Sunday 31 May 2015

#LittleLoves

// Read

I have been catching up on Charlotte's blog this week 'Write Like No-one is Watching' and there are so many of her posts that I can relate to. She's a beautiful writer; her recent post 'Almost Three' brought a wee tear to my eye.

// Watched

My friend Carolyn lent me her copy of Gone Girl on DVD which I watched with Rick the other evening. I enjoyed it but it was pretty graphic in a few places, and like the book I was disappointed with the ending. I was trying to figure out where I recognised the female lead Rosamund Pike from and have discovered from IMDb that she was also in Jack Reacher which I watched fairly recently.


// Heard

I've been dancing and jumping around the house with four songs on repeat... OMI, Cheerleader; LunchMoney Lewis, Bills; G.R.L., Ugly Heart and Mark Ronson, Uptown Funk.

// Wore

I bought a couple of new dresses in M&S the other day. As I spent over £60 I qualified for the M&S Beauty Box... I've already tried one of the Leighton Denny nail polishes and really liked it.


I wore my new M&S grey dress out for dinner with Carolyn on Friday night. We went to Ho Wong in Glasgow city centre for Chinese food and it was just amazing. Such a fantastic restaurant. I was also wearing my new glasses from Optical Express which I collected on Friday after work. I was worried that they were perhaps a little big for my face but the more I wear them the more I'm getting used to them.




// Made

This week the littlest and I made Mint Chocolate Brownies using fresh mint from our garden. They were so yummy! 

I also made my new desk which arrived from Made.com - I'm already loving the extra table top space in comparison to my previous dinky one.


We had a BBQ on Saturday afternoon. I got the BBQ started, and then Rick took over and did all the cooking. We were a bit disorganised, but we'll know better for next time. The weather has been so erratic lately. Thankfully we got a dry day, but it did get rather cold!


// And Lastly...

I have another fantastic competition starting tomorrow with Glasgow Fort, so do come back and find out the details on Monday.

Hope you had a great week.

Sarah x

Thursday 28 May 2015

Interiors - Children's Bedroom Inspiration

When my marital home was sold and I bought my own place I had to downsize considerably. Practically I just couldn't afford to maintain a house of that size on my own... the heating and electricity bills were crazy for a start. I'm sad to be in a smaller space with less impact. Interiors are one of my things... I just love interior design (I even did an evening course in interior design when I first moved to Glasgow). Although that said, it probably was good for me to move on and have a fresh start. 

I'm conscious that the kids rooms are really small. The littlest is in the smallest room. Anyway, I've been giving some thought about making the best use of the space that I do have, and I think it's probably time to sell the bulky single beds that I do have and invest in a cabin bed or midi sleeper of some sort. This way I can store plenty of her things under the bed and give her as much floor space as possible. She is four now so I think she's probably safe to be on a raised bed now so long as there is a barrier.

Unfortunately this bed is £2,330 at bobo kids!! But isn't it fab!



This then got me day dreaming about all the other interior touches that I could add to make the space beautiful, and of course I've been pinning like crazy!!





What is your favourite interior find that you have in your little ones bedroom (or yours for that matter!)?

Wednesday 27 May 2015

Relationships, Marriage & Children

I've been giving a lot of thought to the future lately and what might lay ahead for me...

I was purposely trying not to plan, but it's just to difficult for me not to. I'm a planner, that's just my personality and who I am. So many questions and things to think about...

Could I get married again? Would I have more children? 

The marriage thing I'm not sure about. Yes, I had a bad first experience and am now waiting to get divorced. But I still believe in love and perhaps I would get married again. 


The children thing I'm more certain on. I don't want any more kids (eek, that's it out there in black and white!). There are a whole heap of reasons... physically and emotionally I don't think I could manage. I had obstetric cholestasis with both pregnancies and thankfully had two healthy babies. I just don't know that I could face the stress and worry of another pregnancy. My son arrived at 33 weeks spontaneously and the doctors were concerned that my second could arrive even earlier. Thankfully I managed to get to 37 weeks before being induced. I also suffered emotionally afterwards and struggled to enjoy parenthood. Despite friends saying it would perhaps be different with a more supportive partner, I'm not sure that that would be the case.

I also don't think I would like to have my current two kids with me 50% of the time, with another baby with me 100% of the time. I just don't feel that it would be fair. I very much wanted my children and I don't want them to feel left out. I didn't have children to only have them with me 50% of the time and I really struggle with this, even now, and this has been the routine now for some time.

