We’re well and truly into May and things are starting to warm up – weather wise and on the activity front.

I’ve come across a few things this month that have caught my eye, but first things first, we’ve got a royal wedding to celebrate…

When Harry Met Meghan

I wouldn’t say I’m a hard-core royalist, but give me an excuse for a party – and I’m in! But this party is a party with a difference. Along with another mum who lives in the same road as me, we’re organising a street party to celebrate Harry and Meghan’s marriage!

I’ve never held a street party before (you have to get special permission from the council), so I’ve no idea if it will be fab or a flop.

We’ve drawn up a schedule, with stalls and activities, then the idea is that everyone brings their table and chairs to sit down in the middle of the street to all enjoy a picnic lunch together.

This will be followed by chatting with neighbours (let’s hope there are no squabbles!) and more activities, including a tombola prize draw and a Bake Off! competition. I might bake my famous ‘Molly’s Cookies’ – check out the recipe in this post. They really are to die for.

Wham bam, thank you Ma’am

I received an email a couple of weeks ago to see if I was interested in a new Wham Studio Basket and Pot Collections from What More.

Well, anything to do with storage is a great idea, so I was happy to take a look. And I liked what I saw; the Wham Studio Baskets come in white /duck egg and handle aids making them easy to carry, while the Studio Pots (for plants) are ideal for indoors as they’re self-contained with no drainage holes – so no leaking!

But the best thing about the new products is their price. The Studio Baskets start from £1.29 up to £5.79 and the Studio Pots start from £2.89 to £4.99.

Check out my new ‘inbox’ studio basket (also available in white), which suits my contemporary office. Come to think of it, it’s exactly the same colour as the top I’m wearing in my cartoon picture on the screen!

Duck and Dry

Have you ever been to a Duck and Dry? A few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have a clue what you were talking about if you’d said the name to me, but I got an invite to the Oxford Street branch to have a ‘Disney themed hair style’.

Well, from the moment I walked into the place I was impressed. This was an Instagrammer’s dream place, with little areas that were dressed to impress. It even had a wooden swing with ropes and a few people gave it a go.

I daren’t sit on it for fear of bringing the ceiling down, so I tentatively stood next to it, trying to do my best impression of being a princess (check out my Insta feed for evidence!)

Anyway, it was lovely to get pampered, receive an ‘Elsa-inspired’ hair do and then go shopping in Waitrose and pretend I was a posh shopper with my posh hair-do.

When I win the lotto, I think I might pay Duck and Dry a weekly visit. Notice I say ‘when’ not ‘if’ – ever the optimist!

I’m gonna have a teenager!

Technically, the fact that my son becomes a teenager this month, shouldn’t warrant an entry into my ‘May Favourite Finds’, but I have to mention it because…

• It’s a milestone birthday and
• Can you believe… I actually remember when I was 12 and I was getting excited at becoming a teenager. I remember it so vividly and I felt really grown up that I was a teen.

I even remember writing a list of things that I could do ‘by law’ on becoming a teenager and the subsequent years that follow.

Of course I couldn’t recall them now, so I’ve taken the liberty of finding out what kids can do when they reach 13….

At 13…

• This is the youngest age your child can get a part-time job (unless you’re working in certain areas for example TV, modelling or theatre).
• 13-year olds can have an account on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter.

I’m still hopeful that one day my son and I will be walking down the street together and I’ll get mistaken for his older sister. Can you imagine? I’d get the glory and embarrass my son at the same time – a win-win!

Easy does it…

We’ve been having some spectacular weather recently, but I have a feeling it won’t last that long.  Having said that – and with Easter being a complete wash out – I’m hopeful of a lovely sunny summer.

If I’m right then I’ll be getting outdoors and making the most of my Zero Gravity Chair. Since I’ve had it, the whole family has been fighting who gets to sit in it. Being a novelty, we’ve been taking it in turns at tilting it right back and soaking up the rays.

I’ve seen them in a few shops lately, but this is the one I’ve got. It comes with a head rest for extra comfort and is really easy to use; you just pull the levers on either side of the chair, adjust it to your comfort and push back the levers to lock it.

I have a feeling that I might need to get myself a second one – then VIP and I can relax in the sun while the kids fetch us drinks and play nicely in the garden. Wishful thinking.

Never give up!

It’s exam season and kids all over the country are stressed out.  And even though my kids are not yet taking their exams, I’m married to VIP who’s a secondary school teacher.

So VIP is in hot demand at the moment; parents want him for private tuition and right now, he could probably earn a full time job just doing that.

Anyway, one day last week, this particular kid had come to ours for his lesson and when he left VIP saw that he had left behind his revision book.

And when he saw what was on the front of his book, he knew I’d like it, so he showed me. This is what he’d written:

1. Never give up even if I can’t be bothered
2. Do not go on the phone, focus on what’s important
3. Think about now, not later or soon
4. Never work to anything less than 100%
5. Prove People Wrong

I love the positivity this kid has. No doubt he feels overwhelmed with having to cram in facts, words, figures etc, but he’d taken a few minutes aside to remind himself to try his best (even when he doesn’t feel like it) and to give everything 100%.

My favourite of his reminders is number 5 – ‘Prove People Wrong’. Little does he know that right above my desk I’ve got a little sign that reads ‘The Greatest Pleasure In Life Is Doing What People Say You Cannot Do’.

It’s fantastic to see these positive affirmations coming from a young adult. The mind can be a powerful tool if used in the right way – and this young man is definitely using his in the right way. I just hope his exam results reflect his hard work and determination. I have everything crossed for him!

That wraps it up for May; I’m back in June with more of my favourite things – let’s hope we’ve had some great bouts of weather so we can all get outdoors a bit more.

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