SERIES: #mummyessentialproject - week 1

Hello,

Today is the start of the new series #mummyessentialproject run by Mummy Bloggers Community (me!), the weekly #mblogchat on Twitter has been such a success.


This new series has started for bloggers to share their wisdom on great products and tips for expectant mummies! I am taking part from my own personal blog and over on Mummy Bloggers Community their is a link up for everyone to share their posts and view others. The posts will go live every Tuesday, but don't worry if you join in any time of the week :)


This is the first week and the topic is Furniture (Cots, Changing Tables etc)

Here is the collection I got for when Corey was younger, I had seen it at The Baby Show, Excel whilst pregnant and knew it was the one I wanted as it is so versatile for boy and girl so would last for next baby too! Plus the quality is just great, even though the price is a bit steep but it is for the whole set after all and later on I got the matching toy chest too.

Tutti Bambini Barcelona
On their website , everything in the picture is valued at £899. On Tesco Direct for a 4 pc set here (cot,chair, wardrobe and changing table) is £659 with free home assembly which is what I got. Cot Bed alone is £150 without mattress and toy chest is around £90. I personally think the set in the picture is great value from their set! Depends on how much you can fit in babies room though as I could only fit the wardrobe, cot and changer when he was younger in our old house like below!

Come back next week for Clothing essentials. What do you think? :) Is it something you would go for?

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Have you seen my NARS giveaway yet?! Check it out by clicking here!

SERIES: Have You Discovered.. Blush?

Hellooo,

#haveyoudiscovered series - another week, another beauty product :) This week topic is Blush.

I just love Blushes, but I have used the same for as long as I can remember as it lasts well a live time - L'Oreal Paris True Match Blush in 115, True Rose. I use this as a base and then add Sleek Face Form Kit in Light blush :) To see this finish I get with combining the two visit my last make-up post here.

I am not really one for bright colour blushes and I am quite wary on trying something different but I do have my eye on NARS Orgasm or Dolce Vita. What do you think? Any blush recommendations? :)

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Have you seen my NARS giveaway yet?! Check it out here!

House Hunting

Helloo,

Ok so this is probably just me but every so often I have a little craze/obsession where I like to search houses!

You see when I was 17 years old in 2010 at 33 weeks pregnant I moved into my very first flat and it was great, I was incredibly lucky to have such a great place with a beautiful view walking distance from town.

But as Corey got older it really got a little cramped being bombarded with his toys everywhere - spoilt rascal. So last summer a house to rent became available from a family friend, a house I adored since she had it. Immediately I was excited, I was moving into a house with a garden and all sorts. It is such great house and we even adopted her dog :) Things have been great so far!

My issue is I have always known it will last 2/3 years at most because you see it only has two bedrooms. I am broody mummy and patiently awaiting the right time to have another child, which would mean a new house. As well as this September I have to start choosing schools for Corey to start the following year. Knowing I will be moving maybe a year after he starts school, do I go for a school near me now or will be later? Decisions, decisions!

As I have a very close family - my mum and grandparents live about a maximum 10 minute walk from each other. I have always wanted to live somewhere in between right near them as well it is just what I have always dreamed off. It's a lovely area and near all the good (ish!) schools. So yes, in a few years time I will move near them. But I have started panicking for the future, as we all do. So I have been house hunting, just purely because I like to see what is available. The area is hard to come across good houses which aren't old fashioned, and no place for new builds. So I want to catch a place whilst it's avaliable!

My mum has a thing at looking at cars constantly, mine is houses - I get obsessed dreaming of a life I can't have. I don't have a deposit, not even for 5%. But at the moment it is actually more beneficial and cheaper to have a mortgage rather than rent.

The worst thing is I have seen the above house which I just adore which upsets me, it will go quickly I am sure. My plan is that one of my family members needs to move so I can adopt there house haha logical right? Hehe :)

I can't even imagine how stressful the whole mortgage thing is, I have read a couple of posts from fellow bloggers and it terrifies me - even though I am a long way off from even starting the process! Like I don't even know how much money should be spent on a 3 bed house?