Finally, as selfish as this may seem and probably contradicts what I've said above, I do enjoy my time to myself without the kids. Yes, this was not how I imagined my life turning out being divorced in my 30s but I do have a good balance of work, play, family-time and me-time.

I hope that I've been up front with Rick from the start of our relationship on my feelings but it's not something we've discussed in great detail. I'm asking a lot from him... by choosing to stay with me, he would be choosing to not have children of his own. I don't think he's given this enough thought and I've asked him to give this some serious consideration before we think about taking the next step... perhaps moving in together. I don't know what will happen if he decides that in actual fact he does want to have children of his own.


Monday 25 May 2015

Children's Sunglasses with Optical Express

We've been getting the odd day of sunshine here and there in Glasgow, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a warm and sunny summer (pretty please?).

Obviously one of the most important things for kids in the sun is making sure their suncream is topped up. However many parents are unaware of how harmful sunlight can be to children's eyes.

It's frightening to read that even babies are at risk from developing eye problems such as glaucoma later in life if there eyes are exposed to UV rays.

Optical Express have shared with me some top tips to protect your little ones from the harmful effects of  UV rays...

1. Babies under the age of six months should be kept out of direct sunlight

Pushchairs can be fitted with screens or parasols to protect children whilst out and about. Yes, they're a bit of a faff but they're so important.

2. All children should wear quality, well fitting sunglasses

Parents should look for the CE mark on sunglasses which ensures the glasses have UV factor protection. We were kindly sent a pair of Kidz Banz glasses in pink for the littlest and some blue Junior Banz for my son. These brands offer 100% UV protection and the elasticated band on the smaller kids sunglasses ensures they stay put.



3. Ensure your youngsters drink plenty of fluids

This is an obvious one for staying hydrated in the sun. I hadn't given much thought to the eyes though; drinking lots of water helps your eyes maintain a healthy balance of fluid which will prevent them from becoming dehydrated and irritated.

4. Wear a hat

A hat that shades your little ones eyes will help block out harmful sunlight.

5. Consult your optician if your child already wears glasses

Many of Optical Express' children's ranges can be supplied as sunglasses. This is something I need to consider for my son who wears glasses all the time, for now when he wears sunglasses he has to take of his prescription ones.

The littlest and I popped into Optical Express at the St Enoch Centre as I needed new glasses for day-to-day.  My current Tom Ford ones are all scratched now so I've chosen these Police ones as a replacement... hopefully they'll be ready soon as I can't wait to start wearing them!

Disclosure - We were sent two pairs of complimentary kids sunglasses and I also received a £100 Optical Express voucher for this post. As always, opinions are honest and are my own.

Sunday 24 May 2015

Grey Hair, Don't Care?

For a while there I had stopped dying my hair, and do you know what I discovered... I had grey hairs appearing. I'm only 33! I really don't think I am ready to have grey hair just yet. Bex from The Olive Dragonfly has embraced her greys, but I've gone back to having my hair highlighted blonde and if there are any greys you can't really see them anymore.

What's more concerning is that I've also found a grey hair, down there.... Can I repeat, I'm only 33!!!

So now I'm in a predicament... what to do?? Remember when Samantha from S&TC had an accident when she dyed her hair??!! I really don't think I could face trying to dye my pubic hair; although apparently Miley Cyrus dyed hers pink. Maybe I could try a vajazzle to distract from the grey!?

There's an expectation for women to wax and trim and pluck their hair and it's exhausting. However I think I'm more inclined to partake in a full Brazilian given my new grey situation. I'm not sure what the trend is right now but I headed to Google and was amazed at the catalogue of pubic styles out there!


I've also noticed that since I've been taking much better care of my face with my oil, serum, moisturiser routines... it's only making my neck look wrinkly because I don't take care of it at all. 

I'm starting to look older, and I don't like it. 

Friday 22 May 2015

#LittleLoves

butwhymummywhy

// Watched

I seem to have been super busy this week and I haven't really watched much if I'm honest. I had a fab weekend spending quality time with the kiddies on my own... we enjoyed the Festival of Museums on Saturday and travelled around Glasgow on various vintage buses checking out the free museums which were running a variety of activities for this event. It was really good fun. I'm in the process of putting together a vlog with our antics and hopefully this will be up soon. One thing I really enjoy watching is my own vlogs... is that really sad? Particularly when the kids are with their dad it's nice to be able to choose a video and see their wee faces.

