{I'm going to BritMums Live 2014}

Yep, that's right - I'm going to BritMums Live 2014 and I'm delighted to be sponsored by Glasgow Fort.

I'm super excited, but also a tad nervous. This will be my first 'proper' blogging event... eek!!

In a bid to get more involved in the run up to the event, I thought I'd take part in the BritMums linky:

Name: Sarah

Blog: Glasgow Mummy

Twitter ID: @glasgow_mummy

Height: 5ft 11inches

Hair: Long and blonde with a fringe

Eyes: Greenish. I'm normally found wearing my Tom Ford glasses, but for special occasions I tend to wear my contacts

Is this your first blogging conference: Yes

Are you attending both days: Of course. It's quite a journey, so I'm going to stay for the whole weekend :-)

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2014: Meeting all the bloggers that I interact with on the web face-to-face... although as well as looking forward to it, the thought also terrifies me slightly. I'm also looking forward to learning how to 'up my game' when it comes to my blog!

What are you wearing? I'll most likely be wearing skinny jeans (grey I reckon) and my Glasgow Fort t-shirt which I'm in the process of sorting out...

Do you have any tips to pass on to others who may not have been before? Nope, I'm a first-timer.

See you all there x

{What's On Glasgow for the Grown-Ups - Part 1}

I thought I'd share a few suggestions for 'different' or 'quirky' things to do in Glasgow and the surrounding area - this one is mainly for the grown-ups, sorry kids! As you can see from the pictures, these are activities I've tried out myself!

1. The circus is in town - get a group of friends together and organise an aerial circus class (I did this for my sister's hen party) or give the flying trapeze a whirl (£35 for a 3 hour flying trapeze workshop)!

Aerial Edge

2. Ghost - Unleash your inner Demi Moore and attempt some pottery on the wheel @ Glasgow Ceramic Studio (£60 for a private two-hour taster session; £80 for two people)

Glasgow Ceramic Studio

3. Get on your bike - at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome at the Emirates Arena. New riders can try an 'Introduction to Track Cycling' class at the velodrome for just £10.20. 

4. Square Eyes - Film Club at Blythswood Square Hotel. I've been twice now to see Bridesmaids with Becky and then Top Gun with R; both were in the evening and we had cocktails and canapes prior to the movie. I'd definitely recommend it - it was such a great experience. The Notebook is being shown on Sat 28th June - £30 per person which includes afternoon tea, glass of Prosecco and the movie screening.

5. The wheels on the bus - hop on the Glasgow Tour bus and see the sights (£14 for an adult two-day ticket). There's also a Ghoulish Glasgow bus tour if you are partial to a scary story!

If you have an activity or place in Glasgow you'd like featured, then please get in touch. Part Two will be following in the near future :-)

Prices are correct at date post was published.

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{Mother's Day}

On Sunday (30th March) it will be Mother's Day. It's always a bittersweet day - I love being a mother to my little kiddies, but I miss my own mum loads.

Anyway, I was sent a lovely parcel from @licensetopr with some Maw Broon's Home & Kitchen goodies.

Perfect Mother's Day gift I reckon!

I grew up absolutely loving Oor Wullie and The Broons. My sister and I have tonnes of their annuals which we were given each Christmas for years and years.

{Oor Wullie}

In a fab jute shopper I found a variety of goodies, including this Tea Cosy. I've had a tea cosy on my wishlist for a while now, so this one is ideal!

Tea Cosy, £9

And of course what do you need to go along with a Tea Cosy... tea of course! Also in the parcel was some Maw Broon's Afternoon Tea bags, some shortbread (which was delightful!) and some fudge (which was wolfed by myself in under an hour... definitely a good sign!!). We also had a pack of Caramel Shortcake to enjoy - 3 in a packet which was perfect for the the two kids and myself! The tins that the goodies are packaged in are just brill (my favourites are the shortbread tin in the top picture and the teabag tin, see below) and I'll need to make space for them on my kitchen shelving! The last item was a cookery book, Cooking with Bairns which has over 40 recipes and step-by-step instructions. We're excited to give them a whirl :-) If you're looking for a gift for Mother's Day then be sure to check this range out. I think the cookery book would make an ideal gift for friends that are parents that either aren't Scottish or that no longer live in Scotland (like my friend Ailsa, Perth Mummy).

Littlest demanding we try the biscuits!

Mmmmmm!!! 

Teabags

P.S. I have a channel now on YouTube and so far I only have a couple of subscribers. Head on over and show me some love? Thanks!!

{Drum roll please....}

I am delighted to announce that I have secured sponsorship for BritMums Live 2014 from Glasgow Fort.

