tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79437366316018804182024-03-13T07:12:48.620+00:00Mummy Memories ❤Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.comBlogger366125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-81320230579350399142020-01-17T14:34:00.002+00:002020-01-17T14:36:35.698+00:00Excuse me whilst I skip straight to spring I'm trying to organise my week and now Friday's are my bow making day. I thought I'd share a few new bows that I'm currently making, I seem to have skipped straight to spring colours! With a few summery prints too.<br />
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I need to make some Easter ones and Valentine's ones as well as the st Patrick's bows.<br />
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I'd love to have some blogger / instagrammer bow brand reps to help grow my business. If this is something you'd be interested in please pop over to my Instagram account- <a href="http://www.instagram.com/bowsbymarykate" target="_blank">bowsbymarykate</a> and give it a follow to see when the post with more information about it goes live.<br />
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<br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-67869948524446994622020-01-16T14:26:00.000+00:002020-01-16T14:30:27.680+00:00ZSL Whipsnade Zoo <div>
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<span style="font-family: "courier new";"></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have been members at ZSL Whipsnade zoo for a few years now, it's worked out really good value for money for us because we have been there quite a bit - there's so much to see that we never see everything in one day, being members also means we get to go there for just an afternoon without spending the money on one visit and feeling you've got to stay all day to 'get your moneys worth'.<br /><br />Being a member also means you get 10% off in the cafes and gift shops there. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">My favourite thing about whipsnade are the bird shows, they fly really close to you and you get to see some really amazing birds. It helps that my children love birds.<br /><br />The butterflies are really pretty - I'm sad to see that RHS Wisley isn't doing the butterflies in the glasshouse event anymore, also made me look a little silly as I've told everyone about it! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">They've got an indoor soft play but we have only been in there once for a party because when we go to the zoo - we go to the zoo to see the animals and be outside in the fresh air. I don't even let my children play on the climbing frames usually because theres just so many children on them and again - we are there to see animals and we go to the local parks to play on the climbing frame. The children are usually happy with this rule so I'm not intending to change that. I have one exception to this rule and that's Willows Farm because the Peter Rabbit playground is something a little special isn't it? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">ZSL whipsnade have got dairy free ice creams in the summer which is perfect for my little girl who still has her cows milk allergy usually though we take a packed lunch for a few reasons- keeping it a cheaper day out and the allergies/intolerances in the family means eating out isn't easy. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">There's several places to sit with your own picnic and 10% off hot drinks for members- tea helps get through a cold day at the zoo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">There's a train but you've got to pay extra- again, worth being a member to get a discount on that too. There's also a bus which is free and you can hop on and off at various stops around the zoo. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We love to go see the lemurs but noticed lately they always seem to be inside even if it's a warm, dry day it doesn't seem to make a difference anymore. Last time we went we spent a while looking for the brown bears.... before noticing a big sign pointing out the rather obvious fact that they were hibernating! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">You always get a really good close up view of the penguins. My favourite. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">There's a cafe/restaurant further up I call it the top of the zoo - brilliant place for picnics in the summer as it's got a lovely view. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">There's too many animals to mention them all but our absolute favourites to see include giraffes, meerkats, lions, flamingos, tigers, elephants and lemurs. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The new Aquarium wasn't as good as I thought it would be and from a family who have 2 fish tanks and loved the one at ZSL London zoo we do feel a little disappointed like there's alot of the same fishes in there. It is however still a lovely addition to the zoo and lots of things for the kids to learn about. That's the thing with ZSL they're teaching the children lots throughout their visit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The butterflies are most active later on in the day so go here last if you can. It's not too far from the exit just make sure you don't leave it too late because then you won't be able to get inside. My little girl has learnt they love to land on bright colours such a red. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Don't forget to visit owl wood before you leave too. We didn't realize for a while you could see some owls. Their other birds are not on display to the public which whilst i understand i do think it would be lovely if we could see them. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">What's your favourite thing at whipsnade? </span><br />
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Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-16679502874583244802020-01-15T10:00:00.003+00:002020-01-15T10:52:00.974+00:00I listened to my husband and it's changed our day completely Getting the kids to school on time in the morning was an absolute nightmare - to the point I had a headache, the neighbours probably thought I was insane and the kids were often rushing to join that class line last minute or signing in late sometimes too.<br />
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It started really getting even harder to get to kids ready in the morning on 13th September when littlest one who's now 5, started to feel poorly and kept crying going into school - refusing to get ready and clinging to me when we got there. Eventually we found out she was genuinely poorly. I felt terrible having sent her to school thinking she just didnt want to go.<br />
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After a few visits to doctors and hospitals she's now much better but it was a scary and very tiring time. School got even more difficult when she missed a few weeks because of being poorly.<br />
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I felt like I was going to be on first name terms with the ladies in the office signing her in late.<br />
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I started to let her brother who's 10 walk to school on his own so he wasn't late too. The school isn't far and there's no main roads to cross as well as the fact it's a busy route that he knows like the back of his hand as they say, I still hated letting him go alone.<br />
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My husband usually leaves for work very early so the school run isn't something he had to suffer through, until one day and he told me it was crazy. He told me to make a list.<br />
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He's usually right. He won't read this so I can admit that here.<br />
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We needed to have a good morning routine for the children.<br />
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But I didn't listen for a while until now that is! - WHY DIDNT I LISTEN TO HIM SOONER? I'm so happy today and yesterday after listening I cleaned the entire house so the morning had a positive impact on the entire day.<br />
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Yesterday we got to school at 8.30am - 20 minutes early. We walked together all 3 of us, the eldest was happy to play with his friends before school. The youngest was delighted to be FIRST in her line for the first time ever. So much so that this morning we had to be FIRST again! I was happy to stand in a little rain to see how happy she was.<br />
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How have we changed our morning?<br />
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A list! A simple but fantastic list. He's a genius, I married a genius.<br />
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Like my husband said, make a list for each child of what they need to do in the morning to get ready. It worked.<br />
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I've also got them to get dressed before anything else because it makes everything else go so smoothly.<br />
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On our list we have -<br />
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Get dressed<br />
Breakfast<br />
Brush teeth<br />
Wash face<br />
Tablet / hair<br />
Toilet<br />
Coat<br />
Bag<br />
Shoes /wellies<br />
Leave<br />
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It's written on a little bit of paper and I've written a weeks worth in advance so I don't need to rush every morning to write it.<br />
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As they complete that task they can cross it out which makes it into a little game and so far it's worked well. My son likes the structure of knowing what he needs to do instead of having to be nagged and my daughter I think she really likes crossing the things out so it's a bit of a game for her.<br />
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Tv in the morning has been banned on weekdays too. They refused to stop watching it then screamed. No. Haven't got time for that. Whatever works for you though- do it.<br />
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So if you're struggling to get the kids ready for school, to get there on time without any asking them to put their shoes on 100 times, try a list!<br />
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A good little idea is also to put some colouring pencils and paper on the table so you can get them to have a little drawing to do whilst you go get ready if they've got nothing left to do - then you can get ready- all. By. Yourself!!<br />
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Let me know if you do a list too... what else can I make lists for?
<div align="center"><a href="https://whattheredheadsaid.com/category/ordinary-moments/" rel="nofollow" title="Ordinary Moments"><img src="https://whattheredheadsaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/LIVING-ARROWS-7-e1507404087102.png" alt="The Ordinary Moments" style="border:none;" /></a></div>Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-35718579237977882032019-03-31T09:52:00.001+01:002019-03-31T09:52:12.451+01:00Be original This week has left me feeling so upset.<br />
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My daughter's teacher has copied my small business making hairbows and accessories... we live in the same small village and it's not about that because I know you could go buy bows in Sainsbury's... it's the fact it's so unprofessional to be a teacher and copy your students parent. It's my one and only form of income which she knows provides money for our family to be able to take the children to swimming lessons and cricket for example. She knows because ive told her. She knows because I have given her free bows before. She has her job and I can't understand why she needs to steal mine. Crafting options are so wide, why copy mine exactly. There's lots of different crafts to do to relax. She's just seen this works for me and copied. It's hurtful. I'm hurt. I'm obviously a bad judge of character because I always thought she was lovely but clearly not.<br />
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I'm going to keep trying to be my best.<br />
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I have a new range of hairbows available on my website now<a href="http://www.bowsbymk.com/" target="_blank"> www.bowsbymk.co.uk </a><br />
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And I'm on Facebook too if you would like to support me there it's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bowsbymk">www.facebook.com/bowsbymk</a> <a href="http://www.bowsbymk.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a><br />
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<br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-56744450398190943092019-01-03T08:00:00.000+00:002019-01-03T08:00:08.869+00:00First family holiday abroad<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In 2017 we w<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ent to Menorca for our honeymoon, we booked with Jet2 and loved it! We left the children with their grandparents and stayed in the adult only hotel in Es Castell called Barceló Hamilton. Last year we knew that we wanted to go back with the children and my inlaws came too. We booked again with Jet2, this time a villa because it's sometimes difficult to feed Isabelle as she has cows milk protein allergy. We knew that we wanted to be close to the beach so we spent ages looking at the jet2 website at villas... we booked one that looked great, huge pool and table tennis, bbq and close to the beach it seemed perfect. We were getting all our bits ready and buying the sun lotion then jet2 emailed to inform us that the villa we had booked will be having a villa next door built so it would be noisy for several hours a day.<br /><br />We decided we didn't want to be next to a building site so Jet2 changed our villa to another that we picked from what was left in the area and actually the villa was so much better! It was further from the beach which isn't what we originally wanted and the pool wasn't ideal for Isabelle as there wasn't a shallow end however it was amazing in location and it meant that we got to see so much wildlife including tortoises and turtle doves, snakes and lots of insects. It was in between two beaches too so we could pick from Punta Prima and Binibeca. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am a nervous flyer and it was hard to hide this from the children. I didn't need to though because Oliver didn't flinch when we took off or landed and Isabelle, who is only 4 years old and tiny, cackled like a witch at take off, landing and whenever there was some turbulence. SHE LOVED IT. Actually, so much so, that she complained when the plane was stopping at Stansted. Maybe she'll travel the world when she's older or maybe work for an airline. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I love the shopping at Stansted airport because they have a Next and obviously you get it cheaper! Got myself a dress, a tankini top and a pair of leggings - not that I'd need those on holiday but I like the leggings from Next so I thought I'd put them away. I can even shop in the air, lipgloss, perfume, a teddy and a model plane this time on board with jet2 - brilliant prices especially the perfume which was discounted already and then 20% off too. I must have saved atleast £20 on it compared to if I had of got in on the highstreet. I love Yves Saint Laurent and will always buy it on a jet2 flight or on boxing day as they're the two cheapest times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Mahon is the capital city of Menorca and it's definitely worth a visit, we went on a yellow catamaran glass bottom boat trip which allowed us to see loads of fish. Mahon harbour is the second deepest natural harbour in the world. There's so much history to learn about too. My favourite place of all is Es Castell which is a small town that was founded in 1771 by the British originally called Georgetown in honour of King George III. Cale fonts is beautiful and our favourite restaurant is there which is called Nikki's. I love the burger - its all I ever have! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZvDzsOV6Y9yykDKICe4N6PXeKPdNSh4_AI4MsMzFyviDk5PC28GkGU2-96JqN6T4OPpHlL7BvdfUELEaSMVOTtNQ2mJ7uiHB6VwPzTy0IcrXM7bBzMtbyf2kCo90QW8jBMNcUjXhFtY/s1600/36490780_1400849473350078_7870451918366048256_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-family: "arial";">Oliver learnt how to swim a little bit without armbands whilst we were which was amazing, he got to spend so much time with the pool practically to himself and lots of attention especially from Grandad which really helped him to grow confidence in the water. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We all got matching menorcan sandals and they're super comfy - after the first day of wearing them that is! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Top tips for holidays with children</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't over pack! There's no need for multiple outfits per day... swimwear will be worn a lot if you're in a hot country and remember in Menorca it dries very quickly! </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial";">Take tuna with you if your child likes tuna... I paid over 3 euros for one tin. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial";">Nikki's bar in Es Castell, Cales Fonts can cater for dairy free and is delicious. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial";">Jet2 are really friendly and budget perfect for families.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "arial";">Don't plan too much in the middle of the day if you've got small children - its just too hot. </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We have booked Menorca again for this year and I already can't wait to go! We're staying in the same villa because we loved it so much and it's perfect for us. </span></div>
