Journeys Are My Diary

Life, Adventures, Entertainment and more - A little bit of everything blog!

Movie Review – Minions

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Last weekend we decided to go and see the Minions movie. Lily was going with a friend whose birthday party it was and so Megan and I went together too. We technically saw the same screening, though Megan and I sat separately from Lily and her friends. I had high hopes for the movie as I loved Despicable Me and while I didn’t think the sequel was as good, I still enjoyed it.

Sadly, I didn’t really enjoy the Minions movie. Yes there were funny parts and yes they were even laugh out loud, but for the most part, in my opinion, the movie was seriously lacking.

I will try not to spoil the movie too much for you, but these are my thoughts. Those of you who have seen the trailer that involves Minions looking for a boss – from the T-Rex, to Cavemen, to the Egyptians, to Count Dracula and so on, well you’ve already seen the first ten minutes of the movie. You’ve also seen the only part of the movie that really involves Minions as a plural and not just the specific three – Bob, Kevin and Stuart. The rest of the movie pretty much focuses solely on these three characters and their journey to find a new boss.

The story is average and if you’ve seen more than one trailer, you may even guess about Scarlet Overkill and how she is the boss the Minions hope to get. There is the odd twist here and there but for the most part it’s predictable. Right at the end, the plural Minions come back into it and there is another good five minutes or so of story as Gru arrives and opens up the storyline that leads into Despicable Me. However, none of it is great, a lot of it is actually quite boring and while kids might enjoy it on a surface level, my two also said that it was alright, nothing special.

If you like Minions, you’ll probably like this movie. If you love Minions, you might even love this movie. However if you like a half decent movie with a half decent plot, give this one a miss. Sure it would be worth a watch on DVD, when you’re not paying almost £10 each to visit the cinema, but otherwise you’re really not missing anything. Sorry Minions, I like you a lot but without Gru and with this particular plot, it just didn’t cut it.

Movie Review: Avengers – Age of Ultron

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Before I start to tell you about my Florida holiday, I want to tell you all about the latest movie I saw – Avengers: Age of Ultron (it’s Marvel/Disney though so it’s okay). On Friday, Nat and I went to the cinema – as we often do – to see the newest Avengers movie and both of us really enjoyed it!

As with all my reviews, no spoilers. However that always makes it difficult to tell you very much. What I can tell you is that it’s long!!! It’s not a complaint, but definitely a warning. Nat and I both went to the toilet before it began but only half way through, needed it again (TMI??) We did take a drink in with us (which we probably shouldn’t havbe) but yeah… warning!

In all seriousness though, I personally loved this movie. I’m a great lover of superhero movies anyway and on Friday I actually wrote about the good and the not so good superhero movies, over at Twice the Mum (and later republished on my own blog). This new Avengers movie would definitely be around the top of my list – if not for any other reason than RDJ as Iron Man is epic (as always). I tried to avoid any trailers or reading too much about the plot, so it was really nice to go into the movie not knowing much about it. I loved the concept and idea for the movie, though at times I felt a little lost, but I also loved the new characters getting gradually pulled into the plot (and it made me realise I really need to watch X-Men: Days of Future Past!). It was nice to see Hawkeye take more of a role this time and of course its nice to see all the Avengers working as more of a cohesive team. I’ve never really liked Scarlett Johansson but actually in the Avengers movies I find her fairly tolerable. As I said before, I loved Iron Man and he has now become my clear favourite (I was torn between him and Thor before). I especially loved Iron Man’s Hulk version. The ending with Hulk was a bit frustrating but not altogether surprising, I’m glad to see there is an Avengers 3 on the cards though – even if rumour has it that RDJ will be sliding out of the franchise at that point!

For anyone who likes an action movie, especially Superhero, I’d say it’s a must-see. At the cinema it holds so much more effect too – with the load noises, big screen, dramatic effect etc. That said, I’ll be getting it on DVD to watch again when it comes out, especially as the kids will want to see it. I loved this Avengers movie though truth me told, I probably love the last one a little bit more.

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Movie Review: Disney’s Cinderella (motion picture)

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On Saturday we went to see Cinderella at the cinema and it was amazing! It was so much better than I expected and I would recommend ANYONE to go and see it.

To be absolutely honest with you, when I found out they were making a Cinderella motion picture, I wasn’t really that bothered. I was sure it would be nice and of good quality, but it was unlikely to be twist on the fairytale (like Maleficent was) and therefore didn’t really hold much interest. However, when it was announced that the Frozen Fever short would be at the beginning of it, I knew that it would probably be something we’d end up going to see. In the end, my mum said she wanted to go and even offered to pay, so the deal was signed and sealed – we’d be going.

