Tuesday 29 May 2012

What's the Bzz?!

Yes, what is the Bzz???  I am a BzzAgent & have been since 9th May 2007, I bet you're wondering what a BzzAgent is?!  Let me tell you...


Basically it is a consumer testing panel & anyone can become a BzzAgent you just have to sign up, you can do it by visiting: BzzAgent


You get invited to join campaigns where you can get FREE products to try (or products at a reduced price, they're not always FREE) & you review them then spread the word - what they call the Bzz!


I am currently on the Naturally Powered campaign, Naturally Powered is a new range of environmentally-conscious cleaning products that have been developed with the help of environmental experts, tested in the laboratory, & approved in the home. Naturally Powered's outstanding performance makes it hard to believe that it is an eco range, but thanks to its combination technology, plant-derived cleaning ingredients & recycled packaging, it's as good, if not better, than other leading brands.


I was sent the anti-bacterial spray, that I must say is as good as the Dettol spray I normally buy, I was also sent a couple of samples of washing up liquid in my BzzKit but I wasn't as impressed with this compared to my normal brand Fairy - it didn't lather up as much & I didn't think it's performance worked as well as Fairy (that's just my honest opinion of the product though)


I have a couple of friends that are also BzzAgents (I only recently found out they were, so we quite often chat about campaigns & products) - Caroline had the Naturally Powered washing powder to trial, from all accounts this too is quite a good product! Lisa got the toilet gel & from her review she loved the gel as stayed where it was squirted, cleaned well but the fragrance was overpowering - so it looks like Naturally Powered seems to be a a good brand!


Other Bzz campaigns I have been on since becoming an agent include: Philips Pressurised Steam Generator, Remington Wet2Straight(TM) Slim, Philips goLITE BLU, Philips Wake-up Light, Colgate(R) Sensitive Pro-Relief(TM)Activia(R)NutriCat (to name just a few of the campaigns I have been doing over the years)

Wednesday 23 May 2012

I absolutely 'LOVE' Instagram!

Yes I cannot lie... I am totally in love with Instagram, I just wish it had a few more features but I really, really love it!


Whoever came up with this app is a pure genius, so simple yet so effective - I only wish I had more followers, but maybe blogging about it may help me out here?!


I pretty much Instagram everything & anything, I'm always snapping away on my phone with Instagram, sometimes I use Instagram on my iPod touch too! It's fabulous, it really is.


What is it (for those of you that may not have experienced it yet) it is a photographic app, that let's you social network through your photos!


You can add your friends through Twitter Facebook or search for users - I like the fact that I'm following Anthony Cotton, Dynamo, Jamie Oliver & Leona Lewis (to name a few) thanks to my Twitter account.


Anthony Cotton actually puts some amazing photos up! He is one of my favourites, I've a lot of fellow bakers on mine & some of the pictures are so inspiring to me.


Basically how it works, you take a picture either as standard & then transfer it to the app or you can use the app's camera feature that's built into it... Then the fun begins!!!


You can leave the photo as is or you can enhance it with various filters & a few simple effects. It is marvellous & I've created no less than 239 pictures (to date) since April 17th when I first installed the app!


I'll give you a few of my favourite shots to enjoy & if you want to follow me my ID is: princess_lyndypops





 




                            


                            

Will you look at that?!

Yes bestie, I'm catching you up with the blogging again... 4 blogs in 4 days so far, actually if you count this that makes 5 blogs!


Sorry Jason, it had to be done - I do hope you're keeping up?!


There's no stopping me at the moment, albeit I'm painfully blogging from my phone... I know bestie you're not too keen on this method.


Now this isn't really that painful for me, I like the versatility that I can pretty much blog whenever & wherever (so long as time allows) but what I don't like about the mobile apps is:

             a) no bells or whistles - ie/
                  can't change font, colour,
                  size, style
             b) can't position photos
                  where you want them
             c) predictive txt has a lot to
                 answer for



I do as best I can, but it niggles me some as I like my blogs to look just so & I have to wait until I can log in from my laptop to edit them - this can be a whole week or more since I've blogged sometimes & if like this week I'm on a roll, then I can have a fair backlog of blogs to sort!


