{Sexy Saturday}

Joining in again this week with Dirty Little Whispers for her Sexy Saturday blog hop thing...

I'm currently getting ready for a wee night out with the girls, and after the success my friend Becky had with false eyelashes at the Scottish Fashion Awards a while back, I decided to do the same. They are definitely making me feel sexy...! :-)

Decided to share a pic, but bear in mind I'm still getting ready so my hair isn't finished yet, and ignore the mess in the background!

Right, must dash - lots still to do and I'm supposed to be at their flat at 8pm!

{Belgian Chocolate Cake}

Last night I attended the second meet-up of the Glasgow Bake Club. Unfortunately I was feeling rotten (I had such a sore head, my own fault as I think I was dehydrated as I just had two cups of tea all day at work - oops!) and left just after the introductions. Anyway, the theme for the event was 'Time for a Bakeation' and attendees were asked to bake a dish inspired by a holiday destination. I can bake cupcakes easily, but baking large cakes is rather new to me, so I wanted something that was going to be easy... so I picked Chocolate Cake. And to make sure I stuck to the theme, I made Belgian Chocolate Cake!! Yum!

If anyone there tried my cake, you can let me know what you thought! I left after just half an hour or so and didn't get to try any of the cakes. I'm really disappointed as I was really looking forward to it.

Here's the recipe that I used, from 'Baking with kids' by Linda Collister.

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For the cake:

250 g plain flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

a pinch of salt

100 g dark Belgian chocolate

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

100 mL water (very hot but not boiling)

175 g unsalted butter, softened

250 g caster sugar

3 large free-range eggs

200 mL plain yoghurt (whole milk or low-fat but not fat-free)

For the icing:

100 mL double cream

50 g milk Belgian chocolate

50 g dark Belgian chocolate

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Here's the gist...

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degC (325 degF) or Gas 3.

2. Grease the inside of a 22.5 cm diameter cake tin with butter and line the base with greaseproof paper.

3. Sieve the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large bowl. Put the bowl to one side until needed.

4. Break up the plain chocolate and place in a large heatproof bowl. Mix in the cocoa powder. Pour over the hot water. Stir until smooth and melted. Put the bowl to one side until needed.

5. Put the butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer and beat well.

6. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture and beat really well until smooth.

7. Pour the melted chocolate into the mixture and mix well. Add the yoghurt and flour and continue to mix until you have a smooth, uniform cake batter.

8. Spoon the mixture into the cake tin and spread evenly.

9. Bake for 55 minutes. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then remove from the tin before allowing to cool completely. Don't worry if it sinks a little.

10. To make the icing, heat the cream in a saucepan until scalding hot. Break up the milk and dark chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Pour over the cream and stir until smooth. Leave to cool, it will thicken as it cools.

11. Turn the cake upside down on a serving dish. Spread the icing over the cake to cover it completely. Decorate with sprinkles and sweets if you like. Store in an airtight container and eat within 5 days.

For the other mums out there, I'd totally recommend this book. I've made the chocolate cake and the scones, but there are savoury recipes too and they all look delicious. The recipes are also very easy to follow and each step is explained in full (unlike my quick summary above!) and at each step that is a bit tricky or dangerous it prompts your child to ask an adult for help.

{Eating Out With Toddlers}

Today I have a guest post over at Wriggly Rascals on the topic of eating out with toddlers. I share my experiences and a few tips, and there are also a couple of cute pics of my adorable children who are always well behaved when eating out *cough, cough!*


As always, do let me know what you think - it's great to hear your feedback.

Join in with the Wriggly Rascals survey too here and share your tips and advice.

{Sleep Deprivation}

I used to have my children's sleep sussed. I was so chuffed with myself, especially after lunch-time when not one, but both my little ones took their afternoon snooze at the exact same time. I used to get two hours of blissful me-time!

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Note the tense here... yes, I used to! Now, I'm faced with the situation where if my toddler sleeps (even for 10 minutes) he fails to go to his bed at a decent time (now by decent I mean 7-7.30pm). Instead, he's up running about, carrying on and being a general nuisance until 9.30-10pm. This I can't cope with. It would be different if he then had a long lie, but he still insists on 'it's morning time' at 6am! My daughter thankfully still has an afternoon nap, she's just turned 14 months, and I do get a little bit of time to myself as the toddler can generally play quite happily in my vicinity but it's not the same. I used to be able to do one hour of housework and then one hour of relaxing, or if I was being particularly selfish I would have two hours of relaxing! This means my days are full-on. By night-time I'm ready for my bed at the same time as the kids (I'm not joking either, I've seen myself in my pyjamas before them!).

