The "I Made This" Meme Competition

This meme was inspired by my ex-boss! In an emotive conversation on the day that he left the company he asked me what the future held for me. I explained that I really enjoy the job that I do. As a software engineer, even if I don't write code very often any more, I still get great pleasure out of the "I Made This" feeling. That feeling when you see someone, or hear of someone using something you designed and created while they sit there blissfully ignorant of the time and effort that you put in. The "I Made This" feeling makes me proud.

It always has done. In the days when I wanted to be a media tycoon I clearly remember the "I Made This" feeling being the driver in everything that I did. I remember a work experience placement that I did at CBBC Newsround in White City; I wrote a series of trivia questions and a short news piece about Gary Barlow for the Newsround Ceefax pages. When I got home that evening I showed my Mum the pages on our own television and thought about the people all over Britain who would be doing the same; it gave me a warm glowy feeling to know, "I Made This".

Software development gives me that same glow. OK so the software I write these days is used by people in darkened rooms to catch naughty criminals but I still know that that the world is a better place because of what I do on a daily basis and that feels fabulous.

I Made This!

And with parenthood comes the ultimate "I Made This" feeling. Every day that I look at my two girls I can't truely believe that I was (at least in part) responsible for making them who they are. Those beautiful blue eyes and golden locks always give me the "I Made This" feeling and it is further boosted with every milestone they reach. Holly's first laugh, the first time Lara wrote her own name, the first time she swam across the pool without me. This is the "I Made This" feeling at its best.

And so it comes to the tag. Maybe you are proud of the blog you write.  Maybe there was a special moment when your children made you think, "I Made This". Perhaps you decorated a room or created a work of art, perhaps something you grew or cooked made you feel awesome. Tell me about your "I Made This" moment.  You don't need to wait for the tag before you can enter but, to start the ball rolling I'm going to tag a few of my most loyal followers and blogging friends...

Susan Mann
Muslim Mummy
Romanian Mum
Transatlantic Blonde
All Baby Advice
Boo, Roo and Tigger Too
Me, The Man and Baby
Brink of Bedlam
The Lazy Girl's Guide to Life
Mummy Matters

And, as an added incentive to get involved in the meme I'm offering a £50 Amazon voucher to the person who best encapsulates the "I Made This" feeling in their blog post. From all the entries to the "I Made This" linky on the 15th October, my celebrity judge, Heather Young from Young & Younger and Growing Spaces will choose the blog post which she feels best offers creative style, originality and relevance and which is able to put a big smile on her face.

And that's not all you've got to be excited about. No! For every blogger you tag or let know about the competition who then choses to enter the meme competition you get another chance to win. I am offering a £25 voucher as a thank you if the winning meme was written by someone you referred so even if you don't win the main prize you still have a chance of winning if you tag lots of other bloggers!

When you enter your blog post into the linky below, don't forget to mention in the post that it is an entry into the Mellow Mummy "I Made This" meme competition with a link back to this page so that other people know about the competition too (alternatively you can use the badge code below). Also don't forget to mention if someone tagged you or told you about the prize. And finally, HAVE FUN thinking about what gives you the "I Made This" feeling.

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TERMS and CONDITIONS:

1. The competition is open to all bloggers BUT the prize will only be offered as Amazon vouchers for amazon.co.uk in GBP..
2. Only one blog post entry per person. You may tag as many people as you like to enter the competition.
3. The winner will be contacted by twitter, facebook or email through details found on their blog or through the email left in the linky.
4. The winner will be judged on creative style, originality and relevance from all blog entries received by 11.59pm on 15th October.
5. If the winner mentions in their blog post that they were tagged by another blogger, the referrer will also win a prize. Only one referrer will win even if the winner was tagged by multiple people.
6. The judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
7. The winner's names will be published on this site

Little Readers - A Meme

I have found myself looking for ideas for books to buy my pre-schooler Lara for Christmas. We own a lot of books already and we borrow loads more from the local library but every so often we come across a real gem that provides many many hours of entertainment. I'm on the lookout for more of those gems.

And so I decided to start a meme so that I can find out about the books for preschoolers that you've come to love. The books that genuinely bring your family together and which make your children's eyes light up. The books that have shown to offer the best value for money and have helped to inspire your little ones to get involved with books.