If you haven't already subscribed, then you can find Glasgow Mummy on YouTube here.

// Read

Must try harder with this category! All I seem to have been reading lately is nursery newsletters, credit card statements and lawyer bills!!

I was out for dinner on Tuesday night with some friends at Sugar Dumplin in Princes Square, Glasgow. The restaurant is a Caribbean BBQ & Bar and I loved the interior decor and the menu was also great (trying hard to think of things I've read!). There were plenty gluten-free options which was ideal for me. I had BBQ Jerk Chicken with green slaw and rice with peas washed down with a virgin apple mojito. Delish!


// Wore

I'm about to dash to the shops to pick up some walking boots. This weekend I'm kiddie-free so Rick & I are going to head into the countryside to do some hill walking. Keep an eye on my Instagram for updates!

// Made

We have done a little bit of crafting this week but nothing really exciting... a few paintings using straws and some Hama bead coasters. The littlest broke my son's coaster and he was devastated. I'm hoping to piece it back together for him!


// Heard

I'm still loving OMI Cheerleader. I know that I can't sing, but I enjoy dancing around and singing with the little ones...watch this vlog where you can see what I mean about the singing...!!


// And lastly...

I have a giveaway running right now to win a bareMinerals palette. Do check out the competition here where you will find all the details for entering.



Have a great bank holiday weekend folks!

Sarah x

Thursday 21 May 2015

Home & Interiors - Oliver Bonas

When I was in London the other weekend, I paid my first visit to an Oliver Bonas store. There were so many lovely pieces of homeware and accessories... I could have quite easily spent a fortune! I thought I'd share with you some of my favourite Oliver Bonas items.






Edgar Wood Chest, £365 (made to order)

And look at the huge range of colours these cute Velvet Tub Chairs come in... all £445 each:


I resisted the homewares - main reason being that I didn't have enough space in my suitcase to take any of it home!

Instead I bought a few little things for me...



There really are so many gorgeous things... if you haven't heard of the brand before then I do suggest you take a peek!


Monday 18 May 2015

Giveaway Two - bareMinerals Palette

Following on from the success of my St Enoch Centre £50 voucher giveaway, I have another fantastic prize to celebrate my 4th blog birthday.

Next up is this fantastic palette from one of my favourite brands, bareMinerals:


The palette features bareMinerals innovative solid mineral technology and includes the following mini products in a stylish bag:
  • READY SPF 20 Foundation in R250 (for medium neutral skin tones)
  • READY Touch Up Veil in Medium
  • READY Bronzer in The High Dive
  • READY Luminizer in The Love Affair
  • Correcting Concealer in Medium 2
  • Precision Kabuki brush
  • Tapered Face brush
It's an ideal travel set for your summer holiday, don't you think?

All you need to do to win is enter the Rafflecopter below...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There is only one prize.
No cash alternative available.
UK entrants only please.
Competition ends on 31st May 2015.

Thank you bareMinerals for providing this prize.

Saturday 16 May 2015

Getting to Know You

I thought it would be fun to answer some quick-fire questions so that you can get to know me a bit better!

// F A V O U R I T E S

Pet - kittens and Dachshunds (I have two wee kittens called Rhubarb & Crumble)
Colour - grey
Food - dim sum
Movie - The Life of David Gale (although it's tough to pick just one, I have a top 20 here!)
Song - Annie Lennox, Little Bird
TV - For a series that I could watch and re-watch again and again, it would be Friends
Drink - decaffeinated Tetley tea
Cocktail - mojito
Flower - peony
Shop - B&Q

// H A V E   Y O U   E V E R?

Bungee jumped? - Nope
Been in love? - Yes
Had your heart broken? - Yes
Cried? - Quite a lot... I'm a weeper!
Done something you regret? - Yes
Broken a bone? - Yes, I broke both bones in my forearm when I was younger falling out of a tree
Had a near death experience? - No
Had to get stitches? - No (I did fall into an outdoor tap when I was younger and I have a scar on my nose... I was very lucky that I didn't hurt my eye. No stitches needed though)
Found a wallet that someone had dropped? - Yes
Got arrested? - No, but I was put in the back of a police van for apparently going through a red light. I went through on amber but they were adamant that I went through on red. I got points and a fine!

