We've moved....Playing Mum is no longer being updated as I have joined forces with my lovely sister to make "Enough on our Plates" a blog about our two very different lives....
Whilst I am busy part-time stepmum and full time Marketing Manager, she is a volunteer worker for the RNLI and lives in North Wales with the cat and (most of the time) hubby - he works away a lot!
Neither of us have enough time to go round and need the world to stop spinning so that we can catch up with one another.
So take a look at http://enoughonourplate.blogspot.com/ and come and follow our funny, crazy and full lives...
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Cool Photos
I'm having a photo clear out and found some interesting stuff I thought you might like to share..... read on....
Claire with a Stormtrooper above...
Then me and Odette with the guy who plays Sporticus on Lazytown, he was really rather impressive, there was a posh dinner and he had to give out an award, he got up from his table and and walked on his hands all the way to the stage - not out of breath or moved a hair out of place - now THAT was impressive!
Sunday, 2 May 2010
Messing Around with a Meerkat....
I hope you enjoy these silly pics! They all contain toys that are available from http://www.john-crane.co.uk/
Hope you had a good giggle!
My Feet just got Hotter!
I have terrible feet! I don't mean they smell or look awful or anything like that, no I mean they hurt, a lot... I have the beginnings of arthritis in my knees and feet and it's not funny.
I love strappy high sandals and lovely spikey boots but they no longer love me....sob... but the shoes that do love my feet are the ones that you're granny would not be seen dead in usually, so what's a girl to do?
I've found http://www.hottershoes.com/ and they are most certainly going to be my saviours. Shortly after I found the website I decided to get some shoes from there... It's a nice easy site to navigate, with a tab for FAQs - I've never seen so many questions on a site - but all very relevent and good to know.
It's easy to browse and to order your shoes, plus they come in different width fittings too - which is fab for me! I also liked the fact you can order a printed catalogue too as sometimes a screen just isn't the same as having a coffee and a flick through the catalogue.
There are delievery charges, but they don't calculate that until you have placed the order so they know how heavy/big it is. But delivery isn't that expensive anyway.
So they - what we're here to find out about is my new shoes!!
My boy has had some blue baseball pumps like these ones above, they look cool and Himself has ordered a pair too, I wanted some in red, but the flimsy soles on Converse All Star type pumps just won't be good enough for my super sensitive tootsies...sadly. With thin canvas and a thin sole my feet woudl be aching in about half an hour, and I'd be in "I can't walk another step" type of pain within about three hours.
I took a stroll, figeratively, to http://www.hottershoes.com/ and found these adorable little pumps in bright red!! Lovely!! and just like the pumps the boys have - not a granny shoe in sight!
The website says
Enjoy a bright and breezy summer in brand new sporty shoe Bailey. Crafted from soft, natural nubuck with a durable toecap, it's as light and flexible as a gym shoe. Fun colours fit perfectly with your favourite jeans or sports pants for all your active leisure time.
Bailey Pumps are £55 and come in half sizes too.
The Nubuck upper is soft and supple to the touch, and the wihite rubbery sole makes my feet stick like glue to our boat rigging so I'm not longer a danger wobbling round the deck either!
There is loads of padding inside the shoe both all the way underfoot but then extra round the foot arch too. They really are the most trendy pumps for me that keep my feet in working order. Really lovely!
Although I did try and get away with wearing them to work as they look very smart and the MD said I was looking 'rather casual' so maybe I'll have to check out Hotter for more shoes for work instead...
As you can see, I went out in the garden and got artisitic with the camera!!
Saturday, 1 May 2010
What's in the Shops
Take a look on thejohncraneblog on blogger - there are some great shopping features, here is one below, there are lots of pictures on thier own blog though...
Today’s focus is on ‘being a girl’… there’s no denying when buying a gift for a little girl you won’t go far wrong if you focus on pink, hearts, ballerinas, flowers, pink, ponies, dolls houses and more pink….
So here’s a round-up of what’s in the shops for all your Mini-Misses this week.
http://www.kidsrooms.co.uk/ has our beautiful Pink Vanity Unit for £99.00 on their site. It’s a stunning piece of furniture, built to last and every bit the part with little drawers for make-up or secret diaries… a mirror to ensure the look is complete before hitting the shops, and a matching stool which is just the right height for your little diva to be comfy on whilst pretending to be just-like-mum!
