Perfect Proposals, Wonderful Weddings, and more

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about marriage proposals, it started out as a simple post but after turning to blogging buddies for their stories the post transformed. I loved writing it, but I loved reading others' stories so much that I decided to do a proposal series. An interview style post where you answer questions about your proposals and tell your story. So today, sharing my own story, I'm introducing Perfect Proposals.



But that's not all.


Exiting Engagements is a chance for those who aren't yet engaged to share their idea of the perfect marriage proposal.

And Wonderful Weddings, where I ask about your wedding, how the day went, what the weather was like, and everything in between. 

Post Comment Love 25th - 27th November

Welcome to Post Comment Love, the linky that aims to give extra love to the posts linked up. Whether you're a regular or a newbie, it's great to see you! 


Is it just me or are the weeks flying by? I feel like it was only 2 minutes ago it was the start of the Summer Holidays and now it's almost Christmas. Next week I'll be putting up Christmas decorations and the house will feel festive and before you know it'll all be over and we'll be into yet another year. 

But let's not wish the time away,

I'm focussing on right now. 


This week has been like any other really, school runs, after-school clubs, and the weekly shopping, with added focus on getting things done. Getting up in a morning and doing chores straight away sucks, but it's the only way to get it all done so it's what I'm doing. I've been tackling the bigger jobs in smaller chunks and slowly making them smaller. Our house needs sorting out so much and eventually I'll get it done, it just might take me until this time next year!

I've been trying to focus on the blog too, getting posts written, others' posts read, and lots and lots of sharing. What with household chores and cooking dinner every day it's hard to find the time but I'm doing it, even if it takes ages. Listening to, and collaborating with, other bloggers is something I've been enjoying lately too.

Our fellow bloggers have wisdom to pass along and we just need to listen!


I'm enjoying the weekends at the moment because they give me time away from the blog to focus on life and the boys. It also gives me a chance to be inspired, which is nice. Playing board games, going shopping, even going for walks (although it's a tad cold) are great ways of letting off steam and just getting away from it all.



How do you let off steam?


Blogger Showcase Erriel from Erriel J's Life Chronicles



Who are you?


Hey everyone my name is Erriel JD! I am a 20yr old blogger (soon to be 21) from Ft.Worth, TX who currently lives in Denton,TX for school. I blog about my fashion eye and lifestyle because I believe we are all unique and should have our voices heard. Who knows you might reach someone’s heart someday!



How did you discover blogging/blogs?


I was searching through the internet, like most college students are required to do, and stumbled upon a cute little blog! I became interested and created my own!



Why did you start blogging?


I have always felt like I had a small voice. Although I am loud and opinionated I have often felt like my voice is often tuned out compared to others. I created my blog to share my voice because no one can shut me down there!



What do you find most challenging?


I find my schedule challenging because there aren’t enough hours in the day! I also find the weather challenging to post fashion blog posts because I think Texas is the ONLY state where you experience all 4 seasons in one week!



What’s your favourite topic to write about?


I love both fashion and lifestyle posts! I think they showcase who I am personally and fashionably!



Are you blogging for fun or do you have goals?


I am doing both. I blog for fun but I would love for my blog to be noticed! I would love to work with a boutique or store in the future!



What is your favourite thing about blogging?


My favorite thing would have to be the warm people I come across and sharing myself with the world!



Have you ever attended a blogging conference and if so, what do you think?


I have never attended a blogging conference but I would love to one day! I need money first!



What are your 3 best posts?


Wow this is a tough one! I would say my 3 best posts are:




Describe yourself in 3 words!


Fun
Energetic
Opinionated



Are you a tea & biscuit or coffee and cake person?


I’m a sweet tea and cake person! I hate coffee with a passion & not a fan of biscuits unless they are smothered in gravy or butter!



What’s your idea of a perfect night out?


It all depends on my mood! I love dinner and a movie but I also like to go out with friends! Not too big on the club scene but I do have fun!



What would your best friend/mum/ or kids say is your best quality?



They would say my best quality is the fact that I am open and honest with things. I don’t beat around the bush and the same thing goes for my blog.



Thank you Erriel for answering our questions, feel free to grab our Blogger Showcase badge and display it proudly in your sidebar.


Post Comment Love
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Pocolo



Each week you'll be able to link up from either of our sites and between us Stephanie and I will comment on every post linked.

The rules; Link up your best post written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, as well as the hosts. 

Help us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

Please do pop over and say hi to this week's Blogger Showcase. It's always nice to get a comment or two. 

If you'd like to be featured in our Blogger Showcase please do check out the questions and email your answers to us at postcommentlove@gmail.com.

