Review - Jo Whiley - My World In Motion

When the opportunity arose for me to review this book I didn’t jump at the chance because Jo Whiley is a working mum of 4 (though that is impressive I can just about cope with one!) It was because I happen to be a huge fan of her and listen to her Radio 1 show most days (I’m not too old to listen to Radio 1 before you all start) I love the Live Lounge!

I have a huge passion for music especially live music which I got from my dad, as did Jo Whiley (though that is were the similarities end!!) I’m a little bit envious of Jo, not her life and lifestyle ! Don’t get me wrong I love my life most of the time! But her job, the opportunity to meet so many bands and artists and to be there to witness history being made, I WANT HER JOB!! Sorry babbling on.

So you probably thinking this will be a biased review well not so. As I said I jumped at the chance to read her book, then as I waited for it arrive I started to worry, what if its terrible? What if its like recent biographies full of “look at me don’t I know a lot of famous people” stories and filled out with pictures? What if a truly hated it and had to write a bad review? I started to dread the book arriving!

Even worse when it turned up it looked quite small, only 205 pages! I thought to my self that’s not a big book!

Anyway I finally found a chance this weekend to read it, OH looked after baby and with Glastonbury (With Jo Whiley) and the Tennis in the background I settled down to read it!

Within in the first page and a half I was in tears, not because it was a bad book but because the story was a incredibly emotive and heart wrenching. Throughout the book I was in tears then in fits of laughter sometimes both at the same time (There is a story about Princess Diane I won’t give it away).

As I already told you I’m a fan of Jo’s work but I didn’t know much about her, this autobiography gave me all I needed to know, no more no less. She speaks of her childhood with her parents and sister who has disabilities with nothing but pride and true undying love for them.

She plots her early life and her career interspersed with play lists for that time in her life. She shares some great stories about the bands and artists she’s met and the things they got up to but not too many that you want to shout “yeah yeah that’s enough now”.

Now there are some photographs but just the right amount, not too many that you think they are there to pad the book out

She talks about her love and passion for music and radio and the special bond she has with Glastonbury . She talks with deep love of her family especially her 4 children and her husband (whom she fell in love with at first sight!)

When I finished this book I was not disappointed as I feared, it’s a great balance of her early years, music, family , her career and great anecdotes about the musicians she has met. I really want to tell you some of the stories but I want you to read it for yourselves. I want you to understand where the title from the book comes from (very sweet by the way)

What you get from this autobiography is the passion she has for her family and radio. She describes her self as “Almost Famous” and that’s were she is happy being, not in the limelight, she still not entirely comfortable in front of a camera after all these years (she’s been in radio and TV for 20 yrs)

So if you’re looking for a good book this summer for around the pool (paddling), to read in garden, to try and read why the kids are driving you insane then give this ones ago. Its interesting, funny, emotive and will leave a little bit jealous of her!

Just need to work out what I'm going to read next mmmm lots of blogs to catch up on!

NM x

7 Months Old!

Yesterday BG turned 7 months old!! I can't believe that she is growing up so much! In the last month she's learned how to do so much!!

She can now roll with great accuracy to get what she wants.

She can sit up on her own for a short time, and if you give her something to play with will slump forward and play quite happily (that is until she pushes the toys too far away and screams!!)

She can hold a toy in each hand and pass toys from one hand to the other

She babbles away for ages, she can say ba, brr, ma, mum!!! and da (which she says repeatedly to my disgust!! should be mum, mum, mum, mum!)

But my favourite thing she has learnt to do, which she did last night for the first time is give kisses!!! She was smacking her lips so I kissed them, she laughed then leaned in for more kisses from me and OH!! So so so cute!! We've been having kisses all morning!

Can't wait for her next new!!

NM x

He's Driving Me Mad!!

Now don't get me wrong I love my OH but 2 weeks with him at home is driving me mad!!

My whole routine goes out the window, nothing gets done and we don't do anything!!!!

The problem is me and my OH are complete opposites! I like to get things done early so that I can spend the rest of the day relaxing (Ok so you can't really relax with a baby but one can dream) Where as OH likes to have a lazy morning then starts doing things about 4 o'clock when I'm winding down! Arrrrrh

OH does works really so I understand that he doesn't want to be out doing things all the time but I had to really twist him arm yesterday so he would take us out and make the most of the nice weather!

He forgets that with me not driving I don't get to go out and do many things, I have to wait until he is free so I can go out! Don't get me wrong I take OH to the park and the 3 shops we have in town but it gets boring week after week its nice to have a bit of variety!

Only 3 days to go and he's back at work, then I get to winge that he's never here to help me!! A woman's nagging is never ending!!

NM x

Tag You're It!!

I’ve been tagged!!

Lucky lucky me!

