I don’t know about you guys, but I love year reviews! Whether that’s the ‘Top 10 news stories of the year’, or even the ‘100 stupidest words that were used in 2015’, I love a nostalgic look back at the year. As this is the year I fell back in love with reading after finishing my degree (yay!) I figured the best review I could do is the 10 best books I read this year! Granted, not many of these books were actually released in 2015, but I read them and loved them.
Bridget Jones – Mad about the Boy Review
I love Bridget Jones, from her giant knickers to her familiar ability to always say the wrong thing at the wrong time. I have read the first two books more times than I could even count and will watch the films whenever they happen to be on good old ITV2. It makes sense, then, that when I heard Helen Fielding was releasing a new Jones’ adventure, I was giddy with excitement!
I love my Kindle!
As a lover of books, and an ex employee of one of the UK’s biggest bookshops, I should be ashamed to say that I own, and love, a Kindle e-reader. But I’m not. Not really.
Lola and the Boy Next Door Review
Lola and the Boy Next-door is the sequel to the incredible, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Of course, as I have already explained, I stupidly thought they stood alone and read the last two in the wrong order. As long as you’ve read Anna first, it isn’t a huge problem, but it is a little frustrating when …
Isla and the Happily Ever After: Review
Before we start, I do realise that I read the second two books in this series in the wrong order, but it makes sense to review them in the order I read them. I didn’t realise it would be much of an issue, because I didn’t know that some of the characters cross over and the end of this story …
Anna and the French Kiss Review
I’ll hold my hands up and say this: Different people have been recommending this book to me since it came out, and | genuinely had zero interest in giving it a go until recently.
Tuesdays with Morrie: Review
Instead of throwing a bucket of ice over herself to raise awareness of ALS, my best friend nominated me to read the book Tuesdays with Morrie. Now, this is not exactly an obscure book, and so it is a shock to me that in the many weeks of news feeds being full of people’s ice bucket videos (and status’ of people complaining about it) not one person had mentioned this book.
Review: The Skeleton Cupboard by Tanya Byron
Professor Tanya Byron is the Chancellor of my university, so this gives a few different layers to this review. Firstly, there’s a pretty big chance I would never have ended up reading this book, had I not found out about it at graduation (& thank God I did!), and secondly, due to the nature of the book, it was especially …
Books that changed my life
I was recently asked on Facebook to list the 10 books that I feel have ‘changed my life’. It was just a quick list, but looking at my 10 majestic books (okay, I cheated and added series’, so kill me!) I decided there was too much to say than could fit on a status. So here goes! 1. The 5 …
Fangirl – Rainbow Rowell.
After absolutely adoring Eleanor & Park, I was dying to read Fan Girl and see if it lived up to the hype.
My 2020 word of the year: Self
This year, I’ve decided to follow the advice of my lovely friend Sarah and think of a specific word to sum up my aspirations for the year, rather than a lots of resolutions or goals (because I never know where to stop!). This year, my word is self, and part of me feels a bit awkward revealing that, but also, I want to be more unapologetic this year, so I’m sticking by it.
A Quirky Etsy Christmas Gift Guide*
The following links are affiliate links but the words and opinions are all mine. I am also being compensated with a gift voucher for writing an Etsy gift guide but that doesn’t affect any of my choices. It’s that time of the year again where I trawl through Etsy to find the coolest gifts available on the internet. This year …
Escape Room: The Game Review*
This game was gifted, and the link is an affiliate, but the opinions are all mine baby! I’m bossy and competitive, so of course escape rooms are my ideal way to spend an hour. I have wanted to go to one irl for ages, and finally got the chance a few weeks ago. We got out, of course (although with …
Christmas Gifts for all your Friends this Black Friday with Skinnydip London*
*This post is a gifted #ad alongside Skinnydip London, and the links are affiliate links cos your girl’s gotta eat. All opinions are legit though, obvz. Buying for your pals this year and want to get everything from one shop (with some sweet savings?!)- how about Skinnydip London? You may know them for their quirky bags, but they do so …
A Day in the Life of A Working Mum
I get home from my “day job” at 2am and I’m exhausted, but also still wired from a hefty shift and a pretty long drive home. Of course, Ruben is wide awake and has been for an hour or so, so I greet a very harassed husband and cheeky baby. I need the toilet but that’s going to have to …
Paris in Town – the Perfect Place for Parents
Until you become a parent, you don’t realise just how un-child-friendly so many places are. Is there room to put your pram? Is there adequate baby changing? Can you afford a little treat on your maternity pay, or will you have to go into your overdraft for a slice of cake?
