Blog Baby Care

Aloha Sprinklerinos, Today has been blissful.  It was diarised to go into London but with so much happening at the moment, Maddie and Natalie very kindly took it out my diary and gave me a 'home day' to, as I so eloquently put it, 'get my shit together'. I know it can look like I'm doing nothing but it never feels that way. I'm constantly working on things behind the scenes, adjusting to living alone (and so being the only person to do all the shopping/keep on top of stuff), being a Mama and yanno, just living normal life things. I love it but I tell you, 'home days', they keep me sane.  I uploaded THIS video earlier today. It was filmed way back in July but it's a goodun. I really like it a lot.  Today I feel like life cut me some slack and I got on it. I was on time, nay, early!,  for dropping Darcy off at school and managed to pack every single thing she needed (including PE kit and money for a bookbag thank you muchly). I mean, I looked like a s...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, Today went from 'meh' to A-meh-zing! in one big swoop today. It was so good that I'm not even sorry about that terrible bit of word play. I woke up tired and rushed like crazy to get Darcy and I ready for London. We were due to meet a girl who had won a competition through my first book at Waterstones Piccadilly and since I valued making sure we had everything we needed in my bag over making my face ultra glam, I basically looked very 'tired'. That's the word Dan kindly used as he accompanied us into London on the train. To make up for this though, he entertained Darcy for a full 45 minutes so I could close my eyes and hopefully this helped me look slightly less like a haggard crapbag.  We arrived (a tiny weeny bit late) and helped Zoe, the sweetest 11 year old you ever did meet, choose a selection of books that Simon & Schuster (my amazing publishers) were gifting her. Then we popped upstairs for the most delicious afternoon tea I'...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, Notice :: Do you live in Tribeca New York? If you do and would like to come and hang out, I'll be at Barnes & Noble on 97 Warren Street from 4pm on Friday October 16th signing my book Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter and would LOVE to see you! More details  HERE .  Oh Saturday, you've been good to me. Thank you.  The day started really beautifully with Darcy being dropped off by Matt and us dashing about running a couple of errands. By 12 noon we were at the station picking up my lovely friend Daniel J Layton Actor (this is the full name that we fully call him by) and we zipped out into the countryside to visit Lamport Hall which was hosting it's annual craft fair.  (I let Darcy choose a little irredescant silver fairy tree ornament and she was THRILLED to carry it round all day!!) Now, call me middle aged but I try to go to this every year. There is something so pleasing about being in ye olde surroundings (imagine Downton Abbey, it's like th...

Aloha Sprinklerinos,  It is officially Autumn and this pleases me. I'm all about the cosy blankets, fairy lights and darker evenings. Not to mention it's almost acceptable to begin the countdown to Christmas! It'll come around quick I can tell ya! Before then though we have a few more Amazing Advertisers to get through, so grab a hot beverage of your choosing and lets get going!  Source Paws and Prada Oh my little ovaries, you’re in for a cuteness overload. Paws and Prada is a doggy blog written by the lovely Joy, and what a joy she is! (see what I did there?) If you’re a poochy lover, then you’re in for a treat. Joy writes about all things canine, from advice to reviews and even birthday wishlists for your favourite furry companion. Whether you’re a dog owner yourself, thinking of purchasing a pup, or just enjoy puppy pictures that make you squeal (we all do it), Paws and Prada is definitely worth a gander. Grab your nearest furry friend (pet, not person) and enjoy. The Wh...