Still, the way I see it at present is it is saving my brain from the influx of blog backlog as there's a few that have been reserved in the brain storage bank for a fair while! I'm hopefully going to rectify that this week though...


I'm on a blogging mission now & I aim to succeed, failure is not an option - I managed to keep up with my mission of not smoking, I quit on Thursday 12th April... It'll be 6 whole weeks tomorrow & I am so proud of myself even if nobody else is!


I just have to get in my mindset to set a fitness mission & start doing more exercise again... I've been really slack & also, I have not been eating the healthiest as I've just not been in the mood for it!!!  It will happen, just not sure when.

The curse of the fluffy chocolate rug!

I thought this blog needed a very catchy title as it's not at all going to be a glamorous blog! 
The Beautiful Fireplace!





We have a gorgeous open fireplace in our lounge, which we keep a rug in front of:
                   a) because it looks nice
                   b) saves the carpet from
                       rogue sparks
                   c) why not?! Lol



Well, this rug that we keep in front of the fire inevitably needs replacing every year-18 months due to everyday wear n tear!


Now I believe the current rug we have in situ is our 4th or 5th (but please don't quote me on that, you know what my brain is like) - I buy all my rugs from Next (generally in the Winter sale at a good price) & we changed to this rug when we decorated in December so it's only 5 months old!


But this rug has a terrible curse on it I am sure, since it has been down it has most definitely been put through it's paces without a doubt.


The dog, Merlin has p'd on it, the kitten, Colin has p'd on it, the old geriatric cat, Pebbles has p'd on it... It has been scrubbed & scrubbed with the floor brush, vanish carpet mousse & then it has been saturated in pet stain n odour remover spray too!


Today the curse struck again... At around 08:30 just before I was going to get Anneliese some breakfast all of a sudden she said she was going to be sick. I asked her to go to the bathroom, fortunately ours is downstairs, so it is only through the lounge... Alas, the poor little mite got up from the sofa & as she stepped on the rug - VOMIT!!!!!


She practically managed to cover the whole damn rug too & her school uniform, with a few splashes only reaching the surrounding carpet - so out came the floor brush, vanish mousse, bowl of soapy water & I'm scrubbing the rug yet again!


Now I like this rug, it is a dark chocolate brown & has a very fluffy boarder to the main rug, but as I say it is cursed... Every time you scrub it, the floor brush is covered in rug pile & needs detangling afterwards!


I'm not sure this rug is going to last it's full term out in front of the fire if this run of 'luck' continues... A massive rogue spark will no doubt fly out of the fire & set it alight!!!!! Lol




The 'cursed' Rug!

Tuesday 22 May 2012

I surrender!!!!!


I surrender!!!!!


Yes, I'm waving the white flag... I can't go on, I give up, I'm failing, the road has come to a dead end!




I really have no idea anymore, but my children are driving me insane - mornings especially so, you see we live 2 minutes from school but inevitably we're late almost every day!!!


It's not through lack of time or trying though, it's through non-compliance of my children & they just will not co-operate with each other at all (or me for that matter)...


I've done 3 different parenting courses over the years (since Cameron was 4), tried various different strategies, given choices, spoken calmly, etc, etc but I am just getting nowhere at the moment "/


I'm not complaining about my children, I love them very, very much but I'm becoming more & more concerned of how we're going to cope in September when Cameron goes off to secondary school - Scary, eh?!


Scenario this morning (Tues 22/05/12): Duncan wakes me at 06:40, Anneliese is up & the house is calm (bliss). Hermione gets up at 06:55, the house is still relatively calm (just a bit more noise, but no agro yet) & Dunk wakes Cameron at 07:05 (times approx, sorry I don't really clock watch & remember precisely what happened when) - now Cam does not like getting out of bed, he needs much encouragement & prompting.


Duncan leaves for work approx 07:10 (ish) & on his way out the door wishes me luck with Cam (he's still laying in bed). So, I finish packing the lunch boxes, filling the water bottles, put the kettle on & then proceed to encourage Cam up & out of bed to get ready for school.