So here are the rules

1 Mention the person/s that tagged you
2 Complete the list of 8’s
3 Tag 8 other bloggers

So here I go! I was tagged by the lovely Clareybabbling and Jo from Now Not Later , thank you ladies

Here are my 8’s

8 Things I’m Looking Forward To

1 Becoming a Auntie (Baby due in 7 days!!)
2 BG calling me mum
3 My pampering day with my sister
4 Finding a fab job (or just a job!)
5 Starting swimming with BG
6 Losing weight so I can wear my engagement ring
7 A night out with OH (or a night in without BG)
8 Every new thing BG will do

8 Things I Did Yesterday

1 Had a lovely bubble bath
2 Read Blogs
3 Played with BG
4 Went food shopping
5 Watched the tennis
6 Cooked for family
7 Spoke to my dad in South Africa
8 Texted my sister

(Tried to think of exciting things!!)

8 Things I Wish I Could Do

1 Drive (Started lessons but had to give up when I developed Carpel Tunnel Syndrome with my pregnancy)
2 Make music
3 Write
4 Bake
5 Get BG asleep first time
6 Really understand what BG wants when she cries not just guess
7 Live in New York for a year
8 Be creative
8 Favourite Fruits

1 Banana’s
2 Pineapple
3 Grapes
4 Apples
5 Strawberries
6 Blueberries
7 Raspberries
8 Green & Blacks Maya Gold (What its orange flavoured!!)

8 Places I Would Love To Travel To

1 Egypt
2 Australia
3 New Zealand
4 Bali
5 Singapore
6 Las Vegas
7 Rome
8 Wales

8 Places I Have Lived

1 Essex
2 Watford
3 Peterborough
4 Spalding

(Oh the glamour!!)

8 Blogs I’m Tagging

And 1 more means four

House Plant Garden

Juicy Tots

Mummy Tips

OMG We’re Pregnant

Kels Korner

Being A Mummy

40 Before 40

Right that’s me done, off to enjoy the sun

NM x

Review: Sophie4Sophie Dress

Welcome to my first review!! I apologise now to the parents with boys its a girly review!

I have been coveting one of these dresses for weeks umming and ahhing weather BG needed another dress (She has about 20 brought by Grandad), then I was given the opportunity to have for one for a review I jumped at the chance!

So who are Sophie4Sophie?, official bio coming up....

(I know its cheating, but I couldn't have written it better!)

What is a Sophie4Sophie dress I hear you ask, well its a fully reversible dress that later becomes a tunic as your child gets older. The dress fits from about 9months to 3yrs!

All dresses are handmade with limited edition fabrics so its unlikey another little girl will be wearing the same dress. BG dress has spots on one side and skull and roses on the other (appeals to my rocker side) and is very very cool!

Now BG is 6 1/2 months so hers was a little large on her but not too big as we know shes a BFB, would you like to see my cute little bug is the dress? I thought so!!

Now she has only worn the spotty side so far we have a birthday party coming up where I want to show off the other side

BG wore her dress to baby group as they were having a teddy bears picnic, so I decided to dress her up. The dress was so easy to put on, which sounds like a stupid thing to point out by I find some dresses really awkward to put on! This dress has no buttons or fiddly bits, fantastic with a wriggly baby. So once I choose what side to wear we were off

Now as you know BG has started to roll, this dress didn't restrict her at all it allowed her to move and roll around. BG was laos having a very dribbly day and before I got a chance to get a bib on she had soaked the front of the dress, I did worry this would leave a mark or make her chest damp but its dried really quickly and there was no mark once it had!!

This dress stands out in a crowd!! I had loads of people ask where I had got it from, we also had a group pic taken for the local paper and BGs spotty dress pops!

These dress are all handmade will love and kisses (so the labels say) and you can tell it has been. It well constructed the fabrics are funky but soft and comfortable. It washed really well no skrinking or colour run. It dries really quickly and really doesn't need ironing.

Its the little things that makes this dress just a little bit special and thoughtful. There is a little pocket for the tag to hide so its not on show whatever side is worn. My favourite little touch is the tag its self (yes I'm a little sad!), next to the ironing symbol it say:

Cool Iron (That's if you do. I don't)!!!!! (love it)

Would I buy another dress, yes, yes, yes (if I could get one in my size I would)!

My dad loved it so much (Guess which side) that he's offered to buy her some more (She is very very spoiled)

So I guess you want to know where you can get them from?? Well I shall tell you

They are currently sold on two websites Juicytots and The Hedgepig both have different patterns so have a look or you can contact Natalie her self through twitter soph4soph

The only have on issue with the dress, choosing what side for BG to wear!!

NM x

My Clever Little Bug

Today my clever little bug worked out how to get her toys without actually moving!

