New Years Eve

For the past three years I have had the children on New Years Eve and I've stayed in as a result.

I saw in the bells in 2011 with my daughter snoring in my arms as she was unwell. Becky & Nik had come over to my house and cooked me an amazing dinner. The evening started well, the food & chat were brilliant but the kids were both unwell. I ended up having to call their dad to come and help me. He had left the family home a couple of days before. I didn't particularly want him there and had planned to start the year as I meant to go on, but I had no choice as I really couldn't cope with the two ill kiddies on my own.

Then in 2012, we had smoothie cocktails with party straws and had an early night! And in 2013 we had another quiet evening and were early to bed!! To be honest, it's just another night and with children under 5 years old who are up at the crack of dawn, I really didn't want to be staying up until midnight anyway!

This year is different.

This year the kids are with their dad.

This year I'm in Aberdeen for a grown-up dinner party at my sister's house. Good food, some wine and lots of laughter are called for. I can't wait!!

Time to get my party shoes on...

Happy New Year everybody for when it comes ;-)

Sales Shopping at Glasgow Fort

At the weekend, Rick & I headed to Glasgow Fort for some sale shopping. We arrived nice and early, about 11am-ish, and got parked really easily - result! You'll be amazed at all the bargains I managed to pick up. I've filmed a vlog, but not had a chance to upload this yet as I've been travelling visiting family these past few days.

So in the meantime, here's what I chose:

Carex hand wash, strawberry laces and bubblegum scents - 2 for £2 (I absolutely love these hand washes!)

Elizabeth Arden 8 hour creams (30 mL x2) - £3 

L'Oreal eye make-up remover - £2

Hair bobbles - £2.50

Black glittery hair clips x4 - £2.50 (I'm still growing out my fringe!)

Can opener - £3 (mine is really rusty and desperately needed replacing!)

Drop earrings - £2

Camera case - £3.50

Phone case - £1

Cat leggings for my daughter - £4 (not in sale)

Jeans for my son - £4

Pack of 5 socks for my son - £4 (not in sale)

Pack of 5 socks for me - £5 (not in sale)

Fox slipper socks - £3

Suede casual ankle boots - £10

Taupe super soft jumper for lounging around the house - £3

So that comes to a total of £54.50. I think I did pretty well!!

Rick didn't have as much success as I did unfortunately. In Jack & Jones there seemed to be plenty of options available in size small, but there wasn't much in medium :-(

He selected the following:

Maroon hoodie, £20




















Maroon polo short-sleeved shirt, £10

T-shirt, £7.50
T-shirt, £7
Black belt, £5

Bringing that to a total of £49.50.

Both the t-shirts were small so he has gifted these to his brothers:

Whilst we were at Glasgow Fort we had some lunch. We timed our visit perfectly as the Eats from the Street event was running. Burritos from Mighty Mexican were chosen, and they were amazing!

Rick also picked up a new suit from Next in the sale along with a new shirt and tie. I grabbed a few bargains for the littlest from Next as well (leggings and a dress). And we both got some new shoes at Clarks. I particularly love my new Gore-tex tan boots. Aren't they gorgeous...

What bargains have you grabbed in the sales?

We were gifted a £50 voucher for Asda Living and a £50 voucher for Jack & Jones at Glasgow Fort for this write up. Opinions, as always, are my own.

My 2014 Round-Up

It's been another year with both ups and downs. At the end of 2013, the one thing I had hoped to achieve in 2014 was to get divorced and this is still not finalised. Progress has been made thankfully but the finish line still seems a long way off.

Anyway, I thought I'd do a quick round-up of what that Glasgow Mummy household got up to this year...

January

I made my first big purchase for the new house, a new sofa. A purple one no less from M&S.

I celebrated my 32nd birthday too, and on the same day I registered my son for school!

We also enjoyed a family day out in Falkirk.

And I was crowned Glasgow Blogs Blogger of the Month :-)

February

More progress was made in the house, this time the dining/play room.

We went to see The Lego Movie, and I starting dipping my toe in the YouTube waters!

I went on a solo business trip to Stockholm. I hadn't been on a plane for four years, so this trip was a bit daunting!

March

I secured sponsorship with Glasgow Fort for the year.

I had my driveway monoblocked. What a difference that has made! It really was such a good investment and I'm so glad I got it done.

We had a gin tasting experience in Aberdeen at The Tippling House.

I had a Crohn's flare-up and had to start taking steroids (boo!). My first flare-up since being diagnosed 10 years ago.

