No Alcohol fuels Chocolate Cravings - Am I alone in this?

I'm on the last leg of my April challenge - it's just a matter of days before I can taste the sweet nectar of a crisp Australian Chardonnay.  I may even break all the rules and have a glass on a school night to celebrate my month off the demon drink.

It's been a very busy couple of weeks at work and I've been asked by every one of my clients 'how are you coping without alcohol?'  I obviously have a reputation!

World Circus Day - 3 ways to Celebrate including Book Giveaway

Clutching a bag of popcorn in her small hand she gazed up at the expanse of painted stars; vibrant shades of yellow, blue, green and pink covered the ceiling.
The sweet scent of toffee apples mingled with the woody aroma of the sawdust under her feet and as the lights dimmed her eyes grew wide with wonder...

Can you remember your first trip to the Circus?

On Saturday 20th April it's the 4th World Circus Day.  What are you doing to celebrate?

• Join In or Hold Your Own Event

Log on to World Circus Day website to find out about Circus events in your part of the world, take the kids to a show or hold your own event at home with your pet as the star!  There are so many events planned across the globe so you are sure to find something. 

Alcohol Free Holidays

Greetings from Somerset!  I have found a lovely cafe with Internet access and wanted to send a quick post from our wet and windy holidays. 

Heading down the M5 to spend our Easter break at the Haven Holiday Village, Burnham-on-Sea would normally be a cause for celebration.  On this occasion I had a sense of trepidation; could I enjoy my holiday without alcohol? 

Yet again I appear to be giving you all the impression that I am some half-soaked mother who is permanently attached to a bottle of gin.   I assure you this is not the case - I prefer vodka!

Holidays go hand in hand with relaxing by the pool (okay so maybe not the ‘outdoor’ pool in the UK), watching a good turn at the club house and enjoying a meal out at a local restaurant.  Staying on a site with everything you could possibly need on your doorstep means you can leave the car and let your hair down - or enjoy a latte in the coffee lounge if you are off the demon drink!

Cheers!

So my mission for week 15 - surrounded by clinking glasses and merry holidaymakers – was to work my way through the soft drink menu; lemonade, diet coke and a hideous slushy which left my tongue blue! 

Alcohol Free Zone Ahead

Most people enjoy a tipple or two, you may enjoy catching up with colleagues in the pub after work on Thursday; your Friday night curry just wouldn't be the same without a couple of beers.  The pub lunch with the girls on Saturday is crying out for a glass or two of Chardonnay and no Sunday roast would be complete without a nice Rioja!

It is far too easy to include alcohol into our lives and before we know it we are drinking above the Government recommendations.

I do enjoy a drink or three and not wanting to come across as a raving alcoholic I decided to do a spot of research for my Alcohol Free resolution.  The results were shocking......

Art Attack - Resolutions Get Crafty with Zentangle

My resolution for March was to 'Do Something Creative'.  I have gone back to college and joined a Creative Writing Course; I've been writing short stories for competitions and had a couple of  letters published in Writers' Forum Magazine.  My blog was also featured in my local newspaper.  I have created vision boards to help with story ideas and last week we looked at creative ways to fund raise for your chosen charity.

To finish off my creative month I am going to have a 'doodle fest', using the American Zentangle method.  This is a creative art form where all you need is paper, pencil and a pen.

Don't panic if you can't draw or paint, if you've never used acrylics or pastels or if you think a canvas is something you sleep under - which of course it is but that's for another blog post!

A couple of years ago I discovered this creative art form which is not only simple to do, even for a

Creative Fund Raising

If you're going to get creative then you've got to have some fun; as Actor, John Cleese, once said "If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play."

Stratford Half Marathon attire

Getting creative doesn't need to involve a pad and pen, artist's easel or a pair of knitting needles.  In fact you may only need a bath full of cold beans or running shoes and an Epilepsy Research t-shirt!

This week I'm taking my 'Do Something Creative' resolution in  a different direction.

