Review: Teething Bling UK.

I was so excited when Teething Bling UK offered to send me a Pendant Set to review. I was given a huge choice of colours to choose from, I liked so many of them so listed the ones I liked and asked Lynne to surprise me.

I was delighted when the packaged arrived yesterday, amazingly quick delivery!

I opened the envelope and pulled out a gorgeous pink Organza bag with the goodies inside. Immediately this gave such a good impression and made me even more excited to discover the pendant and bangle inside.

I was really impressed with the colour of the set sent to me. Lynne had decided to send the Jade set and it is beautiful. For some reason I expected the material to be a hard plastic (which now makes no sense to me) and was really pleased to find it was flexible plastic like normal teething toys.

The bangle looks very pretty on and the flexibility makes it very comfortable to wear.

I put the pendant on, as it happened I was wearing a black vest top and was impressed with the contrast between the Jade and the black, it really brightened up my outfit and proves that it works well as an accessory as well as a teether.

I showed it to Charles, my 21 month old son, and it was as if he immediately knew “ahhh that’s for me to chew on” He shouted “BUTTON” then grabbed the teether and started chewing on it.

He only has his 4 back teeth left to come and although it took him a while to navigate the pendant to the right position to get it to those currently toothless gaps, it seemed to do the job. He chewed for a while and then spotted the bangle. He grabbed my wrist and started chewing. It became awkward so I took the bangle off and gave it to him to chew, he loved it!
 

The leaflet warns that the pendant could be dangerous for children with a full set of teeth. I decided to test the durability myself and bit into the teether, I am positive that it would take A LOT of use and for the teether to be very worn down anyway for a child to be able to bite through it. Its not something I can see happening very easy so think safety wise, the product is very high-quality.

All in all this is an marvellous product, and I honestly didn’t think I would love it so much, I expected it to be like any other plastic necklace I could buy from Claires Accessories etc but its absolutely not.

I highly recommend this product for all new mums…it’s a great gift to receive and if anyone was to send me one when our new boy arrives in July (in the Zebra print ;-)) I would be over the moon…..seriously though, if I received this set from a friend then I would be really happy. Its also an amazing gift for Mothers Day or Birthdays etc.

With a huge range of colours available there’s so much choice and a colour for everyone, for every season and every outfit!

Pendants retail at £12.95

Bangles retail at £9.95

Gift sets retail at £19.95 

The following information about the company is taken from the Smart Mum UK Website:

Smart Mum UK are the Sole and Approved Distributor for Teething Bling in the UK. We are registered in England and Wales, Company Registration 7469640.  We are based in Cardiff and have a despatch operation in Cardiff also. Our team includes, Customer Service, Fulfilment, Sales and Marketing.  Some of the family are involved too!  We are a Limited company in the UK and our Parent company is Smart Mom in Maryland in the States.

Launched in 2002, Smart Mom LLC is a truly unique company. Staffed entirely by Moms, Maryland don’t outsource anything. From product development to fulfillment, it’s all handled from the Maryland offices. Amy and Kendra pride themselves on hard work which they endured to bring Teething Bling to the marketplace. Kendra had the ideas whilst Amy had the marketing experience.
Charitable giving is also a top priority for Amy and Kendra after suffering personal tragedies. These life changing tragedies gave Amy and Kendra the courage to start their own company and Smart Mom was born. To this day Smart Mom still donate generously to Dress for Succes and Curesearch in the States. 
Despite never having done something like this before, they believed that our unique idea for 'teethable' jewelry combined with a strong commitment to safety, customer service and giving back to our communities would help us succeed.

Check out Teething Bling UK on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/teethingblinguk

And Twitter:  @TeethingblingUK

And check out their website: www.smartmumuk.com

Mumra Playlists Week 6

The theme for this weeks Playlist is Dream Time.
The songs we listen to [or listened to] whilst we drift off to dreamland.

I used to listen to Ricky Martin all the time. ALL the time.
Vuelve should probably be the song I use for this, as I would listen to it on repeat.

So, I've looked down the list of his album, Vuelve, and picked a song at random....number 12, No Importa La Distancia (Go The Distance) which was featured in Disneys Hercules!

Mmmmmm isn't he so pretty!!

Sorry if my playlist is a bit repetitive of Ricky Martin songs and Latin music but its what I love best :-)

Movie Meme Week 6!

This weeks theme for Metal Mummys Movie Meme is Chick Flicks!

