Sands Between My Toes

So, it seems I've been rather neglectful over the past week with my blog. Please do forgive me good reader, as it is all the fault of the common cold. (And the weather right now too!) I have been really trying to keep us all fit as a family over the last couple of weeks and have been walking the girls to school every day, it is a two mile journey there, so I have been clocking up 8 miles a day when you take into consideration there and back twice! The weather hasn't been so kind on us and with the rain one day to freezing temperatures the next it is all hit and miss and has been playing havoc with my immune system.

Up until now I have not been ill this season which is trophy worthy of me as I'm usually the first to be hit with anything dodgy. While everyone has been coming down with the season's latest germs, we have all managed to miss them, rather smugly I must add. But, here I am with chicken soup in hand (seriously!) and tissues at the ready. It did inspire me though to write something about getting through the cold season, as up to now I think I have done pretty well!

1. Prevention is better than a cure.....
If you look after yourself then you will be in with a much better chance of avoiding the colds that fly around this time of year. We all know this but how many of us actually put this into practice? It is difficult, to make sure we eat healthily and get enough exercise and so on and so forth especially if you are a carer or a parent, but it is crucial. I always think that, even as a mum, when I fall ill then the children suffer too because I am not at my best, so it is paramount to eat well. Plenty of fruit and vegetables, I usually have porridge for breakfast, a light dinner (soup or jacket potato) and a main meal such as a pasta dish or roast for tea.

2. S l e e p
This is my downfall. If I don't get enough I will become run down and end up with a cold for sure. Make sure you get enough, I aim to be in bed for 10pm and I'm usually up around 6.30pm.

3. Vitamins
I swear by vitamin B. I take a vitamin B supplement everyday and I love the way it has dramatically changed my whole well being. I am no longer tired, I can get up in the morning, I feel energised, and it also works wonders for your hair and nails! I do think this has also contributed to my health this winter.

4. Keep warm
It is important to keep warm. When I was younger I would roll my eyes when my Grandparents lectured me to cover up, crop tops were all the rage and I can remember my Grandparents shocked faces when ever they saw me baring an inch of flesh. "You'll catch your death of cold"  they would scold me and I would laugh in the teenager come know it all fashion. However, I do think that being cold and catching a chill do contribute to feel unwell and this in turn leads to a weaken immune system. There is probably some scientific explanation, but that will do for now! Jumper, anyone?


And if all else fails..........stock up on a vitamin C supplement and lemsip, just in case! As soon as I feel a cold coming on then I swiftly take these in order to keep it all at bay, or suppressed at least. I'm off to finish my soup, and then it's school run time for me....in the rain :(

I can' believe the weekend has flown by yet again! January has come and almost gone so quickly. Although I never like to think of wishing time away, I am so ready for Spring now, aren't you? I don't know what the Winter has been like for all of you, but here in Cornwall we have thankfully escaped severe flooding, but experienced so much rain and apparently this week is going to get wetter and windier too! My garden is a water logged mud bath and flower pots are over spilling with rain water it is such a sorrowful sight. So roll on Spring and warmer, drier weather. I cant wait to go camping and playing in the garden with the children; the lighter evenings and eating outside basked in the warm glow of the sun! But I bet once Summer is in full swing again, I'll be looking forward to cosy nights in by the fire. Ah, you just can't win.

Somewhere over the rainbow will be a sunny day....somewhere!

The weekend was another quiet one. I did get to watch a few films that I had be meaning to catch up and watch though. The Intern starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro was a brilliant comedy but with the backdrop of a sweet storyline. I really liked all the characters and the actors were suberb.


Sunday actually brought warmish weather and was wonderful to go for a walk and let the girls play in our soggy garden. they built a den and wanted to sleep in it but I thought this was probably taking things a little too far, after all it still is only January!

Oooh - who loves a pop of colour on their nails? I do..... and I don't. I have a love/hate relationship with nails - there are times when I fancy a change and will paint them and then I paint them and they chip.....you know what I mean, they end up looking a bit tatty but I don't seem to fit time in my day to grab polish remover.....ah silly of me really, perhaps it should be my resolution this year to stay on top of my nails'. But honesty, you can't beat the au naturel look, especially if your nails are kept short, square and healthy looking. For when they aren't....well there is polish! (Just don't get slack with it like I do and they'll look fab!)