Well! I can’t stress enough, just how fantastic the movie and the experience was. Frozen Fever was brilliant. I’m sick up to here *motions way past the top of my head* of Frozen but this short actually restored all my love of it. I remembered how much I liked Anna and Elsa, how funny Olaf is and of course how adorable Hans *edit, typo* Kristoff is. In just 10 minutes I was totally back on board the Frozen bandwagon and even laughing out loud. Bravo Disney!

Then came Cinderella. Well… beautiful, breathtaking, emotional roller coaster. That’s what it was. Forgetting the Disney ever made an animation of Cinderella (though there were clever references to it) this movie was just the most amazing re-telling of the Cinderella story and I loved it. I cried at ALL the sad bits and even at several happy bits. I didn’t expect to enjoy Lily James as Cinderella but I loved her. I didn’t care but for the Prince either (in the trailers I’d seen) but he was amazing too and I was sold on wanting my own Prince Charming afterwards. Not to mention (and how I didn’t know before I’m really not sure) Prince Charming is Rob Stark from GoT and he was DREAMY. Helena Bowen Carter as the Fairy Godmother seemed like such a ridiculous choice when I heard about it but she was amazing too and I wouldn’t fault her as a choice at all. Everything I thought I would hate, I loved and it was just great.

I really don’t want to spoil anything but honestly I loved it, the kids loved it, my mum loved it and it was great. I do think there is an age restriction on it’s enjoyment, just like any motion picture (kids just don’t get into them as much as animations) but I wouldn’t like to say what that age is as all kids are different. It’s definitely not a boys movie though I’m afraid but if you can persuade your guy or son etc into going, they probably would still enjoy it. If you haven’t seen it, then please do. If not at the cinema, then at least get it on Sky or DVD or something!

13/52

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Loads of lovely pictures to choose from this week but I picked this as it was a lovely unexpected moment. We went to see Cinderella at the Odeon in Lincoln and Cinderella was there to great people. It was a lovely touch and even nicer for us as we’ll be doing it for real in a few days time when we get to Florida!

The Versatile Blogger Award

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The lovely Aymie, over at Aymie Louise, recently nominated me for the Versatile Blogger Award. I’m incredibly grateful for the nomination and hope that any of my lovely readers who fancy stealing this award will do so. I nominate you all! I know that’s cheating a little (you’ll see why when you read the rules) but genuinely I haven’t done a lot of “finding new bloggers” recently as I’ve just been so busy. I love all my Bloggy Buddies though so if you want the award – it’s yours!

Rules for the award:

– Thank the blogger who nominated you.
– Tell your readers seven facts about yourself.
– Nominate 15 bloggers that you have recently discovered.

Seven facts about me:

1. I am the oldest member of my social circle of friends, by quite some amount. Forgetting my partner Chris (who is 5 years younger than me) and my brother Chris (who is 3 years younger than me), majority of my friends are 8-9 years younger than I am. I very rarely feel the age gap though, despite the fact I often take the leader/organiser role in the group.

2. I currently have 56 friends on Facebook. These are mostly close friends and family, with the odd exception. I have no-one on my Facebook from Primary School, only three from High School, no-one from University and five mum’s from the girls’ school. Majority of my friendships were made with people I met online through a website called Deckleswood.

3. When it comes to book/movie adaptations, I have some pretty strong views. If I watch the movie first, I’m unlikely to ever read the book afterwards. If I see something I might like and think I’ll enjoy, I always make sure I read the book first, even if that means watching the movie a lot later than it’s released. This topic has even inspired a blog series on my sister blog – Twice the Mum. You can read it every Wednesday in our “From Page to Screen” series.

4. Still talking about books, I also never (or at least extremely rarely) re-read a book. Doesn’t matter how much I enjoyed it, or even if I own it, I never choose to re-visit a story. My thought is really similar to that of traveling – in that there are so many places out there to visit, why restrict yourself to places you’ve already been. Yes it’s great to re-live memories, but it’s also amazing to broaden your horizons and make new memories. There are so many books and so many stories out there, why waste what time you have re-reading when you can discover something new.

5. I’m a total perfectionist, but rarely consider anything I do to be perfect. I set incredibly high standards for myself (and others) and never really manage to achieve them. Despite being told I bake good cakes, sew good clothes, write good stories etc. I hardly ever believe it. I don’t know if it’s low self confidence or just a lust to strive harder – that or I’m just genuinely rubbish and people lie to me!

6. The fastest way to make me function is hand me a cup of tea. This applies not only first thing in the morning, but really throughout the day and even into the evening. That said I can be a complete nightmare to be around if I haven’t eaten at the right times throughout the day too. Sometimes I get so grumpy and the only thing that can fix it is sitting down to some decent nosh.

7. I genuinely believe I am a good mum. I don’t believe I am the best or even perfect, but I know my children are healthy, happy and being brought up well and that’s largely because of me. Despite struggling to ever see myself in a completely positive light, the one thing I will always be proud of is my children and the fact they are a genuine credit to me. It’s unlikely that I will ever earn huge amounts of money, become famous or even have a career to speak of, but I will eventually die happy knowing that I brought those beautiful girls into the world and made them the best versions of themselves that they could be.