There’s even more furniture from John Crane that little girls will love, so visit http://www.kidsrooms.co.uk/ again and check out their Two Tone Chairs. At 22.50 each they come in five colour ways, I reckon the two-tone pink and the two-tone mauve will be the firm favourites for girly girls but they also come in green, turquoise and blue too. Plus, they are such high quality I’ve seen our sales director stand on them at toy fairs just to show how strong they are!!! We’re not saying Keith’s heavy of course….
For little ladies that love their books, and want to keep them neat and tidy there’s some fabulous Ballerina Bookends at http://www.treasureislandtoys.co.uk/ at £14.99. In subtle pinks and apricots this ballerina is a real beauty, she might even inspire the next Darcy Bussell!
Alternatively, if you’re young lady is more the action type; John Crane has a gift to suit. The Pink First Bike found at http://www.welovetoys.co.uk/ at £48.99 is an ideal starter bike. Balance bikes have had much press of late, as they are THE on-trend way of teaching your child to ride their ‘proper’ bike, I know when I was young, I had a bike with stabilisers and a dad that chased after me as I peddled down the road… today the in-thing to get is the balance bike, no pedals just foot power – children apparently learn the balance part first which then helps with the pedal power later. Check out the First Bikes at www.welovetoys.co.uk and there’ll be a colour to suit. Maybe, if they’d been around 40 years ago I may have had fewer grazed knees…
Returning indoors, most girls want a dolls house at some point, and what better way to get on the property ladder than to order The Little Cottage? http://www.wishgifts.co.uk/ has them at £45.00. The Little Cottage is akin to the gingerbread house with its stylised designs. The pink theme is complemented by a pink Juliet balcony, plus there is a garden with apple tree and bench. The whole house comes complete with all the furniture too!
Finally, from http://www.rimbalzo.co.uk/ a pink guitar completes our girly round-up today! It’s a fine first guitar with tuneable strings; although it’s no Stratocaster it does make a very pleasing sound and will encourage any budding Suzi Quatro to begin strumming.
Today’s focus is on ‘being a girl’… there’s no denying when buying a gift for a little girl you won’t go far wrong if you focus on pink, hearts, ballerinas, flowers, pink, ponies, dolls houses and more pink….
So here’s a round-up of what’s in the shops for all your Mini-Misses this week.
http://www.kidsrooms.co.uk/ has our beautiful Pink Vanity Unit for £99.00 on their site. It’s a stunning piece of furniture, built to last and every bit the part with little drawers for make-up or secret diaries… a mirror to ensure the look is complete before hitting the shops, and a matching stool which is just the right height for your little diva to be comfy on whilst pretending to be just-like-mum!
There’s even more furniture from John Crane that little girls will love, so visit http://www.kidsrooms.co.uk/ again and check out their Two Tone Chairs. At 22.50 each they come in five colour ways, I reckon the two-tone pink and the two-tone mauve will be the firm favourites for girly girls but they also come in green, turquoise and blue too. Plus, they are such high quality I’ve seen our sales director stand on them at toy fairs just to show how strong they are!!! We’re not saying Keith’s heavy of course….
For little ladies that love their books, and want to keep them neat and tidy there’s some fabulous Ballerina Bookends at http://www.treasureislandtoys.co.uk/ at £14.99. In subtle pinks and apricots this ballerina is a real beauty, she might even inspire the next Darcy Bussell!
Alternatively, if you’re young lady is more the action type; John Crane has a gift to suit. The Pink First Bike found at http://www.welovetoys.co.uk/ at £48.99 is an ideal starter bike. Balance bikes have had much press of late, as they are THE on-trend way of teaching your child to ride their ‘proper’ bike, I know when I was young, I had a bike with stabilisers and a dad that chased after me as I peddled down the road… today the in-thing to get is the balance bike, no pedals just foot power – children apparently learn the balance part first which then helps with the pedal power later. Check out the First Bikes at www.welovetoys.co.uk and there’ll be a colour to suit. Maybe, if they’d been around 40 years ago I may have had fewer grazed knees…
Returning indoors, most girls want a dolls house at some point, and what better way to get on the property ladder than to order The Little Cottage? http://www.wishgifts.co.uk/ has them at £45.00. The Little Cottage is akin to the gingerbread house with its stylised designs. The pink theme is complemented by a pink Juliet balcony, plus there is a garden with apple tree and bench. The whole house comes complete with all the furniture too!
Finally, from http://www.rimbalzo.co.uk/ a pink guitar completes our girly round-up today! It’s a fine first guitar with tuneable strings; although it’s no Stratocaster it does make a very pleasing sound and will encourage any budding Suzi Quatro to begin strumming.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
We've been on holiday!