Thank you for popping by.

Post Comment Love
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Be Real, Be You

We are bombarded day and night with images in magazines, on the TV, and in movies that make us think we are not good enough. We are not, and could never be, as beautiful as the movie stars or the music stars. We are shorter, fatter, have a stumpy nose or wear glasses so how could we ever consider ourselves worthy? Our confidence revolves around the images we see every day and that's why I love the Be Real Body Image Pledge, supported by Dove. It's time that organisations portrayed realistic body image. It's time you had the confidence to be real, to be you.



An attack on the mind


When I was thirteen years old I was told I had to wear glasses. I had been struggling to read the blackboard in school and couldn't manage without them any longer. It was amazing to finally be able see further than a few feet in front of me while wearing my glasses but I now had to contend with the fact that I was a teenage girl who had to wear glasses.

I became "four-eyes".
I became "ugly".



Not only did I have to deal with raging hormones and periods but now I had to deal with awful people who called me names because I needed glasses. I was a timid child and didn't like confrontations so I tried to ignore the bullies and secretly cried into my pillow at night. I hated wearing glasses. The worst part was when bullies drew glasses onto stars faces in magazines and laughed because it made them look ugly. Wearing glasses was the mark of ugliness.

There were no stars who wore glasses, that I knew of, and it only made things worse. The movies didn't help either, there was always the classic librarian who suddenly became beautiful when she took off her glasses. It killed my self-esteem.

I remember a slight change in attitudes when Mel B (Scary Spice) wore glasses in public, suddenly it was cool to wear glasses. Those bullies began to wear glasses, everyone in school wanted to be 'cool' like Mel B. I wasn't "ugly" anymore, and no one called me "four-eyes" for a while.



Be Real


80% of women and girls wish the media did a better job portraying realistic and diverse body image. The Be Real Body Image Pledge encourages organisations to promote the responsible portrayal of body image in advertising, media, fashion and music.

It would be great if we could start seeing more realistic images in the media. Imagine what it would be like to see the real stars, not photoshopped magazine covers.

After years of being brainwashed to think that having a tiny waist and big boobs is beautiful I've managed to retrain myself. I used to laugh or judge women if they were overweight or flat-chested and I'm ashamed of that, but I blame the media. I was told what to think and was too young to know any different. Now though I don't do it, when I see an overweight lady running along the street in her lycra I want to shout out "Good for you!", I smile because she's making an effort and she looks great. We are all different and should celebrate our differences, not pretend those differences don't exist.



Be You


The best way to make a change is to be you. Go out there and be confident. Show everyone that we are proud to be different and we celebrate our differences. It would be a boring world if we were all the same after all.

If you like to wear bright and colourful clothes, DO IT!
If you want to have pink hair, DO IT!
If you want to wear joggers and relax, DO IT!




Whatever it is you love to wear, put it on and strut your stuff! And don't forget...

Be Real, Be YOU.

I created this post as a competition entry in support of Dove and the Be Real Body Image Pledge.

Linking with Share the Joy.

Autumn/Winter Workwear for Men and Women

Workwear is not something that I find myself concerned with very often. Having not worked in an office for almost 13 years it's not something I think about. The Hubby hasn't had to think about it for a while either because for the last 7 years he has worked at home. Working at home means that the Hubby and I can select more comfortable clothes to work in but during Autumn and Winter we still need to think about staying warm. I love putting together fashion pieces so I thought I'd do an Autumn/Winter workwear post for people who work at home, with a few pieces for those who do work in an office.

Finding clothes that are both comfortable and smart can be difficult when you're a plus size woman. I like to look smart even though I work at home but more often than not I opt for comfort. I tend to have a few favourite shops I'll go to because I know their clothes are comfortable and smart.


Womenswear


Tops


First of all I grabbed all the tops I loved from my favourite stores:



autumn/winter tops for work or at home from Simply Be, Evans, and Joe Browns

2. Evans Navy Blue V Neck Jumper £21.60 (was £24)

I could've spent hours going through the Evans and Simply Be sites, I love their clothes so much, but these tops were my favourites. The red bardot top is gorgeous, and I have a short sleeve version of the Berry Red Shawl Collar top and I love it so much I think I'll be purchasing the long sleeve version too! The only top that is a little different for me is the Joe Browns top and I chose it because it's different but the colour is still 'me'.