Glasgow Fort

Junction 10 M8

Glasgow

G34 9DL

I am very excited to be partnering up with Glasgow Fort and look forward to sharing reviews, competitions, events and even the latest trends with you (I've agreed to take part in some fashion shoots...eek!).

For those of you that haven't heard of Glasgow Fort, it's a shopping and retail park just outside of Glasgow. There are a tonne of shops (including Mamas and Papas, Boots, Asda Living, Hobbycraft, TK Maxx, Smyths, Next and Zara - these are all the places I frequent the most), there are a heap of restaurants and there is also a cinema. Parking has never been a problem and the late opening hours are a real bonus (10pm during the week!).

Just a short journey from Glasgow city centre :-)

Last year we reviewed the new Chiquitos, and next month we are heading to Frankie & Benny's to review their new menu which coincides with the littlest's birthday (and also R's birthday!).

One of the current offers at Glasgow Fort that interests me is the 2 for 1 ticket offer at the Vue cinema, which is available until 1st May. I love a good film, and I'm really keen to go and see The Lego Movie again. 

Vue Glasgow Fort are also adding to their monthly sensory-friendly screenings with a midweek showing of Muppets Most Wanted on Wed 2nd April at 4.15pm to mark World Autism Awareness Day. Tickets are just £1.75. The screenings include adjustments such as eliminating adverts, lighting left on low and the sound is turned down.

{More Home Improvements... The Driveway}

I've been having a number of problems house-wise since I moved into my new place at the end of last year... one of which was a delightful sewage issue in my driveway.

After a number of trips from Dyno-Rod it was discovered that the roots from my hedge had got into the pipework and was causing the problem. Thankfully I got that sorted, but it left my driveway in a bit of a mess. The driveway before had chuckies (is this an Aberdeen word?) but it looked like the previous owner had put these down quickly to make the driveway attractive for selling without properly prepping the ground and the drainage wasn't great as a result. Anyway, the gist is that the sewage issue has made me bring forward my plans for mono blocking the driveway (which I've had to put on my credit card...this is not helping with my plan to be debt free!!).

Delightful - this is how it was left by Dyno-Rod... the grey and cream splodges are concrete!

The driveway before

I had five companies out to quote for the job, and I ended up choosing S&D Projects who have an office in Clarkston. Of all the salesmen I chatted to, Derek was clearly the best. He spent time talking me through the process of building the new drive, showing me plenty photographs and examples of their work. I was impressed.

A few days later I signed the contract and my slot was booked, and the whole driveway took just three days!

I had left for work before the guys arrived on Day 1 of the job but on arrival home the digger was out on the street and the sub base of load bearing concrete (black layer in the photos below) had been created. The littlest was loving the sand (the bedding layer for the mono block)! I didn't see the actual dig out and the depth that was achieved, but my neighbours opposite did and they were impressed with it. The digger will have ripped out the roots from the hedge so I'm hoping that the same sewage issue doesn't reoccur in the future.  

On Day 2 of the job I met the boys when they arrived at 8am just before I rushed off for the nursery run! And when I got home that day the driveway was well underway.

Day 3 I was at home, so I was able to watch the goings on (the kids were keen to see the builders in action and we even had breakfast on the front step so we didn't miss anything!). I also met the Project Manager who had come out to oversee the work.  

All in all I've been really impressed with the service and the driveway is super! The kids love it and have spent much time already out on their bike/scooters. 

It rained & rained (& rained some more) a few days after the driveway was installed... and not a single puddle to be seen. My neighbours were impressed! :)

I seem to have have a problem with efflorescence, which I guess is to do with all the rain. This is a white powdery deposit of water-soluble salts on the surface of masonry as the water evaporates. This will fade though (and has already improved quite a bit since I took these pics), but you can see the white marks in the photos below...

What a difference compared to the old drain! Much neater :)

The driveway was extended and they've made a neat job of the edge. I just need to paint it now!

The finished driveway! Yay!!

I'm seriously super impressed. Every day when I'm out on the front of the house I think to myself 'I just love my drive'.

The littlest and I have been putting some bark down under the hedge to keep the weeds at bay. I've also got a few pots of plants that I'll dot about the place.

It's certainly been a brilliant investment, and I love it (I've said that already though, haven't I!!)

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{Motivation}

I've been lacking in motivation to get back into shape.

Don't get me wrong, I don't have much to lose... just 10 or maybe 11 lbs.

I know I'll be happier when I get back to my target again, but does that motivate me... nope, it does not.

I also know what I need to do... because I've done it before.

Eat less, move more.