Everyone who reads my blog know things like that fact I’m a huge Disney and Harry Potter fan, so I tried to make these facts something different. If you’re a reader of my blog and you’ve seen this, please feel free to take the award and place it on your blog. I’d also love to see your answers so please feel free to leave your link in the comments and I promise to read them all!

Week 3 – Monday Round-up

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I both love and hate this Monday round-up thing. It feels like such a chore to actually write (not to mention I feel like everyone except Amy skips over it) but at the same time I’m always glad to have it as a reference! Second week back at school this week and this time a full week. The girls coped a bit better, not being so tired, but it still felt like a struggle at times. Chris is still working Monday to Friday, 9am till 5.30pm, so that keeps life very much in a routine.

After taking the kids to school on Monday, I spent the whole day taking pictures of my jewellery. It seemed to take forever but I knew I had to get it done in the daylight. I obviously stopped for dinner and briefly to check mail (and place a Disney Store order) but otherwise it was a full day of photography. At the end of school I went to pick up the kids and we all headed home. I made the girls and myself some dinner, while also starting on Chris’ so it was ready when he got home. The girls also wanted to make another hair bow for their “make Disney” task and so we made a Baymax bow. In the evening I spent time catching up on my blog but ultimately I was so tired that Chris and I headed to bed early. I was very close to finishing my book “Allegiant” so I got that read and then we went to sleep. Tuesday started off the same, getting up and ready, then dropping the kids off at school. Their dad was having them after school which meant I had a whole day to myself without having to think about turning out to pick them up. I headed into town, once I got back to Gainsborough, and had a wander around. I visited the ribbon lady on the market as well as calling into Boyes for a few bits too. I also went to Boots and weighed myself, along with Heron for some food shopping. After that I went to M&S for some healthy ready meals and then headed home. The rest of the day I spent listing my jewellery on Etsy, though I hated it so much that I got easily distracted and procrastinated lots. I made myself dinner and got dinner ready for Chris too. When the girls got home they pretty much headed straight to bed and Chris and I spent the evening watching TV.

On Wednesday I tried to plough on with getting my jewellery listed and once I’d got majority of it done, I started listing some things on Ebay. I got quite into it, sorting out a load of stuff, only to realise I could only list 20 things for free before getting charged 35p each (I do hate that!). However by the time I’d had lunch and got as much listed as I could, it wasn’t far off the time I needed to go get the kids so I headed out and picked them up from school. When we got back, the girls went to get changed as their disney task was to dress up. I then made dinner for us all and some for Chris when he got home, before settling down to watch some TV. I had good intentions to sit down and blog that evening but ended up getting myself distracted. My eye also started to hurt so after spending majority of the evening looking at Wedding dresses – I just made a simple post about some Disney dresses I found.

Thursday I took the girls to school again and this time my mum was having them overnight. I popped to her house to drop off Megan’s iPad and a disney book, stayed for a cup of tea but then headed home. My eye had really puffed up and I was starting to feel a bit down, so I ended up bumming around the house all day, not really getting much achieved. I watched movies back to back all day – Sharknado, then Snow White & the Huntsman, then Step Up. I did make some progress with Olivia’s “Woody” dress, but not much. Chris was a sweetheart though and on his way home he called at Aldi. He brought my roses, cookies and chocolate which made me cry but only because it was so sweet. He then insisted on spending the whole evening with me – to look after me – so we sat watching TV and then watched a movie called “In Time” which was actually better than I expected.

On Friday, because Mum had the girls overnight, I got a lay in. Sadly the postman woke me at 9am but it was okay as it was mail I wanted. I felt a bit miserable to begin with as my eye was still hurting but I pulled myself together and tried to have a constructive day. I went out for my first every run and while I didn’t run much of it (unfit and asthma) I was at least proud to have tried. I did 1.64 miles there and back so at least it was some exercise! Mum brought the kids home for me and stayed for a cup of tea – but then after she left we realised we still had a Disney task to do. We watched “The Little Mermaid” and had dinner, before the girls headed to bed (along with a chapter of the Never Girls, since we’d missed out on reading together the night before). Once Chris was home I assured him I felt better today and he could spend the evening on his computer, so I vegged out and watched more TV, as well as finally watching “Friends with Benefits”. I spent the evening sewing Amy’s “Kiss the Girl” dress too, so that will be ready this coming weekend for her to try on!