I am not really a fan of chick flicks really. I think people assume I'm some kind of girly girl who loves pink fluffy things and sitting down with a tub of ice cream, glass of wine and a chick flick. NOPE!

I'm not into the predictability of most chick flicks. The happy endings tend to bore me, mostly due to them being obvious.
In the past, I'd of been able to watch Grease, Dirty Dancing, Sleepless in Seattle, Pretty Woman, Clueless, countless times, on repeat, each day.
Now I can hardly bear to watch them once.

I've never seen The Notebook or PS, I Love You. If my Sisters Keeper counts as a Chick Flick then count that as on my "not seen" list because I read the book instead ;-)

My Best Friends Wedding, bored me, Bridget Jones' Diary, bored me (ok was funny in bits), Love Actually, bored me, the only bit I love about Love Actually is the fact that Martine McCutcheon had a lead role (I love her) and I fancy Hugh Grant, thats it.

If you're going to give me a Chick Flick, give me something like Muriels Wedding.

My mum suggested that I watch it, I think she's sort of into these Chick Flick films.
It took me a while to get into, think it was due to the Australian accents.

Plot Summary courtesy of IMDb:
Living in Porpoise Spit, Australia, twenty-two year old Muriel Heslop is a socially awkward (she unfashionably and unabashedly listens to 'Abba (I)' music), slightly overweight, directionless woman with few life or professional skills. Her lack of self-esteem is fostered by the constant verbal abuse directed at her - and at her siblings - by their politician father, who blames whatever political problems he has on his family, who he deems to be a public embarrassment to him. Muriel's self-esteem takes a further blow when her so-called friends - the popular girls from high school - exclude her from their social circle. Muriel resorts to theft to make herself happy. Her life changes when she runs into another colleague from high school, Rhonda Epinstock. Also not in the popular social circle in high school, Rhonda is now a gregarious, carefree girl who can see Muriel's desire for an equally carefree life. The two move to Sydney together. Out from under the direct criticism of her father, Muriel feels that she can now put behind her all the problems of "Muriel Heslop", even changing her name to Mariel to escape those problems. She also feels she can now achieve true happiness, her primary goal being to get married. Despite continuing problems with her family and a new serious issue with Rhonda, Muriel seizes on what she sees as an opportunity to achieve her primary goal. But a further issue with her family makes Muriel finally come to the realization of what is truly important in her life. Written by Huggo


My second choice for a Chick Flick if I HAD to watch one, The Truth About Cats and Dogs:
I remember first seeing this, it was on Channel 4 late at night. I was in bed, watched some programme and then saw this was on, I always used to sit up and watch tv until really late and write. I know I was quite young when I first saw this, probably a tiny bit too young to have watched it, but I really enjoyed it.

Plot Summary courtesy of IMDb:

Janeane Garofalo plays Dr. Abby Barnes, the "Truth About Cats and Dogs" radio question-and-answer show host who unwittingly entices a listener over the radio with her soothing voice and personality. This listener, Brian, tries to meet the Abby from the radio, but Noelle, played by Uma Thurman, is mistaken for the real thing when Brian comes to the studio. Instead of clearing things up right away, the self-conscious Abby allows her best friend, Noelle, a tall, stunning blonde, to take her place for a while. Abby takes on the made-up persona of Donna, while thinking Brian would never go for her, a short, cute, brunette, who thinks she's unattractive. As the real Abby woos Brian over the phone and radio, Noelle, the pseudo-Abby, takes her place in the flesh. As time goes on, Abby feels more and more confident that Brian would rather have the beautiful Noelle than the simply attractive Abby. Written by Joelsef <joelsef@geocities.com> 


What I love about both of these Chick Flicks is that they break slightly away from the norm of what a Chick Flick should be. Both are about the "underdog" and although, yes in a way we know that it'll all end up lovely and happy at the end (see predictable) you are still left guessing a lot of the time during the film, basically due to the main characters (Muriel and Abby) being like any average girl/woman who could be watching the film, feeling insecure, and not good enough (mainly due to other people!).

Two Chick Flicks which are easy to watch, easy to connect to and funny......
but still.....I much prefer a Horror or a Thriller!

#thegallery Hair

When I chcked my inbox on Friday and saw Taras theme for this weeks Gallery I knew EXACTLY which image/s I would be using.

The theme: HAIR!

