Review of the Holiday Inn Kensington, London booked via Groupon

The week after Mothers Day my Mum and I met in London for an overnight stay to enjoy some time together without the kids constantly disturbing us. I'd bought the hotel room as my Mums Christmas present and got a very good deal via Groupon. If I'm honest I hadn't really known where I was booking for, as it was advertised a bit cryptically on Groupon. It just said 4* Kensington Hotel with Full English breakfast for two and spa access for £97 in March. It was only upon investigating the postcode that I discovered it was the Holiday Inn.

I'd also bought the same deal for my husband and Miss M to stay there in February and that was just £86 and I had a Groupon 10% off code. With both deals, I was able to go via Quidco too and claim 5% cashback on both bookings. So both bookings turned out to be excellent value for a stunning hotel, that I will happily book in to again.

Arrival at the Hotel

The hotel is literally a 5 minute walk from Kensington High Street tube station and this makes it so easy and accessible. There are shops, coffee shops, restaurants, bars and everything you need very close to hand.

You're greeted by a doorman when you arrive and he'll take your bags if they are big or heavy. Check-in was very easy and not at all busy when we arrived at about 2.30pm. Officially the rooms are ready from 3pm but we were lucky we could access our room straight away. We were up on the 6th floor and there was two lifts to access the upper floors but one appeared to be out of order whilst we were there. It was easy enough to walk down though. I like that you have to use your key card to access the upper floors, that makes you feel safe.

Public Areas

As you walk in the hotel to the left there is a nice Starbucks coffee shop, which is 24 hours and that's so useful. There is also a very large bar area with plenty of comfy seats and it looks stylish and somewhere you'd happily meet friends or colleagues. There is also lots of big seating areas in the lobby so you can relax or wait for a friend. Of course we didn't use them but we saw loads of conference rooms at the hotel too. 

Visit Guernsey to discover the real Island behind the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

For most of us living in the U.K it is hard to even imagine war nowadays. We are so far removed from the concept of war that truthfully it can be hard to relate. But roll the clocks back around 75 years and some of our fellow countrymen were in a completely different situation. Guernsey was under occupation and the Islanders were having to live alongside their oppressors, the Nazis.

When we travelled to the Channel Islands around four years ago I was fascinated to discover that many locals had to live through occupation. I would never have called myself a history buff but it is all riveting and there is so much to see and to learn. Especially when you have children with you as they'll be learning about WW2 at school and visiting Guernsey becomes a living and exciting history lesson.

But why am I bringing this up now? Well, I'm sure you'll have seen the trailers for the new film that was released on 20th April - The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society and if not, take a peek below. I'm can't wait to see it this weekend at the cinema, it looks to be a story of courage, tragedy and love all rolled in to one.

Personalised Phone and Tablet Cases from GoCustomized.co.uk

Let's be honest, personalised phone cases are nothing new. They've been around for years now and there are hundreds of suppliers of them. I've never had an interest in them before as the ones I've seen have mostly been low quality hard cases or wallets and that's not what I like. I know what I want and I'm quite a hard woman to please.

Since I got my first iPhone back in 2012 its always been a soft silicon type case I like, usually plain as I like to keep it simple. I choose silicon or rubber as I love the reassurance of the big plastic bumper around my fragile glass screen and in the four iPhones I've had I've not had a broken screen yet! So for me its the right choice.

My New Phone Case
However, now I have a personalised phone case I have to admit that I didn't know what I was missing. I haven't compromised, I still have my flexible silicon cover but I also have the most divine picture of myself, my twin girls and my mum smiling at me each time I grab my phone. It is the best photo and it reminds me of a great day together.

My phone cover came from gocustomized.co.uk and cost £14.99, this seems a very reasonable price to me as the generic ones that I can find in the shops are either that price or more. It's also one of the better silicon covers I've owned as the material is nice and thick and fits my phone very snugly, so it can't escape. The lip (or bumper) over the glass screen is also thick and quite raised to give the best protection.

Fancy Changing your Teens Life with NCS?

If I told you that your year 11 could develop leadership skills, build their confidence and make new friends this summer would you be interested?

Would you be even more interested if I said all this would cost you just £50 (maximum) and that your teen would be fully engaged in the most amazing outdoor team-building exercises, a residential for participants to learn ‘life skills’, a community-based social action project and an end of programme celebration event, all over a period of two to four weeks?

