Tuesday 28 February 2012

Big Girl!

Today was a Big Girl Day in the Squeaky household.  We put on our Big Girl Trousers and went on an exciting adventure.  All the way to the hairdressers!

I deliberately booked the appointment for roughly naptime, as I needed my hair cut as well, and I figured she'd be more manageable well rested.  Then, typically, she refused to go to sleep in the car on the way there.  Never mind, into the Symbio, reclined, hood down, and a ten minute walk round town is enough to bore anyone to sleep.  She slept all the way through my trim, including the hairdryer bit.  Then woke up, perfectly refreshed & relaxed just in time to sit on my lap, for her First Ever Proper Haircut!  I've trimmed her fringe a couple of times, but it was getting towards the stage where a proper haircut was needed.

Here's the results - a proper Big Girl now!  I'm so proud, she was really well behaved (a Peppa Pig branded bag of mini eggs might have had something to do with that), and sat beautifully for the hairdresser, then got home and phoned Daddy & Grandma to say "Me hair done!"

One more milestone to tick!

What was number one the day your children were born?

I've been tagged by the fabulous Joanne over at The Blunt Truth to post the song that was number 1 the day Squeaky was born.

I've got to confess, I hadn't a clue.  My taste in music stopped somewhere around 2001, if you're being generous (actually probably somewhere more like 1996), and I couldn't honestly pick a Lady Gaga song out of a lineup.  But here's Squeaky's number 1.  The official video had embedding disabled, so this one just has a picture of the cover.



Who? Someone will tell me, no doubt, but I don't think I've ever heard it before.  On the other hand, the song that was number 1 the day I was born is a genuine classic, and I'm proud to be connected to it.



I'm going to tag a few people who I'd really like to see their results (partly because they'll all have more music to link than me!):

Inside The Wendy House
Blog By Baby
Emma and 3
Mummy Loves

Monday 27 February 2012

Kool Kangaroos Boomerein Review

As Squeaky gets older, she's less & less inclined to ride in her buggy, despite the collection of choices we have.  She'd much rather walk, and I'm trying to teach her the basics of road sense.  She's quite good outside the house, she knows she has to wait on the kerb, and will "hold the car" when I tell her to, but like any parent, I want to be sure she's safe & under control.  Problem is, she really doesn't like reins.  I've tried traditional reins, and backpack style ones, and I'm not sure if it's the fit or what, but she really doesn't get on with them.  And when you're in town, and you've been used to having shopping space under a buggy, needing a hand to hold onto reins is a big adjustment,

The very clever (or should that be Klever?) people at Kool Kangaroos have come up with a solution.  The Boomerein - hands free reins that fit round your waist, and your child's.  It's a clever thing, such a simple idea, the kind that makes you wonder why you didn't think of it yourself.

Unclipped
The reins are in two parts, an elastic belt that clips round your child's waist, with a second clip coming off it.  That clip links up to a retracting rein, attached to a second elasticated belt that fits around your waist.  Because the two sections can be unclipped, it means that if you don't need to be joined up, you can release your child's part, without taking off the rein, so you don't have the battle of putting it back on later.  The belts are both adjustable, so they can comfortably fit a weeny Squeaky & a somewhat bigger than weeny me.

You can see the unclipped rein on Squeaky on this photo, we tried it out on a trip to the park, and I unclipped her from me so that she could run around (fall over) and enjoy herself and hopefully forget she was wearing the rein.  It worked wonders, and she ran around as happy as can be without even realising she was wearing the belt.
Mommy's Eye View

When we came to leave the park, it was simply a case of clipping my end of the rein back up, and encouraging her to come with me.  Easier said than done, there's swings and slides in the park, and not in our house.

I took the rein to our mums & toddlers group as well, in the hope she would model them for photos, but she wasn't in a co-operative mood that day.  However, the reins did get quite a bit of interest from the mums, the general consensus being that Squeaky & I get all the coolest things to try out, and that the reins make so much sense.

They are slightly reminiscent of a retractable dog lead, the principle is very similar.  But instead of the 5metres or so that a dog lead extends to, the Boomerein's extension is only 20 inches/51cm, meaning your child is within reasonable arm's reach, and there's no risk of tripping over the rein (or getting tangled up around a tree).  While the belts are elasticated, it's very firm elastic and won't stretch to give your child further escaping distance.  You can actually attach up to 3 Boomereins to one adult's belt, making them ideal for multiples, or even child minders, though I can imagine them trying their hardest to get tangled around your feet.