I was planning on sending the girls to breakfast club at 8am, but that plan soon went out the window.


At 07:30 I make Anneliese's medicine, she's currently on Movicol paediatric plain oral solution - she has to have 1 sachet daily mixed in 62.5ml water (we use squash too, to make it slightly more palatable)...


It's only 1/4 of a cup but oh my word, this causes so much chaos! You would think I'm trying to poison her (in fairness she has a point it is vile, imagine drinking a 1/4 cup of water/squash/tea/coffee (whatever drink you fancy) but with 2 teaspoons of salt in it & you may be close to what it is actually like) - it takes an absolute age to get her to drink it & somedays a damn right battle too, refusals, tantrums you name it!!!


07:45 I tell Anneliese she need to finish her medicine quickly, then we can brush her hair & she can go to breakfast club at 8am, so I then say that I'm just going to get dressed & to speed Cameron up (he'd got out of bed by this point but that was it, sat in his room doing nothing) so he could walk Hermione & her to the school.


I head upstairs, not only to find Hermione (who I'd sent up to get some socks, she was wearing trousers) was getting changed into a pinafore - but Cameron had only managed to take off his PJ's, put his socks on & was in the throws of very slowly putting his shirt on! Give me strength :(


I remind Hermione she still needs her hair brushed & to do her teeth, if the clock passes 8am there'll be no breakfast club. So I'm dressed in 5 minutes, I go back down to brush Anneliese's hair (who still painfully has 2 mouthfuls of Movicol left) - I'm getting a tad annoyed now.


8am comes & goes, so no breakfast club today (same as yesterday) -  I come down to make breakfast, Cameron finally finishes dressing & is singing Michael Jackson songs - now ordinarily in a calm mood, this would be enjoyable & funny (Cameron is quite comical & changes his voice, which can be hysterical) but I'm stressed & annoyed, so this is just winding me up as he is not helping in any way!


Breakfast was slow, but eventually got finished, so then I go to brush the girls hair, I brushed & plaited both girls hair.


Anneliese's cardigan needed buttoning up & then I notice this HUGE black stain on the shoulder that wasn't there when she'd got dressed! So she had to change both her cardigan & shirt - Now it's approx 08:40, I plan to leave at 08:45 (children have to be at school 08:55)... Arghhhhhhhhhhh


& it never washed out either :'(



I ask the children to get shoes on, brush teeth, go to the toilet so we can leave on time. I go to clear up the table & breakfast things, as the children couldn't be bothered.


Not 1 of the children has cleaned their teeth, none have their shoes on & only Anneliese was on the toilet! Cameron had gone back to his room & was looking for sunglasses as Hermione had got hers! I am shouting at this point as I don't want to be late & sunglasses are not important... It was 08:50 & we really should have left the house by now!


Anneliese gets off the toilet, washes her hands & brushes her teeth, but then has a tantrum cause she wants sunglasses. Cameron came down with a cap & cinema 3D glasses cause he couldn't find his shades!!!


Hermione is walking round with her head in the clouds, still with no shoes... Not funny, I get sunglasses for Anneliese, Hermione goes to bathroom, Cameron is just being Cameron & twittering on about random stuff not at all relevant!


So I'm really annoyed, grab Anneliese's things walk out the door telling Cameron to get a move on, Hermione followed me & Anneliese out, but he was still faffing around with something. Eventually we sign in to school at 09:02 - still it was an improvement on yesterday's 09:10!!!



Monday 21 May 2012

Tic, Tic, Tic.....

What's that noise?  Yes it's the second hand rushing round the clock, going faster & faster & faster... well, that's how it feels to me!


Hard to believe that I was up at 7am & already the day has passed & it's now 6pm - where do the days go?! I just don't know, the time flies by so very fast the older I get it seems.


As I type the time is just flying past & dinner is on route, we're having a Chinese this evening as we're taking a night-off from cooking & sort of treating the older two children as they both have 'BIG' parts coming up in their forthcoming performances at school.