For example... my absolute favourite book that we own is called "The Baby Dragon Tamer" by Jan Fearnley. The Baby Dragon Tamer tells the story of a little baby who is rudely awakened by a fierce dragon, causing the baby to cry. The dragon tries to convince the baby to give him his treasure and then the dragon freaks out at all the crying and does everything he can to stop the screaming. Eventually the two make friends and all is well with the world.

There are lots of reasons (listed below) why I love this book and why Lara loves it too but the primary reason is the amount of joy that I get from listening to my husband read it to Lara as her bedtime story. Mr. B. really gets into the story and ever since we first received the book (when Lara was about 9 months old) he has always given 100% when reading it. EVERY SINGLE TIME I hear Mr. B.'s booming voice declaring "GIVE ME YOU TREASURE" it brings an enormous smile to my face because I know, tucked up in bed, it is bringing an enormous smile to Lara's face took. Shortly after that I will hear her little giggle as the baby says "Goo Goo".

The Baby Dragon Tamer:-

• Is a book with a real story but not so much a 'reading book' as some


• Has brightly illustrated images that excite little eyes


• Encourages noises and emphasis on different areas and sounds throughout the story such as "Crash", "Boom", "Woooosh".


• Has a happy ending"

To start the meme rolling I've tagged

Cafebebe
Him, Me & Three
Young & Younger
Brink of Bedlam
Mummy Matters

If you join in the meme you can add your link to the linky below so that I (and everyone else) can come and read your book recommendations. If you would like to use the badge above you can use the code

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.mellowmummy.co.uk" target="_blank"><img style="width: 206px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU22xOhc-mjS-351i_FpAfn7qnBOF_6kHXcbguFNjUty6z77ZIZt_9GfRw7Sd88cljenTwDssBgEZTP83L97qoL0hqaZuZmh5v4Z4mUVSDlU0WL-TP_tpIYpsWk4inuKS2ET9DKk7fN9g/s400/IMG_3172+%25282%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="Mellow Mummy Little Readers"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664556529117809154" /></a></div>

The Naughty Step – A Meme

I was tagged a little while back by the glamorous Cheshire Mum in the Naughty Step meme.

And so, I have chosen to send Conservative MP Michael Gove to spend some time on the naughty step to consider his behaviour and I hope, that when he comes back, he'll have come to his senses.

Used under the Creative Commons License from the Conservative Party

For those who don't know, Michael Gove is the UK education secretary. He also happens to be the MP for the next constituency along from me so I got to see his name plastered up in great big blue signs for many months. I am sending him to the naughty step because of his decision to scrap plans for new and improved playgrounds throughout the whole of Britain.

The labour government introduced a 10-year plan to improve play opportunities for children. The Playbuilder scheme gave grants to around 132 local authorities to build or re-build play areas for children to offer more children the opportunity to play safely away from home gaining vital exercise and social opportunities.

In recent budget cuts, Michael Gove has written to all of these local authorities to cancel plans for all of the playgrounds on which work has not already started, or where there are not overwhelming reasons to continue. This decision directly affects the local area of Barkham and Wokingham to which I am about to move.

I understand that the new government have difficult decisions to make with regards cost cutting and money saving but I feel like this was too hasty a decision, too easy a decision for him to make. Are children's playgrounds a soft target? Why is it that these are some of the first areas to suffer from the government's sweeping cuts? Isn't there any middle ground? Can't we afford just a few new playgrounds?

So Mr. Gove, I'm sending you (with your funny face) for some quiet contemplation time on that naughty step to see if you can't come up with a better way to save money.

I tag Claire, Hayley and Kay. Who is going on your naughty step?

The Blogging Meme

I was tagged a little while back by the Award-Winning 20 Something Mum in her brand new meme. The Blogging Meme. Claire invented the meme on her Blog-o-versary so it seems fitting for me to carry it on today, on my ACTUAL birthday!

To fulfil the meme, I need to tell you about my favourite blogs in the following categories and hope that their authors want to join in!

FAVOURITE BLOG
My favourite blog changes quite regularly but currently it is Mummy's Busy World written by Little M and his lovely mummy Maria who is small, bubbly and squidgable. I love the fact that the blog is written from a different point of view – it means that the content is well thought out and very different to most of the other blogs I read.

BLOGGER YOU MOST RESPECT
This is most definitely The Competition Grapevine. After a long break from the blogging world, my Mum, Mrs Competition Grapevine to you (or Mellow Grandma if you prefer) has come back with a vengeance. I respect her as a blogger because I know how little time she has in her crazy competition life and that she finds any time to tell the world about how to join in is a miracle in itself. I've seen her blog grow over the past couple of months into a genuinely useful resource.