Shirts/workwear


You'd think I'd be done with the six I chose but with workwear on my mind I continued to search for tops I would wear whether I was working in an office or at home.

shirts and smart tops for work


I love all these shirts but particularly love the slogan top, I could imagine walking into work with that on! I like the pussybow blouse and think it would look so smart with a great pair of trousers. As for the Busty Fit Berry Red shirt, I would totally rock that with a pair of great jeans.



Jeans/Trousers


Of course you need great bottoms to go with the fabulous tops above.

jeans and trousers on a white background

2. Simply Be Straight Leg Trousers (Black Cherry) £22

My favourites here have to be the high waisted jeans, the black cherry trousers, and the Levi jeans. I've wanted a pair of Levi's for eons but never been able to buy any because I was far too big to have any, they never made jeans in my size. But today I found out they do plus-size jeans! How awesome is that? I'll be putting those on my Christmas list that's for sure.



Outfits


After spending a little time gathering my favourites from the sites I put a few of the pieces together.

blue jeans and a slogan oversize top on a white background

A look I would totally rock is this entirely Simply Be ensemble, the High Waist Jeans (£30) and the Oversize slogan top (£29) would make a great outfit for being at home all day and staying comfy (and warm). I'd pair this with my black knee-high flat boots and my winter coat for the school run.

Jeggings and a smart top on a white background
For the smart-casual look I'd pair the Evans jeggings with the Busty fit Berry Red 2-in-1 shirt, I love this kind of top and with the jeggings I know I'd be comfortable all day. Weather permitting I'd wear some berry red heeled court shoes or ballet flats with this. It could even do for popping out to the restaurant for lunch. I do love smart-casual. 

dark blue jeans, grey top and blue cardigan on white background
As you've probably guessed I'm a jeans girl, I just love having useful pockets and they're just so easy to dress up or down. In this ensemble I've paired the Evans Indigo straight leg jeans with the grey hem line shirt and a fabulous cardigan I found in Fat Face when shopping with the Hubby on Friday. The cardigan comes in Navy, "Misty Surf" which is a beige colour, and Elderberry which is a reddish colour. My favourite is the red and I told the Hubby I wanted it for Christmas - if I don't get it I won't be happy (so watch out Hubby!). While the shirt has 3/4 sleeves the cardigan will keep me warm, and I'd put my heeled boots on with this set just to set it off.



Cardigans


Blue cardigan, black jumper, red cardigan and blue cardigan on white background

In autumn/winter it's handy to have a cardigan nearby so I picked a few, and one jumper, that I loved. As you can see I included the hoody from Fat Face, I love that it's a cardigan that zips up and also has a hood. Genius.




Workwear for the office


I know that not everyone works at home and sometimes it's tough for women to find smart clothes for work, but using my list above I've paired a few pieces together that would look great for any lady heading to the office.

red trousers, white shirt and red cardigan for the office
1. Simply Be Straight Leg Trousers (Black Cherry) £22
2. Simply Be Tie Neck Pussybow Wrap Blouse £24
3. Evans Berry Red Faux Fur Collar Cardigan £45

I would LOVE to wear this outfit, smart, elegant, and even colourful it would look great. Paired with a gorgeous pair of kitten heels or court shoes you'd be set for a day in the office knowing if you got a little chilly you've got a stylish cardi to put on. 

grey trousers, red top, blue cardigan on white background

2. Simply Be Berry Red Shawl Collar Top £18
3. Fat Face Alice Textured Hoody £45

I haven't mentioned these trousers yet but they sound amazing. Magisculpt clothing "flattens your tummy and streamlines your thighs and bum with body sculpting technology" or so says Simply Be. They look great and if they do what they say then no matter what your size you'll look amazing. I'm pairing the trousers with the red shawl collar top because I think the colours look great together, and of course the hoody (I told you I loved it didn't I?). Put on your favourite ballet flats and you're sorted for the office.

For all of the outfits listed you need fantastic lingerie and both Evans and Simply Be have a gorgeous range, but don't forget to pick something that will keep you warm too.



Menswear



Tops/Shirts


The Hubby likes the darker colours and to be honest I think they look better for workwear.

dark blue polo shirts on a white background
1. Jacamo Black Label Knitted Polo £30
2. High & Mighty Peter Werth Mighty Cotton Marl Knitted Long Sleeved Polo Shirt £52
3. Jacamo Navy Long Sleeved Griffin Polo £17
4. Jacamo Black Label Mercury Pocket Square Long Sleeve Shirt £25

Long sleeves are important this time of year, especially for men's workwear if you don't want to keep a jacket on all day. I love polo shirts because they're smart but casual too and you can put a jumper on top and still look smart.



