no longer starving all the time. I am really enjoying and feel like I am making a really positive change. Nothing has been off limits, especially wine and I think that helps - if I felt deprived then I wouldn't stick to it. I even managed a weekend away and managed to keep within budget, expect for one portion of chips! So I really haven't done too badly. 

This weeks weigh in result was: 

Technically, this is week 5, but the meeting wasn't on last week due to it being TT week here, so it was my fourth weigh in. I am really pleased once again, especially as it was the holidays and I did have a bit more wine that I didn't point and one glass of cider that I didn't point, so overall I did really well. I definitely think the walking is helping, and on average I am earning 10 activity points a day from my Fitbit. The points for this I was saving, but I did go into them over the holidays. 

I have some great recipes to share next week and last weekend I made a Chinese fakeaway - so yummy, lower in calories and cheaper too! 

Week 3 on Weight Watchers

So, I know I am very behind now and I've combined two weeks together, but....

So overall, in 3 weeks, I've lost 8.5lb. My goal for 4 weeks in was 8lb so I'm really pleased! 

However, last week there was no weigh in as it was half term here, so I *may* have had some treats, however, I have pointed everything except one bottle of wine and a Reese's peanut butter cup pack. So I am really hoping I have still managed to lose something, if I haven't then fine, I am back on it now after the holidays. 

I also bought myself a Fitbit, which is one of the best things I have ever bought! I can sync it with my Weight Watchers app and it calculates for me how many activity points I have earned, which I think is more reliable to go by then my own working out. 

So tonight is weigh in 4, but week 5. Fingers crossed for a loss! I have lots of new recipes to share as well, some really yummy but low calories ones too!

Week One on Weight Watchers

I am actually a week behind, as my first weigh in was last week and the second one is tonight, but anyway...

So, for my first ever proper week on Weight Watchers I lost:

I was actually pretty surprised. Especially, as the night I first joined I promptly went home and drank a bottle of wine! Haha. Although, to be fair to myself, I did work hard and perhaps I was a little stricter with portions etc, but I am super chuffed and it is certainly a good start. 

In terms of following the plan, it has actually been really easy so far. The first week I was a bit hungry, but I really do think that is down to smaller portion sizes. I could still eat what I want basically, but in much more moderation. I didn't realise before but our portion sizes were basically obscene. Also, having curry with rice, chips and naan bread is really just greedy! So I have made lots of small, positive changes which even when (if) I am not on Weight Watchers I would stick to. I am loving sweet potato wedges instead of chips or normal wedgies and they are really tasty. I still managed to have curry last week, but with a smaller portion of rice and half a naan. I have been doing so much walking too, I am averaging about 10 miles a week, which I know is no distance really, but again it's a good start and I am really enjoying it. 

The big thing for me is wine. I am missing it! It's definitely a lifestyle habit that I need to break and whilst I haven't cracked and had wine during the week, it's definitely been tempting, especially with bank holidays and indeed the half term holidays coming up. So, it's challenging at times, but I never dreamt it would be easy. 

I have had one set back which I am actually pretty gutted about. I was calculating a porridge pot for breakfast at 2 pro points. I kept thinking to myself this can't be right and last night I recalculated and it came out as 6 points! So that means for the past 7 days I have had 4 points more every day than I should. I put it all on the tracker on the app and it used all my activity points and took me down to minus 8. Thankfully Wednesday is the start of a new week so at least I can start all over today, but I am just really upset that I had been working so hard and feel like it's ruined without even knowing! Anyway, tonight is my second weigh in so I will see how I've done then! I really want to have lost something at least, as I am away this weekend and it would be nice to be able to have a guilt free treat! 

Getting out of the bad habit cycle

I haven't written a blog post in quite some time, verging on three months. I wanted some time away from it to be honest, I needed to get a few things sorted personally, before I wanted to think about this blog and what I want to do with it. To be honest, and I'm sorry it's a bit of a cliche, but I felt a bit lost in the blogging world. I don't get involved with blogging type events and I don't have time for twitter! But I do want to blog and I do want to write things. I needed to stop feeling guilty about the topics I thought about writing; this blog isn't really for anyone but me. it's so incredibly lovely if people do take the time to read it, but primarily I write for me, somewhere to put what I want to record.

Anyway, I thought that this would be a good place to record my weight loss journey. About six weeks ago I decided that I had had enough of my skinny jeans being too tight to fasten and my belly being visible in anything I wear. Since I stopped breast feeding Charlie, the weight has just piled back on and I've gone from a comfortable 14 to an uncomfortable size 16+.  There's nothing wrong with being a size 16, but I just wasn't happy.

