There's No Place Like Home //008

Here is a bit of a Pinterest splurge. I love that site and I've been browsing for ages about bookshelf ideas as mine are getting really cluttered. 





I love this bookshelf as its so different and it would really be a feature piece on a wall. Only if you had a massive home though! Regardless it would look like the trees were full of flowers with the spine of each book. 





Love the under the stairs idea, mainly because it would work really well if you don't have much space and you could easily use it to store other things (though books are always preferred!) It looks beautiful and would look even better with the books all colour co-ordinated. 





I absolutely love this coloured bookshelf idea as it really makes them stand out. And I love the blue colour! I would love to do something like this in max's room either by backing a bookcase with some colour or paint or to paint the whole thing so that it stands out more. 


Finally, this bookcase is too gorgeous not to include! Doesn't store much but that wouldn't matter when it makes you smile each time you see it!

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An announcement...


I'll talk about the trip to London over the next few days but this happened. 

Me and Scott got engaged in the middle of Leicester square and I am so completely in awe and shocked and happy. 

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A Few Photos

I'm away in London for a few day's so here are a few photos of Max to look at until I return and do a post about our exciting trip!

Max loves to sing along with his guitars still. His song of choice has moved on from the grungy Nirvana and is now the upbeat Star Girl by McFly! As you can tell I am pretty chuffed about that being pretty obsessed with the band and all.

We've spent alot of time outside, mostly at the farm as we are trying to make the most out of our annual passes before we move to Portsmouth. It's so relaxing and lovely to take a stroll away from the bustle of the animals and go on the woodland walk. 

Max is such a joker, he spends most of the time trying to make us laugh. It's a perfect pick me up, especially with what has gone on with the family recently. This time he put a banana to his face and proceeded to tell us that it was his new smile as he was really silly. 

Finally I think we can all agree that the kid has more damn style than me. 




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Find-me-a-gift.co.uk Review

Hello! So as you all know, Father's Day is looking (16th June to be exact) and Max isn't old enough to trot along to the shops himself so I have to give him a bit of a hand picking these things. Luckily the lovely people over at Find-me-a-gift.co.uk offered to send us something extra special to review just in time for Father's Day. 


They sent us the gorgeous "Dear Dad, From you to me" Journal. This is a hardback journal that consists of pages with headings on. The headings are what makes it special though. The idea is that the parent is supposed to fill it our for their son/daughter/children so that one day they can look back on it and find out those special things like "Where did you meet mum?" and "How did you feel when you found out mum was pregnant?" Questions that the child might be embarrassed to ask but there is always a loving story behind it. 

The pages are blank so that the person can write as much or as little as possible or perhaps stick a photo down if they prefer not to write it. Scott will love something like this as being a writer he always wants to tell a story to people. Well now he can tell his son his own story! There is also a marker so you won't get lost within the 60 different questions. There is also no set order so you can fill it in as you wish. And unlike a baby book or diary there isn't a timeframe that you feel you need to complete it in!

I love this gift, and I know that Scott will too. It's something that's personal but isn't personalised. It's also something that he can add to and change as an when he pleases and Max won't be able to read it for a while. I like the idea of writing down your fondest memories in the hope that your children will learn to love and be fond of them too. They might even find out that you weren't that grumpy parent all the time.


The book is priced at £12.99 which I think is great for a personal gift. You can also get other versions in the series such as Dear Mum/Grandma/Grandad. 


Some other things on the site I loved were:
  1. Personalised Record Frame
  2. MP3 Headphone Hat
  3. Smart Gloves
  4. Personalised Giant Beer Glass
  5. Personalised Photo Frame
  6. Hopside Down Bottle Glass
  7. Man Bowl
Find-Me-A-Gift have a Bank Holiday Bonanza going on at the moment where there are discounts on purchases until the 31st May. They also stock even more products for occasions and people so head on over and find yourself a gift!

Note: I was gifted this product for review purposes. All opinions are my own.
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Story Sunday //003

This week we are visiting yet another favourite of ours, especially as they are releasing a new edition of it soon. Hugless Douglas by David Melling. 


