Red Shoe - The One Where I Felt Sexy

Sunday 12 October 2014 was a very special date.

It was my 40th Birthday.

I still can't quite believe it.

Me? 40?

I remember thinking 40 was so old when I was younger. Now I know it isn't. Well, not to me anyway. I still feel young.

I was actually really excited about turning 40. I was definitely more upset about turning 30. I think it's because my 30's have been so much better than my 20's ever were.

Matt and the kids are my world and I'm right where I want to be in life. We are all happy and healthy and that's all I can really ask for.

Last year was a bit of an up and down year and I wanted 2014 to be the year that, not only I turned 40, I rediscovered the woman inside. I did it thanks to finding a friend of a friend, Sarah Jane, and Red Shoe Photography.

Here I share my Red Shoe story...

I’m not really sure where to start with this but I’ll try my best…

In 2009, after the birth of my first child, I took the big decision to leave my career and become a stay-at-home-mum. A lot of people think this involves a WAG-type lifestyle but it can’t be further from the truth. Plus, going from full-time work to being at home with a child has a huge impact on your lifestyle and your confidence. 

5 years on and another child down the line I realised I’d let myself go a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a mum and I love that I get to see my children flourish every day – I wouldn’t change it for the world. It’s just sometimes I forget that I’m a woman in my own right too.

I spent 2013 in a rut after a friend suffered a horrific tragedy. Instead of embracing life and realising it can be cut short, I got really down. I also often found myself eating all the wrong things and not looking after myself at all. It had a huge impact on my wellbeing.

At the end of last year I discovered Red Shoe. 2014 was going to be the year I was turning 40. I knew that Red Shoe would give me the focus I needed to kick the next decade in the ass. 

I have to admit that it took me a good 6 months to pluck up the courage to book the photo shoot. I didn’t really tell anyone about it. I wanted this shoot to be ‘my little secret’ – something just for me. I didn’t even tell my husband. I still can’t believe I managed to get a suitcase and huge bag full of underwear, clothes (including one of his shirts!) and props out of the door without him noticing. I never realised just how sneaky I could be.

The day of the shoot I was shaking so much I thought I was going to throw up. I’d never done anything like this before. But there was no going back.

When I arrived at the studio I met Mandy. How amazingly lovely and welcoming she was. She is amazing and I still struggle to believe she’s the age she is. Mandy put me immediately at ease and I felt so much better. Mandy worked a miracle on my hair and make-up and made me look and feel like the most beautiful woman on earth.

Then in came Sarah. The most wonderfully sassy and hilarious lady you’ll ever meet. She made me feel so sexy – a word I would never associate with myself at all. She got me to mirror poses and work the camera. She made me laugh and she also made me cry. I had the best time and I felt totally amazing.

By the time I left the shoot I just wanted to rewind the day and do it all over again. It was incredible.

The results? Well, lets just say that it’s not just me that’s pleased with them and it was worth being a bit sneaky for! I absolutely love them and I think I have really kicked turning 40 in the ass. Mission accomplished.

Thank you Mandy and Sarah for the tears and laughter we shared that day. It was awesome xx


I can't even begin to tell you just how nervous I was on the day of the photoshoot. I'd never done anything like it before. However, now I have, I can highly recommend it to anyone. I felt totally alive and incredibly sexy that day and I still feel quite good about myself even now, almost 4 months on.

Sarah and Mandy had a big impact on me that day and have continued to have an impact on how I feel.  They were amazing and you cannot fail to be perfectly at ease with them. They are two incredible women who I now call friends. Love them!

Here I'll share just some of the 31 awesome photographs Sarah took back in June.

I think you'll agree that it was the perfect way to kick turning 40's ass!

Please check out the following links

Sarah Janes / Red Shoe Photography website

Red Shoe on Facebook

Mandy Rigby Make Up Artist

I have written this post to share my story and share 

my Red Shoe experience. I paid for my photoshoot myself. 

Sarah Jane has given me kind permission to use one of 

the images she took for my blog and social media design 

and for me to share some images with you all.

#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (November...AND October)

If you've been reading my blog lately you'll notice a severe lack of activity. My last post explains why. I've always joined in with Me & Mine but I missed Octobers. I was so busy after my birthday and the Matilda Mae Welly Walk was very much my focus at the end of the month. I was feeling pretty emotional and despite having some photos from October I couldn't quite bring myself to blog.

