Tea bags. I got sent tea bags. I asked for chai, thinking in terms of chai latte that you get in coffee shops. I got sweet chai, that tasted of licorice and Green chai that I don’t want to think about long enough to describe. Not a success. Not that I don’t like licorice, I do, but it’s not what I think of when I think of chai.

And then there were nano technology towel hooks. I don’t know how they’re nano tech, they just look like towel hooks to me. Yet to investigate how much weight they’ll hold.

I did get fabulous Bravado stuff. A feeding tank top which is just fantastic, lovely thick material and ever so comfortable, offering really good support. It’s standing up to repeated washing and wearing really well, which is good as I love wearing it and so it gets cycled round the wash regularly. The original bra that I was sent is a little more daring than I would have chosen, being leopard print. But it’s very comfortable and extremely practical, and I can completely see how a new mum could sleep in it. Again, it is standing up very well to repeated washing and wearing. I basically adore these products. And I love that they come with a conversion kit, so when you’re done feeding you can go on wearing.

Pictures to follow tomorrow. Too tired now.

{snapshots} Big ordered herself some fab clothes for Cybher, she looks really grown up in the chosen dress. Small has spent most of the week reviewing a new online game site for children, Wizard 101. He seems to be very much enjoying it. Smallest didn’t have her vaccinations (the doctors’ had run out??) but we did have a very nice outing, and Tigerboy has cracked walking, discovering it means he can carry things and reach higher. He’s ever so pleased with himself.
We’ve had a fabulous business project to work on this week, and it’s stretched my communication skills as well as my technical abilities – it’s been tiring but hopefully positive.

Jotting down some notes from my phone as I’m trapped under a not quite sleeping baby.

Lots of lovely books this week. Gorgeous hardback to celebrate Judith Kerr’s 90th birthday, Judith Kerr’s creatures. Lots about her life, her books, and her drawing. I’ve spent a little while adoring it and I’m sure there are plenty more hours to come. It has details of sketches from how her books are build up, and includes the whole of Tiger who came to tea and first Mog book. There’s also plenty of information about her as a person, it’s a book I’m going to be savouring for quite some time, and highly recommended for any fans.

I’m reading Playing Tyler from angry robot books Via netgalley. I’m mostly enjoying it, though some passages are so descriptive of the lead characters inner turmoil that they make me feel quite odd, so I can’t take too much of that at once. I’m hoping it will smooth out as I get further into the narrative, I’m about 20% in so far.

Have had several very varied books sent for one reason or another this week, including one as prescribed. I rather think I do have a potential prize as well, but I’ll be back in the morning to tidy this up, announce last week’s winners and sort out badge and linky.

Hope you are all having a lovely reading time atm too.

I’m now back to add in both the winners from last week’s competition and announce one for this week. Congrats, Hayley, Emma, Sara, Ian and Edd! I’ll be in touch for your details very soon. For this week, Vintage books were kind enough to send me two copies of Stoner, with the suggestion that I pass one on to a friend. I’d love to do just that – if you fancy being that friend, stick a comment in the box below. Assuming we get more than one comment, I’ll use the random draw box to select the lucky participant. If that person happens to be outside UK, I’ll negotiate with them on postage costs, and if we can’t come to an agreement, draw again. If you do extra friendly things, like, joining the linky, grabbing my badge, sharing this post with the handy share buttons, or liking my facebook page or my G+ page (badge over in the sidebar) stick extra comments in to that effect Competition closes next Thursday 23rd at midnight, and I’ll try to remember to disclose the lucky winner next Friday.

Disclosure: I was supplied books mentioned above for review, and a spare copy of Stoner to give away. This is the affilate link to Stoner on Hivewhich allows you to support independent bookshops and this blog at the same time, please feel free to use it. Other bookshops are available

<a href="http://liveotherwise.co.uk/makingitup/read52-a-reading-challenge"><img src="http://liveotherwise.co.uk/makingitup/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/read52-203x300.jpg" alt="A reading challenge from http://liveotherwise.co.uk/makingitup" title="read52" width="203" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-9176" /></a>

Feel free to join the linky:

In other news, I still haven’t found my car keys. Thursday is as always pizza night. And I love my new moo cards.

Cute, eh? Got them via a peerperk

I thought until a week or so back that I wasn’t going to make it to Cybher this year. I’d put a few very tentative calls out for a sponsor, but got no bites, and couldn’t quite see how I could afford it otherwise. And then there was this little post from Chris over at Thinly Spread about how the newest network on the scene, Collective Bias, and their links with Nestle.

Hm.

I’ve done a collective bias shop. I had seen that they work with Nestle in the states, but to be honest, even though I’m a long term Nestle boycotter, having written about it here and there in the past, I’ve come to the conclusion that boycotting like this doesn’t work. And as I wrote on In the Powderroom, I think we need to do things that change behaviour. (Which doesn’t mean that I give Nestle my money. I absolutely don’t. But it’s getting harder and harder to find alternatives which aren’t Nestle under the covers, have you noticed that?)