Simple, you'd think?

I'm hoping as the weather improves I'll get back out running...

But I also need someone to shout at me and tell me to stop eating all the cake (& sweets, chocolate, pastries...).

Seriously, you'd better be quick or there will be none left!

{Recipe: Mushroom and Chicken Shepherds Pie}

At work yesterday over lunch we were chatting over what we have for dinner and Laura was saying one of favourite dinners is a pie. I too love a pie, but the kids aren't really fans of pastry...insane, right?

{image source}

So Laura had suggested making more of a shepherds pie instead... Which reminded me of a lovely recipe that I learned at The Cookery School a number of years ago now when I took one of their classes. It's really easy to make & tastes great...

Ingredients (serves 4)

450 g mushrooms, roughly chopped

2 chicken breast fillets, chopped into cubes

1 medium onion, diced

1 spring onion, sliced

112 mL cream

4 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped

A squeeze of easy garlic (I'm lazy!)

A knob of butter

A sprig of tarragon, chopped

1 teaspoon of Bisto/vegetable stock

Mashed potato to serve (have you tried using a potato ricer for smooth mash?)

Method

Melt the butter in a pan. Sweat the onion and garlic. Add the mushrooms and sweat for another 4 minutes. Add the chicken, stock powder and cream. Cook for another 4 minutes or until the chicken pieces are cooked through. Add the tomatoes and spring onion.

To serve, put the mushroom and chicken mix at the bottom of a bowl. Add mashed potato on top. Brown in the oven or under a grill. 

{New House - The Kitchen}

I thought I'd share with you some of the work that's been going on in my bijou kitchen in my new house.

I've not done very much other than change the kitchen door knobs (from bronze star ones that weren't my taste to some smaller simpler silver ones that I found on eBay), change the linoleum, my dad fitted some shelves and a new induction hob and I painted the walls. Oh, and I had an electrician fit a new light into the alcove. I have some material to make a Roman blind but I've yet to get around to that.

Before

Changed the linoleum... making good progress!

Started painting! That's more like me now!!

Painting some more!

The shelves as they are today... the basket is full of crisps, Mini Cheddars, yoghurt raisins... the star tins are full of cookie cutters (and possibly the odd chocolate treat - I still have some chocolate coins from Christmas!)... then you can see an elephant tin of tea on the bottom shelf next to the kids marble reward jars... followed by an assortment of containers!

The kitchen is small, and as such all my plates and glasses are stored elsewhere in a display cabinet. Which isn't very handy, but I'm getting used to it.

1. Some kitchen equipment - Magimix accessories, barware etc

2. A broken extractor fan :-(

3. Tea, coffee, sugar plus mugs!

4. Tea towels

5. Some more kitchen equipment

6. A broken dishwasher :-(

7. Cleaning products and a leaking stop cock which is yet to be fully sorted :-(

8. Storecupboard essentials

9. Cutlery

10. Pots and pans

The cooker is also full of baking trays as I just have such limited space!!

There is a small alcove with my fridge/freezer and I think I could probably organise this better to make more use of the space available.

This cupboard (number 8 in the photo above) is a total disaster and I know that I need to organise this better. I think I could make much better use of the space if I had it planned right.

With a broken dishwasher, and limited counter space, I need to be careful because most days the kitchen worktop looks like this... a total bomb site!

Trying to resolve some storage issues! These little hanging pots can be detached from their hooks... so when the kids are setting the table for dinner, I just take their cutlery pot down for them. Likewise, if we're baking - the other pot comes down :-)

One of my other major issues is what to do with my recycling. It normally ends up all over the floor... more on this later as I'm on the hunt for the best solution!

{Life Purpose - The Updated Answers}

The other week I wrote about my life purpose and shared the answers to some soul-searching questions that I had completed way back at the very start of 2012.

Here are my updated answers, two years on from the original ones!

1. If you didn't need to worry about money, what would you do all day long?

Right now I'd love to nap... all day! That's right, I'd absolutely love to have daytime naps. I think this week and last have been particularly tiresome. I'm currently having some kind of Crohn's flare and have had horrible symptoms for 4 days now. I also had 'dry socket' (not dry hole Ali, although it was highly amusing!) after my wisdom tooth extraction and I've been on antibiotics for a week (which may have caused previously mentioned Crohn's flare!).

2. What are your favourite activities? When you lose track of time?

I most certainly lose track of time when I'm writing on my blog (it's nearly 10pm as I write this and I've not even done the dishes yet...oops!). It's my escapism and I love it. 

I also love watching TV series and movies... favourites just now are Breaking Bad, Modern Family and I adored The Lego Movie.