More recently I've been faced with multiple wake-up calls during the night, from both the toddler and the baby, but mainly the toddler. He's in a big boy bed now which means he can get up and come through to my room to get me. Last night for example, he was up at 1am and woke his sister (who shares a room with him). I then struggled to get her settled, but eventually she did. He on the other hand was a different matter and I ended up having to give him a drink of milk at around 2am. Even then he was up a few more times because he needed a tissue for his nose, or needed snuggled into bed. And occasionally I end up with the toddler in my bed from 3, 4 or 5am, which I really cannot cope with!

I need some help... what do I need to be doing to get him to sleep through without waking up?? I can quite happily cope with a 6am wake-up call, but when I'm being woken multiple times throughout the night these early starts are killing me! I get frustrated with myself because I'm not on top of the laundry or the place is disorganised, but come 8pm when I've finally got them both asleep all I can muster is a quick clean of the kitchen and then I'm in bed myself too!

Their daddy takes them on a Sunday night and a Monday night, so I do get two nights of proper sleep each week thankfully. However, I tend to be so exhausted from the previous week that all I want to do is sleep!

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The first thing I'm going to do to remedy this is to separate my son & daughter into separate bedrooms. I've got the space to do this, and I think this will help a lot because that removes the issue of them waking each other up. I put them into a shared room quite early on, I think my daughter was 6 months old. At the time they both slept from 7-7.30pm through to 7-7.30am and to me it made perfect sense to have them together.

I've got a Gro-Clock sleep trainer, but I've been lazy and haven't been persevering with the story each night. This is next on the list of things to do.

I've already got black out lining and black out blinds on the windows, so I don't think that's the problem.

I'm wondering if it's hunger... However, if the toddler refuses to eat his dinner then I point blank refuse to cook another meal for him. He does still get his bottle of milk before bed though. But then it's just a vicious circle if I then have to get up in the middle of the night and give him more milk.

If anyone has any suggestions then please do get in touch and leave a comment... I'd love to hear your thoughts.

{Things I'm Loving Right Now}

It's been a while since I've done a 'Things I'm Loving Right Now' post... I had originally thought I'd make this a weekly feature, but it's more a sporadic post here and there when I find the time! I could probably repeat the same things each week too... sleep & cake!! I'm so predictable!!

Anyway, other than sleep & cake (!!), here are some other things that I'm loving right now...

Laughter... 

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My son has the most infectious laugh ever and love it. His laugh always cheers me up. I've also been enjoying having a laugh with good friends, like at the Scottish Fashion Awards the other week!

The Lion King...

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This is my little ones favourite movie just now. My daughter has the most hilarious reaction when she sees the Disney castle appear on the screen and she gets so excited it's unreal. Very cute!

Compliments...

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My confidence is slowly improving, and I'm starting to notice more and more compliments from strangers which is lovely. I left work the other day and was walking back to my car when I heard someone shouting, rather loudly. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I turned round to see that it was a man in a white van and I caught the last thing he shouted which was 'you're gorgeous'. Made me smile :-)

I don't have a Sexy Saturday post as such this week, but I thought this last bit about compliments might count?

{My Holiday in Photographs}

I've already posted a little about my 'holiday' with the kids... during my week I took a load of photographs, and so I thought I'd share a few more of them here with you...

My new book, which I'm still to finish.. I think I managed just a few chapters! Baby sleeping & cup of tea in hand!!

Toast & jam for breakfast - yum!

Feet up in the sun (grey patent trainers from Boden!)

Another cuppa!

The amazing glass doors out to the garden at my aunt & uncle's holiday home!

The peacock at Hazlehead Park, Aberdeen...such beautiful colours!

...and again!

Hello! (this lama had the most disturbing teeth!) 

The park...

...and again!

My son having his bedtime milk in Auntie Ali's chair that she 'picked up' in Glasgow!

Knackered!

{Sexy Saturday}

So for a bit of fun I thought I'd join in with 'Sexy Saturday' hosted by Dirty Little Whispers...

Here's the gist from Little Miss:

"Sexy Saturday is all about feeling sexy!
Wear your sexiest clothes/lingerie whichever you prefer and flaunt yourselves. Feel proud of your bodies, your wibbly wobbly bits and those crazy curves!
Bear all and feel great about yourselves, you don’t have to be naked, show us your most flattering outfits or if you dare to bare then go for it
Just post a photo of you feeling your sexiest every Saturday. It can even be you in your marigolds 
Or you can simply just let us know what made you feel sexy this week! A compliment from a stranger, cheeky smile at your best assets, or a new figure!"