// W O U L D   Y O U   R A T H E R?

Watch Star Wars or Star Trek? - Star Wars
Read a paperback or on a Kindle? - Paperback
Go to the theatre or the cinema? - Theatre
Hike or bike? - Bike
Wear jeans or a dress? - Hmmm, tough one... I think jeans
Travel by plane or train? - Plane
Go to a Comedy club or Night club? - Comedy club
Have a night out or night in? - Night in
Use Facebook or Twitter? - Twitter
Stay in a hotel or a tent? - Hotel

Friday 15 May 2015

#LittleLoves

It's been so long since I took part in Morgana's #LittleLoves and I've really missed joining in. It's quite nice just to take stock each week and look back on the small things that have made me happy.

// Watched

Movie wise I've watched Oblivion with Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman. It started well, but then I wasn't convinced by the ending. I'm not sure I would recommend it. We've also started watching House of Cards on Netflix and we're already on Series 2 (clearly we watch too much TV!).


As I type this I've got Made in Chelsea on in the background - my guilty pleasure!

// Read

I've got a few books on my nightstand and on my Kindle but I just haven't had the time to turn the pages. Rick & I were in London the other weekend and I did read on the plane but I am looking forward to a lazy Sunday, wrapped in a blanket (or ideally sitting in the sun on a lounger in the garden but the weather isn't proving too great at the moment!) getting stuck into a good book.

// Made

Not very much I'm sad to say!

// Wore

I picked up a few new dresses in Cos last time I was in town which I have been wearing to work. I love both of them - they're very wearable, wash well and I don't need to iron them - result!! One is a black dress which you can see below, the other is a grey jersey number which was in the sale - it's super comfy yet is smart enough for work.


// Heard

I just love this song by Lunchmoney Lewis... it's the one song on the radio at the moment that makes me crank up the volume.



// And lastly...

For my more local followers, I have a competition running just now with the St Enoch Centre where you can win a £50 voucher. It's very simple to enter, and you can find the details here.

Thursday 14 May 2015

Beauty - April Favourites

Last month I shared my March favourites, and I'm back this time with my April favs! I'm a bit disorganised, so apologies that we're now halfway through May already!! I will attempt to get these posts out at the start of each month in the future!

I'm going to pick 5 products that I've been loving and give you a bit of a blurb on each of them...

1. Urban Decay NAKED 2 Palette, £38


I am really slow to join the NAKED palette bandwagon. For some unknown reason, eyeshadow is not something I've really bought lately. For the past couple of years I've been wearing the same three MAC shades. So with my MAC shades nearly empty (they lasted well!!), I decided it was time to invest in something new and I chose this NAKED 2 palette. I love it. The shades I've used so far are very pigmented so it doesn't take long to build up a good colour.

2. bareMinerals Stroke of Light, £22*

 
I'm still loving this Stroke of Light wand from bareMinerals and have been wearing it daily. It's definitely worthy of a place in my monthly favourites.

3. Origins Original Skin Serum, £32

 
Now that I'm nearing my mid-thirties I'm happy to invest in my skincare products; and I'm hoping that it shows as my skin is in pretty good condition now. I had been using Merumaya Iconic Youth Serum but given my new love for Origins I thought I would try their serum. The Origins serum has a thinner consistency compared with Merumaya and if I'm honest I'm not sure that I notice much of a difference between the two in terms of how my skin looks and feels. Both products are priced similarly too. From the marketing, the Origins is probably targeted at a younger market whereas the Merumaya is perhaps aimed more at anti-aging. Anyway, I've heard that using a serum is better than no serum, and that in fact the serum you use doesn't really matter so much; whether this is true or not I'm not sure. 

4. Dior Diorskin Star Foundation, £32.50


You may remember from my March favourites that I've been wearing the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue, but I was seeking a foundation for my make-up bag and decided to try this Dior one.

It goes on really easily (I have a little sponge that I use which I picked up in Kiko whilst I was in London) and I like that the foundation feels lightweight on the skin and yet gives good coverage.

5. Jo Malone, Dark Amber & Ginger Lily Cologne Intense, £100

This perfume has been on my wish list for a while now and I caved and bought myself a bottle. It's gorgeous. Perhaps more of a Winter fragrance or for night-time as it's a heavier scent but regardless of this I've been wearing it every other day or so.