Hugless Douglas is the first in a series about the gorgeous little bear Douglas. Douglas isn't the brightest of bears, nor is he the most aware (you normally find him tripping over something) of his surroundings but he has the biggest heart. This book is no exception. Douglas needs a hug and goes to search for his perfect one. Only to find it was right where he started his search.


As you can see our copy is very much loved (turned up corners and tatty in places) but it's the best book to get sneaky hugs out of your little ones and to teach them the importance of family and friends. Melling's illustrations are gorgeous and make Douglas seem so cute and adorable that you just want to give him a hug yourself when you realise that he's that desperate for one! It's one of Max's favourites (that isn't a Jeffers or Donaldson one) and the sequels in the series are all as good as this one.
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I Love My Post Blog Hop

Fancy co-hosting with us? Then drop Sarah an email at: Sarah@lifeinabreakdown.com

I love my post Welcome to the I Love My Post blog hop where we invite you to link up your favourite post of the week, to show it off and hopefully receive some love from the others partaking in the hop!

If you are yet to participate in a hop they are really simple to get the hang of all you need to do is 'hop' around, hopefully finding some new great reads!

The Rules are simple.

1. Check out and follow the hosts and co-hosts. Leave them a comment if you would like them to follow back. 2. Choose at least 3 other blogs and hop on over and leave them some love, plus let them know how you found them - I'm sure they would love it if you followed as well! 3. Have Fun and come back next Saturday.

Please just don't link up and click off to make this successful everyone needs to hop around!

Your Host’s this week are: Sarah from Life in a Break Down Bex from Futures and our lovely co-hosts are: Areeba from Aree With Umbrella Louise from Inspire Magazine Laura from Max and Mummy

I would love it if you would tweet, share on facebook or place our button on your blog, the more sharing we can get happening the bigger this hop can become!

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This week's Featured Blog is: Gods Growing Garden 025-Copy-1, http://godsgrowinggarden.com

This is a fabulous blog for all budding gardeners and cooks - filled with over 40 years of knowledge and recipes created both by their mother as well as themselves you are bound to find something that really tickles your fancy ~ Sarah

If you have been featured grab our button!

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If you fancy being next week’s featured blogger make sure you follow all the rules give you hosts and co-hosts a follow and Sarah could be calling on you next week to come and feature with us.

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There's No Place Like Home //007

This week I'm looking at wallpaper. Whilst I think I will mostly paint the place I still can't help looking at wallpaper and thinking how awesome it can look!


  1. Loopy Lines - Love the geometric shapes!
  2. Frames - This you can actually use as frames for your own art!
  3. Aviary - This is really cute. It's quite dark so would have to be in a well lit room. 
  4. Brighton - HOW AWESOME IS THIS?!
  5. Floral - I'm not normally a floral type but this is adorable and different!
  6. Star - This is such a good spin on the floral design.
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Inside My Makeup Bag.


About a year ago I hardly wore any makeup. Now I kind of love the stuff haha. 
Here's what's in my bag at the moment. 



Any suggestions for eyeshadow tricks? Or anything in here you love too?
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My relationship with Alzheimer's.


So I wasn't going to post this today but circumstances changed and unfortunately my grandad passed away this morning. Always having been close to him I'm pretty gutted and upset. 

My grandad had amongst a few things alzheimer's. Alzheimer's is a neurological disease that slowly damages the brain over time. This normally means that the sufferer forgets people, places and eventually how to do basic things for themselves. My grandad had been suffering with it for years and recently had forgotten people, places and unfortunately how to swallow. 

This week is dementia awareness week. Something I didn't realise until I was researching the illness. Many people out there have friends and family that have experienced this within their lives. 

We were fortunate that my grandad was in an amazing care home with fantastic people around him when we couldn't be there. I had made the decision to not see him close to his death as it upset me that he couldn't recall my name even when prompted. Selfish as it sounds it tore me apart and after losing one grandad I wanted to remember all the good things that we had done together. He was an empty shell of the man that I remembered. One thing I am grateful for is that he met Max. He got cuddles, kisses and Max got to know his great grandad, if only for a brief time. 

I will always remember my grandad. The good and the bad. My hope is that wherever he is, he isn't causing too much mischief and mayhem. 