At this current time, I'm still in my pyjamas (weather miserable so kiddies and I are having a lazy day!), but I thought I'd share a photograph of me from the Scottish Fashion Awards that I went to on Monday night this week at the SECC. 

I went along with good friends Becky and Laura, who have both written about the event, so I'll just refer you over to their posts here and here for more info & pics!

I had such a fun evening - getting all dressed up, the awards themselves and then cocktails afterwards at Blythswood Square Hotel. Thanks girls for a brilliant night x

Laura, Becky & myself

And again in reverse order!

{Holidays}

Last week I went on a wee 'holiday' with my two little kiddies to my aunt & uncle's holiday home in Aberdeenshire. It was a holiday for my son & daughter, but by no means was it a holiday for me! I had however pre-arranged for my sister & her fiance to join us for a couple of days at the start of the week and my friend, her husband plus their 2 children had kindly agreed to come along for the last couple of days. This meant that I had some company, as it would have been rather lonely on my own.

I returned to Glasgow on Sunday, and I have to admit I'm shattered! Amongst the tears (from me & the kids!) and tantrums there has been laughter, excitement and much hilarity. We had a jam-packed week of Jubilee celebrations, bike riding in the countryside, jumping in muddy puddles, numerous trips to the toy shop, chocolate muffins in the local cafe as well as some chill-out time playing in the garden and watching Disney DVDs.

Unfortunately, there wasn't one night where the kids slept right through! Hence why I'm so knackered. I did anticipate this and I just had to go to bed early myself to compensate. But this meant that I didn't get much of a holiday and had very little me-time, compared to last year when I had a toddler who slept during the day and a baby who slept most of the day! That said it was nice to have a change of scenery, and there was the odd occasion where my daughter had an afternoon nap and my son played happily allowing me to put my feet up with a cuppa! Here are some of the pics:

Playing the drums at the Jubilee street party!

First bike ride!

Toddler in the trailer!

Relaxing in the sunshine!

Cheeky monkey that she is!

Splashing in puddles!

Chilling out on the fatboy!

Visiting the animals at the park!

{Macmillan Cancer Support}

As many of you will know, I ran the Edinburgh Half Marathon a few weeks ago and I was raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support (the total raised at the moment is in the region of £4600!!).

Anyway, I was asked if I would participate in some PR for Macmillan, so on they day I had my photograph taken and I had to answer some questions after the event too. I think they are going to use my story for some advertising for the 2013 campaign!

I thought I would share the photographs and 'interview' here with you all, perhaps it will inspire some of you too?

1.      How did you feel before the race/at the start line?

I was a little nervous at the start of the race. This was my first ever race, and I didn't know what to expect. There were a lot of people! The music from the radio station was blaring throughout the crowds and there was such a buzz of anticipation in the air! As we started crossed the starting line my nerves calmed down, I plugged my earphones in and I started the long jog to the finish.

2.      How did it feel when you crossed the finish line?

I felt brilliant! I had paced myself throughout the run (particularly due to the hot weather that day!), and by the end I still had enough energy for a little sprint through the finish line with a massive smile on my face. I was so pleased that I had made it to the end!

3.      Why did you decide to run for Macmillan?

My mum died of ovarian cancer in June 2001. I wanted to raise funds for a cancer charity, and so selected Macmillan.

4.      What kept you going when it got tough?

I knew that my mum would have been so proud of me, so thoughts of her kept me going. 

5.      Were you impressed with the Macmillan cheer-points?

The cheer-points definitely kept me going. It was such a buzz to hear everyone shouting my name and words of encouragement. 

6.      What was the support like that you got in the lead up to the race?

I had plenty of support in the run up to the race. The Macmillan newsletters were brilliant and I knew that I could call upon someone from the team for help if I had needed it.

7.      Was it proud moment?

I am so proud of myself for finishing the Edinburgh Half Marathon! At the end of the race I made my way to the Macmillan tent and the cheerleaders shouted out my name as I walked up the red carpet for my leg massage! I was beaming. Such a great feeling!! I was also really pleased with my time - I had wanted to finish in under 2.5 hours, and my time was 2 hours 12 minutes. Result!

8.      Have you been involved with other Macmillan fundraising events before?

No

9.      Do you think you’ll do it again?

Yes, definitely. All going well I'm hoping to run the full marathon next year!