BEST BLOG TO JOIN IN WITH
As I'm sure you'll all agree, the weekly photo gallery at Sticky Fingers has really been a hit. I love seeing the varied takes on the prompt and I am in my element when searching through my photo archives for suitable pictures.

BEST POST BY A FELLOW BLOGGER
I saw this post a while back when it went viral but it helped me to discover a fascinating, topical, overseas blog :-
The 1 Year Happy Meal

The post was a year in the making and is just up my street. Baby Bites has lots of great posts about children's food in the U.S. – many of them with very strong opinions.

Desert Island Discs - A Meme

Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Carol from New Mummy has tagged me in the Desert Island Question meme.

I have to answer the following three questions:-
You are being sent to a Desert Island & can take:
One person (living/dead/known to you/famous etc)
One piece of music
One book or item of reading

I have put a lot of thought into this. It's blimming difficult.
Person - Lara of course. Other than Mr B. who is wonderful, I think I'd get easily bored of anyone else. Lara could grow old with me on a remote island and look after me as I age! She's entertaining, resourceful and is going to grow up to be a clever sausage.

Music – Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield. I listened to this at University when I was in halls of residence. I would play it on repeat all night to drown out the noise of unpleasant roomies and general student drunkeness! It is incredibly peaceful and has so many levels – you discover a new sound every time you listen to it. I could never tire of Tubular Bells.

Book – The Complete Works Of Shakespeare. Well, it would certainly pass the time. There is stuff in there to make you laugh, to make you cry and to remind you of the vulnerability of humanity. I have a copy that Mr. B. gave me a few years ago. I started at page 1. I don't think I got very far. Must try harder.

I'm tagging:-

20 Something Mum
Me, The Man & Baby
SingleMummy

My Biggest Fear – A Meme

I was tagged a little while ago by Claire, the 20-Something Mum in the 'What are you afraid of' Meme. Now, I recently revealed my massive phobia of fish, so I'm not going to repeat myself but I'll let you know something else that worries me...

I'm afraid of incompetency! My own.

There are very few things in life that I have attempted to do, but have failed at. I'm competent at several things. I'm a competent swimmer, a competent cook, I can speak German competently. I can't do any of those things WELL, I wouldn't say I am Olympic swimming material or a celebrity chef in the making and I certainly won't be changing career to become a translator any time soon. But I can do them, and that is enough for me.

I'm afraid, every time I try something new, that I won't be competent at it. SCUBA diving is an example of something I just wasn't made to do. I tried (as part of the fish-a-phobia thing), I managed to do it once or twice... but when it came to the crunch I froze, hyperventilated and burst into tears. It hurt. Not being able to do something hurts.

I think that most first-time Mums get the fear of incompetency. Before Lara was born I didn't worry so much about it (I thought I knew what I'd got myself into) but in those hormonal, stressful days and weeks following the birth, I genuinely thought I couldn't do it. I couldn't be a mum. I picked myself up, my hormones sorted themselves out and now look at me... I'm a competent parent. Actually, I like to think that I'm more than competent, I'm a great Mummy!

I'd like to pass this meme on to all the lovely ladies in the 'Best Baby Blog' shortlist at The MADS:

New Mummy
Babyrambles
Young & Younger
Muddling Along

Kreativ Blogger - A Meme of Interesting Stuff!

I tagged with the Kreativ Blogger award by fellow techy Susan K. Mann thank you. I have to follow the rules below:

1. You must thank the person who has given you the award.
2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
3. Link the person who has nominated you for the award.
4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.
5. Nominate other Kreativ Bloggers.
6. Post links to the blogs you nominate.
7. Let the nominated victims bloggers know they have been tagged.

And so... let me tell you some interesting things about me.

