My Summer Has Most Been Spent

• Getting out and enjoying the daylight by going on walks with Rev T.

• Wearing my favourite summer clothes.  And buying a few new ones.

• Enjoying the silence.   Rev T and the Tubblet went to see his parents so I've been home alone. Apart from the cat.  

• Cooking my way through the new Miguel Barclay book.  Yummo!

• Collapsing on our new sofas.  (Living room tour post to follow).  After I've the cleaned room up and looked for matching cushions and blankets.  

• Visiting our lovely family in the USA.  And wishing we didn't have to leave.  Or that they lived closer.

• Enjoying the sun.  When I'm not complaining about the sun.  I am not built for heat.  Drinking more water.  Because it's too hot not too.  

• Travelling up and down the motorway to see family.  Now the Tubblet is older, she turns on, tunes in and zones out but when she was younger, we played games to make the journey go faster.  As there are lots of posh cars on the roads near us, we'd shout out the make each time we spotted one and get a point.  It was known as The Top Gear Game.  It got very competitive.  Clickmechanic has some other, better games.

• Reading.  I've been trying not to buy new books and read the existing ones on my Kindle.  with varying degrees of success.  Because.  Books.  

• Counting down to the holiday. 

• Eating and drinking too much.  (Holiday calories aren't real, right?!  But if that's true, why are my jeans rather snug).

• Crying with laughter.

• Making wishes and trying to enjoy the moment.  Because we can get so caught up with planning everything and trying to make the most out of life, when the very best of times sometimes sneak up on you without you having to actually do anything.

• Bubble baths and pamper evenings.

• Freaking out because the Tubblet is now in Year 9 and starts studying GSCEs in English and Maths.  (Her school teaches the syllabus over 3 years rather than 2).  

How did have you spent your summer?  Let me know in the comments.

This is a collaborative post in conjunction with Clickmechanic.  All opinions and experiences are my own.  

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Getting Your Money's Worth

In my day job, I work as a researcher for a financial services company.  This has made me love a well presented, decently researched information as so much of what I look at is anything but.  Plus, I adore a random fact.  

The lovely Infographic I'm sharing with you today shows some great, quirky examples of what you can purchase for a various amounts of money- $1, $10 and $100 - in different countries around the world. What buys you a tin of baked beans in one country gets you a really good foot massage in another. Something to bear in mind when travelling.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  

Infographic by Legacy Citizenship

This is a collaborative post in partnership with Legacy Citizenship.  All views and opinions are my own.

Travels with My Doggie

Doggie is one of a few toys from Rev T's childhood that hasn't got lost over the years. He normally sits in our bedroom, keeping an eye on things.  But every so often he goes out and about on an adventure ...

These photos are part of his publicity tour for the Toddler's End of Term party a few weeks ago. He seems to have a whale of a time in one of our local parks:

A good time was had by all.  Hope you're having a great summer!  

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My Day. More Numbers

Here's another day in numbers:

Billy Fury Way, Hampstead, London

1 latte in my brand new keep cup.  5 less cups being sent to landfill during my working day.  (I need to find a solution for weekends.  There are still 2 cups to landfill.  But still an improvement on 7).

10 tabs open on my PC.  Some for work, some for pleasure.

7:30 is the time I'm getting up tomorrow as I'm working from home.  (I love lie-ins!!!  And I'll still be at my virtual desk super early).

1 pamper evening planned, with a bubble bath, face mask, mani and pedi.  Rev T is out for the night.

30 colouring pens and 1 adult colouring book.  I shall be colouring my way through an Enchanted Forest.  Will it take my mind of the stresses of day to day life?  Only one way to find out.

6,000 Pokemon cards picked up from the floor of the Tubblet's room and put away.  (This may be an exaggeration, but there were loads of the darned things!)

3 Five Guys' Burgers.  1 each.  They're lovely, but very filling and rather expensive. Now I've eaten one, I don't need to do it again for a bit.  The coffee milkshakes however ... Yum!

20 strawberries eaten.  That's got to be at least 2 of my 5 a day, right?

How's your day going?

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This is a sponsored post in partnership with www.colouringbooks.org.uk.  All opinions are my own.

At Home I'm a Tourist

The Tubbs family has always lived in or near London but there are still loads of places there we've never been. Every so often we drag the Tubblet out, get on the train and pretend we're tourists for the day.

We find buildings we've never seen, shops we've not browsed, museums we've not visited, restaurants, coffee shops and bars we've never tried and side streets we've never wandered down plus random bits of river.  

At the end of the day we get on the train with sore feet, lighter purses and feeling like we've been on a mini city break.  

Holiday time can feel a bit competitive. Particularly in the Blogosphere.  What plans do you have? Where's the furthest you've been?   I've just come back from ...

