We married in 2011 and had our reception in Saltwell Park; what a treat to see the Park in a different light this week; Joss and I went with friends to see Enchanted Parks – now in its eigth year but the first I’ve seen the Park is transformed through visual arts, performance, installation and interactive works; sprites, fairies, lights and a gorgeous apothecary set up under a tree, this was a gorgeous night, truly enchanting!

I enjoyed all of it and the artists involved were so innovative that I wished I could have taken more in, difficult with a toddler, but my favourite was the fragrant flower flame, seeing the rose garden where we had our wedding photos taken lit up and the air scented with ‘heady euphoria’ herbs and incense burned over a flame the idea that the gardeners in the Park feed the fragrant fires through winter to keep the flowers smelling sweet was a magical experience and I wish I could have captured that scent.

Now to take Mr B back to share the magic next year!

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It was with reticence that I started Slimming World last May, would I manage a new way of life? How would I cope with sleepless nights with Joss followed by staying on plan the next day, and juggle a new way of shopping with going back to work?

Everyone’s journey starts and ends differently, and my journey is really just beginning although I reached my target weight recently, and I have been slowly feeling more confident about where I’ve gotten to. I finally feel I have reached my happy healthy weight and more importantly my diet is much healthier, with a stone and a bit off I’ve started to add some good fats in to maintain my weight but the biscuits have stayed on the supermarket shelf and cake is an occasional treat rather than a staple part of my diet.

Eating well as a family has helped us all see results, I’ve always been educated about food, my own mother is very clued up on nutrition, but I needed some help to make the right choices. I’ve found that having a well stocked fruit bowl feels like a real treat again rather than an optional extra, so when we have clementines we all pile in as they’re a family fave, nothing is wasted and I know and love that my super speedy foods will cut a way through the junk and speed up my metabolism too, my plate is heavier on the veg and good carbs and lighter on bread, which everyone says makes you feel great, and it does, bread is a real treat and I seek out the good stuff or make my own when we want that treat, beating the bloat – I guess we’ve just tipped the balance to 80% healthy 20% treat and hubby and I are encouraging each other to stay on track too.

I’m sharing this photo because I feel proud to have come this far, finally a night out where I felt really good about myself!

This post isn’t endorsing SW or any other way of eating, but is just about me recognizing where I’ve gotten to after a tough journey!

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The magical Portable North Pole (PNP) is a personalised online greeting from Santa for your little one, a delightful treat in the run up to Christmas, I loved setting this up for Joss.

With a wide range of options to choose from you choose the name of your child and help Santa get the pronunciation right, choose whether they have been naughty or nice and upload a photo of them into Santa’s Good Book! Santa was jolly and genuine and the elves were a bit of welcome humour too!

We accessed the premium upgrade which allows more personal details to be added, and I thought this was lovely, seamless and really well done.

If you’re looking to give the run up to Christmas that magical feel visit the Portable North Pole, you won’t be disappointed!

I was given a free premium upgrade in order to write this post, all views are my own

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So you wait for them to start walking, and they love it, and they’re running about the place and loving their shoes….

And then they revert to shuffling about?

This week’s Amazing Achievement is brought to you by the letter S… for shoes

This week started with Joss developing an obsession for removing the insoles from any pair of shoes lying around the place, and ended with her shuffling about gleefully scooting one foot in front of the other in Mammy’s size 9 ballet pumps!

The idea that she will one day most likely take after me and be similarly big-footed is a crazy thought right now, they look huge!

What fun!

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Do you have any traditions that help you to see the true meaning of Christmas?

I’m a Catholic and enjoy our advent Church services as a way of taking stock of the year, reflecting on what Christmas means to me and escaping the buying and excess. I also like a non-religious Carol ceremony and try to get to a local service that offers a Choir and 1000 Candles sometime in December as I love the warm glow of joining in, sharing a mulled wine and wishing a Merry Christmas.

There are lots of ways to do something for others too, something to jump start your own Christmas spirit and perhaps try something new that you might take forward into the new year. We do a Shoebox Campaign at work, often for looked after Children or care leavers, and there are lots of donation points locally, or opportunities to give your time at this time of year and beyond. This year I decided to give my time, learning a new skill and sharing my skills running a card making session for adults with learning disabilities at a local drop in. I was really unsure of what to expect but they were so welcoming and we really enjoyed each others company that I think it’s something I’ll do again.

Clearly doing something for others is not just for Christmas, but it could just be the time of year that you could use to jump start your giving.

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Perfect for your little adventurers Babi Pur are giving away a gorgeous wooden castle and knights and there’s just over a day left to enter!

The Lanka Kade Natural Wood Collection presents a large solid wood castle complete with 12 knights ready to do battle in this medieval setting. Made from solid wood throughout this is a chunky and sturdy toy, built to last for many years. Set the knights in their place, close the portcullis, raise the drawbridge and ready them for battle!

Follow this link for the Rafflecopter Widget!

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It’s no secret that Miss Jossy is a big fan of cuddly toys, she’s a really affectionate, caring girl and takes a lot of time to feed, cuddle and pat her toy animals and bears.

We’ve always loved IKEA’s range of stuffed toys, they’re really innovative in design, affordable and just promote role play and storytelling so well. The TORVA range is a big favourite at babygroup stuffed vegetables, great fun and lots of new words to be learned too!

IKEA’s soft toys don’t just make a brilliant and cuddly gift, for every soft toy and children’s book sold between 20th October 2013 and 4th January 2014 IKEA Foundation will donate €1 to children’s education through UNICEF and Save the Children. Since 2003, the campaign has reached more than 10 million children through 90 projects in 46 different countries, so the impact of this project is brilliant, and there are some great festive toys available too.

We were lucky to be offered a product to review for our gift guide, and Joss chose SOTNOS, a beautiful soft deer suitable for children 12 months and up.

I know he’s going to be another friend for life, and she’s been chattering away about the reindeer (except it sound more like RayMears!) his ears, spotty back and his little top, so once again fun, learning and creative play really come through!

As you can see SOTNOS has made a place in her heart, and found a place on her chair!

Why not spread some Christmas cheer and get behind a great campaign at the same time?

Disclaimer: we received this cuddly toy as a review item, all views are my own

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