Aloha Sprinklerinos,  Notice :: Do you live in Tribeca New York? If you do and would like to come and hang out, I'll be at Barnes & Noble on 97 Warren Street from 4pm on Friday October 16th signing my book Life With A Sprinkle Of Glitter and would LOVE to see you! More details HERE .  Today has been a warm fuzzies in my heart kind of day. Such a stark difference from the lonely day, hooray.  ( Little video I uploaded today on my main YouTube Channel, Sprinkle of Glitter ) <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q-aotIZfTso" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I woke up early and without my alarm, hopped in the (broken but just about manages) shower, tidied the bathroom a bit, pulled all the junk out of the under-the-stairs-cupboard and Judith (my auntie) came over with her bag of tricks to potter about my house and get me in shipshape.  Shortly after the plumber and bathroom designer called by...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, I was right, today was a better day. Thank goodness.  I woke up without my alarm (always nice) and without having a bunch of distressing dreams (always even nicer) and got dressed and ready in a calm, lovely manner.  I picked up Natalie from the station and we drove up to Sheffield for my first proper book signing for the Diary. This sentence might not seem like much but it's BIG. For as long as I've had a licence, I've been petrified of driving on the motorways. I missed out on events, took super lengthy train rides and paid for really expensive taxis just so I wouldn't have to face that fear. This last month though, I've cracked it. I've done a couple of big journeys and although I don't much like it, I can do it. The sense of freedom is incredible. I can go ANYWHERE now! So, that was a high point.  The signing itself was dreamy. Lots of smiling happy faces and lovely little chats were had. My Publicist, Hannah, is a hoot and I think k...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, I've been fighting it all day but today, I am lonely. Loneliness is actually my least favourite emotion and I think the one that cuts deepest.  I woke up early and trotted out to a salon appointment and enjoyed a chitchat with my oh-so-brilliant stylist who I love. I knew I was feeling down at that point because I had horrible dreams all night that really effected me.  When I got in I did a little bit of work but really couldn't focus and since I'd barely slept I thought I would just take an hour to have a snooze and 're-set' myself. It didn't work. I slept for a long time (I was meant to have a shoot today and it got cancelled so I had the spare hours) and then when I woke up Matt text to say it was his night with Darcy (we alternate Weds) and that he'd collect her from school.  I tried to edit my vlog that I've now uploaded (watch it here if you like) but really, I just felt super flat. I'm vlogging today and I'm powering ...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, It's 11.19pm and I'm listening to Heather Traska One Woman Medley's . You should check her out, she's incredible.  So, today. A GOOD day.  Woke up to my alarm (hurray no sleeping through) and got Darcy ready. She takes forever to do what she's meant to but I do love our mornings. We chat in the car on the way to school and it's nice to hear her thoughts and give her a little pep talk.  Babykins dropped off and I was home and chatting to Marie on skype for an hour. We haven't chatted in a few days because Luca was in hospital (all better now) and so I missed her a lot. It's funny how you can have a best friend on the other side of the planet but still feel so close to them.  After a bit of housework (my least favourite thing), I hopped in a cab, a train, another cab and I was at the Gleam offices in Shoreditch, London. I love being there. There is always such a buzz in the office and I feel super pumped to do this YouTube thing.  I ha...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, (Little Notice - If you are in London today, I will be in Waterstones Piccadilly at 6.30pm giving a talk and Q&A session to celebrate my Sprinkle of Glitter 2016 Diary. Tickets are available HERE and I'd love to see you.)  "If this were any other day, you'd be a broken woman by now"- Hazel Hayes describing my day haha.  So things didn't get off to a good start.  Matt was going to collect Darcy at 7.30am to take her to school. Usually I take her on a Monday but arrangements were shifted about a bit because he had plans the night before and yadda yadda long story short, I slept through my alarm. 7.38am and there he is, knocking on the door whilst Darcy and I are still fast asleep. Morning panic ensues with me trying to get a sleepy kiddo dressed and ready for school as fast as possible, all whilst Matt is waiting and getting later and later for work. I felt so awful. I think I sent about three different apology messages! After a rare night ...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, I am LOVING being more involved with my blog this month. I know it's only been a few days but it's reminding me just how much joy I take from tiptapping away on my laptop and pouring my heart out a bit.  This weekend was so perfect. My friends from London came up and I had Darcy so I decided to treat the city dwellers to fresh country air and good pub food.  Before we sat down for lunch I let Darcy run about on the village green and since I had extra people, I asked them to take a few snaps for me. I will always take advantage of a free photographer haha!  I love the way they turned out. I'm definitely that Mama who has no shame in co-ordinating mine and Darcy's outfits so I was more than happy to be a bit matchy on the navy dungaree set and my navy top.  Moments like these are to be treasured. I love going on huge holiday adventures or having special days out but I really do think these little captured snippets of time are the jewels you remembe...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, Today has been fun.  The gang stayed over last night and in this teeny house, every inch was occupied. I must say, I'm always impressed by how hospitable this little building can be. I put Hazel in Darcy's room (I never let the boys stay in there, I don't know why, I just don't like the idea), Jack in the spare room because he has cat allergies and that's the only room they don't go in, Ciaran on the sofa (poor Ciaran drew the short straw) and me in my giant comfy bed.  Let me tell you about my bed. I don't think I've ever properly addressed this before. My bed. Hot damn. It's amazing. I like to be in it and be a comfort sandwich. There's the memory foam mattress of loveliness, a duvet, a topper, the fitted sheet, me and then the softest, most glorious duvet you've ever nestled in. I went all out a few weeks ago when I revamped my room and bought 300 thread count sheets from John Lewis and despite the dent in my bank bala...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, 21.59 Saturday night. Writing this before my first glass of wine. Cleanse (no wine, more exercise and no rubbish dates) is going so well, ha.  The day started on a sad note. I dreamt all night that my life was how it used to be and so when I woke up, I had that fresh wave of, 'Oh, it's not'. I'm 99% OK with this but every now and again it hits me and my heart feels so tender and broken all over again.  Since Darcy is Matt and I've had a crazy busy couple of weeks, I cut myself some slack and spent the morning watching documentaries on netflix and eating way too many bourbon biscuits. Sexy. I'm so into documentaries right now. I think YouTube has really screwed over my attention span and so unless you are totally gripping or under ten minutes, I've lost interest. Documentaries though, I'm into them. I watched one today called 'Queen of Versailles' about a family who began to build the largest home in America and then the marke...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, I'm glad there was such kind support for my diary idea and I'm glad you were all so chilled about the 'no pressure' approach. I'm going to go at this like a nervous new boyfriend. All good intentions but big fears of commitment and a good chance of messing things up. Heh.  Today was Friday (I'm going to always sleep on my posts before I upload them) and I'd say, a good day.  Friday's are my lie-in days because Matt has Darcy and takes her to school and so I hit the snooze button til 9.45 before getting up and finding my Auntie downstairs pottering about and putting flowers in vases. I do love that she has keys and does these things! Katie Snooks (or 'Snoozey' as I like to call her, not because she sleeps a lot but because Matt once mis-heard her nickname of 'Snooksy' and said, 'Why is she called Snoozey??!?'. It stuck) had stayed over night so it was nice to have a little visitor in my house. My home always fe...

Aloha Sprinklerinos, Once upon a time this blog was a hub and hive of activity. I would be super excited to plan and write my posts and spent a lot of time on the photography for each article. I poured myself into it.  As Sprinkle of Glitter Ltd has evolved, some projects have taken more of my time and some have had to be cut back on. Sadly, my blog has been in the 'cut back on' pile and things like books (writing, promoting, book touring), youtube channels, live tours and clothing lines (I realise I sound like an obnoxious twit but it is what it is) have consumed a lot more of my energy.  I call this place my 'sunset spot' because my favourite time to visit is as the sun is going down and everything feels super peaceful.  I've tried quite hard to keep up with this slice of web but feel like I never do find my full footing and it slips away. So, I've had an idea.  Life this month is about to get really, really cray. I mean it. Whirlwind crazy. I'm already lo...