Thursday, 15 April 2010
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Time for a Holiday
It's Easter tomorrow...and time for a break, far flung shores in distant lands await.... OK actually it'll be the lapping waters of Billing Aqudrome for us.... but we'll get there by boat.
It'll take a week of travelling from Oundle Marina to Billing and back, if the weather is kind to us it'll be a week of utter bliss.... but if this rain continues ...well not sure really....
Maybe we will get stuck in flood waters and stranded on an island like last year? There is a certain 8 year old I know who I think would like being stranded on a 'desert' island quite a lot!
So fingers crossed for an enjoyable advenure ahead!
Monday, 15 March 2010
Ironing Pile....
I've just waded through a big pile of ironing... what a chore!
Sitting here now with Maltesers (a reward) and a coffee and my blog - while I scowl/wink/smile at Himself until he puts the ironing away for me, and the iron and the ironing board....
To get to the heady state of a pile of dried washing 3 foot high (OK I exagerate slightly!!) I had to do a lot of washing....I've been given some Ecover Laundry Liquid. There are two types - bio and non-bio. We've tried them both - as you do!
My evening ironing was done with a critical eye as I tested the new Ecover gloop. Easy to pour into the washer tray and I used fabric softener too. We did a coloured wash and a whites one too.
Ecover was good on whites, in fact my most favouritest shirt in the world ever, that Himself had turned an unfetching shade of grey - almost the moment I moved in - has turned a shade whiter....which is good news so that's going through the wash again to see if it'll lighten further!
Little ones T Shirts - which always end up with "Sketty" down them (spaghetti for the unitiated in toddler speak) all look very clean and nice, so mightily impressed with cleaning as I go along.
The only gripe I had was to do with Himself's exercise T Shirts - which to be honest when they go in the washer they are rank!!! They still had a hint of whiff about them as they responded to the heat of the iron.... just a tad whiffy nothing major but was disappointed it hadn't removed all the odour.
It still remains that my favourite Ecover product is the window and glass cleaner and I have recommended it to everyone I know!! Really bloomin hard to find in shops though! Tesco seem to stock every Ecover product ever.... except this one!
Sunday, 14 March 2010
Kid Free Weekend
I'm bushed!! Sitting here with my hot water bottle on my back - well moving it between back and neck really. We've had our boat out of the water this weekend and for the next 2 weeks, to ahve a new engine and to work on it.
Spent day with power tools - polishing, filling and painting. All the underside needs anti fouling - this was my job. As Himself was using the polisher all to himself - he decided I couldn't be trusted with it - ha ha! Actually he thought it may be a bit too much as he described it as trying to hold an angry Alsatian against the side of the boat who didn't want to be there.
So now, we have a painted and polished boat - and we are both totally whacked, bushed, rum tuckered however you want to say it.
This is what you do when you only have step-kids, we have kids weekends and non-kids weekends and try and get all our jobs done on non-kids weekends, so saving time to do nice stuff with the kids..... It means I'm often glad to go back to work for a sit down!!
I'll fill you in soon on the new 'project boat' I've bought, and add some photos too for you to see.
Spent day with power tools - polishing, filling and painting. All the underside needs anti fouling - this was my job. As Himself was using the polisher all to himself - he decided I couldn't be trusted with it - ha ha! Actually he thought it may be a bit too much as he described it as trying to hold an angry Alsatian against the side of the boat who didn't want to be there.
So now, we have a painted and polished boat - and we are both totally whacked, bushed, rum tuckered however you want to say it.
This is what you do when you only have step-kids, we have kids weekends and non-kids weekends and try and get all our jobs done on non-kids weekends, so saving time to do nice stuff with the kids..... It means I'm often glad to go back to work for a sit down!!
I'll fill you in soon on the new 'project boat' I've bought, and add some photos too for you to see.
Friday, 12 March 2010
Blog change....
Now I have found my feet a a little as a blogger, I'm changing the blog.
I'm a member of British Mummy Bloggers (currently deciding whether to go to their conference too.....) but never found any 'mummy' in the same boat as me. New step mummy....
I've never had children of my own, been a career girl and all that... Love my designer handbags, new cars and shoes... then all of a sudden I'm a step mum to boys of 8 and 14!
Suddenly I need to tidy away things I don't want to get spoiled, as if orange squash is spilled on a Prada bag - well I only have myself to blame if I left it in the way - you know what I mean?!