My photo also comes with some advice: When the time comes to take the sides off of the cotbed, make sure you check the room for anything your child can climb on to then be able to reach the top drawer on the Tall Boy, open it, and grab the tub of Sudocrem.

3 hair washes later it was still in there, not as much but still being very stubborn and our boy was left looking like a Silver Fox!

Silent Sunday

 

Woohoo! I won!

This is probably going to seem something very silly to post about but I am very excited.
I have entered a few competitions on other Mummy Blogs and so far not been very successful...until last week!
In one week I won 2 competitions!
The first was over at The Mummy Life. The prize....a Nuby Natural Touch Rhythm Dual Electric Breast Pump Kit!
I was over the moon when she had informed me that I had won via a Vlog.
Yesterday at 8am the doorbell went. It was hte postman with a big box! Yay! Of course Charles made it clear it was his job to open the box and see what was inside!

 and then of course the expected happened.....

Laura at The Mummy Life also made me smile by very kindly including some lovely clothes for our new baby in the package. Which was so kind of her and we are very grateful. Thank you so much Laura!!

The postman also delivered another package to us yesterday. Again Charles made it his job to open the box, and this time I had no right to tell him not to as the contents were aimed at him.
The other competition I had won was via Jessies Crazy Kitchen. A choice of three Goody Packs were available....Pack one: Newborn, Pack two: Toddler, Pack three: Safety. All three were suitable for us so I thought it would be silly of me not to enter.
At 3 o clock am during a "baby sitting comfortably on my bladder" toilet trip I noticed my phone flashing and a little "T" icon in the corner of the screen. I opened Twitter, checked my mentions and saw that I had indeed won the competition! Yay!
I had originally stated any of the packs would be suitable but after further thought and looking closely at the packs decided that the Toddler Pack would be the better option for us! (The snack trap was my main reason for wanting it if I am being honest!)

He didn't really "get" the Snack Trap at first and thought it was something that he had to hum into!
(Please excuse the dribbly top!)

We are very excited about our prizes! And will be sure to enter lots more competitions now on! Woohoo!

#flashbackfriday SCREEEEEEEAM!!

My entry for Flashback Friday today is from 2008.
My nanny and aunty were visiting from Weston Super Mare, I had to work that week so we spent evenings out where we could. I was able to finish work early one day, Assistant Manager, had to take in the delivery at 5am on the Wednesday so got to finish early, so me, my mum and my aunty headed over to Great Yarmouth and to the Pleasure Beach.
The following is taken from the Pleasure Beach website:

The Roller Coaster is undoubtedly the star attraction at the Pleasure Beach having been in place since 1933 !! The ride actually dates back even further to 1928 when it was manufactured, but was operational in France before coming to Great Yarmouth. The traditional coaster made from wood has a single pull-up, once the train has left the top it then travels under gravity the whole journey until it arrives back at the station. A maximum of 3 trains can be used on the track at one time on busy days, with 30 people riding in each train. At the rear of the first carriage on each train a seated operator controls the brakes, unusually there are no brakes fitted to the track at all.

For some reason, they have stuck the camera on one of the slopes which is quite tame, but we thought we'd have a laugh for the photo and make it seem as if it is a really harsh drop.
Once we got off the Roller Coaster and looked at the photo we almost wet ourselves, other people had noticed the photo and were laughing at us too.

I failed to mention that one year, me and my brother got stuck on this Roller Coaster. Due to it being wooden it shouldn't run when its raining, except they stupidly let it run. The wood swelled and the train got stuck. Thankfully they got it running again but I had a panic attack and now really have to get myself hyped up to go on there. I'm afraid of heights so any Roller Coaster is a challenge for me!
 

A slightly tamer photo from the same day:

Join in with the Flashback Fun, or just look at the other enteries over at Karins blog: Cafe Bebe
.

#listography When I Grow Up

The listography is normally held over at Kate Takes 5's blog but this week has moved and is being held by   Manana Mama and the chosen topic is What I Want To Be When I Grow Up,

1: Owner of Wroxham Barns Junior Farm. We used to go to Wroxham Barns a lot when I was little. They had craft rooms which my mum would rent for the weekend so she could sell her Glass Painted items and Ceramic Plates. My brother and I would go with her and spend the majority of the time in the Junior Farm. The staff got to know us and would let us help where we could.
I'd always go home dreaming of not only working there, but owning it and being in charge. I would draw up plans of how I would set up all the pens, feeding times, a price list etc. I was really into it.
As an adult whenever we visit I still get the feeling in my tummy that its something I want to do.