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Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-37209425311436788712019-01-03T00:13:00.001+00:002019-01-03T00:13:37.811+00:00The reason is hairbows <span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">It feels a little weird to be opening my laptop to write a blog post here again, 2018 went past and I just didn't find the time or the desire to write anything.<br /><br />I've been a bit busy making hair bows, I even created my own website to sell them online now - you can have a look here <a href="http://www.bowsbymk.co.uk/">www.bowsbymk.co.uk</a> - shameless advertisement I know! I love making them and being creative and hope that my business will continue to grow.<br /><br />I've missed the blogging community though, as I started this blog in 2013 when I was pregnant... the bow making community is a lonely one in comparison.<br /><br />A few photos of bows I made last year, unicorns and mermaids were a big trend for hair bows, leopard print, tartan and very sparkly glitter were very popular for Christmas bows. I'm looking forward to getting some new fabric delivered to make Easter hair bows, Valentines hair bows and spring / summer hair bows. </span><br />
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<br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-64838148301512212652017-11-21T20:50:00.002+00:002017-11-21T20:50:43.496+00:00The Things To Consider Before Getting Married<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-770105ae-e058-8441-62ea-a8a8f0af70b1" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I got </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/p/wedding.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">married</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> earlier this year and it was an incredible day. There was so much to think about when it came to the general organising of the wedding day itself, and there is no shying away from the fact that it can be a little stressful. Especially when you have children and your family to coordinate. While you may have no problem with deciding on your cake or venue, mulling over the guest list and seating charts, there are some general admin bits that every bride to be can forget. I wanted to highlight some of these things to do before you get married to help you build a fantastic future, once you become a Mrs. </span></div>
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<a href="https://pixabay.com/p-608782/?no_redirect" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Image source</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The closer you get to making final decisions and paying for things, the more you start to worry about money. The sheer </span><a href="http://www.hellomagazine.com/brides/2015030423808/wedding-cost-calculator-checklist-breakdown/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">cost of getting married</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is astonishing when you read about it in the news, and I only know from experience how expensive these days can be. But when you have to pay for it? It’s torturous! Then again, everyone has a different budget, and some will always be bigger than others, so I’m sure you aren’t facing the monumental costs that others might be. Still, it’s a long road ahead, so it might be worth going setting up another savings account and start putting a little extra aside each week or month to help pay for things when those invoices start rolling in. Because they will!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The chat about the future</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sure you may have discussed how many children you might want to have, or at least I hope this conversation has come up for you. You may have even talked about future aspirations, your hopes, and your dreams. But often that is when the future talk ends. It is important to discuss about your future beyond the fun stuff. What might happen when you retire? Whether or not you need to consider a </span><a href="https://www.yourfuneralchoice.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Funeral Comparison</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> when it comes to covering funeral costs in the future and all of the chat about life insurance and getting your finances and commitments covered. Once it is done, then there isn’t much need to go through it all again. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The name game</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One really important decision to make when it comes to getting married is deciding on the name situation. Traditionally, many brides will take their partner's surname, but in this modern day you can choose not to. It’s nice to seal the family together with the same name, especially if you have had children before getting married, but it is equally important to keep your own identity, and your name may be a big factor in that. Some people keep their maiden names for career or professional purposes, but change it legally for normal things like banking and finances. The choice is yours but make sure you are happy with the decision before the big day comes around. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It isn’t always just about the dress, the flowers, and the venue, you need to ensure that the little details are discussed and finalised. But once you have sorted those out you can get back to all the fun stuff. </span></div>
<br /></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-39442896865941237012017-11-21T20:47:00.002+00:002017-11-21T20:47:58.140+00:00Enjoying Your Kid's Birthdays Just As Much As They Do!<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-575fb395-e055-96b8-5ccf-9251efd39547" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You’ve probably got the festive season on your mind as all the Christmas adverts are out and decorations seem to be popping up everywhere. Therefore, your focus will be what Santa is bringing to the house and what everyone will be eating throughout those, equally, magical and manic few weeks at the end of the year and into the new one. However; one (or more; depending on how many little ones you have) thing that will also come around every year is your children’s birthday, and you’ll want to ensure they have a great time and make plenty of memories.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are so many things to consider when it comes to your little one’s birthday; parents can often get lost in sorting everything and everyone out, and will sometimes forget to enjoy the special day. This is where a bit of preparation and planning can help you out, and you’ll be able to take the time to celebrate with your kids, and not just run around like a headless chicken. You can start by ignoring the competitive parents, and stop beating yourself up; your kids will love the fact the day is all about them, and everything else is just a bonus. The following are some ideas, inspiration and tips for parents who want to plan ahead so that they too can have fun on </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/08/a-look-back-at-your-birthdays-birthday.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">their kid’s birthday</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, and make memories together to last a lifetime.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="401" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/fGO5iHs7v2T82BE7rgkNn9uGqjwTVZYXUJRyRBHIG5nvKNx2VKGeOjoCHuxvZlLoj9mrcn1maic6_SDoZ0YSa1K06P_VeU9jrdSujPXoby3H4r7BVGe9wN5T73cfB-o5I-tyh4Pr" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border-image: none; border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="602" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Image source: </span><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/easter-cake-with-colorful-topping-6431/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.pexels.com/photo/easter-cake-with-colorful-topping-6431/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Teamwork</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A birthday should be a family affair, so make sure that you get the whole team onboard with the preparation and any decorating. If you’re having a traditional kid’s party in your home; someone can be blowing balloons up while someone else is in the kitchen putting the last of the icing on treats. Delegation is key, so let go a little of complete control and start trusting your other family members to help out; this way you’ll have time for a cuppa and to sample anything baked (for quality control purposes). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another way to ensure that you get the most out of your little one’s big day is to look into </span><a href="https://www.rushuk.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">local family days out</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and plan something that you can all enjoy together like trampolining for the active family, or a trip to the cinema for those who’d prefer to sit down. A family day out, perhaps with some of your kid’s closest friends (and yours) is a lovely way to celebrate their birthday, and it will take the pressure off from creating party bags and hiring a clown.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Give Yourself A Break</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not everyone out there is a Pinterest mum; there are plenty of parents who cannot recreate an image they’ve found on the internet or in a magazine, usually because they’ve had a professional stylist and photographer working on them for hours. Therefore, you need to stop giving yourself a hard time, and simply embrace the plethora of </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/pins/?q=kids%20party%20mum%20hacks&rs=typed&term_meta[]=kids%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=party%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=mum%7Ctyped&term_meta[]=hacks%7Ctyped" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">mum hacks</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> that are available to you at the click of your mouse.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A stressed-out and snappy parent is no fun at any birthday celebration, so do your planning, buy pre-made food and decorations when needed, and try to enjoy each moment of your child’s birthday just as much as they do!</span></div>
<br /></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-64901761159160864902017-11-15T23:09:00.001+00:002017-11-15T23:09:43.670+00:00It Happens To Everyone: Dealing With A Death In The Family<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7a5a8a06-c1f1-4e2b-22b1-66e967d40998" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s something that everyone has to go through in their life, but when a family member dies it can be one of the most </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/11/getting-your-family-through-losing.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">distressing experience</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> there are. As a family unit, one of your main task at this time will be to ty and stick close together during the pain, and that itself can often be hard to do. It is often during these times that people start to act out in ways they later regret, and it’s worth remembering that nobody is going to be in their best way during this time. But as long as you can approach it in the right way, a death in the family can be handled much more effectively. Let’s see how.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Breaking The News</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">One of the worst aspects for you as a parent will be to break the news to your family, in particular the children. This can be </span><a href="https://www.helpguide.org/articles/grief/coping-with-grief-and-loss.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">extremely tough</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to do, and it varies depending on the age of the children as well. If you are struggling with working out how to do this, it might be worth considering getting help from another of the adults in the family. You don’t need to break the news alone if you don’t want to, and it is often better not to anyway. However you do it, be sure to be gentle and understanding, and to explain yourself as carefully as you can so you know they have genuinely understood you. Tough as this is, it is a necessary part of the process, so make sure you are happy with how you do it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Arranging The Funeral</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A big part of the whole situation is ensuring that the funeral is arranged in good time. Arranging a funeral can be surprisingly stressful, but it is really part of the grieving process itself. You will find that it is hugely important to have help in the form of a decent funeralcare company or undertakers. </span><a href="http://www.heartofengland.coop/funeral/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">The co-operative funeralcare</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> or similar are a good place to start, and they will be able to help you with every aspect of planning for the funeral. You will find this part of the process tough, but it will also act as a kind of necessary part of grieving itself, and it might actually help in the long run. Have your children as involved or not as they would like to be, and be sure that you are still caring for them in the same way.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Moving On</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">At some point, it becomes necessary for the family as a whole to try and move on. This can be the hardest part, of course, but it is also the most essential for the ongoing future of the family. Allow yourself, and your family, </span><a href="https://www.muchloved.com/gateway/death-of-a-loved-one.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">plenty of time to move on</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, as you can never predict how long it will really take. Make sure that you continue to support your children and family at the same time, and that you allow as much time as is necessary for the wounds to heal. In time, everything will seem much better, and make more sense.</span></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-86554619445946963352017-11-15T22:58:00.002+00:002017-11-15T22:58:51.588+00:00It's Time To Start Thinking About The Future!<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-782a5b3e-c1e6-2bf7-5c50-d5b9908c881a" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/crystal-ball-6102/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Picture Source</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are a lot of really great reasons to spend your time living in the moment as much as possible. It allows you to appreciate the life that you have and to create some truly wonderful memories. Not only that but it stops you from constantly worrying about other things going on in life that can take you out of the moment and ruin many wonderful moments. However, there comes a time in everyone's life where you have to start thinking about things that are coming next. Thinking about the future might seem pretty scary, but for the sake of you and your family, it's something that you need to start doing. Here are some aspects of your future that you need to be thinking about right now.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Retirement</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Retirement is one of those things that a lot of people tend to ignore for far too long because it seems so far away. And yes, it's true that there's a pretty good chance that it's going to be a while before you're anywhere close to retirement. However, if you don't start thinking about it at and saving for it now, you're really going to regret it when you reach that stage in your life. In fact, if you're not putting money away for retirement </span><a href="https://www.investopedia.com/articles/retirement/07/noexcuses.asp" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">soon enough</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> then you could end up in a situation where you have to keep working for longer than you want to because you can't actually afford to retire yet.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your will</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's pretty understandable why a lot of people put off thinking about writing and arranging their will. After all, it's not really the sort of thing that you want to think about in your daily life, is it? However, when you have a family, it's crucial that you think about what will happen when you're gone. The best thing to do is to speak to some </span><a href="http://www.rfclaw.co.uk/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">probate solicitors</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and get as much help and support when it comes to arranging your will as possible. Rather than putting it off and having it hang over your head all the time, deal with it right away and then you can rest easy knowing that it's taken care of.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A college fund</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course, it's not just your future that you should be thinking about but your kids as well. Education is not cheap these days, and most young people end up having to take out incredibly expensive loans to be able to afford it. In order to help them minimise that financial burden, it's a great idea to start setting money aside for their future as soon as possible. Many people even set up a college fund </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/08/what-to-buy-new-baby-new-baby-gift-box.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">the moment their child is born</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. That way, when the time comes that they really need it, there's plenty of money tucked away.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course, just because you're thinking about the future that doesn't mean that you should ignore the life that you have right now. It's important to strike the best possible balance between living in the moment and preparing for what comes next.</span></div>