Who has brought a house and who has some advice of wisdom to share? :)

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Have you seen my NARS giveaway yet?! Check it out by clicking here!

Relationship Woes

Helloo,

This is my third attempt at today's post as it keeps changing within the days just gone.

Firstly, it was all about loneliness and how frankly besides my my partner, Corey and family I have been feeling insulated in this world at the moment. I have no one. I admitted at times I wasn't the best of friends as I would take a day or two to text back or sometimes cancel plans because I just couldn't be bothered. But I am the friend who everyone turns too when they need advice - the agony aunt! Listens to everyone else's bullsh*t but when it is my own, there's no one to be seen! But after some self pitty and a miserable week or two I came to realise I am not alone in feeling this way.

I saw on Twitter recently someone (can't remember who sorry!) saying about sometimes you just need to let go of friends despite everything. That wasn't the exact phrase but can't remember that either haha!

On Halloween, I didn't attend my best friend's 21st birthday and I didn't even tell her I wasn't going - yes it was naughty of me but let me explain.. We had been best friends since 13, spent literally 4 years inseparable. But then I got in a relationship, she hadn't been in one before you see so she didn't know what it's like to want to spend time with another, insanely jealous. We grew apart a bit and in Corey's first year she must have met him about twice. So finally, after 7ish years of friendship, I took the plunge. The strange thing is we haven't spoken at all even though I just didn't turn up to her party, awkward situation of course but randomly a few weeks ago I got deleted off Facebook. I was sad at first but realised we grew apart and frankly she was never even that good a friend anyways - oh I could tell you some hell of stories there!

My other best friend, Corey's godmother and my hairdresser we go even further back and always been a good one but at the moment I feel like our relationship is slipping away. I try but sometimes the only conversations we have now are the ones when I am getting my hair done. It worries me!

As we get older making friends gets harder, and you drift away from those you went to school with whether it be to university or to start a family. But is it selfish and strange that I just want some good old banter, a friend I can talk too, have a cup of tea with or a good old piss up. God how I would love to go get a Malibu & Lemonade, Jagerbomb and Sambuca shot x10!!

What I am getting at is that friends aren't always everything until you find the right ones, even then they may not last forever. At the moment I feel all lost and alone but I have Corey, to me that is all I need :)

It's sad to admit that my 3 year old son who has no choice in the matter is my best friend? He is always there for me, makes me smile and laugh, I see him all the time (obviously) and never let's me down.

Thought I would add a happy picture to lighten the mood a bit!

I am a mummy yes, I think some people think that I can't have fun because of this?!

Secondly, I wrote a post about how I had entered the single life as you see yesterday wasn't the best of days relationship wise and I am uncertain on where things are now. All I know is that oh my god relationships are hard. In fairness I have been a grumpy pants because of the said reason above but so has my partner for no reason at all. You see, he can be a bit of a drama queen at times. As I write this late into the night I am anticipating his return home after he has been astray. Sometimes he just doesn't understand! We don't always see eye to eye but we do love each other and have been planning a future together. Just have to see where time takes us!

I could combine those two posts into great lengthly detail for you, but just wowza it'd be like a short novel of me going on and on.. (I know you're thinking that about this post at the moment aren't you?)

For my family, I have the most supportive family ever - it is a small family though consisting of my mum, brother, uncle and grandparents. I spend most days of the week with them at any chance I can get so very close :)

Then there is my dad, who I haven't spoken to in a couple of years now. You may think this is weird but growing up I was a daddy's girl and loved being spoilt by him because we were actually good friends but our personalities clashed a lot so we would often fall out. He can be a not very nice person at times which is why I am glad I have stopped talking to him all together. But I can't help but not miss him at times, I just have to remember that it is for the best!

Now I am here with this rambling on post about god knows what really. No matter what type of relationship it is friendship or relationship, sometimes they end but I think of it as one door closes and another door opens. Okay I admit after I have shed a hell of a lot of tears and watched far too many chick flicks with popcorn and choccie!

Sometimes I am just at a loss and I hate not being in control of my own life. All I know is that I can't stand feeling alone, feeling there is no one to trust or who would even care if something were to happen to me. If you follow on Twitter you will probably know I have been so over emotional at the moment with my hormones all over the place, which I can't seem to understand as I cry at absolutely everything!!!