1. First up, I was born in Germany. When I need to, I can speak, read, write and understand German but I very rarely need to these days. One day I will take Lara to the town near Hannover where I spent my first months.
2. I spent my early years living in Hong Kong (If you haven't guessed by now, we were a British Forces family!). Some day, when I am rich, and when I am less terrified about taking Lara on a long-haul flight, I will definitely take my family over there - it is such a different culture and the food is fab.
3. I suffer from a condition called Freiburg's Disease. It is common in young, tall women and I first discovered it when I broke my foot while bungee-running at a work team-building event. It means that I have to be extremely careful with footwear, and when excercising as my toe bones are very delicate.
4. I like to sew. Although I have recently re-discovered the sewing machine, I really prefer embroidery, specifically cross-stitch. Years ago, I had several of my designs published in major UK craft magazines. It's a handy skill to have because I will never be caught without a birthday card for someone!
5. I am the commnity champion of the 'Mums Matters' forum over at Gumtree. It is a place to ask random mummy and daddy type questions. I'd love it if you came to visit me there!
6. I love to enter consumer competitions; what I love more is winning them. I may not be on quite the same level as my Mum but I've won holidays and kitchens and plenty of other goodies on the way. Plus, it is the way I find out about new products and websites (some of which have become my all-time favourites) and in a funny sort of way, it's how I got in to blogging.
7. I used to want to be a broadcast journalist. In fact, I was doing work experience on 'Newsround' on the day that John Major famously tendered his resignation in 1995 and launched a leaderhip contest. On that day, I clearly remember the JOY of getting home and finding my own words showing on the Ceefax Newsround page. That was about the height of my fame - Ceefax!

I pass this meme on to:-

Louise at Rock n Roll Babyworld.
and to Maria, Little M's Mummy.

The Plastic Joy Award!

I have been tagged by babyrambles and the 20-Something Mum in the Plastic Joy Award. To accept the award I must identify the 5 fictional characters I would choose to, you know, 'get to know better'!

So here are my 5 gentlemen of choice!

1. Bob the Builder
2. James Bond (I'm not fussy which incarnation)
3. Officer Jack Traven (The Police Officer in the movie 'Speed', played by Keanu Reeves)
4. Detective Philip Marlowe in the 1946 movie 'The Big Sleep' (played by Mr. Humphrey Bogart!)
5. Rincewind the wizard from the Terry Pratchet Discworld novels... he seems like the cuddly, sensitive sort!

I would like to pass this award on to Baby Genie because, as my bloggy twin, I'm fascinated to know who she comes up with!

10 Things That Make Me Feel Happy – A Meme

The inspirational Hayley at Single Motherhood Challenges tagged me a while ago in the 'ten things that make you happy' meme.

Here goes (in no particular order):-

1. Lara. When she isn't ill (in which case she makes me sad on her behalf, see here) Lara makes me beam from ear to ear. She rocks.


2. Mr. B. Because he takes me to spas, cooks me great food and is incredibly scrumptious.


3. Chocolate. Preferably dark chocolate, the more expensive the better but in general, I'm not fussy!


4. Wine. Oooh, makes me mellow just thinking about a nice glass of South American or New Zealand fruity goodness.


5. Food in General. Thinking about, preparing, cooking and eating food is the way I de-stress.


6. Getting STUFF done. I find it very rewarding to achieve stuff (even if that stuff is mundane stuff like housework). Getting stuff done makes me feel good about myself.


7. The Sunshine. This time of year is my absolute favourite. It is why I chose to get married in the spring. Yellow flowers feel so... alive and the fresh vibrant greens of spring are made all that more special when the sun shines. Yes, it feels cosy and traditional when the autumn chill arrives here in the UK but I'm definitely a 'sun' person. I was born in the summer and am always happiest in the sun!


8. Smellies. You'll know from my health & beauty reviews that I'm a sucker for cosmetics and smellies. You can't beat a long hot bath full of bubbles accompanied by a row of selected goodies such as body scrubs, shower gels, body lotions and moisturisers. Bliss.


9. Comedy. Laughing makes me happy. The opportunities for live comedy gigs are few and far between now that Lara is here (although it doesn't stop some, see here!) but this year I'm hoping to see one or two. We are already booked in to see Rhod Gilbert later in the year.


10. Cats. Clinically proven to make you happy. My old man Wallace is too lovely for words and even when he comes to wake me up in the morning with a loud brreeeeeeeooooooowwww, he makes me happy!

For this meme, I tag Cheeky Mummy whose new blog is up and running and Red Ted Art who I'm sure will have lots of creative happy things up her sleeve!

The Photo Lottery - A Meme

I've been tagged by Mummy's Little Monkey in the latest photo meme.

The instructions are:-

1. Open the first (oldest) photo folder in your computer library
2. Scroll to the 10th photo
3. Post the photo and the story behind it
4. Tag 5 or more people to continue the thread

Being a techy, and a keen photographer, I tend to archive my photos frequently so there are not many photos on my computer, therefore I've done this meme by going to my PhotoBox account and choosing my oldest album from there.