Feeling Nostalgic – Things I’m Sad My Baby Won’t Experience From my Childhood*
With the Spice Girls going on tour, and Pokemon being in the cinema, I’ve been getting a lot of nostalgia recently. It’s no secret that all 90s kids feel as though they grew up in the best era, and the more I think about it, the more I agree! I’ve been thinking a lot about the things from my childhood that I am sad Ruben won’t get experience. Here are a few.
Quirky Christmas Gift Ideas
Y’all know I LOVE Coolstuff.com for quirky and unusual gifts, and I’ve been working hard with them behind the scenes to put together a gift guide of things you probably won’t see on many other lists. I’m giving some of these things out for Christmas, so if you happen to get something from this post, please act surprised!
How to shop for everyone on your Christmas list using only Etsy
Think you can’t buy something for everyone on Etsy? Challenge accepted!
Easy Christmas Crafts with Moonpig #MerrierTogether
I love Christmas, and I love crafts, so when the good eggs at MoonPig invited me into Leeds for a day of cocktails (virgin for me of course!) and festive crafts with some bloggers, I knew that 35 weeks pregnant or not, I had to go!
This Washing Basket hack will keep your baby occupied for hours! (or at least long enough for you to down a cup of coffee)
This post may contain affiliate links, where I will get a small kickback from any purchases you make. This is a hack that will change your life, if you are the parent of a child who can sit up supported, but not yet crawl. I’d love to take credit for it, but it was something we were taught during a …
Elvie Breast pump Review* – Is it really worth the money?!
This is going to be a bit of a weird one! I first wrote this review back in August, for a brand, after trying the Elvie Breast pump out for a few weeks. However, I wanted to also do a follow up now that I’ve had it for an additional 6 months, as a few different points have come up since then, and I wanted to really make sure it was a thorough review.
Music In Unison – A Must-Try Class
Some people are wine connoisseurs (I personally like ‘em sweet and cheap – like me.) while others know everything there is to know about designer handbags, but me, I like to think of myself as somewhat of an authority on baby classes. I bloody LOVE a good baby group, whether it’s messy play or Makaton, a majority of my hard-earned …
A Day in the Life of A Working Mum
I get home from my “day job” at 2am and I’m exhausted, but also still wired from a hefty shift and a pretty long drive home. Of course, Ruben is wide awake and has been for an hour or so, so I greet a very harassed husband and cheeky baby. I need the toilet but that’s going to have to …
Planning a Naming Day
. I wrote this post a few days after Ruben’s naming day in June… June! He had just turned 6 months and it was the beginning of summer. Its now mid-September, he’s 9 months old and I’m only just getting to upload this! Mum life is great for content ideas but rubbish for the time to post them!).
Am I a mummy blogger now? Rebranding!
I’ve never really known where exactly (if anywhere) I fit into the blogosphere. I’m certainly not a beauty blogger – I barely remember to take my make up off, and just a quick look at my dinosaur dress will tell you that I am not a fashion blogger. I do write about travel, but let’s be honest, I don’t have …
How to support a nursing partner with breastfeeding
Just because you’re not lactating yourself, doesn’t mean that the process is nothing to do with you! Even if your partner isn’t planning on expressing or combi-feeding, which means you can’t help by giving bottled milk, that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything you can do to help. My husband was super helpful, especially in those incredibly difficult early days, and …
Simple Self-care for Busy Mums
When you’re a mum (which I have been for over 6 months now and still can’t believe it!), self-care is the last thing on your mind, behind feeding the baby, changing the baby, winding the baby, naps, cleaning, developmental milestones, sensory play, potential dangers, future schools, and attempting to leave the house with the least amount of vomit on your clothes.
Toy Story Baby Activity Toy Giveaway*
Win your very own Toy Story baby activity pram toy!
To the mum who feels like she is losing her shit
Hey mama.
It’s been a Bad Day, hasn’t it? A really bloody Bad. Day.
Wilson’s Kitchen, Southport – The Steaks are High
My name’s Codie, and I LOVE steak. It’s up there with my favourite foods and is probably 90% of the reason I’ve not yet managed to become vegetarian. I bloody love steak. (I enjoy it medium-rare, so you could say I love bloody steak!). So when I heard about Wilson’s Kitchen in Southport having a steak special on a Wednesday, and our anniversary happening to be on a Wednesday, it felt like fate – or at least a happy coincidence!
Edinburgh Exploration (December 2015)
First things first, Edinburgh is equal parts beautiful and hilly. For a girl from the flatlands, with chronic fatigue, this was a bloody struggle at times! But totally worth it! Steven found the hotel, “Edinburgh Capital Hotel“, and for £113 for two people for two nights it was an absolute steal! We had originally splashed out a cheeky £20 for …
BEDN: Where shall we go on our Honeymoon?!