I am thankful for blogging though, this may not be a post some will want to read but this blog is a place for me to be myself, a release, my own little world and much more than I can even describe as I am sure you can understand. As well as I am thankful for some of the girls I have met (the above isn't about you!) just wish you didn't live so god damn far away!!

Unfortunately life isn't a fairy tale and there isn't rainbows every day - oh I wish! Let's be honest here, am I the only one who feels like this at times? That growing up sucks and despite the amount of people around actually feel lonely?

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

The Magic Of Make-Up

Hellooo,

So something a bit different today, I have decided that I would show the miracle that make-up can do to a very badly scarred face from lots of acne as well as a very yukky red and super oily face. I am no way in any way a make-up fanatic but I have picked up some really good products and tips since becoming a blogger and thanks to everyone's advices and reviews I am now happy with my overall daily look etc. Although in this post I have done make-up that I would probably wear on a night out rather than daily!

I never ever feel confident enough to leave the house without make-up, I even have to wear very minimal to the gym just because it isn't pretty so please be nice for the fact that I have bared my face for this post.

First of all I am going to start by showing what products were used:

Base

Cheeks

Eyebrows

Eyes

Lips

Final Look

Excuse my hair being up, I done this late afternoon on a pyjama day! Anyways, this is my half and half face, the no make-up side really doesn't show my real redness and patchiness - it isn't edited just the sunlight I think. I decided to do it this way for a full look at the difference and frankly I was even shocked myself! Because on a daily basis you don't get to see the comparison right next to each other like this. Took the other half a bit too long to notice when he came in from work, found it hilarious when I pointed it out though!

What do you think? :) Ever tried this to see the difference?

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Have you seen my NARS giveaway yet?! Check it out by clicking here!

HAUL: Easter Monday - Boots & Primark

Hellooo,

So it is only a little haul really from Easter Monday but thought I would share some of the bargains I picked up :)

Primark
I never used to be a fan besides I get all my bra's from here as their push ups do an amazing job! But recently I have discovered they have some really good bits for boys which is quite hard to come by and the prices are obviously kind to the bank balance. These are super cute plus these are some great bits for our trip to Butlins in a three weeks :)

Mickey Mouse Beach Towel - £4.90
2 Pack Tee (Blue) - £3
Crab Tee - £2
Plain Short Sleeve Shirt - £4
Long Sleeve Anchor Shirt - £6

Boots

So once again Boots had another 3 for 2 which I couldn't resist plus I needed some essentials.

No7 Beautifully Matte Foundation - £13.50
No7 Perfectly Light Pressed Powder - £11.50
Ecotools Powder Brush - £9.99
Boots Eyelash Curler - £4.50
Collection Concealer - £4.19
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - £3.99
Benefit Happy Beauty Day Kit - £9.95

No 7 are both my every day make-up so just the usual for me. I have tried the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder before however I was not impressed (it was like 2 years ago!) but after all you beauty bloggers rave so much about it, I am giving it a second chance. Boots Eyelash Curler, never used one before really but after watching a lot of YouTube I realised how flat my long eyelashes are so will be great to see the difference. Ecotools Powder Brush, I have seen some good reviews on these and when I couldn't find a Real Techniques one I liked, I decided to give it a try and see how it goes. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer I am hoping this will act as a good highlighter and concealer, excited to try! Benefit Happy Beauty Day Kit was an impulse till buy, but at £9.95 I was excited to try. Not a fan of They're Real Mascara so hopefully the BADgal Lash will do Benefit some justice, always wanted to try Prefessional just not at the usual price. I really recommend this little set if you want to give the products a try :)

Have any of you tried these products, what are your thoughts? :)

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Have you seen my NARS giveaway yet?! Check it out by clicking here!

SERIES: Have You Discovered.. Bronzer?

Hellooo,

#haveyoudiscovered series is upon us again :) This week topic is Bronzer.