This photo is of a persian leopard. It was taken in 2005 in someone's back garden near St. Albans! My parents gave me a photography experience as a gift which involved tuition on how to take great photos of big cats. When I turned up, armed with my Canon SLR (in those heady days of 35mm film!) I felt massively under-qualified for the event. Everyone else there had a minimum of three cameras, and a massive library of lenses; there was tiny old me with my standard-issue lens and a crappy digital snappy thing for backup.

Despite this, I learned a lot that day and got some truly amazing photographs of pumas, african leopards, persian leopards and absolutely stunning clouded leopards. It was mesmerising watching the animals at such close quarters. In some cases, I was able to lie down on the ground outside the cages and listen to their peaceful breathing and the gentle rumble of a big-cat purr. If you're lucky, I'll post some of my other photos from that day on my blog some time in the future! I'm very proud of them.

I tag the following bloggers who I only discovered this week:-

Louise at Single Mummy – One In a Million
Julie at the Sardine Tin
New Day New Lesson
Natural Mummy
Nicola at Practically Perfect Mummy

What's In My Bag - A Meme

I have been tagged by Emily at Baby Rambles with the terrifying 'What's in your bag' meme. 'Terrifying' because there was a thick pile of gunk at the bottom of my bag which I really didn't want to expose you to; so, for Health & Safety reasons I have de-gunked and here, for the world to see, is the contents of my handbag!

My handbag was given to me about 10 years ago (gulp, that makes me feel old) by my Grandma as a celebration of me getting my first grown-up job after leaving university. It has come with me to work up and down the country almost every working day since. In my bag, I currently have...

My Ipod Touch

A gift from Mr. B. at Christmas, me and the Ipod have become inseparable. Not only does it mean I can check my emails and tweet in my lunch break, but it means that I have rediscovered my music collection.

Diary

I've always carried a diary, but since getting pregnant, it has become more vital than ever. Given the state of my baby-brain, how would I ever remember anything if I didn't write it down in my diary? And how would the OH ever remember that he had appointments if I didn't write them down and then nag him about them?

Gloves (and little gloves)

I suffer from something called Raynaud's Phenomenon which means that I often lose the blood supply to my fingers. For this reason it is important that I keep my long, spindly fingers as warm as possible. Even when the weather is a little warmer, I need to have my gloves at hand. These days my bag also contains Lara's little gloves. I can already feel that she has problems keeping her tiny hands warm so she'll probably suffer in the same way I do. All I can do is to try and keep her warm.

Lipbalms (plural)

I always carry a lipbalm whether I need it or not. You can never have too many lipbalms... they tend to disappear inexplicably, perhaps they even escape. I have recently been reviewing the Rescue remedy lipbalm which comes in a sturdy glass pot which won't work open in the bottom of your handbag. It smells great, is really light and nice to wear, but I haven't been that impressed with its effectiveness so far.

Phone Instruction Manual

OK, so the phone is currently charging, which explains its absence from my bag. I upgraded my phone about 3 weeks ago and although I'm a techy, I'm really struggling to get to grips with my new Samsung phone. Nothing seems instinctive and every time I start writing a text message, I give up and make a phone call instead! I have promised myself that I will learn how to use the blimming thing so I have been carrying the instruction book around with me, but as yet, it remains unopened.

I'm not sure that it merits its own bullet point, but I did find one more thing in my bag. A bulldog clip. Errr, who knows why, and your guess is as good as mine as to where it came from.

I tag Catherine at Baby Genie, Snaffles Mummy , Claire from Life Through the Slim Lens, and Pippa from A Mother's Ramblings.

So, go on, what's in your bag?

Reminiscing... My Wedding Dress – A Meme

Now, you may have already worked out that I'm not the giggly, gossipy girly sort. Chattering about wedding dresses isn't usually my thing, but I received such a lot of great comments about the picture of my dress on my Life Plan meme that I felt it only right to join in with the Wedding Dress meme when I was tagged by Kelly at 'You found Kelly's Hiding Place'. After all, if there's one thing a woman is allowed to get girly about, its her wedding dress.

Me with my 'Mate of Honour'

My wedding dress is festering in my loft. If I don't manage to find a buyer this year it is either going to Oxfam, or else (if I have met my new year's resolution and remembered how to use a sewing machine) I may possibly be adventurous enough to chop it up (the thought makes me shudder) and transform it into a gorgeous dress (or two) for Lara.