On Saturday we had to be woken by the alarm at 9am, because Chris had his second driving lesson at 10am. We all got up and while Chris was out on his lesson, the girls and I wrote a list for Florida – all the things we need to take with us and buy before we go. When Chris got home, I made pancakes for us all and we all sat down together to eat them. I’ll admit we were very naughty and all had sweet pancakes, so it was a terrible lunch really! During the day my Disney Store order arrived and sadly the towel I ordered for Megan was damaged. I rang to sort it out though and I’m glad to say that as of today (Monday) its all been dealt with fast and efficiently (go Disney!). I don’t really remember what we all ended up doing in the afternoon but I know it went by fast. The girls and I realised we had Disney themed food to make and after much deliberation, made honey and vanilla Pooh Bear biscuits. Megan didn’t like them and I don’t really like honey (plus dieting) so we forced Chris to eat them all. In the end, even he objected! Nat came around in the evening (can you believe its been 4 weeks since I last saw here?!) and we had a much overdue catch up. It was almost midnight by the time she left but it was great to finally see each other. I went to bed straight after she left though as I was exhausted!

Finally Sunday and we had nothing at all planned. Chris turned on the Xbox and started to play Ms Splosion Man, only to capture both the girls’ interest. He ended up spending the morning playing with them, till we all stopped for lunch at around 12.30pm. While they were all playing, I was sewing, but it was nice to all be in the same room at the same time. After lunch, it was suggested we could play a board game and so we did. First came “Game of Life” – an electronic version called Twists and Turns, which we played for 20 years (that sounds like a long time lol). I won! Afterwards we picked Disney DVD Trivial Pursuit, which we teamed up for. Lily and I were together on one team and Megan and Chris on the other. We were pretty neck and neck for most of the game but Lily and I stole it at the end – largely because my dice rolling was better than Megan’s (and because I know more Disney stuff than Chris and Megan combined!). By the time we finished it was 5.30pm and I was feeling too lazy to cook and so we were all naughty and ordered takeaway. Since Chris is now being careful with what he eats (I’ll update in my Get Fit Friday this week), we were really careful and ordered the bare minimum. While we were waiting for takeaway to arrive we watched The Bee Movie, and then continued to watch while we ate etc. Afterwards it was time for Lily to go to bed and so Megan settled down to paint her peg doll and then update her blog. Finally my eye was feeling a bit better so I went back to sewing and got the majority of Olivia’s dress finished.

Afterwards I sat and looked through Hot Topic for the bazillionth time, then finally got around to posting my 52 Project photos and also my Disney Countdown catch up.

It’s been a pretty busy week but at the same time I know its not half as busy as it used to be when I was working. I feel like I have so many things I want to do but only end up doing about a third of it. Hopefully over time I’ll sieve my way through everything. Now my jewellery is mostly listed, that’s one thing less to do. I need to get some dresses sewn, and some more things listed on Ebay. After that I’ll hopefully be able to concentrate more on my blog and maybe even get around to writing my book! Back next week, for another round up!

Movie Review: Big Hero 6

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In the space of one week, I was lucky enough to see two of the latest Disney movies, released at the cinema. On Sunday 4th January, we booked a special preview showing of “Big Hero 6” – we even saw it in 3D. Then, exactly as week later, we booked to see “Into the Woods” on Sunday 11th January. I want to share some of my thoughts on the movies, but I always find that hard without adding spoilers. As such, they definitely won’t be full reviews (there will be NO spoilers) and really just my opinion on both movies. Today I’m focusing on Big Hero 6.

Big Hero 6

I don’t really know what I thought this movie would be about – just that it was Disney and that makes it a “must-see”. This time last year it was all about Frozen and look how that took off. As such, it was important to get in there and see Big Hero 6. Released already in the US, but not in the UK till 30th January, like I mentioned we managed to get booked in on a one day preview event. The only time that suited us was a 3D showing, though generally I’m not a big fan of seeing most movies in 3D.

The opening of the story, is quite a sad one as it is. Orphaned Hiro and his brother Tadashi, live with their Aunt after the death of their parents. Hiro is super smart but a bit of a bum – luckily he has his brother looking out for him. Past this point, I won’t spoil anything for you so I can’t even give you a rough jist of what happens. Let’s just say if you found the heartbreak of Anna and Elsa losing their parents or Ellie dying in UP… well prepare yourselves. Hiro makes friends with a robot called Baymax and basically that is the bulk of the story (again, without spoiling anything for you). Hiro also gets a whole bunch of new friends, in the form of his brother’s college mates.

This movie is fantastic. If you haven’t read too much about it, you’ll be in for a great surprise. The story line twists and turns, though some people might suggest its a bit predictable. To be honest that didn’t lessen its awesomeness though, I like a little cliché. Big Hero 6 is, in my mind, similar to Wreck It Ralph. A unisex movie, possibly aimed more at boys, but equally awesome for girls. What I definitely didn’t expect, was that it’s actually also a Superhero movie.

Yep, a superhero movie! And a really good one at that. Even better – just like Stan Lee makes a cameo in all Marvel movies (also owned by Disney) – he also makes an appearance in Big Hero 6. Look out for a portrait on the wall and you might just spot him.