So, I bought some trainers. That was a start. And eventually I just said "right I'm doing this." And I put them on and walked two miles! I actually shocked myself. I was taking some dresses to a lady I know who takes them up for me and I thought, I could actually walk this rather than then get in the car. So I did. I then walked another two miles two nights later. Then I walked 3 miles and then last Sunday I did four miles. I'm slowly building my stamina and capability and I am really enjoying it. That's the thing. I ENJOY it, me walking, who knew?! To say my mother is shocked is probably and understatement, but I couldn't just continue to sit on the sofa every night, drinking wine and eating sour skittles. Whilst I don't eat much junk food and I always make fresh meals, I was still eating and drinking myself into an early grave. My energy was zero and all I wanted to do of an evening was slump in front of the telly. Plus I was fed up of my wobbly belly.

Last week, spurred on by how much better I was starting to feel I decided to join Weight Watchers. I need to be more careful with what I eat, particularly in terms of portion size and I needed the drive to do it. When I got on the scales I was actually shocked.  What I weigh has actually never  bothered me, as I know it's not just about that, but when the lady weighed me I could not actually believe what the scales said. I am now officially heavier than I have ever been, even when I was pregnant! So I was glad I had gone as it is just what I need to kick start a better way of eating.

I did contemplate Slimming World, but for me, Weight Watchers is more about a change in lifestyle and eating habits than it is a diet. For example, portion size is something that I will continue to look at, even if (or when!) I reach my goal weight.

Weight Watchers operate a system called Pro-Points, whereby every food and drink has a point value, starting at 0 upwards. Everyone is allowed a certain number of points depending on their weight and height. I am on the minimum (presumably as I am only just 5ft), which is 26 per day. You then also get an extra 49 points to use over the week. Remarkably, I was told that you have to use the 26. Which, if you think about, makes sense, as that's the minimum your body needs to get the nutrients it needs. The 49 can be split over 7 days, or you can save them (like I will!) for the weekend etc. Also, any exercise you do adds points too and you can either choose to spend those points on food and drink or bank them. If you bank them, then you should lose weight quicker. It's really flexible and there's also something called Filling and Healthy Days, which look good if you don't want to count points for a day or so. So I am really pleased, I'm feeling positive and motivated and I am really looking forward (with trepidation!) to my first weigh in on Tuesday. I am going to share my weight loss on here; I want to be able to look back and see what I have (hopefully) achieved. I also want to share meal ideas with people and hopefully find other people who are doing the same journey with me!

This is a new change of lifestyle and it is something that I have to stick to. I am realistic, there will be times when I don't follow the plan, like if I am on holiday. But I now realise, that it's ok to have treats, but then you get back on track. The one thing that will be hard, is wine. I am restricting myself, especially at the beginning, to wine nights only on Friday and Saturday. Hubby and I had got in the habit of drinking on a Thursday as it was the darts night, then obviously Friday and Saturday were wine nights, then I liked a drink with a roast dinner on a Sunday and then hubby would say it's football on Monday, so we'd have a few drinks and to be honest, it was getting ridiculous. Also, it was getting expensive! Once I start to see the weight come off a bit, I will perhaps have the odd glass on a Sunday and of course there will be treats and exceptions, but for the norm, I am giving up drinking through the week.

No food, technically, is off limits on WW, you just have to factor it in either to your daily points or your weekly points. To give you an idea of how this works, I have shared my last two days worth of meal plans with you below. My goal is 8lb in 4 weeks, so fingers crossed I have lost something at my first weigh in!

As you can see, it IS do-able and you can have treats! I am saving mine for wine, but think of all the extra food you could have if you weren't!

Birthday Wish List

With a birthday coming up, now's as good a time as any to put together a little wish list of what I am coveting.

1. Cath Kidston Farm Print Dress £75 2. Cath Kidston Little Birds plimsolls £24 3. Urban Decay Naked 3 pallette £38 4. Pandora March birthstone ring £40 5. Cath Kidston Cloud and Sunshine print lunch boxes £8 6. Pandora heart ring £35 7. Cath Kidston Cloud print biker bag £55 8. Cath Kidston Cloud print travel cup £8 9. Cath Kidston Paradise Bunch dress £75

In hindsight, this list should have been called the 'Cath Kidtson Wish List' since there are quite a few items on there from CK! I love CK at the moment; there are some beautiful new prints and I have a wish list the size of the shop! I was in Liverpool last week and nipped in to the shop - oh my word it was amazing. As I was with my mum she *may* have picked me a few bits up from my wish list ready for my birthday next week!

My actual birthday is a work day and to make it even better, it's also Year 11 parents' evening! So I won't really be celebrating on the actual day, besides, Charlie's birthday is the day after mine so we will focus on him and then hubby and I have a lovely lunch booked for the Saturday afternoon - just the two of us!
I'm so excited as my family are coming to visit tomorrow (boat permitting!) and we have Charlie's bouncy castle birthday party on Saturday - he is going to have so much fun! So it''s going to be a lovely couple of weeks, even if my actual birthday will be a bit rubbish!