Jumpers


blue jumpers on white background

1. Jacamo Black Label Shawl Neck Jumper £30
2. Jacamo Label J Twisted Textured Knit Jumper £25
3. Jacamo Voi Harris Crew Neck Jumper £40
4. Jacamo Williams & Brown Roll Neck Jumper £12

Again the Hubby would like any of these jumpers, they're simple and look comfortable and best of all they're not expensive. The Shawl Neck Jumper wouldn't go with a shirt underneath it but on top of a t-shirt it would look good and the same goes for the roll neck jumper. The other two would look great on top of a shirt if your partner wants to keep warm in the office.



Jeans


dark blue jeans

1. High & Mighty Tommy Hilfiger Clean Blue Stretch Jeans £110
2. Levi 501 Original Fit Jeans £75

When it comes to jeans the higher quality the better as you can be sure they'll last years. Both Levi and Tommy Hilfiger are great brands and you know these jeans will last. Paired with a shirt or polo shirt and a great jumper or jacket and your partner will be sorted for a day out, or even for the office.



Outfits


Again, like with the womenswear, I've put a few pieces together.

grey trousers, white shirt, and blue jumper for the office on a white background

1. Jacamo Black Label Vigo Trousers £30
2. Jacamo Black Label Windsor Placket Detail Long Sleeve Shirt £25
3. Jacamo Voi Harris Crew Neck Jumper £40

Trousers and a shirt, with a jumper to keep warm; simple, classy, and comfortable. If your partner has to wear a tie this can be added too, and it'll still look great.

blue jeans, blue polo shirt, and blue jumper, on a white background

1. High & Mighty Tommy Hilfiger Clean Blue Stretch Jeans £110
2. Jacamo Navy Long Sleeved Griffin Polo £17
3. Jacamo Label J Twisted Textured Knit Jumper £25

Comfortable jeans and two tops to keep your partner warm if they work at home, or if they're allowed to wear jeans to the office. As the weather gets colder having two tops with long sleeves will guarantee your man will stay warm, while looking cool.

As with yourself don't forget to buy your man some undies that will keep him warm during autumn/winter. Tommy John have some great pairs of undies and socks, and to help raise awareness of Testicular Cancer they have a limited edition print range where 5% of each sale is donated to Testicular Cancer Foundation.



Everything item of clothing in this post was selected from the plus-size ranges or websites, both the Hubby and I are plus-sized and find it difficult to find clothing that looks good and fits well. I put this post together in an effort to help others find what they need.

Do you struggle to find warm and comfortable workwear?

Post Comment Love 18th - 20th November

Hi guys! Welcome back to another week of Post Comment Love where Stephanie and I give your posts that extra bit of love. Every week we look forward to seeing what posts get linked up and every week we have such a range of topics it's a pleasure to read. Thank you for coming back week after week to link up your posts, and if you're new here - welcome!

I have finally recovered from Blogfest '16, I think last night I managed to catch up on sleep and am feeling back to normal now. It's always tiring to go to the blogging conferences in London, I have to get to the train station at about 6:30am, spend a few hours travelling, then there's the conference itself and then back on train to go home. I usually get home after 9pm whenever I go to a conference in London so it's quite a long day.

It was a great day though, despite some questionable comments about men. I enjoyed listening to the sessions and learnt a lot from Emily Quinton in her photography session. I don't feel like I'm a terrible blogger for wanting to take all my photos with my phone because she said she takes the majority of her photos with her phone! Yay! Like I said, I learnt a lot in that session and hopefully that will show in the photos I take from now on.

Putting some tips into practise

Of course there were other sessions that helped too, from SEO to brand awareness, my head felt like it was going to explode by the end of the day. As I said in my post though the best bit about the whole day was meeting up with wonderful blogging buddies and meeting those people I've only ever spoken to online.

I was far more confident this year and it made such a difference to my enjoyment of the whole experience. I was able to walk around smiling and chatting to brands, I said hello to a few people who I never would have last time, I felt like I belonged.

A lot of people have mentioned that the panel's comments were a bit too much and they should've been more selective about their language and while I agree I have to say it was refreshing to listen to women bigging up women. I don't agree with what was said about men, not at all, and I don't think we need to big up women by dissing men, but I did enjoy the praise of women. It needs to be said more often. For that reason I'll be back next year.

The contents of the Blogfest goody bag!


As for the rest of the week, well, LP put a shoebox full of toys together for Operation Christmas Child and gave away one of his old favourite toys. He was so into it and couldn't wait to take the shoebox to the place we needed to drop it off (which we did on Tuesday), he had a huge smile on his face when the man thanked him.