It's easy to get caught up in it all, but not everyone can afford to play that game.  Particularly during the school holidays when prices double or treble. We're lucky enough to have family aboard so we visit them.  Like many others we also get creative.  If you put your mind to it, anywhere can be a holiday.  Being a tourist in your own city or neighbourhood is great fun.  Ever tried it?  

Here are some photos taken on our last London adventure:

Hope everyone is enjoying the summer holidays and has great plans for the summer.  I'm really looking forward to hearing all about them!  As I mentioned last week, Someplace Strange will be having a break.  There will be one post a week instead of two.  Normal service will be resumed in September.  Have a great summer!!!

Thank you Dawn at Rhyming with Wine

Rehoming a Rescue Pet

Mufusa, also known as Muffy, is our rescue cat.  He's a handsome, friendly, talkative 4 year old Tom. Except when he turns into an evil, fluffy, bitey, scratchy thing who sprints up and down the stairs and all around the house.  Yowling very loudly.  Before crashing out on the sofa.  Or hiding under a blanket.

We're hoping this will be his forever home and are doing our best to help him settle.  He's getting lots of space, access to the outside and we're letting him come see us rather than going to see him.  We know not all cats are lap cats, but we're cautiously optimistic he'll learn to behave, particularly around the Tubblet. 

There are loads of guides to helping your rescue cat adjust to his new home so I won't rehash those, but here are a few things we've learned:

Communicate

I grew up with cats ranging from a placid lap cat, via an independent explorer and a semi-feral.  Rev T had no pets apart from a rescue dog that was returned after biting his mum.  We've been married for 17 years and I'd never heard about this before Muffy arrived. These experiences shape our expectations of appropriate pet behaviour and how to deal with issues.  My tolerance for Cats Behaving Badly is higher than Rev T's.  He is totally no nonsense.  Neither approach is right or wrong, but talking about these things beforehand helps everyone.

Finding the prefect pet.  

This process varies depending on where your rescue pet comes from. In my opinion, it's better if they visit your home first to look around, answer any questions about adoption, then introduce you to a few potential pets.  Once you've found the perfect pet, you take them home.  Joy!  There will be a follow-up visit to check your new friend is happy and  offer any further help / advice.   

We didn't do that.  Muffy was found online then we visited the shelter. After a few meetings and a home visit, he was all ours.  No animal is completely themselves in a shelter.  However lovely it is, it's still a shelter.  It's easy, when you're going round looking for a pet to love, to want to adopt them all. Suddenly, a Great Dane is just what you've always wanted, it'll all be fine and you get hustled away quickly by the rest of the family.  Unless this only happens to me.  

Much as we love Muffy, he may not have been the cat we went home with if we'd talked to someone beforehand.  He's a lot of cat.  Particularly if you've never had a cat before. On the other hand, he's not boring and has loads of personality.  He's our cat now and we love him.  (Before you say anything, although Muffy is a cat of many talents, one of them isn't reading).  

Ask for help.  

Our first month with Muffy was ghastly.  We thought we'd made a terrible mistake. Turned out that not all his pre-homing health checks had been done.  He had very sore teeth and needed lots of dental work.  Once his teeth were fixed, he was a lot happier.  

Shop around.  

We needed a cat flap fitted in our back door.  Our local handyman did it for £20.  Much better than the quotes of £300+ I was given when I contacted a few of the Internet sites claiming to install cat flaps.  And still he prefers to climb out the window!

Feliway.  

Feliway is a plug-in that contains synthetic copies of the pheromone that cats leave behind when they rub their faces on things.  These pheromones make cats feel less stressed.   I am not a scientist so have no clue how this works, but it just does.  We noticed a real difference with Muffy when we plugged ours in.  It's not cheap, but worth a try. 

Keep At It.  But Know When to Quit.  

You never know what a rescue pet is like until they come home. Sometimes they just fit right in, other times not so much and settling in takes time.  Keep at it, but accept there are times when it doesn't work out and the pet has to go back.  Try not to feel bad.  They're the right pet for someone, just not you.

  

Any rescue pet stories to share?  Any advice about helping your rescue pet to settle?

As the Summer Holidays start and the schools break up, there is less time for blogging.  From next week onwards and for the whole of August, there'll be one post a week.  Normal service resumes in September.  Enjoy the break and see you on the other side.

Most Loved Clothing Items. The Summer Edition

Last year I shared some of my favourite things to wear in winter and promised to do a summer post when the sun came back.  (Or at least at the right time of the year.  This is Britain.  Who knows when the sun will actually turn up?!  If ever).  Well, here it is ... 

Little Dress

This was a buy it now from eBay and cost me a tenner.  It's cotton, can be dressed up or down for work or the weekend and is really comfortable.  It also covers my mum tum and lardy arse.  It's from Seasalt.