April

Saw the littlest turn 3!

It was also R's birthday and we enjoyed a luxury spa break at Blythswood Square Hotel.

I discovered I was shortlisted for the BiBs (I didn't win, but to be shortlisted was amazing!).

I took the kids to Storybook Glen, Aberdeen - so many childhood memories of my own were had here.

May

More progress again with the house, this month I painted the whole hallway, by myself I might add!!

I was chosen to be a Morrison's Mum and had great fun hosting a Bank Holiday BBQ.

We had a belated birthday celebration for the littlest and R at Frankie & Benny's at Glasgow Fort.

I ticked off an important item off my 35 at 35 list - be genuinely happy. This was a biggie for me, and since then I've had my blips but I do still feel much happier than I was.

I tried to get my butt into gear with a fitness and healthy eating plan. Emphasis is on the word tried!

We met Myleene Klass!

June

Another biggie on the 35 at 35 list, this time I checked off 'fall in love again'.

I went to London for BritMumsLive.

My son was gifted a bicycle from Dale's Cycles and he's been making great progress. He still has stabilisers, so that's on the to-do-list for 2015 - get the stabilisers off!

I was also getting handy in the garden and we planted lots of lettuce from Rocket Gardens.

I was selected to be one of the 14 bloggers for the 2014 Commonwealth Games #Team14

July

We went on a summer holiday to Aberdeen.

We filmed one of my more amusing vlogs - this one features a flying cat!

R & I celebrated being together for a whole year!

We participated in a lawn bowling session with #Team14.

I had a colonoscopy :-/

My banana antics won me tickets for the athletics at the Commonwealth Games. Thank you Virgin Media - that was an amazing experience!

We stayed in a log pod. This was a fantastic wee break and I'd definitely like to do something similar in 2015.

August

My son turned 5 this month, and his birthday marked his first day of school too!

We tried GoApe in Aberdeenshire.

I won a designer handbag - thank you very much ThankFifi and Maxwell Scott Bags :-)

I met the two of Three Sisters Bake at Foodies Festival in Edinburgh.

September

I won another designer handbag, this time from Jaeger. I'm a very lucky lady!

We went to my cousin's wedding in Aboyne.

October

I handed in my notice with my current employer after securing a part-time position with another company in Glasgow.

R & I had the best steak ever at Ballathie House Hotel.

We went to The Tippling House in Aberdeen again, this time for a Red Wine Tasting session.

We purchased two kittens to join the household...Rhubarb and Crumble.

On our October trip to Aberdeen my son took a horrific tumble and ended up in A&E. This was a huge fright and a very scary experience. Not one I want to repeat!

I attended the Awards Ceremony of RBS - Finding Scotland's Real Heroes.

We went to the Enchanted Forest. It was utterly amazing. I loved it. Do check out my vlog here if you haven't heard of it.

R dyed my hair brunette!

We went to Mull for a long weekend.

November

I started sessions with a new personal trainer. I was struggling to motivate myself, and so decided it would be money well spent to get someone just to give me the kick I needed.

I was floored with a cold for over a week :-/

and then R whisked me away to Spain for the weekend!

December

We went to see Santa Claus. A must-do family trip for December!

Wow - it's been quite a year!

Let's hope 2015 is even better...

Regret

This is Part 3 of my diary excerpts. You'll find Part 1 here and Part 2 here...

"My flights home took me via Frankfurt to Edinburgh and my dad was collecting me there to drive me back to Aberdeen.  However, when I arrived in Frankfurt, I saw the ‘departures’ board that indicated that my flight to Edinburgh was delayed, and then minutes later it was cancelled.  I rushed to the airline desk and was in tears – I really needed to get home.  The lady at the counter was brilliant.  Quickly my flights were re-arranged and I was not only booked on a flight from Frankfurt to Glasgow, but also a second flight from Glasgow to Aberdeen.  I phoned dad, and managed to catch him before he left to collect me.  He was to meet me in Aberdeen later that day.

Back at Aberdeen airport, dad picked me up and we drove straight to the hospital to see mum.  I remember walking through the corridors – we had a short cut that we used to get us to mum’s room – and I asked dad ‘I don’t know what to say – what should I say’.  I don’t remember the reply, but mum was still mum when we got to her room.  She didn’t look particularly ill at this stage, but this was to get much worse.  I remember mum telling me that she was just really glad that I returned home safely.  I had half expected her to pass away quietly then, safe in the knowledge that I had returned home from Israel, but that wasn’t the case.  Mum was only 51 – and her organs were in full health.  It was just the cancer that was the problem.  It had spread to the bowels, and there was no longer an option to operate, and chemotherapy would not have helped in this case.  It was just a case of waiting for mum’s body to pack in.  I don’t know if she was in pain, but I presume she had painkillers etc.  I think her diet by this stage was soup, and you could see that she was losing weight.