The National Citizen Service (NCS)
It sounds amazing, right? I'm sure you want to hear more about the National Citizen Service (NCS), the providers of all this fun. My JJ isn't even 15 yet but I am so pleased to have discovered NCS as I'll definitely be chatting to him about taking part once he has finished his GCSE's. He despairs of me sometimes as I'm forever on at him about being a good citizen; it is one of the most important values I aim to instil in JJ (and my girls to as they grow) as I feel it is far too easy in this day and age to be self-centered and to forget the value of community and working together for the greater good.

“Programmes like NCS are a good way to develop confidence and leadership skills to encourage a new generation of business and community leaders.” Sir Richard Branson

Easter Happy Holiday Days

We've had a lovely couple of weeks with the kids off school but I have to be honest, I am now ready for them to go back to school. I haven't really done any work and my house is feeling neglected BUT if you asked my girls I bet they'd say they've had a wonderful time and whilst JJ hasn't done half as much with me as they have I bet he'd say he was happy too, as I let him indulge his online gaming passion with his mates these last couple of days!

Easter was spent at home relaxing and we had a great early morning service up by the cross on Easter Sunday morning. Then Monday we headed to Bridgwater and stayed over there before a stop at the beautiful Dunster Castle.

Booking a Cottage via Airbnb: The White House, Fakenham, Norfolk

Booking with Airbnb
Last summer for my birthday we took our first Airbnb break. I was a little nervous as I booked because I'd heard both good and bad stories of people's experiences. We just wanted a few days away as a family of five but because it was the Summer school holidays everything costs a bomb. Luckily we’d already had our main family holiday so I figured if it all went wrong we’d still be OK, only four hours from home.

Nothing went wrong though, I need not have feared, we had the most amazing stay at the White House, Little Snoring, Fakenham, Norfolk. The owner Ceila was efficient from my first email communication and when we met her it was clear she could not do enough to make her guests stay memorable. We stayed for three nights and it so was good to be able to choose our length of stay rather than being dictated to by a holiday park. I paid £275.35 in total for the three nights, so that's less than £100 a night for the five of us and I think that's good value for the school holidays. 

With Airbnb bookings it is worth noting that you have a price per night quoted when you search and then there will be a cost on top for cleaning he property and also the service charge, which goes to Airbnb for running the website and providing the support.

I found all the communication very good via Airbnb, you can send questions to prospective property hosts and then communicate with the host of the property you book. I got both emails and text messages from Ceila and she was happy to help with all my queries.

Each host has their own terms and conditions in regard to cancellations, so it is worth checking those out before you book and see if there are any reviews. I like to book a tried and tested property with a number of good reviews. I have seen a few properties and the only reviews are that the host cancelled the booking at short notice, of course I wouldn't dream of booking one of those. 

Reasons to be Cheerful: Social Media, Baptism and Italian Food

Happy Thursday friends. How are you doing? Can you believe it is Easter tomorrow? This month seems to have gone by in a flash and next Thursday Reasons to be Cheerful will be back over with Becky at Lakes Single Mum for the month of April.

I've had a good week and here are just a few of the things that have been making me really cheerful in the last week -

*  I've been getting great feedback on the social media work that I'm doing for Ashburnham Place. It's so nice to be doing something that is appreciated and hopefully making a difference to the number of people who know about what we do and perhaps want to volunteer here.

*  One of our community members got baptised on Sunday evening.We had a great time of worship and prayer by the bonfire and then she braved our lake for a full-immersion baptism, it was really beautiful.

A Beginners Guide to Giving Blood in the UK

Last week I was super happy to give blood. A pint, that's all they take. My body doesn't miss it and luckily for me I've always found it a really easy and painless process. This time I was at the donation centre for 35 minutes start to finish and that blood I gave might save someones life. It's worth it, right?

This was my 23rd donation and I'm already booked in for my 24th in September. As a woman I can give blood every 16 weeks and men are able to give every 12 weeks but of course you have to do what is convenient for you and that's why I've only given 23 times since 1998. But I refuse to beat myself up that it could have been far more because that is 23 pints of blood that have made a big difference to some people and I really love the fact nowadays that I get a text after donation to tell me where my blood has gone to, it really helps me feel connected to the process.

Surely they have enough blood already?

I bet you know someone who has received blood. Most of us do whether we realise it or not. The NHS need 6,000 blood donations every day to ensure there is enough blood to meet demands within England. This means they need 200,000 new donors every year to replenish those who can no longer donate. Over half of regular donors are over 45 years old and as such more young people need to start donating to ensure there is enough blood in the future.

There is a particular need for more people from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to give blood so there is adequate supply of certain blood types. Especially blood from black donors that can be given to black patients with sickle cell disease.

