The Gallery : Friends

Celebrating Mother's Day

This post has been written as part of a debate with 
Maggie from Red Ted Art and Laura from Littlestuff.  
We're inviting you to vote on your favourite viewpoint of Mother's Day over at Parentdish.  
Full voting details are at the end of the post.

#dosomethingyummy - Link Up - Week 4

Welcome to the #dosomethingyummy Writing Prompt Link Up for Week 4 - the final week of our CLIC Sargent Do Something Yummy awareness campaign.

Your writing prompt for Week 4 was "Survival" and you had a choice of three types of post:

1. Personal post.  Tell us your story of survival.  What did you overcome?
2. Yummy post.  Do you know someone who has had cancer and survived?
3. Creative writing.  Get your kids involved again - give them the prompt word "Survivor" and ask them to draw a picture or write a story and post up the results.

I also asked if you could tag someone this week (you may have to also remind them to post their link here in the widget) because I wanted a super-response for the final week.  Let's see if we can hit 50 link-ups!  And, you're going to hear it here first... yes, I'm going to miss posting these prompts and linkys each week - it's been an enormous responsibility but also a fantastic experience and something that I'm proud to have been a part of, for many reasons.  I will be hosting a round-up post in a week or so with lots of geeky stats and enormous thank-you's so don't forget to look out for that.

I have written my post for this week using a mixture of prompt 1 and prompt 2 and you can read it by scrolling past the link widget.  If you have written a #dosomethingyummy post please link up below but don't worry if you haven't joined in yet - the linky will be staying open for the whole of February and March.  If you are here to read the entries it would be great if you could share this post, or any of the ones linked up, on your social networks.

A Handbag...

This really is my handbag... I love it!

I was stood in the queue at the post office yesterday afternoon, juggling the post for work, some packages for eBay and a couple of bills that needed paying (if I don’t keep them in my hand, I’ll forget about them…); there were a mixture of men and women in the queue.

One thing that was noticeable was that all the women were carrying handbags of varying sizes.  Purses were dragged out at opportune moments, tissues were found to wipe accompanying toddler's noses, keys were thrown in to free up a hand… but the men – not a bag in sight.   One grappled with loose change to pay for the price of a parcel, another pulled a bulging wallet out of his back pocket.

Where do they keep all their ‘stuff’?  Or do they simply not have the need to carry all sorts of crap around with them?  And if not, why not?  

I've done a “What’s In My Handbag” type post twice now (Part 1 and Part 2) and have tried to streamline the contents of my bag on a number of occasions but there are always those “what if…?” moments at the back of my mind.  Emergency make-up moments (ok, so the majority of men won’t have this issue), the fact that women’s trouser pockets don’t seem deep enough to keep keys in and the need to have my Filofax close to hand at all times (I know not everyone has this fixation – but maybe an address book or diary?).  Are men looking at our handbags wishing they had something similar? Having said that though, I have recently  noticed a number of men carrying messenger style bags slung across their body in a very masculine way (adopts Lady Bracknall-type voice: “A Man Bag?”)

My husband wants to know why I have a fixation with handbags and shoes.  Do you want to know the secret?  It’s because they are the only thing guaranteed to fit.  But I want him to tell me what happened to men carrying a proper cotton handkerchief too?

#dosomethingyummy Writing Prompts - Week 4

During February I will be posting a series of writing prompts so welcome to the fourth (and last) in the series.  I would love bloggers from all corners of the internet to join in, get creative, be inspired to write whilst helping to promote and raise awareness of the CLIC Sargent Yummy Mummy Week - 10th to 18th March 2012.  

Why am I doing this?  This time it's personal and you can read all about that here.  You can also download the official press release and images to use in your posts from that link.  I want you to get inspired to do something - anything - to help support the CLIC Sargent charity.

Blognonymous : Why Do Women Take Them Back?

This post was submitted to me within the ethos of Blognonymous. A fellow blogger asked if she could post this here as it didn't feel right on her own blog.  I respect her decision and realise that it could be a difficult read for some people.    

