The Snowman - Theatre Royal Nottingham

I've said before that I love going to the theatre, and living in Nottingham is great because we have the Theatre Royal nearby. At the start of the year we saw Aladdin there and more recently, and because of a competition win, we went to see The Snowman.

The Snowman


Every Christmas when I was a little girl I remember watching The Snowman on TV. I have fond memories and, even now, it brings a tear to my eye at the end. The TV adaptation of The Snowman will always have a place in my heart, and I hope that will be the same for my children. 

When I won a Mumsnet competition for a family ticket to see The Snowman at the theatre I squealed! Literally! The Hubby and I were playing scrabble with BP and they both wondered what was going on. 

Post Comment Love 29th - 31st January

Hello and welcome back to another Post Comment Love with me and my co-host Stephanie. We have loved hosting this linky so far, long may it continue!



This week seems to have flown by and I don't really remember what's happened. On Wednesday evening we went to see The Snowman at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, LP had me in fits of laughter when we were playing I-Spy before the show began.

BP has been more pleasant this week and he came home on Tuesday with a card he'd made for me. It was just a little thing but inside it said he was thankful that I was always there for him. After the last few weeks of arguing every morning it was a lovely thing to receive.

If you've been paying attention I've been trying out something new on the blog just lately. My little drawings aren't masterpieces but they're me and I love that I can do it. I've been using the Hubby's iPad Pro (known as the GiPad in the Prince residence!) and Apple Pencil and have found them really easy to use. So much so that I want one! 

What have you been up to this week, anything exciting? I'd love to hear about it in the comments. 

Newbie Showcase - Niki from Play Travel Life

Hi everyone, I blog at PlayTravelLife! 

Play Travel Life blog


I am Belgian and I moved to the UK to be with the father of my child. When the little one was one, I started blogging as a mumpreneur for my own online eco-friendly toy shop The Toadstool, which I started out of passion for ecology, wooden trains andball tracks (This guide to the choosing the right ball track is my most read post). The 2 years following I struggled through depression due to the loss of my mum to cancer and the relationship with my daughters father, which I couldn't blog to much about on a business page. Meanwhile I also managed purchasing and renovating property in London twice, building and learning about online business, breastfeeding and caring for my dearest little one and add to that a couple of months consulting for a start-up in Luxury fashion industry in Bratislava. Now the bloke felt I wasn't earning enough or successful and he felt he was trapped, he traded in family life to live back on student scale as 'he wasn't ready to be a parent' by the time our girl was nearly 3. 

Once a friend pointed out he was a narcissist, I realised there was nothing I could do to improve the relationship and stick to my family values, as he would always put me down, either I wasn't bringing in enough money or I was a bad mother. So I took my life back in own hands, I put our house up for sale, sold the business and moved back to Belgium. At that point the blog name changed to Play Travel Life. 


We started chatting about online marketing and I made their new website and I blog there about ecological* and fair trade interior renovations as well (*Can you see a trend?). Due to the increased success I now also started to do a little interior design for them. Soon the site will be translated to English as we are aiming to do more and more renovations abroad. Any jobs for at least a midweek of work we can come and do abroad with the current exchange rate it might be beneficial to the UK market to get qualified mainland European workers in.

So after long struggles, I am totally back on my feet, I blog less, but I still adore instagram which is a perfect resemblance of all my interests (my 4 year old daughter, toy reviews, ecology and entrepreneurship), I am in the process of more home renovations for the next 2-3 months, I just got back from a trip to Venice.

Please follow my new facebook page https://www.facebook.com/playtravellife and my not so new twitter account https://twitter.com/playtravellife

I'll follow back! 



Thanks so much for writing the introduction Niki and I look forward to reading Play Travel Life.

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 are still the same; your post needs to have been written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, helps us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

The Newbie Showcase is continuing and you'll find it alternating between us. Please do pop over and say hi to our Newbie, you remember what it was like being a new blogger right? It's always nice to get a comment or two. 
 