Cardigan

Layering.  Add when it's cold, remove when it's hot, pop on your head when it's raining and you've forgotten your umbrella.  This one is from Marks & Spencer.  

Jeans

Cropped jeans from Fat Face.  Prefect for summer.  I have four pairs in different washes so hopefully one will always be clean when needed.  

Birkenstocks

I can walk for miles in these.  And I have done.  I love these and have them in a few colours.  

  

A bag.

In Peanuts, Linus had his security blanket.  My handbag fulfils the same function for me.  I get nervous without one!

What are your favourite summer clothes?  Point me to outfit posts so I can have a look.  

I'm still trying to keep my wardrobe (and my clothing spending) under control.  Having drifted away from the 5 Piece Wardrobe, I've gone back to it again.  Each season or calendar quarter, only five items of clothing can be purchased.  Ones that make me want to sing and dance in the changing room.

Basics - jeans, cardigans, jumpers, t-shirts - underwear, socks, tights and accessories don't count towards the five.  Coats, shoes and bags aren't basics.  I'm not counting replacements for things that have fallen apart or been damaged.

Having less and keeping things simple isn't boring or monochrome.  There's blue, cream, brown, black, grey, red and patterns in there as well.  A small collection of clothes means it's easier to choose outfits and, weirdly, makes me more confident about my decisions.  Less overwhelm. Everything gets worn.  Nothing wasted or taking up space.

Love The Skin You're In. Simple Skincare for Minimalists

I try to look after my skin.  With varying degrees of success.  Here are some good habits I try to stick too:

• Water.  Staying hydrated helps you feel and look good and is reflected in your skin.  A litre water bottle sits on my desk and I try to drink every drop.  When I manage it, I do feel better.  (The extra exercise I get walking too and from the toilet also helps!)

• Eat.  Eat fruit and vegetables high in healthy vitamins and nutrients.  Hannah over at Thank Your Skin created this great Infographic of foods with the best vitamins and nutrients for your skin: 

• Exercise.  We're built for movement, not sitting on sofas.  Exercise relieves stress and makes us feel happier.  

• Mind.  My skin always looks miserable when I'm anxious and stressed.  Usually because I'm not looking after myself properly.  I'm eating crap, watching rubbish TV etc instead.

• Sleep.  It's not called beauty sleep for nothing. 

• Skincare.  If you're not looking after the inside, there's only so much you can do on the outside. But it helps.  Cleanse, tone, treat / serum and moisturise with decent products and job done. Plus an SPF for day time.  If you read beauty blogs, it can sound like you need a complicated, ten step routine with products that cost a fortune.  Ain't true.  Most of my skincare comes from Superdrug as it's Leaping Bunny:

• In the morning - Wash face with cleanser, tone, treat / serum, apply SPF and moisturise.
• In the evening - Double cleanse, tone, treat / serum and moisturise.  (Never sleep with your makeup on.  However knackered you are).  
• Once a week - Exfoliate, deep cleanse with a face mask and treat any skin issues with an appropriate potent but gentle product.  

• Work on your inner beauty.  The most important thing.  You can wear expensive makeup, beautiful clothes, eat right, do loads of exercise and use the best skincare products, but if you're not a nice person, it shows in your face.  Smile, be grateful for what you've been given, use your words and actions to spread love and kindness, forgive others and don't judge ... 

How do you love the skin you're in?  

[Disclosure:  Hannah at Thank Your Skin asked if I'd share this Infographic and as it's really helpful and fits with this post rather nicely, I have.  We all know we need to eat all the good stuff, but we don't always know what the good stuff is].

Travelling With Kids

There's lots of advice on how to make travelling with kids easier.  It's "challenging". It's "character building".  Even when armed with fistfuls of Calpol and age appropriate kit.  Walking up and down the plane aisle bouncing a small person up and down.  To the sound of tutting.  Attempting to change a nappy in an airplane toilet.  Explaining to a howling child that teddy must go through the nice man's X-ray machine or it has to stay in the airport. But find a way.  Make it happen if you can.  (Short of getting yourself into major debt).

The picture was taken in our Aunt C and Uncle M's house in Florida.  The Tubblet was about three. She doesn't really remember it.  But we all do.  We remember the joy on our family's faces when they met her for the first time.  The kindness of her big cousins.  Her sense of wonder at a place where the sun always shone and the sea water was warm.  And there were dogs.  Loads of dogs.  This may explain why, all these years later, the Tubblet wants one of her own.  We remember it all.  The memories make us smile and feel happy.

Travel stretches and challenges us.  It knocks the corners off, we gain self-knowledge and return home changed. Hopefully for the better.  New experiences, knowledge, friends and memories.  Quality time together as a family to get to know each other more.

