Pbloggers Network


There has been late nights, frantic googling, trying things we didn't think would work but we did it. Last night was the launch of the Pbloggers Network.

Pbloggers started as a chat on Sunday nights from 9-10pm and we realised that there was more that could be done with it. We realised that people needed help and advice during the week, that they wanted to have a chat when it wasn't a Sunday night. 

So that is where the network comes in. The site (still with teething problems) was created for people to share ideas, blog posts, parenting woes or just to say they bought a new top this week within a forum basis. This meant that the chat could continue through the week. 

In addition to that there is the blog aspect. Posting new things daily from round up's of our favourite posts from fellow Pbloggers, to how to guides showing you the best way to add or change your blog. Not to mention the synopsis of the weekly Pbloggers chat's of course.

So please head on over, have a look at the site and feel free to join up and share your blogging, parenting wonders. 
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Home Improvement Hero Challenge

Money Supermarket recently set some bloggers a challenge to improve a part of their home with a budget of £50. With money becoming tighter for most, being thrifty with your money is always handy, especially when it comes to home improvements. 

I am the worst when it comes to starting projects and never finishing them. The amount of crafty things I attempt and then realise that I'm rubbish at it is ridiculous so I wanted to do something that meant I could prove to myself and everyone else that I was capable of finishing a project!

We live in a rented property so didn't really want to do anything too invasive to the structure/walls. Our living room is a tiny room that we eat, play and study in so we wanted to make this more liveable. Here are some before pictures:


As you can see, the place is tiny and cramped and doesn't leave much to the imagination. We knew that we wanted to have a proper place for Max's toys to go so we found a toy storage unit in Argos (£20). Whilst all his toys are on show it means that we can keep an eye on how much stuff he has out and also he can help us tidy away at the end of the day.


Our sofa looks a bit worse for wear with dodgy cushions and things strewn all over it so we pulled it apart and evened out the padding in the seats then found some gorgeous duck egg blue cushions (£6) and a chocolate brown throw (£11). I also moved the brown box next to the sofa to use as a storage unit/side table.


I took Max's table and bought some red (his colour choice) spotted material (£3 per metre - 1 metre bought). It's the oilcloth style so it can be wiped down. I stuck it to his table and chairs with spray adhesive (£3) so that they looked a tad more colourful and neater. The plain white looked tired and dirty whereas this makes it fun for him to eat dinner. 


I stuck up some book related postcards I got from work (£2) on the wall near his table so that he can sit on his armchair and read a book. I stuck this on using washi tape (£1), it looks a bit messy so I will probably stick it down in a neater way in the future.


I found a wicker basket in a charity shop (£1.50) which we can put magazines, remotes and anything else in there.


And finally I used an old jam jar, used the washi tape from earlier and some scrap wallpaper to create a pencil pot for Max's pencils. I also bought some carpet gripping tape for the rugs so they would stay still (£1)



I really feel like even though I didn't do anything invasive to the property I did manage to give the room a complete overhaul to make it look nicer and feel more homely for our uses. Max and Scott are chuffed and I'm proud of what I've managed to do in such a small space!

Overall I spent:
£48.50 exactly. Well about £48.41 when I considered that most things were rounded up to the pound from a .99p! It made the maths a lot easier.

Thank you Money Supermarket for hosting this challenge I think we can give thumbs up all round! I definitely now know that I can stretch a budget and finish a project!
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I've been shopping recently!

I love shopping. I normally buy too much or things that aren't appropriate - especially if I see a sale! This month I have been pretty good. Especially seeing as my birthday is at the end of the month. 

Shark Lunchbox - Joules
Two vests and tshirt - Hello Apparel

First up was a few items from Hello. I love this website and have half of their stock. I picked up the clothing when they were throwing a 4th July special at pretty much half price so this was a complete steal! Then came the gorgeous lunchbox from Joules. Infact this was gifted to us to review so I didn't buy it but a review is coming soon.

Aquabats DVD

Nexy up was this DVD. If there is a show that a child can be obsessed with because it involves music, super heros and crazy monsters then this is it. Max loves this show and we do too. Now my mission is to make the costume for him...

All from Waterstones

I love my job. So of course I have to treat us all come payday. I picked up the bottom two books for me as I'm still obsessed with teen fiction. Scott got the Neil Gaiman book so he can get it signed when we see him next month and Max got the Hugless Douglas book to add to the collection. I also bought the artist notepad and listography book to add to my ever growing collection of things I don't need but feel I must have. 

Also my best mate got us Jay Z tickets and my mum bought me shoes (but that was for my birthday - which is on monday!)