The Boomerein is available to order through Kool Kangaroos for £15.95, with a pink or blue name label.

Disclosure: I was provided with a Boomerein free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Thursday 23 February 2012

Sweetcorn Bites - Review

Veggies aren't exactly popular in our house.  Try as I might, Squeaky's just not interested.  How DO toddlers know they're not supposed to like vegetables, or crusts?  Is it something they teach them in nursery?  Do they tell each other at playgroup?  The message gets around somehow.  Or is it too much Mr Bloom - maybe they think they're actually being offered Colin & Margaret to eat, and that would be wrong.

When the friendly folks at Barfoots offered us the chance to try out their Sweetcorn Bites, I thought it was worth a try.  Believe me, anything that interests Squeaky in vegetables is worth a try.  We received a box of packs of the bites, each bag contains an average of 8 chunks of corn on the cob, each one a couple of inches long.  (The first bag I tried actually had 10 in, but they're packed by weight so I hadn't won the sweetcorn lottery)

The first thing that really impressed me was that they're freezable.  I love sweetcorn, but we never seem to get through as much as I buy, and never seem to have it around when I really want it.  The whole pack can go in the freezer, ready to be pulled out & enjoyed when the mood strikes.  This was extra convenient for us as the parcel arrived just before we left to go away for the weekend, so if I hadn't been able to freeze them, we would have had to munch a lot of sweetcorn in the car!

The bites can be boiled, grilled, or microwaved.  Honest! I didn't realise you could microwave sweetcorn, but 4 mins in the machine, with a tablespoon of water & your cobs are ready to go.  Then how you eat them is up to you - a dab of butter, dunked in tomato sauce, or just as nature intended.  The cobs were gorgeous, all juicy & fresh, just the way I like them, and with their small size, they're great for parents, never mind children, as you can eat them with one hand while wrestling wax crayons, bubble wands, broken phones, or your toddlers other favourite weapon of mass destruction, so that you get your five a day, even if they don't!

Oh, yes, that.  I tried.  The cobs are so little and wee and cute, I really thought we were in with a chance.  And for a minute we almost were.  But the photo to the right was as close to consumption as we got.  A quick examination confirmed that mummy was trying to poison her with vegetables, and that was not to be tolerated.  Further attempts to offer her a sweetcorn bite were met with a blank stare and a quite firm "No mummy".  I know when I've met my match, and this is a stubborn child.

No such problems with me, or daddy.  We polished off the pack in no time.  It's great to have a simple, easy snack that's something different, but good for you.  It's amazing how virtuous you feel when you've satisfied that 3 pm nibble-craving, with something full of vitamins!

Sweetcorn Bites are available from Ocado, and selected stores of Co-op, Waitrose & Tesco.  They retail at £2.49 a bag, and Ocado have them on special offer at the moment at £3 for 2 bags.

Disclosure: I was provided with packs of Sweetcorn Bites free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

ASDSFDASFDFSDFASF

No, it's ok. Squeaky isn't actually typing. She's too busy being naughty.

I went into the kitchen for 2 minutes this morning to make a coffee.  Came back into the living room to find someone looking very proud of herself, and a load of red wax crayon all over the wall. Pencil I could cope with, it rubs out, but wax crayon? ARGHGAHHHHASDASDFHG!

We're trying to sell this house at the moment as well. So guess who had the paintbrush out at 7.30 this morning trying to cover up wax crayon?  I was too cross to take a picture, but I'm sure you know what a naughty toddler & a crayon covered wall look like.  It's going to take another coat to cover it as well.  Not a happy mummy today.

Wednesday 22 February 2012

Hands Up! Justin Fletcher CD Review

Hands Up who loves Justin?  If you don't know who Justin Fletcher is, then you've either been living under a rock for the last few years, or don't spend much time around the under 5's.  He's the star of Something Special, Gigglebiz, Justin's House, some early morning episodes of Tikabilla, and the voice of Timmy Time & Shaun The Sheep - and I'm certain I've missed a few.  He's everywhere.

Squeaky loves him, which is no bad thing, considering he IS everywhere.  It can be quite difficult to get her away from her "BeeCees" some days, but that's where Justin comes to the rescue.

We were sent a copy of Hands Up... the album to review, much to Squeaky's delight (and Daddy's utter confusion).  The single "Hands Up" was released before Christmas, and when I first saw the title, I was half expecting a cover of the Ottawan single.  I've listened to it so many times since, that when I actually *should* expect the Ottawan single, my Brain now starts on the Justin song instead!  Seriously, the Ottawan track was on something on tv the other week, and I started singing Justin.

