Celebrating the summer holidays - week three of six

It's Friday again, believe it or not, so time to celebrate all that's lovely and nice in the world. It doesn't matter how small or how big the celebration, if you've got something good to shout about you should be on the linky list for this hop to share it with the world. It never hurts to spread the happiness.

As always, the wonderful VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author is presiding over events, along with her co-hosts. Head over to see who else is celebrating this week.

Diana Wilder ... about myself, by myself ...

LG Keltner at Writing of the Edge

Katie at The Cyborg Mom

CaffeMaggieato at mscoffeehouse

Today, I'm celebrating:

• Enjoying time to myself to get back into some swimming. I've finally taken the plunge (ha ha!!!) and have started trying to get my body back into some kind of shape. I was lucky after this baby not to retain much of the weight, but I could still benefit from shifting some of it.

• I've lost 3lbs since starting to lose weight. Not much in a week but slow and steady does it, I want to keep it off once it's gone :-)

• We're half way through the summer holidays! Yippee!!!

How about you lovely people? Anything good to celebrate? Have a great weekend!

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Celebrating summer holidays- week two of six

Hello lovely bloggers! I'm a bit late getting to my celebration post today but I'm here and it's still Friday, so it still counts right?

We're now at the end of the second full week of the summer holidays, which means we're not far from half way. This week has been a bit more chilled out, and I haven't spent as much money as last week. Good job really, the holidays are expensive!

Anyway, time to celebrate the small things with VikLit over at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and her co-hosts. Head over to these lovely gals to check out who else is celebrating this week.

Diana Wilder ... about myself, by myself ...

LG Keltner at Writing of the Edge

Katie at The Cyborg Mom

CaffeMaggieato at mscoffeehouse

Today, I'm celebrating: 
 

• My husbands new car. Even though it's three years old it drives like it's new, so huge thanks to the previous owner for looking after it so well. I'm not allowed to have a new car this year so I have to drive around in his and pretend it's mine :-)

• Making a dent in all of the old blog posts I'm trying to catch up with. I finally feel like I'm getting back into it all now.

• The arrival of my new Galaxy tablet. It's made it a lot easier to access all the things I like to on the internet, and is largely the reason why I'm so caught up now. I can sit in the living room in more comfort while I browse through all my bloggy stuff. Wonderful!

 

Have a great weekend everyone! I hope the weather is better for you than it's supposed to be for us!

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Celebrating the summer holidays - Week one of six

I'm grabbing a few minutes to write this post while the grandparents keep the children entertained for half an hour. We're only one week in to the six week summer holiday and I'm already finding little-to-no time for blogging, writing or even reading very much.




It's Friday though, so time to celebrate what we can from the last week. Our wonderful host for this is VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author, and her fabulous team of co-hosts all help spread the word of this hop and the celebrations that are making us all happy.

Please check them out as well as others on the linky list who are taking part.

Diana Wilder ... about myself, by myself ...

LG Keltner at Writing of the Edge

Katie at The Cyborg Mom

CaffeMaggieato at mscoffeehouse

Today, I'm celebrating:

 

• Our second wedding anniversary at the beginning of the week. We couldn't get out to the pub by ourselves so I cooked us a nice steak dinner at home instead, yum yum!!!

• Using three of the hobs and the fan oven all at once on my lovely range cooker for the anniversary meal. The first proper meal I've cooked on it since we moved in!

• Getting away to the coast with the girls for a few days. The sun is shining, there's no housework to do, just chill out time. Well, as much as you can chill out with a six year old and a two month old, haha!

I hope you are all celebrating something fabulous this week too!

Have a great weekend! xxx

Back to the celebrations!

Hello all, and happy Friday!

It's been a little while (ahem, two months) since I've joined in the Friday celebrations blog hop, and my apologies to VikLit for being away for so long. She does a wonderful job, along with her co-hosts, of spreading the celebrations around for everyone to enjoy. 

 

Please go and visit the co-hosts if you can, where you can also find the linky list and see what all the rest of us are celebrating:

VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author

Diana Wilder ... about myself, by myself ...

LG Keltner at Writing of the Edge

Katie at The Cyborg Mom

CaffeMaggieato at mscoffeehouse

Today, I'm celebrating:

• making more progress in getting back into my bloggy schedule. This blog hop is one more step towards doing that.

• settling into being a family of four. After six years of just the three of us it's been weird having another little person in the house.

• my seven week old has started smiling a lot more, and making those adorable little baby noises which means she's happy. She's finding her voice, which she'll need living with her big sister!

What have you got to celebrate this week? Please do share and help spread the happiness.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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It's Friday!!!!!

 Another Friday has come around again, so it's time to celebrate something from your week. 