November has been a strange month. It's flown by seriously fast. Christmas is just around the corner but my heart has been heavy. I spent the other week in a bit of a mess. I got myself in a rut, a rut that I couldn't see a way out of. Matt was away with work which didn't help and I was a teary mess with a 20 month old with severe separation anxiety.

This last week I've turned a corner. A couple of meet ups with some of my best friends has brought me out of myself. Blogging also helped and I love the support network that it offers. I received lots of DM's, tweets and texts as well as blog comments (which, I will reply to every single one - thank you). I've made sure I get out every day for some fresh air and I've done more 'spur of the moment' things for myself and for the family.

Anyway, the upshot of it all is that I'm going to start putting myself first more and have some 'me' time. I think as mothers we're just programmed to put everyone else first and it can take it's toll. I have friends going through seriously hard times - financial worries, illnesses and losses of loved ones - but I can't let it bring me down as much as it has been doing. I usually look forward to Christmas but this year I haven't been at all.

I can't let that be.

I can't let my mood ruin my children's Christmas. One of my friends said to me the other night that children bounce off their parents moods and maybe that's a major source of TC's separation anxiety?

Who knows.

I know I have to focus more on my life and, in turn, the life of my family.

It doesn't mean I don't love my friends...
It doesn't mean I don't care...
It doesn't mean they won't always be in my thoughts...

I just have to try to be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister etc. This will also ensure I'm strong enough to support my friends as much as I possibly can too.

Yesterday my parents had the kids for me all day. I got so much done! I didn't stop but the day was great and, as much as I missed the kids, it was lovely to only have to think about myself for the day for once. I even treated myself to a gel polish manicure.

Before I ramble on anymore, I'm cheating a little this month to make up for last month. I'm posting photos from November AND October to make up for my month lost.

In October we visited the beautiful Llangollen Railway which isn't far from us. We went there to meet Thomas and Friends for 'A Day Out With Thomas'. TC has a major fascination with Thomas the Tank Engine but MC loved the day just as much. The weather was a mixed bag of sun and showers and we managed to dodge the worst of the rain. It was a great day. Here are a few of my favourite (and silly) snapshots from the day.

In November we were lucky enough to meet one of my closest friends Claire of Claire Penn Photography. We went out for a family day and she took a few family photographs for us. I'd like to share two of my favourites.

As well as being a truly awesome friend, Claire is one seriously talented wedding photographer. Her wedding photography just stops me (and everyone else) in their tracks. If you are getting married, or know someone who is, then I can highly recommend Claire - although her photography speaks for itself - and she travels all over the place to shoot amazing weddings. Just look and be amazed!

So, I'm starting to look forward to Christmas in our new home now and I'm determined to look after myself more. In fact, after 5 years of wanting, I'm booked in to have laser eye surgery in January.

I'm going to make sure that 2014 is not just a new year but a new, more positive, me.

Now head over to the lovely Lucy's blog for more Me & Mine delights.

#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (July)

I missed out on last months Me and Mine as we moved house and were without Internet for a while *weeps a little at the memory*. As it was, we didn't have time to take a family photo anyway as life was hectic - I would have had to use another Florida one taken at the beginning of June.

So, catching up on 2 months worth really. What have we been up to?

The holiday to Orlando was incredible. I finally got my first blog post about children's ages for Disney live the other day. 3 weeks after returning from holiday we moved house. We've been in a month now and...

...we love it here.

I'll be blogging about it at some point but the house is gorgeous. We love having so much room, the neighbourhood is lovely and we've made friends already - so has MC! We are perfectly happy here.

The kids seem to have settled into the new house brilliantly. They are growing up so fast. MC has finished nursery class and will be starting full time school in September. TC is starting to develop his speech more and is fast becoming a keen footballer already.

So, as I said, life has been full on. We don't get a huge amount of time together as a family of 4 anyway as every other weekend we have to see the inlaws (they live in Nottingham) so that always has to be considered when planning anything. This weekend just gone though, with the house pretty much sorted, we decided to have some much overdue family time.

With the weather warm and sunny we packed up a picnic and headed to Greenfield Valley Heritage Park.