This 'new' life has been going on for nearly 2 years now, I love it, although at time trying and/or exhausting.... so I thought I'd start a little diary - as I CAN'T be the only woman in this position - can I?
Post a comment if you share a similar life!
I'm a member of British Mummy Bloggers (currently deciding whether to go to their conference too.....) but never found any 'mummy' in the same boat as me. New step mummy....
I've never had children of my own, been a career girl and all that... Love my designer handbags, new cars and shoes... then all of a sudden I'm a step mum to boys of 8 and 14!
Suddenly I need to tidy away things I don't want to get spoiled, as if orange squash is spilled on a Prada bag - well I only have myself to blame if I left it in the way - you know what I mean?!
This 'new' life has been going on for nearly 2 years now, I love it, although at time trying and/or exhausting.... so I thought I'd start a little diary - as I CAN'T be the only woman in this position - can I?
Post a comment if you share a similar life!
I'm having a moment....
I want to change my blog, have a complete over-haul, make it more relevent..... so now having to be Miss Techy and look how to change my blog name - if this is possible??? And re-jig things..... oh erm...... not techy at all so watch this space - anything could happen!!
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Bagabook - saves the day!
You know sometimes you find a product that was made for one use, but you decide it has another? Well Bagabook was like that for me.... Let me give you an insight from their website what the ladies who designed it designed it for......
The product was designed so you could read on the train and hide the fact you were reading Harry Potter, Janet and John or even Emmanualle..... read with no limits...
But me being me found another splendid use for Bagabook. I do a lot of exhibitions for work - where I need a notebook A5 is ideal, a pen, Bagabook has a penholder within and somewhere to keep my business cards..... et voila! No more struggling with handbag and briefcase around shows for me! Bagabook is an ideal accompaniment to any fair!
The one i have is a beige mock-crock style, with shoulder bag style handles (although they are a tad short if I'm honest, if you have a jacket on they won't fit over your shoulders unless you are tiny so it becomes a hand carrying one really.
The nice clasp features the Bagabook logo - which is very well designed and has a real expensive desinger look about it. The clasp is magnetic so the bag extends to any size book...
For reading or note making - I love my Bagabook!
I think they should do a range with notebooks already inside with pens, they would make great gift ideas and could be Baganote maybe?
See http://www.bagabook.com/ for all the sizes and colours available!
(Hey I just had an email off the company - and they have addressed the handle issue, they are making them bigger so it IS a shoulder bag - how cool is this company to listen to customer comments!! )
Wednesday, 3 February 2010
Toy Fair
I've been to Toy Fair! And seen all the lovely new products that will be winging their way to our shelves for Christmas 2010! Yes I know - I did not want to think about Christmas either - but its my job to sadly!
So, I've seen some wonderful helicopters from a company called Blades - which Himself says he will write you a reveiw on soon...he came too and got given a free sample - bless his little flirty socks.... anyway - he's not stopped playing with his chopper since!! :-)
I saw some lovely girly bits and pieces, a charming wooden tea set from John Crane Ltd plus High Tea Shape Matching - which I love!!
Corinthian Marketing - the people who do Puppy in my Pocket have brought out Ocean in my Pocket, and our little one was lucky enough to get sent some before Christmas - he loves the cute Octopus and Hammer Head Shark.
Next week I am off to Spring Fair at the NEC so will hope to bring you some more toy news and views, maybe we should try and predict the Christmas Top ten Toys now..... off to Ladbrokes anyone?!?!?!
Monday, 11 January 2010
It's new products ahoy!!
I'm currently updating the John Crane Ltd website for them and found a rather dashing set of pirates.... no Johnny Depp I'm afriad but this giant ship will be loved by little boys I am sure!
This can be found at a number of John Crane Ltd retailers - such as www.whywoodworks.co.uk .
Gotta rush today, as websites take an age to update, so much to do!! Check out www.john-crane.co.uk to see more new items for 2010.
Friday, 8 January 2010
I Heart Hollywood
Hi - it's been a while I know! But bear with me while I get back into the blogging lark! I've had a few months of being the busiest PR person ever- well I've felt like that anyway...
News of the day - I Heart Hollywood is released, how exciting - not read or ordered it as yet, I have put it on my birthday list, along with the latest Marian Keyes too...
My new years resolution is....I AM going to write my own novel this year, I have promised myself...so I just need the plot now, I have many going round in my head and jsut can't pick the one.
I've thought about writing about real life, my life, but I think I'd have to leave the planet if I did that so maybe not eh?
Anyway, just off to browse Amazon and make a birthday wish list...
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