Find a way.  They may not remember it, but you will.  Make it happen if you can.

Let's Start a Blog! Advice for New Bloggers

Someplace Strange celebrated it's 4th birthday a few weeks ago.  In honour of this momentous event, here is a collection of things I've learnt about Starting a Blog since I actually did the deed and pressed publish back in 2015.

Find a Name.  

That describes you or what you like.  Google it to make sure it isn't being used already.  Choose carefully.  Naming a blog is a bit like naming a child.  Difficult to undo once you're done.  It took three goes before I settled on Someplace Strange.

Choose a platform.  

There are loads of different blogging platforms.  Think about pros and cons of each one before registering.  Unless you're really determined, computer savvy or able to pay someone to help, you're going to be stuck with it.  The two most popular platforms are Blogger and WordPress:

• Blogger is simple to use.  No need to worry about hosting.  Basic in terms of features, but used used by bloggers of all sizes.  (You can, despite what you may have read elsewhere, go pro and monetise on Blogger).

• The sky is the limit feature-wise with self hosted WordPress, but does come with hidden costs  and full responsibility for everything. 

Purchase a Domain.  

Mine came from from I Want My Name and cost about a tenner.   Don't forget to renew it each year so all your work doesn't get lost!

Set Up Your Social Media

Once you've decided what social channels you want to be on.  (You don't have to be on them all).  It helps if your social media reflects your blog name.  Unlike mine as I used the ones the ones I had before I was a blogger.

Create Your Website.  

This is the fun bit. Play around with the settings until you've got your space looking how you want it too.  This might take a while.  Or buy and install a template. Mine came from Xomisse.  Once your site is finished, get a friend to have a look to get a user's perspective.  If finding things on your site is hard work, people won't hang around.  Write an about me page to introduce yourself to the world.

Post!  

Decide what you're going to blog about, then write something about it, include a picture and press publish.  Write about things you love rather than what you think will be popular.  Blogging when you love what you're writing and sharing about is hard.  It's even harder if you don't.  You're now a blogger.  Yay!

Maddy at The Speed Bump:  "Believe in your blog. Don't get caught up in "finding your voice" or "developing your style". You have a perfectly good voice right now, use it. Anything else wouldn't be authentic and it wouldn't be you. If you've started a blog, chances are you have a story to tell, a point to make or an opinion to get off your chest. Don't get wound up trying to cultivate a personality - it will mean so much more coming from the real you." 

Lisa at Mummy Gummie:  "Try not to get too worried about stats. I'm quite new to blogging and found that it's really easy to fall into the trap of becoming a bit stats obsessed. Remember why you are writing the blog and enjoy it!" 

Alex at Better Together Home: "My blogging advice: just keep swimming (well writing)"

Then you'll need to think about the next post, then the next one and then ... Think about how often you want to post - daily or a few times a week.  It might take a few goes before you find a schedule that works for you and your life.

Decide what things in your life you're willing to share and what you aren't.  If I wouldn't share it with a friend, want Rev T or other family members or my employer to read it, it doesn't appear here.

Promote

Get your blog posts out there on your social media so like-minded people find them.  I'm crap at this, so I'll just leave it here.

The Kit.  

You don't need fancy equipment or loads of money to blog.  Just ideas and a desire to share them.  I have a laptop and an iPhone.  I use things I have already, talk about places I would have visited anyway or just ramble on.

Be Realistic.  

Blogging isn't easy - writing good posts, taking decent pictures and promoting - takes time and effort. It's also frustrating.  What seems like a great idea can look terrible the next day.  Or you manage to delete your photos.  Or forget to take them in the first place.

No one earns money from their blog, starts working with brands or gets a million followers in their first week.  The big bloggers slogged for years to get where they are - and had some amazing luck. TBH, if you're just in it for the freebies and see blogging as a way to get rich quick, you may as well give up now.

Take a Break.

It's good to have a break from blogging, the Internet and go and do something else for a bit instead.  I post less during the school holidays and, by the time they're over, have loads of ideas.  Ideas seem to pop into my head when I'm offline and getting on with living.

Beth at Life As A Mum:  "Have a good few days break from blogging from time to time. Sometimes it can all get too much and a bit stressful. Having a break has helped me refresh my mind and blog better! "

To conclude ... 

Whenever I offer blogging advice, there is always a disclaimer.  Blogging advice and lessons - of which there are loads - are just guidelines.  What works for one person may not work for another. Create what works for you, keep experimenting and learning.  If something doesn't feel right or ring true, then move on.

Naomi at Trips With a Tot: "Blogging is very rewarding! All the time it takes is so worth it. It is a great feeling to create, to help others, and to make friends.  It makes my absolute day when someone sends me a message telling me they love my blog or spot me out and about. I’m so glad my blog is useful!"