I took so many photos of the kids enjoying the grass, the flowers, the abbey ruins and playing football. It was just so lovely to watch them having fun.

It was perfect.

So I decided to set up the timer on the camera to make sure I got a photo of all 4 of us.

It took it.

Then I checked the photo.

I immediately dissolved into a fit of the giggles.

In my rush to set up the photo with us all on the picnic mat I'd forgotten to move the cool bag from in front of TC*.

What appeared on the camera screen was hilarious. Matt and I couldn't stop laughing.

It so looks like TC is actually in the cool bag (he wasn't I must add, he was sat behind it)!

That was it... I'd got my Me and Mine photo instantly. I didn't bother taking another one.

There was no need.

To me, this is perfect and hilarious in equal measures.

*If I'd been even more picky I would've moved the pushchair too :)

#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (March)

I posted a family portrait on Instagram last night.

Nothing new there, I hear you say.

Those who follow me on IG know I love it so much. I spend more time there than any other social media I think. I love sharing captures of family life and getting insights into friends lives.

This photo was different though.

This photo was the first photo of us as a family of four.

Can you believe it?

It was taken on Good Friday (29th March) by my brother-in-law. The day after Tiny Ched's 1st Birthday. It took us a year and a day to get a photo of all of us. I feel so unhappy about this. My photos are usually of the kids and occasionally of me and the kids or Matt and the kids.

Never of all of us.

I said it was something I wanted to change. 

So the lovely Lucy saw my photo and words and asked me if I'd like to join in with the #MeAndMine challenge. Take a family portrait each month for the year so here I am. I think it will be a great way to make sure that I capture family photos that I can treasure. I wish I'd heard about the link-up sooner (my own fault for not being about much this year).

The month of March has been an up and down kind of month (much like the year so far) full of lots of illness, hospital visits and the kids celebrated their 4th and 1st birthdays. TC was actually ill the day this was taken and Matt and I were completely knackered and emotional but I still love it.

We are determined to have a happier month during April. The Florida holiday is fast approaching and we also have something else happening which could prove great for our family if it all comes together.

Here's to our next family portrait!

The Gallery - Shoes

I have quite a few *cough* shoes. Heels mainly, lots of them. In fact, until I was pregnant with Mini Cheddar I didn't own a pair of flats apart from some flip flops for holiday.

Today it's a different story. I very rarely wear heels. Most of them are now in boxes collecting dust in the bottom of my wardrobe. I think something happened when I became a mother to trigger off a reaction to wearing heels. No longer can I spend hours drinking and dancing the night away...give me a pair of slippers and I'm happy.

I'm almost 37, not 77, I promise.

However, I do have one trusty pair of heels that will always be with me and always get an airing. A pair of Kurt Geiger peep-toes that have been with me for years. I love them, they are part of me.

My beloved 'Kurties' to my friends and I.

Even now when we arrange a big night out my friends will say "Are you wearing your Kurties, Heath?"

These shoes have been with me through all sorts. I've got drunk in them, I've eaten in them. I've walked in them, I've danced in them. I've laughed in them, I've cried in them. I've been sick in them (not literally). I've fallen down stairs (and cracked a rib) in them and I've even had sex in them!*

One thing's for sure though, I'll never part with them.

*If I end up wearing these to the Mad Blog Awards later this month, please ignore this!


Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

The Gallery - Black And White

I haven't got a lot of time at the moment so I'm going to try and make this a brief Gallery entry and try and let the photos speak for themselves as much as they can (I have ended up with 3 this week, sorry!).

They were all taken in Vancouver so, once again, I appear to be dragging the 'travel theme' through the weeks.

Under The Boardwalk

Waiting For Master

The Search

If you'd like to know more about these photos, have a look at my Flickr stream.

Normal service will resume next week, I promise!



Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

The Gallery - Travel

I almost whooped when I saw the theme to The Gallery this week.  I adore travel so I'm VERY excited to look through the entries this week.

I've been lucky enough to have been to some fabulous places in the world and have already blogged about seeing the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle (The Gallery - Green) and travelling the path of Route 66 across America.

Ah the good old US of A.