Have you got anything good this month?






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Blinkbox Review


Blinkbox is an awesome service brought to you by Tesco. Blinkbox is an online service where you can rent films and tv series to watch on your laptop, tablet or games console. 

Being parents, we hardly find the time to get out to the cinema and are trying to cut back on things like unnecessary DVD purchases. We already subscribe to a monthly service but find the selection doesn't reflect things that have just been released on DVD. That's where Blinkbox comes in. You can rent brand new DVD's from as little as 99p!

We were recently asked if we wanted to try out the service and tell you guys how we found it. 

We don't have a smart TV so decided we were going to download the app onto our xbox so we could watch the films on our TV. This was so quick and easy. The interface on the app is so easy to use and you can search by actor or film title/genre. It made the selection process that bit harder as we had too much to choose from!

Because we had voucher codes we had to go onto the blinkbox website on a laptop or tablet and pick the film we wanted before watching them on the xbox. We chose Sightseers, Seven Psychopaths and are yet to choose our third (I'm thinking Warm Bodies or Oz!) Once we had picked and redeemed the code we went into our account page on the Xbox and the films were there for us to watch! You have 48 hours to watch them from purchase so if you find you can't watch it all in one go or maybe want a sneaky look back at something that happened then you are free to do so. 

In terms of the films we loved them. Scott is a scriptwriting graduate so he wanted something that had been rated highly on the story. I'm fine to watch anything unless it's an action film and then I get a bit bored with all the fighting and macho men. 

The service was so easy to use and watch films on and great if you wanted to treat yourself to a night in as its tonnes cheaper than buying a dvd from the shops. Another bonus is any DVD you buy from Tesco with the Blinkbox sticker on means that the DVD is registered to your account and available to watch online! You also get clubcard points on the purchases too. 

So if you are sold on Blinkbox then head on over, if not then don't worry I'm sure you'll watch something on there soon!
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A Wedding Post.

So as many of you guys know, I am engaged. It's something that I am truly happy about and so ecstatic because Scott is someone that I want to spend every single day of my life with. Even if he does to and say silly things.

Having said that, since becoming engaged we have been inundated with 'When's the wedding?' and 'I best be invited'. Which leads to me thinking that maybe a big ceremony isn't what I'm after. Because of course I hate the spotlight. And having loads of people fuss over me isn't my idea of fun in the slightest.

And then I start thinking how I would like a wedding to be..


I don't want to wear a white dress. I'm not skinny, nor does white even suit my pale, paper white body. Blues and blacks are my favourites. I want to stand out and feel confident in what I wear.

(Source)

I honestly don't know if I can be bothered with making things look beautiful like this. So much stress when I could get a gorgeous wedding cake, a hotel room, my soon to be hubby and gorge on cake with a takeout in a bed I don't have to make in the morning. 
Having said that I would love to celebrate with family and friends I just get scared that I won't know where to stop with guests and will end up offending people etc.

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I then start thinking that something small, almost an elopement would be better for us. Less cost, less fuss and more focused around the fact it's because we love each other. Also we never do things that other people do. Only Scott has a massive extended family so that would be tricky to work around.

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At the end of the day as long as I'm with Scott and Max the day will be amazing. If anyone else joins us then it will just be an added party. 
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Our Favourite Family Friendly Festivals

Having been to loads of festivals before the boy was born (even during pregnancy!) we knew that he would continue to join us. I've spoken about kids and festivals before too and I know that we are in full swing of festival season. I've been watching the TV with a mixture of jealousy and delight! Here are a few of the best that are left this year.

Our personal favourite, we are gutted beyond words that we can't afford it this year so we are already saving. The best of the kid's festivals out there in our opinion because the kids are the kings and queens of this castle. An abundance of family things to do. This year includes Horrible Histories and Mr Tumble for the kids and The 1975 and Scroobius Pip for the adults. 
If you have the time off and the money then I urge you to head down there and make the most of the glorious weather and fantastic line up. I promise kids from 6 months to 60 years at least will love it. 


Definitely one of the most eclectic of festivals. With such a diverse lineup there you are sure to find something that you and your family love. My highlights would most certainly be The Playhouse and the Sew Over It corner. It's definitely one for the families that don't want to be surrounded by familiar characters and music as there's aways something different to see. 



Having previously won the award for best family festival this is sure to be a hit. There are some big names playing including Primal Scream! Surely if you want to have a good line up to educate kids on music taste then this is one of the ones for you. 