I've got slightly mixed feelings about this, truth be told. I'm not his biggest fan (that would be Squeaky), but the album is actually really good.  The songs are well sung, well recorded, and Squeaky loves singing along in the car, or dancing around the house to them.  The version of "I Am The Music Man" grates on me, because it's not the standard lyrics, and I don't deal with change well, and his Nellie The Elephant isn't a patch on the Toy Dolls version.  Those issues aside, otherwise I honestly enjoy it.   I've mentioned before how my hearing problems have affected my choices in music, and how I need things to be well balanced for me to be able to actually "hear" them properly.  Well, maybe because it's aimed at children, the balance is perfect for me, I can hear lyrics, and backing, without one overpowering the other.

The Stay At Home PT (@thestayathomept on twitter) a crazy, far more energetic person than me, reckons you can use the Hands Up album for a high-impact workout, burning off as many calories as a visit to Starbucks - you can watch his Youtube video here. I'm not that much of an exerciser, but it has to be said when Squeaky's dancing, we've all got to join in!  I might not have burned off a latte & pain au chocolat yet, but I've probably burned an espresso and a couple of grapes.

Hands Up... The Album is available from Amazon and HMV for £8.99, and slightly more at Sainsburys (but think of the Nectar points!), and probably your local independent music retailer (they do still exist, right?).  If you know a Justin fan, you'll be flavour of the month if you buy this!

Disclosure: I was provided with a copy of Hands Up! The Album free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Flip it!

Your pancake! What else? Honestly, some readers! I got a teeny tiny saucepan before Christmas, mostly to cook Squeaky's omelettes in, she does love a good omelette, but when your appetite only runs to a 1 egg omelette, a big frying pan isn't the best starting point. Being an inquisitive child, she came into the kitchen to watch me making pancakes (we had ours yesterday, Daddy's on a late shift tonight), and got quite interested in the tossing aspect of the pancake process. So much so that I decided to make a couple of pancakes in her little frying pan and let her have a try herself.

OK, the tossing didn't quite happen, she just jiggled the pancake back & forth a bit, but really, have you ever seen a child look so proud of herself for holding a frying pan?

What did you have on your pancakes today? We went down the traditional lemon & honey route, because I forgot about the jar of chocolate spread sitting in the kitchen cupboard. Oh well, that'll have to go on toast!

Thursday 16 February 2012

Win a £50 Experience Days Voucher - CLOSED

Would you like to swing on a star? Carry moonbeams home in a jar?

Well, I can't help you with that, I'm afraid, but those fabulous people over at Experience Days UK would like to give you the chance to try something new.  They're offering one of my readers the chance to win a £50 voucher to spend on anything on their website.

Ever fancied the thrill of a high speed ride around the track at Silverstone? (I'd give this one to my Dad, he's a big motorsports fan and it'd make his day!)

Or how about a Segway Safari? (Squeaky Daddy would love this, even more so if I went as well, as I have absolutely no sense of balance, though apparently it's almost impossible to fall off)

All that adrenalin sound too much like hard work? You could always create your own perfume (My mum, she's  a perfume addict, and I can just imagine how much fun she'd have with this)

As for me, I bet you're thinking I'd go for a pampering session of some sort, but actually, I've got a real hankering to try my hands (or feet rather) at fire walking.  Can you imagine?  Or more to the point, can you imagine the blog post afterwards?

So, if you'd like to swing on a star, it couldn't be easier. Just follow the instructions on the Rafflecopter widget below (if you're on a mobile device, sorry, you might need to find an actual computer), and get wishing on that star.


Sunday 12 February 2012

Breast Aid Pads Review

It's not that often that a press release lands in my inbox that makes me think "Whu?"  Even less often that it makes me think "Whu?" to such an extent that I have to reply to the sender with my questions along the lines of "I can't quite picture it".  Enviro-Pod's Breast Aid Pads though, are a rare thing.

Squeaky and I completed our breastfeeding journey last summer, but not without a few hitches along the way.  One of which was a sudden & debilitating attack of mastitis, while away at the in-laws for a long weekend.  Fortunately, we'd been talking about mastitis the previous week at the breastfeeding peer support training, so I knew what to do.  Keep it warm, feed off that side til it's empty, gentle painkillers, and unusually for breastfeeding not listening to what your body tells you (which in my case would have been to erect a steel fence roughly 3 foot around the outside of my boob and keep well away!)