I have a great love affair with that place, have travelled over there a few times now and it even featured a couple of times in my Top 5 Places I've Visited (one of my very first blog posts).  I find the country so vast and so different from state to state - I think I've visited about 17 of the 50 states so far - and I have quite a few relatives over there too which is always a bonus!  We've travelled to the major tourist spots such as New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles and also been off the beaten track in places like Amarillo in Texas and Yukon in Oklahoma.

Then there's it's sister Canada.  Again, I love that country (I do SO wish I'd added it onto my list).  The scenery is stunning and the people are lovely.  My husband and I spent our 1st wedding anniversary at Chateau Lake Louise which was just amazing.

So, it's only right I dedicate this post to my favourite photos from my trips to both those beautiful countries.  I've not been out there since BMC (before Mini Cheddar) but I'm hoping to get back there someday soon to notch up some more states and provinces.

I think these photos sum up the diversity of the countries perfectly.

An icy Lake Louise, Banff, Alberta

Peyto Lake Lookout, Banff National Park, Alberta

Reflections of Patricia Lake, Jasper, Alberta

Night time in Vancouver, British Columbia

Dusk over Shuswap Lake, Salmon Arm, British Columbia 

The Space Needle, Seattle, Washington

Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

Sunset in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Hotel view over Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

Capitol Hill down Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC

The Grand Canyon, Arizona (see the people on the cliff edge on the left)

Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois

'The Bean' (Cloud Gate), Chicago, Illinois

Just off Broadway, NYC, New York

If I haven't bored you already and you want a nosey at my other photos then most of them are in my Flickr stream.

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

The Gallery - Grandparents

I was unsure whether or not to join in on this weeks Gallery theme of 'Grandparents'.  Simply because I've already blogged about my grandparents who have passed away but this gives me the chance to talk about my parents - Mini Cheddars Grandparents.

My parents are wonderful Grandparents to her and she loves them both dearly.  She always talks about "Going to Grandma and Grandad's house on Friday" - they look after her every Friday so I can do my volunteer work.  I'm so lucky in the fact they are both retired and they live about a 10-15 minute drive from my house.  Mini Cheddar squeals with delight whenever she sees them.

I know a lot of people don't have any support from their parents, they have passed away or they live far away.

So each day I try to remind myself just how lucky I am.

Taken by me March 2010

I hope in years to come that I can be as wonderful to my Grandchildren as they are to Mini Cheddar.

"Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation" 

~Lois Wyse

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

Silent Sunday #25

The Gallery - My Weekend

As Tara is lazy nosey busy, she's chosen a simple theme for The Gallery this week - My Weekend.

I should imagine more than half the entries this week will contain photos of conference halls, booze, Sarah Brown or dildos.  Blimey, I never thought I'd use Sarah Brown and dildos in the same sentence but there's a first time for everything!

Yes it was CyberMummy this weekend.  THE parenting blogger event of the year which was much hyped and talked about for many months and I'm glad to say I got to go.

I had a blast!

It was a whirlwind day and I didn't take my camera - just my iPhone and I'm actually gutted as I could have got so many great pics.

I deliberated over which photo to choose for ages but eventually I decided on this one, which sums up the weekend nicely.  I'm actually surprised there was any left after Jane's repeated visits to Rowan's table of delights!

I have (ahem) already taken advantage of the £40 off and I have 6 large bottles of beautiful prosecco that have just arrived on my doorstep.

Cheers! *hic*

For more on my CyberMummy experience you can read these posts:
I Laughed, I Cried, I Ate, I Drank...I Went To CyberMummy
Silent Sunday #24


Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

The Gallery - 3 Word Gallery

That Tara over at Sticky Fingers has come up with a gem this week (not that she doesn't always, obviously).  She's pinching using the idea from Simon Mayo's radio show - he does a 3 Word Thursday where listeners give 3 words which sum up their day/week/life. That's it, just 3 words.  So Tara is having a 3 Word Wednesday today.

Simple for me.  Please don't hate me but my 3 words are:

Want Another Holiday

I know, I know... I've only been home a week!  I'm not a greedy person but I need to say it as it's how I'm feeling.

The only downside to going on holiday is coming home. Obviously I love seeing my family and friends but I always suffer badly with 'holiday blues' after a great trip abroad.

The thing is though, I'm not the only one with holiday blues.

Mini Cheddar keeps saying to us "Go back to Italy".  Here's why...

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...