If you've read my Life Plan then you'll know that I had always set my sights on a brightly coloured wedding dress. Yellow was my colour of choice but despite it being my favourite colour, I look absolutely hideous dressed in yellow so I quickly ruled that out! Our wedding took place at Easter 2008 and we had a strong spring theme (yellows and greens) with traditional English daffodils, pale early roses and freesias. I was on the lookout for a green wedding dress; something classical, but with a hint of spring colour.

I had seen the dress I wanted in a magazine and managed to find a local supplier. On the day when my Mum accompanied me to the boutique to look for dresses, I tried my hardest to keep an open mind but I kept coming back to the one I had set my sights on and; when I tried it on, I knew it was right! I think its programmed in to us to KNOW… a bit like a wizard and his wand!

My dress is an Alfred Angelo 1516 original in Hunter Green. It is a pale ivory colour with a stunning green panel that runs down the whole of the length of the dress and forms a round semi-cathedral train. I think my dress embodies my character extraordinarily well - traditional, elegant and yet with a streak of originality - something just a touch out of the ordinary. I like to push the boundaries without rocking the boat!



The front of the dress is decorated with a floral pattern made up of small beads and pearls around the bodice and in a diamond shape across the front of the dress. The floral pattern is continued on the train and up to the laced corset back.



If you are interested in buying my dress, make me an offer! If you're not, I guess I had better lift that sewing machine out!

I tag Claire of Life through the Slim Lens

and Catherine at Baby Genie

If you would like to carry on the meme, add a comment or tweet me to let me know and I'll tag you officially!

My Life Plan - A Meme

I've been tagged by Catherine of Baby Genie in her brand new 'life plan' meme. Its a good one! I think it really demonstrates how our dreams and goals change over the years, ESPECIALLY when you become a parent. If you read on, you'll see that I often meet my goals, but that my career plan has slowly changed from the very creative... to the very technical.

I don't remember having a life plan until I was about 13 (although I'm sure my Mum will correct me when she reads this). At the time, I had just decided to abandon my dreams of studying maths and physics at Oxford and following in my Mother's footsteps and had decided to go with my creative streak instead. I wanted to be a fashion designer and travel the world with my designs for sensible, but funky clothing. At this point, I KNEW I wanted to get married in a dress made out of Crunchie wrappers.

My little sister sporting one of my more unusual designs!

By the time I was 15 and planning my higher education, I'd decided that I wanted to be an advertising copywriter – a plan that I pretty much stuck with right up until I got to university where I was taking Media Studies. When I started Uni I was interested in news journalism, and I discovered a skill for photography. I attempted a few weeks work experience with a local newspaper and a portrait studio – I hated both of them! Photography was definitely meant to be a hobby for me, not a job!

By 21, at the end of university, I had changed my mind about my future career a million times but kept coming back to marketing. When I left, I got myself a job as a marketing administrator in the City for an IT recruitment firm (for administrator see 'making cups of strong coffee for over-boozed team-members'). That summer I finally got together with the guy I'd had my eye on for years and life was looking good. It was at this point in my life that I promised myself that I would have kids before I was 30 – it gave me time to achieve stuff (unspecified), gave me something to look forward to, and ensured that I wasn't going to be an ancient mummy! I just had to wait for my other half to finish university himself and then we could get married (at Silverstone racecourse, in a yellow wedding dress), settle down and build a family together... right?

One day I found myself running a stand at a graduate recruitment fair and had a complete change of plan. Here were people the same age and background as me earning three times as much: this was not right! I enrolled on an online software development course, got accepted for a masters degree in computing at the same university as my other half and was sure that in 12 months time I'd be working in the IT department of a big bank, bringing in the big bucks! I gave up work, moved in with my boyfriend and took out a huge loan to cover my fees.

12 months later, and at 23 years old, I was actually working for the 3rd largest software company on the planet. I was beginning to worry about the 'settling down' part of the life plan as my other half now lived about 100 miles away and had his heart set on a career that involved spending large parts of the year on remote pacific islands... the kinda place where there is not much call for enterprise software developers.

The next change in my life plan came in summer 2003 when I was 24. If you've read my contribution to the favourite photo meme you'll know that this is when I got together with Mr. B. I was on a training course in the USA and I abandoned my poor old boyfriend in favour of a work colleague (the ex didn't know it yet because he was away on a remote Caribbean island!) I had a really good feeling about it – I guess I knew then that I was going to be the future Mrs. B!