Other than that it's been fairly quiet on the home front, lots of cooking and cleaning but not any events as such. BP has started watching Once Upon a Time and he LOVES it, but I wonder if that's more because of its rating rather than the content? I don't know, either way it keeps him good!

How was your week?
Did you attend Blogfest '16, did I see you there? If not, sorry I missed you!


Blogger Showcase Lianne from MrsMummyHarris86


Lianne is mum to five month old Benjamin and is about to turn 30. She always loved writing and started a blog to get her work out there, she now writes about Post Natal Depression (being a sufferer) as an outlet. Do stop by Stephanie's blog to read Lianne's answers to our Blogger Showcase questions.

Be sure to read her best posts:


You can find Lianne on:


Feel free to grab the badge Lianne:

Post Comment Love
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Pocolo


Each week you'll be able to link up from either of our sites and between us Stephanie and I will comment on every post linked.

The rules; Link up your best post written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, as well as the hosts. 

Help us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

Please do pop over and say hi to this week's Blogger Showcase.  It's always nice to get a comment or two. 

If you'd like to be featured in our Blogger Showcase please do check out the questions and email your answers to us at postcommentlove@gmail.com.

Thank you for popping by.

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A new family game to play this Christmas: Best Guess

We love playing games, the four of us together sat around the dining table playing our favourite board game. While there are a few games we can play on consoles, like MarioKart, there aren't many games on, say, the iPad, that we can play as a family. But that is all about to change thanks to a brilliant new game from Crash Lab called Best Guess. This is a game we can play together while passing around an iPad or iPhone and answering questions, or at least guessing at the answers!




The games we play


Game of Life, Monopoly, Catan, and Carcassonne are all games we have played together as a family and we love all of them. Playing board games has become a thing we all enjoy doing and I'm sure it will continue as the boys grow older. We've introduced the boys to games we played as children, like Monopoly or Scrabble, and together we've discovered new games like Catan and Carcassonne where we learn as we play.

So far though there hasn't been a game on the iPad we could play together. My boys love their iPads and love all the games they can switch between, but it's never much of a social thing, they'll just stare at the screens and play quietly (or as quietly as a 7 and 12 year old can),


About Best Guess


Best Guess allows you, as a family, to form teams and play against each other. You could do adults against children, boys against girls (unfair - I'm the only girl!), or choose your teams. Once you've decided what teams you have you can start the game, and it's really simple.



Choose a category




Other categories include Musical Mayhem, Spectacular Space, and many more!

Now the game starts...


Decide which team goes first and answer the question on screen by typing in the number and tapping enter, there's no need to know the exact answer just type in your Best Guess.



The other team can now steal a point by guessing 'higher' or 'lower' than your answer.


You don't have to know exact answers (although you'll probably win if you do!), the Best Guess wins the point. 

This is part of the reason I think Best Guess is a great game to play with your children. They can guess at any of the questions and more often than not they'll probably win. They may even learn while they're playing the game, there are so many facts in this game that's it's hard not to learn!

Imagine, you've just had Christmas Lunch and everyone is relaxing on the sofa, but you'd like to do something together other than lazing around. Switch on your TV, or grab the iPad and play a game of Best Guess. Get everyone involved, agonise over the questions, discuss the answers, and have fun - together!

You can also play Best Guess alone if you choose (but it's far better with friends).



Where to find


Best Guess is available right now on the iOS App Store, Google Play, and Amazon App Store for £1.49 (or $1.99 if you're across the pond), if you buy it on the Amazon App Store the game will automatically be available on the Fire TV. 

We've played it on the Fire TV and it works well, it's so easy to hand the remote back and forth for us to answer questions and you're all looking at the same screen. The boys have even played the game together without us, which is a first for a quiz game!

Do you like trivia games and if so which one do you play most?

Crash Lab is the Hubby's company and Best Guess is their new game.

The Pramshed

Enjoying me time at Blogfest '16

If you didn't know Blogfest '16 is a blogging conference organised by Mumsnet and it was held last Saturday in London. It is a place where hundreds of bloggers meet, learn, and have a good time away from the children. I bought my ticket months ago and travelled to London on the train early Saturday morning, I was excited to meet lots of blogging buddies and enjoy some me time in the process. Being more confident because it wasn't my first trip definitely helped things and I'm so glad I made the trip.

Meeting new friends


Just before making the trip to Blogfest '16 I'd organised to meet someone new on arrival at St Pancras. A newbie blogger, Sarah from A Mundane Life, was going to Blogfest and it was her first time. She was super nervous so I offered to meet her in London and we could walk to the place together.