JJ, Age 14 Reviews the Young Driver Experience at Bluewater, Kent

Today we took the 90 minute drive from our home on the South-east coast up to Bluewater, the massive shopping centre in Kent. Shopping wasn't our main reason for the visit though, no today was about JJ enjoying one of his Christmas gifts. He had received a gift voucher for a 1 hour Young Driver experience and he was super keen to get behind the wheel of the car.

He's nearly 15 but hasn't tried out driving before so we had no idea how well he would take to it. On the one hand he is very intelligent and takes in information really easily but on the other this was the kid who had occupational therapy for a few years as he could hardly balance and had no spacial awareness. I need not have worried though as JJ took to it like a duck to water.

Off they go to start the lesson

What are Young Driver Lessons?
If your child is between 10 and 17 years of age they can sign up for a 30 or 60 minute lesson at one of over 60 venues across the UK. Young Driver have been giving lessons since 2009, delivering over 500,000 lessons with hand-picked, DBS checked instructors. The cost is £36.95 for a 30 minute lesson or £67.95 for a 60 minute lesson. I also see that they do birthday party packages and I think the price of £66 for a 15 minute lesson for four children is excellent. Do keep your eyes peeled on money saving sites too, as I've spotted a number of special offers around.

24 Hours in London - Reasons to be Cheerful #R2BC

This week I'm dedicating my reasons to be cheerful post to a great 24 hours last weekend spent with my Mum in London, belatedly celebrating Mothers Day. We've done this the last few years and it is a really nice treat to look forward to.

We start the weekend off with me heading over to meet Mum at Waterloo and enjoy a good cup of coffee at Costa, of course having a right old natter to catch up on what has been going on since we last spoke. The weather is then far too nice to head down to the underground so we walk along the South Bank and take in the street performers and the great atmosphere on the way to Westminster tube station.

There we pick up the tube to go to High Street Kensington as we are staying in the Holiday Inn just off the High Street and only a few minutes walk from the tube station. It proves to be an excellent hotel and I'll write up a review, even though I paid for it as my Mums Christmas gift.

The Importance of Spending One-on-One Time With Your Children

Every parent wants to have that joyous bond with their child. One where they are both respected as parent and cherished as friend. I think one of the keys to that closeness and developing a special relationship that will last a lifetime and weather the storms is spending intentional one-on-one time with each of your children.

Now before you start telling me that you have six kids, no money and your partner works away from home, this doesn't have to be expensive or too time intensive.

Yes, of course you can have those kind of special times too. Both my girls chose time as their main Christmas present this year, so during February half-term Miss M will go away with my husband to London to see a show and stay overnight. Then a few days later Miss E will go away with me to see my Mum and stay in a great hotel with a pool. We will all have the most amazing time I'm sure and in doing so we cement our relationships further.

Yippee, Its National Slime Day Today! Glam Goo Deluxe Pack Review

Well who knew there was even such a thing as national slime day? I certainly didn't but it seems fitting for this year as my girls love to make slime and there is always a collection of tubs of the gooey stuff on our side.

When I asked the girls if they wanted to have a play with Glam Goo for National Slime Day they were thrilled and said yes straight away, as we make tons of white and coloured slime but good clear slime is a much harder make and that is what comes with the Glam Goo Deluxe pack. The RRP is £22.99 but to be honest it seemed to mostly be selling for £29.99 at well-known toy stores such as Argos and Smyths Toys.

In the Deluxe pack you get the clear Glam Goo in a pink storage case, 3 sprinkles, 2 colour pigments, a scent and of course the glamorous slime storage handbag and ring. The girls love it that you can mix and match all the sparkles and colours to make lots of different small batches of slime and as you can see in the handbag below, they really are very pretty.

The bag has a pink cover that goes inside it to ensure it stays air-tight and the slime lasts. We have had ours made for a couple of weeks now and I find you have to play with it to warm up the slime a little but it then still has good stretch. If you try to do it too quick, it does snap a bit.

My girls have done a full vlog review of the Glam Goo Deluxe Pack. Why don't you take a look at their video and see how they got on?

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And if you fancy making your own slime then do head over to YouTube and have a look at our Easy Homemade Slime playlist.

Disclosure: We received 2 packs of Glam Goo for the purpose of this review. I have not been instructed what to write and I remain honest. 

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A Week of Reasons to be Cheerful

Home sweet home and the sun is shining!

It's time for our weekly dose of cheerfulness and I am feeling a lot more like myself than I did last week. Sadly my lovely aunt passed away, so I'll be heading to her funeral on Tuesday but I'm so thankful she is no longer in loads of pain.