If you'd like to be featured in our Newbie Showcase please do get in touch - our list currently runs until May 2016.

Thank you for popping by, let's keep Post Comment Love linky going.

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How to Use the Comparison Game to Your Advantage

The comparison game, we all know what it is right?

When you look in magazines and tell yourself you'll never be as pretty or as thin as the actress/supermodel on the cover. 



When you scan photos on Instagram and tell yourself you're not as talented as the person who took the photo. 

When you scroll through Pinterest to see hundreds of pins about crafting the perfect homemade gift - something you could never do.

Post Comment Love 22nd-24th January

As the week has gone on my head has felt more and more full. The housework is piling up, I want to blog more, and the kids need my attention.

Post Comment Love Linky badge


As a result my head is so full of things to do and ideas of things to write that I feel bogged down by it all. I sat at the computer on Thursday afternoon struggling to write anything. I've been so concerned with making sure I write every day that I've let other things pile up and now they're getting on top of me so that I can't concentrate on writing.

This weekend I plan on taking some time to get the house sorted and try to be more organised with everything. Admittedly that's not always possible but I can try can't I?

Do you have any tips for me? I'd love to hear them.

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 are still the same; your post needs to have been written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, helps us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

The Newbie Showcase is continuing and you'll find it alternating between us, this week's is below. Please do pop over and say hi to our Newbie, you remember what it was like being a new blogger right? It's always nice to get a comment or two. 

If you'd like to be featured in our Newbie Showcase please do get in touch - our list currently runs until May 2016.

Thank you for popping by, let's keep Post Comment Love linky going.

Newbie Showcase - Poppy from A Sunny Island

Poppy, A Sunny Island blog


Poppy is mum to Arlo and writes about their life as a family as well as a few interiors posts. Head over to Stephanie's blog to read more about Poppy.

You can find Poppy here:

A Sunny Island
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest
Bloglovin
Google+



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Finding Joy When The Bus is Late

Yesterday, as usual, I sent BP out of the house at 7:50am so that he could catch the bus to school. He text me at 8:25am to say that the bus hadn't turned up and I told him it was probably late and he should keep waiting.

Red Bus, "finding the joy when the bus is late..."


When I drove LP to school at 8:30am BP was still waiting at the bus stop so I told him I would take him to school if he was still waiting when I drove past on my way home.

What Pet Should I Get? By Dr. Seuss Book Review

Dr. Seuss and I weren't properly introduced until LP was born and I began reading bedtime stories to him. I knew straight away that both LP and I were big Dr. Seuss fans and when I learned that What Pet Should I Get? was to be released I couldn't wait to read it.


From Cat in the Hat to Oh The Places You'll Go we've read as many Dr. Seuss books as we could get our hands on and so when I was asked to review this new book I almost squealed!

If you haven't heard of What Pet Should I Get? there's a good reason, because it lay undiscovered for more than twenty years after Dr. Seuss' death. Although the text and illustrations were originally completed in 1950s they stayed in a box until his wife, Audrey Geisel, and long-time friend, Claudia Prescott, discovered them when cleaning out his office in 2013. 

Amazing huh?

What Pet Should I Get? follows a brother and sister who have to make a decision - which pet to get. It was a lovely read and shows how difficult it is for a child to make such a big decision. I loved the to-and-fro of the rhyming and in classic Dr. Seuss style the illustrations were brilliant.


After reading the book LP and I ending up discussing which pet they chose, it got LP's imagination going and he talked about which pet he would want to get. It was a great addition to our growing collection of Dr. Seuss books.



Not only do you get the story but at the back of this book (available for £13.36) there are notes from the publisher that talk about Dr. Suess' life, his pets, and his success as a children's writer. You get to learn a little about his process and the colours he used in his illustrations. 

I absolutely adore What Pet Should I Get? it gets a big 5/5 from us.