As it happens Sarah was on the same train as me, we found out after hearing the same announcement! I walked through the train to find her and we ended up chatting on our way down to London. For the majority of the morning (apart from sessions) Sarah and I walked around together and I was happy to have a new friend. 

I snapped a quick (rubbish) selfie of Sarah and I before one of the sessions began.

It's great meeting new people who are also bloggers, they understand what it's like and what it takes to be a blogger. 


Learning


I attended 3 sessions during the day, one around photography because I know mine could do with improving, and the other two to do with blogger terms like SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and brands. 

What I loved about the sessions is that I was there with my notebook and pen ready to learn. I wrote notes, I listened to the speakers, and I learned. I came away with a clear plan and tips that I could use to improve. I feel like every session I attended was worth it.


Meeting old friends


In the afternoon I managed to meet up with Stephanie, my co-host for Post Comment Love, and we chatted and attended a couple of sessions together. It's always great to meet people you speak to online all the time. 

It wasn't until the day had almost ended and the bloggers went to the bar to enjoy a glass (or two!) of Prosecco that I met other bloggers I've been chatting to over the last few months. Ladies like Jane, from Maflingo, who I met at BritMums Live in June, we chatted for a little while about our love of Lego. Nicky, from Not Just The 3 Of Us, had nodded to me during the day and we managed to meet up later on. We talked about all sorts of things and it was great to meet her. I also got to meet Laura, from Five Little Doves, who always manages to make me cry with her blog posts, and Jayne, from Sticky Mud and Belly Laughs, who's blog I love. 

The evening was brilliant, I chatted to friends and drank Prosecco until I had to leave to catch my train home. 


Time to go home


On the train back home I wrote notes about the day, I hadn't done this before and it helped me remember what happened and what I thought about the day. My head was buzzing, full of ideas and everything I learned, I needed to get it out so that I could rest. After a while I had no more to write and put my notebook away, I enjoyed the last hour of my train journey by reading on my kindle. It was lovely to have time to wind down and enjoy quiet time. 


Thoughts


Some women have a coffee and watch TV, some drink wine, but for me the best way to enjoy 'me' time is to go to a blogging conference like Blogfest '16. At the conference I can be me, I can talk about the things I like to do, I can learn how to do it better, and I can meet up with people who do what I do. The more I go to these conferences the more confident I become, I feel better each time.



Whether you're a newbie blogger, or have been blogging for a long time I would highly recommend attending a conference. And if you're a mum wanting to enjoy some me time you could meet up with some like-minded people at Blogfest!

Christmas Extravaganza at Clarks Village

It's exciting to see towns and cities putting up Christmas lights this time of year as they prepare for the big switch on. I like to see the process of the lights and decorations being put up as the town transforms into a festive place. The switch on though is the best part and it would be nice if I could go to the Christmas Extravaganza at Clarks Village on 17th November (this Thursday), not only are the lights being switched on but there's a chance to meet local Olympians too.
The entrance to Clarks Village lit up with christmas lights



Meet Olympians and Paralympic Heroes


On Thursday 17th November local Olympians and Paralympic heroes, James Guy (swimmer), Jo Frith (archer), and Ed Ling (trap shooter), will be pushing the button and illuminating the village. 

Visitors to the village will be able to meet their heroes and ask questions as well as have a photo taken with their favourite star - and they'll even have their medals with them!

Make a child smile this Christmas with Operation Christmas Child

In a world where our children are bombarded with adverts this time of year and we're surrounded by thoughts of presents to buy for family and friends it can be easy to forget there are children out there that won't receive a present on Christmas morning. It makes me sad thinking about that and so this year, we decided to take part in Operation Christmas Child; a project run by Samaritan's Purse that ships shoeboxes full of gifts to children around the world.
holly at christmas, focussed in the foreground, blurred in the background



What Christmas is about


When I was a little girl (think 8 or 9 years old) I remember  going to Midnight Mass with my Nan. She was a religious lady who wanted to involve me in everything she could. I couldn't believe she'd chosen to take me and felt privileged to go. My memories are fading now, but I recall the pastor speaking about helping others at Christmas, how it was a person's duty to help those less fortunate than themselves. That has always stuck with me and I like to think I've done my best to do that.

Christmas is a time to be together, to give presents to family and friends to show how much you care. But it is also a time to think about others, those less fortunate than ourselves, that may not receive a present at all. 

Post Comment Love 11th - 13th November

Welcome to another week of Post Comment Love - where your best (or favourite) post of the week gets the extra love it deserves. If you're a regular linker, welcome back, and if you're a newbie thanks for stopping by. Link up your post, grab our badge, and make some new friends!