Wanderlust-inflicted travel-lovers that we are, Steven and I are already thinking about our honeymoon. We have so many ideas and (sadly) we can’t do them all, so I figured there was a blog post in there somewhere! Our first thought was Disneyland Florida, spending our days screaming on rides and watching amazing shows and taking selfless with princesses – the …
La Bandera, Manchester Review
It’s not very often I get to go out for anything fancier than Pizza Express (man, I love dough-balls!), so when I do, it’s only right that I blog about it!
Disneyland Ride Review
Rides are a big part of the Disneyland experience, and as a big fan of rollercoasters and thrill rides, I knew I wanted to go on everything. It was a bit more difficult, however, trying to work out what the children could/would want to go on, when we didn’t know much about the ride. So, I’ve put together this handy little guide of the rides (poet & I know it), so you can work out what is worth the wait, and what will end in terrified tears!
Disneyland Paris: I’m Back!
I have blisters on my blisters, Let it Go stuck in my head and I keep finding glitter everywhere – safe to say I had the best time at Disneyland! Before we went, I read a lot of really useful blogs about how to get the best out of our trip, and so, of course, I have decided to write …
The Buda-best of Budapest
We’ve had an amazing four days and I already know a few people who are planning on venturing out to Budapest this side of Christmas, so I want to make sure my reviews and blogs on this are as detailed as possible. Hopefully they’ll be just as interesting to read for those just wanting to know about our trip, as they will be useful to those using them as travel advice.
This week…
I am off to Budapest! (We leave in a few hours and I’m not even slightly packed yet… Oops!) I’m going to blog and vlog my adventures whilst in beautiful Hungary, but I’m not sure if/how much internet we will have, so if I don’t post for a few days, or reply to emails, this is why! I guess I …
Travelodge, where dreams go to die
New on the list of ‘least desirable places to die’, is a Travel Lodge in Bolton. Can you think of anything more depressing? For those of you, lucky enough to have never encountered a Travel Lodge, let me enlighten you.
On a midnight train going anywhere…
It’s 8:21am on a Wednesday morning, and I’m sat on what they tell me is a train. It’s nothing at all like any train I’ve been on, and reminds me more of a scratty old school bus. Yep, the two carriages of my Northern Line “train” have seen better days, but man, am I glad to be on it.
Bongo’s Bingo – Does it live up to the Hype?
If you haven’t heard of Bongo’s Bingo, where have you been? No longer just a hobby for the blue-rinse-brigade, Bongo’s combines the number-daubing game, with music, drinking and dancing on benches, plus a whole load of weird and wonderful prizes. I recently attended a Bongo’s Bingo event for the first time in Leeds the other week and it was… interesting!
Magical Harry Potter Giveaway
A Harry Potter giveaway!
Get Sexy this Valentines’ Day with Hunkemöller*
I am about as sexy as a jacket potato. It’s okay, I know who I am. I’m funny, and I’m cute but I am absolutely not sexy. Thankfully I’m married and so I can be confident that Steven loves me regardless, but after everything that’s happened recently, I am trying to challenge myself to do more things that scare me.
Pizza Express Formby: Review* (All the food!)
On Friday, Steven and I were lucky enough to be invited by Pizza Express (total babes) to check out their new restaurant in Formby. So, Slimming World be damned, we headed off (dressed far too fancily for pizza, but we don’t go out much…!), ready to eat all the food.
30 James Street: The Titanic Hotel
For my birthday, we went to a fantastic hotel in Liverpool, 30 James Street. Read my review here – featuring gratuitous mirror selfies.
Wilson in my 20’s: The Illustrated Mum
You may remember that a while ago I set myself the challenge of reading every Jacqueline Wilson book that had been published since my birth, as some sort of weird semi-midlife crisis. I was all set to start, but then other books happened. And I got a little carried away with life. But finally, this week, I picked up one of my favourite ever Jacqueline Wilson books, The Illustrated Mum.
So you want to go freelance?
I’ve seen a lot of questions about this on various Facebook groups and, suffering with imposter syndrome as I do, I’ve never felt quite legit enough to write about it. Not “freelance” enough if you will.
National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
As it’s National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, I wanted to write a blog post about how my life is affected by this poop stain of a condition.
#BEDN: Harry Potter and the Hilariously Bad Trivia Answers
So today’s blog post is a little late, but the reason for this, happens to be the inspiration for the post, and it will (hopefully) be up before midnight so I’m still claiming #BEDN! This evening was our good friend Dan’s birthday so Steven and I met up with him and his lovely wife Chloe for a meal. As these …
#BEDN
I don’t have anything to write about today that seems appropriate after everything that’s been going on so I’m just going to leave this here.