If you would like to offer any kind of support in the comments but prefer to remain anonymous yourself then there is a "guest comment" facility - sign out of Disqus (if you have used it before), write your comment, click "Post as..." and you will see "guest" appear as an option.

If you would like to contact the Blognonymous team please click on the image to the right for more details.

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#dosomethingyummy - Link Up - Week 3

Welcome to the #dosomethingyummy Writing Prompt Link Up for Week 3 of our CLIC Sargent Do Something Yummy awareness campaign.

Your writing prompt for Week 3 was "Getting Together" and you had a choice of three types of post:

1. Personal post.  When was the last time you got together with a group of friends?
2. Yummy post.  Tell us why getting together with other parents is important.
3. Creative writing.  Tell us how you are surviving the half term holidays.  You also had a vlog prompt to get the kids involved with maybe an interview or something.

How did you do this week?  Did you tag someone?  Don't forget to remind them to link up here if they have written something.  I have cheated a little bit because my "Getting Together" post is family related rather than friend related but it's relevant to last week's post.  You can read it by scrolling past the link widget.  If you have written a #dosomethingyummy post please link up below but don't worry if you haven't joined in yet - the linky will be staying open for the whole of February and March.  If you are here to read the entries it would be great if you could share this post, or any of the ones linked up, on your social networks.

CybHer Meet and Greet

*sigh* I'm being MADE to tell you who I am.  Like you don't know already!!  Honestly... what do you think I've been doing here, on Twitter and on Facebook for the past three years?

Jar Of Hearts

We don't do Valentine's mush here at Typecast Towers - and long term readers may remember that I posted about that last year.  This year isn't going to be much different but I have been sent a 'Rom Com' package from Warner Bros which includes the following DVD's:

• Midnight in Paris (the new DVD release)
• Valentines Day
• Casablanca (70th anniversary edition)
• Crazy, Stupid Love
• Going the Distance
• The Bodyguard
• Lake House

plus a great big bag of Maltesers (yum!), a dinky heart-shaped mirror (handy!) and a cute little bag (great for the summer).  So that's me sorted out for this evening and the rest of my week off work.

#dosomethingyummy Writing Prompts - Week 3

During February I will be posting a series of writing prompts so welcome to the third in the series.  I would love bloggers from all corners of the internet to join in, get creative, be inspired to write whilst helping to promote and raise awareness of the CLIC Sargent Yummy Mummy Week - 10th to 18th March 2012.  

Why am I doing this?  This time it's personal and you can read all about that here.  You can also download the official press release and images to use in your posts from that link.  I want you to get inspired to do something - anything - to help support the CLIC Sargent charity.

#dosomethingyummy - Link Up - Week 2

Welcome to the #dosomethingyummy Writing Prompt Link Up for Week 2 of our CLIC Sargent Do Something Yummy awareness campaign.

Your writing prompt for Week 2 was "What Family Means To You" and you had a choice of three types of post:

1. Personal post.  What kind of family did you grow up in?  Why is family important to you?
2. Yummy post.  What happens to a family when a child is diagnosed with cancer?  How do siblings and parents cope?
3. Creative writing.  Write about a perfect family moment 

So, what did you write?  I chose the personal prompt and again you can read it by scrolling past the link widget.  If you have written a #dosomethingyummy post please link up below but don't worry if you haven't joined in yet - the linky will be staying open for the whole of February and March.  If you are here to read the entries it would be great if you could share this post, or any of the ones linked up, on your social networks.

Listography : Phrases That Drive Me Mad

to see other Listography entries
 click the logo

It's Listography time again and this week it's all about those phrases that drive me mad.  I've been told I absolutely have to stick to five this time and that is why I'm late posting.  I had about fifteen at the first count, whittled down to eight by yesterday and this is the final cut.

So, in no particular order...

Blognonymous : Dignity

This post was submitted to me within the ethos of Blognonymous. A situation that many of us can probably relate to but hope never happens to us on a permanent basis.    