Both my girls (almost 7 and 10) loved the movie and so did Chris and myself. I might actually be tempted to go see it again when its out after 30th, though I’ll admit I did cry at parts so maybe I’ll wait for it on DVD. Finally, one word of advice – definitely wait till after the credits. As with most Marvel movies – and some Disney movies these days – there are extra bits at the end. Big Hero 6 is definitely worth sitting and waiting for – even if everyone else in the cinema deserts you! Big Hero 6 is a fantastic family movie that I think everyone will enjoy – though perhaps only on a basic level for the younger ones. While I’m sure it will be a huge hit, I still don’t think it will be taking off like Frozen did though!

Goals and Hopes for 2015

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So its been a week since New Year’s Day and I haven’t gotten around to posting about my New Year Resolutions yet! Part of that has just been because there has been so many other things to do, but partly it was deliberate – to see how the year got going. Last year in January, I posted about everything I hoped to do during the year. I then wrote a round-up post in December, talking about how well I’d gotten on. My hopes and goals covered everything from my blog, to my weight and fitness, to keeping in touch with friends. This year I want to do the same, especially given how much life has changed in the last 12 months.

On New Year’s Day, I involved the kids in a sort of “New Year” game. As I knew I wanted to write some resolutions, I encouraged them to do the same. We then decided we’d write them all down, roping Chris in to participate as well. It only took us about 10-15 minutes but it was a nice and fun activity to do as a family. Once we were done, we sealed them all in an envelope, to open next year and see how we got on. Lily made a copy of her resolutions, to place on the wall of her room to remind her. I’ll still be interested to see how everyone got on.

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Above you can see Chris’, Megan’s and Lily’s New Year Resolutions. For the most part, Chris was just participating because we asked him to, but it was nice that he did. His resolutions included eating healthier, learning to drive and being a better boyfriend (haha!). Megan wants to blog more, start a YouTube channel and write a book. Lily really just wants to join in – writing a blog, helping Megan with a YouTube channel, and basically being a good little girl. A lot of Lily’s were her ideas, but they are based on things she has picked up around her or things she’s been moaned at for recently. Anyway, the point is, everyone wants to try and I guess we’ll see how we get on!

Put on the spot, I couldn’t really think of what I wanted to do. Above you can see what I managed. I’d like to reach my goal weight and maintain it. I’d like to work from home rather than have to look for another job. I’d like to get some of the outstanding DIY jobs done and get the house on the market for sale. I’d “like” to Vlog. I’d like to get more of a handle on my debt and money. I’d like to write a book. However, what I’d really like to do, is expand on these ideas and set myself some realistic targets for the year!

This is what I’ve come up with:

Blog Stuff
– One of the main things I wanted to do this year, was go self-hosted. It was actually something I hoped to get done last year, but what with one thing or another, I never got around to it. Since I was so determined to do it this year, I actually kick started the year that way. While I say it was a goal for 2015, I can actually confirm that I’ve already done it – my blog was officially moved to it’s own little space on January 6th.
– Last year, Amy and I organised a blog meet, best known as #LincsBlogMeet. I was really pleased with how well it went and would love to organise another this year.
– Overall I really just want to try harder with my blog this year. By the end of last year, I was posting daily, trying out new content and had gained almost 700 followers throughout the year. I’d like to continue on with this, making my blog thrive, getting myself out there and really just seeing what the blogging life will bring.

Money
– Ugh. This time last year, I’d gotten myself in quite a bad financial situation. I did manage to sort it out and get myself on a better footing. However, just weeks ago I managed to make myself jobless, so I really don’t know how I’ll end up financially. I’d love to get to grips with it all over the next year. While I can’t possibly imagine being any better off, this time next year, I do hope to have not gotten any worse.
– Sort of connected to this, I hope to be able to earn money in other ways, that don’t require actually getting a physical job. I’d love to earn money through blogging, jewellery making, clothes sewing or writing a book or murder mysteries.

Family
– This time last year, I hope to be able to save and book a family holiday. However this year we are embarking on the holiday of a lifetime – to Florida. I don’t plan to book any other holidays, because of that, but I do hope to provide everyone with an enjoyable time. I also hope to be able to book something smaller – just a few days break – perhaps around October half term time.
– I already know (and have noticed) that not working will make me a better mum. I was genuinely very miserable in my last job and I know at times it made me snappier and angrier than I should be. I hope to move forward in this year, keep my calm more, spend better quality time with the kids and really just be a happier, more pleasant mum to be around.

Friends
– I feel like I should make a resolution to ensure our group of friends continue to get together, though I’m honestly not sure what. With Florida coming up in April, we have basically said there will be no murder mysteries between now and then, largely to save on money. However already I’m itching to have a get together, so maybe I’ll have to sort something out. I guess the best I can do, it attempt to organise one event per month – be it a meal out, a games night, a quiet drink or whatever else. Ultimately money will be a very controlling factor of the get togethers this year.