Recipe Time: Slow cooker Lasagne

So, before I show you the recipe, I should say, that yes, I too was a bit confused about slow cooker Lasagna - but I tried it and it worked and it was yummy! The reason for me having to seek this out, was that our oven broke just after Christmas and I had planned to make Lasagna and I still wanted it! So, after seeing it done on a face book page I am on, I adapted the recipe, to my normal Lasagna recipe and put it in the slow cooker. I was pretty impressed with how well it turned out and, indeed how nice and crispy it went on the top like normal. Lots of you asked me for the recipe, so here it is:

A Day in The Life Of A Teacher

Some of you will know, if you've been here before, that I am a teacher. I teach English in a secondary school on the Isle of Man. I am always interested to read other teachers' blogs and find out how similar or how different their day is to mine. So, here is what an average day for me looks like.

I generally arrive at school about 8.15. This may seem late to some teachers, but I can't drop my son off with the childminder before that. School officially starts at 8.50 so I have about half an hour to check the school register and report system, which will tell me if I am cover for an absent teacher in my free lessons, check emails, photocopy what I need for the day and have a cup of tea! Two days a week we have a whole staff briefing at 8.40 too. 

The day begins with registration at 8.50; I have a Year 7 group, so I take the register, check everyone is ok, sort out planners, equipment, notes queries etc and then I send them on their way at 9.10.

Then lessons start, we have two lessons before break, a 15 minute break and then two more lessons before lunch finally at 12.45. I throw some food down me, before sitting either in my classroom or our office and making sure I am ready for the afternoon's lessons. I also do one lunch duty a week, where I supervise the queues in the cafeteria and one lunch time club for Year 7. After lunch, we then have a 10 minute registration period with our tutor groups and then it's two more lessons before the students go home at 3.40. Once a week, the staff then have a meeting. This could be a subject meeting, a tutor meeting or a whole staff meeting. Our school is on a split site, so once a week, the staff in our building have to trek to the other building for a briefing. This is lovely in Summer, not so much in Winter when it's snowing or icy. 

Throughout all of this,  I have five free lessons a week. I say'free' but free teachers often get taken for cover, to supervise classes of absent teachers  and, even though you don't have to teach that class, just supervise it, it still means you don't necessarily get done what you had planned. 

When I am actually free, I may plan lessons and resources, get photocopying done, reply to emails, telephone parents, mentor students, have mini meetings with the staff in our department, mark books or assessments, put displays up, plan for open evenings or parents' evenings, set targets for students, The list goes on and is seemingly never ending. There is never a day I sit down at my computer in my frees and wonder what I could do. I always have a to do list and whilst things are being ticked off, other tasks are being added to it. 

I love my job. I love what I do, I love that it fits in around having children, as I can spend the holidays with my son, but it's not really a family friendly career. I'm fortunate that I have been doing this for nearly 10 years, so I don't have to do things from scratch. But it's still time consuming and it can't all be done in the school day. Inevitably, I have to get my laptop out once Charlie is in bed. 

I've said before on here, it really winds me up when people say why do teachers moan as they get all those holidays. And yes, there's no denying it. However, we don't get paid to be off. And each half term is so intense, I don't know if teachers could actually function without a regular break. I'm not saying other jobs aren't like that; indeed, I believe that employees don't get enough holidays anyway. 

So, anyway, that's my average day as a teacher - is yours different? 

Cath Kidston skirts, spotty satchels and gin #LittleLoves

Welcome to this week's little loves post.

Read

I haven't read any books since well before Christmas when I finished Must Have Been the Mistletoe. However, I have read lots of lovely blogs this week and so I thought I would share the posts from these blogs that I have really enjoyed:

1. Write Like No One's Watching. Everyone loves Charlotte's blog and it's easy to see why. My favourite post from Charlotte this week was this one here which is her birthday wish list! I have a birthday coming up soon too, so it was interesting to see what was on her list.

2. Life As Our Little Family. My favourite post from this blog was this one here about focus. Sometimes we lose focus or track of what;s important, getting so caught up in bills or deadlines or homework etc. Kerri-Ann talks about how she is going to make this year more about 'Being More in 2015' It was a really interesting and enjoyable read and I have also made similar plans in my head.

3. To Become Mum. Kelly wrote a post this week, for her PIP theme, about 'me time.' I don't know about you, but as a mum we sometimes to forget to look after ourselves, especially without feeling guilty about it.

Watched

Oh my goodness, Broadchurch. I know it is getting mixed reviews for series 2 and, whilst I don't think it's as good as series 1, I am so enjoying it!

Heard

I was trawling through my old Ipod the other day, ready to sell it, and came across Amy Winehouse's album that I'd forgotten was on there. This is my favorite track from it and I am sure you will recognise the original was featured in the film Dirty Dancing.

Wore 

In the run up to Christmas I saw the London Bridge fabric from Cath Kidston everywhere. Late to the party as usual, I only cottoned on to how much I actually love the design last week! Not one to miss anything special, I quickly googled the skirt in the fabric and managed to find one in the sale on ebay! Win! It is absolutely gorgeous! 

