Groundhog Day

Do you ever have them days where it seems as if you are just reliving a previous day? I'm not talking about a case of deja vu , I'm talking about those days you wake up and just know what the day will bring ? Like you are doing a previous day all over again? Well that's what Saturday was like for me. Not because of some spooky time warp or some cosmic, divine intervention, but just simply because it was a day that I had done so many times before.

You see Saturday is weigh in day for me. Although I should probably use the past tense for that sentence. It "was" weigh in day for me. But given the fact that I seem to have dropped off of the weight watchers wagon all together , Saturdays seemed to just become Saturdays again. So this weekend saw me returning to my meeting. It was my day one all over again.. My fresh start day. Most people only seem to have one "day 1" all over again. I seem to have had far too many that I care to remember. I must seem like the queen of excuses just lately as this year there has been something happening in my life to test me at each and every single turn. The minute I feel like I am overcoming one hurdle, another one is waiting for me around the corner, much more bigger and difficult to handle than the last. But everyone has difficult times right? Everyone experiences heart aches and hardships in their lives so why do I constantly use any stress in my life as an excuse to over indulge and forget about my weight watchers journey all together?

For far too long now I have been intent on beating myself up and dwelling on the fact that I am the same weight that I was last year. So what?! I'm not back where I started, I haven't put all that weight back on and I haven't given up and quit weight watchers all together. No one judged me when I went to my first meeting and tipped the scales at almost 20 stone so why on earth should I believe that people are going to judge me for losing weight more slowly than others or achieving a lesser result every week. I have done amazing (tooting my own horn here) to lose 5 stone so far. Recent holidays have swerved that more to the 4 stone mark now but who cares? I seem to have well and truly woken up and smelt the coffee. It doesn't matter how long it takes me to get to my destination. What matters most Is that I don't stop my journey.

So this is me.. Starting again and getting back into that place I love. Where I felt happy because it 't truly didn't feel like dieting. This is me getting back into that healthier lifestyle and making wonderfully filling and healthy meals again as opposed to grabbing a quick snack. This is me realizing again that nothing tastes as good as losing weight feels.

So Saturday may well have been my groundhog day but I am in the right mindset now that it is not going to repeat itself anytime soon. Here is to a wonderful week of smart food choices, tracking and enjoying weight watchers once more...

Every Witch Way - A Nickelodeon Hit Show Coming To The UK

A spellbinding smash hit show from Nickelodeon makes its UK premier tonight. Every Witch Way follows 14 year old Emma Alonso, an ordinary girl with extra-ordinary powers, whose life is turned upside down when she moves to a new school and soon discovers that she's a witch. The series follows Emma on her journey through high school and all the trials and tribulations along the way including her friendships, crushes and frenemies! Such as Maddie Van Pelt, the queen bee at Iridium High whose family is also harboring a magical secret.

 

We had the wonderful opportunity to attend a preview screening and premier event in London in May and aswell as watching the first couple of episodes before anyone else, Aalliyah and her BFF got to experience some VIP treatement at the pre screening party.

They got to kick back and relax while getting some fab pamper treatments such as hair chalking and temporary tattoos. When they were all glammed up they then had the opportunity to take to their very own red carpet and take part in a mini photoshoot. Aalliyah had a blast and really did feel like a celebrity for the day and we are both keen to tune in and see what happens next. 

What would a premier event be without a goody bag right? The lovely guys over at Nickelodeon are giving 5 lucky readders the chance to win a super goody bag packed with some fantastic Nickelodeon merchandise such as a notepad and pen, Spongebob and Patrick plushes, a Nickelodeon cap, cup and keyring and lets not forget an awesome "Every Witch Way" tote bag. All you have to do is enter via the simple rafflecopter form below and good luck.

Be sure to tune in to Nickelodeon tonight at 5.30pm GMT and catch the premier of Every Witch Way. We are sure you'll love it so much you wont want to miss a single episode. Why not Sky+ it so you don't have to!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Going Back To Blackpool

This August will see us returning to Blackpool for a second year running. We went on a short 2 night break last August and enjoyed ourselves so much we decided to return. We will be staying a little longer this time and enjoying a 4 day midweek break at the end of August. Last year the weather was glorious on everyday of our trip so lets hope this year will be the same.

With so many different attractions to visit in Blackpool, you really are spoiled for choice on how to spend your day and its no wonder we were so eager to return. We enjoyed many of the popular activities when we were there such as the piers, the arcades and of course the world famous Pleasure Beach. This year we are hoping to visit Blackpool Zoo as well as rent some bicycles and go cycling along the seafront. I think we will have to get up super early this time as every morning we went to check the bike hire racks they were already gone! Talk about early birds.

Another attraction we are keen to visit is Blackpool Tower. We had tickets last year which I accidentally left at home and seen as half of the tower was closed off when we got there due to high winds we thought we would wait until next time. I am really looking forward to this in particular. I am not great with heights but I am keen to push aside my fears and make it to the top.

There are so many other wonderful things to do in Blackpool and it seems no matter how long you stay, you will always need just a few extra days. Aside from all the great, fun things to do there are also plenty of wonderful places to eat. Most are family friendly and welcome children. One of are favorite places to chow down on some great grub is Captain Jacks. Its one of the most chilled out, cool restaurant I've been to and the food is delicious. If you find yourself in Blackpool then it is well worth a visit.