My Kid Doesn't Poop Rainbows

A Bit Of Everything

Post Comment Love 15th-17th January

Welcome to my second week of co-hosting Post Comment Love with Stephanie, and this week I'll be hosting the Newbie Showcase too. Thank you to everyone who linked up last week, you made our first week very special. 


Over the past week I've felt super busy even though I finished most of my scheduled work. I had a wonderful birthday weekend (thanks to everyone who sent me such lovely messages) and the boys have been loving being back at school.

Yesterday I was suffering with a migraine, and I can tell you it was NOT fun. The problem with them is that they always seem to show up at an inopportune time. At least I'm back to normal today!

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 are still the same; your post needs to have been written in the last week and we'd like you to comment on at least two other linked posts, helps us spread the #PoCoLo word on Twitter and include the badge on your post.

The Newbie Showcase is continuing and you'll find it alternating between us, this week's is below. Please do pop over and say hi to our Newbie, you remember what it was like being a new blogger right? It's always nice to get a comment or two. 

If you'd like to be featured in our Newbie Showcase please do get in touch - our list currently runs until May 2016.

Thank you for popping by, let's keep Post Comment Love linky going. 

Newbie Showcase - Emily from Lost in Lyon

Hello there. My name is Emily and I blog about French life at www.lostinlyon.com. I am very grateful to Stephanie, and to Morgan, for featuring me in this week's #newbieshowcase - it's really good to link up with other bloggers out there.





I started blogging when I first moved to France with my husband and two girls (8 and 5) just over two years ago. My previous life in London was so hectic that I had barely had time to shower, let alone peruse all the interesting things out there on the ether, and I am ashamed to admit that until that point I had never read a single blog on any subject.


Everything changed when I took a career break to come to Lyon and, for the first time in years, found myself with some spare time on my hands. I had it in mind to write a novel (which I'm still only halfway through) and began to look for ways to test my writing skills on some members of the public. Those two circumstances, combined with my uncanny ability to get myself into scrapes with my new French neighbours led me to the blogosphere... and then I realised quite what a universe of interesting stuff there was out there. I think I must have spent about a month online without coming up for air before I realised that perhaps I could have a go too.




I have been writing my blog for about a year now and, although my frequency has tailed off a bit, I still love sitting down to write. I have a long list of potential topics in my head and usually my post just spills out through my fingers. Writing about the facets of French life that have most frustrated or amused me in a funny way (well, I hope so anyway) puts me in a very positive frame of mind. Who needs a stress ball when they can make other people laugh about their mishaps via their blog?

Perhaps the best bit has been the response from other bloggers, which sometimes leads me to visit blogs that I would not have found otherwise. I really enjoy the fleeting glimpses into other peoples' lives that this gives me, and there is always something new to learn. Most of all I appreciate the blogs that make me laugh.

If you have the time to stop by, please leave me a comment and introduce yourselves. I'd love to see what you've been up to.



My two favourite blog posts are:

and

Find Emily on Twitter.



Thank you Emily for that lovely introduction, it sounds like moving to Lyon opened up the world of blogging to you, what a great story! 

Please do pop over to Emily's blog and say hi, I'm sure she'd love to hear from you. 




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How to cope when a migraine hits... and you're a mum

Being a mum (or a dad) is hard work, you get up in a morning and your day gets off to a hectic start as you hurry to get the kids ready for school. But what happens when you wake up with a migraine?

If you've never suffered with a migraine then you're lucky I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. 





A migraine isn't just a headache, oh no, it combines the pain of a headache with nausea, aversion to light, and feeling like you've had your energy sucked out of you.

If you haven't already guessed I suffer with migraines. They don't attack me daily but I get at least one every month. I used to suffer a lot more when I was on the pill but since stopping taking the pill the migraines' regularity has eased.

Hosting Christmas Lunch

Cooking Christmas Lunch is challenging enough when there's four people (me, the Hubby, and our two boys), but this year we invited the Hubby's side of the family. I had 15 people to cook for!