I am not really one for Bronzer's as I still haven't mastered contouring despite the mass of YouTube tutorials I have watched, however here is my selection I like to play around with:

Left to Right: Sleek Face Form in Fair, Benefit Hoola and George by Asda Bronzer in No 1 Radiant.
All some great shades, Sleek one is to quite dark for 'Fair' I have to admit. The other two are new to me, only tested the once so far but some lovely shades and I think will work better for me once I get the hang of it as I am pale. The George Bronzer has an orangey tinge though which shows quite noticeably.

What do you think? :) Any recommendations for the ghostly pale beauty newbies?

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Have you seen my NARS giveaway yet?! Check it out here!

NARS GIVEAWAY ❤

Hellooo,

First of all, HAPPY EASTER :) Hope you all have a lovely long weekend and eat lots of chocolate! Plus I have a little treat for you today to celebrate Easter Friday and also my blog reaching over 500 followers a little while ago now which there is only so many times I can say thank you for :) There will be 1 prize, 1 winner and will run for exactly 4 weeks ending on the day I come back from Holiday which is perfect timing!

The Prize
NARS Multiple - either in Matte or Original and the choice of colour is up to you. Can be used for cheeks or lips, or any other way you wish really. Head to this page here to see what colours are available.

Pictured is the shade Anguilla from the Matte selection.

The Rules
1. You must do the minimum mandatory requirements on the Rafflecopter below.
2. No 'accounts purely for competitions please - this is not allowed. This competition is for bloggers only and if you are not a blogger you will be disqualified.
3. The winner will be notified by an announcement on Twitter within 24 hours of the competition ending.
4. This competition will run from 8am 18/04/2014 and end a month later at 8pm 16/05/2014
5. Winner will be chosen at random by Rafflecopter, after announcement you have a week to reply before another winner is chosen.
6. This is a UK giveaway only.

As a side note and not as part of the rules:

1. Do not follow just to unfollow afterwards please - it isn't nice & will hurt my feelings :( - you don't want that do you?
2. Do NOT post this competition on any other website such as competition forums/sites without my permission.

Sorry if there you feel these rules are unfair in any way, please do contact me on sunshineonacloudydayblog@outlook.com if you wish to discuss any of my rules further.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GOOD LUCK!!

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Easter Festivities ❤

Hellooo,

This post is a little early, as we are having to celebrate a little early. I am gutted I won't be spending the whole weekend with Corey but we have been having fun so far :) Easter officially starts this Friday though so I thought I would share with you what we have been up too:

So this is the Easter Bonnet I created for Corey's pre-school parade, I tried very hard to make it boyish and it was a sad attempt but there is always next year :) Corey cried having to wear it anyways, just like all the other kids haha!

I decided to do an Easter Basket for Corey instead of eggs, which I think is a lovely idea by Kerry from Oh So Amelia :) We have already started digging into!

So as our weekend started earlier, Corey got his presents earlier too. These included Woody, Leap Frog Scribble & Write as well as a fair few different role play hats (policeman, fireman etc) which are all at my mums house!

These are some lovely crafty bits I was sent by Hobbycraft* to have a play with :) Cards aren't quite finished yet as you can probably tell but I am loving the hand puppets!

Half Term means everywhere is absolutely heaving although we braved the park anyways, where a miracle happened and my partner joined us on his day off! It was such fun and really enjoying the sunshine :)
We are hoping on Friday to go for our first picnic of the year if the sunshine holds out. So that is it from my family and I, what have you done to prepare for Easter & what will you be doing over the weekend? :)

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

SERIES: Have You Discovered.. Powder/Blotting Methods?

Hellooo,

Ohh another week of the #haveyoudiscovered series is upon us :) This week topic is Powder/Blotting Methods.

Two weeks a go I did a post about foundation which you can read here, it were No 7 Beautifully Matte, now today is all about powder so I am sharing what I use on a daily basis which make a great duo. My powder is No 7 Perfectly Light Pressed Powder in Translucent.

