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5 reasons why blogs are awesome

5 reasons why blogs are awesome

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After 12 years of blogging (unlucky 13 this year) I’ve finally found my niche. I’ve spent all these years, quietly paying my own bills, being told by The People Who Know that I’ll never be successful’ unless I stick to one topic, so I nod and smile politely and sip my warm champagne while they tell me me that I should stick to being a food blogger/travel blogger/lifestyle blogger/mum blogger, and that I’ll never win awards if I don’t have a niche. Well, guess what? I like more than one thing! I love travel, I’m a mum (but it doesn’t define me), I love to shop, I love beauty things, I love to eat, I love homes and interiors stuff, I love to cook… but what I like to do most of all is smoosh all these things together: going on holiday with my kids and eating food while wearing beauty products, or standing around cooking in the kitchen of the home that I love, with the family that I love, also wearing beauty products, and clothes that I’ve shopped for. You see? None of these things are mutually exclusive, and it’s why I’ve always resisted being put in a box. So what’s my niche? Turns out I’m a ‘micro influencer’. I know, I know, terrible term, but bear with me…

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Simplicity

New year, new simplicity

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Welcome to 2019! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and saw in the New Year with your favourite people. Our Christmas was a little disjointed - I was desperate to go away, but actually although I loved our holiday, I really missed the build up to Christmas. I wanted to avoid it because I thought it would make me sad, but I’ve realised that I prefer to be at home in those precious, exciting days of planning, shopping and wrapping before the big day. I’ve said it before, but there’s something about going on holiday that always seems to find me spending a lot of time taking stock, reassessing my life and seeing what I want from my future more clearly. I guess it’s the luxury of having time to dream and plot and wish - all of my favourite things. I’m a big fan of approaching the new year with positivity - life brings us 12 new chapters, all with blank pages ready for us to fill with memories and new experiences. I’ve seen a lot of people talking about choosing a word for 2019, and I know instantly what mine’s going to be: simplicity. It’s what I’m craving, in all things.

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A moment to pause at The Chapel, Marlow

A moment to pause at The Chapel, Marlow

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Last week, I was invited to experience a cut and colour at a brand new salon based at The Old Trinity Church in Marlow. I was intrigued when I was asked to bring not only all the tools and products I use to style my hair, but a ‘mood board’ depicting my hair journey and any styles or ideas I might have. In the weeks running up to my appointment at The Chapel, I enjoyed giving serious thought to what I actually want from my hair, and created a folder of saved images on Instagram of styles and colours that appealed to me.

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My winter self care promises

My winter self care promises

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What is it about holidays that seem to make you take stock? Whenever I go away, I always come home with a notebook full of new ideas and plans for making changes. Maybe it’s just having time to assess and take stock? It was weird in China (I was there on commission for Cruise International - more of this very soon!) - you can’t get on Instagram, Google (or any derivative, so Google maps, Chrome, etc), Facebook or WhatsApp. There are ways around it, as it turns out, but the first couple of days, I was completely stressing about not being able to get online. It made me think long and hard about my priorities, and also about some changes that I want to make. I started to jot down a couple of winter self care promises to myself and thought I’d share them with you as I know a lot of you often have the odd wobble too!

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The positive life plan: a September life audit

The positive life plan: a September life audit

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Don’t you just adore September? It has such a lovely fresh start feel about it: new stationery, new uniform and of course the promise of crunchy autumn leaves, roast dinners and blackberry and apple crumble… You might have seen that I wrote recently about some of the lessons I’d learned after 12 years of blogging. I made a mental note at the time to revisit my positive life plan and update a few of the categories, because I feel like I’ve been making quite a few changes recently, both with my work, my health, and my general outlook on life. If you’ve never come across the positive life plan before, it’s a chilled out way to perform a bit of a positive life edit, where you can take stock, set goals, record your hopes and dreams, then keep referring back and updating to keep track of your progress. I find it hugely helpful, so it thought it was about time for a September life audit. Here goes, then:

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The best vanilla cupcake recipe

The best vanilla cupcake recipe to celebrate 12 years of blogging

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12 years, though. 12 whole years! I can’t actually believe it’s been that long since I sat at my enormous, clunky computer in that little house down a long drive in County Dublin and listened to it making that weird, warbly dial-up sound connecting to our bloody awful internet connection. They say the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step and for me, my journey really began when I started writing down my thoughts about moving our young family to Ireland. This led on to being a part of the very early blogging community in Ireland, and from there - well, you know the rest! And what better way to celebrate with you than with cake and sprinkles, and to give you, dearest reader, the most precious of gifts: the best vanilla cupcake recipe I own!

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Tips for anxious travellers

My top tips for nervous flyers

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You don’t have to be ‘scared of flying’ to be a nervous traveller. There are all sorts of different reasons why you might not particularly like flying: it might be a dislike of large crowds or being squished into places with lots of strangers (this is mine), meeting new people, the feeling of being trapped in an enclosed space, food allergies or preferences that can be difficult to manage when you’re away from home… it all adds up to feeling like you’re not in control of your own destiny, and that can feel unpleasant and make anyone feel anxious. I don’t actually mind flying at all - for me, it’s an opportunity to sit back, chill out, watch a film or two, read a big pile of magazines and not look at my phone for a few hours, but I do know that travelling can be a whole lot easier if you have a few simple techniques up your sleeve. Here are my top tips for nervous flyers:

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My Drinkaware month - saying goodbye to January

My Drinkaware month: saying goodbye to January

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Just four short weeks ago, I told you about my plans for 2018, and more specifically my plans for January. Over this month, using the super useful Drinkaware app, I’ve set goals, logged every glass of wine (and every gin), noted every unit and every calorie, every drink-free day and lot of other associated stuff. And now, as we’re finally saying goodbye to January (or should I say good riddance?), there’s time to reflect upon how it’s gone, the lessons I’ve learned, the bits I’ll take with me into the rest of the year, and the bits I’ll leave behind. And so, in no particular order, here are my thoughts:

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My Drinkaware month - an update

My Drinkaware month - an update

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How’s your January going? If you read my healthy plan for 2018, you’ll know that I’m determined to be more healthy this month (and hopefully carrying on for the entire year), to foster a healthier respect for alcohol, break the habit of my after dinner glass or two of wine and eat a much healthier diet, with a lot less meat and sweet treats. How am I getting on? Well, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster, but I think I’m on the right track. Read on for my thoughts so far on my Drinkaware month - an update on my mission to break bad habits and foster new, healthy ones.

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What do you wear to a funeral

What do you wear to a funeral? And other musings on losing a loved one

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Grief is a funny thing. Initially after losing my Dad (what a silly term - we didn’t mislay him, like a missing phone or a set of keys), we were all in shock. I’m a terrible cryer at the best of times (RSPCA adverts, Cinderella Castle, fireworks, Disney songs, people singing in choirs, people singing Disney songs in choirs, puppies, sad films, stubbed toes…) so the first few days were just basically spent surrounded by a sea of soggy tissues. We would all be okay then one of us would start and set all the others off again. After a while, though, I kind of felt like I was all cried out, and we could think and talk and reminisce about him without as many tears. And then the weirdness set in. I’ve found myself obsessing about teeny, tiny details: exactly what flowers and foliage are going to be in our wreath (pale yellow roses - he loved a bit of yellow - lots of eucalyptus, please, and absolutely none of that frondy asparagus stuff) and - here’s the big one: what do you wear to a funeral? If you follow my Facebook page, you’ll know that we’ve been having chats about it online, and people have been so kind and helpful, giving me all sorts of suggestions (which of course set me off crying again), but I still can’t make my mind up.