Cooking for 15 people is not easy, I can tell you. On Christmas Eve I was stressing over how I was going to manage to cook everything without letting something go cold.n My brainwave came when I realised that my microwave oven is a Panasonic combination microwave oven. My microwave can be used as an oven, and a fan-assisted oven at that! Luckily that meant I had three ovens for the day and it worked out great. I cooked the Turkey in the large oven, my stuffing and various other things in the small oven, and my roast potatoes in the microwave oven.

Snoopy and Charlie Brown The Peanuts Movie StoryBook Review

I remember watching Charlie Brown and the gang on the TV way back when I was a little girl. I loved the show and enjoyed watching Charlie and Snoopy's antics.



I had no idea they had made a movie until I saw advertisements everywhere.

LP would've liked to see the movie, and it would've been lovely to sit with him as we both enjoyed it!

Relaxed Performance of Aladdin at Theatre Royal, Nottingham

On Wednesday evening we visited the Theatre Royal in Nottingham to see a Relaxed Performance of Aladdin. It was the first Pantomime I'd seen in a while (we're talking years) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Aladdin on his magic carpet, Theatre Royal, Nottingham


From the moment we sat down in the auditorium you could feel the magic of the Theatre and LP couldn't contain his excitement. There were a few shrieks from him as we sat waiting for the show to start.

Post Comment Love 8th-10th January

Hi everyone and welcome to the very first linky I have ever hosted!

#PoCoLo or Post Comment Love was one of the first linkys I ever linked up to and I hope you will help Stephanie and I keep Victoria's baby going. It will be hard to fill Vicky's shoes but as co-hosts we will try.

Post Comment Love


I'm having a super busy week so far, and with my birthday on Saturday I think there might be a pyjama day in my future! I would love to have a lazy day on Saturday, I'm also hoping that no cooking will be required (hint hint Hubby).

It takes some time to get back into the swing of things after Christmas doesn't it? I'm doing my best at the moment and I'm sure that before long everything will be back to the usual routine.

I've explained how #PoCoLo will work on my Post Comment Love Linky page, if you're unsure then please check it out. 

Newbie Showcase


Nikki Wood, aka Mrs Tubbs, who blogs at Someplace Strange shares a little bit about herself, why she blogs, and the kinds of things she likes to write about over on Steph's blog.

Nikki Wood, Mrs Tubbs, from Someplace Strange
Meet Nikki, aka Mrs Tubbs.

Nikki is a busy mum to a 12 year old in their first year of Secondary School (I feel your pain Nikki!) and wife to a Baptist Minster. I have enjoyed reading Nikki's blog over the last few months and she is a talented writer and a lovely person.

Find Nikki on

Twitter
Google+
Pinterest
Instagram
Bloglovin

Please head over to Someplace Strange, share your thoughts with Nikki, and, if you like what you read, follow her on her social channels.

Thank you Nikki for sharing with us.


#PoCoLo is one of the easiest links EVER, you can link up any post you like whether that's a personal post, a sponsored post, a review, competition or your own linky. As long as it's a post you've written this week it is welcome!

If you're a regular thanks for returning, it would be great if you'd spread the #PoCoLo word through social media. If you are new to Post Comment Love then WELCOME! We're pleased you've visited and hope you'll become a regular linker.

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Linkys work best when everyone shares the blog love, help Stephanie and I keep the #PoCoLo spirit alive.




New Year, New Bathroom

I love the New Year, it always feels like a fresh start. Once the kids are back at school I'm eager to get back into routine, start eating healthily and plan my changes for the house.

Home, a house.

Let's face it, when the new year rolls around we all start planning for home improvements. We've already decided that we need to decorate LP's bedroom, it's been on the list for a while. Over the next few months I'll be talking to LP about what he wants and gathering ideas so that when Easter comes around we can get on with it. 

Bedrooms are not my priority though. One thing that has bothered me about our house ever since we moved in (just before BP was born 11 years ago) is our family bathroom.