Wearing these both together I rarely find myself having to touch up on a day now. For me, this is a massive thing as I have extremely oily skin and before I would touch up countless times a day. Lets face it that what we all want, good skin all day as much as can be. I am so overly pleased with this product that I just recommend both this and the foundation so highly all the time especially for oily skin sufferers like myself. Plus at £11.50 it isn't so bad as you don't need much, they do have different colours too but as I am pale translucent is perfect for me :)

I have heard so many good things about Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, but for me it wasn't good at all - what do you girlies use? :)

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Colic Awareness with Infacol*

Hellooo,

Today I have something to share to help raise awareness of an amazing new website that has launched called www.colichelp.co.uk :)

Most parents if not all would have heard of Infant Colic which is a common condition affecting 1 in 5 infants in the UK. Whilst it is not a serious medical condition, sometimes it is possible to alleviate the distress and discomfort. *

The solution to help would be Infacol who offer the UK No 1 Colic Remedy. Their remedy is:

- Specially formulated to relieve wind, infant colic and griping pain.
- Can be used from birth
- Natural orange flavour
- Sugar, alcohol and colourant free
- Comes with a handy integrated dropper - making it easy to give to your baby
- Each bottle contains enough liquid for up to 100 doses

Some of the most common signs of Colic are:

- High pitched, inconsolable cry that normally occurs late afternoon or early evening, but can also occur throughout the day
- Baby will also tend to pass more wind than usual
- Draw his or her knees up to their chest and go red in the face with discomfort
- Little one’s tummy will become swollen and bloated with the trapped wind

On average, anxious first-time mothers make 16 trips to the doctors over a child's first year, with colic being in the top three concerns of new mums.
According to a study reported by Benenden Healthcare Society of 2,000 British mums - Nov 2012 and also Bounty Research Poll of 520 parents - Oct 2012

As you can imagine this can be extremely painful for the baby as well as daunting and stressful for the parent. Hence why Infacol have created drops to help which have been a huge success. But now also they have set up this website called www.colichelp.co.uk - it is the world's first virtual colic clinic for parents :)

This new site offers a new way for parents to get immediate, 24/7 support by accessing video response answers to important questions about dealing with colicl either through a phone, tablet or laptop/computer. As well as also offering a quick and easy questions with yes/no answers to whether your child could possibly have Colic.

I think this new site is really amazing and I couldn't even begin to imagine what it is like for baby or a parent to deal with Colic. I am glad I have found this amazing site and glad I have this knowledge to help me prepare for my next child in the near (ish!) future!

Be sure to check the site here!!! How many of you have had children with Colic? I would love to know how you coped?!

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

REVIEW: Lush Goodies

Hellooo,

Okay so I am ashamed to admit that I have never tried Lush before besides being a massive bath lover. But a few weeks ago I was at my first ever bloggers meet and picked up some goodies which actually ended up being my Mother's Day Presents which you can read about here.

Well this is what I picked up:

Hello Sunshine Gift Set (Brightside Bubble Bar and Charity Pot)
Mumkin
Ickle Robot
Think Pink
Bubblegum Lip Scrub
Honey Trap Lip Balm
At the weekend I had some "me" time and gave my first ever Lush bath a shot using the Think Pink Bath Bomb whilst watching Sex In The City 2, perfect girly time!

It was honestly the best bath ever, a slight pink heaven and I loved it - the smell was just gorgeous and lasted the whole bath which was over 2 hours as I was that relaxed!

Now onto the lip bits I brought:

Let me just start of by saying the smell of the Bubblegum Lip Scrub is just so amazing!!! I don't particularly get dry lips very often but sometimes they just need a little something to help, this lip scrub worked miracles - my lips have never been so soften and really helped to apply some matte lipstick with an ultra smooth finish. The Honey Trap Lip Balm was great, subtle and moisturising just what I like. Plus you don't need much product of either of them so they will last a long time, which is always good!

The price isn't at all bad for their products either at only on average £3 per bath bomb. I can't believe I have gone so long without using Lush and I can't wait to try the other bits I brought :) What is your absolute favourite product?!

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Brit Mums Live Attendee :)

Hellooo,

Many of you read this will be well aware of what Brit Mums Live is but a 2 day blogging conference for mummy and some daddy bloggers, it's going to be good :) They have speakers, work shops and an awards evening which voting is still open for a few more days so please go read my post about it here and vote for me if you like this blog :) as it'd mean the world to me!