What do you wish you knew when  you first started blogging?  Let me know in the comments.

Laura @ Five Little Doves #Sharingthebloglove

Making Our Own Fairy Tale

Everyday we do small things that brighten our lives and other people's.  Here are a few of them. 

There's nothing amazing here, just things that lift the mood and, hopefully, make the world a little better for everyone.  Goodness knows we need it right now.  (Am I the only one who hesitates to read the news right now?!)  

Have a look.  Hopefully there's something here for you.  If not, let me know in the comments:

Arrange some flowers

Celebrate small victories

Comfort TV or films

Cooking

Cry

Declutter

Draw or paint

Experimenting with new things

Fight injustice

Go for a coffee

Go to sleep when you're tired

Have a bath

Just dance

Learning something new

Let it go

Light a scented candle

Long walks

Look after your skin

Make plans

Make someone happy

Make the bed properly.  With clean sheets

Mess about with make-up

Notepads and stationery

Phone a family member or a friend

Play a game

Play with a pet

Practice gratitude

Pray

Offline days

Reading a book

Reading the Bible

Saving money

Seasons

Small acts of kindness

Smile at everyone.  Including yourself

Spend more time with yourself

Spend more time outside

Step outside your comfort zone

Stretch

Take fewer photographs

Take more photographs

Time out

A trip to the theatre

Volunteer

Wash your hair

Work hard.  Then go home

Write

Yoga

STAR WARS Identities at the O2 Arena

STAR WARS Identities' world tour is at the O2 in London until September 2017.  It's an exhibition of over 200 props, models, costumes and artwork from the  Star Wars films.  Rev T and the Tubblet wanted to go the instant they heard about it.  Me, not so much, but resistance was useless.

All the Star Wars loveliness is combined with interactive scientific and educational content about  the things that shape our identity.  As you walk through the exhibition, you choose genes, a family tree, culture, mentors, friends, events, occupation, personality, values and clothes to create your own Star Wars character from one of 16 species.  Once that's done, you're asked to embrace the dark or light side of the force.  Two of us stayed in the light, the other went over to the dark side as it wasn't so far to walk.  (Yoda got the fear and anger but underestimated the lazy).

We really enjoyed seeing the costumes, the props, costumes, models and artwork. The concept artwork was particularly interesting - from garden gnome to Yoda in a few steps.  I wasn't so sure about the educational content.  It felt shoe-horned in, but Rev T really enjoyed it. Not sure about the Tubblet.

It was quiet when we visited so we were able to have good look at everything without getting in anyone else's way.  The whole thing took us an hour and a bit.  It's likely to take longer and be more difficult to see and do things when it's busy.

Tickets cost between £18.50 - £22.00.  If you love Star Wars, it's well worth the money.  If you're less keen, save your pennies for something connected with your own fandom.

The light wasn't wonderful and you weren't allowed to use flash, but I managed to grab some photos.

Hope you enjoy them.

Doing Small Things With Great Kindness

Wash day at the Keats House, Hampstead

"Not all of us can do great things but can do small things with great kindness".  

St Teresa of Calcutta

This quote reminds me that it's not the job that's important, but it's who it's being done for and the why it's being done.  Because I love them and I want to show it rather than tell it.  Because it makes their world a tiny bit better.

I remember this most of the time, but the odd reminder every so often can't hurt.  It's easy to forget when I'm up to my arms in soap suds washing the dishes, rescuing glasses from a bedroom, pairing socks or changing the cat's litter.  

I'm doing it because I love the person I'm doing it for.  Not because I should or ought, but just because ... A small thing done with great kindness.  

Annette at 3 Little Buttons featured post on the Dream Team Linky

Beside the Seaside, Beside the Sea

There's something about watching light on sea water ... 

  

Spending time paddling in either brace yourself, freeze your toes off British sea or warm-like bathwater American sea.  (Sorry, but to me, warm sea water is just so wrong.  Sea water should make you scream with shock as you step in and make your body go numb.  Otherwise it's just not proper!)  

Just walking along cliff tops or on the sand and feeling it between your toes ... Or just watching the tide ebb and flow ...Trying to finish eating an ice-cream before it drips down your arm ... The wind giving you a new hairstyle ...

Sadly the sea is a bit far from us so we don't just head down to the beach.  It takes planning.  Despite that, I've got some great memories of times spent with friends and family beside the seaside, beside the sea.  Being together, living this wonderful thing called life.  

  

A Truthful Morning Routine

None of my family are morning people.  We love waking up surrounded by a warm duvet and don't ever want to leave.  But one of us has to get up first so everyone else can and get where they need to be on time.  School buses and work trains wait for no one.