Made

Well since our oven packed in, I have made a lot of fried things as only the hob on the top worked. UNTIL I came across a slow cooker recipe for Lasagne, yes you heard that right Lasagne. In fact, when you think about it, it's not that much different to putting it in the oven in a dish, just cooking it longer. So I gave it a go and it was epic! I even managed to cook up some chips and garlic bread in our convection oven microwave thing - didn't even know it had that facility until I was desperate for chips at the weekend! Honestly, it was amazing and I will definitely be cooking it in the slow cooker again. 

And lastly, I have been having a crappy couple of weeks, so I bought this bag for work to cheer me up. It's not leather and it's not designer, but it was £13.75 and even if it only lasts a year then I will be happy! It's Friday, so that means it's gin night and a good old fat take away! I've also had a play with my blog colours and text style etc, I think it looks a bit more 'fresh' and grown up. It's still not perfect, but it will do for now! 

Enjoy the weekend folks. 

The January blues

I've not written much for a while now and to be honest, I can't quite pin point the exact reason. My new job has taken up a lot of my time, both physically and also mentally and then we've had more bad news in terms of family, plus getting grief off the step-daughter's mother (AGAIN), so I haven't really been feeling it.

January actually started off pretty well, unlike normally, as I had a new job so it was exciting times; something fresh and a new challenge and I do absolutely love this job. I am so much happier and the headteacher (who was the deputy head at my old school) even commented saying she was so pleased to see me looking so well and so happy. So in that respect, things are great.

But then there are always issues. As you may know, my Grandad died before Christmas and then just after Christmas we found out that my Grandma (his wife) is also potentially ill too. She's the last of my grandparents and coming to terms with the fact she may not be around long has been difficult. I am trying not to think about it and think positively as it could be something minor, but we are awaiting more news on that.

Then, on a less serious note, our oven went bang. This may seem trivial, but in a month where I had carefully budgeted for food etc, after the excess of December etc. this was not good timing, as I suddenly had to re-think meal plans and buy extra ingredients in that could be used on the hob or in the microwave.

Add to that, even more grief from the step-daughter's mother and the last two weeks has been pretty pants. I don't often talk about hubby's ex on here, I don't like to go into too much detail and I would never want what I say about her to get back to her. But quite frankly, she is behaving like a child. In fact, I teach kids at school who behave more maturely than her and I would say this to her face, so if it were to get back to her it would be no big issue.  It's things like causing issues because instead of the step-daughter texting her to say she was fine and going to school when she had been ill and with us, I text her - she said it was unnecessary and then  made it seem like I was desperate to text her! As if! She then said all communication should be done at the door when we pick the step-daughter up or drop her off - but then she doesn't come to the door. Err, how are we supposed to communicate with you if you can't be arsed to get up from the sofa?! And then there is of course, the fact she is getting married to a criminal. Apparently, hubby and I should be pleased for her! Yes, marrying a criminal, wow haven't you done well for yourself. The final thing was she said that she didn't need to justify to us why she was a stay at home mum. No, she is quite right there, she does not need to justify anything to us at all. Until, however, she then complains to us that she has no money because she is on FIS and doesn't work, therefore we must pay for this and that and various other things, then sorry but it becomes our business and yes you do need to justify it to us if you can't cope. As I've said in the past, Tom pays way more maintenance , based on his salary, than he should, and yet she still hounds us for money. I do realise that there are always going to be issues we don't agree on, but she cannot act maturely, she always resorts to insults or abuse and makes petty comments just to get our backs up.

Charlie has also started the terrible twos I think. One minute he is a delight; hugging us, playing nicely, asking for kisses and then the next he flings himself to the floor or throws himself across the (new) sofa and screams, literally proper screaming and then cries. No idea why. It can be because he dropped his car or it got in his way, or I looked at him the wrong way. He just has a complete melt down for no reason it appears. I know, however that this expression of feelings is his frustration at various things, but it's hard. I miss my snuggly, lovely, calm boy. That said, he has settled like a dream with his new childminder so that's something.

Anyway, I am trying to think happy things; it's soon mine and Charlie's birthday. Charlie is having a bit of a party with a bouncy castle and me, well it's Year 11 parents evening on my birthday so that will be fun. But never mind, it's a Wednesday anyway so I will celebrate it the following weekend. Another thing to look forward to is that it is half term in two weeks! Can you believe it?! This half term is only 5 weeks long, so a very short one. And then after that, my parents are coming over to see us. I've been really missing my Mum and Dad lately; I love living on this island, but it is hard sometimes when you don't have family around.