BG spent about 20 mins this morning trying to get her blue fish, she rolled, streaked and shuffled and every time she got hold of it she managed to push it further away

She then realised that if she pulled the play rug that was underneath her her blue fish would come to her!!!

And that's what she did pulled it towards it grabbed it rolled on her back and stuck it on her gob!! My clever little bug!

I wonder what she will do tomorrow??

NM x

Its My Birthday And I'll Cry If I want To!!

Birthdays for me are always a mixture of happiness and sadness, especially this one

They always remind me I'm getting older!

They remind me that my family is apart (some I have not seen or spoken to in 10yrs)

Its the anniversary of my step Nana's death (She passed away on my 16Th Birthday)

Today is also my uncles funeral and for so many reasons I am not going

So please excuse me while a shed a small tear for family and friends lost, my youth that is slipping away

But help me raise a glass to my beautiful daughter and partner, my happy little family and help me celebrate my birthday with a smile!

NM x

1.

What's Your Favourite.......

Song or nursery rhyme to sing with/to your children?

BG favourite is “She’ll be coming round the mountain”!!!

I have no idea why on that fateful day when she was crying and wouldn’t stop why I started to sing that song ! It wasn’t a favourite of mine as a child, it wasn’t one we sung a lot , I didn’t even realise I knew all the words!!

However I started singing it and she stopped crying and started smiling!!

This song is now used in many situations, to calm baby down, it stops her crying, stops her screaming, makes her giggles it evens sends her to sleep!!

We of course sing other songs but we always come to back to “She’ll be coming round the mountain”

Sometimes she needs an extra long version so me and OH make up verses, such as

“Oh we’ll all go to the park when she comes”

Or

“We’ll all eat butternut squash when she comes”

Anyway I was wondering what songs do you like the best?

What works for you?

NM X

Something For The Weekend

Before we all run off and do fabulous and glamorous things at the weekend (Food shopping, housework)I have been lucky enough to be given two awards!!!!







First of all I've had been given a one Lovely Blog Award by Sandy at Baby Baby and Clareybabble thank you very much ladies (Do check their blogs out)

Now I am supposed to tell you 5 pet peeves and pass this on to ten new blogs I have found. With the risk of sounding big headed (OK so I am) I was given this award quite recently I listed my new blogs then and listed my peeves so what I propose to do is wait a few weeks and when I have 10 new blogs I am reading (Probably won't take a few weeks so many good ones out there) I will pass it on, I promise!!!

The second award I have been given is the Lemonade award from Rebel Mother at Another Day In The Mad House (another fab blog)



I Have to list 3 things I am grateful for and pass on to 5 blogs so here I go



Things I am grateful for:

1 My baby girl, simple as that

2 My OH who supports me, loves me, encourages me and lets me rant and rave and doesn't bat an eyelid!

3 Music, I know it sounds stupid but music has gotten me through good and bad times! What ever my mood there is always a song to match it.

My 5 blogs I am awarding the Lemonade Award to

Family Life

Maternal Tales From The South Coast

Time Management Mum

Sticky Fingers

I Promise I Will Do My Best

I am also a highlighted blogger on British Mummy Bloggers

If you haven't all really check this site out its great, while you're there have a look at the other highlighted blogs a fantastic read

OK I'm off I've got a baby free morning tomorrow!!! Yay

Have a great weekend

NM x

Slip,Slop,Slap!!

The weather has been glorious for a few days now which means days out and playing in the sun.

Now I'm probably a little over protective when it comes to BG and the sun, I cover her with factor 50 suncream, make her wear a sun hat and stick her under an umbrella or parasol on her buggy!!!

The reason for this? quite simple I want to protect my child from sunburn and skin cancer. I burn really easy as does OH, I couldn't think of anything worse then BG having sunburn I think it would break my heart!!

Now like I said I'm a little over protective so I reapply lotion often and make sure that she is well covered from the sun. So imagine my surprise on how unconcerned some parents seem to be about protecting their children from the sun!!

This weekend we went to the park, pub and the seaside and the amount of children I saw sitting in the sun with no hat or cover really shocked me. You could see some of the kids getting really red it was awful. Babies in prams sat in the midday sun with no protection, the sun quite clearly in their eyes. Who knows if they had bothered to put suntan lotion on them!


I was disgusted with the lack of care these parents seemed to have for the children's well being, I wanted to run over to them and shout "cover you kids up".

Now I know you can't protect children from everything and some kids hate wearing hats (BG does), scream when you put the cream on (BG does) but at least try, especially the babies that are laying/sitting in the sun.

The Australians have a sun campaign called Slip -Slop-Slap, Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, Slap on a hat.

So to all parents Slip, Slop, Slap and protect your children from the sun!

NM x