10.  What would you say to encourage someone thinking of running for Macmillan next year?

Do it! With the right training it's certainly achievable and with Macmillan you will be running for a fantastic cause. 

 

{Brush with the law}

A few of weeks ago I had my first brush with the law... not something to be proud of, I know... and the most annoying thing is that I didn't do anything wrong! Just thinking about it now makes me really angry. Anyway, here's the story...

I was driving along, on my way to the local swimming pool, when I hear the police sirens in the background. So I pull over. Next thing, the van is behind me indicating, and I'm assuming they need into the entrance that I'm blocking so I move forward. Suddenly, the van is parallel to me and a police officer jumps out of the van and chaps my window, which I roll down. She asks me if I know why I'm being pulled over..... No, I reply. Turns out, according to the officers, I ran a red light (which I didn't!!). They inform me that at the previous lights, the car in front of me went through on red, as did I and the car behind me.

I'm asked to get out of my car and climb into the back of the police van. By this point I'm shaking - this has never happened to me before. I'm such a sensible person and anyone who knows me would back me up - I'm a careful driver!

Through my tears I managed to answer the officers questions... Yes, I have car insurance... No, I wasn't in a rush to go anywhere... Yes, I do have a lot on my mind at the moment. The questions were very leading and she had me believing that I didn't see the red light. However, I know for a fact that I went through the light as it was changing from green to amber. The police van was on a different road, so they didn't see my traffic lights - they were basing their accusations on the timing between me going through the junction and their lights turning green. (I've since discovered that the timing at this particular set of lights is really tight, and there is approximately 2 seconds between my lights going red and their lights going green and it's a wide, sweeping junction). As far as I am aware, it is ok for a vehicle to go through an amber light if they are already passed the white line or if stopping would cause an accident (which it would of as the car behind me would have potentially hit me!). I certainly would not go through lights on red, or even worse, go through lights on red after another car had gone through them on red!!

So there I am, in the back of the police van, and I'm crying so hard that my contact lens pops out!! I'm faffing about trying to find it, which I do thankfully, and then I have to sit through the legal spiel with my hand held out with my contact lens in it! Turns out there was no point in me trying to save it, as I was in the van for so long it dried up! What a palaver.

I managed to pull myself together a little and said I'd be very interested to see the CCTV, to which I'm told there isn't any. I'm handed a ticket, and I'm told I need to go to the court. I start wailing again (I'm such a wuss!) and ask if I have to stand in front of a judge... No, I'm told, I just need to go to the court to hand over my licence and pay the fine. And with that, I'm allowed to leave.

After it all sunk in, I went from being upset to being very angry. I did nothing wrong... how is it fair that I get charged and have points put on my licence for something that I didn't even do!?

I considered trying to fight my corner on principal, but without any evidence, it's their word against mine and the cost of legal representation would be so much more than the fine which I have now reluctantly paid. Boo!

This is a sponsored post. 

{Heartbroken}

This week I have taken the kids away for a wee holiday. Whilst we are away, my husband will be moving the rest of his belongings out of the house and into his new rented accommodation. It's so sad that it has come to this, but I'm just not sure it can be fixed. He broke my heart.

Saturday 9th June would have been our 5 year wedding anniversary... it's going to be a difficult day :-(

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{Toot toot!!}

So, I said I would attempt Kate on Thin Ice's Jubilee questionnaire, so here goes... *cue Royal trumpet!!*

"The Queen has power and privilege but actually she is just like thee and me.  Don’t believe me?  Try this questionnaire then and see if you and the Queen share experiences, both the joyful and the challenging." Kate

April 21, 1926: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary born in London.

When and where were you born?  What are your middle names?  Who were you named after?

I was born in Aberdeen, Scotland in January 1982, making me 30 years old (eek!). My middle name is Mary and I was named so after my aunt.

Dec. 11, 1936: Edward VIII abdicates, and his brother becomes King George VI, placing Elizabeth next in line for the throne.

Was there an event in your childhood that set your destiny on an unexpected course?  How did you deal with it?

Not sure about this... there have been a number of life-changing events that happened to me during my growing up: as a family we moved abroad when I was 9 years old, returning to Scotland a year and a half later; my mum died when I was 19 years old and aged 21 I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. Not all childhood events really, but I think all these things have moulded my life journey so to speak. Does that make sense? 

October 1940: With Britain at war, Princess Elizabeth records her first public broadcast, a message for the children of Britain.

What is your experience of public-speaking, if any?  How do you feel about it?

