2014 Mother's Day - Mothers Wanted

It's Mother's Day in the UK today. To me, motherhood is a double-edged sword - both the toughest and the most rewarding job I ever had. I keep on imagining what it would be like if you applied for motherhood as you apply for a job:

POSITION TITLE: Loving Mother

SALARY GRADE: Volunteer position, expenses not covered

JOB DESCRIPTION: 

The ideal candidate must be flexible and able to work long hours in 24/7 shifts. She must be able to walk the fine line in between discipline and care, being careful not to over indulge or give the child bad habits as well as being able to teach the child good manners and responsibility. 

This is a long-term (lifelong) position and you will only see the finished product once the child is an adult. Therefore, the candidate must be able to work under stress and under pressure as well as show stamina and being able to not despair or lose hope when the child disappoints her. She must also be able to handle difficult situations, including navigating around playground and high-school disagreements, other people's child behaviour expectations and competitive parents as well as being able to be a neutral friend whenever needed without ever losing sight of the fact she is a parent.

MAIN DUTIES:

• Overall maintenance of child's health, safety and well-being
• Looking after the child when they are sick, being able to magically kiss things better
• Overall educating and teaching life skills for everyday life
• Cooking, cleaning, ironing, washing clothes, tidying messy bedrooms

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

• Surviving pregnancy
• Nappy changing, feeding, bathing and overall care while child is young
• Helping with homework and taxing services when the child is older
• Helping to find a job when the child becomes a teenager
• Driving said teenager home at early mornings when she/he starts going out
• Helping to heal broken hearts (without trying to kill first boyfriend/girlfriend)
• If necessary deal with bullies appropriately (without forgetting you are a reasonable adult and trying to give them a dose of their own medicine)

DISCLAIMER:

Women who barely keep children alive, like starved plants, need not apply. 

So... Would you be up for the job???

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing women who were and are up for it. 3>

Books in Fashion ~ Bookish Nail Art

This is one for the girls. Love your books? Want to make a bookish statement while looking pretty, cool, and ever so slightly geekish (bonus!)? Then check this newspaper/book print nail art out!

This is so simple anyone can do it. And you don't have to use rubbing alcohol if you don't want to or prefer not to, you can also use water. The print won't be as strong, but it will work nonetheless. 

Picture by Cutepolish

Bookshop of the Month ~ Books for Free

This month I have to feature Books for Free as my bookshop of the month. Not because it's the
coolest or the most swazy, but because of its mission - to recycle unwanted books by redistributing them to local communities for free. Yes, you read that right - FOR FREE.

Books for Free Centres are not libraries or your regular bookshop where you can sit have a read and watch the world go by. Although the idea is that you shop - you browse the ever-changing stock, pick what you like most and take it home - the difference is: it won't cost you a penny and you can take a maximum of 3 books at a time. So if you are a book lover, but struggle to buy books on your student budget or low salary (we all know the feeling the economic downturn has had on our wallets!) this is perfect.

Welcome back!

As you have noticed... I'm back! You can imagine me walking through the flames and saying this Terminator style.

After much silence, I am happy to report I am finally back on the saddle. New design, new pages, new beginnings.

Unfortunately, life took over and with work, university work and family, things got a little out of control. But I am happy to be back and I have missed it. If anything, this came to show me just how tough blogging (writing something everyday, coming up with something interesting to say everyday and making the time to sit and dedicate yourself to it) can be, 3 years down the line. I take my hat off to the black-belt bloggers who post daily and have done so for years. That's shear determination right there.

Ok... So what is new? You might ask. Obviously, we have a new look. "Does our bum look good in it?" ;) I hope you like it as much as I do. Favourite features have remained, crappy ones have been taken out. Hopefully, these should make it easier to navigate through the blog. *Fingers crossed.* But I guess the biggest changes are... 

Music Monday ~ Wrong or Right by Kwabs

For the first come-back Music Monday I could not resist the sound of London based Ghanaian artist Kwabs.

I love his voice, how it's smooth and yet it has depth. I won't try to talk about his genre of music, vocals etc... Because I don't have such expertise, I just love his sound. Having said that, Zo at First Look Friday has done a great job describing his ability. If you like Wrong or Right you should definitely visit Kwabs channel on YouTube and listen to his other tracks. They're all amazing, especially Pray for Love.

Happy Monday everyone!!!

LYRICS...

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

It's Mother's Day next Sunday here in the UK and, if you're like me, you will be panicking about it around... Now. Fear not. Here are a few solutions to the "what to give my mum" dilemma. :)

Mother's Day Jigsaw ~ Simple, sweet and interactive. Your mum will have to put it together before she can read the message. It could even become a family activity and at £4, it's a bargain! This little cutie is available from one of my favourite shops - Raffia in Clitheroe. Your best bet will be to pop into the shop or call/email them and see if you can order it.

 

No Mother's Day would be complete without flowers. For a book-loving mum... Why not a Literary Paper Rose from Bookish England? Each rose is individually handmade from old already broken romance books. Choose in between Gone with the Wind and Pride and Prejudice for a single rose at £12, a bookish bouquet of six at £54 or a bouquet of 12 at £90. And don't worry, no good book is ruined by them, 'they never cup up non-broken books'!

 

 But if flowers are not enough to tell your mum how much you love her... The Little Mum Kit from Lucy's World might be a good option. This little box comes with a poem and little keepsakes to remind your mum of what she means to you. I almost cry every time I read the little poem. Melting butter, I am. :) And it will only cost you £12!!