By 25 I was renting a house with Mr. B and we were both vaguely hankering after a job that would bring in enough money for us to afford to buy our first house together. I planned to find a job in IT consultancy.

At 26, we both had jobs in IT consultancy and bought our first house. At 27 I decided that if I was going to remain sane, I needed to give up the daily trek into the city. I found a relaxed job, close to home and finally got that banking role I'd planned for - I write software used by the world's biggest financial bods. The life plan now was to save up for a wedding and to start making babies! We got married when I was 28 (I didn't wear a yellow dress, or one made from Crunchie wrappers and no, it wasn't at Silverstone racecourse). Last year, three weeks before my 30th birthday, we had our first child. Phew, just made it before my self-imposed deadline!

The life plan now? Well, from my goals for 2010, you'll know that the plan is to find a new house which kinda leads on to breeding a bigger family! I plan to work for as long as I can balance it with family because I enjoy what I do and want to be the best at it. I'm aiming for a management role. In a few years time when our family is bigger and life has settled down a little (does it ever once you have kids?), both myself and Mr. B would like to live abroad for at least 12 months. We haven't decided where, or how we'll fund it, but we'd love to give our kids the opportunity to soak up a totally different culture.

So, that's my life story in a nutshell! If you would like to join in the meme, go ahead. But to keep things flowing, I tag the following people (because I think there will be some very revealing stories about how their life plans have changed over the years):-

Claire at The Life Of The Twenty-Something Mum

Tara at Sticky Fingers
Kathryn of Crystal Jigsaw

and
Hayley at Single Motherhood Challenges

My Top Ten Freebies - A Meme

I have been tagged by the very friendly Make Do Mum in the 'Top 10 things in your life that are FREE' meme. If you've read my lessons on Baby Stuff For Free then you will know that I'm a frugal mummy. I'll try not to repeat myself here, but there are a few things from the lessons that I feel are more than worthy of inclusion in my Top 10.

I've also tried to keep my Top 10 very practical – everyone knows that I love Mr B. and my little girl (even more than I love biscuits) and although I wouldn't strictly describe family life as 'free' (parenthood is a very pricey business), the happiness that they bring me every day is immeasurable and self-evident, so I've ruled that it doesn't count for this meme!!!

1. Growing your own veg. Not strictly free given the initial investment and time/effort required but it does mean you can avoid the supermarkets and it does mean great tasting, healthy veg for you and your family with zero food miles. I know the weather is not conducive to veggie growing at this precise moment, but I'm starting my chilli plants indoors soon and this summer there will be potatoes, herbs, courgettes, beans and all sorts of yummy things for Lara to sample.
2. Competition Prizes. If you've not read my lesson on how to win free baby goodies (and lots more)... then where have you been? Since I wrote it I have won a cookbook, a diary and some more smellies. Go on, give it a try.
3. Free Wi-Fi. My scrumptious OH bought me an Ipod Touch for Christmas. Ever since then I have been scouring the airwaves for free Wi-Fi so that I can surf the net wherever I am... for FREE! Thankfully, I found a free network within reach of my desk at work. Phew: I was wondering what I'd do without access to Twitter and the blogosphere!
4. Photo Souvenirs and Memories. Last Christmas, in a piece of ingenious forward planning given the new baby on the way, my present was a shiny new digital SLR. I love taking photographs of Lara (I've already had to archive off a whole load of them because they filled up my PC... oops) but my speciality is landscape photography. When I'm on holiday I struggle to find inspiring souvenirs but when I get back I always have a set of amazing photographs which are totally free and which mean much more to me than any piece of tourist tat. Here is just a taster!
   