So when Jo came back on the concerns with Collective Bias, I waited to hear what she had to say about it before I made a decision. And when she said that they won’t be working with Nestle in this country as a result of the strength of feeling from bloggers here, I decided that was enough to keep me interested and working with them.

And I’m going to Cybher. With Collective Bias. I’m hoping that as a result of my association with them I can get talking with them and maybe push a bit of our feeling about Nestle and so on back into the states, because let’s face it, it’s countries like that that actually make the difference. They have the buying power, and the numbers, and if they turned around to corporations like Nestle and said no more, that would make a real difference.

It’s not enough to just say no. I think we have to make conversations, make bridges, make connections and then make changes through them. Show people different ways. Explain what we are doing and how and why. Yes, by all means, each of us has to choose what fits with our conscience and do that, but I think we also have to challenge our consciences and each other to push the boundaries out a little further and do more each day.

Does that make any sense? Do you agree with me? Or are you quite happy to buy Nestle anyway and can’t quite see what the fuss is all about? Thoughts in the usual place please.

The answer is barely and gloriously.

There were four of us. We weren’t actually fuzzy or sepia, but we didn’t have fantastic digital cameras back then.

Summer lasted forever. Holidays were at the beach in a caravan, or on a farm. Or at home – days spent on the moors with a pack of children, a large dog, and no adults. No screens, next to no electronic toys – I had a Merlin that played nine games I think, including noughts and crosses? And I had a ZX81. With the velcroed on 16K ram pack.

(Can’t quite imagine letting my children wander off in similar circumstances to play in canals far from adult eyes. Which is not precisely a positive change.)

I’d like to say that back then I wasn’t aware of appearances and judgement, but actually I knew full well that I was different, that I didn’t like to wear skirts, that I much preferred trousers and freedom. (Even in that picture you can see my shirt is a boy’s shirt, no frilly neckline for me.) I remember that my mother was always on a diet. I remember cottage cheese and ryvita, and assuming that you had to be an adult to like it.

News flash. I’m an adult. Still can’t see the point of cottage cheese and ryvita.

Cereal. I like cereal. I always remember special K as being like a lighter version of cornflakes somehow. The new recipe however tastes more like a lighter version of frosties. Were they always that sweet? Or have my taste buds changed over the years? I’m sure that the new recipe will be slightly better for you as it’s now got three grains, but it’s still a touch on the over processed side.

Obviously, I haven’t changed a bit. I’m still gorgeous.

Although, now I’m gorgeous with children.

No, more children than that. How do I not have a picture of me with all four of them??

That will be rectified. I think it’s partly because I *am* (still) going through a body crisis at the moment. I think it’s natural. I’m putting my baby days behind me. My body has carried me through 7 pregnancies and 4 births. I’ve run 10k in memory of the little sister who won’t ever reach her 30th birthday, and won’t ever worry about grey hairs. And I have a stomach that does rather more than wobble. I can’t fit in my pre pregnancy jeans. My back hurts all the time.

None of those problems (and they are problems, back pain due to shot stomach muscles after four babies is a problem folks) will be fixed by starving myself though. I *am* trying to cut out the casual chocolate biscuit, but more because that leads to mood crashes when the sugar wears off. Eating sensibly (and I don’t mean cereal twice a day to fit into a bikini) and exercising makes me feel better in myself. Running in particular does all sorts of good things for me, although I have to be careful not to stress my knees or weak back.

What causes me more problems are the idea that if only I tried hard enough I could be the same shape I was in my 20s. I’m never going to be 20 again. My hips are never going to be that size again – for pity’s sake, my pelvis expanded to let children pass through it, and it’s not going back where it came from. So while dp enjoyed the special K we were sent to try, I can’t see me stocking it very often – we’re pretty much an Aldi no brand cereal house here these days.

I started out to write this post for the BritMums/Special K “How I’ve changed Linky challenge”. I *really* want to win an iPad mini. But given that the “Winners will be chosen on how closely post and picture(s) fit the theme, originality, use of humour and professionalism of presentation of post.” I don’t think somehow I’m going to win this time. What do you reckon? Did I sell you on Special K? Answers in the usual place please.

Do you fancy helping me celebrate my 10 year blogaversary? I’d love it if you would. I’ve got some great ideas on how to celebrate, and the first thing I’m doing is giving away this microwave from John Lewis

To enter, leave me a comment telling me the best thing blogging has done for you. (You can still enter if you don’t blog. Just tell me a happy thing ) You can have extra entries per day for tweeting or otherwise sharing this post, but you must leave me an extra  comment with link per share. (I use a plugin called and the winner is which draws randomly from separate comment entries.)

Competition is UK only and runs until midnight bst on 22nd May. You must be prepared for your details to be passed to the company for fulfilment.

If you’d like to get involved in a giveaway here, either for my blogaversary or some other reason, please drop me a note through the contact form.