Blognonymous : Unwanted Attention

This post was submitted to me within the ethos of Blognonymous.  This post is slightly more unusual than normal and I will let you work out how to respond to it with your much-valued wisdom.  As a panel we never edit the posts that are sent to us - we let them speak for themselves.  This time, we questioned if the author was sure that she wanted to post and assured her that the post could be taken down at any time to protect her anonymity and to further help detract from any unwanted attention.

Snap, Crackle, Blog - The Kellogg's Stats

This time last week I was sat in Kellogg's HQ in Manchester stuffing my face with freebie cereal bars after an invitation to learn a bit more about what goes on behind the scenes at the UK's leading cereal manufacturers and how important breakfast is.  Thirteen mum bloggers attended the event which also provided information about nutrition, diet and the way in which Kellogg's are working with the Government's "Breakfast for Life" initiative.

"Why just Mum bloggers?" I hear you ask.  It remains a fact that, regardless of what roles are held by parents in the household, in the main, Mum controls the purse strings and makes the main decisions when it comes to buying food.  So it makes sense to tap into that market, doesn't it?

Who has my TV mojo? I want it back!

Regular readers may have noticed that I haven't been over-enthusiastic about an TV watching recently.  This is mainly because I've written a few pieces for the Popsiculture blog but also because I am ever so slightly underwhelmed by the much-hyped new season of television during early-2011.

The Gallery : Children

The prompt for the Gallery this week was Hard (with a capital H).  The theme was "Children" and that leaves all us parents (and grandparents) with such a wide range of options.  I mean, do I choose a picture of just one of my children, leaving you wondering if that one is my favourite?  Could I find a group shot with everyone on, all looking in the same direction and smiling (a big fat NO)?  You are probably all bored of updates about my grandchildren too.

Accepting An Apology

We try to teach our children the difference between right and wrong.  When they are (in the) wrong we take them aside, explain the reasons why and encourage them to apologise.  Understanding regret and remorse helps us to develop as humans and as a society.

Review : Ikea LÖMSK Swivel Chair

Ikea very kindly sent us the LÖMSK Swivel Chair to try out.  My first impressions were that it was wasted on a two year old and I wanted an adult version!  


As you can see, Amie has had enormous fun as chief tester - spinning, hiding, chilling - and even keeps her favourite toy hidden in there so that Uncle Jake can't steal it when she is not here.

Blognonymous : A Call No Parent Wants To Receive

This post was submitted to me within the ethos of Blognonymous.  As a panel we never edit the posts that are sent to us - we let them speak for themselves.  This was another difficult post to receive but the author says that she wanted to stop acting like an ostrich, hoping it would all go away.  She says that this post was written in one stroke - trying to get it all off her chest.  Please feel free to add your comments and thoughts at the end of the post.   As an aside, the author also says, "Thanks for providing people with this platform, it's a godsend, so really thank you." which, for the panel, validates the reason we do this.

They Really Need A Smack In The Chops

First of all this is NOT a meme but feel free to pick it up and run with it if you need to release some pent-up anger.  I have cried laughing reading similar posts from Bloggertropolis, London City Mum and Very Bored In Catalunya and  and being the calm person that I am I have obviously found it very difficult to find five celebrities that I feel violent towards had real trouble just slimming this down to just five people.  So, in no particular order...

Parenting 101? Not in this house.

There are a number of blog posts this week about the lies that parents tell to other parents to portray themselves as the perfect parent:

Of course I cook a home made meal from scratch every night.

Or there are the lies that parents tell their children just for a quiet life:

Yes, your picture is beautiful. The glitter looks brilliant on those pasta shells.

A lot of these blog posts have stemmed from the results of a survey compiled by NetMums that suggested around two-thirds of parents admitted that they told a few white lies whilst many more admitted to covering up financial struggles.

Seriously, why bother?  Why should you be embarrassed about the way in which you choose to bring up your child(ren)?  I get a bit pissed off with all the "Yummy Mummy" types who profess to fill up their child's life with activities and fun.  When does the child get any time to be themselves?

To Have And To Hold, Until Death Do Us Part.

I have been married almost twenty years and I still have my wedding dress.  I have no idea why I still have it.  I have never worn it since and would probably have trouble fitting one leg into it now.  It has survived six house moves and currently resides in a black plastic bag in a drawer under the bed still with its original hanger.  What are you supposed to do with your wedding dress anyway?  

We planned our wedding on a budget (here is the story of the build up to my wedding... of course it didn't run smoothly - this is ME we're talking about!) and I had thought about hiring a dress.  At the wedding outfitters I was shown a number of dresses that I sort-of liked and told that the hire price was half the cost price.  Way beyond my budget.

I had to come clean and explain our situation.  We had very limited cash allocated to the event and had to see if I could pay for the cost of the dress in instalments, even though the wedding was only eight weeks away.

I was directed to the back of the shop and shown a rail of dresses.  I was told that these dresses were "last season" and had either been hired out or used for promotional purposes.  I flicked through the rail and picked a couple of dresses up.  When I tried them on there was always something negative about them; the wrong shape across the shoulders, too low cut, too much of a meringue.  I gave them all back and resigned myself to picking something up from a well-known high street store nearer the big day.  

