What I Wore Wednesday..

..the sun is finally shining edition!

I just hope that I don’t scare it away again by daring to bare my arms and toes.

(Floral top – Dorothy Perkins, ink blue skinny jeans – M&S, butterfly bracelet – Topshop, sandals – Limited Collection at M&S, watch – Michael Kors) 

I bought these sandals weeks and weeks and WEEKS ago and this is the first time that I’ve actually been able to wear them. In fact, I’m sure if I remember rightly, The Never Ending Rain began the day after I bought them. Funny that. Anyway, I love these sandals. I love the pop of neon on an otherwise ordinary pair of gladiators. Plus they are made from leather as soft as butter. I’m thinking these are going to be a Summer staple for me. Hark at me talking about Summer after one day of sun, huh? I hope I’m not tempting fate.

The top I’ve had for quite a while and I love the bright floral pattern. It has lovely ruching around the neckline, cap sleeves and waist too making it just a really nice fit. The little bracelet I picked up in the sale in Topshop and my girls have their eye on it so I’m not sure how long I’ll manage to keep hold of it so at least I have photographic evidence that it was once on my wrist!

The jeans have featured again and again on my What I Wore posts (I promise I do take them off sometimes) But what can I say? For me at least, good jeans are hard to find and I love these to bits. I love the dark ink colour and they are a fabulous fit. In fact I love them so much that I bought a second pair last week. I’ve turned them up today and that’s as much leg as you are likely to see, for now at least! Ha!

I’m linking up with Transatlantic Blonde’s What I Wore Wednesday this week. Do click on the badge below to see the rest of this weeks entries, I know I will be.

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Thought of the day

 

 

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Time to be me

This time last week, I was heading home after the most amazing time in London. I have attempted to write this post over and over this week and kept ditching it as somehow the words just wouldn’t flow. I guess I was feeling guilty about not feeling guilty. Somewhere along the line it has been (wrongly) ingrained into me that maybe I shouldn’t enjoy my (very rare) child free time quite as much as I do. Or at least not say it out loud. But do you know what? I actually love my own company. Probably because it is such a rare occurrence.

I think this weekend will stay with me for a very long time. Cybher itself was such an incredible day and being surrounded by so many amazing and totally inspiring women left me with itching blogging fingers. In a good way. I fell in love with my little corner of the blogosphere all over again. Blogging has brought me many things and this weekend made me realise just what it means to me. It has enabled me to find a confidence that I thought was lost forever and reignited a love for writing.

But most of all, it has led me to make the most incredible friends and for that I will always be so very grateful. After looking forward to it and talking about it for oh so long, finally being able to squish down into a leather sofa together and put the world to rights is just the best. (Laughing over vino and trying to figure out what the hell the people on the next table are talking about is quite fun too) But best of all, having a friend who truly believes in you can make you feel like you can take on the world. One of those friends who has a way of knowing just what to say. And they make you start to believe that maybe just maybe that long standing joke of them being first in line at your book signing isn’t impossible after all.

On Sunday morning, I was awake at silly o’clock. I think my children have broken me forever as I seem to have lost the ability to be able to sleep in these days. Even a pile of unread magazines, the tv remote to myself and room service just a call away wasn’t enough to tempt me to just laze there in bed. (A former me from a former life wouldn’t recognise me these days I swear) So anyway, I made the most of it and took myself off for a wander. It was absolute bliss. Strolling around London, coffee in hand. Time to take it all in without having to stop to do a head count. Alone with my thoughts and time to breath. And London you were truly beautiful that morning. In fact, just the tonic that this blogger needed.

I loved having time to be just me. Time to enjoy the company of wonderful friends. And hopefully time to draw a line under all that has happened this year and try to find the strength to move forward somehow. Something that I didn’t think would ever be possible.

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What I Wore Wednesday..

..the Cybher edition!

I haven’t got a decent picture of what I wore to Cybher from the actual day so this is a tiny bit of a cheat as the pictures are from this morning. I’m nothing if not dedicated, what can I say!

(Cream chiffon top – Next, cream/gold camisole underneath – H&M, ink blue skinnies – M&S, bespoke ballet flats – c/o Upper Street Shoes, freshwater pearl bracelet – Eyre, Sweetie bracelet – Links of London, Sweetie Candy Hearts bracelet – Links of London, Watch – Michael Kors, Anna handbag – LK Bennett) 

You wouldn’t believe how many times I changed my mind about what I was going to wear to Cybher. Well actually, if you know me or stop by my blog regularly you might. Anyway, when I finally decided to go down the jeans route instead of a dress, then there was no question that I would be wearing my beloved Upper Street Shoes and using my new and much longed for Anna handbag so I chose my top around them.

I got so many lovely compliments about my top so I was a bit embarrassed to have to confess that I actually bought it yonks ago from Next of all places! Ha! I bought it last year for my trip to Buckingham Palace and I figured hey, if it’s good enough for her Maj, then it’s good enough for Cybher. Just to be clear, I was at the Palace to visit Kate’s dress not actually meet the Queen. And yes I really am that much of a nut job that I went to see that wedding dress. Lucky for me, I have a friend who is equally as mad (clearly!) to take me. Anyway, I digress, sorry!