Breast Aid pads are designed to help with mastitis, and other breast pain associated with breastfeeding, choosing not to breastfeed, or moving from breast to bottle.  The pads use NASA technology to reflect body heat back onto the breast, keeping them warm, helping with milk flow, and reducing the risk of pain or easing pain that's already there.  The pads fit directly into your bra, with no need for any other fixings.  Though they were launched in Sweden, the pads are made in the UK, and endorsed by medical teams as far off as Australia.

I wish to goodness I'd had these pads during that weekend of mastitis.  My first thoughts were that they are big, but then I remembered that you kind of need the support and warmth to go round to the side as well, almost round under your arm, and that's how the pads fit.  At first glance the underside looks like shredded newspaper, but it's actually Flectalon, which is used to line preemie incubators, with a very very very thin layer of aluminium, to reflect body heat back.  (Bear in mind at this point, my boobs - non-pregnancy mode - are a GG cup, and the sample I received was the smaller size. I'm not kidding when I said they're big)

The images here are of black pads, but they're also available in white, and in small & large sizes.  At £26.00 they're not cheap, but they are washable, reusable, and could easily save a fortune in not having to buy other breast pads (and painkillers!).  As I'm not currently breastfeeding, I can't comment on how well they work for me, but I would definitely give them a chance if I head down that road again in the future.  I've got a few friends who are currently breastfeeding, or soon will be, and I'll be making sure they know about Breast Aid pads. Who knows, one of them may end up writing a guest blog for me on the subject!

Disclosure: I was provided with a pack of Breast Aid Pads free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.

Friday 10 February 2012

For Information

I seem to have attracted the attention of a gaggle of spam commenters. As a result, all comments will now need to await moderation before publishing. It's nothing personal, I'm just not letting them cover my blog with their rubbish.  Ta.

Thursday 9 February 2012

The Potty List!

2. Baked a cake
We've all heard of the "Bucket List", ambitions to do before we die. Mostly, if you're on twitter, linked to the name of a seriously ill child who didn't actually want to trend on twitter anyway.  But there's something better than that.  I'm talking about the "Potty List".  This made the papers a couple of weeks back, but we were at the in-laws and I didn't get to read the whole thing til now.
4. Sung loudly in public

The Potty List is a list of 36 "Things to do before you're 3", one for each month of a toddler's life (though they're not necessarily going to do them at that rate).  It's all about the milestones of growing up, and the fun to be had along the way.  How many has your child done? And how many have you done yourself?  We've tried to work out how many we've achieved, and how many we've taken photos of.  (Don't panic, there's no picture of number 24!)

8. Made sandcastles on the beach



The 36 must-do activities that make up ‘The Potty List’ are:

1. Made a mud pie
2. Baked a cake
3. Finger painted
4. Sung loudly in public
5. Climbed a big hill 
6. Picked fruit
7. Danced with no inhibitions 
8. Made sandcastles on the beach
9. Been chased by a monster
15. Chosen a favourite book
10. Jumped in a puddle so hard the water went in mummy’s shoe too
11. Belly-flopped
12. Fed the ducks
13. Blown bubbles
14. Had a teddy bear’s picnic
15. Chosen a favourite book
16. Ridden on the top of double-decker bus
17. Visited a museum
18. Been on a train ride
19. Fed an animal

20. Grown cress in the shape of your name
21. Worn pants on your head
22. Ridden the tea-cups at the fair
23. Flown a paper aeroplane
24. Poo’ed in the bath
25. Stayed the night away from home
26. Ridden on daddy’s shoulders
27. Scribbled somewhere you shouldn’t
28. Cleaned your own teeth
29. Answered the phone
30. Mastered a party piece
31. Had a ‘first love’
32. Bought something in a shop
33. Set your sights on a future career (pirate, fairy or builder, perhaps?)
18. Been on a train ride
34. Told a fib
35. Made up an inappropriate nickname for someone
36. Broken something valuable

We've actually managed many more than the ones pictured, I can't find the teacups, I think that's probably just on video (I was on them too, so couldn't take photos), and you just don't think to take pictures of everything - buses, puddles and poo in particular!  It's inspired me though to take more photos of those everyday occurrences that will make up our memories, the little firsts.

The Potty List was inspired by suggestions from parents nationwide and endorsed by experts, including nutritionist Amanda Ursell, psychologist Dr Richard Woolfson and trends forecaster Sean Pillot de Chenecey.