I glanced back towards the rail and took one more casual look through the dresses.  And there it was... my dream dress from my childhood - the fairytale dress that I had always imagined.  Full length, no fuss or frills, a subtle amount of detail, fitted bodice, small bussle, full length, straight skirt, no hoops and a short train.   I had to try it on.  To my amazement, it fitted!  Like a glove.  It was a little bit tight around the bodice but I was assured that it could be taken out and adjustments made - all in time for the big day, two months away.

I hardly dared look at the price tag.  I knew I had to have this dress but we had our budget and no way of straying outside it, not even by a few quid.  I glanced down and had to do a double take...

£49

Yes, dear reader, forty nine English pounds.  Even 20 years ago that was a bargain.  Also, I was assured that the minimal adjustments would cost only £5.  I placed a deposit on the dress there and then.  It was mine.  

In fact, after writing this I now know why I have kept it.  You don't mess around with fate.  What was meant to be was meant to be.  I shall be buried in it and it doesn't matter if the zipper doesn't close because no-one will ever know.

Cybermummy Sponsorship Required

 

June 25th 2011 is an important date in the parent blogging world.  It is the date of the Cybermummy 2011 Conference - the UK's premier blogging conference devoted to parent bloggers - and is to be held at The Brewery, London.  I would love to attend the Cybermummy 2011 conference to represent the Typecast blog, therefore I am looking for a sponsor.

Looking Back Over My Shoulder

When I'm scouring the gossip pages online magazines or newspapers for my latest fix I am treated to many a shot of attention seekers the celebrity-of-the-moment looking like something from Death Becomes Her.

Holly, Janet, Rihanna

Where did this trend for the chin-on-shoulder look come from?  Is it supposed to look as though the zleb in question has been caught unawares?  Fair enough - but that doesn't exactly work if they are facing the sponsor board in the press area, pre-event, does it?  Yes, Paris... walk on my love... *bump* oops, never mind, chuck.

Review : OnePiece 'Jump In'

One Saturday evening back in November, I was happily sipping at a glass of vino and indulging in a bit of Twitter chat with a few of the usual suspects.  All of a sudden, I found myself being taken advantage of in my drunken state agreeing to review the OnePiece 'Jump In' for MumsRock.  If you want to be "on trend" like me you can find all the details in the written review but I think I'll let the video version speak for itself:

Just curtsey on the way past...

Back in mid-December the team at British Mummy Bloggers announced that there was to be a "Brilliance in Blogging" Award Ceremony, celebrating the great blogs of 2010.  All bloggers were invited to nominate their favourite blogs in five separate categories which were then narrowed down to a short long list on which we were invited to vote.  Today the results were announced on Twitter using the #brillBMB hashtag and you can see all the results in a full blog post over on The BMB Blog.  It was a lovely, albeit hectic, half-hour on Twitter, celebrating some fantastic blogs, bloggers and posts - a great way to spend my lunch break.  And that was that...

... or so I thought!

Blognonymous : Unspoken

This post was submitted to me within the ethos of Blognonymous.  As a panel we never edit the posts that are sent to us - we let them speak for themselves.  This time, I am finding it difficult to find the words to introduce this post.  The author tells me that she wrote this because she wants to raise awareness of the signs so that others can look out for them and help those in need.  She also hopes that just one person can find the courage to seek help after reading this post.  Please feel free to add your comments and thoughts at the end of the post.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Too Accommodating?

Earlier today I had agreed that a friend of the youngest of my brood could have tea and stay the night.  They had been to Halfords earlier in the afternoon, eyeing up some mag wheels for BMX bikes (aside: I love how his priorities have changed since going to high school.  A few months ago he was happy with an hour on the park and an ice cream from the corner shop), called in at his friend's house to pick up a change of clothes and a toothbrush but rang me to say that they would be a little later than expected.  I asked why.  He explained that his friend was having his tea before coming to our house.  So I asked if Jake was being invited to eat too as we were ordering take-out a little later but he said that he wasn't.  He simply hadn't been asked if he wanted anything to eat.  Am I alone in thinking that is unusual?

Anyone for Tennies?

Ok, I wasn't around at New Year as I was out getting hammered celebrating the birth of a new decade so I missed all the discussions about what the next ten years were going to be called.  I've also been ill and had my brain substituted for cotton wool so any previous discussions that I may or may not have had have disappeared into the ether.  Now I have returned to work - on the two days of the week when there is no-one else in the office to cough/sneeze/breathe on, I might add - and I have started to write "2011" and talk about the next few years for real.

We've had the Eighties ('80s), the Nineties ('90s) and the Noughties ('00 + a roll of the eyes) so what now?

Facebook Status Updates

I am lucky enough to have lots of great Facebook friends.  Family, old school friends I have recently got back in touch with, fellow bloggers, internet companions and people who I know in real life.  You all know I'm a bit of a pedant when it comes to spelling and grammar so sometimes I want to SCREAM when I see status updates such as these:

The Bloggers e-Course - Review

When I decided to dust off the blog again back in July 2009 I started out slowly but felt that there was more to know and new ways to get myself noticed.  I heard about a free e-Course that Erica from Little Mummy was writing centered around "mum blogging" and I was intrigued.