I can't quite believe we're in the second week in November already. I was chatting to the Hubby the last week and we were talking about Blogfest 2016, I told him it was in two weeks and he was confused. After checking I realised it was just a week away and then I panicked. "I'm not ready!" was my first thought, but after calming down a little I got excited. Tomorrow (!) I'll be travelling to London (again) and I get to see some of my favourite blogging buddies as well as say hi to people I've only ever spoken to online. Best of all though I get to chat (in real life!!) to Steph, my lovely co-host.

This time around I'm a lot less worried and a lot more excited, I might even learn something... or more to the point I might implement the things I learn! I'm looking forward to saying hello to Aby from You Baby Me Mummy, her productivity course has really helped me over the last couple of months so I want to thank her.

The boys are looking forward to Saturday too because it means they get to spend a whole day with their dad on their own. I'm sure they'll have a great time, and when I get back they'll probably ask me when I'm going again!

If you'll be at Blogfest and you spot me do come over and say hi, especially if I seem to be wandering around alone.

If you're not at Blogfest what have you got planned for the weekend?



Blogger Showcase


Okay so we don't have any bloggers for Blogger Showcase this week but I've been busy at work and hopefully we'll have some lined up for you soon. We'd love you to get involved so if the mood takes you simply answer the questions below and send them to me or Steph.




Pocolo


Each week you'll be able to link up from either of our sites and between us Stephanie and I will comment on every post linked.

The rules; Link up your best post written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, as well as the hosts. 

Help us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

If you'd like to be featured in our Blogger Showcase send your answers to the questions above to PostCommentLove@gmail.com.

Thank you for popping by.

Post Comment Love
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Marriage proposals - how do you do it?

When I was a little girl I dreamt of the day my knight in shining armour would ask me to marry him. As a steadfast Disney fan I knew my day would come eventually, all I had to do was wait. Obviously as a young girl I had no idea about the realities of a marriage proposal but I do think it was healthy to dream. I loved the fantasies, pretending to be a princess and having a prince propose was always my favourite. With the pressures of movies showing us how a proposal should be done I began wondering how regular people (not movie stars) proposed, so my question to you is - How do/did you do it?

According to tradition the man proposes to the woman, although that isn't always the case, as we almost saw in Friends.


He presents the woman with a ring and simply asks "Will you marry me?" - but is that how it really happens?



Our story


The Hubby and I have been married for just over 9 years and they have been the happiest of my life. Our engagement story is nothing like the movies, there was no restaurant where the Hubby hid the ring in a cake. Our story signifies who we are as people. 

One night, while we were in bed chatting, the Hubby asked me if I was happy.

“Of course!” I said, at the time I couldn’t have been any happier; I had a boyfriend who loved me and I had a beautiful son who I got to spend every day with. I was a young stay-at-home mum with nothing to worry about but keeping my boys safe.

He went on to ask if there was anything he could do that would make me happier, I told him I didn’t think there was. As I was clearly not getting what he was driving at he said “Okay then... what if we got married?”

I was stunned.

It took me a few minutes to realise he actually meant it, and with those few words he made me happier, even though I didn’t realise I could be!

Each time I think of our story I smile, like I said it signifies who we are as people; we're very private and like our time together. Later, when we were discussing the proposal the Hubby told me he didn’t want to pop the question in a restaurant because he knew I would cry and he didn’t think I would want to do that in a restaurant full of people. He was right too, I would’ve hated that.

While the movies make big gestures seem amazing it's really not me.



My Engagement Ring


When the Hubby proposed he didn't present me with a ring straight away, he'd decided that we should shop for the ring together. He wanted me to have something I would love and the best way of doing that was to let me choose it. I love the elegance and style of a simple ring and that’s exactly the kind of ring I chose. It is a single diamond with a platinum band and I will love it forever.




Your stories


An engagement story is such a lovely thing to hear that I decided to ask a few friends about their stories...

One of my blogging besties, Catie, from Diary of an Imperfect Mum told me her story and funnily enough it was rather similar to my own! Instead I asked her to tell me about her fantasy proposal, imagining there were no restrictions (money no object, could be anywhere, etc...)

Catie said:

If I could have picked I would have had the American style (at the basketball game) proposal. But instead at the Middlesbrough Football Club stadium. You know when the cameras land on you and you are meant to kiss but they actually propose. I'd have loved that.