2: Assistant in a Wedding Dress shop. I love nosing at wedding dresses, I love looking at brides in wedding dresses, I just 100% think this would be a job I would love. A lot.

3: Old fashioned/Vintage/Traditional Sweet Shop Owner: You know the ones with the big plastic tubs of sweets which you bring to the counter and have weighed and then poured into traditional sweet bags. "100 grams of bon bons" or "£1s worth of chocolate covered toffee" Mmmmmmm.

4: A TV presenter. On something like This Morning or a host for a reality show like Big Brother! Previously I may have also added Radio Presenter but I know how rubbish the industry has become (as my husband is in it)...although if it was for BBC Radio Norfolks Treasure Quest taking over from Becky then I would jump at the chance in an instant!

5: A mummy. Oh well.....one down, 4 to go!

Finishing the Sentences: A Meme.

I always love checking my Inbox and seeing that there is a new blog post from Baby Genie. I discovered Katherines blog last year and became hooked.She was my main inspiration when deciding to start blogging.

Anyway, today I saw that she had been tagged in a Meme, and hadn't tagged anyone (purposefully). So I took it upon myself to "pretend" she had tagged me, after she had requested people join in so she didn't feel guilty for not tagging anyone :-D

So here goes, the challenge is to complete the following five sentences.

I am…. a mummy (which you should all know really....) and have never been happier. I feel so complete with one child that sometimes I question why we are having another.


The bravest thing I have ever done is…move away from home at 18, from Lowestoft to Bedford. No job, no money, no friends and no family. Just to move in with my fiance (now husband) Was a really scary and lonely time at first but it definitely made me stronger . Oh....and have a baby!!

I feel prettiest when… I've just had my hair cut, I wear make up and a dress/tunic.

Something that keeps me up at night is….my anxiety and the fact that my head, for some reason, decides to concentrate on something which is going to wind me up all night.


My favourite meal is…. Boxing Day dinner! Cold meats, cheese, pickles, crisps and warm baguettes. Bread and butter pudding.


The way to my heart is…. just to care about me and my life, my family etc and be interested in it all. 


I would like to be…. the best mummy possible to my sons and the best wife to my husband.


I also won't tag because I know how much some people hate it and how many other Memes there are going around. But please join in if you'd like! Its easy and quick to do :-)

Movie Meme Week 5

Last weeks topic was a specific actor [Leonardo Di Caprio] chosen by host Metal Mummy.

This week things are slightly different, the theme is favourite actor again, but YOUR favourite actor. 
I'd already written about Robin Williams in Week One so decided to pick someone else. 
The person I've chosen is really, really, ridiculously good looking.

 

Meet The Parents
Zoolander
Along Came Polly
Dodgeball: The True Underdog Story
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Meet The Fockers, Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum 2. 
These are the films I've watched and laughed at countless times in the last 10 years [as well as also seeing him feature in TV programmes such as Friends, Fraiser and The Simpsons]. 
I am yet to watch Tropic Thunder and missed out on seeing Little Fockers at the cinema :-(
He wrote and directed Zoolander and Tropic Thunder, and did you know, he Directed The Cable Guy.

On top of all this, he has also Produced Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, Starsky & Hutch,  Zoolander,  Blades of Glory, Tropic Thunder, and Megamind, as well as others.

Ben Stiller is such a funny funny funny man, I just know that if he is in a film, or has anything to do with a film, then its sure to be a hit!! 

Not to mention, I actually do think he is really, really, ridiculously good looking [Zoolander]

 

#thegallery Education

I don’t think there is one person who can doubt or deny that education starts at home, long before preschool and “big” school is really thought about.

From new words, to being able to recognise an item, object or person and putting a name to it, to colours and numbers.

We are at the moment trying to teach Charles colours and numbers..

To do this I use everyday household items, such as pegs, sponges, flannels etc, as well as toys-cars, mega blocks and a balls.

We are also teaching him textures, soft, fluffy, hard, spikey. We've already mastered size-big and small and he's pretty much clued up on whats hot and whats cold.

3 Pegs. Blue, Yellow and Green

Bunny is soft and fluffy. Eats carrots and drinks water.

Four balls. Blue, Red, Yellow and Green.

He also learns a lot from In The Night Garden. He learnt to clap, learnt certain words, for example Stone. He knows what a stone is and also likes to count them. It has also taught him how to jump.