<br /></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-85576721418789802822017-11-08T12:20:00.001+00:002017-11-08T12:20:16.527+00:00Getting Your Family Through Losing A Loved One<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-17924a27-9b92-ae2b-64d4-18cbc3f77eac" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It’s the last thing that anyone wants to think about; however, losing a loved one for an array of reasons can come at unexpected times, and will impact you and your family greatly. Whoever may have passed away in your family; you’ll want to ensure that your kids, partner, and yourself, are able to move through the difficult times together, and push forward in a positive manner. It can be especially difficult for younger children, as they may never have had to deal with loss before, and you need to help them understand what’s happened and allow them to process their emotions. It will be equally, if not, more so difficult for you as parents to cope with a loss, and look after the wellbeing of other members of your family who are grieving.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Although times will start off as a challenge; there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and you will be able to come out the other side and remember the good times you shared with your loved one. Whether you lost someone close a while ago, have just had to </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/06/how-to-communicate-with-your-spouse.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">deal with a death in the family</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, or want to prepare yourself should the worst happen; it’s always a smart idea to think about how to move forward with everyone’s best interests at heart. The following are some ideas, help, and advice for those who have, or may suffer loss, and want the tools to look after themselves and the rest of their loved ones.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Image source: </span><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-pink-and-orange-flower-bouquet-226145/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.pexels.com/photo/yellow-pink-and-orange-flower-bouquet-226145/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Get The Admin Out Of The Way</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It may seem morbid, but having a list of things to do as soon as possible when a loved one passes, is the best way to ensure that you and your family can be left to grieve in peace. There will be a funeral to organise, paperwork to sign, and wills to go through, along with several other legal matters once the dust has settled. If you have some level of preparation regarding this situation; you’ll have a weight lifted off your shoulders during the first weeks and months after it’s happened. Therefore, it’s worth knowing who you’ll go to for reputable help, and having an idea of the services and people you will need to call upon.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To ensure that there are minimal family disputes regarding money, assets, and property; make sure that you seek the advice and help of </span><a href="https://www.slaterheelis.co.uk/private-client/lasting-power-attorney/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">power of attorney solicitors</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> so that any issues can be resolved efficiently. Getting the right help regarding any legal matters in times of upset and distress will help everyone involved, and decisions won’t be made in an emotional state, so it’s worth knowing what solicitors you’ll be using throughout the process. Emotions will be running high; however, try to remember that your loved one would not want disputes or arguments to happen between family members, so honouring their wishes as much as possible is the best that you can do.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When it comes to the person’s </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/search/pins/?q=planning%20a%20funeral&rs=typed&term_meta[]=planning%20a%20funeral%7Ctyped" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">funeral</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; it’s always helpful if they have left instructions or their wishes written down for you to follow. However, this isn’t always the case, especially when death is unexpected. Therefore, you should think about the person’s personality; favourite colours and music can help to contribute to flower and song choice during the occasion. Many feel that a celebration of the person’s life is a positive way to move forward and enjoy all the memories people have shared with them. You’ll need an order of service, and a comfortable space to go after the ceremony to eat and drink with attendees, and perhaps share stories and smile about the good times that were shared. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Think about providing people with your loved one’s favourite food and drinks, play their favourite band or artist, and if they had a favourite colour pattern; ask people to wear an item of clothing to reflect that. The funeral is your chance to say a fond farewell, and begin to grieve, so it’s worth thinking about how to do so in a positive manner. There’ll be plenty of heartache; however, as long as you can fill in the gaps with smiles and laughter regarding the person, you and your family will be able to move forward.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="sunset-hands-love-woman.jpg" height="401" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/r34RaDSnNdRKxKHmk9oAD2fwNDfbIhtXWvGEXvB8_bSHdz8WEd4DK1N1erstjAiodP7i4c_sD9V3DSxAEiqhl25p3NdCF-FqNMH3yugmDj-hbt7PZbK9VerbmOEwiot6vYA3zu-t" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border-image: none; border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="602" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Image via </span><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/sunset-hands-love-woman-5390/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">here</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Moving Forward With Memories</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The celebration of the person’s life should continue as you begin to come to terms with your loss over the coming months and years ahead. When it comes to </span><a href="https://www.netmums.com/child/helping-children-cope-with-bereavement" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">your kids</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">; let them know that it’s okay to discuss your family member, and encourage them to ask questions and share their feelings. Photographs of your loved one around the house is a great reminder of who they were and how they made everyone feel. When you’re ready; sit down with your family and create a photo collage, or an album, full of pictures, words, and memories regarding the person so that everyone will have a great source of comfort to look at whenever they choose to.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can continue to </span><a href="https://www.centralengland.coop/blogs/funerals/20-unique-ways-to-remember-a-lost-loved-one" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">remember them</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> by starting new family traditions; the person’s birthday or anniversary can be times of reflection, so think about hosting a family meal each year or visiting their resting place together. Keep talking about them, looking at photos, playing their music, and enjoying how they impacted your life. Showing your kids that it’s okay to both cry from the sadness of their passing and laugh at some of the best memories you have of your loved one will help them to process the situation and do the same in the future. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grief and loss are challenging; so remember that time is a great healer and just take things step by step. If it’s a person that’s close to your spouse that has passed; be their biggest support system, and expect an array of moods and emotions to hit the family. Remind one another that there is plenty of love in the household so that people know they have someone to talk to, lean on, and a shoulder to cry on whenever they need. Be as organised and open as possible, and your family will be able to get through the most difficult of times; together, as a team. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="night-roof-blue-sky-81863.jpeg" height="400" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/cXRRF9csLk0jk2NUCAavDKdE9t_S4hMT88HI1KHS9eQgEDXzY7sqSBmQTns6_o2O7Ggv9O_JkD013rdcFEgmThbjsEQA0APr-9Xv7Ym69oj3L1yWTGhT0dvzw2vtEyNNkYSQgUcn" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border-image: none; border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="602" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Image </span><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/children-clouds-daylight-family-81863/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">credit</span></a></div>
<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-64615850996149932052017-11-08T12:18:00.001+00:002017-11-08T12:18:08.688+00:00Fun Ways For Kids To Learn Outside of School<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-dd82a163-9b90-d242-e617-d8ec1e01a97c" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our education system is excellent, and the fact that every child in the country is entitled to a free education is something we should never take for granted. So many countries around the world don’t offer this so we should remember how lucky we are. However learning in the classroom is just one part of the puzzle, for our kids to have life skills and be well rounded individuals there’s plenty they can learn outside of this too. Here are a few fun ways kids can learn outside of school. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Camping </span></div>
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<a href="https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g659283-d300641-r529059631-Warmbaths_A_Forever_Resort-Bela_Bela_Limpopo_Province.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Camping is a family favourite</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">- it’s inexpensive, fun and you get to spend time outdoors. By taking kids camping you teach them an appreciation of nature, of the simple things. You show that you don’t always need fancy hotels and attractions to have a good time. Spend your days bird watching, bike riding, hiking, fishing, rock pooling, taking photos, building campfires and much more. It’s a way kids can get active, and teach them all kinds of skills and outdoorsy things that they simply wouldn’t get the chance to do sat at home or in a classroom. If nothing else, it gets them active and running around, getting some fresh air and away from their screens. Even if you go on a big family vacation one or twice a year, make the time in the school holidays to go camping too. Whether it’s in a tent, a caravan, RV or anything else, it’s a great opportunity for children and fun for all the family. You could meet other families and it could provide an opportunity to socialise too. </span></div>
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<a href="https://images.pexels.com/photos/220455/pexels-photo-220455.jpeg?w=940&h=650&auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><img height="401" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/CT9dNEaurxsmaQZmHFLgdiIWVj9HXcWw6nwTe-HLU8Tl6_1x0drmUfU1OllKDp7fGPoy_BQ9NosFdt8H5MYl-BftVJ5A_EQxcOczKNU7_IlZLDj3f6-FO3iw9zS-WcUvacM1s9k9" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border-image: none; border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="602" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">photo sourced from here</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Volunteering</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Teaching children to empathise is important as a parent. Letting them understand that some people aren’t as well off as they are, and that as humans we should be doing what we can to help. If you already have a volunteering position, see if you can bring your child in with you. Not only does this teach them respect and humbleness but it also helps them to understand how lucky they are. Having appreciation of your own life is another good trait, it prevents children from becoming spoiled since they know what they have and how much worse off others are. </span><a href="https://thinkkindness.org/encouraging-kids-volunteers/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Volunteering encourages children to be kind</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, helpful and sympathetic people in life which are wonderful traits for any human to have. These kinds of activities help to strengthen and develop the more emotional and caring side of children.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Museums and Galleries</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There’s one thing learning about art and history in books, but quite another seeing paintings and artifacts in person. Taking your children to these kinds of places will give them an interest in these subjects, can help to build their intelligence and spark their curiosity. Best of all, they’re usually free to visit and are indoors so make for the perfect rainy day family day out. Lots of museums and attractions like this have exhibits that are specially designed for kids too, they’re usually fun and interactive so appeal to children while getting them interested and excited. It could be anything from a space museum to natural history, it could be on a culture such as Egypt or a time period such as the war. There are often </span><a href="https://www.nstgroup.co.uk/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">school trips</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to places like this, but you could have a look what’s local to to you and go yourself too. Ideal if you’re after an educational yet inexpensive day out with the kids. </span></div>
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<a href="https://images.pexels.com/photos/160946/people-children-child-happy-160946.jpeg?w=940&h=650&auto=compress&cs=tinysrgb" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Photo sourced from here</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Farms, Zoos and Aquariums</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Again, teaching kids about animals is one thing but allowing them to see them in person teaches much more. It gives children a love and appreciation of animals, lets them see what they look like, feel like and so much more. Lots of farms offer things like feeding baby animals, birds shows and more. Zoos will allow them to see more exotic animals, and aquariums are perfect for viewing life under the ocean. These kinds of days out are something everyone will enjoy and you’re safe in the knowledge that you’re giving your kids an educational yet fun experience. You can often find tickets for these kinds of things discounted or buy one get one free in places like newspapers if you keep an eye out. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While maths, english, science and other formal academic activities are absolutely invaluable and necessary for a child’s education, there’s plenty for them to learn outside of the classroom too. Taking them on days out and trips isn’t just fun, it can teach them skills and lessons for the future. </span></div>
<br /></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-38145715556484222432017-11-01T11:17:00.002+00:002017-11-01T11:18:50.749+00:00Willows Activity Farm - Santa Spectacular Grotto Giveaway! *WIN* <span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"></b></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-373a7379-7732-f02f-17b6-81fe612127b7" style="line-height: 1.295; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The ultimate family day out this Christmas at Willows Santa Spectacular</span></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: black;"><b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">This festive season, Santa Spectacular at Willows Activity Farm is the only event for families looking for a truly magical day out. Just like last year when we went - it was amazing! We can't wait to go again this year as a family and I'm delighted to be able to offer you the chance to win a ticket for up to 4 people to visit Willows farm Santa Spectacular! You can read what we thought about it <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2016/12/willows-activity-farm-santa-spectacular.html" target="_blank">*Here*.</a> It's starting 22 November and its on all the way to 24 December and the prize must be used within these dates. Visitors can enjoy the ultimate festive experience in St. Albans, Hertfordshire.</span></span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Every child will have a chance to meet Santa in his spectacular grotto and receive a golden key to Santa’s Toy Shop, where children can choose from one of the hundreds of presents, stacked from floor to ceiling, to take home! We were so impressed last year be warned there is so much to decide from that it may take little ones a few minutes to find 100 things they want! haha.</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoHwFXf1JBjrRp_e1pmvraJt7kADVx9q3tiijFV2xkGE2BxYFJLoyw819wipmZMPqtBURdFlSE7kCdouH5HeKcADjFL8u1SdgZLVmdtbN6iZhijxL_ackCeVolf115XsettD0KPvrH6A/s1600/DSC_0156.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1066" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikoHwFXf1JBjrRp_e1pmvraJt7kADVx9q3tiijFV2xkGE2BxYFJLoyw819wipmZMPqtBURdFlSE7kCdouH5HeKcADjFL8u1SdgZLVmdtbN6iZhijxL_ackCeVolf115XsettD0KPvrH6A/s640/DSC_0156.JPG" width="425" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Families can join in at the Elf Academy where they have the happiest of Elves, learning the basics of how to be an elf from Santa’s elves all the way from the North Pole - including the Elf-a-bet! The Create-a-Cuddle workshop will also be open daily, allowing little ones to make their very own reindeer cuddly toy to take home, all included in the entrance price. Last year it was a husky!! Which is still on the children's beds. We were all so impressed with the quality of this cuddly all included in the price for entry is just amazing. I can't wait to get the reindeer... I mean for the kids obviously.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">The popular 3D film is back, with children able to take off into the skies on an adventure with Santa. Then try a real life magical ride in the Willows festive wood on Tristan the Runaway Tractor - love it! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Willows welcomes the Winter weather – whether snow or rain – as families can enjoy plenty of indoor activities including the synthetic ice rink, Christmas shows including an Elf Sing-a-Long and Nativity performances featuring farm animals. Plus, meet Mischka, the Alaskan Malamute and Santa’s reindeer.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Visitors can also find the Peter Rabbit Adventure Playground™ which will be open every day throughout Santa Spectacular. Also, meet and greet Peter Rabbit at selected times throughout the day. The playground is amazing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">With the all-inclusive price, Willows offers to guests, parents are safe in the knowledge that there are no hidden extra costs. Discounted tickets can be purchased online in advance at </span></span><a href="http://www.willowsactivityfarm.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">www.willowsactivityfarm.com</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">You can find more details about Christmas at willows by following this link </span><span style="color: black;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.willowsactivityfarm.com/santa-spectacular-grotto-festive-farm-fun/&source=gmail&ust=1509617346910000&usg=AFQjCNGJRikl2UTQsH52lhKv3Ypn-vn1ZA" href="http://www.willowsactivityfarm.com/santa-spectacular-grotto-festive-farm-fun/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Santa Spectacular Grotto</span></a><span style="color: #777777; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">To enter the giveaway use the rafflecopter below!</span> </div>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="ac12c35919" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/ac12c35919/" id="rcwidget_62v6fe1b" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a>