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk
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Reading.

Source

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!”-       Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!


Getting children reading is one of my passions. Even when he was a baby we loved to read stories to Max knowing that he wouldn’t have the faintest idea what we were on about. But knowing that reading to him could hopefully spark that love of books that I hold so dear to my heart. There is nothing better that transporting your child into a place of mystery and wonder. A world where dinosaurs still exist and creatures unknown to the real world are as alive as you and me.

To instil this love of books we not only surround Max with as many titles as possible we also created a reading corner for him. My key points to an amazing reading corner for a child are:


-       A comfy chair in which to curl up in, just right for a child. No big chairs as they aren’t special enough. Or a bean bag chair. Something that the child can sink into with a good book.
-       If not a chair then a wigwam or tent. Somewhere that  children can shut themselves off from the rest of the world for that small time. You need that right setting to transport you to a faraway land.
-       Quiet. I know it sounds silly but how can you concentrate with all those distractions of the world around you. Turn off your TV and cuddle up as a family with some of your favourite tales. It’s not antisocial, it’s magical!
-       Wall Decals/posters. We have a couple of book posters in Max’s room. From memorable characters to inspiring quotes.
-       Finally books. Whether it’s 1 or 100 make sure that there are books in your reading corner. Otherwise it’s not really a reading corner is it?


"So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall."—   Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Reading is an amazing gift. A gift of imagination. Every child deserves to read, so pick up your childhood favourite and transport your child into a wild place with each turn of the page. Books aren’t daunting and scary things they are wonderful and exciting.
 “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island”-       Walt Disney



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Sunday Story // 002

This week I thought I would touch on not only an author I love, but one of my favourite children's books. Oliver Jeffers is a fantastic story teller. The fact he is a great illustrator as well just helps (he's also not bad on the eye...). I have been in love with his books since before Max was even born. There's something magical about the simple tales of curiosity and wonder that keep you hooked again and again. 


Lost and Found is one of my favourites. It tells the tale of a boy who finds a penguin lost on his doorstep. Not really knowing what to do the boy decides it would be best to take it back to it's home. But in a story of love and friendship, maybe home is actually a lot closer than he thinks.

We have read this book so many time. To the point that we had to buy a new one as the pages were far too loved! In addition to the normal paperback I am a complete nerd and have the pop up version. Which as you can see below is so gorgeous and delicate that no little fingers should ever touch the pages! Yes I know it's a kids book...


I think it's the illustrations that make me love the book the most. There's something so unique about his drawings that make adults and children alike love them. 

Alongside the books, a small production company made a short film of the story which I can tell you has made me cry pretty much every time. It tells the tale so beautifully that it deservedly won a BAFTA for best animated short. 


Do you guys love Oliver Jeffers? 


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There's No Place Like Home //006 //Vinyl Clocks Review

A slightly different post to the rest of the series. This post is a review of the gorgeous Vinyl Clocks that I got sent. Vinyl Clocks are a company that create clocks out of any vinyl that you can think of really! Everything from the classics, to number ones and even recent hits. With prices starting from £14.95 they are a perfect gift for everyone. Being massive vinyl fans in this house I jumped at the opportunity to review one of their gorgeous products.


The clock came beautifully packaged in a bright pink mailing bag (not shown as address printed on it) and inside it had brown wrapping and secured with bubble wrap to make sure that the disk isn't damaged at all. Which I was really impressed with as some recent vinyl that I had ordered had come with no protection around it. The box has the company logo and lovely touches such as 'Timeless Memories' and 'If you can read this, either you or the box, are the wrong way up' which makes the gift a bit more personal and shows that the company put loads of effort into each product. 


Opening the box I found the some instructions for care and setup and also the vinyl sleeve of the record so I knew exactly what one I had been given. When you order on the site you get to choose the disk you want whether it's a 10", 12" or 7" single. They sent us Erasure's Ship of Fools. Not a band that is top of my list but the disk is so gorgeous that it looks perfect hung up. 