This is a selection of what we are teaching currently, we also count as we go up the stairs. We look at cars and count them and shout the colours.
I get great pleasure everyday knowing that I am teaching my son so much.

Things To Be Happy About

So yesterday I posted my intention for a Meme. Things to Be Happy About....did you read it?

It can be something silly, something serious, something random, something simple, something obvious or something totally “out there” that we may question your sanity, silly/funny words, funny situations.
The littlest things that make you smile, giggle or laugh your head off. Simple things in life.
No explanations are needed, infact it’ll be funnier to not explain somethings. No explanations are needed, infact it’ll be funnier to not explain somethings.
You can be as rude as you like too! Dirty minds are welcomed.

Your list can be as short or as long as you like, and can be edited: just be sure to let us know if you edit so we can see what other things make you happy.

Charles

My husband

My bump

Ricky Martin

Changing a nappy and expecting a poo in there and realising its just a wee!

Hot sausages and stilton in a fresh baguette, with a bit of salad cream

A positive pregnancy test after trying to get pregnant

Daffodils

Tulips

Hot sugary donuts

Charles learning a new word
Toddler kisses

The sun

Being tweeted by a celebrity
A happy, giggly toddler
Gardening

The smell of freshly cut grass

Sand between my toes

Postman Pat

Heston Blumenthal

Finding a dress that suits my shape

A good hair day

The chance to wash, dry and straighten my hair and not taking 3 days to reach each stage

Tangfastics

Decent photos of yourself

A compliment

Charles wanting a "mummy cuggle"

Bread and Butter Pudding, with cream or ice cream

Fresh cream

Pate
Zoo's and Safari Parks
Freebies
Ellie Goulding

Piglets

Seeing monkeys breastfeeding

Breastfeeding

Hiccups from "bump"

Hearing babys heartbeat

A new Pandora charm

Love

Cheesy Songs

Recieving a phonecall thats for us, and not for "Mrs Yvonne Gregory" (who is she??!!!!)

Popping a spot

Dreams

Holly Willoughby

Achieving goals

An apology

Family (most of the time)

Feeling wanted

Feeling needed

Money

Dime Bars

Peter Andre

ITV Dramas

Being spoilt

Being "treated"

Chips and curry sauce

Long family walks

Strawberry Cider

Somerset

Cruises

Editing photos

DSLR cameras.

The colour blue

Hot bubble baths

Decent moisturiser

Soft just-shaven legs

Freshly painted toe nails

Dark nail varnish

Homemade Frappacinos

My husbands Beef Stroganoff

Finding "the one" at a young age

Blog comments

The right to vote

My mum paying for my driving lessons and test

A full driving licence

Winning an Ebay auction

A car full of diesel

Strawberrys

Strawberrys dipped in Nutella

Crisps

Disney

Thats my list, and it could be so much longer! How about you? Give it a go and don't forget to come back and link up below.

14,000 Things To Be Happy About. A MeMe!

I know there is the linky/meme [someone needs to explain the difference in these to me please] “Reasons to Be Cheerful” but this is a bit different.

We took a trip to Wroxham Barns today and whilst looking around the gift shop I noticed the book 14,000 Things To Be Happy About. Couldn’t help but to open it and have a look. Instantly I giggled and stood there saying [to myself in my head] “true, true, so true”.
And I thought it’d be fun to make our own list and for people to add their own.
It can be something silly, something serious, something random, something simple, something obvious or something totally “out there” that we may question your sanity, silly/funny words, funny situations.
The littlest things that make you smile, giggle or laugh your head off. Simple things in life.
No explanations are needed, infact it’ll be funnier to not explain somethings. No explanations are needed, infact it’ll be funnier to not explain somethings.
You can be as rude as you like too! Dirty minds are welcomed.

A few I can remember from the book, and some examples to show you where to start and to take this:

A timid tiger.
Condominium
new babies
a well-crafted chair
having a sense of your own space
a real person answering the phone
peninsulas
leaves snuggled around the foundations of old country houses
staying home on New Year’s Eve

I’m going to start my list tonight. You can re-edit your post at any time but be sure to inform us so we can go back and view the new items on your list too.

The linky will open tomorrow and remain open for you to add at any point, but feel free to start your list as soon as you’d like, if you’d like to join in.

Please Title your list as "Things to be Happy About"

Silent Sunday

So Lucky.