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*please note that there will be one winner picked at random by rafflecopter. 1 winner will get a ticket for up to 4 people to attend. no cash alternative to this prize. it must be used within the stated dates to be arranged upon winning. It's open to UK only.* <script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>
Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-85145142287794832822017-10-09T07:30:00.000+01:002017-10-09T07:30:19.946+01:00Wedding Days Series #6<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Welcome to my blog series 'The Wedding Days' where other couples (some bloggers, some non bloggers) share details about their big day by answering some questions. I LOVE weddings and seeing a few photos too! I'm really missing the planning of our big day which you can read about here where I've answered these questions about our own wedding </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/09/the-wedding-days-q.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*here*</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. So if you're anything like me, you're going to love this series too. If you want to get involved and share your wedding day with us too then email me on mummymemories2013@gmail.com </span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today we have <span class="gD" data-hovercard-id="RHitchcox@fusioninsurance.co.uk" email="RHitchcox@fusioninsurance.co.uk" name="Ruth Hitchcox"><strong><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Ruth Hitchcox</span></strong> telling us about her wedding to her husband Darren, I loved reading their story and now can't stop thinking about fish finger sandwiches... </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #a64d79;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><strong><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Tell us a little bit about you and where you met your husband/wife? <i>(include the proposal story if you want to)</i></span> </strong></span><span style="color: #5b9bd5;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We met online, I had been using Plenty of Fish since April 2013, been on several single dates and decided a second wasn’t an option and blocked many weirdos before meeting (that’s a whole different story the dating time). I’d just got back from Marrakech having met one very nice man twice, we parted in a pub car park with him saying ‘I think we have a great future together, get in touch when you get home’ when I returned I text him to see if he was free and got a rant back about how needy I was so I blocked him and decided to give it one more chance.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went back on the site and saw a chap 6’2” who called himself a pyotechnician, lived in Plymouth and had a photo of him on a ship had clicked the like button. I thought Plymouth was a safe distance from Bristol so I’d like him back and we started exchanging messages. This was 20/10/13 a Sunday. He said he was going to move to Bristol but he didn’t know when, my Dad and his family are from Plymouth and we seemed to get on beautifully. We kept messaging and I found out he worked in an office so I wondered about the pyrotechnician, then on the next day he was moving to Bristol on Saturday 26/10/13……….I was becoming more suspicious but there was nothing to lose and he was good fun to message. No talk of sending odd pictures which seemed to be the norm and a proper conversation, we really hit it off.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We chatted all week. He wouldn’t have time to meet me on the Saturday as he was hiring a van to move so we arranged to meet on Sunday at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_805520176" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">13:00</span></span></span>. By now I was convinced he would not turn up, but I had a bus pass and we were meeting a mile from my home. Late on Saturday I got a message, he was in and exhausted but had forgotten his duvet. I really smelled a rat now and despite having a spare duvet I was not going to deliver that to him. As we chatted he said he had his cover and the rented house was warm. Next morning I was getting ready and got a message apologising for how he would look as the rented house did not have a mirror for him to shave……..curiouser and curiouser. By now I really thought he was pulling my leg but I so enjoyed messaging him I got my spare shaving mirror from the attic and jumped on the bus. I went to the car park we had arranged to meet at and got there very early, a few minutes later his little mini with his DAZ number plate turned up and I walked over to his parking spot.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He got out of the car and seemed to keep getting out, the first thing I noticed was his eyebrows, very curved and dark and giving him laughing eyes. Then he spoke and my stomach flipped, he has an amazing voice, rich, no accent and strong – he often gets compliments. I handed over the mirror and he told me he’d found the duvet in the car, after unloading a van he’d not seen it in the dark.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We did a walking tour of central Bristol, I pointed out the Nails, the gold ship and the best pub for a fish finger sandwich. We settled in a lovely old pub with an open fire for a few hours chatting all the time. We moved on to have dinner in a Japanese restaurant, then back to the cosy pub where he asked to be my boyfriend. In the early hours we were thrown out full of diet coke and he gave me a lift home. He drove off after we arranged to meet the next night. 5 days and 5 dates later including a work leaving do where I told him to meet me in the fish finger sandwich pub he’d seen once (yes he found it) he set off to spend a week setting off fireworks as his friend has a fireworks company so he really was a pyrotechnician!<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On our second date he met my parents as they live in the flat below mine, that didn’t put him off and he moved in his coffee machine as I only had a plunge pot. By the end of the year he asked me whether I’d ‘like some jewellery, lots of jewellery or just live together’ I was 45 and had never lived with a boy so I said perhaps we could live together around February but that if he moved in he could never move out. He pointed out he’d not been home for a week so that was us moved in. <u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We’ve had lots of holidays and he’s had to help sort through documents going back to when I moved into the flat in 1992 to make space for himself and we were very happy. I did start to wish I’d asked for lots of jewellery. And at Christmas when his brother asked if we were getting married he said we would sometime.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On his birthday last year another Sunday 7/8/16 we went out for lunch and had a lovely day. Then settled in to watch a film around <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_805520177" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ"><span style="color: #222222;">10pm</span></span></span> I thought he was coming in for a cuddle on the settee when as I went to hug him I realised he was on one knee and he asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes, gave him a big hug and had a tear and had to be told to open the box with the ring in it.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I asked if we could start planning and his response was that he’d asked me to marry him not get engaged but what was the rush? I told him Grandma is 96 and I want her there so we were online looking at options that month.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where was the big day and when was it?<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We booked the </span><a href="http://doubletree3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/doubletree-by-hilton-hotel-bristol-south-cadbury-house-BRSDTDI/index.html?WT.mc_id=zELWAKN0EMEA1DT2DMH3LocalSearch4DGGenericx6BRSDTDI" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Doubletree Hilton at Congresbury</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">at their wedding fair 6 months to the day before our wedding on 5/3/17. <u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And moved in from the Saturday to Monday including Gran who was coming from Plymouth.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What did the Bride wear (where did you get your dress, what were your accessories, colour theme, flowers, shoes?)<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I bought the flowers first (Mum and I made up the bouquets), not logical! Then asked the bridesmaids, Grandmas oldest great grand daughter and my friends daughter both 15. We went out for a shopping day with the bridesmaids and their mums (first time they had met) my longest shopping day ever at 9 hours including lunch, but we found the dresses in House of Fraser (but I had to order online as they were pulled in the shop) Lavender grey – great colour theme sorted pink and grey. And some designer silver sparkly shoes for us all to match that were the girls first high heels. I got some lovely fur wraps for the girls.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I ordered my dress online at £39 inc postage and was going for pink as a mature practical bride but it arrived and it was perfect so I splashed out on an ivory one. Then found a lace bolero (at the 4<sup>th</sup> online attempt and I didn’t open it until the day as it arrived the day before) and a fur wrap. <br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mum asked her hairdresser to start doing my hair at home and we agreed she would come down on the day (12 miles from home). Every hair cut became a trial for the day. But the bridesmaids live in Warwick and London so she only saw photos of them. I ordered lots of different hair accessories online so we could pick on the day.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mum altered the bridesmaids dresses and set the fur wraps with press studs (she’s a tailoress) and confirmed mine needed nothing.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wore a new watch from Range, my Maternal Grans engagement ring – she died in 1987 and Grandad died in 1992 so it was my something old and something of them, earrings from Claire's accessories borrowed from Mum and blue nail varnish on my little toes.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to some make up counters for a trial and wore my own attempts to work to make sure they last.<u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u></u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <u></u></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>What did the Groom wear? (did you hire suits? Were they the same as best man?)</strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eventually I persuaded Darren to think about his suit at the end of January. We went to slaters and got it fitted, he went for black and I persuaded him to have a white shirt. We chose pink hankies and ties for him his Dad and my dad to match the pink in the flowers and table centres.<br /><span style="color: #5b9bd5;"><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The wedding party? <i>(did you have bridesmaids/flowers girls/page boys and what did they wear?)</i> <br /><u></u><u></u></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2 Bridesmaids as above. Mum wore a blue 2 piece dress, Dad his own new suit. And the best Mam (a female friend of Darren for 30 plus years who quizzed me about my intentions my first New Year with him much more than his parent did) chose a lovely trouser suit. His dad wore a suit and his Mum decided on red. We made button holes for a few of the party including people doing readings.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you have evening entertainment? (include little extras like sweet tables ect)<br /> <u></u><u></u></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We had a home made sweet table that doubled as favours with bags printed for each guest ‘You helped make our day complete, now please help yourselves to sweets. Darren and Ruth Hitchcox 5 March 2017'. Centre piece was a Ferrero Roche heart with celebrate in the middle so that we can use it again (along with the table centres we have at our parents 50<sup>th</sup> anniversaries that both happened later in the year). We did a crossword about us, and people bingo (a grid of facts or skills e.g. Someone who has been caving/to France/Climbed rigging/can touch their toes/speaks Polish) you talk to the other guests and write a different name against each fact. All the tables with children had a huge bag of toys on one of the adults chairs to bring out during the day. Including butthead which I took out of the box! Pictures of bridesmaids playing that are quite cool. We also had a video booth which has left us a lovely memento.</span></span><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><u></u><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <u></u></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What’s the best bit of advice you could offer a future bride?<br /><u></u><u></u></span></strong></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don’t share too much about your plans, then people don’t have their input or have a clue on the day it was meant to happen if it didn’t.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now the wedding day is over, is there anything that you regret spending money on? <br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span></strong><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nope<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did you stick to your budget? </span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Didn’t really have one but under £6k for 70 day, 100 evening all the dresses and hair and the grooms suits plus the hotel for us, Gran and a cousin and all the extras I mention seems fine to me.<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, other than marrying the person you love - what was your favourite thing about your wedding day? </span></strong><span style="color: #5b9bd5; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><u></u><u></u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having loads of people we love celebrating with us and enjoying an amazing day. The bar man even bought the groom a drink because it was such a lovely crowd – I think they were tipping him!<br /><u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our first dance still gets talked about too. Darren went and spoke to the DJ, who then announced the groom had changed the music. It went into 40 second of Slipknots ‘Devil and I’ with Darren head banging and me trying to look shocked and upset! Then 40 seconds of 15<sup>th</sup> century dance music we got into a ballroom hold for. At that point Darren pretended his legs had gone and there was a record scratch and the music changed to the conga, Darren led off, with me behind and the pre warned bridesmaids and we got the whole room up……..very us!<u></u><u></u></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Ruth, your wedding day sounds so lovely and it's lovely to hear you don't regret spending money on anything too. Thank you for sharing it with us.</strong> </span></span>Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-65479201572093883522017-10-02T07:30:00.001+01:002017-10-02T07:30:06.949+01:00The Wedding Days Q&A #5<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welcome to my blog series 'The Wedding Days' where other couples (some bloggers, some non bloggers) share details about their big day by answering some questions. I LOVE weddings and seeing a few photos too! I'm really missing the planning of our big day which you can read about here where I've answered these questions about our own wedding </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/09/the-wedding-days-q.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">*here*</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. So if you're anything like me, you're going to love this series too. If you want to get involved and share your wedding day with us too then email me on mummymemories2013@gmail.com <br /><br />This week we have<span style="color: #3d85c6;"> <strong>Liz</strong></span> telling us about her wedding day this year - a week before mine in a beautiful venue, I am loving all this colour, looks fantastic together! <br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Tell us a little bit about you and where you met your husband/wife? (include the proposal story if you want to) </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We met through mutual friends on the world’s most awkward blind double-date. The moment we were alone together though, everything clicked into place and we didn’t stop talking. Four and a half years later and we still haven’t stopped. </span></span></b><br />