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M&S activewear for my couch to 5k journey

Weekday wishlist: M&S activewear for my couch to 5k journey

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Yes, I know I usually do a weekend wishlist, but I’ve got a lovely bit of baking for you this weekend, so I thought I’d mix things up a bit and bring you a weekday wishlist instead. If you’ve read my last couple of posts about my plans for 2018, you’ll know that I’m trying hard to look after and nourish my body, cut down on alcohol, eat healthily and get back into my running. On Monday, I deleted my Couch to 5k app details and then started it again from the beginning. I quickly realised, though, that I had actually made some progress and didn’t need to stop and walk. I ended up running the whole week 1 run 1 and although I ached the next day, I felt a huge sense of achievement. I’m going to carry it on, but one thing I really need is some decent new running gear. Happily, there’s a great selection of gorgeous M&S activewear, so I’m going to treat myself to some lovely new stuff. Here are a few bits that caught my eye:

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My health and alcohol - plans for 2018

My health and alcohol: plans for 2018

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So you’ll probably have seen that Erica and I have updated the positive life plan for 2018. I do hope you’ve decided to join in, whether throwing yourself in wholeheartedly, or just jotting down a few things that you want to change this year or some goals that you might have. It did make me smile that after promising myself a healthy, alcohol free New Year, my Dad went and tested me by popping his clogs on New Year’s Day. Many of you knew what he was like and will know that he’d have laughed heartily to himself about that. So, on to my plans for 2018, then.

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Stop all the clocks

Stop all the clocks

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Have you seen Trainwreck? There’s a scene in the film where Amy Schumer’s character is giving a eulogy to her father at his funeral. I watched it on a plane and laughed so hard when she said ‘raise your hand if our Dad ever offended you’ and everyone put their hand up. This would literally be me at my Dad’s funeral, I thought. Haha. You never imagine it actually happening though, do you? But then yesterday, at 10.30 am on New Year’s Day 2018, he died, peacefully. This huge, larger than life character, such a force in my life, is no more. Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone…

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A positive life plan for 2018

A positive life plan for 2018

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I adore Christmas. I’m a planner and a note-maker, and always need to have something to look forward to, so for me, the build up is one of my favourite parts: choosing and wrapping special gifts, planning and buying all the food, decorating the house with scented candles and twinkling lights… it all makes me really happy . We had a gorgeous Christmas this year, and rounded off the season with a small New Year’s Eve gathering with some of our favourite people. Now, though, I’m already wanting the decorations down, the house clean and tidy again, and I’ll be raring to dive headfirst into this squeaky clean, fresh and sparkly New Year. One of the first things I’ll be doing is opening a lovely new notebook and creating my positive life plan for 2018.

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Everything you need to know about new Juvéderm Volite

Post 40 beauty: everything you need to know about new Juvéderm Volite

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Last week, I was invited to travel up to the Phi Clinic in London’s Harley Street (I know!) to try out a brilliant new skin treatment that promises a healthy glow for tired, winter skin. If, like me, you’re just starting to think about diving in to the world of aesthetic treatments (see my post on Botox here), this one could definitely be for you. Here’s everything you need to know about new Juvéderm Volite, the latest in innovative injectable skin treatments.

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Festive gifts for a stylish friend with John Lewis

Festive gifts for a stylish friend with John Lewis

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You know that friend: she always looks amazing, even just in jeans, and of course she has a lovely, welcoming home, a gorgeous wardrobe and impeccable taste, and that all just makes festive pressie buying a bit - well - difficult! I came across this very dilemma recently when the lovely chaps at John Lewis asked if I’d like to do a pressie swap with the effortlessly stylish Sara, who writes the beautiful lifestyle blog, Notes from a Stylist. I mean, ARGH! Luckily, not only is Sara very lovely and friendly, but it turns out we also have lots in common: teenage kids, yummy food (bring on the roast dinners), a love of interiors, stationery, twinkly things, beautiful flowers and lovely smells. Of course, there are also things we don’t have in common: mostly the fact that I have no style whatsoever, which is why I was reading her blog and following her in the first place - to pick up some tips. So how on earth do you choose festive gifts for a stylish friend? Well…

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