As the person who has to get up first is me, here are a few things I do to try and make mornings bearable. Some of them are working a treat. Others not so much.  

Here are the shiny, new habits aka the theory:

• Get those forty winks.  Orinoco Womble is right.  You feel much better after forty winks so I try to get to bed on time.    

• Set it all up the night before.  I pack my bag for the next day, get my clothes out, pack my lunch (usually left overs from last night's dinner) etc.  I can get straight out of bed, wash and get myself dressed before getting the Tubblet up and making breakfast.  

• Set the alarm.  I need to wake up slowly so the alarm goes twenty minutes before I drag myself out of bed.  You may be one of those people who can get up straight away and get on.  (How?! Seriously, I need to know).  We start the day with Radio Two.  Chris Evan's relentless cheerfulness is just the thing.  He also has landmarks to help us keep to time.  I need to be out of the shower and the Tubblet needs to be in when they're doing the sport at 6:55am otherwise it's a rush. We need to be leaving as the kids start talking about their first times at 7:30am.  

• A cup of tea and toast.  Eat something.  I've never understood the whole not having breakfast thing.  I wait until work to grab a coffee.  

And here's how it works in practice.  The reality:

• 5:55am.  The alarm goes off.  Wakey, wakey.  Hold to duvet and snuggle down for one last snooze.  Muffy may, depending on his mood, arrive upstairs before the alarm goes off to let me know he's hungry and ready for breakfast now.  Like now.  He has a loud meow and gets right in my face.  

• 6:15am.  Now for it, up and at them.  Unless I have caved already and fed the cat.  Grab clothes, stick feet in slippers and go to bathroom for shower.    Bang on Tubblet's door.  Wash, dress and bang on Tubblet's door again.  Apply skincare, dry hair if washed, put make up on. Bang on Tubblet's door.  Depending on the response, I may have to go in there ...

• 6:45am.  Tubblet emerges, goes to bathroom and has shower.  Comes out and goes to get dressed.

• 7:00am.  Make breakfast for me and the Tubblet.  Do yoga while waiting for the kettle to boil and the toaster to pop.  I have a five minute routine.  I try and do more when Rev T is safely out of the house and at weekends.  

• 7:05am.  Wonder what the Tubblet is doing.  Ask.  Loudly.  Tubblet appears, turns TV on and  we eat breakfast.

• 7:20am.  Run upstairs, clean teeth, apply lipstick and rush downstairs again.  Grab coat, handbag and lunch-bag.  Shout for Tubblet.  We don't want to miss the bus.

• 7:30am.  Phone alarm goes off.  Blooming tweeting birds.  Shout for Tubblet, we really must leave now.  Say goodbye to Rev T.  As he works from home, he doesn't have to get up yet.  (Not jealous.  Not at all).  Emerge from house. Complain about weather.  After leaving the house, the Tubblet does not know who I am.  

• 7:31am.  Walk very quickly to bus stop.  Arrive feeling slightly sweaty, but fortunately, not out of breath.  Yoga and lunch-time walks are obviously working.  If we've timed it right, the bus will arrive shortly afterwards.  If we're unlucky, the bus will sail past us when we're too far down the road to run and catch it.  We'll have to wait until the next one.

• 7:40am.  Get on bus.  Hopefully get a seat.  Tubblet heads upstairs.  I won't see her now until I get home after work.

• 7:50am - 8am.  Arrive at station.  The length of the bus journey depends on the traffic.  Get off bus and walk to station.  Get on fast or semi-fast train.  No chance of getting a seat on the fast train but almost a certainty on the semi-fast.  

• 8:30am-ish.  Get off train and walk to office.  Grab coffee.  Bask in awesomeness and feeling of accomplishment.  Log onto PC.  Look at emails.  Drink coffee.  Let the day begin ... Drink more coffee.

What's your morning routine?

When I Am A Mother I'll Never ...

Before I became a parent I read some books about parenting.  Becoming an Instant Pot Noodle Expert.  With all the ideals.  Like most of us, I knew exactly what I was never going to do or say ...
And, like most of us, I didn't understand how tiring and full on parenting is.  Or just how much you wing it.  Or how much love a brand new, small person could inspire.  All those ideals went stranight out the window.  Kudos to Rev T as well.  We wing it together.

Feel free to point and mock as I, and some fellow bloggers, share some things we swore we'd never do:

I Won't Use TV as a Babysitter.  

I'll be fully present all the time, every time.  Except when I need to do something vitally important. Like pee.  Then the Tubblet will amuse herself with all the educational toys she owns.  Like most parents, we thank God for the invention of the TV on a regular basis.  We try to limit how much  and what the Tubblet watches.

I wasn't the only one who swore that there would be no TV related baby sitting.  Jada (Unique Young Mum): "I swore I'd never let my baby watch TV, until Mickey Mouse was the only time I could clean properly!"