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Where was the big day and when was it?</span><br /><br /> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our wedding and reception was held at Bassmead Manor Barns in Cambridgeshire on Saturday 18</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 7.199pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">th</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> March 2017, a year to the day after we were engaged. The ceremony was in the stunningly restored, 200 year-old “Rickety Barn”.</span></span></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnAk_zLAoK2TlAjNsrIwHuo36zI7xDq7s3Tqa-bXGcj9BRZSyrzJFcBYAsgnglX3U7qz80WmaCPyxTas7Ki2Q5-OEWes2uyUogKBnbMthV_t_408U9HpJ3JwcWupK5vbM0nWkDtGqMHg/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+907.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnAk_zLAoK2TlAjNsrIwHuo36zI7xDq7s3Tqa-bXGcj9BRZSyrzJFcBYAsgnglX3U7qz80WmaCPyxTas7Ki2Q5-OEWes2uyUogKBnbMthV_t_408U9HpJ3JwcWupK5vbM0nWkDtGqMHg/s400/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+907.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></b></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzrH5CIT4LkxUsjmumyCdu9CWteGFIZlnKB_6fkZpS5GHKL_9CDsDBY5-dqurIWWGpParMe-YItiphcP4a-uaTnDd2E88CYkreDYjcSwzOEoJRkb0hw9uyjGIbfjEdyOWbv85rYp6sWU/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzrH5CIT4LkxUsjmumyCdu9CWteGFIZlnKB_6fkZpS5GHKL_9CDsDBY5-dqurIWWGpParMe-YItiphcP4a-uaTnDd2E88CYkreDYjcSwzOEoJRkb0hw9uyjGIbfjEdyOWbv85rYp6sWU/s400/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+463.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did the Bride wear (where did you get your dress, what were your accessories, colour theme, flowers, shoes?)</span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A dress by Mark Lesley from Stunning Bridal in Northampton, shoes personally customised by Shoenique in bright colours with the bouquet flowers painted on them, as well as our cat’s paw prints. Earrings were tanzanite, a small tribute to an incredible experience I had volunteering in Tanzania five years ago, and the colourful spring flowers were by Dana Young Flowers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did the Groom wear? (did you hire suits? Were they the same as best man?)</span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The groom, his two brothers and the father of the bride wore beautiful dark blue suits purchased from Abington’s in Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire – the quality and service was exceptional. Waistcoats and accessories were hired, and I particularly loved the grey tweed waistcoats, which gave a softer, less formal edge to the suits.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The wedding party? (did you have bridesmaids/flower girls/page boys and what did they wear?)</span></strong></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My three bridesmaids wore Coast dresses called “Juliette”, in three different colours. All of the wedding party wore different colours and it really enhanced the bright and colourful feel of the day.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nx_sK6CwUCWgt8a7MzXOy8ZRRmNDhWtxUnpB7ITJxw1WjdyZbGVjlTwvdYyvHzje25Xh5lpQYlSPc1Q7K8LZo5eiJTnpZzZ6EqiVIvYwfkJuXObpgMfpmpKkTzO1KIehDi-jqXS9XPw/s1600/33446419171_f10f2bc9d6_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="1125" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8nx_sK6CwUCWgt8a7MzXOy8ZRRmNDhWtxUnpB7ITJxw1WjdyZbGVjlTwvdYyvHzje25Xh5lpQYlSPc1Q7K8LZo5eiJTnpZzZ6EqiVIvYwfkJuXObpgMfpmpKkTzO1KIehDi-jqXS9XPw/s640/33446419171_f10f2bc9d6_o.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Did you have evening entertainment? (include little extras like sweet tables ect)</span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We had Strobe Disco Roadshow as a DJ, with some stunning venue lighting. Evening food was wood-fired pizza, a popcorn cart (popcorn is my absolute favourite!) a selection of cocktails and a drum of beer bottles. We also had a photobooth, and of course cake!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What’s the best bit of advice you could offer a future bride? </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Try not to obsess over your weight and/or appearance too much beforehand. Life is too short, you are beautiful how you are and there is absolutely no point in making yourself miserable in the run-up to your wedding. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfUIFnT8xufnWo8ZikIYkFOC1CWgadTinDoIDY2thRgMWsBtLqH_DYQP6z1graluhyphenhyphenPGgQfFThViKxCBV2sK_3iPjIUflqHfBf3_sePNx27BJhtz9lF8SnpXuba4owY0jMjIpsdbH4r0/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+97.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1500" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfUIFnT8xufnWo8ZikIYkFOC1CWgadTinDoIDY2thRgMWsBtLqH_DYQP6z1graluhyphenhyphenPGgQfFThViKxCBV2sK_3iPjIUflqHfBf3_sePNx27BJhtz9lF8SnpXuba4owY0jMjIpsdbH4r0/s320/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+97.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Now the wedding day is over, is there anything that you regret spending money on?</span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not at all! The only thing I wish is that we had spent a little more on the photobooth, as the quality could have been a little better – you couldn’t see the pictures you were taking on the screen at all, although it did make for some entertaining pictures</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rmUdegCLnQtghT9IniYwiVuwtccltes9udhy5ELF0ibKUDSfQ7tBzE-hrTuRSheRR6malmH5H1AawWgA89zE9_hZSIGE2v75Vbwj7f8r_mP1n_hx7ksafE22Xw6dYPDISPGKvLLkFwo/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6rmUdegCLnQtghT9IniYwiVuwtccltes9udhy5ELF0ibKUDSfQ7tBzE-hrTuRSheRR6malmH5H1AawWgA89zE9_hZSIGE2v75Vbwj7f8r_mP1n_hx7ksafE22Xw6dYPDISPGKvLLkFwo/s320/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+109.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0X7dxicEagLeDFWgFwCPVb_XYcXaiVnuvbEJUdU_9zdaKxAxKfMRona2GKHakTFl9acLt2m7Qr22S2qH2NgKUZob_L2m3SXGuJEkRkTNhhM7mxHhBl39EwJXBvj3obwB0Ihlw0VbLqA/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0X7dxicEagLeDFWgFwCPVb_XYcXaiVnuvbEJUdU_9zdaKxAxKfMRona2GKHakTFl9acLt2m7Qr22S2qH2NgKUZob_L2m3SXGuJEkRkTNhhM7mxHhBl39EwJXBvj3obwB0Ihlw0VbLqA/s320/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+131.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YKCgU6EmbcRuwjaiDDRo-MpBnSIfAAwxU4J0KHBe_13lo_xTHRyKcfU1np_UiwQvOKBv7F8u2TbuVIH0pNR3MmWIXd-GECBwKtZhC1i9zlo-E8r6WyD-ls4XqqYcVv6_R3HTNq3Oagw/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+951.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YKCgU6EmbcRuwjaiDDRo-MpBnSIfAAwxU4J0KHBe_13lo_xTHRyKcfU1np_UiwQvOKBv7F8u2TbuVIH0pNR3MmWIXd-GECBwKtZhC1i9zlo-E8r6WyD-ls4XqqYcVv6_R3HTNq3Oagw/s320/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+951.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T1PoqvXPp6OyMj61gUhiXQvRUCmE_CFV2XoYcZkbjcN8wfVTsMjix45ooX3XfMTZoyAEMcedCGgIs4KmcaelPAVtxgXBge-EqPXupUUrQc6lyhJ4HZtKEJD9VpW0BFejTwRrGHh-mwk/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1500" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1T1PoqvXPp6OyMj61gUhiXQvRUCmE_CFV2XoYcZkbjcN8wfVTsMjix45ooX3XfMTZoyAEMcedCGgIs4KmcaelPAVtxgXBge-EqPXupUUrQc6lyhJ4HZtKEJD9VpW0BFejTwRrGHh-mwk/s320/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+957.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Did you stick to your budget?</span> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Not in the slightest! We had a rough “idea” of how much we thought we would spend when we first were engaged, but more than trebled that figure. We were comfortable with what we spent though.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSMKpg7X9hIat6F56e11P49Lcxjp8qU8BBLk2e9EgKdqiOATXGLIuPTYSYvKjpD9qdlVG8f5zZzpDKy0B8vLO4XYESWl7-7jNwdvVY4Z2rkR30RaN_tCQUYRuvkggd-TF9inw31Kng64/s1600/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+955.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJSMKpg7X9hIat6F56e11P49Lcxjp8qU8BBLk2e9EgKdqiOATXGLIuPTYSYvKjpD9qdlVG8f5zZzpDKy0B8vLO4XYESWl7-7jNwdvVY4Z2rkR30RaN_tCQUYRuvkggd-TF9inw31Kng64/s320/Liz+Alex+wedding+WEB+955.jpg" width="213" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Finally, other than marrying the person you love - what was your favourite thing about your wedding day?</span> </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is so hard to chose just one thing, but the colours really made it special for me – the flowers in their lorry centrepieces (my husband is passionate about lorries), the hanging lanterns in the reception barn, the beautiful bridesmaids dresses.</span><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you for taking part Liz, your wedding looked beautiful! I love all the colours, the outfits and everything worked so well together. The venue is stunning and sounds like you had your dream wedding day! You are right, life is too short. You were a beautiful bride, congratulations! <br /><br />You can find Liz on twitter and Instagram on<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> @llcornall </span></span></div>
</b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-25378733167551747472017-09-25T07:30:00.001+01:002017-09-25T07:30:12.803+01:00The Wedding Days Q&A #4<span style="font-family: "arial";">Welcome to my blog series 'The Wedding Days' where other couples (some bloggers, some non bloggers) share details about their big day by answering some questions. I LOVE weddings and seeing a few photos too! I'm really missing the planning of our big day which you can read about here where I've answered these questions about our own wedding </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/09/the-wedding-days-q.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial";">*here*</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial";">. So if you're anything like me, you're going to love this series too. If you want to get involved and share your wedding day with us too then email me on mummymemories2013@gmail.com </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today we have <span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Nicola</span> who blog at </span><a href="http://mummytodex.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mummy To Dex</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> telling us about her wedding day to her husband Neil!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Tell us a little bit about you and where you met your husband/wife? <i>(include <span class="il">the</span> proposal story if you want to)</i></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I met Neil in Leeds Festival in 2010. My friend and I were camping and were rudely awoken by a chair being thrown at our heads. When we went to investigate we found a very intoxicated man and his friend who was very apologetic. We spent <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">day</span> with this pair and later on their friend Neil came to join them. That was <span class="il">the</span> moment I met my husband! We did long distance for two years, got engaged in Cairns, Australia then moved in together in 2012. Two years later we tied <span class="il">the</span> knot. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrBq5J60BrxdfbvYDNEuOimuTJvcXcaebNrXrL8lqR2mx2kZE2E703x7iqRC4xBgqtwIydu5LmdL4MKWbtq7QPj-vQiscm1Ay6lAO8wlT1ndnG3YkC_BCQ5Kaitn_2yrgh9jy5tciQQw/s1600/10431276_894547903893908_6654725998539266748_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrBq5J60BrxdfbvYDNEuOimuTJvcXcaebNrXrL8lqR2mx2kZE2E703x7iqRC4xBgqtwIydu5LmdL4MKWbtq7QPj-vQiscm1Ay6lAO8wlT1ndnG3YkC_BCQ5Kaitn_2yrgh9jy5tciQQw/s640/10431276_894547903893908_6654725998539266748_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where was <span class="il">the</span> big <span class="il">day</span> and when was it?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="il">The</span> big <span class="il">day</span> was in my hometown Denbigh in North Wales on April 5<sup><span style="font-size: xx-small;">th</span></sup> 2014. We had a church service in St Marcella’s followed by a <span class="il">wedding</span> breakfast and evening do at Faenol Fawr in Bodelwyddan. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What did <span class="il">the</span> Bride wear (where did you get your dress, what were your accessories, colour theme, flowers, shoes?)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wore a white dress which I purchased from <span class="il">Wedding</span> Belles in Llandudno along with a chapel length veil. My shoes were by Benjamin Adams, although they didn’t stay on for long!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had a travel theme to our <span class="il">day</span>. <span class="il">The</span> tables were named after cities we had visited; we had Bangkok, Sydney, Barcelona, Marrakesh to name a few. <span class="il">The</span> centrepieces were hot air balloons stacked on top of travel books and <span class="il">the</span> favours were world globe cake pops. We had a table with a vintage suitcase for people to leave us messages on old postcards I bought from eBay and our guestbook was a vintage world atlas. </span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1y_Qv9ViPo4VTKsD_b26h2Jsmg6WyDjlb3Xz3h41fRU-9gTPqenDHbnCz3yYN42qLUoQc250uJiGYrSpQ1o6wmvr0RfndHCMk6zvSxTh8ge9H-mUWN-G3h-D2U1LwAEpnL5Mv75QWoA/s1600/10446342_894546967227335_3093339865763396531_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1y_Qv9ViPo4VTKsD_b26h2Jsmg6WyDjlb3Xz3h41fRU-9gTPqenDHbnCz3yYN42qLUoQc250uJiGYrSpQ1o6wmvr0RfndHCMk6zvSxTh8ge9H-mUWN-G3h-D2U1LwAEpnL5Mv75QWoA/s640/10446342_894546967227335_3093339865763396531_o.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did <span class="il">the</span> Groom wear? (did you hire suits? Were they <span class="il">the</span> same as best man?)</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="il">The</span> groom hired suits from Moss Bros and they accessorised them with teal cravats. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span class="il">The</span> <span class="il">wedding</span> party? <i>(did you have bridesmaids/flowers girls/page boys and what did they wear?)</i></span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="il">The</span> bridesmaids wore teal dresses by Dessy. Each had their own style to suit their figure which I loved. My flower girl wore a white dress from John Lewis. </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you have evening entertainment? (include little extras like sweet tables ect)</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had a DJ (who didn’t follow my playlist, urgh!) and a buffet. I spent most of <span class="il">the</span> evening outside chatting and drinking! In between <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">wedding</span> breakfast and evening do, there was a period of about two hours, so my Uncle hosted a quiz which went down really well. It was also <span class="il">the</span> Grand National that <span class="il">day</span> so my brother-in-law hosted a sweep which was great fun. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s <span class="il">the</span> best bit of advice you could offer a future bride?</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Get a fantastic photographer; it’s worth spending <span class="il">the</span> money, so that you have memories of your special <span class="il">day</span>. It goes by so fast; it’s hard to keep up with what is going on. One of my favourite memories is going to <span class="il">the</span> castle between <span class="il">the</span> ceremony and <span class="il">wedding</span> breakfast giving Neil and I a bit of time to soak in being man and wife. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Now <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span> is over, is there anything that you regret spending money on?</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Inviting lots of people to <span class="il">the</span> evening do. I think only 15 turned up!</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Did you stick to your budget?</span> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No, we over spent by about 3 or 4 thousand, but that was probably our honeymoon to Thailand which I really splurged on. Food was definitely <span class="il">the</span> biggest expense but it was gorgeous. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Finally, other than marrying <span class="il">the</span> person you love - what was your favourite thing about your <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span>?</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Spending time with family I hadn’t seen for so long and seeing them so happy to see each other. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Thank you so much for taking part Nicola, your wedding day looked beautiful! Your dress was one that I had ripped out of a magazine and stuck in my wedding planner! Looked stunning. You went wedding dress shopping in my favourite place! Llandudno was my childhood holiday destination, my parents lived there before I was born too. Our husbands picked very similar outfits! I love the traditional look.<br /><br />You can find Nicola on twitter too - @mummytodex and don't forget to check out her blog <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://mummytodex.com&source=gmail&ust=1504631550509000&usg=AFQjCNE4Kanpfbid9KD0rGDwLW3Tvtgkqw" href="http://mummytodex.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">mummytodex.com</span></a></span></span>Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-162277521713849932017-09-18T07:30:00.001+01:002017-09-18T07:30:02.850+01:00The Wedding Days Q&A #3<span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welcome to my blog series 'The Wedding Days' where other couples (some bloggers, some non bloggers) share details about their big day by answering some questions. I LOVE weddings and seeing a few photos too! I'm really missing the planning of our big day which you can read about here where I've answered these questions about our own wedding <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/09/the-wedding-days-q.html" target="_blank">*here*</a>. So if you're anything like me, you're going to love this series too. If you want to get involved and share your wedding day with us too then email me on <strong>mummymemories2013@gmail.com</strong> and I'll keep this going for as long as I've got posts to publish. Hopefully a new post every Monday :) </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today we have<span style="color: #6fa8dc;"> Sarah</span> who blogs at </span><a href="http://casualgamermum.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Casual Gamer Mum</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> and you can find her on twitter</span></strong><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> too at </span></strong><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://twitter.com/casualgamermum&source=gmail&ust=1504631550534000&usg=AFQjCNF_XL16RJnbu5m1a_V8L2gpUilEgA" href="http://twitter.com/casualgamermum" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@causalgamermum</span></a></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b></span><br />