Picking up the front of the safety packaging (hand wrapped in tissue paper!) the disk is laid out perfectly with the hands of the clock already fixed to it. I've noticed that a lot of companies that sell products like this leave it for you to put together yourself, but this made it feel that little bit more special! And once removed you see that they included a battery for you too. It was a bit tricky to get the battery in as I didn't want to damage it but once in it started working straight away. They test the product for 24 hours before sending it to make sure that it is in full working order. 


My main issue was trying to find the best place to hang it! Eventually I found the perfect place in our living room so it's always on show and we can always be reminded of how much we love vinyl. 

Overall we love this product. There is so much care and love put into each product and you can tell that from the wrapping, to the boxing and the product itself and it's a perfect gift for any music lover or even someone that likes something a bit different. With everything from Meatloaf to Sex Pistols I'm pretty sure that you can find anything that you need on Vinyl Clocks. I've already got my eye on another one for Scott's birthday!

Do you love vinyl? How would you like to display some of yours?
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Life Lately.

Our freebies from comic book day, some macarons from the food festival, indoor picnics and growing cress.

So I realised that I've written lots but not really explained how life is at the moment. 

Max is doing really well. We're just getting past the tantrums of him being two and beginning to have great conversations with him and do things that he now understands. We decided that we would make some cress as we have no garden so flowers are a big no-no. He loved planting it (in an old egg box) and each morning would ask me if he could see it so he could make sure it was growing properly. Unfortunately it didn't go down to well in the eating books. He wasn't too keen on it but it was fun growing it!

He's also been really well behaved when it comes to meal times (at least when he's with me he has!) so we decided that we would do a lovely indoor picnic one day which he loved. 

Scott has finally finished uni. It's taken him 4 years and a lot of stress but I couldn't be prouder. When people first found out we were expecting Max they all thought we were going to drop out or fail but we've proved them wrong. He's also just started a blog (oooohhhhh, aaahhhh) over at Writing-dad so go and say hi if you wanted. He's never fully committed to a blog before but I convinced him that it would be good for his writing. 

And me? Well apart from going to gigs, looking after Max and working I've been cross stitching and taking photos and trying to find out what career I want in life. I know the general area but I need experience before I can do that. So maybe back to school I go haha. 

Hope everyone has been okay!
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A Confession...


I am a galaxy defender. A Mcfly addict. Whatever you want to call me. 

This past week I have seen the brilliant boys for the 20th and the 21st time. Yes you may think I'm nuts but seeing as I've loved the band for 10 years it doesn't seem that bad. 

On Thursday I headed to Bournemouth to see them play and on Tuesday I went to Portsmouth. Let's just say the boys don't disappoint. 

Have you got a love for a band you have seen this many times? Do you think I'm crazy? 
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Park life




We love our park. There is nothing better than going down for a couple of hours to blow off some steam and kill some time.


Max is convinced he is a big boy and loves going up the biggest slides and swings even if he needs a bit of help at times!


Going on the basket swing is his favourite though. He normally ends up swinging higher than I am tall. 


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Sunday Story // 001

Working in a book store I spend so much time rummaging through the kids books finding new things to read to Max. I thought it would be perfect to share my favourite kids books every Sunday in the hope that it will inspire you guys to pick something new up to share with your child!


The Dark is the first picture book by the enigmatic Lemony Snicket. It tells the tale of Laszlo, a boy who is afraid of the dark. When night time falls the darkness emerges from the basement and takes over his whole house he hides away from it and says goodbye to it every morning when it's back in the basement. One day Laszlo decides to face his fear and say hello to the darkness. It surely can't be that scary!

This book is typical Snicket and is illustrated by one of my favourite artists, Jon Klassen. It's light hearted but dark at the same time and confronts an issue that quite a lot of kids experience at some point in their life. 

At the moment this book is still in a hardback but will be in paperback within 6 months.



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Good Post Day

Actually this post arrived yesterday but I don't really like posting twice in a day.

I love it when you get lovely things in the post. It all started when I signed for a parcel from Zulily but unfortunately the contents weren't the right order so I've had to send them back!

Then the door knocked and my lovely postie saids he had some goodies for me. After a bit of a natter I opened them and was so chuffed with what I had!