This blog will have to be finished later as the table needs setting, the plates getting out, the drinks made, the dog fed & cutlery laid... Back Soon (18:06)


Well it's now... 21:58 - See what I mean?! almost 4 hours has passed & what has been done?  Well dinner was served & eaten, the children got ready for bed & then got put to bed, we watched a little TV together, we've had a cuppa, I've changed my FB password yet again (had to reset on Weds & twice today, doing my head in now) & I have checked my emails.  You wouldn't think that would take 4 hours would you???


Now I suppose I should elaborate on these parts & performances; Hermione (middle child, aged 8) is a budding little actress & landed herself the part of 'Ratty' in 'Wind in the Willows' which is being performed next week, she has had to learn 28 lines & a load of songs (including two solos)... Very proud parents already (her small part in Robin Hood last year was outstanding), I just hope the school records the performance so we can treasure this forever.


Cameron (my eldest, almost 11) comes home today (bear in mind he only has till July 20th at primary school) & has landed the 3rd biggest part in his performance... He is to play 'Slack' in 'Pirates of the Curry Bean' - He will have 83 lines to learn & lots of songs (fortunately no solos though), his performance will be the 2nd week of July I believe so he doesn't have long to learn his lines at all!


Unfortunately poor Anneliese misses out on her performance as we will be off on holidays, not that she is much of a performer (she is the shy one) - but we'll have a nice family holiday, so I am sure she won't mind too much.


Time really does annoy me as it goes so very fast & I am sure that is why I never have enough time to do half the things I would like to do, things always take longer than expected too - it's a very vicious circle & I just wish children would make the most of it (time is never ending when you are young) they always seem to be 'BORED' when in fact they should be enjoying all the 'free' time they have on their hands... it soon goes when you grow up!

Sunday 20 May 2012

Bathtime Blogging for Bicester Blogger!

Yes, I know the title sounds somewhat disturbing but believe me this blog will be nothing but clean (apart from the face mask I'm wearing, which looks like I'm plastered in mud)!!!
Scary, huh?!

Originally I was going to give this blog the title of 'Blissfully Bathing' but alas, that has about as much chance of happening in this house as I do of winning the lottery - absolutely not a hope!


Already I can hear the wonderful, joyful sounds of the children arguing with each other (shouting, screaming... If you have kids you'll know where I'm coming from) as I'm in the tub & Duncan is lovingly preparing the Sunday roast in the kitchen.


I am blogging from my bath why I hear you ask?!


Well:
       1) because of the blogger app on my phone
       2) because I'm awaiting the time my face mask needs to stay on &
       3) because bestie feels his fellow bloggers are blagging



Now I've dedicated this blog to bestie Jason (Bicester Blogger) because he was disappointed in the lack of blogs on his return from holiday... I often go periods without blogs, quite simply because I don't have time.


Yes, I have the means... PC, Laptop, iPod & Mobile all with the capability of being able to produce a blog (albeit with not so many bells n whistles if using the app on iPod or Mobile, such as I am now) but you still need a minimum of 5-10 free minutes to produce just a short mini blog.


The past few weeks I've barely had that to sit down, let alone blog. I don't like to blog in front of company or family... It's rude & I get distracted, so I really only have opportunity to blog during school hours.


That has it's own limitations with 3 children of various ages, different productions, trips, sharing assemblies, sick children, appointments etc. There's status's something to stop me in my blogging tracks.


Then there's the household chores, baking, helping friends out, shopping, support meetings it's never ending for example last week I had the following appointments:
                  Mon   - PoSCh (support group for children with special needs)
                  Tues  - Supporting a friend with a child that has similar                                  

                            difficulties to Cameron (recently diagnosed)
                  Weds - Meeting with Home-School-Link worker
                  Thurs - I had a day off & went to Oxford
                  Fri     - Sorting office, Dentist & then assisted a friend with 80 

                            Cuppies & 2 Giants (cupcakes that is)


I obviously had all the household chores on top, wash dog, put bins out, copious loads of washing, shopping, vacuuming, washing up, dinners, feeding dog n cats... So apart from Thurs I've been non-stop literally!