It forms part of the Little One-ders’ Toddler Census, commissioned by Growingupmilkinfo.com, and has been designed to celebrate the extraordinary growth and development Little One-ders go through from one to three years.
19. Fed an animal

By no means exhaustive, it does however pinpoint some wonderful experiences for toddlers, from the fun to the fundamental.

Child psychologist Dr Richard Woolfson says: “As your toddler turns one and becomes a Little One-der their extraordinary growth over the next couple of years will amaze you. Toddlerhood is about learning, about development and about progress – it's also about pushing the boundaries a little.
27. Scribbled somewhere you shouldn't
“A growing child needs to be loved and to be happy, but fun activities play an essential part during the toddler years too, as now is the time they will master many of the skills that will set them up for life. Making a mud pie or jumping in a puddle has never been so important!"

Achieving all these ambitions, alongside all the growing and learning that takes place in the first three years of life takes an awful lot of energy.  Growingupmilkinfo.com nutritionist, Leanne Olivier, adds: “During this phase of amazing growth and development, relative to their size, toddlers’ energy needs are nearly three times greater than an adult’s. They require more than four times the amount of iron and vitamin C, plus about three times the calcium, zinc and vitamin A.

“Their stomachs are a lot smaller than ours, so they need to eat small amounts of foods often to give them energy and nutrients throughout the day, so they can make mud pies and climb hills.

“This means that they need three small meals with regular snacks in between to meet their very specific energy needs and each meal and snack needs to be balanced and nutrient-packed.” 

Cow & Gate Growing Up Milk are sponsoring me to attend the CybHer conference in May 2012.  The statistical data in this post came from The Toddler Census, a questionnaire answered by over 1000 parents in July 2011.

Monday 6 February 2012

Magpie Monday - When I Grow Up

I'm running low on intelligent content this week, my brain is kind of sleepy.  I know there's a whole mess of bargains I've picked up recently that I haven't blogged about yet, most of which I haven't even taken photos of (but when you've seen 1 pair of women's jeans, you've seen them all), but here's a special little something I had to share.

 We were in Wrexham a couple of weeks ago, and I insisted on our usual "tour of every charity shop in town", because, well, you never know.  Daddy had vanished to find the gents, while Squeaky & I were nosing around Age UK.  I'd just spotted an identical Deputy Daisy that I figured might come in handy for emergencies, and was trying to pay & hide her in my bag without being noticed, when Squeaky happened across this. -------->

I tried to get her to leave it.  Even without batteries in, she was singing away (the first pic was taken minutes after purchase, while we were topping up our caffeine levels, when we still didn't know if it would work at all.)  But Daddy's a soft touch, and so he gave in & bought it.  And then he found batteries when we got home, and got it working.  Yes, she is being a rockstar along to Bruce Springsteen. No, I don't know why.  (Actually, I've just noticed it's Rod Stewart. Don't judge me!)

The microphone isn't all that good, to tell the truth, you have to have it RIGHT up to your mouth for it to amplify & it distorts badly.  But she loves it.  Loves loves LOVES it.  It's fairly quiet, so I don't feel too badly for our neighbour when she starts on another 18 choruses of Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

I honestly think this is in number 1 favourite toy spot at the moment, edging out all sorts of full priced shinies.  How do they know though? How did she immediately know it was a microphone & stand, and that what you do is take it off the stand and sing into it? It's not like we're the Jacksons or something.  I blame Upsy Daisy's megaphone - Postman Pat doesn't sing.

See what other bargains people have snapped up at Me and My Shadow

Saturday 4 February 2012

Snow!

We had snow last year.  Quite a lot of it, in fact.  And we had a lot of it in the couple of weeks before Squeaky was born, two years ago.  But she can't remember that, for obvious reasons, and I don't think she remembers it from last year.

We'd had a couple of little flurries over the last few weeks, nothing that stuck around for any length of time, and always round about bedtime, so no chance of going out to play in it, though she did watch from the window saying "wow!"  Today though, it started snowing in daytime, so outside we popped to find out what this "Cold. White. Snow. Wow!" business was all about.  (This was fairly early in today's snowfall, it was too cold to head out again later)

Just peeking out from under that hood is a purple beanie hat I crocheted last year. It's still the only thing I've managed to successfully crochet.  She loves it, I'm dreading her growing out of it!
Talking of last year, the snow really brings it home, how time has passed by.  Jut look at how much we've grown!
December 2010, with Daddy, out in the road.  And February 2012, in the back yard.
It's things like this that make you realise how fast it all flies by.  Where's my baby gone?