Q.  If you were asked to raise money for your favourite charity, what creative ideas could you come up with?

Here are a few of my favourite ideas...

Week 11 - A Creative Vision

Let me begin with a quick thank you for all the wonderful feedback I received this week.  It would seem that my 'creative beginnings' book tour brought up a host of childhood memories for a number of readers.  I shall have to start a petition for an adult only 'dress as your favourite book character' day; why should the kids have all the fun?  After eating all my Mother's Day chocolates I can definitely pass as Moonface from The Folk of the Faraway Tree!


One of the workshops I run at Body & Soul Holistics is a Vision Board course.  This two hour workshop helps my clients to create a vision of what they want in their lives from career, love, family or health matters.

When I was thinking about characters and scene setting for my creative writing class it dawned on me

Week 10 - Creative Beginnings

March has arrived and so it's time for Resolution number 3 - Do Something Creative!

Creativity is different for everyone.  My talented friend Sarah, knits the most amazing cardigans and jumpers.  My son creates stunning pastel and oil paintings for his Art coursework.  My mum makes her own handmade cards and my good friend Nicki from http://sunshinegirlnicola.blogspot.co.uk/ can knock up a quilt in a weekend!

My Childhood Favourites

All of these crafts are wonderful ways to flex your creative muscles.  For me, it's writing that ignites my creative side.  Writing stories inevitably came from my passion for reading.  As soon as I learnt to read I was hooked, I was a walking sponge with pigtails!

My favourite book was

Week 9 - What A 'Wheel' Fun Week

I'm no Tessie Reynolds and have absolutely no intention of recreating her Brighton-London-Brighton trip on a bicycle! 

I am however very grateful that, at the young age of 16, Tessie took on her momentous task, causing a national scandal in the process, 

Week 8 - A wii Journey to Fitness

For my 'Move More' resolution I decided to embark upon a treasure trove of exercises from my youth.  I've skipped (sort of!) I even tried a quick hula hooping session, but lacked the ability to keep the hula airborne for longer than five seconds.  I walked, ambled and sashayed to the park and back and even broke in to a gentle jog at times.  All very old school eh!

So what delights did week 8 hold for me?  Well, let's crank up the volume, get down with the kids and bang on the wii fit!  Oh yes, if it's good enough for the youngsters then its good enough for me.

• Let me ask you a quick question first

Week 7 - Wiggle those Walking hips!

After the adventure of 'skipping' on last week's challenge, I opted for a much calmer exercise regime this week and gave power walking a try!

We all learn to walk at a young age, so walking is as natural as breathing - or so I thought!  Apparently I don't do either right! 

Swinging my hips is a no no, panting and gasping for breath - another no no, embarrassment to my daughter - the biggest no no of them all.  So I stopped swinging my hips as I walked her up to school and tried to relax into a brisk pace.

It does help to have a lovely place to walk, a forest, the park or a canal path would be great.  The main road didn't have the same aura

Week 6 - Skip It!

Skipping!!

As I cast my mind back 30+ years, I have fond memories of me and my school pals skipping across the daisy filled playing fields, pigtails swaying in the balmy summer breeze, singing along to the jump rope song of the week "ally, ally, up-see-daisy..."

Let's forward wind to the present day, now a 40 year old, sedentary mother of three, and skipping just doesn't have the 'glow' I remembered. OMG it's really hard work!

Let me paint you the picture...

Month One - Completed!

31 days ago I gave myself a mammoth challenge; 52 weeks, 365 days, dedicated to my New Year's Resolutions!

Not just 'doing' them and keeping up the motivation but actually blogging the entire event for the world to see!

So here I am on Thursday 31st January 2013, with month one now completed, yay!

The first challenge was to break bad eating habits and start a healthy eating regime. After joining weight watchers on 2nd January, and dealing with the shock of my current weight, I've spent January cooking up a storm, menu planning and making better choices, this has meant I enter month two 9 1/2 lb's lighter!

The initial brief I gave myself on New Year's Day was to concentrate on one resolution, one month at a time. This is still the case but