Well that was 2011!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

My Photoshoot with Thomas Skovsende

Back in November, Ian and I did a photoshoot for Top Sante magazine. The article was based around me beating my eating demons and losing three stone with Thinking Slimmer's Slimpods, and the impact that my yo-yo dieting had had on our relationship across the years.  

The photos were taken by Thomas Skovsende, an industry renowned photographer and a really lovely guy.  We went to Goldstone Hall, a hotel near where we live in Shropshire, which was a lovely location.  The experience was fantastic!

Today I was sent a selection of the photographs.  I love them!!  There are so few photos of Ian and I together, let alone any professional ones.  So I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity, being photographed by an artist, dressed by Debenhams and having hair and make-up done by a local beautician.  Thanks also to Sandra who made it all possible with her amazing support and the miraculous Slimpods!

Top Sante Photoshoot!

After losing 3 stone and battling my eating demons with Thinking Slimmer, I have become a little bit of a minor celebrity in the world of weightloss!  After my feature in the Sun, I was approached by Top Sante to do an article along with Ian, my long suffering husband, to look deeper into my issues with food and how the Slimpods have changed our lives.  We had a 2 hour interview and today we had our photoshoot.

I was sent two gorgeous dresses from Debenhams (size 12 Yay!  Still can't believe I'm not a 16 anymore!) and had a make-up artist arrive at my house to get me ready for the photoshoot with photographer Thomas Skovsende.  We were on location at a local hotel, Goldstone Hall.

Thankfully the weather was incredibly kind and so we didn't freeze or get rained on.  Apart from my high heels sinking into the lawn, there were no problems and me and Ian enjoyed having a professional take photos of us.  We've never had professional pictures taken of us, not even when we got married, so we enjoyed the experience.  Thomas was an artist who knew exactly what he wanted to achieve and wasn't afraid to tell me I was looking "freaky" when a concept wasn't working!  I don't know how his "au naturel" shots will look, he favours taking photos of real people doing real things rather than staging unnatural poses. (Very different to the Sun where it was all 'pop your hip' and 'bend that knee' etc)

Here's a couple of photos that were taken on my own camera of me and Ian in our outfits.  I have to wait until the magazine comes out to see Thomas's shots of us.

The Top Sante magazine article is due to be published in February, all going well.  

This is Day 4 of #NaBloPoMo