Brought to us by VikLit, together with her co-hosts Diana Wilder, LG Keltner, Cyborg Mom and CaffeMaggieato, it's a great chance to celebrate with everyone and spread the joy. Check out these blogs to find out who and what else is being celebrated.





Today I'm celebrating that our house move has been confirmed, we finally exchanged and will be moving next Wednesday. Yippee!!!

It's all hands on deck this weekend for the final round of packing and organising, and next weekend I'll be able to unpack it all again.

We won't have any internet after Wednesday, and goodness knows when we'll get it back on again, so I'll be absent from the blogosphere for a little while.

I will be back though, and I look forward to catching up with you all again!

Have a great weekend all!!!

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The first rule of WRiTE CLUB is ...

... you MUST talk about WRiTE CLUB!

Hello everyone! How are we all on this fine Friday?


 
 As it's Friday, I'm indulging in that well known blog hop that is Celebrate the Small Things! Hosted by VikLit, it's a great opportunity to celebrate the smallest or largest of things that are going right in your life at the moment. So, why not head over to her blog to check out who else is involved, and maybe join in yourself to share the good feelings of the week!





As you've probably guessed, this week I'm celebrating the return of the brilliant WRiTE CLUB.

The submission period for entries is now open until the end of the month, and then the fun truly begins on 16th June!

For those unfamiliar with WRiTE CLUB, it was put together by the amazing DL Hammons and is an opportunity to submit your flash fiction and potentially battle it out, Fight Club-style, with other writers until an eventual winner is crowned.

And the first rule of WRiTE CLUB, you must talk about it! 

There are many more rules to this event, and for all the details please head over tot he official website. 

I'm polishing up my entry and will be submitting for the first time, gulp! Are you up for having a go?

Have a great weekend all!

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Last day celebrations!!!

 

It's Friday, and the A-Z Challenge is over which means normal blogging duties will slowly be getting back to normal.
So it's time to celebrate something today with VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and all the lovelies currently on her linky list.

It can be anything you like, as small or significant as you fancy. Everything counts, and it all helps to spread the joy of whatever we've all been up to.

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Today I'm celebrating it being my last day at work, yippee!

In three weeks time my new baby is due, and I'm not sure how I've lasted this long to be honest. I'm tired a lot and I just ache everywhere! I don't know if they're hangovers from my daughter, but I'm sure it's all a lot more uncomfortable than the last time.

I have two weeks to myself now when little one's at school so, providing this one doesn't make an early appearance, I will be able to put some focus into some actual writing time. I can't remember the last time I got to do that.

I'm just excited to be able to live the life of a writer (whatever that means anyway) for a few months before having to go back to the boring grind of my actual job.

What are you celebrating today? Any plans for the weekend?

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Joy for Friday! - Daily Haiku with the A-Z Challenge, and Celebrate the Small Things!

A Haiku is a short, unrhyming poem of 17 syllables across three lines following structure: 5, 7, 5.

For the A-Z Challenge 2014 I am doing a daily Haiku for each letter of the alphabet. Today ...

 

Joy for Friday!

The weeks end is here,

no more work to tie you down.

Revel in the joy!

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This post forms part of the A-Z Blogging Challenge, posting every day in April except Sundays, sequentially through the alphabet. To see who else is taking part, check out the list here.

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It's Friday, which means time to celebrate something with VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and all the lovelies currently on her linky list.

It can be anything you like, as small or significant as you like. Everything counts, and it all helps to spread the joy of whatever we've all been up to.

Celebrating the A-Z Challenge Theme Reveal blogfest!

So today I'm rolling two blogfests into one post, which some may call cheating, but I call it economical.


 

It's Friday, which means time to celebrate something with VikLit at Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and all the lovelies currently on her linky list.

It can be anything you like, as small or significant as you like. Everything counts, and it all helps to spread the joy of whatever we've all been up to.





Today my celebrations are all about the countdown to the A-Z Blogging Challenge. With only 10 days left to get posts prepared (eek!) I know plenty of us are working hard at getting all our posts together and ready for scheduling. Well, the sensible and organised ones among us are anyway :-)

For those still scratching their heads about this whole thing, the A-Z Blogging Challenge is all about posting something every day in April, except Sundays, and using the letters of the alphabet as starting points. By taking Sundays out, that's 26 days for 26 letters.

To check out the full details and of course to sign up yourself, head on over to the website. There are over 1300 signed up so far!

Today's other blogfest is the big A-Z Challenge Theme Reveal. Many of us pick a central theme to base all our challenge posts on, and today's the day we kick start the celebrations and reveal our plans for the month.

 

This blogfest is being co-hosted by Vidya Sury, alongside her buddies Anna Tan, Csenge Zalka, Guilie Castillo Oriard and Samantha Geary. They're all carrying on the mantle from Mina Lobo who started the Theme Reveal last year.