I walked into Charles' room tonight just to check he was ok and not half hanging out of his bed or without covers which he always kicks off. He looked very snug and in a deep sleep, but must've heard a floorboard creek as I was about to leave the room, I heard him stir, turned round and saw him turning over and then sitting up, he was 75% still asleep.
"Biskey! Biskey!"
I sat next to him and tried to get him back to sleep.
"Biskey, biskey"
"Do you want a biscuit?"
He nodded, he normally wakes up and asks for milk, he's obsessed with the stuff. Never for a biscuit. I took him downstairs, not something I would usually down but saved hassle of having to call my husband, tell him where the secret biscuit stash was and get him to pour a bottle of milk.

I headed for the biscuit cupboard, grabbed an almost empty pack and went to hand one to Charles, who was cuddling up to Daddy.
"No" He shoke his head.
So I handed him milk instead, and put the biscuit away. I can only assume he was dreaming about biscuits which made him ask for one.

I sat down on the other sofa letting the boys have a cuddle, looking at the netbook catching up on the Twitter feed I knew what was on telly, but wasn't paying attention at this point.
"Oh no, oh dear"
I looked over to Charles, and notice that he is paying attention to what is on tv. Comic Relief. He is watching the clip focusing on malnurished babies and toddlers.
My husband told him to look away, and held his hands over his eyes. I told him not to worry, because Charles didn't understand.
But then it hit me that he obviously does understand to an extent. If he didn't then why did he say "oh no, oh dear" There was no other reason.

We are very careful over what he watches, nothing with fighting, nothing with swearing, but we have let him watch the news reports on Japan. I have distracted him when news of Libya comes on, and did the same when Egypt and Tunisia were fighting.

He then asked for a mummy cuddle, and my husband brought him over, he laid down in my arms, with his milk and closed his eyes. Not fully asleep, he was awake enough to carry on drinking his milk [think dream feed almost]
I looked at him, and then looked at the tv screen. And couldn't help but think.

I am so lucky that I can provide everything my son needs to grow and be healthy and to be nurished. I don't have to worry about feeding him, or getting him milk. Anything he needs is in the kitchen cupboards, or in the fridge, and at one point, was in my breasts! If any of these things aren't in my house, I have a car I can jump into, I can drive to the nearest shop or the nearest Supermarket and pick up whatever he needs, bring it back and he will be satisfied.

Charles is so lucky that he has two healthy parents. Who are able to provide for him. He has a warm house, clothes, 24/7 access to water and food and drink.Anything he wants he can have (to an extent) Money is no object.

I squeezed him tight, and asked my husband to take him back to bed, he woke slightly and asked for a "mummy cuggle", we kissed goodnight and then within seconds he was tucked up warm in bed again, as I continued to watch the deeply upsetting clips from Africa where the babies and children are nowhere near as lucky as him, and the parents are nowhere near as lucky for us.

On a slightly aside note, I also couldn't help, for a second, to realise and feel a huge sense of pride that at 21 months my son can recognise when someone needs help and when something/someone isn't the same as him, without being promoted. He could tell by just looking at these children that something was wrong.
He wouldn't have understood what Jack Dee (celebrity covering this particular clip) was telling us and explaining to us, so this proves how strong these images are.

Tonight I was able to offer him a biscuit, even though it was rejected, and it meant nothing, I just put it back in the packet and placed it back in the cupboard to be enjoyed another day.
I was able to fill his bottle up with milk for him to enjoy, knowing that if he didn't want it that it didn't matter, I could just stick it in the fridge for later.
The people in this clip don't get these benefits. Every single crumb of food and every drop of liquid is so precious.

We are lucky. So lucky.

Mumra Playlists Week Five

This weeks theme for Mumra Playlists is Breakin; Shapes.

The songs we can't help but to dance to!

I can't pick one, I am going to pick three.

Cha Cha Slide.....Dj Caspet. Who can resist this huge wedge of stinking cheese! Easy moves to copy,

Wiley....Wearing my Rolex
The DJ played this twice at my dads wedding 3 years ago, I'm pretty sure I begged and begged to keep playing it hense why it was played twice and I know for sure I told everyone to get off the dance floor both times because it was "my song". Oops, I may have had a LOT to drink.....I needed to.

She Bangs....Ricky Martin...no explanation needed. The man is a god, this song is amazing, every song of his is amazing.