Here's my week of cheer -

Thursday - I had a good session with the little boy I coach through the charity TLG. Then in the evening I headed to Tesco whilst my girls were at Guides and I got a new coat for the Spring. It is raspberry coloured and I love it.

Friday - We headed out for a meal for my friend Annie's birthday and the food was exquisite. I had a chicken breast stuffed with spiced lamb and spinach and coated in a mild curry sauce with pomegranate seeds, sultanas and sunflower seeds.

Super Lucky to be Here: Happy Mothering Sunday #isurvived

JJ, my boy who made me Mummy

Happy Mothering Sunday Friends. I wish every woman out there an amazing day, be she a mother herself or a mother figure. This day isn't only to be celebrated and enjoyed by those who have given birth it is also for those who selflessly offer their heart and soul loving others in the way a mother often does.

This is the 16th Mothering Sunday that I have celebrated. Of course JJ isn't actually that old yet but my hubby bought a card from the bump (AKA JJ) back in March 2003, seven months before he was even born. I remember being so thrilled to receive that first card and some flowers (if I remember rightly) as it was the start of my maternal journey, having thought previous to this that I might never have children.

I do remember feeling very special when I was pregnant but I had quite a lot of sickness for the first few months and I just looked extra fat rather than glowing with a perky bump. I did then get about four good months with JJ just before he was born but then stupidly I decided it would be great to have him in September rather than October, as was his due date. So I cleared and cleaned the house and then started to gut the garage. I remember I worked like a Trojan and it was very satisfying, well up to the point when I saw my midwife that afternoon and she started to worry about high blood pressure, excessive oedema in my ankles and belly, and protein in my urine.

Yes, it turns out I had pre-eclampsia. I've no idea if all my 'nesting' added to my getting this condition but it surely didn't help it and I was taken off to the hospital that evening for monitoring and a scan. It was decided that they wouldn't let me go too much over my due date and thus I was booked in for an induction on 3rd October 2003 when I would be 40+2 weeks.

Whilst my induction with JJ was a bit of a debacle and took me quite some time to emotionally recover from, I am still enormously grateful that we have the NHS in this country and that when JJ's heart rate kept decelerating, I could have the C-section without any delay. Then when the spinal blocks and epidural didn't work, there was an anaesthetist on hand who was able to give me a general straight away. Luckily JJ was fine and he hadn't swallowed any meconium as was feared and over the next few weeks I healed too.

Sunset Scooting at Bexhill-on-Sea

Isn't it good to break out from the norm sometimes? During half-term we grabbed my husband out of work early on the Friday afternoon and dropped JJ off so he could go away for an adventure weekend with our church. Then the rest of us headed down to my favourite local seaside town, Bexhill-on-Sea for some fresh air and exercise.

Happy Thursday - Seeking Out the Reasons to be Cheerful

I love the ice fountain but am happy it is now about 10 degrees warmer and has running water again

It's been a funny old week. I've had moments of elation and others of almost despair. However nothing is massively wrong with me, so please don't worry but I think the news that one of my aunts is terminally ill is having a real impact on me. She is the most lovely woman and I only found her about twenty years ago and haven't even seen her that much but I just knew she was there and we spent a lovely couple of days together last year when she came to stay. I'm really hoping I can organise to get up to see her very soon. Whilst prayer is great, it isn't quite the same as seeing her in the flesh.

Anyway, this is supposed to be a cheery post, so I'm going for some quick-fire reasons to be cheerful:

1.   I love streaming TV. I know it may sound a naff reason but the US box sets do make me so cheerful. I'm particularity loving Netflix right now, we just started to watch Quantico. Everything sucks was an easy watch and I'm getting into Riverdale too.

2.   I've got some new paid work doing social media for the conference centre where I live. It's only short-term initially but it is something I used to do on a voluntary basis a couple of years back and I really enjoyed it, so I'm glad to get back to it and be rewarded for it too.

Beautiful Silver Child's Locket from Molly Brown London: Review

Have you heard of Molly Brown London? I hadn't until last week but now I am so glad that I have. Molly Brown London is a British high-end children's jewellery brand established in 2006 and upon its launch it was dubbed ‘Tiffany for girls’ by VOGUE Magazine. I can certainly see why, just look at their packaging, if you changed the beautiful pink and chocolate brown packaging to robin egg blue it could easily be mistaken for the iconic brand. No wonder it is widely accepted as some of the best in the business.

