Princess Party Pack Giveaway

Don’t you just love a party? Living life just like a princess can be made all the more real with my Princess Party Pack giveaway this week.

To set the princess party theme from the very start we have the You’re Invited invitation cards.

Cake decoration princess rings will twinkle on the birthday cake then a big slice can be given to everyone in their very own Princess Her Highness goodie bag.

Next up in this regal pack is the Thank You cards to show her perfect princess manners off to the full.

Good luck everyone!

Giveaway

To enter, use the Rafflecopter entry here.

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Open to Worldwide entries

If you like this giveaway, you might enjoy this Olaf from Frozen one too!

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Is it just me?

Do you ever wonder if the bizarre, naughty or plain un-mummy things you think of are just you….I do!

Well here’s my confession….I don’t enjoy the responsibility all of the time.

1st disclaimer – if you’ve ever pursed your lips and tutted at someone who’s being un-mummyish then please don’t read on…. I need to have this vent.

I mean, I look at a lot of people and they seem to ‘cope’. Not only cope but even seem to enjoy being around their children all the time and doing mum stuff. One of the reasons I came off Facebook was because I couldn’t bear being mummy shamed by people looking relaxed and joyfully baking with their lovely little darlings, not just highdays and holidays, but regular as clockwork. Also making things and posting photos that show smiling clean children who look like they actually appreciate the perfectly turned out mum or dad next to them.

Here are a few of my sins:

I clock watch for when it’s time the kids have to go to bed. I also get a little excited as I look forward to it. My eyes flit from the bottle of wine, to the snack cupboard to my iPad, all gently purring my name in a frequency no one else in the house can hear.

I would rather not read a children’s story book all the way through at bedtime, I’m tired at 8 myself! The afore mentioned chorus of goodies downstairs is deafening to my ears by this point. I want my children to read well and I want to celebrate with them…just earlier in the evening please.

I’d like to spend more time and money on grown up stuff like make-up and clothes. Instead I blow it on boys toys, classes and kids ‘stuff’. I spend time on my things, I just need to balance it out a bit more.

I don’t particularly enjoy having their friends round, only because I find it stressful. Their friends are great – it’s me! What if they get hurt, fall out with each other or hear me swear under my breath as I stub my toe and then they repeat on a loop, steadily driving me into anxiety overload. Or worse, after having a successful couple of hours, burst into tears as soon as their parents arrive. It happens! I don’t know why, but it’s a kids phenomenon, they do it to torment adults.

Sometimes I just don’t get it – I don’t understand the rules of parenting, I forget that children are immature, yeah doh! I find myself standing in the middle of a room trying to reason with two boys who just want to tease, argue, play and do their own thing without mature interruption.

Finally, I’d like to be strong enough to actually follow through, just once, with whatever I’ve threatened to take away ‘by the time I count to three!’ Even my eldest at 10 started saying that I don’t ever do it, he’s 12 now and nothing has changed. So I’m inconsistent now and freak out at the small stuff.

2nd Disclaimer: Of course I love my kids! Of course I wouldn’t change a bloomin thing and of course my kids are my world. They fill me to bursting point with love and make me boil over with a loyalty to protect them.

But this parenting lark can be bloomin hard and sometimes I need to let off steam! Away from the kids, into my own little space. Sometimes it’s good to shout from the rooftops or into blogging world that it’s tough – without having to apologise or justify…..at least not too much;)

Do you ever feel the same or is it all plain sailing for you?

When I flip the other way I start worrying about the future and when they go out into the big wide world, I call it pre-empty nest syndrome. Hormones clearly play a big role in parenting for me and the huge job demands big feelings.

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Updated October 2018

How To Take Care Of Your Daughter’s Prom Dress

While prom may not be a big deal to some, it’s a very important milestone in your teenage daughter’s life. Of course, she will pick out a dress she adores and wants to last for years to come, whether as a special memory of prom or to wear to other events. So, how can you take care of her new prom dress?

Wrinkles

When the new dress arrives home, make sure it has room to breathe. Nothing should rub on the dress so as to prevent wrinkles. If the dress does incur wrinkles, get them out before prom. Most dress retailers will offer a final steam the day before prom, but if not, take the dress to a dry cleaner to be pressed. Alternatively, place the dress on a hanger on the back of your bathroom door. Turn the hot water on in the shower, close the door, and leave the dress to steam for around 15 minutes to remove wrinkles.