#flashbackfriday September 2008

Only two and a bit years ago but this is a photo from an amazing holiday with hubby. The last we ever had has just the two of us before we became a three.

At some point on this holiday we made the third family member! It was a one week cruise around the Med so we're not entirely sure which "country" he was concieved in (thank goodness that doesn't have to go on any official documents)

Hubby also became poorly so didn't enjoy it as much as we'd hoped. The weather was ok, not amazing but better than the UK. This was taken on one of the better days!

This was the first day of the Cruise, the day at sea.

Flashback Friday is hosted by Cafe Bebe. Have you joined in yet?

Mumras Playlists Week Four

I'm very late at joining in Week Four of Mumras Playlists. But better late than never.
This weeks theme is Guilty Pleasures. I've thought long an hard about which song to choose for this, I've already confessed a love for Steps and Hanson. Obsession over Ricky Martin and Peter Andre. Special feelings for all Pat Benetar songs. So which song do I choose as a Guilty Pleasure?
At the moment all I play on my hifi unit and cd player is Ellie Goulding, baths and housework chores are mostly done whilst listening to her album. But I wouldn't say this was a guilty pleasure.

So, my decision.
Latin Music!
Yes my Guilty Pleasure, when I get the chance, and as soon as the sun comes out, is Latin Music. Ok so I'm cheating a bit as the Ricky Martin influence comes in here, a lot of my favourite Latin Songs are the ones featured on his Spanish/Spanglish albums.
The album., Latin Fever is my particular favourite.
Track 14 on CD 1 is a particular favourite. I was introduced to it at Salsa lessons when I went with my mum over 10 years ago now!
When I then realised it was on this CD, just through chance after buying this album and playing it at home, I was over the moon.
I had it played at my wedding reception to surprise my mum and it got EVERYONE on the dance floor.
Please excuse the amount of bottom on show in this video!!

Movie Meme Week Four

This weeks Movie Meme theme, hosted by Metal Mummy, is Leonardo DiCaprio.

I have three favourite films in which he starred, the obvious two are Titanic, my first introduction to him and then Romeo and Juliet (I watched Romeo and Juliet after Titanic) and the third is Basketball Diaries.

Being a very young girl when I first saw Titanic of course I instantly feel in love with his cute boyish looks, the baby face and the curtains.

He was in the press a lot around this time, great when you want to just see photos of him, but reading the stories turned me off him. He was revealed to be a "bad boy".

I am not a fan of bad boys.

Yet watching him in Romeo and Juliet and Titanic would bring back that love I originally felt. 

Theres something about these innocent, less fortunate, in-touch with their emotions characters which is extremely sexy. You forget about this bad boy who's playing them and instantly believe that infact he is the character you are connecting with and falling in love with.

Leonaro has a way of switching off from real life and instantly becoming this character. Instantly enabling us, the audience, to forget who he really is and straight away he really is the character that he is playing.

The unfortunate ending to both characters in each film, Romeo and Juliet and Titanic, and the reaction from the audience shows how well these characters are recieved.
Don't get me wrong, the ending to Romeo and Juliet is hardly a surprise to anyone (I hope!!) but still I most certainly didn't imagine I'd fall in love so deeply (over-exaggeration maybe) with Romeo as much as I did.





Basketball Diaries couldn't be any different. Here is a plot summary taken from www.imdb.com.

Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim's life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world in his mind. A best friend who is dying of leukemia, a coach ("Swifty") who takes unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and an unhealthy appetite for heroin -- all of these begin to encroach on young Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star. Soon, the dark streets of New York become a refuge from his mother's mounting concern for her son. He can't go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie, an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim "picked up a game" now and then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity. Written by Mark Fleetwood

I remember watching this film over and over. I watched it after seeing Titanic as I wanted to know more about Leonardo as an actor. To see the different roles he'd played. I was immedicately completely blown away not only by the story, and shocked at how it unravels, but also blown away by the acting skills. How was this guy, who was so cute and loveable and innocent in the previous two films I'd seen, now able to switch to playing this out of control character, who kind of still had an innocent side (depending on your opinion on the situation/psychology etc etc blah blah). You can't help but feel sorry for him for how his life has turned out, taking this wrong path after how successful he started out, yet at the same time want to get into the screen and tell him to stop and wake up and sort his life out.

Great choice Metal Mummy! I didn't realise I'd be able to write a post about Leonardo Di Caprio, it turns out, I can.