3. Who do you love spending your time with the most? What qualities and values do these people possess? You can be sure these are qualities that are developing in you too.

I adore the quality time spent with my little ones (although I hate the squabbles, tantrums etc!) - they are so innocent and I love seeing their reaction to new people and places.

I love spending time with my boyfriend R. He's amazing and always makes me laugh. Like me, he truly values his family and sees them regularly. 

She was slightly annoyed she didn't feature in the previous list, but it's a given that I love spending time with my sister. I just wish that we lived nearer each other so that we could spend more time together.... one day perhaps. We've been getting better at co-ordinating our diaries well in advance so we have plenty weekends scheduled together. She's a popular girl!!

4. What makes you feel good about yourself?

At the moment I feel terrible (see answer to Question 1 above). However I do feel good when I've had my hair newly cut & coloured. I would also feel much better about myself if I could just lose 8 lbs. Must. Try. Harder.

5. What are your greatest strengths/qualities? If you are not sure, ask those closest to you that will give you an honest opinion.

Sticking with my original answer on this one... Honest; thoughtful; friendly; helpful; creative; organised

6. What has been your roadmap to date? What have been the major twists/turns/learning points? What have you learned that you could share with others?

Again, no change for number 6... Moving abroad; mum dying; diagnosed with Crohn's Disease; premature baby; marriage breakdown.

7. What message do you have to share? What makes you angry or gives you fire in your belly? What would you like to change?

I guess one thing I would like to change is people's perception with regard mental health issues. I don't think it's right that people are almost immediately offered anti-depressants by their GP and I believe that other options out there are more beneficial in the long run (such as counselling or exercise). Don't get me wrong, anti-depressants have their place and I took them for a 6 month period. But they don't work straight away and they can have nasty side effects. Life is supposed to have ups and downs, I think that we need to learn better coping strategies for dealing with situations when things don't necessarily go to plan. (Hope my ramblings make sense!)

8. What do you value most in life, what is important to you?

Cliche I know, but it would still have to be Family & Friends; Health and Happiness

9. Who is your biggest inspiration? What do they do or what message do they share that you strongly admire?

I saw a personal trainer called Maria Righetti (Fit 2gether) for 9 months or thereabouts in 2011-2012. She is a highly inspirational woman. Not only did Maria help me lose 3.5 stone, she helped me through a difficult time in my life and was a great listener and source of advice. She set up the charity Michael's Movers, raising money for Parkinson's as her husband Michael was diagnosed with the disease when he was aged just 30 years old, and has been honoured for her services with a BEM. 

10. Fast forward to the future, you are on your death bed and reflecting on your life. What have been the most important things that you have accomplished and achieved? What have been the most important relationships? What is your biggest priority?

There was an article in The Guardian newspaper in 2012 called 'Top five regrets of the dying'. I read this every few months because I think it helps put things into perspective... life is short. I know this because my mum died when she was just 51. The article always brings a tear to my eye, but I would like to think that I learn from it. The top regret was 'I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me'... I think it was expected that I'd stay with my husband. But I've had the courage to pursue the divorce. I couldn't have stayed in that relationship, even though we have two beautiful children together. The second regret is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'... this is always at the forefront of my mind. My mum worked part-time and was there for me and my sister when we were growing up. I want to be able to do that for my children. As such I've chosen to work part-time hours to allow me to spend as much time with them as possible. I probably have sacrificed my career for the children, but I'm glad that I have. They're not going to be little for long! Anyway, I do recommend that you go and read the article. I found it really insightful.

When it comes to the end of my life, I think my priority with most definitely be my family. As per my 35 at 35 list, I hope that I will be genuinely happy, have fallen in love again and forgiven.

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{Simple Smoothies}

Laura, Life as An Hourglass, gave me the great tip that I should freeze any bananas that are starting to go off and then use them in a smoothie! I hadn't even considered that freezing a banana would be possible. What a great idea!

My eldest loves to make smoothies, and I have a Magimix processer which is perfect for the job!

We normally make strawberry and banana smoothies with fresh ingredients, but this time I had frozen banana and blueberries to use, as per Laura's suggestion above. We threw the fruit into the Magimix along with some natural yoghurt and some honey. It was delightful... tasted like an ice cream milkshake without having to use ice cream! (Frozen yoghurt is delicious btw... have you been to Cheer Me Up yet?).

Getting everything organised and ready to go!

I love my grey striped straws!

Laura has loads of great recipes on her blog and think she has some more juicing recipes coming soon. Next on my list is her carrot cake. Mmmmmm!!! 

