Help a blogger get to CyberMummy

There have been some pretty amazing acts of kindness floating around in the blogosphere this week and a huge increase in people buying anonymous gift tickets so that their online friends can come along to CyberMummy too.
Lots of you will know that I've been on a mission for the last couple to months to pair bloggers with sponsors and I'm pleased to say that I'm starting to see some of this come to fruition but I know that there are lots more people out there who desperately want to come along but just don't have the means to stump up the funds.
Then I had an email from yet another generous blogger asking if we had a ticket donation fund?

Well we didn't - but now we do.
So, if you would like to help another blogger to get to CyberMummy but you can't afford to buy a whole ticket, here is where you can help.
It doesn't matter how much you donate. One pound, five pounds, twenty pounds or five pence - it will all go towards getting another blogger to the event.

Yes, you may say... but what if I want to come to CyberMummy but I can't afford a ticket?
Simple. Leave a comment.... or pop me an email using the link at the top right of my blog with your name and blog address and you will go on to the list.

The fund will remain open until June 15th and the ticket recipients will be chosen using the random number generator at Random.org.
So, if you want to help... get to it!

The Gallery..... friends.

Once again a big thank you to Tara at Sticky Fingers for bringing us The Gallery. It has become a focal point of my week and I love taking the time out to see what everyone else has come up with. This week's theme is friends.

For a family of sea lovers we really do live in the wrong place. We have had some of our best days out crabbing in the freezing cold in the depths of winter.

I love this pic - for once everyone is smiling and despite the biting wind, lack of crabs and my broken arm (roller skating accident.....).
Whilst we are on a friendly theme.... I would love it if you could pop by the Search for a Simple Star to vote for me..

Have drinks damaged your kids teeth?

QUERY: Have sugary drinks damaged your kids’ teeth?

A journo friend of mine is looking for a mum and child – or children – where the children
have teeth decay  and fillings and the mum thinks they’re down to
drinking sugary or fizzy drinks. Or maybe even too much fruit juice. Ideal
would be someone who didn’t give their kids sweets but got caught out by
drinks. It’s for a helpful and informative article for mums and children,
a serious health piece with expert comment etc. You would need to be
interviewed on phone by me asap, and the paper would come and take pictures
of you and your child. If you can help or know someone else who can, please
get in touch! lucybulmer at blueyonder dot co dot uk

Self Portrait.... The Gallery

Tara was trying to throw a spanner in the works with this weeks The Gallery but thanks to the make up artist at the She Magazine shoot I was feeling confident!

Me.....

I can't wait to see all the beautiful faces behind the blogs.

How did you prep for birth?

Pregnancy & birth magazine wants to hear from you if you did any of the following to get ready for birth when you were pregnant:

- pelvic floor exercises
- joined a yoga class
- visited hospitals to help you choose where to give birth
- improved your diet
- attended antenatal classes
- tried perenium massage
- used a birth ball

We'd love to hear your comments on why you tried it and how it helped you to get birth ready. Your comments could be printed in a feature all about prepping for labour that will be a massive help for our
pregnant readers. So even if you're a bit embarrassed to share please do - it could make a real difference to another mum-to-be.

So if you have any pearls of wisdom to share please leave brief outline in a comment and email me using the email link at the top of this page.

I didn't do anything at all in preparation for my births - except shop that is! I  can't wait to hear your tips.

The She Magazine Shoot

I went off to London this morning to a photo shoot for an article on internet addiction for the July issue of She magazine. I was joined by fellow pr / mummy blogger Catherine from BabyGenie, Laura from Petit Poppet and Emma the PR sweetie from my favorite online designer fashion boutique, My-Wardrobe.com.

I've been having a bit of a personal downer on blogging over the last week. You know that thing where you stamp and say, 'That's it, I quit. I am over blogging and bored of the meanies and numpties.' 

So I wasn't really looking forward to the shoot but I had fun and it was lovely to meet Catherine in person after tweeting with her and reading her blog for so long. She said some lovely things about CyberMummy and her encouragement has helped to lighten my view on things, so thank you Catherine.

Here's what we got up to....

Catherine in make up and Laura getting curly.

Emma can't bend to put her shoes on as it creases her trousers!

Laura's turn in front of the camera.

Catherine gets fiddled with.

I look pissed off!

And I look pissed off again... but seriously, beige is just not my colour. But make up..... a big fat 10/10!

But you are going to have to wait till tomorrow for that.... cause I have been playing self portrait for this weeks The Gallery!