So Brit Mums had this amazing idea and created a bit of a 'Get To Know Me' tag for all the attendee's and then link up here.

Name: Gemma

Blog: Sunshine On A Cloudy Day

Twitter ID: @sunshineblogxo

Height: 5ft 8

Hair: brunette - shoulder length straight

Eyes: Blue

Is this your first blogging conference? Yess, nervous is an understatement

Are you attending both days? Indeed I shall be!

What are you most looking forward to at BritMums Live 2014?

For me mostly it is about putting names to faces and making some friends plus we are all going to spending 2 days about a hobby we love - going to be amazing :)

What are you wearing?

I don't know what do people wear to these things?! Knowing me probably jeans or leggings with a dress or nice top :)

What do you hope to gain from BritMums Live 2014?

To make some friends and hopefully improve some blogging skills from the workshops

Do you have any tips to pass on to others who may not have been before?

Just think of it as we are all going to be on the same boat (hotel!) so you aren't alone with that nervous feeling. It's going to be a fun couple of days, meet some of those twitter buddies you tweet all day long and learn some bits to help improve your blog etc. I am meeting up with some other newbie bloggers before hand to ease out nerves some how, if anyone wants to join do feel free :)I generally am quite a shy person to start off with so if you see me over the 2 days then do come say hello, I would love to meet everyone :)

I have brought my ticket, although whether I will be able to attend or not is unsure at the moment. I am still looking for a sponsor as at the moment it is money I can't afford, well my mums money - so if you know any companies who might be looking please point them in this direction :) So who of you are going?!

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Time To Myself..

Hellooo,

With Corey being at his dads for the weekend, as he does every other weekend and my other half was working a fair bit so I finally decided to take full advantage of some "me" time - here is a look into what I got up too:

On Saturday firstly I got my hair done thanks to mummy dearest, after headed back to hers to watch Grand National, for once my horse actually came in 2nd (chose the name because of a TV series I used to watch!). In the evening partner and I chilled, watched some movies whilst cuddled up in my blanket on the sofa and a cheeky glass of wine which was nice. We watched Hunger Games, the first one as apparently it is so good - our first ever date we watched it in the cinema so trip down memory lane for us. Who knows if the second one is just as scary and gross? I was knackered so headed to bed early (ish)!

Sunday, after a long lay in well I felt like I had a proper pamper day - my first ever bath filled with Lush products which I shall review another time, watched some truly girly movies whilst anxiously counting down the hours before Corey came home.. Oh also throw in a little blogging here and there :)

I really wanted to do my nails but was feeling a bit too lazy!

Something amazing happened too, I reached 500 BlogLovin followers and of course I have you to thank for that. I just can't describe how much that means to me :) my little old blog growing day by day really is something that I am hugely proud of, and thankful for all the friends it has brought along too ❤ If you are following then why not?! You can follow by clicking here.

Honestly though I really enjoyed a weekend where I full on relaxed, took some time to myself and recharged my batteries a bit. Been a long time since I have done anything of the sort and as long over due it was, I enjoyed every minute. But nothing is better than having Corey back :) just look at how much of a cutie is his:

What do you do when you just need a break?!

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

SERIES: Have You Discovered.. Concealer?

Hellooo,

Ohh another week of the #haveyoudiscovered series is upon us :) This week topic is Concealer.

If any of you have watched me on YouTube, then you will know that I won a Twitter competition for a new range of Bourjous make up including the CC Eye Cream in fair.

This was the first time I ever tried a concealer, it is really nice and applies easily. Other's have also really recommended this so it really is a gooden, don't just take my word for it. But for me personally, as nice as the colour comes out so nice and bight it just is a bit oily but I have oily skin so not the same for everyone. I have however since used my old L'Oreal True Match Foundation in C1 which is working really well to brighten and cover those bags under my eyes!

So I am looking for a better one though like obviously an actual concealer, what would you recommend for the very pale and oily?!

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

Imaginary Friends?