There are over 300 bloggers signed up to reveal their theme so it's well worth heading over to see what everyone's planning.

As for me, I'm planning on a Daily Haiku for each letter of the alphabet. A Haiku is a short, unrhyming poem of 17 syllables across three lines following structure: 5, 7, 5.

I thought it'd be perfect for the Challenge, all posts will be short and sweet taking the pressure off getting them prepared and scheduled (I hope!).

A daily haiku is one of the exercises given to us as part of my creative writing course, one that was totally new to me and I found I really enjoyed it once I got started. It seemed the perfect choice for this Challenge, and I hope you enjoy my offerings.


So, are you taking part in the A-Z Challenge this year? What's your theme going to be? 

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Celebrating study time!

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Today's the day when we all celebrate even the smallest things going on in our lives. Thanks to VikLit, we have the opportunity to share in each others victories and positivities every week, spreading a little joy as we go. 
To check out what everyone else is celebrating head on over to her linky list.

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Today I'd like to celebrate the Open University. It's become such a regular part of my life now that I almost take it for granted that it's there.

I started studying with the OU in 2003, and studied for a BSc (Hons) degree in science. I took a year off to have my daughter and finally graduated in 2011.

I find studying is like an addiction for me though, and it wasn't long before I'd signed up to study something else, this time English Literature and Creative Writing. 

If I'm honest with myself, this is what I should have studied in the first place as it's what I enjoy the most. I chose science because I thought it would give me a better chance of finding a good job. It wasn't in vain either, my studies helped me get the job I'm in now, working for a world-leading scientific research institute. I shouldn't grumble really :-)

Having tried studying at a conventional university, the distance learning method of the OU certainly suited me better. I was able to work full time, which meant having money in my pocket to do other things in my life too, buying a house, having a nice car, starting a family. And the best bit by far was that I wasn't in any debt at the end of it!

There are plenty of courses on offer, ranging from short, taster courses to 60 point modules, which can all be counted towards a certificate, diploma or even a degree if you fancy it.

The OU is quite well established in the UK now, and is in the top 5 of all universities across the country. They have also recently launched their website for people outside of the UK and Ireland, so they are spreading their reach to include more people in their teaching methods.

To check out this website head on over - Degrees and courses for international students

And for those in the UK that may be interested - The Open University

For anyone, of any age and interest, I would recommend the Open University as an option if you fancy taking up a new subject, no matter if it's for professional or personal development.

What are you celebrating this week?

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Celebrating the A-Z Blogging Challenge! Have you signed up yet?

That time of year has come around again when bloggers all over the world are preparing for the A-Z Blogging Challenge throughout the month of April. The sheer mention of the Challenge is a celebration in itself!

For those who may be new to this, it's now in it's fourth year and was set up by Arlee Bird to challenge himself and fellow bloggers to post something every day through the month of April. As an added hurdle, you need to choose topics thematically from A-Z.

So, on day one you post about something beginning with A, day two is a topic beginning with B, and so on. You get to skip Sundays for good behaviour, which leaves 26 days of posting for the 26 letters of the alphabet.

To get the full lowdown on how it all works you can visit the Blogging from A-Z Challenge webpage which will give a much more thorough breakdown of whats involved.

This will be my third year doing the Challenge and I've learnt many things from the first two:

• Try and pick a theme for your posts. It can make it a bit less daunting to concentrate on one overall theme covering each letter rather than scrabbling about for something to write about each day.
• Planning can be crucial! It can be tiring and stressful keeping up if you are writing each post the day before or even (gulp!) on the day itself. I wouldn't recommend it! Try and make a schedule for your posts that you can tick off when you write and schedule each one. It'll feel good to see those posts disappearing.
• Keep your posts short. As I write this there are over 1000 participants taking part in the challenge. If you're visiting others on the list it makes it easier if you don't have to scroll through reams of words every day. It also increases the likelihood that people will return to read further posts.
• Have fun! It's all abut discovering new blogs, meeting new people and expanding your blogosphere. You'll be surprised at how much you'll learn.

Before April itself kicks off though, there are a few people having a little A-Z Theme Reveal party on 21st March.  

There's a sign up list for this too, where everybody will have a grand unveiling of their intended theme for the Challenge. Make sure you head on over to check this out too, and bring the A-Z fun to your blog early!

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This post is brought to you as part of the Celebrate the Small Things blogfest, a weekly adventure courtesy of VikLit. Why don't you head on over to her blog to check out what everyone else is celebrating?

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A Valentine's Celebration ... what else?

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I'm celebrating with VikLit's Celebrate the Small Things blog hop today, a great opportunity to share your good fortune for the week. Make sure you visit her too to sign up and see what's being celebrated!

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Really there's only one thing to celebrate today so ...

 I hope everyone has a great weekend!

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