It has passed in a blink of an eye and a constant flurry of activities. 2011, has been a great year! My family have continued to make me proud and are my greatest joy and achievement. Freddy has grown into a bright and gorgeous toddler (with a Diva-ish penchant for dancing in his big sister's dresses!) Kizzy is thriving at school and has enjoyed taking part in the Gifted and Talented programme. Ella's musical talents continue to astound me with her beautiful guitar playing and vocals. Megan is doing so well applying for Graduate schemes ready for September. Joe has been promoted at work with his new post starting in January. But 2011 has been a great year for me personally too! My blog has continued to present me with amazing opportunities and I have been amazed at how much it has evolved over the last 12 months. Here are some of my highlights of the year.
My success with my weightloss has seen me have photoshoots for
The Sun and
Top Sante and I have appeared in the
Mail Online. I was the runner-up in the Slimpod Slimmer of the Year competition which was a huge honour, after shedding 3 stone with the Lose 2 Jeans Sizes Slimpod! This year I want to lose another stone and maintain a comfortable size 12. That will be a huge achievement and will make me truly believe that I have completely kicked the yoyo diet habits forever. I am forever indebted to the wonderful Sandra Roycroft-Davis who I have met on numerous occasions this year.
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| Top Sante shoot by Thomas Skovsende |
In 2011 I have been a
Craniac for John Crane, a
Graco Ambassador and a Toys R Us
Toyologist. I have worked with some great companies including UK Mums TV, Aldi, Regis, Pampers, Warner Bros, P&O, Quinny, Next and Ubisoft. I love working closely with brands that I believe in. It is an amazing opportunity to test out products and attend events, and share my thoughts on my blog.
In 2011 I enjoyed going to
Cybermummy along with fellow ambassador
Emma representing Graco. With a hire car from Hyundai and
Lou as my co-pilot we had a great time meeting fellow bloggers and learning a thing or two about the blogging world. I even won the passport competition, winning a weekend at
The Four Seasons Hotel. Above all though, attending this event was a huge achievement for me. Just a few months prior to this, I would never have dreamt that I would be able to drive all the way to London and stay in a hotel on my own without Ian by my side. This was a real test for me and my self-confidence...and I've not looked back since!
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| Feeling like an official Blogger at Cybermummy |
I took Kizzy to the
Hexbugs Bedbugs Sleepover at London Zoo. It was amazing sleeping on the floor of a bug house alongside ants and cockroaches after having a private tour of the zoo by torchlight. We went with
Helen and her daughter Hanna who were perfect company.
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| Meeting a Tarantula at London Zoo |
The
Next event to preview the SS12 range was a wonderful, child friendly affair where we were thoroughly spoiled! I had some photos taken of Freddy which I absolutely love. I'm proud to be part of the Next Blogger Network and would love to work with them again in 2012.
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| Fred modelling his Next jeans (Next jumper was removed prior to photoshoot!) |
I
guest edited Real People which was a real highlight of the year and got to produce a two page spread that appeared in the magazine. It was an amazing experience that gave me the chance to recommend some of my favourite blogs and top toys.
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| My Real People pages! |
Attending the
Tots 100 Butlins Christmas Party was a wonderful opportunity to combine blogging with my family, as me, Ian and the kids descended on the Bognor Regis resort. I had a really great time catching up with favourite online friends and spending some quality pre-Christmas fun with my family. Thanks again to Sally!
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| Our Tree Decorating Team at Butlins |
The
Rachel's Organic event at Buxted Park Hand Picked Hotel was another wonderful opportunity. We watched top chef Lucy Hyder prepare dishes using Rachel's products before being treated to a sumptuous four course meal in the 5* restaurant. The hotel was exquisite, the company was superb and the food was out of this world.
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| Me and Lucy Hyder of Buxted Park. |
I have enjoyed family outings to
zoos,
safari parks,
theme parks,
Blackpool dungeons and events such as
Bob's Big Build (where we enjoyed a marvellous breakfast on board a Clipper alongside
Danielle, Helen and families before arriving at the O2 for lots of Bob related fun!). Sharing the benefits of blogging with the children and Ian is a real bonus, making the hours spent tapping away on my laptop worthwhile. The children have also relished the opportunity of being my Tiny Testers, helping me with my reviews. I couldn't have done it without them!
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| Kizzy at Bob's Big Build |
What a great year 2011 has been! Here's hoping that 2012 is going to be as successful, eventful and fun for us all! I hope to see many more of you in 2012...our community is a wonderful place and I am honoured to be a part of it! Happy New Year! xxx