I've got a few things to look forward to anyway. I have treated myself to a Cath Kidston skirt in the sale and bought a new work bag, so I am looking forward to those arriving. Yes, I know, they are materialistic things, but we all need a treat now and again. I am looking forward to the 1st February. January will be behind us and hopefully things will start to look up. If my Grandma is ill, we will deal with it the best we can and if the step-daughter's mother continues to be a pain, then I will tell her straight. It's only words at the end of the day.

So anyway, I hope to get back to blogging a bit more frequently. I have some recipes I think I will share and of course, I will be back joining in with #littleloves on Friday's.

How's your January so far?

The first #LittleLoves of January 2015

First of all, happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a lovely Christmas. Ours was just what we needed: plenty of food; family time and of course a few wines! It was lovely to see Charlie actually open his presents and, whilst he didn't understand the whole Christmas thing, he certainly enjoyed all the cars he got!

So #LittleLoves is back and as usual I am linking up with Morgana from butwhymummywhy.com.

Read

I managed to sneak in an early Christmas present for myself in the shape of Jamie Oliver's comfort food. I've heard people rave about the insanity burger so definitely going to give that a go, but there are just some gorgeous looking dishes in there, I can't wait to get started.

Watched

Charlie discovered Cars over Christmas, so with some of his Christmas money I got him Cars 1 and 2 on DVDS, a choice I'm beginning to regret now! We also managed Still Open All Hours, Downton Abbey and lots of films that I can't even remember now!

Wore

I haven't managed to photograph anything I've worn this Christmas, besides this beautiful scarf that my Aunty and Uncle got me as a present. I love it, it's huge and snuggly and when we were on the ferry I actually used it as a blanket over my knees! Other than that, I've been getting comfy in Christmas PJs and fluffy socks.

Made

As we spent all of Christmas at my parents' house, I made very little. However this weekend, when we got back, I did make Paella (recipe here). It's the step-daughter's favourite and made a nice change to turkey and roast dinners. 

And lastly, these two weeks have absolutely flown by, but in a good way. We have spent lots of time with the family, which was what I wanted and managed to chill a bit. It has been busy, but we've had a few days to laze around, and we even went out and bought a new sofa, which arrives on Tuesday! I have been waiting two years for a new sofa, so you can imagine how I excited I am. I will share pictures next week! The run up to Christmas was really special this year as Charlie, whilst not understanding what it was all about, was able to join in the fun more and Christmas morning with my parents was wonderful as they got to see him open his presents. I start a new job on Monday, so today is going to be about preparing for that, with a roast dinner and a walk to the park thrown in somewhere. 

Love The Little Things 2014

So, this is my last #littleloves for this year. I am also going to be taking a break from blogging from today until January, so I can recharge and spend some time with my family properly, as I am sure lots of you out there are too. I will still be on instagram, so do please come and follow me - charlies_mummy84.

This week has been one of the busiest of the year. We have had one week to find a new childminder so have spent every evening meeting potential ones and then it was the step-daughter's Christmas concert and today is hubby's birthday along with a party tomorrow for the step-daughter's birthday! Throw in some wrapping of presents, buying of presents and still trying to get to work on time and it's all been a bit mad! So I am definitely ready for a break and a lie in.

Anyway, I've tried to find things under the prompts below, but bear with me!

Read

Lots of lovely Christmas and farewell cards from my students. I have had some beautiful messages and I am very sad to be leaving my students.

Heard

It's hard to find something good I've heard this week, what with the devastation in Pakistan and then Australia this morning. But I 'heard' the Head teacher's farewell speech to me last Friday evening and it was lovely; she referred to herself as my second mum! She really has been the most wonderful support whilst I've worked here, especially as when I first moved over I knew no one!
I've also heard Charlie sing 'Let it Go' every night in the car on the way home from the childminder! He's so funny as he only sings that line over and over!

Watched

Love Actually! I love Christmas films and this one is my absolute favourite. Tonight, for hubby's birthday we are getting Chinese and the four of us are settling down with The Polar Express, another absolute favourite. I also got given some bubbly from one of my students, so I shall be cracking that open to have whilst we watch it.

Wore

This week, it's been about Christmas jumpers and I have managed to wear three of them!

Made

Errrm, not a lot! Honestly, we have eaten rubbish for tea every night this week. I just haven't had time to even think about what to cook, let alone cook it. I did 'make' my Christmas dinner list for Sunday. As we go away for Christmas, we are doing Christmas dinner with the step daughter on Sunday as she will be staying with her mother (not our choice of course though!). I have added brussel sprouts to my list as I had a Christmas dinner at school on Wednesday and tried them for the first time and loved them! So our Christmas dinner will be turkey, roasties, sprouts, carrot crush, sweetcorn (for the littlies), pigs in blankets, stuffing and cranberry sauce - yum! I can't wait and am literally drooling now.