So I thought I'd share with you my winter colours that I am loving (when I'm loving polished nails) with you. Beware - these are all on a strict budget. I can't image spending a huge amount of a bottle of polish because I never get a chance to use of the whole bottle anyway and it seems like a waste, especially for the amount of time they are on my nails for.

So without further ado...here are my fave budget polishes!












Poundland.....I'm sorry, did you just say Poundland? (que sniggers to oneself). Yes, I have to be completely honest here Poundland actually don't have a bad selection of polishes. If you don't believe check out these beauties from my megre selection below. And if that hasn't quite got you convinced  then check out this article from Cosmo here!  (seriously! Their blusher is good too!)




















Tanya Burr Selection

I was lucky because I picked this up from a discount store for £3! So these beauties worked out to be £1 each (no prizes for guessing there!) they are super. Really good quality and professional finish. I was super impressed with these, and they are possibly my favourites.

Cherry, Deep Purple and Bold Red

Wilko range

This one is from Wilkos. Good old Wilkos. They have an fairly nice selection in store, similar to Poundland. They go on well and have a nice finish too. However I do find they don't dry as quick as I would have liked but they are just £1.60....so who's complaining?! I actually bought this one a while ago but I've taken a look at their new range and they have some colours that I'm lusting after, like the essence range I love Nail Polish the Nudes. You can have a looky here in my link! 



W7 cosmetics

This was another £1 buy! W7 polish usually retails for around £4, but this was bought at a local discount store. I love the bright bold red, the colour is extreme and perfect for toes or to make a statement. It goes on ok, although can be fairly sticky but the colour is bright and it comes in a nice size bottle.

So there you have a round up of the colours I'm using at the moment. My favourite is the Poundland colour Magic 6, which is the darker brown. Although I'm loving these darker, richer shades I cannot wait for Spring to make an appearance so I can buy some lighter, fresher tones.

I thought I would blog about our weekend. It wasn't hugely eventful, admittedly, however it was nice and we spent some quality time together as a family.

Sugar rush

Firstly on Saturday the girls both were invited to parties, so they were kept busy and sugar induced for the day! (there were candy floss and pop corn booths). Parties are a little out of my comfort zone (surely I'm not the only mum who feels this way?!) although that being said once it is all over I usually think 'now that wasn't that hard really, was it?' It is a great way to socialise and get to know other mums and dads, especially those who are at the school gates which can be a daunting prospect in itself sometimes!

Bike riding with a looming rain cloud present!

Once Saturday was over and the sugar had left their system, Sunday looked like a more chilled day. We didn't have any plans, we didn't need to go anywhere and the weather was pants too which made it the perfect time to just relax and have a slop about in PJs kind of day. In the morning I played cafe with my youngest and my eldest then put on a show with her dolls, after lunch we took the girls out for a bike ride and then decided to chill watching Paddington Bear - which I have to say I really liked! I actually laughed out loud, I thought It was very funny, extremely British but also enduring (and a tad bit scary in places!) All in all a fun family film so if you haven't seen it then I would firmly recommend. We finished Sunday off with a scrumptious roast, it was the perfect end to a lovely, quiet day.


What really summed it up for me though was when I took my eldest to bed that night and she turned to me and said      ' Mummy, I'm really sad because I don't want the weekend to end, I've had a lovely time.' Aww - even though we didn't go anywhere exciting or do anything adventurous it's nice to know that it's the simple things still count.

Ok, so I was given this as a present for Christmas. I have to be honest I didn't get very much in the way of beauty/bath time bits this year so I was quietly pleased when I found out I had been given  a Soap & Glory box of tricks! I have used their products a few times in the past and they are lovely. I am definitely more of a shower girl and this was perfect it comes a scrub, shower gel, hand lotion and body lotion. Let's not forget to mention the huge pink puffle thing that comes with it because that is fab too!





