Guest Post...Mari's World - Horrorscopes 2012

You know when you just love someone instantly? That's how I feel about Marianne who writes a brilliant blog over at 'Mari's World'. Her warmth and wit is so endearing.

I've even had the pleasure of her company in real life and I have to say she's everything her blog purveys and more. She is a mother of 4 (including two beautiful twin girls) and believe it or not - a nana to one! I know...I need to know her secret.

So, I now hand you over to Marianne and her guest post - Horrorscopes 2012

I’m writing this as 2011 draws to a cold and tired end. It’s been a trying year on many different levels for people all over the world and as December makes its final stint to the finish line I’m looking back on what has been achieved throughout the year, what hasn’t and I’m wondering which dreams to rollover into 2012 and which to just let go of forever.

You see I am a closet Horoscope lover, I buy The Sun newspaper every day (I know don’t shoot me) but it’s to read Mystic Meg and what she has in store for me and come the end of the month I make sure I buy her monthly scope and read it throughout the month, especially on down days when nothing seems to be going quite as I’d like it to.

I am subscribed to two monthly magazines and I cut out their horoscopes and paste them in my diary to carry around with me and I buy at least another two magazines each month and do the same.

I have at least four different horoscope internet sites bookmarked which I refer to almost daily too.

Are you getting the picture?

Do you do this or I am the only Horror freak in the country?

Anyway, recently I’ve caught myself wondering if all this effort I put into Mystic Meg is worth it. (I know I’m shocked at myself too.)

BUT, at the beginning of last year, oh I’m a Taurus by the way, I was told in very clear and no messing around terms that 2011 was MY YEAR after 12 long years of being in the doldrums. Apparently Jupiter would be dropping by and making me a shed load of money and channelling opportunities right to my door.

‘Have the courage of your ambitions Marianne’ they urged.

‘Jupiter, planet of growth, will bring you so much help if you think big.’

Yeah? Well I guess Jupiter plain forgot that Britain is in the middle of an on-going recession, I imagine Jupiter might have lost a bit of wind in his sails because of that, cos I ain’t seen nothin’.

2011 has been difficult, our utility bills went up 20% and even though I got the twins out of nappies our shopping bill still increased instead of decreasing.

All the little DIY jobs I wanted completed by the end of 2011 are still on hold as money put aside for them got swallowed up by simple living – have you filled your car up recently? It’s shocking isn’t it? I even started driving slower on motorways to save on fuel.

I must give Jupiter a bit of slack though as apparently he’s been retrograde since August and I know how that feels. I took the girls to preschool by car this morning as we were running late and I forgot the car – I walked home so I do know a little about retrograde trust me.

The forecasters are telling me Jupiter is still hanging around in my back yard for most of 2012 too, I must be patient – well what else can I do but be patient? And everything will all fall into my lap once the year gets underway (and Jupiter remembers which direction he’s going in).

So if you happen to bump into him, spin him clockwise will you please?  I need my planets working at full speed as I have plans and dreams that make the Titanic look like a dinghy.

Wishing you all a very happy New Year – may all your dreams come true!

It's My 1st Blogoversary Today!

I can't quite believe it but I sit here exactly 12 months after writing my first blog post 'New Year, New Blog'.

Yes, it's my 1st blogoversary today. I've survived a year...

...and what a year it's been...

• 31st December 2010 - my first blog post

• 16th January 2011 - my first Silent Sunday post (and I still post them now!)

• 19th January 2011 - my first Gallery post (I plan to join back in next year)

• 1st February 2011 - I joined the Tots 100 index at rank 503

• 2nd February 2011 - my husband fractures his ankle...I'm NOT impressed

• 25th February 2011 - I start my volunteer work for Save The Children

• 18th March 2011 - Mini Cheddar ends up in hospital the week after her 2nd birthday

• 1st April 2011 -  I somehow go charging into the top 100 (at #62) of the Tots 100 index 

• 7th April 2011 - I finally confess the 'Korma Calamity' in a gross/hilarious blog post

• 2nd May 2011 - I blog about how I met my husband and I loved writing it

• 20th May 2011 - I find out via twitter I've made the finals of the MAD Blog Awards

• 25th June 2011 - I attended Cybermummy 2011 and met some amazing people

• 25th July 2011 - I got my first 'negative' comment on a blog post. It was a proud moment

• 2nd August 2011 - I finally blog about my amazing birth story with MC

• 25th September 2011 - I reveal I'm 12 weeks pregnant in a Silent Sunday post

• 30th September 2011 - I attend the MAD Blog Awards (I didn't win)

• 27th October 2011 - I get rather frustrated with potty training MC

• 3rd November 2011 - My beloved dog, Betty, has to be put to sleep

• 27th November 2011 - MC masters the potty training!