Hold on, I have to remove face mask it's been on too long now - 20 mins instead of 10 mins, see blogging isn't a quick task especially on the Mobile or from the bath! Lol


Now, I've retired from the bath & am currently sat in a towel on my bed in my purple boudoir! It's approx 45 mins since I paused to was off my face mask (the gorgeous 'cupcake' face mask from Lush I may add). I figured after that I should wash my hair seeing as I was beginning to resemble a mature prune & was as wrinkly as a 200 year old person, if not more!


So, I washed my hair with the gorgeous 'Jumping Juniper' shampoo bar from Lush, followed by the 'Jungle' solid conditioner bar (also from Lush) - now being a girl with hair just past the shoulders this is approx a 15 minute job start to finish as I comb through my conditioner thoroughly & rinse twice!


'Lush' products =)


I should point out I bathed in a beautiful bath that contained 'Hearts Desire' bath creamer from Bomb Cosmetics - similar company to Lush... The bath creamer is a mini bath bomb that contains Cocoa & Shea butters to moisturise skin!


    


I've just moisturised my arms further with 'Soft Coeur' from Lush & I feel wonderfully clean, softened, relaxed (strangely enough, even though it wasn't an overly relaxing bath with blogging & excess noise from the children) but I smell absolutely gorgeous - well I think so anyway!!!


Ordinarily, I'd put some 'chill out' tunes on my iPod but I just didn't get round to it today - oh, well I'll listen when I straighten my hair later! Lol


Bit of a mammoth blog this, but I think bestie deserves it as he's been knocking them out thick & fast since his return, 5 in a couple of days I think at my last count!


Just had another pause of about 45 minutes while we ate as a family, Duncan's roasts are the best... I don't care what anybody says, they truly are!!! Thank you hubby for a gorgeous meal =)


Mmmmmmm, looks good yes???


I've taken some pictures for this blog, so I can add those... But I'll have to pretty this up & reposition the pictures from my laptop in the week (hopefully) - I will also try to write some more blogs as I've got a few in my blog bank just waiting to be blogged!


Well, I hope you've enjoyed this 'little' blog & that it will keep your blog tastebuds going for now? So until next time blog fans..... & just lookie here, in less than 24 hours I have managed to get the laptop on & edit this blog to make it look pretty, pretty =)

Wednesday 2 May 2012

On the go... But trying to make time!

Exactly that, I'm always on the go with so much to do but I really am trying so hard to make time... I need to do this for me too, but hey you can't have it all can you?!


I'm currently sat in Belle Hair & Beauty (it's 9:25) waiting for my eyelash tint & eyebrow wax... Amazingly I was early, although the morning has not been that plain sailing at all!!!


I had a rather stressful morning before school, my eldest has High-functioning ASD/Asperger's & can have challenging behavior at times... This morning was no exception:
      He took almost an hour to get out of bed, then refused to get dressed as didn't want to go to breakfast club, making the girls late in the process, he continued to argue/back chat about random unimportant things before school & then spent forever cleaning his teeth, getting his shoes, searching for his pe trainers (which were at school) etc, etc, thus making us a few minutes delayed!


I had to walk him to his class door so he could find his trainers, which was making me have less time so no time for breakfast - thankfully Dunk had made me a coffee before he left for work, which I drank taking the girls to breakfast club... Must've looked odd walking up n down the road with my mug, but I wasn't going to not drink it!


Now I'm making time to blog as & when I can, so much so that's why I started this awaiting my beauty treatments - the joys of the blogger app on my phone! Gotta love it, eh?!


Albeit the time is now 2:17pm, so out with the laptop to try & get another blog or 2 done before school... Got 2 loads washing done & another to do, also the children have haircuts straight after school & Cameron has netball! Chloe (hairdresser) is not coming till 3:30 & netball ends 4:15, let's hope traffic is bad as girls just need a trim... Lol


NB/ 11-05-12: Note to self..... Don't start a blog on your phone app & then publish from your laptop - why? It is still saved on phone as a draft, which confuses the hell out of you if you don't manage to blog frequently! Lol