   
5. The wonderful worlds of Freegle and Freecycle – always worth a try for a few freebies.
6. Reusable Nappies. I know, I know... they're not free because you have to fork out for the nappies, covers, liners and all the gubbins to deal with them... and you have to wash them. I know! But I've done my calculations, I am pretty certain that if you ignore the washing costs then I broke even nappy wise at 4 months so in my eyes, every reusable nappy that I now change counts as a FREE nappy. I do still use disposables occasionally and it always shocks me how much they cost. If you're interested in giving it a go, check out my Links for suppliers.
7. Online Rewards Schemes. I touched on this briefly in Baby Stuff For Free but right now, I don't know what I'd do without the likes of Kidstart, Nectar e-shops, Mutualpoints and the whole host of online surveys I complete. I've had £55 in vouchers from various places so far in 2010 which has been a welcome contribution to the 'new baby car seat fund'.
8. Free Coffee. On Monday I was incredibly grateful for my Caffe Nero loyalty card. All those trips to the coffee shop during maternity leave for a cheeky Mocha have paid off. It was lunchtime, I was tired after just half a day back at work, I was cold from tramping through the snow and all I wanted was a hot, warming, caffeine-packed coffee. Armed with my little piece of coffee-currency, I exchanged my loyalty card for a free cuppa and life was once again groovy. Genius.
9. Free Music. Since I got my IPod I have discovered Last.fm, a website that recommends music to you based on what you like and what you are currently listening to. You can listen to samples from their recommendations online, or through their Ipod application. If you like what they recommend, then you can choose to buy, or choose to listen to something else. They also have a lot of totally free mp3 downloads available on their site.
10. Free Money. Yes, there is such a thing. Dear Government, Thank you very much for your gift of £250 for Lara's child trust fund. Thank you also for my child benefit which, although small in the grand scheme of things, is just enough to make me not have to worry about finances during the month. Oh, and thank you for the 'health in pregnancy 'grant, the maternity pay, the child trust fund tax breaks and the tax incentives on the childcare vouchers... you'd be mad to withdraw them because working mums like me might give up altogether leaving you with a smaller workforce and less tax income. Sometimes I feel lucky to be a UK mum.

I'm passing on the meme to Rebecca at Beetroot and Gherkins and Catherine at BabyGenie.

My Favourite Photo – A Meme

I was very excited when I was tagged by Rebecca at Beetroot And Gherkins in my very first meme – the “Your Favourite Photo” meme started by Tara at Sticky Fingers and the rules are simple:-

What is your favourite photograph. And why?

It's as simple as that.

It can be your wedding day, your children, walking in the park/on a beach/hand in hand. It can be your backgarden on a frosty morning, a holiday photo, the day you met someone famous, the day you met your other half.

It can be a lost relative, a family gathering, a picture of you in your youth.

Post it, say why it's your fav then invite someone else to do the same.

There is one minor problem... I'm an amateur photographer. I love taking photos and have done ever since I was wee! I have a LOT of photographs, in fact, the roof above me is straining from the weight of the photos in my loft and I have a PC upstairs dedicated to my more recent, digital images. Holidays, friends, events, cats, cars and of course, a shed load of photos of Lara because I've been shoving the camera in her face every day since she was born! I was determined to find a photograph that included me in it, but (because I am normally the one taking the photos) those are pretty rare. It took a while, but here goes...

My picture was taken in July 2003 at the top of Niagara Falls in Canada. I know that the yellow pac-a-macs aren't very flattering, and that we don't look that thrilled to be there but trust me, the reason why I chose this picture is because I KNOW that when it was taken, I was incredibly happy!!!

That summer, I was on a 3 month training course in Long Island, New York accompanied by a small handful of my fellow Brits, one of whom I was slowly falling for! One weekend in July we took a road trip to Niagara Falls (a round journey of 1000 miles just to see a waterfall). When we arrived at Niagara, we had to leave the hire car in New York state so we took a coach trip over the border to see the more spectacular Canadian side of the falls. It was on this trip that I found out that the the guy I was falling for, was also falling for me – there's nothing like standing underneath a wall of thunderous water to cement a relationship! That guy (the chap in the middle of the photo) was to be my future husband.

Immediately before this photo was taken we had been down into the depths of the rock below and had ventured out under the Horseshoe falls where we were pelted by the powerful mist. It was an awful lot of fun, shouting, singing and giggling under the roar of the water around us. I also remember smiling and flirting with Mr. B. as we both got steadily more sodden in the mist and water – I just couldn't stop smiling.

When we came back to the surface, the sun was setting and the floodlights came on, making the falls look magical. I remember being cold, soaked to the skin, and totally on top of the moon! I guess the reason why I love this photo so much is because it reminds me of the beginning of my relationship with Mr. B and it stirs up all sorts of happy memories of my trip to the USA.

And, just in case you wanted to see a picture of Niagara Falls that isn't in total darkness... here's one or two that I took from the USA side of the falls!

And now its time to pass the baton. I tag...

Emily at Days With the Walker Family
Jacqui at Mummy's Little Monkey
Hayley at Single Motherhood Challenges

... my apologies if you've been tagged already.

I hope you enjoy searching for the right photo as much as I did!