My Child Will Be The Master of Sleep.

We plonked the Tubblet in her own room after a few weeks.  Because Bed.  Our bedrooms were literally a stride apart so it worked for us.  Lots of other bloggers had strong feelings about sleeping arrangements before baby came.  Abi (Something About Baby): "Co-sleep! I was adamant baby was going in his cot from day 1 and would NOT be sharing our bed. Then he was a babydd who loved a cuddle and fed every hour so we had to bedshare to save my sanity. Now I love it and am a big advocate!"

No Dum-Dums!

We swore we'd never use them, but we caved! The Tubblet loved her dummy.  Louise (A Strong Coffee) was never going to use a dummy, but "It is strange how you will try anything when you are sleep deprived to get your little one off to sleep. Worked a treat!"

We Will Not be a Stereotype.

Oh yes you will.  Victoria said there would be no pink for her little girl: "... but once I saw her in pink she looked adorable and now her room is pink and her favourite colour is pink!  And my boy's room is blue - doh!"  

Vicki (Family Travels with Ellie) wasn't going to talk about her children endlessly: "I'm not going to be one of "those" parents whose topic of conversation revolves only around the babies  .... " Those babies are now 10 and 6 and I still talk only about them! And anyone that didn't like it, I binned off ages ago"

Catherine (Kids Verses Copy) was going to talk to her child like a grown-up: "Baby talk. God, I used to cringe when people did this but now I'm just as bad!"

Emily (Ella's Abode) wasn't going to: "Call each other "mummy" and "daddy" even when the baby isn't around!"  Alison (Instant Mum of Two) wasn't calling her husband daddy either and has plenty more where that came from.

Emma (Me and B Make Tea): "Go to the evening kids entertainment on holiday. We do all the time because the little man enjoys it. and seeing him happy makes us happy!"

I Will Not Buy All The Things.

Unless they are Lego or cuddly or clothing ...  Amy (Amy & Tots) said, "I wasn't going to buy loads of newborn outfits with my second and just have him in sleepsuits. I still bought loads of those cute little clothes".  

Vicki (Tippytupps) wasn't buying too many toys: "After all...they don't need much right?! This is now our dedicated playroom to try keep it all in one place. Can you guess what all those boxes and baskets are filled with? Yep, you guessed it. Toys!!!"  

My Child Will Eat All the Healthy.  

The Tubblet will adore fruit, vegetables and be a stranger to chocolate.  We will never darken the door of a McDonalds.  I will create beautiful, healthy, home cooked weaning purees.  That took blooming hours and got spat out as they're "Yucky".  While the Tubblet eats well, she only likes certain fruit and vegetables. She loves chocolate and sweets but she only gets to eat so much to protect her teeth.  Besides, Mummy needs all the chocolate.  It's a major food group.

Beth (Twinderelmo) wasn't going to McDonald's either:  "Three kids down and I've been known to sit and wait for the breakfast menu to change at 10.30 so we can have nuggets".  Kathryn (Mummy's Little Lists) was making her own baby food as well: "At a year old my little girl already knows how to squeeze the pouch onto her spoon and turns her nose up at my dinners, grrrr!" 

We Will Discuss Stuff.

This will help the Tubblet develop reasoning skills, understand that the world does not revolve around her and teach her how to be a decent human being.   The reality is that "Because I said so" is sometimes the correct and only answer.  Followed by "So there". Darth Vader voice: "I am your mother". No bribes. If you're good, there may be  some Pokemon cards in it. Just hurry up!  (She has turned out to be a decent human being though!)

Kerry (Noah and the Girls) promised, "I would never say "because I said so", I know use this phrase in a daily basis".  Lianne (AnkleBiters Adventures) was never going to: "Give my toddlers chocolate to bribe them".

I Will Not Be Gross.

Yes you will.  Loads of people discovered new gross things to do with a baby.  Because there often isn't an alternative:

Lauren (Sophie's Nursery):  "Sniffed their nappy to see if they had done a poo.  I used to think it was gross - now I do it all the time". 

Laura (Dear Bear and Beeny): "To lick my finger and wipe their face! Put when you get your child out of the car outside school and they have a milk moustache what else can you do!!"

Nikki (Yorkshire Wonders): "Talk about poo all the time. But as soon as you have a baby it suddenly becomes this massive interesting topic of conversation!"

Olivia (My Mum, My Inspiration): "Wipe a snotty nose with your hand when you don't have a tissue handy"

Donna (Bobsy's Mum): "I spit on a tissue (or sleeve!!) and wipe my 6 year old's face. I hate myself every single time!"

The Tubblet Will Respect My Authority.  