I'm not confident at public speaking. I'm happy enough delivering a presentation that I have practiced (& think I come across as being confident but inwardly I'm screaming), but it's the questions at the end that always throw me and I get so nervous. I've given talks in front of large audiences and small, and sometimes it's the smaller audiences that are harder because you can see everyone's reaction to everything you say. 

April 21, 1943: Her first public engagement, a day with the Grenadier Guards tank battalion.

What was your first day at work like?

I'm not sure I remember my first day of work! It was probably rather dull reading Standard Operating Procedures!! My work experience at school was rather amusing though. I was at the Agricultural College weighing out silage samples for analysis!!

Nov. 20, 1947: Marries Philip Mountbatten, who becomes Duke of Edinburgh.

Who did you team up with or marry?  What was it that attracted you to them?

At the moment I'm going solo. My husband has been a silly man and for the moment I'm living life as a single mummy.

Nov. 14, 1948: Prince Charles is born.

How many children did you have and when and where were they born?

I have two children. My son will be 3 years old in August and my daughter has just turned one. They were both born in Glasgow.

Feb. 6, 1952: George VI dies, succeeded by Elizabeth II.

Have you lost a parent?  How was that for you?

As I mentioned above, I lost my mum when I was 19 years old to cancer. It was an extremely difficult time and I miss her every day.

June 2, 1953: Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey, the first televised coronation.

Have you ever had any claim to fame or celebrity status?  Have you ever appeared on the telly?

If I remember correctly I was in the audience for a children's quiz show when I was at school. Can't remember what the show was though...

1953: The Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret, falls in love with a divorced man, prompting the Royal Family to veto marriage – the first of several episodes of marital troubles in the family. Margaret marries Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960; they divorce in 1978.

What scandal has rocked your family?

Have a peek at my Broken and Broken, Part II posts...

June 21, 1982: Charles and Diana’s son Prince William is born.

Are you a grandparent?  How do you feel about becoming one?

I'm a long way away from becoming a grandparent!

July 9, 1982: Intruder breaks into Queen’s bedroom; she talks with him until police arrive.

Have you ever being the victim of crime?  How did it affect you?

I was the victim in a car accident the other week. I've done something to my neck and had to see my chiropractor the other day who cracked it back into place *ouch*

Nov. 20, 1992: Fire destroys part of Windsor Castle.

Have you ever had a horrible year where everything seemed to go wrong?  When was it?  What happened?

This has been my year for everything to go wrong, or so it would seem at least.

1993: Queen begins paying taxes voluntarily to assuage public sentiment against the state subsidizing the throne; opens Buckingham Palace to tourists to help pay for Windsor Castle repairs.

What did you do that surprised people most?

I stood up for myself and my children.

March 6, 1997: Queen joins cyberspace, launching British Monarchy website,http://www.royal.gov.uk.

What does the internet mean to you?  How do you use it?

I love the internet, especially for shopping. 

June 2012 - Queen’s Jubilee celebrating 60 years  on the throne.

When was the moment in your life when you felt life was exactly as it should be?

I'm not there yet... watch this space as they say!!

Join in with the rest of the Grooving Mums here:

{Daughter's First Birthday Party}

I've just realised that after posting my plans for the afternoon tea party for my daughter's first birthday, I didn't post any photographs of the actual party! Silly me! So here are some of the details...

I made a number '1' applique vest for my daughter to wear:

I created a number '1' template in Word

I used this to cut a number '1' out of rose patterned fabric, which I then sewed onto a pink long-sleeved baby vest. Up close it didn't look great, but from a distance it was ok!

I had bought a very cute little ballet tutu from Sainsbury's that I teamed with the baby vest and striped tights to complete the outfit!

I also made some bunting to decorate the living room. The fabric (which I also used for the applique vest) was from Remnant Kings Curtain Warehouse.

I sewed triangles of fabric and attached them to bias binding. You can follow the tutorial I used by Homemade & Happy here. I'm going to use the bunting to decorate my daughter's bedroom, so I hadn't just made it for the party.

I made the birthday cake myself with some help from Mrs Jones, Passion in the Baking. This was part of my 35 at 35 list. I also used Ruby Delicious, who I would highly recommend, to cater for the party (I had enough to stress about!). Alison brought vintage crockery for us to use as well as bringing lots of different teas and a selection of amazing cakes, brownies, meringues... It was all lovely (I've got more photographs of the food and other details, but they're on another camera and I need to download the pics to my computer. I'll post them soon!).

Button birthday cake.

And here is the birthday girl herself:

My favourite out of the vintage tea cups (photo is a little blurry, sorry!)