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{Gin Tasting at The Tippling House, Aberdeen}

At the weekend,  I travelled up to Aberdeen to go on a gin tasting session with my sister, Ali, and a few others.

We had a table booked at Moon Fish Cafe first for lunch, which was lovely. Beautiful food at really decent prices. There was a good atmosphere and we relaxed with a few glasses of wine after a manic drive up the road (I arrived just in time!).

Hake :-)

Short walk through the graveyard (!) and we arrived at The Tippling House.

The gin tasting sessions are run during the day at 2pm, which means that your party have exclusive use of the venue as the bar doesn't open to the public until 4pm.

The Tippling House - The Gin Lane Experience

For £25 a head, I think the afternoon of a tutored gin tasting was great value for money. We all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. 

We were welcomed by Gomez who was an excellent host. We chatted amongst ourselves and soaked up the atmosphere (a great venue, although I miss the chair from the window which is no more!) whilst Gomez prepared us our welcome G&T.

Ali & I attempted a bit of vlogging, but failed miserably. We need more practice!

On our arrival, we had 5 straight shots of gin in front of us! Eek!!

Enjoying a wee Tom Collins cocktail.

We tried each of the gins straight (eugh! but it was a sure way to distinguish between the different types of gin), and then we were given three very different tonic waters to try. 

"I'm all about the tonic" Ali

First up was Bols Genever. This is a Dutch gin made with rye, corn and wheat. It's got a definite malt flavour and doesn't taste of gin. It was very potent and reminded me & Ali of tequila. I gave this a 0 out of 5 for it's rating... not a hit with Glasgow Mummy! Apparently it's good in the cocktail, Death in the Gulf Stream. Genever is where the phrase 'Dutch courage' comes from!

Bols Genever

The next gin we tried was Haymans Old Tom Gin. It's a sweeter gin and was more pleasant that the Genever. The name Old Tom Gin came from ye olde England... there were apparently wooden cats outside some pubs and if you put a penny in it's mouth a shot of gin would come out a straw that the cat was holding. It's the key ingredient in the classic cocktail, Tom Collins. I gave this one a 3 out of 5.

Haymans Old Tom & Elderflower Tonic

The Scottish gin, Caorunn was next on the list. The botanicals in this gin are coul blush apple, dandelion, heather, bog myrtle and rowan berry. Very much a Scottish theme going on. This gin is best served with red apple slices, such as Gala. I found the gin to be foul straight but it was delightful with apple and tonic. I gave it a 2 out of 5. (Note: this was the rating I jotted down for the straight gin, not with tonic.)

Serve with red apple slices - yum!

Fourth up was Plymouth Gin. This is a style in itself and needs to be made within the Plymouth city walls. I personally thought the bottle looked cheap (sorry!) and came across as an old fashioned brand - which technically it is given that it began in 1793!! Out of all the gins, this one is typically named in cocktail books. I gave this one a 2 out of 5.

Plymouth Gin

The final gin we sampled was Darnley's View Spiced Gin, another Scottish gin. 

"I can almost smell the cardomen" Ali

"The cardigan?? From the jumper berry??" (lol!!)

(there isn't even any cardomen in this gin... it's cumin, coriander, cloves and cinnamon amongst others!)

This spiced gin was pretty pungent. I've not even rated it on my scoring system as I think by this point as I was perhaps a tad tipsy! 

Darnley's View Spiced Gin

The tonics we tested were Schweppes, Fever Tree and Fentimans.

The line up

The Fentimans tonic water had the most unique taste, and this comes from the lemongrass extract. There is also a Fentimans Light Tonic Water (for those like me that are, or at least are trying to, watching the calories). The Schweppes and Fever Tree were less citrus in their taste, and they also have lower calorie options. I think the Fever Tree would probably be my favourite of the three. There's a Mediterranean Fever-Tree Tonic Water that I'm keen to try...which has lemon oils from Sicily as well as thyme, geranium, rosemary and mandarin. Sounds interesting.

Anyway, Gomez was full of chat and was really entertaining. We were given loads of tips, such as the best site for buying gin online (thewhiskyexchange.com), the best gin:tonic ratio is 1:4 and were told plenty other stories about Mother's Ruin, gin tears and Gin Lane versus Beer Street.

We also had one of the sharing platters between us, and the food was really nice. Will definitely be visiting next time I'm up.

I'd highly recommend the gin tasting - something different to do with your weekend.

Afterwards we headed back to Ali's for a Katzu Curry and we had tickets for the Breakneck Comedy Club at The Blue Lamp. Harriet Dyer was headlining, and she was insane. It was all very amusing!

All in all it was a great Saturday!!

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