Definitely the most commercial of all the festivals, hosted at the Olympic park this year. It includes such stars as Rastamouse, Peppa Pig and every parents favourite....Mr Tumble. The idea of this festival is great. All the popular characters in one place for the kids to go nuts over but I feel it lacks the culture and experiences that the other festivals have. That's not to say that kid's won't have a great time though. 


Hosted by Jamie Oliver and Alex James this is a collaboration of foodies and music lovers with excellent things for the kids thrown in too. Music includes Rizzle Kicks and Basement Jaxx whilst things for the kids include storytelling and yes you guessed it...Mr Tumble (seriously that guy gets around- can I have one day where his name isn't mentioned?!). Of course because it's hosed by Jamie himself there has to be some excellent food being featured from the likes of his own food and our festival favourite Higgidy pies!

So there's some of our favourites, is there anything you are going to or have been to?
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We're Off To Find The Gruffalo

This weekend our favourite country park (Moors Valley) had a special occasion. They turned 25 so celebrated by having a Gruffalo trail and the opportunity to meet him. Of course being big fans we jumped at the chance!





Oh and we did actually find him...


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Graze Goodybox


Graze is a firm favourite in our household. We get a box each week to add to our healthy treats. Recently I got an email asking if we wanted to try the kid's goodybox as a free trial and of course I jumped at the opportunity. Max always seems to want to eat mine so one of his own was perfect.

It arrived like any other graze box but with Max's name printed on the front. He was chuffed that he had post with his name on! Opening it up the box was just as fun as the contents with loads of space for drawing and playing on the box and a face on the edge that wanted to munch his fingers off!

In terms of the contents he had some gorgeous golden flapjack, cheesy breadsticks, tropical treats of pineapple and raisins and a tub of honeycomb and pumpkin seeds. He wolfed it all up within a few days so I think a treat like this every few weeks would be a great options to chocolate and sticker books.

Have you tried them.

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Things I love at the moment

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Pretty Little Liars. I was obsessed with the books years ago and have become increasingly hooked on the TV show. The girls are fantastic actresses and the script is so good, especially seeing as it's so different to the books. 

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I absolutely love this dress, it would be perfect for everything from weddings to formal events. Also in summer and winter (especially with this heat!).

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I love these shoes, perfect to spruce up any outfit to make it summery. Perfect for festivals too (if we were going to any!)

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I am addicted to these. Perfect and fresh on a hot day.



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52 Lists: Post #5

#5 - Favourite Snacks

  • Strawberries. I am addicted to them.
  • Cheese and crackers.
  • Sugar free marshmallows.
  • Yoghurt and hot chocolate powder (this is amazing!)
  • Cake
  • Frozen grapes
52 lists taken from Meetmeatmikes
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Next Sale Haul


Normally I am too late for the Next sale, either I get a rubbish online slot or there is nothing left in Max's size when I manage to get down. Luckily this year I got there early afternoon and people seemed to have been too distracted by the sun to notice! I grabbed everything in Max's size and then put back what we didn't like.

I managed to get:
  • Blue aztec trim chinos - they are so soft and I was actually lusting after them last week but without the discount they were pretty expensive!
  • Gremlins top - We love movie's in this home (well Scott is a scripty) so we needed some awesome 80's movie tops.
  • Back to the future top - Amazing film, amazing top. Can't wait for the Lego version of the delorean to arrive in store!
  • Goonies top -  He already has 2 Goonies tops but you can never have too many can you?
  • Green and Grey Nirvana tops - He twisted my arm. He LOVES Nirvana and everyone in the store was pretty impressed that he even knew who they were!


Did anyone else go to the sale? What did you get?

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Soy and Maple Salmon Recipe


We love salmon in our home, it's also a great summery dish and with this weather we really needed something light and refreshing to eat. 

This dish was great served with some fresh egg noodles and some steamed Tenderstem broccoli on the side. 

What you need:
Salmon fillets
5 tea spoons of soy sauce
5 tablespoons of maple syrup

Method:
Mix the soy sauce and maple in a bowl and cover the salmon in it. 
Cover the salmon and let it marinade in the glaze (I did it for an hour).
Pan fry the salmon for 20 minutes in fry lite, turning regularly to prevent burning. 
Serve with noodles and veg. 

This was so gorgeous. The outside of the salmon was slightly crispy, the glaze was sweet yet not too overpowering and it was such a change from any other flavourings. 
Max loved it so much he stole half of mine! 

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Max's Festival Wishlist

Unfortunately we aren't off to any weekend festivals this year. More to the fact we couldn't afford it and we wanted to do a proper holiday instead. We are gutted we made this choice (obviously) and decided we are going to Victorious Festival for one day just to soak up the atmosphere!