One more thank you for today and that is to Josie at Sleep is for the Weak for using my post on bullying as one of her prompts in this weeks writing workshop.

Do you want to know if you have this god dammed awful, highly contagious internet addiction? Check out Rosie's post over on Ready for Ten and take the test.

Who's the bully?

There seems to have been a lot of bullying going on of late. I seem to be feeling it in each and every aspect of my life. From my children to my work and I don't like it.

FunnyGirl came home from school last week deeply upset that one of her three strong girlie crew had called her best friend fat. 

She wanted to know why her other friend would be so horrid to someone who is supposed to be one of her best friends.

What could I say to her?

That there is a lot of it around and that she had just better get used to it?

The girls mum was mortified. Of course she was. We are all friends us mums. Not only are our little ones best friends but we are tied together by our older children too. We are not stupid, we are all educated women. We know that we can't control what are kids say when we are there, let alone when we aren't.

There was lots of 'she said', 'she said' but of course by the time the incident was passed through the kids, the teachers, the on lookers and back to us parents it had become like a game of Chinese whispers.

All adult parties remained chipper but feelings cut deeper than a fixed smile on the playground.

What would your reaction be?

The Gallery....... Men

Hello and welcome to this week's The Gallery.... the lovely Tara at Sticky Fingers is leading us forward this weeks the theme of.... Men.
I found this easy on the surface but I have so many pictures of the men in my life that it actually turned into a race against time.
I absolutely LOVE this picture of my husband. It makes me both melt and brim with the pride that he chooses me.
It is kind of cheating cause I didn't take the pic...but he is my man and if I could have been there to take it I would (does that count?).

I can't stop there cause there are other 'men' in my life..... my boys.
No1 son will be 20 this year. That scares me and freaks me out nearly as much as it scares me and freaks me out that TotallySonny will be 10 this year. Your time as a parent really does fly by.
My boys.....

Speak up... break the silence

May 5th is a difficult day for me... you see today is the anniversary of the first day of the rest of my life.

Sixteen years ago today (5/5/94), I was engulfed by a very dark cloud that took me to hell, tossed me around and then spat me out.

Many memories of events past are hazy. A result of the archaic mental health 'treatment' forced upon me in the following years but I can recall every single moment of that day like it was yesterday.

I stood at the top of the car park for at least an hour. I was teetering on the edge - over the edge.

It was grim, grey and from my roof top view the whole city looked like it wanted to die. I was terrified of what lay before me. Exhausted by the events that led me there. Helpless, hopeless, defeated.

So I jumped.

Every year I get reflective and every year I feel a little differently about how my life came to that. I'm filled with dread at the thought of the anniversary that tips my time scales, when I will have lived longer with pain and disability than without.

Did you know that last week was Mental Health Week? There is help available. Don't suffer in silence like I did.

If depression affects you stop by Breaking the silence. It is a brilliant blog, full of information and support.
Here's a link to my original post about my battle with post natal depression. Thank you for the comment love - it makes a difference to me to know that I have friends.

The Gallery... The world we live in

If you live in Leicestershire - you will recognise this as an icon of our county. A stunning park with amazing history....
Bradgate Park, the birth place and home of the tragic young queen Lady Jane Gray who ruled England for just nine days. The ruins of the house are said to be a focal point for paranormal activity and I just love this photograph that I took of it about 20 years ago.
Dark and eerie - just like the story of the young queen.
A big thank you as always to Tara for her brilliant The Gallery....

Nokia viral

A big thank you to Viv at ChilliKids.... the best child model agency in the UK and a huge well done to Biba and Betty for landing the job. Didn't they do a brilliant job?!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS9KAf-Jb_4

ModelGirl gets her moment

I have blogged before about the insecurities of my beautiful daughter but yesterday she stepped up to the mark and was awarded for her skill and practice. She won the area under 11 Girls trampoline competition. She is 8.

I am so proud of her... but more importantly she was proud of herself too. She had a little light in her eye that was still there when she greeted me this morning. She had practiced, she overcome not only her nerves but she blocked out that very big voice in her head that tells her that she isn't as good as everyone else.

I hope that she remembers this day for as long as I do.

And the others...... Totally Sonny won his group.... but he was the only one in it again (and for the record ModelGirl's score was much better!) and FunnyGirl in her first ever outing did a brilliant first round but forgot what she was doing in the second, slicing her score and leaving her 5th.
She says she is going to stick to dancing!

But I leave you with the Star of the Day.