Hellooo,

Today I am looking at Imaginary Friends - no not mine, Coreys! Of course I had the mother's worry instantly, like why does he have an imaginary friend? Is he sad or lonely? Is it just him be creative and fun? It is normal, but why is it? Frankly I thought Corey was a little bit young. I have done some research and took to other fellow bloggers on Twitter for some advice and to ease my worries, thought I would share my experience and my research.

Corey's Imaginary Friends
Well it started with his beloved doggy cuddlies which he takes literally most places with him. He has three (dirty doggy, clean doggy and cosy doggy!) tried to get him to chuck away dirty one but it didn't work! We spend hours playing and pretending they talk, basically this is me talking whilst holding the dog and Corey doing the same with another. At first, I thought it was cute however then Corey would do something naughty and doggy would get the blame. But I was okay with all this, I just thought he was learning, being creative and exploring. 7 months ago when his 'map map' (muslin square) had to go which he would take every where, but after a week at his dads he didn't want it anymore - so the doggies made an appearance and sort of replaced it.

Corey with his doggies!
But then one day it got worse, he was saying how Mia was in his bedroom - instantly I freaked?! But Mia is the Pink Power Ranger (which usually I have to pretend to be her!), why she was in his bed as an imaginary friend I do not know. But it's not just Mia, it is also Sky the Pink Helicopter Dog from Paw Patrol. Does he just like pink? Does he just have a crush? I don't know. It has now got to the stage where he is saying he doesn't play as much with his friends at pre-school as he is with Mia or Sky instead.

What Does Research Show?
According to www.supernanny.co.uk there could be lots of reasons for having imaginary friends, here are some of these:

Wishful Thinking - When it comes to an object of desire, some children fulfil their wish by invention. Children quite commonly invent a family pet or can be heard talking to Spiderman or Snow White in their bedroom.
Break The Boredom - Children with imaginary friends are much less likely to be bored. Make-believe mates demonstrate an ability to be creative with spare time.
Voice Concern - Some children use their imaginary friend to convey a message they feel unable to say themselves, such as: “Parsley the Sheep doesn’t like it when you are cross, Daddy”.
All Mine - An imaginary friend belongs to the person who invents it and no one else. It does not have to be shared with friends or family.
Shy away - Fantasy friends are far from a poor replacement for real friends. Research reveals that children with imaginary friends are less inclined to be shy and are more popular.
Baby blues - Imaginary friends are particularly common among children with newborn siblings. It is thought that the conjured-up companion provides comfort and replaces any lost parental attention.
Naughty friends - Some particularly resourceful children find that an invisible chum can be a handy scapegoat – “It was Bob who spilt the juice on your keyboard, it wasn't me” they protest, pointing at thin air.

Then on www.wikipedia.org they had a few people had come up with some very different opinions, which are:

Kutner (n.d. - reported that 65% of seven-year old children report they have had an imaginary companion at some point in their lives. He further reported: 'Imaginary companions are an integral part of many children's lives. They provide comfort in times of stress, companionship when they're lonely, someone to boss around when they feel powerless, and someone to blame for the broken lamp in the living room. Most important, an imaginary companion is a tool young children use to help them make sense of the adult world'
Taylor, Carlson & Gerow (c2001: p. 190) - hold that: 'Despite some results suggesting that children with imaginary companions might be superior in intelligence, it is not true that all intelligent children create them.'
Pediatrician Benjamin Spock - believed that imaginary friends past age four indicated that something was "lacking" in the child or his environment. Some child development professionals believe that the presence of imaginary friends past early childhood signals a serious psychiatric disorder.

Lastly, I found an amazing article on www.aboutourkids.org which I really recommend you take a few moments to read as it pretty much answered all my questions and has made me feel okay with it all. But it says to relax, enjoy and let it the imaginary friend run its course.

My Thoughts On Research

Really not sure if I agree with the intelligent children have them, I think that is silly. I know of course it is a creative way, but I do believe children create them for a reason just depends what that reason may be. As a child I had one which must have been until I was around 8 years old because I felt lonely plus some other reasons from The Super Nanny site. Mine was a witch - I really wanted to be a witch with magical powers! One thing I can't get my head around is why I think talking teddies is normal but something that isn't actually there is strange? All a bit like role play I guess, he pretends to be a mermaid boy in the bath and all sorts of bizarre pretend play he does.