Regardless here are some things we need for Max's next adventure to the great world of festivals.


Also there are some things that we as parents think are must haves for kiddo's



What are your kid essentials at festivals?
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Miley Cyrus: A Bad Role Model or Just Misunderstood?

Last month Miley Cyrus was branded the worst female role model by parents, Chris Brown being named the worst male. Whilst you can understand someone convicted of beating a woman to be a bad role model, I fail to see what is so bad about Miley that makes all parents want to shield their kids from her. 

Miley, the Disney channel queen turned pop star actress was above the likes of Lindsay Lohan (in rehab) and Amanda Bynes (total train wreck). Whilst I can see that the transformation from squeaky clean to rough around the edges isn't the best for the Disney demographic, I fail to see how she can be the worst of them all. 

Miley may be channelling the good girl gone bad look at the moment and may have admitted to smoking weed like the photo opposite shows, but she makes valid points to back her arguments and comes across pretty eloquent in her defences. 

Surely it's better that she admits that she does it, rather than hiding it away and being caught out in a massive drug scandal in a few years. She is a grown woman that can make her own choices and be responsible for her own actions. A thirteen year old shouldn't know what a spliff is, yet alone know where to get access to such things. Yes it isn't the best for a role model to do but at least she isn't sleeping with a different guy every week and exposing herself in drunk photos every night.

She was never going to be the perfect, innocent girl that was portrayed in Hannah Montana forever. She had to grow up, much like the first fans that started to watch her. In theory they should be around 12-15 by now. Yes that can be deemed as a vulnerable age gap but surely it should also be at an age where parents should be educating their children on things such as alcohol and sex education. 

On the other hand, amongst the top of the best role models list must surely have been this lady: Taylor Swift.

See I've never really liked her that much. Not because she sings happy and lovely dovey music that is played all the time on the radio. More for the fact that each song seems to be about a different man that she's dated. Surely someone thats a serial dater is just as bad as someone that smokes? Also most of Swifts songs, as well as talking about her heartbreak (does she ever take the blame for a relationship?) talk about how the girl that stole her man is a slut. Or something like that. Seriously girl? If you go through 13 or so men in 3 years then surely you need to assess yourself as well as how your relationships are formed. 

On the other hand, Miley is currently in a 3 year long relationship with Liam Hemsworth.
She is seen as promiscuous and slutty due to the nature of her music videos, the things she does in her spare time and the way she dresses. I thought as women we aren't supposed to be that judgemental.

Maybe she isn't the best role model but there are sure worse ones out there than her. Maybe those seen as good celebrity role models have skeletons in their closets too and once they are laid bare then judgement will change. In the meanwhile surely we should be teaching our kids to think their minds and dream their own dreams rather than chase after a celebrities. 
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52 lists: Post #4

#4: Favourite Smells

Some of these will be generic, some are a tad weird.

  • Lush Dirty spray - My other half wears it and it makes him smell divine.
  • Soap and Glory perfume - I wear this and I love the fresh, fruity smell it has.
  • A clean baby/child - They always smell amazing!
  • Fresh cut grass - Even though it makes my hayfever crazy.
  • Baking - Of any kind. Brownies, cakes, bread. MMMMMM
  • BBQ's - As long as it's not burning. Meat is just yummy. 
  • Petrol - Okay this ones weird but a petrol station smells so nice, I know it's bad but shh!
  • Books - I work in a book shop. Let's say I have my head in a book for more than one reason.


What are your favourite smells?
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This Weekend

As well as the fabulous sun, this weekend has been pretty superb. 

First it started on Friday with Max receiving a microphone and stand off his godmum/my best mate. We are not allowed tot ouch it and he spends every waking moment singing us some songs in it from twinkle twinkle to Nirvana. 
Next I realised I got paid earlier than I thought so I treated myself to a ticket for Britmums Live next year. I was gutted I never went this year so was chuffed to bag an early bird ticket. It seems well worth the money!


Then on Saturday we headed out in the blistering heat to watch our friends Hannah and Jim get married. It was such a gorgeous, simple wedding that I loved it all. Makes me so excited to get planning my own wedding!
Then today we spent most of the day at the inlaws house playing in the paddling pool, eating bbq food and watching the tennis. Max was in his element running around outside naked and splashing in the pool. He really doesn't do heat too well so he scoffed a couple of ice pops to cool him down throughout the day. 
How was your weekend? Did you watch the tennis and make the most of the sun?