I purposely didn’t buy anything new for Cybher as I didn’t want it to turn into some kind of mission impossible of trying to find The Most Perfect Outfit and I’m glad that I went down the ransacking of the old wardrobe route instead. I knew that it would be a long day and I wanted it to be comfortable day too. It made complete sense to me to wear the comfiest ballet flats I own which also happen to be the most stylish shoes I have probably EVER owned! And the same with the top too. It’s something that I feel completely comfortable in and also has great memories attached. Although I didn’t think it out completely as it might be lovely but it also has buttons all the way down the back and of course I didn’t have the Mr on hand to fasten them up what with being away in that there London (I knew he came in useful for something dammit!) Anyway, I will leave to your imagination the kind of knots that I tied myself into getting ready that morning *cough*

Do click on the badge below to take a look at the other entries over at Transatlantic Blonde this week, I know I will be!

P.S. For some reason, the picture of my handbag has taken it upon itself to rotate and being the technical dunce that I am, I have no clue how to turn it back around again. Ahem. So erm, if you could just tilt your head a bit, that would be lovely. Thank you. 
 
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What I learnt at Cybher

Sometimes when you are walking around in circles completely lost, it is best to just ask for directions straight away. Say if you get lost in the maze like hotel corridors and pass the same cleaners three times and still haven’t found your room, for example.

Your fingers might twitch but it is in fact completely possible to resist the urge to Instagram pictures of everything in sight when having drinks in the Waldorf. They really were amazing chandeliers though, honest.

Catching up with a friend who you haven’t seen for far too long but feeling completely at ease from the second that you sink down into that squishy leather sofa together, is just the best feeling ever. But time has a very unfair way of going way too fast.

Your first chance to have a huge and really very comfortable bed all to yourself means that you will barely sleep a wink. Same goes for sleeping in. I think my children have broken me forever.

Arriving at the conference with one of your oldest and very bestest blogging chums keeps the nerves at bay. And the whole day will be all the better for it.

Handing out your business cards to people who you know already and coming home with business cards from people who you talk to every day is probably not the finest example of networking ever. But at least I actually remembered to take my cards with me this year.

Some people look just like their avatars. Others really don’t. Oh, and some people have much bigger boobs than you realised. In fact, even bigger than they realised to be fair.

One of my favourite sessions of the day quite possibly included a plastic cup of wine and a quick round of Vagingo. Although I’m still trying to work out who the hell is Mary Potter.

Despite having a mental list of people who I Really Must Get Together With To Speak To Properly, you still don’t get to see them all. Too many people and just not enough time make you realise that you really must make firm plans next time.

Oh, and being lucky enough to have friends that actually do the whole making firm plan things really pays off. It means that a very long day is rounded off in a restaurant with a round table and enough cackling to make your ribs ache.

On the train home, the relief of the woman with no sense of personal space getting off will only be short-lived as she was replaced by the man with the smelliest sandwich ever. But then you will quickly have to take back everything that you said to Twitter about needing a private jet when the smelly sandwich man actually turns out to be a complete gentleman and helps you with your heavy case.

The biggest thing that I have taken away from Cybher though is that my blog has led to me making the most incredible friendships. I am so proud to call so many truly amazing and completely inspiring women my friends.

Oh, and I really can’t write this without adding on a huge thank you to my sponsors Villa Parade and of course a huge round of applause to Sian and the team for putting together the best day ever. Here’s to the next Cybher ladies! 

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Cybher here I come….

….all packed and ready to go.

Now, what have I forgotten..?

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All kinds of awesome

I’m the first to admit that I’m not very good with change. And I also freely admit how I bumble along quite literally making it up as I go along. The thought of my eldest two becoming teenagers has quite frankly been something that has filled me with absolute fear and dread. The teen years are arguably the biggest challenge yet and I have said a thousand times before that I would take sleepless nights and leaky boobs over this any day.

But last week, it hit me like a thunderbolt that I had got it all wrong. Teens are in fact bloody fabulous. Or at least they can be. If you put aside the grumpiness, the raging hormones and smelly bedrooms of course. The only thing that had been stopping me from seeing their fabulousness was my own fear of not knowing how to be a parent to teens. How completely and utterly stupid.

When I stopped to take a breath I realised that teens are in fact amazing company. They are full of life and energy (not first thing in a morning when you are trying to get them out of bed for school of course, that goes without saying) But it’s almost infectious. They are on the cusp of becoming fully fledged adults and I’m beginning to see the grown-ups that my children will soon become. And they are all kinds of awesome. So awesome in fact that I sometimes wonder if they really are my children.

I can see so much of myself in my children and it actually makes my heart swell with pride like I have never known. My son is like me in so many ways from a funny thing we both do with our eyebrows when we are chuntering under our breath to the way we are always both right *cough* But with my daughter in particular, the likeness is just astounding. It is honestly like having the chance to meet my teenage self. Except she is like a new and improved version of me, full of the confidence that I never ever had. I love their spirit. I love that they are so full of life and hope. They are hopefully on the cusp of such wonderful lives and I am excited to be there as they unfold.

It’s such an amazing time in their lives. I am so glad that I can see that now. And share in it and even cherish it. Of course, I’m not expecting the years ahead to be plain sailing and I know that there are quite possibly years of hell ahead. But instead of fearing what might lie ahead, I think I’d rather enjoy the right now. You see right now, I feel like I might just be able to actually do this whole being the parent of teenagers thing after all. By the skin of my teeth of course, that goes without saying. But maybe change doesn’t have to be that scary after all.

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