House
– As I’ve previously mentioned, I really want to get on top of the house this year. We originally moved into this house in Gainsborough, in July 2013. The view was to work on the house for a year, looking to sell the following summer. However that year has been and gone and really only a few little bits have been tackled. This year I really want to get to grips with the house and maybe even get it on the market this summer. It would be lovely to be living back in Saxilby by Christmas.
– I’d love to be a better “house wife” this year. Over the last year, the house has really felt neglected. As well as actually painting and decorating, I’d like to be cleaner and tidier. Little things, even like doing the dishwasher daily, keeping on top of the washing etc. will all make a big difference to our lives.

Health and Fitness
– This is a really big one for me this year. I want to hit my target of 10 stone (that’s from 13 stone 3lb where I started last year), preferably by April and our Florida holiday. I’d then like to maintain that weight, throughout the year. I have already started to eat better, watching the calories, and I hope to actually get a bit more fit, toned and exercise. Yesterday I bought a sports bra, an armband to hold my phone and some earphones. A few days before, I also purchased an ab roller. Though I will admit I haven’t managed any fitness yet, I do hope to get myself motivated!

Creativity
– This year I will participate in NaNoWriMo. I really really wanted to last year, but it just wasn’t possible with plans for Megan’s birthday and also working. If I’m still not working by November, I will definitely participate.
– I hope to improve any and all creative skills this year. In the last few months of last year, my dressmaking skills really improved. I’d love to get more into my jewellery, try out my new Paper Panda kit, improve my cake making skills etc etc. I really hope with more time on my hands, I can definitely get in touch with my creative side.
– In an ideal world, I’d like to earn a living through one of my creative outlets. See Career!

Career
– I quit my job, literally 3 weeks ago. I didn’t plan to and I felt it was quite irresponsible of me, but I can’t deny I’m 100 times happier now. In the upcoming weeks, I’ll figure out all my finances and see where I stand. However my perfect career move at this time, would be to work from home. I have a variety of options and maybe all of them combined would be the best idea right now. However ultimately I’d like to be able to stay at home and concentrate more on being a mum, being creative, sorting out the house etc.
– While in an ideal world, I don’t want to go back to work, I know that it would be more responsible if I do. Getting a mortgage would be easier for a start, as would providing money into the household. As such, I plan to volunteer in school for some office work, to give myself experience. This to me is giving a negative situation (quitting my job) a positive outcome (getting experience). Once I have some experience, getting a job within school – in the office – would be far more enjoyable, than what I was doing before.

Life
– I wasn’t really sure where some of this stuff fit, so I decided to add an extra category. I guess a “me” category would also work. This year I would like to get a divorce. I have been separated from my husband for over 4 years now and we’re still not divorced. I wouldn’t say I was in a rush to do it but I wish I could just justify £100 for one of these online divorce services.
– Vlogging. Perhaps you’re wondering why I didn’t put this in the blog section – well I’ll explain. I don’t want to vlog, in replacement of my blog. In fact, I don’t really “want” to vlog at all. What I do want to do, is push the boundaries of my comfort zone. Last year on my blog, I did about 3 outfit posts – something which a year ago I wouldn’t have thought possible. This year I’d like to vlog, even just once, just to push myself out of my comfort zone and into untested waters!
– Another tattoo.

Entertainment
– As always, something a little fun to end with. Movies, I’d love to do 52 again this year. I’d also like to have seen at least 6 movies at the cinema. I’m off to a good start, having already seen one in January!
– With regard to reading, I really want to manage at least one a month, if not more. Last year I failed miserably but that’s really because I felt like I had so much to do, that I didn’t have time for “down time”. This year I will make the most of me time and get more reading done. Target is 12 but I’d love to hit 24.

So there you have it – my aims, hopes, goals and resolutions for the New Year. None of them are “unbreakable” which is why I don’t really like to refer to them as resolutions, but I do hope to be able to stick to majority and achieve any goals. Check back in a year to see how I did haha!

Week 1 – Monday Round-up

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I wasn’t sure if my Monday Round-up post was something I wanted to continue into the New Year, as I know its probably of no interest to anyone but me. However my blogging originally started as somewhat of a diary and even if only for me, I want to keep a decent record of everything I’ve been up to. I’m late making this post (as it’s actually Tuesday) but I’m going to cheat and backdate it to yesterday. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep up with my Monday Round-up posts in the future, although I have to admit that several were posted late last year!