If you would like to offer any kind of support in the comments but prefer to remain anonymous yourself then there is a "guest comment" facility - sign out of Disqus (if you have used it before), write your comment, click "Post as..." and you will see "guest" appear as an option.

If you would like to contact the Blognonymous team please click on the image to the right for more details.

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#dosomethingyummy Writing Prompts - Week 2

During February I will be posting a series of writing prompts so welcome to the second in the series.  I would love bloggers from all corners of the internet to join in, get creative, be inspired to write whilst helping to promote and raise awareness of the CLIC Sargent Yummy Mummy Week - 10th to 18th March 2012.  

Why am I doing this?  This time it's personal and you can read all about that here.  You can also download the official press release and images to use in your posts from that link.  I want you to get inspired to do something - anything - to help support the CLIC Sargent charity.

Hello Fresh

This is a featured post

For more information please see my disclosure policy

With Hello Fresh, Parents can cook amazing food at home in no time

Every once in a while a new idea comes along that makes people wonder why nobody thought of it before. Hello Fresh is a brand new grocery delivery service tailored to the needs of busy parents. With Hello Fresh anyone can easily prepare amazing food for their family and friends in their own home.

Hello Fresh delivers amazing recipes and all the necessary ingredients to your door every week. It is easy to sign up on the website for a weekly subscription. Simply choose how many meals you would like to receive and Hello Fresh does all the hard work for you.

The recipes are created by professional chefs who have worked in world-famous restaurants such as the Fat Duck. These chefs have taken the hassle out of weekly meal planning, ensuring your family has a healthy balanced diet. And don't worry; they are so easy to prepare that busy parents can create a Hello Fresh meal in no time. Kids love trying the exciting new meals. Take them on a journey around the world with dishes like Emperor’s Chocolate Chilli Con Carne, and Penne at Sunset. Pickier eaters can easily leave ingredients out of a recipe, or be bold and try something for the first time. Who knows, it could be a favourite!

In fact, Hello Fresh takes easy cooking to a new level. Recipes typically take only 30 minutes or less to prepare and don't require fancy kitchen equipment. The recipe cards are lovely to look at and provide a photo for each step, making sure that every meal is just perfect. So if you enjoy great food but want to save time on meal planning, grocery shopping and cooking, Hello Fresh comes to the rescue!

#dosomethingyummy - Link Up - Week 1

Welcome to the #dosomethingyummy Writing Prompt Link Up for Week 1 of our CLIC Sargent Do Something Yummy awareness campaign.

Your writing prompt for Week 1 was "What Your Children Mean To You" and you had a choice of three types of post:

1. Personal post.  Why did you have children?  How have they changed your life?
2. Yummy post.  Do you have any experience of childhood cancer?
3. Creative writing.  Imagine your child can't be at home with you.  You are missing them terribly.  How do you feel? 

So, what did you write?  I chose the "Creative Writing" prompt as I thought it would be more of a challenge for me in the first week.  You can read it by scrolling past the link widget below.  If you have written a #dosomethingyummy post please link up below but don't worry if you haven't joined in yet - the linky will be staying open for the whole of February and March.  If you are here to read the entries it would be great if you could share this post, or any of the ones linked up, on your social networks.

The Gallery : Me Right Now

Three weeks ago I wrote a post about feeling not quite right and how I was trying to get better.  Since then I have been using two Thinking Slimmer slimpods, taking Hormone Replacement Therapy, using half a sleeping tablet at night and trying to apply a Positive Mental Attitude.  The change in me has been immense - even my boss commented on it yesterday.  For the first time in over a year I've felt that goals are achievable and I can see a way forward.  This is exactly how I wanted the approach to my 40th birthday to be.

I took this picture yesterday - just a snapshot on my phone to prove not only that we had no snow in Lancashire but also that there were blue skies - and I realised that it represented me in a lot of ways.  A break in the clouds, a bit of blue sky in the distance but, also by chance, I caught the name of the building opposite... PROGRESS House.  

Now if that isn't 'a sign', I don't know what is.

Have a look at other entries to "The Gallery" 

by clicking on the logo above