<strong><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tell us a little bit about you and where you met your husband/wife? (include <span class="il">the</span> proposal story if you want to)</span></strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm Sarah, a Danish language student and parent. I live in Denmark but I'm originally from <span class="il">the</span> UK. I met my Danish husband on a computer game called World of Warcraft. We first made contact on a forum then played <span class="il">the</span> game together. After visiting one another, I moved to Denmark to live with him.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There wasn't a proposal as such. We weren't planning to marry so soon, but with dreaded Brexit looming, we decided to simply go and get it done in order for our family to have a little more security. I know it doesn't sound romantic, but we still had a wonderful <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span> and we love each other immensely.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where was <span class="il">the</span> big <span class="il">day</span> and when was it?</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We married on September 30th, 2016. We chose to marry in Ribe, Denmark's oldest Viking town. It's a charming place with plenty of history. Since my husband and I have a keen interest in history, it was an ideal location for us. We married in <i>Det Gamle Rådhus</i> (<span class="il">The</span> Old Town Hall), a gorgeous old building.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What did <span class="il">the</span> Bride wear (where did you get your dress, what were your accessories, colour theme, flowers, shoes?)</span></b><b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Budget was an important factor in our <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span>. We didn't have much money to spend. I wanted an outfit that I could easily wear again. I bought <span class="il">the</span> whole outfit from ASOS for a steal at £50!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I wore a short chiffon dress in ivory, some nude tights and peach suede flat shoes for comfort, as we'd be wandering around <span class="il">the</span> town after <span class="il">the</span> ceremony. Accessories included a glittery headband and a hot pink clutch bag. I chose not to hold a bouquet due to practical reasons. I had a colour theme in mind for myself. I was inspired by peach and pink.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What did <span class="il">the</span> Groom wear? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Comfort was key. My husband purchased his outfit online. He wore a light blue long-sleeved shirt, beige chinos and black leather shoes. Simple, but smart too.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="il">The</span> <span class="il">wedding</span> party? </span></span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Nobody was invited to our <span class="il">wedding</span> so we didn't have a <span class="il">wedding</span> party. If I did have a <span class="il">wedding</span> party, I'd want them to wear what they wanted, but fitting into <span class="il">the</span> chosen colour scheme.</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you have evening entertainment? </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We went to a grill restaurant in Esbjerg. We treated ourselves to <span class="il">the</span> 'all inclusive' deal which meant we could have unlimited drinks, even including champagne!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s <span class="il">the</span> best bit of advice you could offer a future bride?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I know this is said a lot by people, but make sure your <span class="il">wedding</span> is what you and your partner want. Don't give into pressure. You may only get one shot at it, so do it your way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I'm actually on my second marriage. My <span class="il">wedding</span> to my first husband wasn't what I actually wanted after all. It was too fancy and mainly for <span class="il">the</span> guests' benefit. My second <span class="il">wedding</span> was much more my 'thing'.</span></div>
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<b><br /><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span> is over, is there anything that you regret spending money on?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Not much money was spent, so I have no regrets.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you stick to your budget? Finally, other than marrying <span class="il">the</span> person you love - what was your favourite thing about your <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span>?</span></b><b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We stuck to a small, decent budget. <span class="il">The</span> budget was a bit lower because I didn't have a bouquet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My favourite thing about my <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span> was being able to relax and not stress out. We didn't have a set plan after <span class="il">the</span> ceremony and brunch. It was nice to simply wander around, visit <span class="il">the</span> local Viking museum, then eat ice cream and Belgian waffles at <span class="il">the</span> ice cream parlour. Total bliss!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Thank you Sarah, it was lovely reading about your wedding day! It's lovely to see how everyone's wedding days are so different. I completely agree with you, it's important to make sure your wedding day is what you want and it sounds like you made your day just what you wanted it to be. I love that you can wear your wedding outfits again too - I think I'd get weird looks if I was seen out in mine :( I love wearing my wedding shoes out though :) </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://twitter.com/casualgamermum&source=gmail&ust=1504631550534000&usg=AFQjCNF_XL16RJnbu5m1a_V8L2gpUilEgA" href="http://twitter.com/casualgamermum" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">@causalgamermum</span></a><br />
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Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-29504979502789518952017-09-11T17:59:00.002+01:002017-09-11T17:59:29.058+01:00Chocolate Sprinkle Stix by John Adams - review <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today we got an exciting delivery from John Adams - one of our favourite toy brands, it's a brand new food craft product called Chocolate Sprinkle Stix. It's designed to let kids aged 6+ to create their own chocolate sprinkle stix treats! In the box was also some chocolate for melting, sprinkles and breadsticks. I also had some </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">free from chocolate buttons too so Isabelle could get involved as well (she's got cows milk protein allergy but that doesn't stop her having a chocolate treat with this cool toy!). A cool new allergy friendly treat idea if you adapt it a little - for gluten free, you can get free from bread sticks too and suitable sprinkles. These have wheat in but Isabelle can tolerate wheat now. <br /><br />I didn't tell Oliver that we were getting this and as soon as he saw it he said he has seen it before and wanted it. quoting "sprinkle stix's, sprinkle stix's, melt the chocolate and dip!" - he must have seen it on tv?! Anyway - Why wouldn't he want it? Kids love cool things like this and treats too. It's kept them quite for ages this afternoon, ok they may not eat all their dinner today though - oops!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Chocolate Sprinkle Stix lets you make your own bite sized treats at home, quickly and very straightforward to use. So easy to put together and very simple to follow instructions included. Safely melt your chocolate using hot water from the tap! At first I thought yeah right - how's that going to melt some chocolate? But this clever little toy does just that - safely without boiling water! I did add a little extra warm water from the kettle that had been boiled a while before because we were short on time.
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Dip your breadsticks into the melted chocolate so that the sprinkles will stick to it creating your yummy treat. </div>
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Finally it's time to pour in your sprinkles for the impressive sprinkle blast! <br />
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This toy is so much better than I originally thought it would be! I'm impressed. <br />
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The children both loved it and had lots of fun. Oliver is age 8 and Isabelle is 3 - she's used to playing with toys for older children because she's got a big brother and it's impossible to keep her away from his toys. She needed a little bit of help but actually it is so easy to use she was just fine using it too! <br />
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Requires 2 x AA batteries for the sprinkle blast to work. <br />
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I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this toy to anyone else, it would be an ideal gift for Christmas too and I'd happily buy it for someone as a present. <br />
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Move over cake pop machine that's now redundant in my kitchen because I don't have to go to so much effort now for my children to have a chocolatey sprinkle treat, in fact with this they can even do it themselves - yay! </div>
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You can see more at: <span class="m_1327962029644592300Object" id="m_1327962029644592300OBJ_PREFIX_DWT13872_com_zimbra_url"><span class="m_1327962029644592300Object" id="m_1327962029644592300OBJ_PREFIX_DWT13893_com_zimbra_url"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=http://www.johnadams.co.uk/product/chocolate-sprinkle-stix/&source=gmail&ust=1505220210152000&usg=AFQjCNHwrfLrctYZvw1qBVou5RJ-DkfuHg" href="http://www.johnadams.co.uk/product/chocolate-sprinkle-stix/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.johnadams.co.uk/</span><wbr></wbr>product/chocolate-sprinkle-<wbr></wbr>stix/</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">*Please note that we were sent this item in exchange for our honest thoughts!*</span> </div>
<br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-83212769870454898682017-09-11T13:45:00.000+01:002017-09-11T13:45:24.368+01:00Plan A Themed Birthday Party That Your Child Will Remember Forever<b style="font-weight: normal;"><div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-847e55b2-70f7-8c13-912d-ec3ae554f385" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We all remember our best birthdays. It could have been when you hit double figures for the first time, and you ran downstairs at the crack of dawn to find an exquisitely wrapped Gameboy complete with an official case and Tetris. Nothing has ever come close to that birthday. When you’re a child, your birthday holds more significance, and you place a huge emphasis on the party, the food, and the entertainment. As a parent, you want to provide your child with memorable experiences and what better way to do this than to throw a themed birthday party. Take a look at these celebration ideas to inspire your party planning.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="comic-con-2216147_960_720.jpg" height="416" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_ffoU7yIf3w6Q7QiPq9mIqfLmylMXVOHkXdsLyBP6gzRyetO5rHkkrVQjsqYZKwdnqKbp5i8AhUdJDIhjd53ve8hK9D_51KDFIQ3TEO2DuxS1gYTNNxdaIdGQsJ4S7XBaNBWYk1a" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border-image: none; border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/comic-con-comics-books-star-wars-2216147/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Image by</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For The Comic Book Fan</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Lots of boys and girls like to think of themselves as the next superhero. What with Marvel and DC comics bringing out multiple films every year, popular culture is rife with Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. If your child’s reading book of choice at bedtime is a comic, it might pay to </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/09/lego-batman-movie-night-8th-birthday.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">plan a superhero themed party</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. The dress policy could be heroes and villains, the cake could be in the shape of your child’s favourite character, and you could set up a sleepover night complete with an Avengers movie marathon.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="plasma-1353916_960_720.jpg" height="351" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/nm_MEUIT7u0ZUrOubErquCshJbBAuX7T8ms0JPjt33QHVbkk8Ge6aIKfgHiOGmHApf2f62g7by8igeQCtUPDjXsW6OdIzuBtnMVRUNfCdR1D4_E5QorFFE7Hkwz_9M5KdPwLYE5G" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border-image: none; border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/plasma-globe-long-exposure-energy-1353916/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Image by</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For The Mad Scientist</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As your little darlings grow up, they become more curious and want to know more about the world around them. Whether their obsession is mini beasts, chemistry experiments or space, you could immerse your child in a scientific theme. Set the playroom up like a science lab, complete with party food that has morphed into science experiments. You could make</span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Accoutrements-10375-Zombie-Brain-Jelly/dp/B000GKW6BU" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> jelly in brain moulds</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and place fruit cordial in test tubes. To take the theme even further, purchase one of the many </span><a href="https://theplanets.org/best-science-kits-for-kids/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">cool science kits</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> available for your little mad scientist’s birthday present. You could opt for a kit that concentrates on plants, the human body or making a live volcano. Give your child a white lab coat and see their face light up as you reveal their party theme.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="child-613199_960_720.jpg" height="501" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/I_xbrvXLX6hRrjHAFIiwVxIGh8yeSh-nFt__BwNbVueQgB2p4zVgzCq6arFbWywvyz8Dwq42OFAHlCCBndEdVwRAuSvbQYN2rs8c80_VfmyzbKDVQY58FJ3axqSkbvVi_453Uz8O" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border-image: none; border: currentColor; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
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<a href="https://pixabay.com/en/child-footballer-kick-backswing-613199/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Image by</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For The Sports Enthusiast</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whether your child loves athletics, cycling or football, you can create an </span><a href="https://www.pinterest.co.uk/explore/sports-birthday-parties/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">active birthday party theme</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> for your mini Wayne Rooney or little Laura Trott. This theme lends itself to particularly good weather, so if your child is blessed with being born in the summer months, you can utilise your garden. Set up some races, games and active challenges to add a level of competition to the party. If the weather is not so balmy, think about venturing to a local trampoline park for a bouncy day out or head down to your nearest indoor athletics track for your relays.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We have only touched upon the hundreds of possible themes that you could select for a celebration. A themed birthday party is one of the best ways of ensuring that a birthday lingers in your child’s memory for many years to come. Coupled with a thoughtful gift, a delicious cake and being surrounded by family and friends, your child will feel your unconditional love and appreciate all of your efforts when planning for his or her big day.</span></div>
<br /></b><b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-5420431042065191362017-09-11T07:30:00.000+01:002017-09-11T07:30:11.312+01:00The Weddings Days Q&A #2<div align="center">
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<span class="_3oh- _58nk">Welcome to my blog series 'The Wedding Days' where other couples (some bloggers, some non bloggers) share details about their big day by answering some questions. I LOVE weddings and seeing a few photos too! I'm really missing the planning of our big day which you can read about here where I've answered these questions about our own wedding <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/09/the-wedding-days-q.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "arial";">*here*</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial";">. So if you're anything like me, you're going to love this series too. If you want to get involved and share your wedding day with us too then email me on <a href="mailto:mummymemories2013@gmail.com">mummymemories2013@gmail.com</a> </span></span></div>