* I received the bareMinerals Stroke of Light as a PR sample. All other products I have purchased myself. Opinions as always are my own and are honest.

Wednesday 13 May 2015

What's On: Festival of Museums, Glasgow



The Festival of Museums takes place this weekend on the 15th - 17th May. The programme has over 100 events across the country, many taking place as part of the Museums at Night initiative and many events are one-off too. There is plenty happening in Glasgow if you are looking for something for the weekend...

The Great Big Museum Bus Tour is a hop-on, hop-off tour of Glasgow's must-see museums including the Burrell Collection, Scotland Street School Museum and Riverside Museum. Each museum will be showcasing a different traditional craft with inspiring practical demonstrations (Sat 16th May from 11am onwards).

Past Times Weekend - Auld Kirk museum in Kirkintilloch are taking guests back in time at their Family Fun Day on Sunday 17th May, 12 noon to 4pm. There will be craft activities - making and decorating swords and crowns - plus face painting, medieval weaponry and birds of prey.

The event that takes my fancy is the Reid Building Tour - Glasgow's most daring new architectural work. The one hour guided tour will explore the architectural concepts behind the building (Saturday 16th from 3pm, advance booking required).

I'm also intrigued by The Museum of Light at Paisley Museum (Saturday 16th May, 7pm to midnight) where there are a wide range of activities running from 'painting with light' to scientific demonstrations and a viewing of the planets Venus, Jupiter and Saturn through the telescopes in Coats Observatory.

What are your plans this weekend?

Sarah x




Tuesday 12 May 2015

Charity: Race for Life 5K with Scottish Power



On Sunday I participated in the Race for Life 5K event at Glasgow Green. I was going to say I ran, but it was more like a jog. It's been a number of months since I was running regularly (I just checked back in my Nike app on my phone and it was in September 2014 that I was running once a week, since then I've done only two runs!!). For a number of reasons I hadn't trained: partly due to my Crohn's playing up; partly due to lack of time; and if I'm honest partly because of the weather (although that's not really a decent excuse, you just need to dress appropriately for the conditions).

Anyway, you will be pleased to hear that despite not training I managed to jog the route in 31 minutes (I felt that deserved to be in bold!). I have to say I was pretty chuffed with myself.

I chose to run for Cancer Research UK because my mum lost her battle with cancer in 2001 and was taken from us too soon. She was 51 years old when she died. I was 19 years old, and my little sister was 17. We were too young to lose a parent. You can read my diary entries from the time on the blog: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

Due to the amazing work of scientists and researchers, today one in two people with cancer will survive.


Lot's more can be done though to beat cancer sooner.

The atmosphere on race day was mixed. I felt quite emotional - reading everyone's stories on the backs of their shirts really put things into perspective; and yet I also felt inspired and that I really was making a difference, even if it was just a little one. 

That morning I woke up early before the kids and had some porridge (with Lactofree milk!) and fresh fruit before getting dressed and ready. My daughter painted my face in a few different pink colours and with plenty of glitter! She helped me choose the Pink Army tattoos to wear and looked out a pink party hat for me. 



The run itself wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. It was a bit wet and windy in Glasgow, but the rain was refreshing, for once! It was bizarre running through the empty streets of Glasgow, particularly Buchanan Street with a sea of women in pink t-shirts around me. There were plenty of supporters along the way which helped keep me going.




I made it round the course with my Scottish Power 'High 5 me!' foam hand... which to be honest was a hindrance but I carried on regardless!! 

Scottish Power are raising support for Cancer Research UK through the High 5 Wave. The target is to reach 60,000 high fives to raise £35,000 for the charity. 

"High fives are a symbol of achievement and celebration for all of us every day. We want to use high fives to generate positive energy in the fight against cancer" Scottish Power 

I added my High 5 and joined the wave at the Scottish Power marquee after the race!



If you would like to donate some money to my JustGiving page, you will find it here (www.justgiving.com/glasgowmummy).

Or why not take part in an event yourself? They are being held across the UK and you can find an event near you here.

Disclosure: my race entry was paid for and I was provided with promotional material for the run by Scottish Power.

Beauty with a Conscious

I volunteer most weeks with the Prince and Princess of Wales hospice, located in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, where I deliver a mindfulness m...