• 13th December 2011 - I hit that all important 24 weeks mark

I'm ending the year so much richer because of blogging. Not because of the odd freebie that has been sent my way but because of the amazing friendship and love from the wonderful people that I've met through blogging (and some that I've yet to meet).

I also found out yesterday that my blog scraped into the top 100 blogs of 2011 (at #97!) according to the Tots 100 index. For a blog only just turning a year old today, that's something I'm really proud of.

My year has had it's ups and downs but overall it's been an amazing year and I have no doubt that 2012 is going to be even better - we have a 3 week holiday in Florida in a few days time and then a couple of months to prepare for MC's little sibling. I can't wait for our family to become 4 and I can't wait to blog about it.

Thank you to each and every one of you who has read and supported my blog over this last 12 months and I hope 2012 brings you all much love and happiness.

Silent Sunday #32

Bye Bye Baby

My daughter is almost 22 months and I can't believe how fast last year went.  Doesn't seem like a minute ago she was taking her first steps and having her first birthday.  I've gone through her pictures and I can't believe how much she's changed:

JANUARY - A kiss for Mummy

FEBRUARY - All smiles despite a few days of the Norovirus

MARCH - 1st Birthday celebrations

APRIL - Newly walking lady visits the Cotswolds on a mini-break

MAY - Feeding Daddy raisins in Lanzarote

JUNE - Squirrel watching in Grosvenor Park, Chester

JULY - Multi-taking...eating whilst pooing at Hawarden Carnival

AUGUST - My very own Makka Pakka

SEPTEMBER - Move over Lewis Hamilton

OCTOBER - Where did my baby go?

NOVEMBER - Bye bye Grobag, hello cot pillow and duvet

DECEMBER - Eating German biscuits at the Christmas Markets in Edinburgh

2010.  The year I lost my baby but gained my gorgeous girl.

Back To Work

Today is the day that most people return to work after the festive period.  I say ‘most’ people but I don’t fall under that category.  I’m a ‘stay at home mum’ (SAHM).  I never in a million years thought that when I had children I would give up work but I absolutely love it.

I think sometimes more career-minded people, in a rather pitying way that makes me mad, can look down on SAHM’s.  This usually happens when they don’t have children themselves.  Maybe they think we sit around all day drinking coffee and watching daytime television.  Fact of the matter is I don’t.  Yes I go on twitter (and now this blog aha!) but it’s done quickly on my phone and usually when I’m waiting for something like the toaster or the microwave or I'm fed up playing with Mega Bloks ;-)

My working friends quite regularly ask me if I ‘miss’ work.  I never quite know how to answer that.  I wouldn’t say I miss work.  I certainly don’t miss the 124 miles of driving every day.  I don’t miss getting mad in the car at the idiots who don’t use the lanes on the motorway in the correct way.  I don’t miss the Bank Holiday traffic and me getting angry at all the caravan owners sat in the middle lanes or trying to over-take trucks and clogging up my journey home.  I don’t miss having disagreements with ‘creative’ bods who haven’t listened to me or read my brief correctly and me running around like an idiot trying to get something else done to present at a meeting.  I do however miss my income.  At the end of the day that’s what the vast majority of people work for no matter how much they say they ‘love’ their jobs.  

I don’t have any desire to return to work in the near future.  I left school at 16 and had plans to go to college but I landed myself a job.  I was on £35 a week and I loved it.  I worked my way up through the company, moving divisions and eventually achieved a manager role within marketing.  As the first signs of the recession started to hit about 4 years ago I was made redundant.  It hit me hard as the company was like my family; I’d grown up with it.  I was lucky enough to be offered a job elsewhere straight away and lucky for me I loved it.  Problem was it was 62 miles away from home and I also had to spend time driving up to Cumbria and down to Oxford.  Fortunately the pay was good and they paid business AND personal on my company car.  Happy days!  Fast-forward 2 years and I’m leaving to have a baby…eek!