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<span class="_3oh- _58nk"><br />Today we have <span style="color: #3d85c6;">Emma</span> - who I grew up living next door to! I remember like it was yesterday being told off for sneaking through the hedges instead of walking the long way round. My mum still lives next door to her parents who are lovely and Emma is who told me about my own wedding photographer!</span></div>
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<span class="_3oh- _58nk"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Tell us a little bit about you and where you met your husband/wife? (include the proposal story if you want to)</span> <br /><br /> My name's Emma and I'm 31. I met my husband online. He proposed on my 29th birthday by doing an indoor picnic (it was raining outside) and putting my ring on the hand of a m&m on a m&m birthday cake. </span></div>
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<br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Where was the big day and when was it?</span> <br /><br /> We married on 21st May 2016 at The De vere Hunton park. </div>
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<br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">What did the Bride wear (where did you get your dress, what were your accessories, colour theme, flowers, shoes?)</span> <br /><br />I wore an ivory princess style wedding dress. Brought it from Anns bridal in Leighton buzzard. I didn't have many accessories just a fingertip length veil and a silver bracelet. My shoes were ivory satin brought by my mum. My colour was Cadbury purple. </div>
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<br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> What did the Groom wear? (did you hire suits? Were they the same as best man?)</span> <br /><br /> My husband wore a dark grey suit with ivory waist coat and ivory cravat. We hired all our groomsmen suits. The groomsmen wore the same suit but with a slightly different colour waist coat and a purple cravat. <br /><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The wedding party? (did you have bridesmaids/flowers girls/page boys and what did they wear?)</span> <br /><br /> I had 2 bridesmaids in purple chiffon dresses and 2 flower girls in ivory dresses. </div>
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<br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Did you have evening entertainment? (include little extras like sweet tables ect)</span> <br /><br />We had a dj for evening entertainment and also had a popcorn machine and sweets. </div>
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<span class="_3oh- _58nk"><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Now the wedding day is over, is there anything that you regret spending money on?</span> <br /><br /> I don't regret spending anything on the wedding day. I feel like I didn't have anything that wasn't necessary. <br /><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Did you stick to your budget?</span> </span></div>
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<span class="_3oh- _58nk">We got as close as possible. <br /><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Finally, other than marrying the person you love - what was your favourite thing about your wedding day?</span> </span></div>
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<span class="_3oh- _58nk">Wearing the dress of my dreams and feeling amazing. </span></div>
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<span class="_3oh- _58nk"><br />Thanks Emma for sharing your wedding day with us, the photos are beautiful and you looked amazing too. There's so many bits that remind me of our wedding, the perfume you wore and the flower girl dresses to name just a few!</span></div>
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Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-63207932293681615612017-09-05T11:06:00.001+01:002017-09-05T11:13:15.609+01:00I want shops to keep the GIRL / BOY sections in clothing stores.<div style="text-align: center;">
This blog post may get me a few unfollows but I have to be honest I say what I think. So many people are having their say about this at the moment and I'm getting a little irritated by everyone disagreeing with each other over something so simple, some people are being really rude on social media and there's just no need for it! </div>
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<u>LABELS - do they really matter on clothing?</u> <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Let your children wear what <strong>they </strong>want to!</span> </div>
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It's clothing... If your little boy wants to wear a top with a flower on it that's ok - <strong>shock, horror he may grow up to love flowers</strong>! (result if he brings mum home some flowers in the future huh?)<br />
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If he is in love with Disney and wants to play dress up, as a parent you need to help your children to discover who they want to be - your job is not to tell them who <u>they</u> are. <br />
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<strong>If your daughter wants to play with a toy car - does that mean she's paying with a 'boys' toy because last time I checked women drive too!</strong> <br />
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And whilst we are at it - dinosaurs? Just for boys? I think not. Blue is a colour - pink is a colour. I actually think a lot of children prefer pink because it just looks like a happier colour than dark blue? <em>Maybe consider that. </em>Oliver loves bright colours.</div>
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To hell with it, Oliver had a toy doll when he was a toddler! He's just fine. Now he is 8 years old and very into lego, batman, star wars and the idea that he ever played with a doll isn't something he remembers but boys see their parents with babies - why can't they be the same? <u>Its a toy</u>. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here's a confession for you; my son has never been allowed to play with a toy 'gun' but he has been allowed a doll! </span></div>
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In my opinion and please don't be offended if you let your child play with toy guns because that's your choice, a gun is not an ideal toy for a young child - it's a toy weapon. A doll however just teaches your child love and to be caring. If he picks up a stick and pretends it's a gun - that's using his imagination and being creative so I wouldn't tell him to stop but I won't be buying him a toy gun to run around with pretending to kill people. That's not a game. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>I want shops to keep the GIRL / BOY sections. Why?</strong></span></div>
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This is not because I think we should have or should need labels that say 'boy' or 'girl'. It is NOT because I think boys should have boys clothes and girls should have girls clothes but it's because I want to be able to find what I am looking for quickly- as a mum of two who often goes shopping with the kids knowing what I am looking for, I don't have the time to be hunting around the whole section.</div>
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If I am looking online I like to click 'boy' and the age I'm looking for. If I wanted something different - I'd search for it, I've no problem with that. </div>
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I don't care what the labels say - if its for a boy and my daughter likes it then she can wear it and same for my son. </div>
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By all means take the labels that say the gender off the items that's fine but please keep the separate sections to make life easier.<br />
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I want to be able to find what I am looking for quickly whether I'm looking for a flowery dress or a top with buses on... I don't want my shopping experience made even longer trying to find what I am looking for. Why can't we get rid of the gender labels if we really need to and just have sections. I don't know what you're going to call those sections - but I just don't want them all jumbled up. Clothes for everyone I say - I know what my children want to wear, I know what to buy for them and I don't need anyone else to tell me if that's ok or not! </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">You can put your child in the clothes they want without a label telling you it's ok to do so! </span></div>
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Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-64976000145182711412017-09-04T22:09:00.000+01:002017-09-04T22:09:17.511+01:00The Wedding Days Q&A <span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Welcome to my blog series 'The Wedding Days' where other couples (some bloggers, some non bloggers) share details about their big day by answering some questions. I LOVE weddings and seeing a few photos too! I'm really missing the planning of our big day which is why I created this series! So if you're anything like me, you're going to love this series too. If you want to get involved and share your wedding day with us then please get in touch - </span><a href="mailto:mummymemories2013@gmail.com"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">mummymemories2013@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>I'm going to start this series by telling you about my own wedding day! </b></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Tell us a little bit about you and where you met your husband/wife? (include <span class="il">the</span> proposal story if you want to) </span></strong><span style="color: black;"><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It was 10 years ago when I first met Michael when we were 18 years old through mutual friends - he had a girlfriend at the time and I refused to kiss him! I remember making him wait 45 minutes to meet me at cassiobury park in Watford! (sorry about that darling) he soon went to university and we stopped talking. I went on to have my first baby when I was 20 - Oliver! Then when Oliver was 2.5 years old, I officially became Michael's girlfriend! After a few years of being together I fell pregnant with Isabelle. <br /><br />The proposal - Michael knows me very well, I would have been so shy had he of asked me to marry him in front of a lot of people so on Christmas Eve 2015, he cooked me a meal and got down on one knee. He was a bit nervous so didn't wait until the end of the meal - it was cute. The ring was perfect for me too!</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Where was <span class="il">the</span> big <span class="il">day</span> and when was it?</span></strong><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our big day was at Shenley Cricket Centre in Radlett - the first venue we looked at, we did look elsewhere but it didn't compare to Shenley, we completely fell in love with the venue and when I was looking around I couldn't stop imagining how I would decorate it for the day. Because we booked it a few years in advance too we got a fantastic price on the package - having said that, even though it's gone up just a little it's still an amazing price! <br /><br />The staff were amazing too and helped make the day exactly what we wanted it to be. <br /><br />Saturday 25th March 2017 was the day!</span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What did <span class="il">the</span> Bride wear (where did you get your dress, what were your accessories, colour theme, flowers, shoes?)</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My wedding dress was from Berketex Bride - I actually got it at the National Wedding show in London which meant although it was from their new range I got it for a big discount! I had it altered a bit to have detachable straps. <br /><br />I had the most beautiful veil from Rainbow Club <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/05/wedding-veils-rainbow-club.html" target="_blank">*click here to have a look!*</a> and a pair of hand painted shoes from Elizabeth & Rose <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/06/hand-painted-wedding-shoes-elizabeth.html" target="_blank">*click here to have a look!*</a> I also had a matching clutch bag which is perfect for when I re use them! <br /><br />My tiara was by Berketex Bride too and my jewellery was a mixture of places, earrings were a bargain from Warren James, necklace was from Debenhams and the bracelet was from Next - all of which matched which was lucky! <br /><br />I got a fur shrug in the sale from John Lewis for £20 although I didn't need it in the day as for a March wedding we were very lucky with the weather! I did use it in the evening though.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br />Our co</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">lour theme was lilac - chosen by the groom actually, I wanted blue to begin with but I'm so happy we had lilac as it just looked lovely. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our flowers were roses and gyp. My bouquet was cream, pink and lilac roses with gypsophilia. My bridesmaid - who is my sister in law, had cream roses with gyp. The flower girls had heart wands with lilac roses. Button holes and mother of the bride/groom were cream roses. The table centres matched our flowers too and I used jam jars which I decorated using ribbon, lace and little wooden hearts. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What did <span class="il">the</span> Groom wear? </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Michael picked a traditional wedding suit, black tailcoat and grey striped trousers, white shirt, ivory waistcoat and ivory cravat. He wanted to be a little different from the other men and decided he would have an ivory cravat to match me whilst they had lilac to match the bridesmaid. It worked really well and looked lovely. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="il">The</span> <span class="il">wedding</span> party? </span></span></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I had one adult bridesmaid - my brother's wife. My brother gave me away as my dad passed away when I was 17. we had two flower girls and two page boys, 1 best man and 1 usher. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The flower girls had cute little BHS dresses called Isabelle <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/04/how-to-create-perfect-flower-girl-look.html" target="_blank">click here to have a look!</a><br /><br />My bridesmaid had a lilac dress by kaliko and picked her own shoes. Her jewellery and hair piece was by Glitzy Secrets. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Page boys were so cute as they matched the men! <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/05/roco-clothing-page-boy-suits.html" target="_blank">click here to have a look! </a> </span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you have evening entertainment? </span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We had a DJ who was great, our first dance was "how long will I love you" by Ellie Goulding. The DJ followed this by "your love keeps lifting me higher..." which got everybody up dancing. W</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">e had a green screen photo booth, a candy floss and popcorn cart as well as a sweet table. Everyone - especially the kids loved this! </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">What’s <span class="il">the</span> best bit of advice you could offer a future bride?</span></b></div>
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<b></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Don't worry about the little things, everything will come together! Don't worry if something doesn't go completely to plan - no one else knows what you've planned. Make sure you book a photographer you like, that you get along with and understands you as a couple. We spoke to a few before we met the photographer we wanted.</span></div>
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<b><br /><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Now <span class="il">the</span> <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span> is over, is there anything that you regret spending money on?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">No. For what we had I think I spent the money really wisely and we had a lovely day. </span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Did you stick to your budget? </span></b><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We went over our original budget by about £1000 - oops. </span></span><br />
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<b><span style="color: #6fa8dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Finally, other than marrying <span class="il">the</span> person you love - what was your favourite thing about your <span class="il">wedding</span> <span class="il">day</span>?</span></b><b><br /></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oliver's speech in the ceremony - he did so well and read an Irish blessing infront of 50+ people. Everyone loved it. And watching the children </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I hope you've enjoyed reading about our wedding day! If you'd like to get involved then get in touch :) #TheWeddingDays </span></div>