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Potty Training Favourites

As I explained yesterday, Max has started potty training. It's a complete hit and miss for what we have to do and we are hoping that keeping him in pants during long times of the day he will get the hang of it. He already keeps them dry! it's just the potty time that sometimes takes a bit of reassurance. 

Here are some of our favourite products:



Max hated the sit down potty he had. He was refusing to wee on it and treating it like a toy. One day we decided that we could try him on the actual toilet with a trainer seat. Result! This one is a lot more comfy that the one we originally had.
Pourty Flexi Fit Toilet Trainer.






We use reward charts a lot. Mainly because it helped Max keep his behaviour under checks when he was causing riot in the mornings. We don't normally give him anything other than a pack of stickers as a reward. This potty chart is so cute and I love that there is space for 20 stickers which is more than enough!
King Of The Potty Sticker Chart.





Kids need amusing whilst they are sat doing their business and this app was perfect! It can go straight to the toilet themed songs or you can read it as a story. I think it's chargeable but it's definitely worth it.
Potty Time With Elmo









Finally you can't go wrong with a good pair of pants. Max chose some Disney ones obviously. Having him wear pants he actually wants to wear is helping as it's encouraging him to use the toilet. Pants time = toilet time!
Monsters University Pants









What are your favourite potty products?
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This Week


This week has been really great. As well as spending quality family time together we have found new places to go and new things to do. Max has started potty training and he's doing pretty good with it, a few accidents but good on the whole. 

His speech has come on leaps and bounds and today he started properly describing things "My top is blue and soft" and "The play area is wobbly like jelly" which amazes me as a few months ago he only saying 2-3 word sentences. 

He and Scott sit and sing songs on the guitar at the moment. His favourites are definitely McFly and Weezer. He is also obsessed with the Aquabats Super Show which is some amazing show that you all need to check out. 

That's our update, what's been happening to you?
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What I Read: June


  • Fortunately The Milk (Neil Gaiman) - This book is aimed at children but it is amazing! Unfortunately it isn't out until September but it's perfect for any fans of something a bit different. It's about a dad that goes out to buy the milk, unfortunately he encounters a completely different journey to what he hoped. The illustrations are gorgeous and remind me a bit of a Gaiman/Dr Who hybrid.
  • The Bling Ring (Nancy Jo Sales) - Nancy was one of the only reporters to have conversations with the suspects that the film is based on. She compiled them into a really interesting book of facts and studies about teenagers and the society we live in. Don't be fooled into thinking it's a novel. It really isn't but well worth a read to fully understand the mentality of these teen robbers.
  • One Moment (Kristina McBride) - Loved this teen romance come crime book about a girl whose memory blanks during an important moment. Trying to recount what happened uncovers loads of things that she probably never wanted to know about her friends and family.
  • Looking For Alaska (John Green) - I had to re-read an old favourite. Especially because my copy seems to have gone missing. I love this story. Up there in my top 3 of his! I urge you to read a book of his, it will be worth it.
  • Skinny (Donna Cooner) - A really wonderful story about a morbidly obese girl that undergoes surgery to help her lose weight. It touches the subject perfectly and any girl that has experienced that feeling that they are fat will empathise with the main character.
  • Shift (Em Bailey) - A new girl arrives at a school. All people know is that she killed her parents. One girl finds it her mission to uncover the truth about her. It's a great book and completely different to the normal paranormal teen fiction.
  • The Killing Woods (Lucy Christopher) - Emily's dad is accused of murdering a teenage girl, and she knows he isn't capable of doing it. A split narrative story from Emily and the murdered girls boyfriend tells the tale of coming to terms with loss, PTSD and what really happened in those woods.
  • Before I Die (Jenny Downham) - A girl compiles a list of things she wants to complete before she dies of terminal cancer. Might sound depressing but it's a gorgeous novel. Think TFIOS but more about trying to break the law. It's been turned into a film called Now Is Good
  • Chasing The Dark (Sam Hepburn) - This story is about a boy who's mum is killed in a car crash. But he wants answers so goes of hunting to see what he can find. Unfortunately getting involved in the wrong crowds leads him down some scary avenues. 


What have you read recently?
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52 Lists: Post #3

List #3 - Favourite Childhood TV Shows

I was a total 90's kid. And I think that the 90's kids tv was by far some of the best. Some of my favourite shows were:

Rugrats
Hey Arnold
SMTV Live
Kenan and Kel
Goosebumps
Sabrina The Teenage Witch
Fresh Prince Of Bel Air
Demon Headmaster
Worst Witch
WIld Thornberrys
Queens Nose
Recess


Let's get nostalgic. What were your childhood faves?
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