At that point I was hit with a decision.  As it was I started my maternity leave early.  I left Christmas Eve when my baby wasn’t due until 16^th March!  It was mainly my husbands decision as he didn’t want me doing all the driving in the final trimester.  I was happy as it gave me time to prepare for having a baby.  I think Matt and I both just knew I wouldn’t be going back to work.  We’ve had to make some sacrifices but that’s what having children is all about.   We’ve never led overly extravagant lifestyles but we have been known to splurge from time-to-time – well now we certainly live a more frugal lifestyle.  We’ve had to adapt to this change in our life.  I have to say though that sometimes I do struggle not having my own income.  I’ve always had a wage.  For almost 20 years I worked and bought things for myself - I even bought my first car myself at the age of 18 when most of my friends were getting them as presents. 

Anyway, I digress.  Sorry.  I can see me amending this blog post a few times after publishing it!  I’m really happy being a SAHM.  I love spending time with my daughter and thankfully I still have contact with adults.  I meet regularly with my groups of friends, most without children or children who are 17+ so I get to have conversations other than potty training and tantrums.  I also have a few great friends with children of the same age as my daughter.   I honestly don’t think I’d have the time to work and do all the things I want to do. 

I’m not saying I’ll be a SAHM forever, but for now I think I deserve some time off for good behaviour.  Until then I’m savouring each day with my daughter and secretly dreading the day I have to go back to work.




Photographer: luigi diamanti

Three Little Words

I read someone else’s blog yesterday, someone who was listing what they’d done and achieved during 2010.  This included setting up a new business amongst other great things.  It got me thinking…

What have I done in 2010?

That’s the point I hit a brick wall.  A mild panic set in.  The year has just slipped through my fingers without me grasping a tight hold of it and doing something about it.  If I was writing a list of things I’d done/achieved it would consist of these:

•  Finally grown my finger nails
• Experienced my daughters 1^st birthday
• Been on a few great mini breaks and a villa holiday in Lanzarote
• Got fit and shed a few pounds (thanks to Jillian Michaels mainly)
• Started wearing leggings rather than jeans all the time – ha!
• Deactivated my Facebook account
• Re-activated my Twitter account
• Made a few great friends on Twitter
• Lost a few not so great ‘friends’ on Facebook
• Built (although not personally) a 2 room wooden cabin in the back garden
• Became a mystery shopper (but only actually did ONE shop!)

Hardly an inspiring list is it?  I was talking to Matt last night about New Year resolutions and about 2010 and he reminded me of an important point.  I’ve spent the last year caring for, loving and teaching our young daughter and that THAT was more important than anything. 

She’s so funny and intelligent she scares us sometimes, she’s got a massive vocabulary of words now aswell as signs and can link words to form ‘baby sentences’.  She doesn’t have tantrums as she can communicate well with us.  Now I’m not saying she’s not going to fall under the dreaded ‘terrible two’s’ category but hopefully the next couple of years will be easier as I’ve dedicated a lot of my time to her.  What sort of price do you put on that?  Yes, he made me feel better about everything but I still want to DO something in 2011.

I’ve never really done New Years resolutions before but I’ve decided I’m going to try and achieve a couple of quite major (for me!) things this year:

• Learn Spanish - it’s something I’ve wanted to do for the past 10 years but I keep putting it off
• Do more mystery shops – I signed up to mystery shopping about 8 months ago and only did my first shop at the beginning of December.  I loved it and more importantly, got paid for it..bonus!
• Not always put other people first to the detriment of myself

The last point is something I have always battled with but this year it really came and bit me hard on the backside.  I tried to cut a bad person out my life quietly to protect others but I was the one who ended up deeply hurt.  I didn’t sleep or eat properly for weeks and lost almost half a stone in weight in one week. Even when I did start to resume normal life the hurt was still there.  The experience took me a long while to get over (I guess in some ways I’m still coming to terms with it) and has made me quite guarded of who I let into my life now but this is a good thing in the long run.  I’m a mother now, I have someone who practically depends on me 24/7 – I can’t have people like that in my life.

It’s not a long list but personally I think it’s a good list.   Spanish, Mystery & Me – just 3 little words to keep me happy.  If I can get to 31^st December 2011 having achieved them I’ll be pleased and won’t look at other peoples lists and kick myself for wasting another year.

So, here's to 2011.  1 year, 3 little words and 1 stronger person.


Photographer: Filomena Scalise