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Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-13229090597226937722017-09-04T14:42:00.002+01:002017-09-04T14:42:29.740+01:00LEGO Batman Movie Night 8th Birthday Party <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oliver really wanted a birthday party this year, after listening to the ideas he had and having a look around at prices I just couldn't justify spending a small fortune on a party for an 8 year old, we're talking £23per child on just the party - you've got the get the cake, party bags and bits on top of that meaning you'll end up spending loads on just a few hours fun - however much I love this newly turned 8 year old - I wanted to get him presents as well not spend the whole budget on a party which will last a few hours. If that money got each child something to keep then that would be a different story of c</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ourse. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">This said I obviously wanted to give him a birthday party that he would love, so thinking caps on and a look back at his birthdays throughout the years which you can read about <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/08/a-look-back-at-your-birthdays-birthday.html" target="_blank">here*click* </a>and we decided to have a LEGO Batman Movie night party. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I printed out some invites for his friends and let him pick 8 friends to invite - including his little sister there was 9 of them, <b><u>she wouldn't accept she wasn't actually invited and gatecrashed the whole thing</u></b> which the boys tolerated lets say! She's not the quietest film watcher and they handled that really well considering. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">LEGO Batman movie is Oliver's favourite you can read about it here when we went to the </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/02/the-lego-batman-movie-10th-february.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">Lego Batman Premiere </a> <span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">and also again here when we went to</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/07/lego-batman-summer-lovin.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">The Summer Lovin Lego Batman event to celebrate the launch of the DVD</a><span style="font-family: "arial";">, so he knew that he wanted it to be LEGO Batman themed. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The room was decorated with yellow and black lanterns - batman colours of course, 3 balloons - one was a number 8 balloon, one was a giant batman (nowhere local did a lego batman balloon :( so we had to settle for this one instead from the Card Factory) and another happy birthday super hero themed one which I found in a little local gift shop randomly the day before his party because it fitted so well we just had to have it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">I decided to create a skyline that looked like Gotham City to give the room a little something extra! I used A4 card from the kids craft box, luckily we had just enough black and yellow to make it. I then printed a bat sign to be the bat signal! The boys all thought it was cool. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The movie was the main entertainment of course but in addition to this all the boys got to dress up as Lego Batman (and one batgirl of course!) with super cool costumes from <strong><a href="http://www.jakks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">jakks</a> </strong>This was a huge hit with the boys and they loved to dress up as batman, a few of them were a bit unsure to begin with but especially after the movie they all got really into it and had so much fun. I remember loving to dress up as a child, children have the most incredible imaginations and wearing costumes really helps them to extend this further. All the parents agreed it was a fab idea and such a different thing to do for a birthday party. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">You can read more about the LEGO Batman and Batgirl costume when I publish the review really soon, so make sure you keep your eyes peeled, I'll pop back here to link up too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">We had LEGO Batman plates and bowls for popcorn from Amscan, as well as cool matching napkins. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">A party just isn't complete without with out party wear, we were </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">sent some Batman party wear from <a href="https://www.partybagsandsupplies.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Party Bags and Supplies</a> which was Batman themed and fitted in perfectly with our party as well as looking fantastic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The items were all great quality too. The rrp for this set is £28 which is a great price considering all you get without having to fuss about getting the bits separately. </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">Included was 8 x cups, 8 x plates, napkins a packet of 20, a table cover and 8 x filled party bags which was amazing because it took all of the stress away from sorting party bags - something I've always spent ages wondering what should be put into them and you must do them - party bags are expected by children now days! My son would be so confused if he wasn't handed a bag of goodies at the end of a party, it's not that this is something I think is 'required' it's just something that they are used to now and it's harmless fun anyway isn't it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br />Inside the party bags there was a temporary superhero tattoo, a wrist band, a toy and a packet of sweets - all batman themed which was great. I would always head to <a href="https://www.partybagsandsupplies.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">party bags & supplies</a> to get my party supplies easily in future. They arrived so quickly too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">During the film the boys all got popcorn, to my absolute amazement 3 huge bags disappeared so quickly.. I should have got more! *please note, if you do this... buy more popcorn - also maybe dish it up for them into pots instead of help yourself... some got loads and some got hardly anyway. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Food - mini sausage rolls, pizza and chips! Crisps and a variety of drinks including lemonade which usually I don't let Oliver have but as it was a special treat he could have it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">The cake - a normal batman cake wouldn't do. I also really wanted to get a cake that Isabelle could join in on and as she is allergic to dairy - she's got cows milk protein allergy, I decided the only option was to make the cake myself. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Luckily a few years ago I got a bit obsessed with a cake decorating magazine that was out, probably still is and I had a few tools left over from it so I used those to create this as as well as normal kitchen knife. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Chocolate sponge cake with chocolate buttercream icing covered in ready to roll g</span><span style="font-family: "arial";">rey icing, a bat logo made using black and yellow ready to roll icing and a combination of lego bricks made using ready to roll icing in black, yellow, grey and white. The kids loved it and it tasted nice too! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">So how was it having 9 children in my house and only me - my darling husband disappeared to the garden with a book to relax and left me to get on with it. He did help with a few bits including the food but that was it, actually it was fine. Would I do it again? yeah, they all seemed to have a great time!<br /><br />It's a unique idea and saves money too. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">He got so amazing presents for his birthday too so you'll be seeing some LEGO reviews coming soon including this amazing set! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";"><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;">*please note that we received batman costumes as part of a review coming separately. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">The party wear was gifted to us for the purpose of a review* </span><br />
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Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-22349147344434527602017-08-24T11:32:00.002+01:002017-08-24T11:32:28.025+01:00 Extend or Convert?<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-edbddd5c-13cb-6284-8d16-02708d21c2ca" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2012/03/02/12/48/ladder-21291_960_720.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Image Source</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you’re eager to add more space to your home building an extension or converting a garage/attic could be the solution. But which is the better option – to extend or convert? The truth is that they both have their pros and cons. Here are some factors to consider that could help you decide the route for you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Getting planning permission</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For most remodelling projects, planning permission is required. You’re likely to get away with a conversion more than you may do with an extension. Extensions may infringe on other people’s privacy or result in a tree having to be taken down. The only time you may have an issue with a conversion is a loft conversion that requires the </span><a href="https://modernize.com/home-ideas/32477/how-to-raise-the-roof-on-your-home" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">roof to be raised</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, potentially breaking height restrictions. As well as asking your council, you should also check that your neighbours are ok with the decision as it could affect their lives too by blocking out sun to their garden or simply being a noise disturbance.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Weighing up the costs</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Conversions are generally cheaper than extensions. The foundations, ceiling and general masonry is already there to work with when converting a loft or garage, so you only have to worry about costs such as fitting flooring and wiring. A conversion may become expensive if you have to raise the roof or build stairs leading up to it.</span></div>
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<a href="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7251/7697174534_c347b1a481_b.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Image Source</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Meeting liveable requirements</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A </span><a href="https://www.bobvila.com/articles/406-what-makes-a-room-a-bedroom/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">bedroom in a property</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> must meet certain specs in order for someone to legally live in it. This may include a minimum ceiling height, an easy fire escape and some form of insulation. In an extension, you may be able to work around these requirements more flexibly. Conversions could prove difficult in some houses in which a staircase up to a loft may be too expensive to build or a roof may be restricted from being raised.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Customising your renovation</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With an extension, you may have more freedom over the size and shape of your new living space. You may find that different materials can help to lower your budget or provide more insulation or have other advantages. </span><a href="http://armstrongsteel.com/network/future-first-time-builders/can-you-live-in-a-metal-building/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Metal building homes</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> for example don’t have the problem of load bearing walls like your standard homes built of brick and mortar. With a conversion you have to work within a set space in which the walls and ceiling material has already been chosen for you.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Clearing the space</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Both a conversion and extension will require you to do some clearing. Clearing land for extension may require thorough weeding, whilst clearing a space for a conversion may require a lot of decluttering. The latter could be a problem if you have objects stored there that you don’t want to get rid of and can’t relocate. </span><a href="https://www.uhaul.com/Storage/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Renting self-storage</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> could an option for keeping onto these belongings but not a long-term solution. An extension therefore may be better suited for those with lots of stuff in their homes. </span></div>
<br />Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7943736631601880418.post-78042273801651406442017-08-09T12:04:00.000+01:002017-08-09T12:04:27.217+01:00My daughter doesn't have friends yet, there you go I said it. <span style="font-family: "arial";">I have a confession and now September is quickly approaching I feel the need - the desire to get it off my chest. I feel a huge amount of guilt for this because my daughter doesn't have any real friends yet and with her due to start nursery in September I worry this will affect her ability to make friends when she starts there. She's been at a nursery before but it all went tits up - you can read about that disaster here if you'd like to <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/07/allergy-children-shouldnt-be-excluded.html" target="_blank">click here!</a> but because she wasn't there for very long at all, I didn't even meet any of the other parents! She only went 3 mornings a week which she loved and she came out chatting away about the other kids she had been playing with that day. So I guess that shows she can make friends, right?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">But I didn't make any effort to find out who these children were. I didn't try to make contact with their parents for play dates. See, the truth is - <span style="font-size: large;">I'm rubbish at making mum friends!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial";">Which means we don't have that group of friends we see often, she doesn't have a best friend yet and she doesn't get invited to parties, have many play dates or anything like that. She does interact with other children don't get me wrong but we don't have that friendship group we see a lot. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAkFftwvEj8WbAsz99_qvOeLlj_i9LtdFpnSxdB75kzrX4sdZfpoJwrClnoKkEGF2yIdvvvTZhRVQMqzktQd6gSBjn4aOVuL5xM4CuLFVuA19jeC6XPuR2-lqfqIJfpoug5sD_GByGZE/s1600/13716202_817623128339385_9210851536762247235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVAkFftwvEj8WbAsz99_qvOeLlj_i9LtdFpnSxdB75kzrX4sdZfpoJwrClnoKkEGF2yIdvvvTZhRVQMqzktQd6gSBjn4aOVuL5xM4CuLFVuA19jeC6XPuR2-lqfqIJfpoug5sD_GByGZE/s640/13716202_817623128339385_9210851536762247235_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm really not very good at making friends anymore, my whole world is in this house, my kids and my husband, so I've really struggled with making mum friends more so since having Isabelle than before. Most of my friends don't have their own children yet so it's not like I've got friends with kids for her to play with.<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />I feel so guilty that she desperately wants a best friend but she doesn't have one.</span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Will I have rubbed off on her and she'll struggle to make a best friend or two at nursery in September? I hate the idea of her being the only one without a friendship group as she grows up. Now I can sit here and pretend that I'm going to try my hardest to make friends with the mums at the nursery but I'm not sure I will. Hopefully I will. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm going to have a little birthday party for her, it'll probably be something cheap and creative and invite children from her nursery so hopefully that will a) give her an opportunity to build friendships further and b) let me meet the other parents properly to be able to set up play dates c) get rid of the guilt for not having her a birthday party this year, which I recently confessed to in a post about her brothers birthday celebrations, he actually had a 3rd birthday with lots of toddlers invited, oh more mum guilt, you can read about that <a href="http://www.mummymemories.com/2017/08/a-look-back-at-your-birthdays-birthday.html" target="_blank">by clicking here!</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I know I'm being silly, she's only 3 - how much can this affect the rest of her life? I also know that I can't be alone in feeling like this, how many mums avoid play groups because they make them feel awkward and like all the other mums are clicky? all those mums probably felt the same at one stage. Sometimes mums are lucky and their friends have babies at the same time but majority of us are in it alone to start with, finding our feet and trying to find new people to have a coffee with... then some parents go back to work, whilst others like me stay at home with the children. It's hard to make new mum friends especially if you've had a traumatic birth, if you're so tired from no sleep or struggling with something like breastfeeding in the early days, then you get into bad habits of avoiding the baby groups you'd probably love but won't give them a proper chance.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oi9faKOWZywze9ibkJXORu6RZaOj7DSSLazp996gdwu0QpVcb0ybIR827swP-Sr-6gT3dMV9UcXOZYAxTciiL-ZLwx7i6qnaix1-8yvjQBoip5zoE67acTqPHAyycM4zeBY3UY0ggC4/s1600/13729187_817623255006039_8479544147110433516_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7oi9faKOWZywze9ibkJXORu6RZaOj7DSSLazp996gdwu0QpVcb0ybIR827swP-Sr-6gT3dMV9UcXOZYAxTciiL-ZLwx7i6qnaix1-8yvjQBoip5zoE67acTqPHAyycM4zeBY3UY0ggC4/s640/13729187_817623255006039_8479544147110433516_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><i>And, oh, dear husband, if you read this, don't you dare comment with how I should have gone to more baby groups with her! I went to some... anyway, it's really not too late for me to find a lovely weekend play group for </i><b><i>YOU </i></b><i>to take her to if you so wish darling? *Nah, I'm sure you understand because you're lovely and you watch me every day with the children hardly ever leaving there side, sometimes there's been tears huh?... moving on.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Surely she will realise how to make friends anyway, she has interacted with other kids, she has her brother and her big family, nursery will help them to learn the friendship if she struggles? Although, I'm 28 years old and not that great at it myself, I'm sure she'll be fine won't she? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Ah. We'll see in September! </span>Mary-Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13281966273831546838noreply@blogger.com0