Monday was still December (gosh that feels like a long time ago!) and it was also the last day Namu was here. We didn’t do much in the morning (the girls played on Disney Infinity), but by lunchtime we were heading off to Lincoln, in order for her to catch her train. Tragedy struck however as we got stuck in traffic, only minutes away from the station. There was nothing we could do and in the end, we missed her train by about 3 minutes! Speaking the people customer services desk, there was no chance of using her ticket on a later train and instead the only option was to pay another £45. Obviously Namu didn’t want to do this and although I felt partially responsible (since I was driving and we were late), I didn’t want to pay it either. In the end, we decided she should risk it. When she’d traveled up from London the week before, she’d been able to catch an earlier train, so we figured perhaps it would work the other day. Not to mention, her American stuck in the UK routine often seems to benefit! Luckily it all worked out and she text me to say that neither train had been a problem. I was very relieved! The girls and I had been to Burger King and grabbed some food as it was 2pm and we hadn’t had lunch. Afterwards we headed home and chilled out. We ended up watching Kung Fu Panda while waiting for Chris to get home. Honestly its so long away now, that I don’t really remember what I did in the evening – but it probably involved chilling out, catching up on all things online and maybe some TV watching too!

The next day was Tuesday and we had nothing planned at all. Chris was at work but the girls and I just hung around the house, doing our own thing. Again, I don’t really remember what we did (sadly) but the girls dressed up as that was their Disney task for the day and I’m pretty sure we tidied and sorted out the house. The only other noteable thing about Tuesday, was that it was a good post day. I got a Disney Traditions ornament I had ordered just after Christmas and also a necklace that I had bought for Amy. Again, with it being so long since, I don’t remember much more about the day! That said, I know we started to plough through Season 2 of Arrow, desperately trying to catch up.

Wednesday was New Year’s Eve and for the majority of it, Chris was at work. The girls and I went into town briefly, I had a few things I needed and also a parcel to collect. Megan also needed to buy a birthday present for her best friend, so we got that sorted too. I spent most of the afternoon, uploading pictures and sorting out my hard drive – exciting stuff! When Chris came home from work, we popped open a bottle of Prosecco and toasted in the New Year early (since we wouldn’t want to be doing that at midnight). I did however agree to wake the girls just before midnight, so we could all see in the New Year together. Chris and I spent the evening watching Arrow and eating chinese takeaway, right up until waking the girls at 11.40pm. At that point we all snuggled up on the sofa together and watched the countdown and fireworks at midnight.

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Ten past midnight and we all headed to bed. Chris was knackered and the girls had barely even woken up, so it worked out well that we all just wanted to go to sleep. In the morning I was up before everyone else. We had nothing much planned for the day again and so I hung out with the kids, bumming around till lunchtime. During the morning though we all made a list a New Year Resolutions. It was really just a silly thing that the girls and I were going to do but we got Chris involved too and we all wrote out a sheet of A4. In the end we debated either putting them up on the wall all year, to try and get as many done as possible, or placing them in an envelope. By majority vote, they all went in an envelope and we’ll be opening them on New Year’s Eve 2015, to see how we all did.

At midday we packed a bag for the girls as they were going to their dad’s. We had lunch and then put on a movie – or rather I put on a movie and both girls ended up getting sucked into it. At 2pm their dad came for them and once they were gone I finished off the movie and then went for a bath. I decided to get some more of “Allegiant” read and so even after my bath, I lay on the bed and read quite a lot of my book. While I was reading, Chris took a bath and then afterwards we watched more Arrow.

Thursday Chris was back at work and the girls didn’t need picking up until 2pm from their dad’s. As such I had a very relaxed morning before heading off to my mum’s for just after lunch. Stopping for a cup of tea and a chat, I then left to pick up the girls. We headed back via Lincoln and went to Toys R Us, only to not find what we were after. We ended up at Asda Living, where the girls got 2 new Disney Infinity characters and then we headed home. After getting some dinner, the girls and I spent some time sorting out their room. Lily has so many cuddly toys that we had to clear the whole of their drawer unit, just to make sure she didn’t sleep with them all in her bed.

At bedtime we finished off “In a Blink”, the first book in the series of Never Girls. Once the girls were in bed, I spent the evening trying to get some work done on dresses and my sewing stuff. I started by tidying out all my sewing box and then went on to google for some ideas of clothes I might make.

Saturday came around and another day of good old nothing. However we needed to make Disney themed food as our Disney task for the day and so we had waffles for breakfast/lunch. The girls dressed up (a catch up task from the day before) and I let them watch the end of the movie they’d missed a few days before. We then made Fajitas for dinner and settled down to watch Avengers as a family evening together.  Afterwards I worked on some jewellery ideas, ready to get listed on my Etsy as soon as I have time!

Finally it was Sunday and while we had nothing planned for the morning, it seemed to go by so fast. Megan had been invited to a friend’s house for the day (as a surprise treat) and was going to see Big Hero 6. I had also booked for me, Chris and Lily to go see Big Hero 6 at the same time. We dropped Megan at her friends at 1pm and then headed to my mum’s for coffee and to kill some time. At 3pm we headed into Lincoln, parked the car and headed to the cinema. We saw Megan in the foyer but tried not to interrupt her fun too much – even though she was full of how she’d traveled in a limo. We got popcorn and headed to our seats, watching Big Hero 6 in 3D – something we wouldn’t usually chose to do.