It seems that proposals in bed at night are the 'in' thing because Katy, from What Katy Said told me:


I was convinced that Mr F was going to propose to me on Christmas Day as there had been clues leading up to it, asking my ring size etc etc. I hate surprises so I asked him outright. He spun me a story about not being ready and didn't want to rush things and I was devastated. So come Christmas Eve I went to sleep not expecting anything at all. In the early hours of Christmas morning 2008 he rolled over in bed and presented me with a ring. Shocked doesn't even cover it! I just kept saying 'are you joking?' over and over. He wasn't joking though and put a shiny 1 carat solitaire ring on my finger. It was perfect, just me and him and no fuss, on my favourite day of the year. Last year I gave him his own surprise on Christmas morning when I told him we were expecting a baby. 




Jennie from Edspire said:

I love sharing our engagement / proposal story. Seems a lifetime ago.

 she shared her engagement story on her blog and it was a truly beautiful story that left me in tears.




Emily, from Emily and Indiana, had a beautiful story to tell:

My now husband surprised me with a trip to Paris for my birthday (he booked it in January, my birthday is the middle of August!). He proposed in front of the louvre.  




Hannah, who blogs at Budding Smiles, has even more reason to love her story:


Phil had been basically hinting to me that marriage was off the cards and I was gutted but kept telling myself it was better to be unmarried with the right man than married to the wrong one.
Christmas Day 2012 and no ring so I had a little cry in the bathroom then we got on our plane to Cambodia. First morning there we left at 5am to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat and it was super cloudy but once the day properly began we were exploring and took a little break in a tower of the main temple. Phil started saying how much he loved me and wanted us to be together forever and I was just thinking "Aw how sweet", then he got down on one knee! I cried, said yes, some Americans down in the ground had spotted us and started cheering and 9 months later we were married, a year to the day later we saw Toby on the 12 week scan!




From Wishes and Wellies, Rebecca's story is simple but lovely:

Mine is far from romantic, but perfect for us. Just at home, talking about the day to day. And somewhere in between asking what we should have for dinner and how was work, he asked if we should get married. But we kept the cushion that was on the sofa in the house that happened even though it wasn't technically ours to keep, and now it's been to 3 houses and had two babies rest on it.




Maria from Happy Mummy had a different story to tell:

My husband proposed at home on Christmas morning with my favourite song playing (later became our first dance). He proposed via PowerPoint!! He did a presentation of our best times together and on the last slide it said will you marry me? He then took me away for a night in London and show to celebrate between xmas and NY.




From The German Wife, Ak's story is a brilliant one, I cried when I read it:

Oh I love any kind of good and crazy engagement story mine was a tad exiting and not so low key he proposed at my local beer festival on stage in front of quite a crowd (3.000 to be exact) we made the local newspaper and there is even a YT video!




From Mama Mummy Mum, Chantelle's Hubby's proposal was a rather British one:

My husband ever the romantic proposed to me on his 24th birthday right next to his grubby old work van when he was oh so drunk. This meant that when he tried to get on one knee he fell down on both. At least it was memorable right lol.




Louise, from Little Hearts, Big Love, has a lovely story too:

My husband proposed in Belgium on Armistice Day on the 90th anniversary of the end of WW1 - we'd spent the day at the battlefields and it was quite an end to what had been a very emotional day.




Angela from The Inspiration Edit shared her story with me:

My engagement story is a little different to the fairy typical tale dream engagement but was meaningful and brilliant to me. John and I had been dating for a while and we knew we wanted to live together and get married. At the time I was a single Mother to Sylvia (4 years old). John and I went to watch the movie Les Miserables. We then picked Sylvia up from my grandparents and headed back to my home.
The house was in a state, undergoing significant work, there was dust and cement and work tools everywhere. The carpets had been taken up and so John knelt down on the floor boards and ask me to marry him.
He then turned to Sylvia and asked if he could marry her mummy and become her daddy. Both Sylvia and I said Yes. It was not the perfect location but it was heart felt and in a way symbolises to me how far we have come as a family since that day.
I have a lovely ring and one day I hope to upgrade but a ring is nothing compared to having a fabulous husband and I think I am truly blessed.



How will YOU do it?


Will it be in a restaurant?
Will you take your loved one to a game and propose on the big screen?
Or will you keep it to yourselves and propose in bed one night?

Proposing is so personal that no matter how it’s done you end up with an amazing story to tell. Your story will be retold time and again and you'll get to relive the moment again and again. But one thing's for sure - make that ring a special one, it marks one of the happiest days of your life and it will mean the world to you both - make it count!



Since drafting this post I've realised how much we love to tell our engagement stories and have decided to do a series of posts on the subject. I'll be interviewing fellow bloggers about their stories and sharing them with you. If you have a story to tell I'd love you to get in touch!