First up was a couple of long overdue records from Banquet Records from their Record Store Day stash. I had pretty much all but forgotten I ordered them in haste on the Saturday morning after RSD. I was desperate for both of these but my local store didn't get any in so was chuffed to pick these up and not have to pay over the odds on Ebay. I'm not the biggest BMTH fan anymore but this picture disk is bloody gorgeous. And I knew I needed the FFAF one as it was such a soundtrack for those emo days of my life haha. 



The other package was from Crown and Glory. I ordered this a few days ago and was gutted it didn't arrive in time for my night out but I'm off out next week so can wear it then. Every blogger seems to have a piece of theirs and I knew I couldn't resist so when I realised I still had £15 sat in my paypal account I jumped at the chance and ordered myself the adorable blue 'Not A Lotta Rosie' headband. It's gorgeous and I can't wait to wear it out!



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There's No Place Like Home //005

Here's to another week of me wishing what I could dress my imaginary house like. This week I've been lusting over cushions. Pretty strange you might say but I love a great cushion. It gives you a bit of personality to a room and changing them up can really make a room feel so different.

The ones I have picked would be used anywhere from a bedroom to a play room but here's some favourites. 


  1. Grumpy Cat - This cushion is hilarious. I love grumpy cat. It's one of the only memes that I never get bored of and this cushion is just HILARIOUS!
  2. Eivor Kvist - This is simple but gorgeous. Something that makes a room scream spring/summer. Perfect to brighter up a dull day.
  3. Skarum - One for Max's room. I spoke last week how his room is turning into a bit of a carnival theme with bright colours on white walls to brighten the day.
  4. Shark/Seahorse/Starfish - Okay so I know that cushions in the bathroom are wildly inappropriate as they just get wet and get ruined but I'd put a special chair in the room just so we could have these adorable cushions. They're so cute and different.
  5. Good Day Sunshine - I think the recent good weather has made me drawn towards happy bright colours, this is awesome, something that would go great with a light grey/green surroundings.
  6. Elephant Cushion - To carry on from Max's circus themed room this elephant is a gorgeous addition. Also the product is handmade by one of my lovely friends.
  7. Scion Mr Fox - A bit pricey but this amazing cushion would be a great statement piece on a sofa.
  8. Orla Kiely - Such a lovely cushion. I'm a sucker for Orla Kiely's work so this would be a must for a bedroom!
  9. Donna Wilson - Something about this cushion just stood out and if I had the spare £40 for it I would snap it up immediately.
  10. Party Ring - Who doesn't love biscuits. And who doesn't love giant cushions shaped as biscuits. This is amazing. A complete talking piece and definitely something that you wish you could eat. 

So there you go. A jam packed cushion spectacular!
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Anxiety Buster

So recently my anxiety has been getting the better of me. I can't pinpoint the exact reasons why but I realised that I needed to do something to stop things getting out of hand. Racking my brains, and my friends, someone suggested I started knitting or crochet as it can be really mind numbing and distracting. But there is always an end product. Then I realised that I can actually cross stitch and maybe that will help just as much.


I headed to Hobbycraft and picked up some supplies and have been cross stitching my days away. Everything seems to be book/movie/music related. I've even been asked to do a couple of commissions for people which is so exciting. It's been one of the best decisions ever as I can spend a couple of hours stitching and feel like I've accomplished something. 


Is there anything that you guys do to help beat anxiety?
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Meyrick Park


So on Sunday we ended up not really coming up with many great ideas of things to do. Max had a long nap meaning that all the shops and play areas were closed so I suggested we took a football down to Meyrick Park and spend a few hours there.

Meyrick Park is an amazing park that holds a golf course, tennis courts, masses of green and a mini woodland area. Max of course goes straight for the woods every time. His favourite thing is to pick up twigs and branches and pretend they are anything from a key to a microphone. He was running around pretending each tree was a door and he couldn't find the right one for his key!





When we move this will be one place I will miss most. It's just so serene to walk up to the top of the hill and look down on everything that is going on. Portsmouth is a bit of a concrete jungle compared to where we are now, and whilst I love there I think I will miss the abundance of green. Also I'm not biased (I am) but how cute does my kid look?


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