A tasty plate of...

Well, your guess is as good as mine. She definitely mentioned beans, sauce, and toast.  And said that it was tea.  (But as tea was actually quorn burgers with chips & sweetcorn, I'm still not sure)


This is Squeaky's entry into the Appliances Online Cookers Yummy Food Competition.

Treasure Island Toys Review

Treasure Island Toys (www.treasureislandtoys.co.uk) has been a popular online store for many parents in the UK since 2008, but as of November 2011 the site became an entirely different sort of online experience.

Treasure Island has created what they like to call a ‘Fun and Party Search Engine’ and is unique in the fact that not only can parents buy toys, furniture and birthday presents from the website, they can now arrange parties and days out for the kids, by finding children’s entertainers, party venues, kids attractions, evening classes, workshops and much, much more - all in one place!

 By entering a postcode or place name, parents can find a whole range of child friendly activities and more which are in their local area.  They then have the ability to refine their search by using hundreds of different keywords ranging from Ballet, Balloon Modelling and Paintball, right through to Peddle Boats, African Drumming, Theatres and everything inbetween.
The website uses the latest technologies to make it super quick and utilises great features like ‘Favourites’ lists, videos of entertainers, date ranges for events, reviews, social networking (Facebook/Twitter/Google+) integration and much more.

The website is also what is known as a ‘wiki’ site, meaning that anyone can add a listing to the website for FREE, quickly and easily by themselves.  So if you are an entertainer or are a parent that knows of any great kids’ attractions and local events in your local area, you have the ability to add them in seconds and let other parents benefit from your knowledge.
With thousands of listings already on the website, and more being added each day, we are confident that Treasure Island is the place for parents to go when in need for some great ideas to keep the kids entertained.

For parties see www.treasureislandtoys.co.uk/parties.aspx
For fun days out see www.treasureislandtoys.co.uk/fun.aspx


I had a bit of a look for our area, which is usually a challenge - most "what's on" type wesbites don't manage to turn anything up around here.  I was really impressed to see that it has about ten results for the area.  There's a few missing, but that's something that will grow in time as people use the wiki function to add their own favourites, and sadly one (my favourite) that closed down a few months ago, but honestly, I was impressed.  I was fully expecting to say "Oh, it's great if you live in London, but there's nothing for the rest of the country", so I shall happily admit I was wrong on that count.

Adding a listing (I did that as well) is fairly easy, though it took me a little while to figure it all out. That said, it's not 8 am yet, and I don't have enough coffee in me.  It's a great resource, and brilliant to be able to find everything in one place, but it's only going to be as good as the listings added to it and maintained accurately, which is always my concern with listing sites.

Friday 3 February 2012

A Valentine's Day Poem

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
I'd rather not, but instead I'll say,
That I love you more than you'll ever think
Even more so if you click on my link
To browse through Hotel Chocolat's glorious chocs
And if you love me, buy me a box!
Praline or boozy, heart shaped or a slab
One thing's for certain, their choccies are FAB.
I'll finish now, this silly wee rhyme
Please be my Chocolate Valentine!




How many links can you find on this post? Give them a click, pretty please!  (All of them, maybe?  Go on, be a devil!)

Thursday 2 February 2012

CybHer Meet & Greet

Well, after letting a few experiences pass me by, I bit the bullet & am going to Cybher (I still have to book a hotel room, but that's just details). I'm not good at the whole meeting people malarky, so I figure getting onto the Meet & Greet linky that Sian is hosting might be a good move, that way I won't have to be the one in the corner looking lost, though I might just do that anyway.

This is me... in my best Facebook pose.



Name : Lorraine Cooper - or Squeaky Mom
Blogs : this here Squeakybaby
Twitter ID : @meedja
Height : 5'4", but as I live in flat shoes, I look shorter.
Hair : Currently reddish & bobbed, but by May, who knows. You might as well ask about my fingernails.

Five things you should know about me...
1. I'm really sodding nervous about this!
2. I'm deaf as a result of meningitis when I was 12, so if I don't hear you, don't be offended.
3. My fingernails will almost certainly be absurd.  I'd be a nailblogger if only I took care of my cuticles.
4. I need Diet Coke like most people need oxygen.
5. I'm addicted to Dog The Bounty Hunter.