We loved the movie and I’ll definitely be writing my review of it, as soon as I get time! Afterwards we headed back to my mum’s briefly, before then heading to pick Megan up from her friend’s house (we let her travel back in the limo). On the way home, we all decided we were hungry. Chris bought us all fish and chips but we headed home to actually eat it. Once the girls were in bed, Chris went on his computer and I spent the evening on mine – getting ready for the big blog switch over! And here I am, all moved to WordPress.

I’m hoping life will normalise a little this week and that I’ll find it easier to keep track of. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Upcoming Movies in 2015

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I love movies – I would definitely say that movie watching is one of my hobbies. Over the Christmas period, the kids and I are hoping to watch both Paddington and the new Tinker Bell movie, but what are the best picks for the upcoming year? Well first of all, I want to start off by actually seeing Mockingjay (Part 1) as I can’t believe I haven’t seen it yet. I also believe Into the Woods is due to be released soon and I’ll be first in line for that one. After those though, Big Hero 6 is definitely top of the list!

Already released in the USA, Big Hero 6 is apparently out here on 30th January. That said, there is a preview showing on 4th January and fingers crossed we might be going to that! This will probably be the first movie of 2015, that I actually made an effort to see. It is Disney, after all!

Taken 3 is also on my January list, though I’m yet to see Taken or Taken 2. More than likely, it will be a DVD job, catching up on all three at the same time. February is looking pretty bleak, with only Fifty Shades of Grey, catching my interest. I have to admit that I found the books dire and I imagine the movie with be the same, but just like Magic Mike – there is definite curiosity.

With March comes Cinderella – Disney again. I quite enjoyed the Maleficent movie, which was obviously a live action rather than an animation. While I wouldn’t say I’m expecting great things, I am interested to see what they’ll do with it.

Also in March is the second part in the Divergent trilogy – Insurgent. I’ve already read the book so I’m eager to see the movie. Sadly, April doesn’t bring much interest for me. I can’t really see anything that I’m interested in, though of course trailers nearer the time, might prove differently!

May looks like it might be a good month though. Not only is it my birthday, but Pitch Perfect 2 AND The Avengers: Age of Ultron are both being released. When looking up 2015 movies, I also saw Far From a Madding Crowd (a Thomas Hardy novel that I love) and Tomorrowland (another Disney movie). I’ve not really seen much about either, but I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for them.

June brings with it, Jurassic World, which in all honesty, I’m not sure about. There is also Ted 2, which if the first one was anything to go by, I’ll be giving that a miss. In July there is Terminator: Genisys, which I’ve heard nothing about. Having looked into it, Arnold Schwarzenegger is in… so god only knows what the plot is. Also in July is the Minions movie, which I feel sure we’ll see. There is also Ant-Man which I know Chris wants to see and Pan – presumably something about Peter Pan. Believe it or not, there is a Magic Mike XXL, which I can’t even bring myself to look into. I have no idea how that’s become a sequel.

In August there is a Fantastic Four reboot, called The Fantastic Four. I’m not really so sure about this, as reboots don’t always work out. I guess it can’t be much worse than the original movies, but I did like Chris Evans as the Human Torch. I suppose it goes without saying that it would require a reboot, especially when Chris Evans then became Captain America.

September has the second movie in The Maze Runner series, Scorch Trials. I really enjoyed the first movie and have since bought the books to read. I’m looking forward to seeing the second movie, hopefully after reading the full set of books. Also in September is Hotel Transylvania 2 and since the first one was pretty good, we’ll probably see that in time for Halloween.

There are a few interesting looking movies in October, but the only one that really stands out is The Jungle Book. Another live action instead of an animation and while The Jungle Book is far from my favourite, I’m always interested to see what Disney turn out. There is also a Jem and the Holograms movie… but, yeah.

November brings the third (well really fourth) installment of Hunger Games, in the form of Mockingjay (Part 2). Hopefully I will have seen Part 1 by then and will be rushing to the cinema in November to see it. I really enjoy the Hunger Games books/movies so this is one of my top picks for the year. Sadly that’s all that really interests me in November and December isn’t looking much better either. I’m sure plenty of people will be holding out for Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens, but I’m honestly not interested. I’ve said before that I’m not really a Star Wars fan, so this movie doesn’t even rank in my 2015 movies. That said, I’m sure that Chris will want to see it and since I’ve seen all the others, no doubt we’ll be heading to the movies in December to see it.

So these are my picks for the year, what are yours?
What are you looking forward to seeing this year and what will you be giving a miss to?