You will behave!  I am the law.  Prepare to be Judged.  (That's Judge Dredd btw.  Not truly scary parenting).  I pick my battles.  Life's too short.  Vicki (Mama and Her Monsters): "I always said when I'm a parent I would never be one of those mums to let my kid run around the shop when doing shopping, now I know the struggle all too well! "

To Sum Up.

Laura (Mama Fairy): "So many things!! Call each other mama/dada. Buy expensive clothes they only wore once! Give soother, co sleep! My list is endless however i learned happy baby = equals happy parents so I go with what works now".  

Amelia (Mummy's Beauty Cave): "There are a few! Put her in front of the telly so I can get some work done.. take her to McDonald's... use a dummy and that changed within a week!"

Yep!  Me too!  Are there things you swore you'd never do?  Let me know in the comments.

Thank you to everyone who shared comments and stories.  I wish I could have featured everyone.

The Art of the Brick - DC Superheroes

Almost 2,000,000 Lego bricks have been dumped into a purpose-built tent near the London Eye for The Art of the Brick: DC Super Heroes.  I'm so glad artist Nathan Sawaya turned them into a collection of sculptures of comic book characters   - Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Green Lantern and Flash etc - rather than just challenging us to walk across them.  Because OUCH! You can see his handwork until until 3 September 2017.

  

The level of detail of the sculptures was amazing. Really beautiful.  Here's a selection of photos I took of the sculptures of Wonder Woman.  (Haven't seen the film yet, but Rev T and the Tubblet loved it).  I did take more, but spoilers:

  

If you love Lego / Suerheroes, this is well worth a visit.  We went to Nathan Sawaya's previous exhibition a few years ago, but enjoyed this more.  Having a theme helped tie the works together and made the whole exhibition more coherent.  Or it could be I'm just a sucker for superheroes.  

Other useful things to know ... The toilets are a bit basic, but it's a tent so I'll let them off.  The coffee and refreshments were excellent.  Thank you Tamp Culture!  Phil, the Events Manager, also created the Lego coffee sign and machine.  Adorable!

  

I was slightly disappointed by the gift shop.  I always hope that these things will have exclusives and they never do!  Which always strikes me as a missed opportunity for them, but a blessing for us.  You always come out wanting a thing, but a special thing you can only get there.  Take my money soon turns into save my money.  

Thank you for reading.  Hope you enjoyed a brief taster of the exhibition.  If you go, then let me know what you think of it.


As this is a post about London, I wanted to acknowledge the Grenfell Tower fire last week in some way.  But everything I've tried to write seems trite in the face of what happened.  More than seventy missing and thirty confirmed dead.  A death toll of a hundred or more.  One of the single biggest peace-time losses of life in the UK since World War One.  How can this happen?  It shouldn't.    Not in London or anywhere else.  Homes should be safe.  My heart goes out to everyone who lost loved ones and everything they own.

The Evening Standard has an emergency appeal to help all those affected. It's run in conjunction with the long-established London Community Foundation, so the money will end up where its most needed.

If you want to write to your MP to ask them to strengthen building regulations to ensure that nothing like this every happens again, this post by Jack Monroe might be of interest.  [ETA: Link removed as post appears to be gone]

I know this is a bit of a sop.  It's easy to get into a mindset that says I'm a good person because I vote a certain way,  donate some money and skim-read the Guardian at my desk whilst eating my lunch.  But I have to start somewhere and this is as good a place as any.

Getting Value For Money From Beauty Products

When I buy something, I want my money's worth.  Here are some ways to get value for money out of beauty products and tools:

• Application.  Read product instructions carefully and only apply the recommended amount.  If it says use a pea-sized dollop, don't apply more.  It's wasteful and won't do any good.  If it says apply two pumps, you won't get the promised results if you use one to make it last longer.

• Cut things open.  One of the joys of beauty products is the lovely packaging.  It seems a shame to ruin it but sometimes, but cutting tubes open or opening bottles can reveal loads of product hiding inside something you were about to toss as it seemed empty.   

• Rotation.  Switch products round or shop your stash to get the best use of what you own. Or just buy things when you've use them up.  I'm banned from buying new make-up until we go on holiday in the Summer.  Replacements only. 

• Storage.  Store products in a cool place out of direct sunlight.  Storing things in the bathroom seems easier, but heat and steam make products go off quicker.

• Keep it clean.  Keeping brushes clean helps get rid of bacteria that can cause spots.  Look after your brushes well and they can last years.  I'm still using brushes that pre-date Rev T.

• Beware cross contamination.  Don't apply products directly to your face if the applicator is difficult to clean or goes back into the container.  Dab a bit of product onto your hand and apply with a brush.  Stops your lip gloss getting riddled with nasty cold sore germs and having to be chucked.  

How do you get the most out of your beauty products?