And lastly, this year has been tough. Way tougher than I ever imagined. I'm surprised we're all still intact to be honest, but we are and we have lots to be thankful for. I am really looking forward to focusing on family for the next two weeks, to eating more turkey than my stomach can handle and drinking lots of yummy prosecco! Christmas is a time for family and I entire to spend my time with them, I can't wait to see Charlie's face when he opens his pressies on Christmas day, and of course I am hoping for a little something myself, which I know Santa *may* have obliged with (Santa being my mother of course). I love Christmas with my family and even though my Grandad won't be there, we'll still have a drink to him and remember him openly and merrily.


So, thank you for reading my blog this year and I wish you all a Happy Christmas with your families and see you next year.

Love The Little Things Week 49

Once again, I am back with #little loves, linking up with Butwhymummywhy?

Read

So so many exam papers! It's been exam week at our school and so I now have to mark them all - 150 papers in 10 days! I was pleased to see how well some of my students did; it's nice to know that what I have taught actually had some impact and they've been paying attention!

Watched

Still going through the Mad Men series! I am on to series 3 now and am loving it more than ever. We also cosied up and watched Home Alone 2, I love that film and it always puts me in the mood for Christmas.

Heard

LOTS of Christmas songs! All the old ones are the best and this one is by far my favourite - it always reminds me of my Grandma's house on Christmas Day as she would have her tapes playing - tapes haha!

Wore

I popped into Clarks the other day on the way home from work as I am in desperate need of new shoes for work - they had a sale on which I didn't know about and I managed to pick these up for £19.99 - bargain! They are so comfy and look really good with skinny jeans for the weekend too.

Made 

Made quite a few things that I forgot to take pictures of! I made our tutor group hamper for charity and I helped the students make some Christmas tree decorations - I also made a Santa's Grotto for the School Christmas Market (yes, we're too posh for a fair haha!). This is my step-daughter with Santa. I don't think my efforts were too bad! 

And finally, I am thrilled that both hubby and I got new jobs this week! We both start in January and I am going to be in the high school that is just across the road from where I live! I can't wait to be able to lie in a bit longer in the mornings and then be able to walk to and from work, without having to use the car. Hubby is also going to be working just down the road at the local primary, that eventually Charlie will go to. It's hopefully going to mean that I get to spend more time with Charlie, as we spend 40-50 mins in the car every morning and evening. The only downside is, that we have to move childminders and I am absolutely gutted about this. Charlie's childminder is wonderful and he loves her so much, but we just can't continue to drive him 20 miles away. So, hopefully hubby's mum is going to look after him for us. 

I am very excited for a new start and a new challenge, but this next week at school is going to be very emotional. The school are doing staff goodbyes tonight after school and I have to make a leaving speech. I am not sure if I can get through it without crying though! Thankfully, they provide wine! 

#Nextmaswishlist Competition

So, we certainly can't escape from it: It is definitely Christmas season. We put our tree up last night - please see my picture on instagram - I am stuck with the world's smallest Christmas tree! I've got used to it though now and I actually think it's quite sweet!

So with the Christmas season underway, I have started thinking about what I would like for Christmas. I have sorted out all the gifts I am buying for everyone else, but when I saw the competition Next are doing, asking bloggers to share their own Next Christmas Wish List, I thought I would think about me for a change and compile my own list. You never know, hubby 'may' read this and take a hint! Also, if I;m really lucky, Next might just gift me one of the items on my list too!

So here is my own #Nextmaswishlist. I've tried to put things on the list from different categories, as I don't just want clothes, I would like things for the home as well. I really, really love the bedding set; we've been in our house a year now and after Christmas I have plans for our bedroom and also a little office space on our landing! I also really like the nail varnish set - if you follow me on instagram, you'll see I love nail varnish and am often painting my nails. This set is packed full of really great colours and some really pretty Christmas colours too.

Fingers crossed Santa gets my list!

1. Fair Isle embroidery double bed set £30 2. Jewellery box £35  3. Black Leather Gloves £16 4. Red Heart Knit Snood £16 5. NYX Nail Polish set £20 6. Notebook and Pen Set £12 7. Heart and Star Mug set £7 8. Rustic Collage Frame £35 9. Pale Denim leggings £24 10. Navy Textured Layered Shirt £35

Recipe Time: Beef stroganoff

Beef isn't my first choice of meat. I much prefer chicken, but hubby gets really fed up with it, understandably. So, in an effort to appease him occasionally, I make beef stroganoff. I love it; it's creamy and tasty and really good on a cold winter's night. You can serve it with what you like, but as it's with a sauce, it's quite good with rice to mop up that lovely, creamy sauce.

I can't remember where the original recipe came from. There's lots of variations out there. The Hairy Dieters one says to use half fat creme fraiche, so as to reduce the calories, but I don't tend to bother. I never have half fat creme fraiche sat in the fridge, but I do tend to have double cream! So I always use that. However please, if you do ever make this, feel free to substitute the double cream with a lighter or healthier alternative if you wish. I have to say though, I think the double cream makes this dish delicious!

Love The Little Things, Week 47

Once again, linking up with butwhymummywhy with the round up of this week's #littleloves.