I am not sure what I think frankly even after my research there is nothing wrong with a child having an imaginary friend, but I couldn't help but worry. I just wish I could understand why Corey has one or two but unfortunately I am not a mind reader. I will just have to let it go, wait for this phase to pass.

Overall, should I be worried?
I think not, I realise I am just being a worried mother - the normal for me then basically. We all worry, we all want the best for our children. No harm in being creative, what ever way that may shine through. Corey is a extremely happy and healthy child so that is all that matters :) He is constantly on the move and talking at the moment, there is no doubt in my mind that he is in the slightest sad or lonely - he is always surrounded by others and having chats etc. Some bloggers on Twitter suggested it was time for another baby so Corey has someone to play with!

Did you or do your children have imaginary friends? Who were they and what were they called? :) share your stories in my comments please, would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

RECIPE: Broccoli & Cheese Soup

Hellooo,

Recently I done a recipe on Scouse which you can read here - one my nan passed down. Now today I am back with another - usually this would be Broccoli & Stilton however, I do not like Stilton so it is Broccoli & Chedder Cheese - my mums remade version of my nans! :) I gave my first ever attempt at making it, and quite honestly it is just delicious so I am sharing :)

Ingredients

2 Broccoli Stalks
1/2 small bag of grated mature chedder cheese
2 finely chopped onions
2 pots of Knorr vegetable stock pots
2 tablespoons of fat free natural yoghurt

**You'll need a biggish pan that you have a lid to fit and a hand blender**

Instructions
1. Cut main stalk off the Broccoli, then dispose and with the remaining cut into small florets
2. Finely chop 2 large onions and place this and the broccoli into your pan
3. With your vegetable stocks, take 2 and 1 litre of boiled water, all in a jug - mix and add to your pan bringing to the boil
4. Cover pan with lid and reduce hear to low and leave to simmer for an hour
5. Take off the heat, add cheese and yoghurt
6. Liquidise using hand blender
7. Then heat through again for 5 minutes
8. Serve up however you wish, I do with bread and butter

Here is what it should look like:

Excuse the splashes of soup everywhere, was my first time using a hand blender so was a bit messy! I hope you like this recipe, it is really yummy and even Corey enjoys it! If you do give it a try please let me know as would love to see :) Also, would you like to see more in the future?

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook

#3CountiesBloggersMeet - TrendLife Magazine Event

Hellooo,

Saturday 29th March 2014 I attend my first ever event - #3CountiesBloggersMeet in Milton Keynes by TrendLife Magazine. They are a free local lifestyle and entertainment magazine covering Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire, plus they have an online version too!

Of course I was nervous but luckily I met up with a couple of other bloggers before hand - Sophia and Kirsty. We did a bit of window shopping before we headed to the meeting place of Giovanni's Gelato where we sampled some ice cream and sorbet. Before we headed to The Casino MK In total their was 12 of us, a small meet but was certainly good and probably helped ease the nerves not being as big. We got some goodies, and looked at some samples etc. Was really nice to meet some lovely fellow bloggers :)

So here is some pictures of the day:

My absolute cutie Corey on the way!

Sophia, Kirsty, myself & Scarlett

Scarlett & I

Most delicious Lemon Sorbet ever from Giovanni's Gelato

FYT & Co - had some amazing bags that you should checkout here

George by Asda Make Up samples - Cremé Blush

These are all the goodies we received :)
Overall, it was a great day and met some lovely fellow bloggers who I hope to see again! After the event finished, some of us went for a little shop where I picked up some Lush goodies which you can read about in my Mother's Day post :)

In the goodies, I picked up a fair few George by Asda, which I am thinking of doing a review on - what do you think?! I am slightly gutted I didn't pick up them Cremé Blush as I really did like them!

Thank you to TrendLife Magazine for hosting and hope to see more events in the future! :)

Love, Gemma xo

Twitter ❤ Instagram ❤ BlogLovin ❤ Facebook