Where are you planning on going in the summer holidays? I haven't got much time off work over the school holidays, so for us it will be plenty of day trips. Would love some inspiration from you guys on what to do and where to go.

Mr Nutcase Personalized Phone Case - Review And Discount Code

I absolutely love my photos, whether they are hanging on my wall, in an album or just simply stored on my computer, so it was no surprise that I was eager to get a custom phone case 

I own an iPhone so a case is a must to ensure it stays protected and having never had any really nice covers I was excited to be able to design one myself, a unique phone cover that meant something to me. The only problem I had was deciding which photo I wanted to use. I had so many wonderful ones to choose from. Luckily for me, there were so many different design templates that I wasn't constricted to choosing just one photograph. The process was really simple and easy to understand. It was literally a few clicks and it was done. What was even more wonderful is I received my phone case the very next day. Talk about speedy service!

As you can see I had trouble deciding on a photograph so decided to include each and every one of my favorites on there. I love it. It represents the biggest love of my life which is my daughter and the relationship we have.

Overall I was really happy with the whole process from start to the finished product and wouldn't hesitate to order another from Mr Nutcase. Fancy ordering one for yourself? Why not head over and start creating. Use discount code Thanku10 and receive 10% off.

*Voucher code for one free custom case received for the purpose of this review. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.

My Love Of The Dark Side And What I'm Watching

It's no secret that I have a huge love of TV and film and subsequently a serious addiction to Sky+ . I do tend to be late to the party when it comes to TV shows though. I will suddenly get enthralled into a fantastic series which more than likely aired 3 years ago and when I post how great the show is and how I am enjoying it, people must think "Tell me something I don't know!"

When it comes to TV I do love anything crime/psychological/thriller related whether it be fictional or real. I have recently started watching Dexter (see I told you I was late) and I am totally hooked. I am currently on series 3 and have no intentions of slowing down, cramming in an episode when ever I can. Another show I am enjoying at the moment is Hannibal. I absolutely loved the first series so was ridiculously excited when I knew series two was coming. If you enjoy those dark crime series then this is definitely worth watching but be warned it's not for the feint of heart. As you can probably guess from the title there are a lot of gruesome crime scenes and cannibalism depicted in the show.

Another show I love is The Following. I was totally gripped by series one and series two hasn't disappointed either. My Sky planner literally reads like a who's who of serial killers. I have many other great must watch programmes on series link too such as I killed my BFF, True Detective, Snapped: Women who kill, Evil Up Close and Crime Stories.

I'm not just a lover of the dark side and do enjoy a wide genre of TV and film. I am excited about the new channel which has recently launched , ITV encore. I do love the ITV dramas that there have been in the past. Some amazing ones like Broadchurch, Ice Cream Girls and Mrs Biggs so I am looking forward to being able to catch up with these again. When I am not working (and supposed to be doing housework or some other chore) I tend to catch up on my TV viewing and my evenings are mostly spent catching up on shows that I have missed throughout the week. With so much available on Sky I rarely watch anything when its actually aired and nearly all of it has been Sky+'d. Some days I go into work needing match sticks for my eyes. Not from an amazing night out with my friends but from a marathon of "The Walking dead" the night before. It's a wonder I haven't had a work accident yet due to my "Sky planner induced fatigue" (I did Google it, but sadly its not a real condition)

What do you enjoy watching? I am always looking out for good TV shows and or movies to watch weather old or new and would love some recommendation from fellow goggle box lovers.

*This post was written in collaboration with Leo Claims

The Gallery - Detail

Ok, So this is not necessarily a new photograph, but it's one that I love so decided to share. I just love the rippled effect that the waves had on the sand. It felt like soft cobblestone underneath.

I am linking this post up with "The Gallery" whose theme this week is "Detail"

Internet Dating - 1 Week In - Match.com Review

It has been a little over a week now since I joined up to Match.com and I am now finding myself making an "actual" effort to log on and get searching rather than just joining up and expecting a miracle to land in my inbox. It took a while to get to grips with the site, but it is fairly simple to navigate and the layout is clean and fresh. It was a little overwhelming at first as you suddenly seem to accumulate a ridiculous amount of notifications the minute you are subscribed and I was left thinking "What the hell are all these?!" But on closer inspection you can see the notifications are simply profile views, winks and direct messages. Much like Facebook they come up in red to notify you of some activity on your account and then from there you can see what's been happening. 

Like I say, I have only been on for about a week so I haven't really spoke to many people. I have exchanged a few short emails but nothing else. I have recently added the Match.com app onto my iPhone so I am able to check my account on the go and I really love the great "Shuffle" feature which presents you with snapshots of potential suitors and you can click if you are interested in finding out more/getting in contact with them and it will notify them of this which is great for acting as an icebreaker as if they "like" you too you are a "match" and its much easier to start a conversation with someone who is mutually interested.

I am committed to putting in some extra effort and I am going to reach out and be a bit more confident when it comes to sending messages. I am more than happy to respond to them but never seem confident enough to send the first one. So my aim for the next week is to take some time to have a browse and interact with a few people. I am so rusty when it comes to conversing with new people so it is all great practice in the name of finding someone new :)

Catch up soon....