The smell is of limes and lemon but with a dash of cream thrown in, so it is very energising and awakening, perfect for your morning shower.The best bit is the scrub because it is really course which is how a scrub should be in my humble opinion! While the shower gel is creamy, just like the lotions making it a perfect combination. I have to admit at first it can smell like toilet disinfectant or an antibacterial spray, however, once it has soaked into the skin the creamy side comes out and smells much nicer.

scrub baby scrub!

As it is winter my hands are suffering, they are sore and very dry and the hand lotion lives in my handbag with me. It does really nourish my hands and smells really invigorating too!

Argh - kindly ignore the 'in desperate need of TLC' hands!

The box itself is rather pretty, with the sparkly top and funky side, it is something which I could probably store a few bits and bobs in for a while yet making it fairly practical.

So...it's Thursday which means the weekend is on the horizon...yep it is almost there....yipee!

I love weekends because it means a break from the routine, a cheeky half an hour in bed, if I am lucky as my youngest always awakes at the crack of dawn.....but it is nice to slop around in pjs, have a breakfast that I can eat sitting down and generally not watch the clock and panic when 8.30 am rears it's ugly head.Being January it is always a month that is a bit tighter than most so I thought I would give you my top 5 family friend free things to do on a weekend whatever the weather.

1. Get outside

Raining or not, just try to tease yourself from off the sofa and get outside with the kids. This is difficult especailly this time of year, it is cold, wet, generally muddy (but children love that) and nine times out of ten free! I do feel lucky living in Cornwall because we really are spoilt for choice. If its raining then the woods are a safe better sheltered under the trees and it if it dry (and we are very lucky indeed) the beach is fantastic whatever the season. Parks are great fun and free, as are generally walks along footpaths and fields. There are so many ideas on Pinterest too such as nature bingo or going on a listening walk which is my youngest favourite thing to do at the moment!



2. Geocaching!

I love Geocaching, or as my other half refers to it fondly as, Geek - o - caching! Whatever you want to call it, it is free fun. Head over to the geocaching website and there you will find hidden geocaches all over the world. Just create an account and you will be able to access an online treasure hunt. My children love this, we dont have high tech sat nav thingy which many geocaches have, I basically look on the map on each cache and find out roughly where it is, there are usually clues and photographs of the cache and we go hunting! We have found so many places we never new existed through Geocaching right on our own doorstep. You can take something to swap as well which is a great way to encourage children to get outside and have fun.



3. Craft day

We do this a lot when the weather is truly against us. Just keeping a box full of old boxes, cartons and egg boxes is enough to transform into a rocket or palace. I love Pinterest for inspiration when it comes to craft ideas. Why not head over to my Pinterest page and look at my Simple Craft Ideas board for plenty of ideas!

4. Cinema (home style) 

Choose a film and create a cosy cinema feel at home. Close the curtains, cushion the floor, grab a blanket, put some popcorn in the microwave - you could even make your own tickets! This is something we usually do after a morning stroll. It's wonderful to clear out the cobwebs and get some fresh air but it is nice to have some down time too.

5. Baking

If the weather is particular pants I do love to bake. The children do too and my eldest is at an age whereby she can muster a few things up herself now so it's nice for her to invent her own cakes/cookies. With my youngest we enjoy decorating cupcakes or biscuits together. Why not bake up some party food (home made pizza/quiche/cakes/sausage rolls) and have a picnic. Whether outside or inside children love to eat on the floor, it breaks routine and if you can get outside, food always tastes better al fresco.

I have just finished the book The Wisdom of my Grandmothers by Adriana Trigiani

I thought I would write a quick post on the make up products I use. I am a very busy mum of 2 girls and make up isn't always a high priority in my life. However, that being said I do like to have a play around with make up on occasions, and have definitely found heading into my thirties that a little bit of make up here and there doesn't go a miss. So here is a round up of what I use on a daily basis. It is cheap and definitely budget all the way, but does the job!