Dad and I had a meeting with one of the staff at the hospital, because mum had requested that she wanted to come home to die.  This was one of the most difficult situations I had been faced with, because I had to have the guts and say that I didn’t want her to come home because it would be too difficult for us.  Dad was working full-time, Ali was still at school – and it would have been myself that would have had to care for mum.  She needed 24 hour assistance, and I just didn’t feel capable.  I also didn't want to have sad memories of her at the house - I just wanted to cling to the happy ones. We agreed that it would be ideal if we could get mum a bed at a hospice.  Thankfully, a bed came up at the hospice and mum was moved there. 

The  hospice was lovely – the grounds outside were peaceful, the staff were friendly and it was a much nicer environment than the hospital.  Mum was in a room with about 5 other ladies – and to be honest, from what I remember, mum was the youngest.  She was able to get her hair done, as a hairdresser used to visit the hospice.  She also got reflexology sessions, and I think dogs used to come into the hospice also and the patients were allowed to pet them.  There was a little ‘café’ where we could go and sit with mum – she’d be in her wheelchair, and we’d sit in the other chairs round in a little huddle.  It was the one time that mum was able to have soft drinks, as I think mainly she just had soup and water, but she used to have some of our coke when we visited, and she would suck up the coke through the straw really quickly because she enjoyed it so much (but then she'd get really gassy!). Conversation was always difficult.  I always was asking about the nurses and the other staff, and what the different uniforms meant – and I wish I had the guts to ask more questions.  There are so many things that I regret."

What's On: Hogmanayday at George Square

Do you have plans for Hogmanay?

If you've got little ones, then look no further... Hogmanayday is your answer - a free, day-long celebration for family and friends at George Square.

Activities include a Baby Disco at the Alpine Bar where parents can party the day away in style with their little ones as well as face painting in the Christmas workshops.

The ice rink will also be open from 12pm to 10pm on Hogmanayday. Sessions can be booked at www.glasgowloveschristmas.com or by telephone on 0141 353 8000. 

Between 2pm and 4pm the fantastic Williamwood Pipe Band will be performing on the square before resident DJ John Ross will be spinning his usual mix of disco, funk and soul to get you in the party mood.

As they day moves into evening, there will be live ceilidh music from Gunna Sound to start the celebrations and get revellers into the party spirit. Gunna Sound’s repertoire includes a full selection of round the room Ceilidh dances, and an extensive song list that usually invokes the comment at the end of the night, ‘so you’re not just a Ceilidh band!’ 

No ticket is required for entry to George Square; however there may be times where the venue is full, at such times a queuing system will be put into operation.  Hogmanayday is part of the Glasgow Loves Christmas campaign, which brings together the city’s seasonal entertainment and events programme, as well as its unrivalled retail and dining offering under one banner.

If like me, you're kiddie-free for New Years Eve, then here are my picks of what to do in Glasgow:

Ashton Lane Hogmanay Street Party: Party the night away under a canapé of twinkling fairy lights, on Glasgow’s oldest and best loved cobbled street. Set in the heart of the famous West End, the street party enjoys a prime location and a host of fantastic bars to suit all tastes.

The Corinthian: For a stylish night out in the heart of Glasgow, head to the Corinthian where gorgeous cocktails will be flowing all night, accompanied by a variety of live music. Feeling lucky? Why not have a spin in the casino to start next year with a bang!

Club Noir at O2: Say goodbye to 2014 with a step back in time, at Glasgow’s sassiest bash! With a swing band and live cabaret acts throughout the night, Club Noir promises a night full of glam vintage fun.

Merry Christmas from Us

Wishing all of my readers a Merry Christmas. Hope you all have a lovely Christmas Day tomorrow.

This year I have the kiddies for Christmas Eve and then tomorrow we will be going to my dad & Jo's house for Christmas dinner. This is the first Christmas dinner that I will have spent with the kids since the separation as they were with their dad's side of the family for their sit down meal the past two years. I'm very much looking forward to it.

In the meantime I have a carrot cake to bake as the little ones want to put out nine slices of carrot cake for Santa's reindeer, and a mince pie for Santa himself!

Lots of festive cheer,

Sarah x