Read

I had a few days off work last as I felt so ill and run down. I still don't feel right and can't get rid of  this terrible cough that makes me sick! I also  think I must have a sinus infection as my face is so horribly painful. Anyway, having some time off meant I could finish my book It Must Have Been the Mistletoe, (Judy Astley) that I have had since October half term! It was wonderful; very predictable, but a lovely, easy Christmas read.

Watched

Ok, so I am coming late to this, but I have finally found Mad Men! Oh my word, what an amazing TV show! I am half way through series 2 now, due to having a few days off work sick last week.

I also watched everyone say goodbye to my Granddad at his funeral. Despite the very sad occasion, it was a beautiful service and when the car we were in, following the hearse, pulled into the cemetery grounds I was literally overwhelmed by the amount of people that were there. There were well over 100 people waiting to say goodbye to the most wonderful man I have ever met. There weren't enough seats and people had to stand in the hall way or outside, but they stayed and I just could not believe it. I said to Tom that it's a shame it's inappropriate to take pictures, as it was an amazing sight.

Heard

There weren't any hymns at my Grandad's funeral, he wasn't a religious man and he wouldn't have liked it. So instead we had songs that he used to listen to. We had Matt Monroe, Softly As I Leave You to the closing of the curtains around his coffin and we had Jim Reeves, Distant Drums to leave the crematorium to. It was lovely, it was so what he would have wanted and it made everybody smile. The tracks are below, in case you've never heard of them before!

Made 

Nothing worth mentioning here. I 'made' a start on the Christmas shopping and placed a huge order on Amazon! So that's a big chunk I can now cross off.

Wore

Two things I am loving this week. First of all, I the free Nails Inc nail varnish with Glamour, and I will be honest, I only bought the magazine for the free nail varnish! It's called Wigmore Street (sorry no pic!) and it's a really good winter colour and it stays on! Not like OPI, I am having trouble with my Black Cherry Chutney OPI nail varnish - within an hour it's started to chip.

Secondly, I have donned the festive jumpers already and wore this! It's a bit different, as it's not a woolly jumper, but a sweatshirt style.

And lastly, I am grateful this week for being able to meet my Grandad. Of course, I am sad he is no longer with us, but I am so happy and grateful that Charlie got to meet him and for all the happy memories I have of him. He was such a kind man and was always thinking of others. So, whilst I will miss him lots, we have lots of lovely things to remember him by. And he wouldn't want anyone to be upset anyway, he'd want them to be happy and live their life to the full.

This just sums up his outlook on life:

“You can shed tears that he is gone, 

or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back,

or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see him,

or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday, 

or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him only that he is gone,

or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, 

be empty and turn your back.

Or you can do what he'd want:

smile, open your eyes, love and go on."

So it's been a crappy few weeks, but there's always little things to help make us smile.

A bit of DIY

Anyone that knows me, knows I am not into crafting or DIY. I've mentioned on this blog that I am just not a craft person.

Anyway, since we decorated Charlie's room, there's still a blank wall in his room and I've been trying to find something lovely to fit on it, without breaking the bank.

I came across this post from Handbags to Change Bags and thought I would have a go at making my own wall art for Charlie using Pic Monkey. If you haven't heard about Pic Monkey, basically it's an online tool for editing images and photographs. However, you can also use it to create blog banners and logos etc. You can also use it to make cards and invites. It has a selection of free images, fonts, overlays and editing tools and then some you have to be a member to use. But there are loads to choose from for free, so it's not like they are fooling you into having to become a member.

I wanted to make something personal for Charlie that could be displayed in his room, but I also wanted a couple of quotes to hang there too.  What I made is below:

I did this by choosing design and then custom and in the pixel box, entering 595x842 (as this is the pixel size for A4 as I want to frame these in A4 frames). I then played around with colours and text for the first one and found two quotes from Pinterest for the other two. I am going to display them in a row on his bedroom wall.

I am really pleased with these and considering they only cost the price of the ink from your printer and three frames, they are really good!

Have you got any designs you did yourself?

My favourite story books for children

I often feel guilty, that as an English teacher, I don't read to Charlie enough. I suppose it's like the phrase - 'a bus man's holiday.' I don't want to come home and read books when I've spent all day reading with the kids in class.

However, I do love to read and I love to read to Charlie. He's starting to get involved more now and he turns the pages and is definitely more interested in what's going on in the book.

Below are my favourite story books. Some are for younger children and a few are for older children. They are all on my bookshelf ready to read to Charlie and some get read regularly before bed. I want Charlie to be interested in books; such a bigger world is opened up if you read and of course, with my teacher head on, spelling, vocabulary and general writing skills are greatly improved with continued and regular reading. But I want him to enjoy stories; curling up reading a book that you can't put down, I don't think that should be just a female thing, which unfortunately, I think it is. The boys at school are always reluctant readers; some enjoy it, but it's always the girls who enjoy reading the most. I want Charlie to be passionate about stories and books. My step-daughter always puts books on her Christmas and birthday lists and she loves to read; she's such a good reader and is really competent, so I'm hoping her enthusiasm will pass on to Charlie.