The founder Erica Illingworth believes that “A love of jewellery can be inspired at any age and hopefully indulged for a lifetime.” My girls really did feel very special from the moment they took their individual Molly Brown London bag out of the delivery box.

A piece of Molly Brown London jewellery might be the first taste of luxury that your little girl has experienced and what a wonderful introduction to the finer things in life. Don't think that it has to be super expensive though as the price for a beautiful necklace starts from as little as £30 and actually at the moment they have some amazing sale items for just £12, I'm definitely going to be picking up some gifts.

The Ultimate Guide to Returning to Work after Maternity

Mother and Baby Image, thanks to Pixabay

Not so long ago you were preparing for the arrival of your little bundle of joy. You were setting up the nursery, getting hold of all sorts of paraphernalia - bibs, baby grows, toys and soothers, and eagerly awaiting for the initial pangs of labour to kick in. Your other half had got the hospital bag, you were eating spicy food to try and kick-start your baby's entry into the world, and you couldn't wait to start your new life as a family of three. Fast forward twelve months and you’ve had a year off with your little one and you’re relishing the joys of mummy hood, but the time has come to go back to work. Perhaps this terrifies you? You don’t know if you can leave your little darling in the hands of a stranger, albeit a well-qualified professional, and you panic that going back to the world of employment will make you a bad mother.

Hang on - Take a step back and assess your situation. Maybe going back to work is a positive step. You will have the chance to reconnect with colleagues and friends, and you’ll have the chance to be professionally fulfilled once again. You won’t have to spend twenty-four hours a day speaking baby babble, and you can have an adult conversation. You’ll be able to challenge yourself and continue your professional development. While you may ache to return to work, you may also fear the pangs of missing your precious offspring. This is normal and shows just how much you unconditionally love your child. However, heading back to work will never make you a bad mum.

Part Time Or Full Time

If venturing back into the throes of full-time work leaves you reaching for a brown paper bag and developing heart palpitations, you need to reconsider how much time you can dedicate to your job. Returning to work full time will result in a greater financial contribution to the family home, but it could also mean a higher childcare bill and less time spent with your toddler during his or her formative years. If you can afford it, consider heading back to work part-time or enquire about working from home more often. Many employers are now welcoming the concept of flexible working with open arms. They appreciate that a happy employee is a productive employee, so by proving your worth when working from the comfort of your own sofa, you could find the perfect balance between your work life and mummy hood.

Reasons to be Cheerful - Snow, Rock Hunting and Community Day

Happy Thursday #R2BC friends, sorry I haven't been around for a couple of weeks. I really need to get myself a bit more organised when it isn't my turn to host as I find that I forget to schedule in the time for my Reasons to be Cheerful post and then get lost in paid work and other commitments. I really am trying not to spend too much time blogging but still make enough money to cover some niceties like weekends away and days out.

It's been a good week for me generally. I wouldn't say I've been the most productive work wise but so what, that's not everything, right?

A New Gym
I've joined a new gym and had my induction. It's a great little place and I'm going there twice a week whilst the girls are at trampolining club and Guides. I love the idea that it fits in with lifts I need to do anyway, it feeds into my need for efficiency! lol

Sick Of Bouncing Off Diets?

Image courtesy of Pexels

Few words are likely to fill a lot of people will more frustration and misery than that word "diet". Sure, most people are totally on board with the idea of adopting a healthier lifestyle, but the truth is that there's a big difference between doing that and going on a diet. Of course, a lot of diets can be great. They can allow you to improve your health, look the way that you want, and increase your self-confidence. However, that only happens if you can actually stick to it. A lot of people will tell you that all you really need in order make a diet work is to stick to it, but that might well be the very definition of the phrase "easier said than done" Being able to stick to a diet can be a serious challenge for a whole host of reasons. Luckily, whether it feels like it or not, a lot of those challenges are within your control. With that in mind, here are some ways that you can really make your diet stick!

Set clear goals
One of the most common mistakes that a lot of people make when it comes to starting any kind of diet is that they try to jump in without really thinking about the kinds of results that they want. Things like "lose some weight" or "be healthier" are great as motivators to start a diet, but when it comes to actually trying to stick to something, you need goals that are a little more specific and clear. Figure out exactly how much weight you want to lose and try to figure out how long that will realistically take. Not only should your goals be clear and specific, but they should be something that you can actually achieve. The last thing you want is to end up getting discouraged because you haven't reached some kind of overly ambitious goal that you were never going to achieve in the first place. By having goals that you can aim for and can tick off your progress over time, you're going to find it much easier to stay motivated, even when things get difficult.