Storage

Whether she’s gone for a short flirty dress or one of the classy white prom dresses in 2018 at Peaches Boutique, it ought to be dry cleaned before storing it. Stains may happen, and they will ruin the dress. The longer you wait to get rid of a stain, the longer it has to soak in and do permanent damage to the dress. After prom, have the dress dry cleaned before storing it.

Formal dresses should be stored in a cool, dry place that is dry and not hot. Try to avoid storing the dress anywhere with tons of natural sunlight, too, as it can cause severe discolouring to the dress with time.

Remember to check on the dress often to make sure it’s not being damaged. An ideal storage place is on the top shelf of a wardrobe. Lay the dress flat within a garment bag or sealed box. Don’t store a special dress in places like storage units, basements, or attics.

Stains

Stains are just the pits and must be treated immediately. The first step is to identify the stain so as to remove it accordingly:

Grease – Wash the dress in warm water and place the stain on paper towels. Rub dry using a pre-treatment liquid spray. After, was in warm water and hang the dress up to dry.
Makeup – Dampen the stain with a warm towel and lightly press a liquid detergent or colour-safe bleach into it. Finally, wash the dress in warm water and hang up to dry.
Sweat – Gently rub a damp bar of soap on the stained are and apply a liquid detergent to the sweat stain. Wash it and hang to dry.
Outdoor stains and grass – Use alcohol to wipe off the dress and apply a colour-safe chlorine bleach to rub the remaining stain.

If the stain is really bad, take the dress to a professional for spot cleaning.

Use these tips to ensure your daughter’s new prom dress remains as good as new, both before and after prom night.

This is a collaborative post

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The Best Beginners Guide to Making Mum Friends

We’ve all felt like the odd one out when starting a new school right? Well starting school or nursery when you are the parent can be just as daunting, if not worse! Fears and self-doubt can creep in and old leftover experiences of when we were younger can all surface again.

As a parent, waving the little ones off …well peeling them off you as was sometimes the case when mine were little is one milestone to get over. The next is standing there having waved them off and then walking home or back to the car-park alone.That feeling is the pits and I think, totally unnecessary! Now is the time to get in with or make your own Mum Tribe, it will make the next few years so much easier!

Here is the best beginners guide to making mum friends:

• Smile Smile Smile, it can take the place of a thousand words and can be a huge pick me up for whoever is on the receiving end.

• Make something happen! Arrange a coffee morning as a way to get to know people. Odds on you aren’t the only one feeling the same way. Arranging a time and place to meet takes the headache out of it for other people. We are all so busy that having to hang around and umm and ahhh over where to go often leads to absolutely nothing, nada. If you take the initiative and arrange something, even if only one person can make it then that’s fine, it’s one person you will always have to laugh with about that first get together.

• As with the point above, you have to make things happen. So, if someone asks you to go along to an event that they have planned then try your hardest to go. You might feel tired, not of washed your hair or don’t fancy meeting over the other side of town. The thing is making the effort and then feeling the benefit afterwards. You can even have a look at my post 5 tips to help the school run go smoother which should help in getting there on time and without being too stressed!

• If you have to go past other mums who are all gaggled together like they’ve known each other for years, take a deep breath, walk over and say hi. You’ll get a feel for them pretty quickly and you have the most legit get out of jail card by saying that you can’t stop as you have to dash off to work – doctors-friends etc. But what you would have done is broken the ice, said your name and made the first move.

I mean, what’s the worst that can happen!!

• Volunteer to help out at the school or nursery and before you go all shivery and think ‘No Friggin Way’… do it, even if it’s just the once. Think about it, you probably always have to talk to the teacher right? – So that’s one person who you know and can chat to. It’s your way in. If you volunteer for just one cake, book, uniform or whatever the heck sale it is then you will have people coming to you to talk and it’s ready-made intros.

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It might seem a little daunting or hard work at first. Over time, just like when we were at school or starting out at work or uni, it falls into place and we settle with friends that we click with. Being in your new mum tribe is just one more path of being a fully fledged grown up. Enjoy the riches that these women can bring to your life.

What tips have you got? What were your first experiences of making your new mum friends.