So here are my favourite books, which I hope will pass down to Charlie and make him love books like his mummy.

1. The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson. Of course, I couldn't do this without including this book. I don't know what it is about this book, but it's a cult book. But it's so good and Charlie loves this one.

2. I Call Him Mr Flubbergump, Anthony Rea. This is written by a friend of my hubby, who lives on the Isle of Man. We were lucky enough to go to a book signing of this at Waterstones on the island, so Charlie has his own personal, signed copy.

3. The Witches, Roald Dahl.  As a teacher, I love reading this book to my students; I do a mean Grand High Witch voice and I always leave the students wondering if any of their teachers really are witches.

4. Five Minutes Peace, Jill Murphy. My Mum used to read this to me when I was a child and I loved it; I have fond memories of curling up at bedtime ready to read this.

5. Can't You Sleep Little Bear? Martin Waddell. Again, my Mum used to read this to me when I was a child, about a little bear that can't go to sleep. It's so sweet.

What are you favourite children's books?

My winter picks

The other day, I showed you my winter choices for Charlie. Today, I have put together my own winter picks for myself. I always like to get a new jumper or two for winter and there are so many gorgeous ones to choose this year - it's going to be hard choosing!

Anyway, here are my favourite items for this season.

1. Next fair isle pattern jumper £22 2. Next grey cable knitted snood £18 3. Marks and Spencers owl pyjamas £16 4. Next fleece fox socks £5 5. Marks and Spencer Space Dye Sweater skater dress £35 6. Joe Browns Amazing Applique sweat top £34.99 7. Target Dry Parka  £74.99 8. Next Berry cardigan £35 9. Joy Louche jumper £45 

Everyone needs a Christmas jumper and I love the Joe Browns one as it's a sweatshirt style. I *may* already have this in my wardrobe. 

Every year I go in search of the perfect winter coat. And never find one. So many people have raved about this coat, particularly Avril from School Gate Style, so I'm tempted to get this for the winter season. 

New Christmas Pj's are a must in our house every year, I love these owl ones from marksies, and of course fluffy socks are a necessity! 

The berry fluffy cardi would look good dressed up for party nights and maybe to smarten up black jeans over Christmas and i love the space dye dress - I think I might get this for Boxing day. 

And finally, this gorgeous deer jumper! Hubby bought me the same jumper for my birthday lat year. It was blue with love birds on and it's so pretty, everyone always complements me when i wear it. 

Please do link up your picks for this season! I love to see what everyone else is wearing. 

My winter picks for boys

When I found out I was having a boy, I worried that I wouldn't be able to find any clothes that I liked for a boy. I always thought they were boring, or too old. But, once I started looking around, I found that, actually, there are hundreds of gorgeous items for boys, not just girls.

I love choosing clothing for Charlie. Since he was born, I have had a box of clothes in the next size up, all washed and ready for when he needs them. But I always choose him a few bits that are current and I thought I would share with you my favourite items for the winter season.

1. Next Fox Jumper £12  2. Zara navy snood £7.99 3. F&F Snowman Jumper £8 4. Clarks Hehe hi top £38 5.Zara hat £9.99 6. Next Santa Pjyamas £8  7. George at Asda Sport Jacket £12 8. Next navy cords £13 9. Zara checked shirt £11.99

This just proves that boys clothes can be fun and good looking - everyone needs a Christmas jumper after all! I am going to get Charlie the shoes this weekend; my Granny gave me some money to put towards his shoes as she couldn't believe how much the last pair were! Baby's shoes are so expensive - I've been told it's because there is more work involved in these styles. 

My Mum bought Charlie the green coat for winter; it's really warm as it's fleeced lined and padded. He was toasty warm in it when we went to the fireworks and it's water proof. I love the cute little hat, although Charlie isn't a big fan of leaving his hat on! And he really needs a little scarf like this, as his neck gets so cold and he is prone to colds and coughs (which may be down to being snowed in without any heating when he was 15 days old ha!). 

I don't like to spend too much on Charlie's clothing, as kids aren't in it very long, but I always find good staples at Florence and Fred at Tesco and George at Asda - vests, socks, basic tops etc. and then I like to get him a few key pieces for the season from Next or M&S. I haven't really bought clothes for kids from Zara, but everyone raves about them on Instagram and their blogs, so I thought I would add the checked shirt to our list. Living on the Isle of Man with it's limited shops, means that everyone tends to be wearing the same. Hopefully he will look unique in this shirt as there is no Zara on the island! 

Please link up your winter style for your little ones - I'd love to see what everyone is wearing! 

Check back later in the week, when I'll be showing you my own winter picks for myself!