I bought this a few days ago actually after I lost my mascara I was using! I cant live without mascara because I have the fairest and smallest eyelashes ever seen. I love a big statement eye, and even though I'm not keen on eyeshadow I always leave the house wearing mascara on my lashes. I have to say this particular brand was £2....yep cheap as chips. Does it work? Yep you bet. This is actually one of the nicest mascaras I've used in a while, it gives me really long, bold lashes and the brush is really nice as there is no clumping.






I like this brown colour pencil. I use to go for black everytime but I like to use a pencil on my eyes and on my brows (again I have the fairest brows that are in need of serious defining). I find brown is a little less harsh yet still makes a statement just nto so overpowering. This is a cheap pencil by Miss Sporty again, but does the job. It could do with extra staying power throughout the day but it didn't cost the earth so I can't expect miracles!



I am soooo pale. It is almost impossible to find a foundation that matches my skin. The girls usually look at me and ask ' why are you orange mummy?'. Cheers, thank-you very much that was so obviously the look I was after. While I've tried the cheap range and the more expensive I was using an Aldi foundation that was brilliant. I would mix with my moisture for a sort of DIY BB cream, but they stopped selling it (why oh why do shops so that?!). Well, after a ton of foundations later not to mention £s I finally found this one. Its cheap around £3.99 but it does the job by matching well and covering blemishes. It can be a little drying but as long as I'm not orange faced any more it's ok.


I use two different blushes at the moment.I have a powder blush and a cream one. I'm not too sure which one I perfer. The powder one gives a richer and intense colour while the cream blush is more natural and can be used on my lips as a good light colouring.



I also have an eye palette that I bought from Avon a few weeks ago. I like the range of colours but am still unsure, after all these years whether eye-shadow works for me! But this Hollywood palette was £4 so offers a cheap alternative to many of the higher price products out there.



So as you can see I really do shop on a budget as far as make up is concerned. While I work from home most days I find that make up is definitely not a necessity for me, but just a little bit of fun.

So after Christmas Day dinner I have been living on turkey and stuffing sandwiches with the odd cheese and cracker thrown in for good measure. Not that I am complaining in any way, it was Christmas after all. Although I may have consumed all the leftovers in my fridge, what does remain is the mountains of chocolate stashed away in the tins dotted around the kitchen. So I thought, we could eat away at our stash for the next month or so, or I could put it to good use and make a leftover dish for desert this evening.

The girls gave it the thumbs up, and admittedly it was a wickedly delicious treat. I followed a brownie recipe but used more milk chocolate pieces melted up than the coco powder stated in the recipe. After I brought it out of the oven I was left with a sweet smelling gooey chocolate treat, the perfect accompaniment with ice cream.

Warm Chocolate Brownie Recipe

100g butter

100g caster sugar

100g brown sugar

2 eggs

30g coco powder

300g milk chocolate pieces melted

80g plain flour

Method

Combine the butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy then add in the eggs. Give the mixture a good stir until well combined. While mixing melt the chocolate, I usually add this to a microwave for approx 2 minutes checking every 40 seconds and giving the chocolate a stir in between. When the chocolate mixture has melted add straight away along with the coco powder. Once all incorporated into the mixture add the flour. Stir once again until the mixture is completely combined then pop into a greased baking tin into a pre heated oven on 180 degrees. Will be cooked in around 20-30 mins.

I thought that the New Year would be the perfect place to start a blog. I have been meaning to write a diary for what feels like forever, but never get around to it so I thought why not have a go a blogging instead. At least this way I can record what I get up to in picture form as well as post snippets such as recipes/shopping hauls/beauty/fashion ideas all in one place.

   How I spent the New Year.....mainly at the beach getting soggy feet!

As for the New Year and resolutions I have decided to not put any pressure on myself to accomplish x, y or z but to simply stay healthy and happy. I want to improve my fitness and diet over the next 12 months trying to integrate healthy living into my everyday habits. I also want to try to stay positive by doing things that make me happy. This could be watching a film I've wanted to see for a while or tucking into a good book, just by accomplishing one simple joy each week should help me stay positive over the next 52 weeks!

So wish me luck....and good luck to all you lovely readers out there and your resolutions/goals for 2016, I look forward to sharing snipets of my life here in Cornwall with you over the next year.